"Do you want to insult me with points?" Luther originally wanted to shout this at Mai, but the points were just too tempting…
The Pokémon League's Battle points could be exchanged for free food and lodging; though it required a lot of points and the system, only a couple of years old, wasn't widely used, Luther wasn't about to pass up a chance to fleece some wool— simply because… he was flat broke.
Coming to this world and ending up a part-time worker was something Luther never saw coming.
Mai and Luther were birds of the same feather… no, they were allies.
Luther and Mai saw themselves as noble emissaries of justice, sniping the rotten apples in the Pokémon Trainer circle here.
Thus, Luther's Oreburgh City routine gained a new item: fishing.
Mai paraded around the Pokémon Center with her alluring shiny Corsola, like an anglerfish swaying its little lantern, waiting for targets matching the "rotten apple" profile to show up; then Luther would quietly step in, provoke them, and blast them for points.
Though he'd added this fish-blasting routine, Luther didn't slack on his homework.
Reading books and watching videos in his spare time was Luther's greatest hobby.
Luther soaked up knowledge of this world from a sea of books while also mapping out his Sinnoh travel route.
On a map he'd bought, Luther marked several red circles based on the data and highlights he'd gathered over these days.
The Old Chateau, Celestic Town Research Lab, Mt. Coronet, Lake Verity, Lake Valor, Stark Mountain.
Outside the circles for Mt. Coronet and the Old Chateau, Luther wrote "Underworld?"
Completely unrelated to the Distortion World, the concept of the Underworld was exactly as its name implied.
If Giratina's Distortion World was the reverse side of the Pokémon world, then the Underworld concept might be downright chilling.
From Luther's digging through books these days, descriptions of the Underworld in various legends and historical records were mere fragments; Researchers and Professors hotly debated its existence.
According to the Pokémon Pokédex entry for Dusknoir, Dusknoir has the Ability to receive spirit world radio waves and can store lost souls in its mouth-like belly, guiding them to the spirit world; per the anime, they also serve as gatekeepers of the Underworld, preventing any Ghosts from escaping.
This Pokédex info sparked huge controversy in academia because it couldn't be verified, giving it more mythical than scholarly weight.
Only Luther knew the Underworld truly existed in this world— whether you called it the writers' malice or a deliberate hint, despite its low presence, it was undeniably real.
First, the Old Chateau; based on supplemental anime lore, this dilapidated mansion near Eterna Forest housed Ghosts— it's unclear if they were Ghost Type Pokémon causing trouble.
By the timeline, shortly after Ash saw Paul get crushed by Cynthia, Dawn would encounter a ghost here.
Next, Mt. Coronet; at the summit ruins of Mt. Coronet, Ghosts pursued by gatekeeper Dusknoir would appear.
Luther didn't hold much reverence for Ghosts, largely due to the Pokémon existing in this world.
Since Pokémon— such miraculous beings— existed, it wasn't strange for Ghosts to exist in a world connected to the Pokémon one; plus, judging by the anime, these bona fide Ghosts had combat power so weak they couldn't even match low-tier Ghost Type Pokémon, which is pretty embarrassing.
With a bursting curiosity, Luther glanced at Misdreavus beside him, figuring Ghosts might not even be as scary as Misdreavus, so he naturally added the Old Chateau to his Veilstone City itinerary.
After a long busy stretch and some more Sinnoh literature, Luther opened his phone and logged into a video site with an account borrowed from Mai.
Champion match recordings required copyright permission to rewatch, and Luther's wallet couldn't afford the membership fee; thankfully, Mai lent him an annual membership account, letting Luther review Champion match content.
Luther was reviewing Cynthia and Lucian's match.
Through various camera angles of the Champion match, Luther reappreciated Cynthia's performance.
Luther's expression grew heavier as the match progressed, his phone-holding hand trembling slightly.
Watching live, he'd been immersed in Cynthia and Lucian's grip on Battle Rhythm and the thrilling Bronzong-Garchomp clash; now, replaying it, Luther realized Cynthia hadn't shown her full Strength in this fight.
At least in the final round, Cynthia clearly hadn't gone all out.
In the Garchomp versus Bronzong battle, she seemed fully focused, but the faint weariness on her face couldn't lie— Luther had seen that look on his own face before.
It was the feeling of disinterest in something but still having to handle it.
Not only was Garchomp's power underutilized, but Cynthia herself wasn't pushed to her peak state; he wondered if Lucian felt it too.
It was like two samurai dueling— one striking with full force every time, while the other yawned and ended the pointless fight with a casual swing.
That feeling stung.
Cynthia's Battle record was terrifying— in every documented formal Battle, she is undefeated.
Before this, Luther's understanding of Cynthia was limited to her Battles being the toughest Champion fights in Pokémon history.
Now Luther grasped more: in this world, Cynthia was a fearsome Battle Talent, her dominance in matches unmatched in Sinnoh.
Lucian probably felt that despair too— the average person's despair… the despair of gazing up at a genius.
Finishing the replay, Luther stepped out of the room; looking up at a genius could easily Collapse his confidence, and he didn't have much built up; after watching so many recordings, Luther could only try to calm himself.
Mai looked excited, waving a shiny Badge in front of Luther.
Luther saw it clearly, knew Mai was showing off, and immediately dished out compliments without hesitation— girls seemed to love that stuff, and Mai clearly ate it up.
"That fast?" Luther eyed the Oreburgh City Gym Badge, its craftsmanship exquisite.
"No one challenged Roark this morning, so I went straight in," Mai said, taking the Badge back and rubbing every corner under the sunlight, "Corsola and Slowbro worked hard; I took the match in one go."
With a Type advantage and Mai's Pokémon training level, beating a newbie Gym wasn't tough.
"What lineup?" Luther asked.
"Geodude, Onix, Golem," Mai replied. "The starting Geodude and Onix seemed tailored for Rookie Trainers— easy to beat— but that Golem was well-trained; it took out my Eevee and Corsola; Slowbro ended it with Ice Punch."
Clearly, this was Roark's flexible battling style.
Based on a Pokémon Trainer's booked battle data, he'd gauge their strength and field a team of varying power, mainly to help Rookie Pokémon Trainers get used to fighting.
Luther had seen Mai's registration info— like his, a blank slate with no formal Battle record; true to Roark's style, he'd fielded a Rookie-nurturing lineup.
Luther smacked his lips; he'd lingered in Oreburgh City mostly to let his Pokémon adjust to Battle Rhythm, boost some Ability, and bond as a team.
Beyond that, Luther had ventured into Eterna Forest two or three times, seeking Heracross, but came up empty-handed.
Mai was luckier; while tagging along to scout Eterna Forest, she stumbled on a shiny pink Lopunny.
Luther had just pulled out his Pokédex when Mai commanded her Corsola to thrash the bewildered Lopunny; by the time Luther's Pokédex finished reading Lopunny's info, Mai's Poké Ball had already captured it…
Seizing opportunities and acting fast, Luther had now experienced Mai's style firsthand.
Also, Luther wondered if Mai had a shiny Pokémon attraction BUFF; later in the forest, she spotted another shiny Pokémon's shadow— though they couldn't catch it, it still shocked Luther.
Weren't shiny Pokémon supposed to be ultra-rare? Was Mai the real transmigrator with a protagonist halo?
Failing to catch Heracross pushed Luther to resume traveling; he'd stayed in Oreburgh City too long. Although Veilstone City Gym challenge data showed Ash hadn't passed it yet, Luther wanted to reach Veilstone City early to catch the big moment.
"Your Marill's strong; you'll be fine," Mai said, encouraging Luther when she heard he'd challenge the Gym too.
"If Roark sticks to the Rookie-nurturing lineup like you said, it might not be a problem, but I still need to watch for him switching things up; your Corsola got beaten by Golem despite a full Type advantage— that shows Roark's Pokémon are well-trained."
"But you've got Misdreavus," Mai said, patting Misdreavus; after this time together, Misdreavus was starting to accept Mai's touch. "Her Strength is pretty reliable."
Mai's praise pleased Misdreavus, who rubbed against her docilely.
Misdreavus had gained a reputation for blasting fish at the Pokémon Center lately; most Pokémon Trainers near Eterna Forest knew of a "bully" with a Misdreavus who hated trades at this center.
But fish-blasting didn't gauge combat strength; Luther still didn't know Misdreavus's Strength limits or if it could take on a Gym Leader.
Mai's words boosted Luther's confidence; having faced Roark herself and praised Misdreavus's Strength, it seemed he could relax a bit.
The Oreburgh City Gym challenge finally made it onto Luther's schedule.
(End of Chapter)
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