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No sooner had the words left Luther's mouth than Cynthia's phone began to ring.
She answered casually, but whatever she heard on the other end quickly stripped the cheer from her expression.
"Huh? You're looking for him? What for?" Cynthia blinked in confusion, then sighed. "Forget it, talk to him yourself. He's sitting right across from me."
Switching to the speaker, she shaped the words silently with her lips for Luther to see.
"Bertha."
That single name told Luther everything.
This was a real heavyweight. Only after arriving in this world did Luther learn that the Ground-type specialist of Sinnoh's Elite Four had once held the Champion's throne herself, before Cynthia.
Bertha, however, had been far too free-spirited to cling to the title. After claiming victory, she brushed it off, citing age and her desire to find a worthy successor, stepping down to settle among the Elite Four once more.
According to Cynthia, Bertha had been instrumental in her own rise, offering advice on raising and training Garchomp, even forcing the League's hand to give Cynthia an early Champion challenge. And when the time came, she herself had been the first to step forward and test Cynthia's strength.
But Luther? He'd never crossed paths with her before. So why would someone of her caliber be looking for him?
"Good day, Bertha San," Luther greeted, trying to mask his nerves.
"Oh, so you're Luther," A warm but commanding voice came from the other end of the phone. "Surprised I'd suddenly reach out to you, aren't you?"
Luther scratched his head sheepishly. "A little, yeah."
"It's simple. The Pokémon League's New Year's event requires Cynthia to return to headquarters immediately. I had originally wanted her to handle something for me, but since she won't have the time… I'll have to ask you instead."
Luther's pulse spiked. 'A favor? From One of the Elite Four?' Surely it was not some kind of impossible assignment. He was still just a small fry. Was she trying to get him killed jumping ranks like this?
As if reading his mind, Bertha chuckled. "Relax. It isn't anything difficult. First, let me ask, have you already decided on your next destination?"
Truth be told, Luther hadn't. From Snowpoint City, he could set out in several directions. But one thing was certain: he had to speed up.
Etorre had already warned him. At his current pace, even if he managed to qualify for the Lily of the Valley Conference, he'd have no time left to finalize his team or polish their coordination.
So Luther admitted honestly, "I haven't decided which Gym to challenge next."
"Perfect," Bertha said. "That means I won't disrupt your plans too much. Head west from Snowpoint City for about three days. There's an abandoned mining zone, you can check your map to confirm."
Beside him, Mai had already pulled out her phone and quickly located the site on the map.
"Back when I was traveling, I caught several Ground-types in that mine," Bertha continued. "They became the foundation of the team that carried me to the top. With League duties tying me down lately, I can't make the trip myself. So I'd like you to catch two or three Ground-type Pokémon for me."
"Any specific ones?" Luther asked carefully.
"Doesn't matter. No need to be picky, as long as they're Ground-types. Talent, aptitude… those are excuses Trainers make when they lack ability themselves. I once knew a Trainer who wielded a Dunsparce so masterfully that it was terrifying, even though most dismiss it as nothing but a worthless pest."
Before Luther could respond, a timid voice piped up faintly from the other end of the line.
"Um… Auntie Bertha… could you maybe catch me a Steel-type? Just one… just one would be enough…"
The child's plea drew a weary sigh from Bertha. Her voice softened, tinged with helpless affection.
"I'm sorry. But if possible, Luther, could you also try to bring back a Steel-type? This kid has… a bit of an obsession with them."
She chuckled ruefully. "One relative's child adores Fire-types. This one's fallen for Steel. And me? There is not a single kid around me who actually cares about Ground-types."
Her laugh carried a note of self-mockery, but beneath it, Luther could sense the fondness she held for the request.
Steel-types, huh? Truth be told, Luther had a soft spot for them as well.
It wasn't just their limited weaknesses, it was the way most Steel-type Pokémon radiated that cool, metallic sheen. For Luther, capturing a Steel-type felt almost the same as piloting a Gundam: an exhilarating rush of power and control.
Isn't that the very definition of a man's romance?
Once Professor Rowan finished his observations of Lairon, Luther decided he would ask if the Pokémon wanted to join him on his journey.
He agreed readily to Bertha's request. And Bertha, in turn, wasn't the kind to take advantage, she promised to cover the expenses for capturing and traveling, every last coin.
What's more, she suggested Luther stop at Whitewind Town's Gym on the way to the abandoned mine.
It was a Normal-type Gym, its Leader, Hakuya, a rising star tipped as a future addition to Sinnoh's core Gym Leaders. Bertha believed that if Luther truly wanted to test his strength, battling Hakuya would be the perfect trial.
Whitewind Town also boasted natural hot springs, said to wash away every ounce of travel fatigue. Bertha spoke of them with unreserved praise; she'd fallen in love with the place during her own travels and still visited whenever she could spare the time.
Mai, ever efficient, marked Whitewind Town firmly on their itinerary. Drawing a line between it and the mining zone, she calculated the distance and began compiling a list of supplies.
When the call finally ended, Luther found himself mulling over an entirely different question.
"Cynthia… if you hatch an egg in a hot spring, does it make the process faster?"
Cynthia sipped her coffee, brow furrowed in thought. "Hmm… I recall a League research paper a few years back suggesting it might speed things up. But the sample size was too small, so they couldn't prove a direct correlation. Most Pokémon eggs naturally 'speed up' when kept in the right temperature range."
Mai's answer mirrored Cynthia's, uncertain, but leaning toward yes.
Luther itched to test it himself. In the games, after all, you could toss eggs right into the hot springs to speed hatching. But here, in reality, would it really work the same way?
Cynthia drained her cup, slung her bag over her shoulder, and waved off Luther's offer to walk her out.
Then she paused, smirked, and quipped, "Next time I pass out drunk, don't just throw me onto the bed, alright? Sure, I'll fall asleep again no matter how I'm lying, but still, it's too rough."
Luther buried his face in his hands. Seriously? Are you bringing that up now? After the match, she'd keeled over on a bench, snoring, swatting Garchomp away when it tried to carry her. Getting her back to her room and onto the bed at all had been a miracle of effort.
Once Cynthia left, Mai turned to Luther, eyes sparkling with awe.
"Two…! You actually beat two of Cynthia's Pokémon!" She exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement, as if she'd witnessed a legendary moment.
Luther only shook his head with a rueful smile.
"Aren't you curious why Gastrodon ended up fighting me in a wheel battle?"
Mai tilted her head, chin in hand. "Because… Was it part of Cynthia's strategy?"
"You're giving me too much credit," Luther said, patting Chansey beside him. "When you were a kid playing hide-and-seek, what did your family do?"
Mai's eyes went wide in sudden realization.
Luther understood perfectly what had happened.
Yes, Cynthia had eventually passed out drunk, but during the battle itself, her mind had been sharp as ever. When it came to battles, it seemed nothing could dull her instincts.
Gastrodon had been his first obstacle. With its relentless offensive power and ironclad intercepting moves, Luther had thrown four Pokémon at it in succession, and still failed to bring it down quickly.
Cynthia hadn't switched out. Just by keeping Gastrodon in play, she'd made him feel like he was suffocating under the pressure.
That part, Cynthia was deadly serious.
But once Gastrodon fell, everything changed. Cynthia shifted gears, weaving illusions, not only for her Pokémon, but for him as well. She made it look like he was gaining ground, that he could actually shake her throne.
The problem? Her acting was abysmal.
Her commands to Garchomp were so nonsensical that the poor dragon was left bewildered, only to get pummeled around the field by Marill of all things. The sight was absurd, it was like watching a leaky water tank chase down a Tiger tank across the battlefield.
Luther hadn't mentioned it aloud. Maybe Cynthia really believed her performance had been convincing, and was secretly proud of the effort.
If so… well, then perhaps it was her way of lowering herself to his level, giving him confidence when he needed it most. A strange kind of kindness.
He accepted it in silence.
Still, he hoped that next time, when he challenged her seriously, he wouldn't be met with another painfully awkward play-acting spectacle.
--- End of Chapter ---