Because Luther had spent most of his journey scraping by with Miya, he had never gotten involved in many of the activities common among Pokémon Trainers.
Cynthia found this hilarious. Partly because it was rare to see someone as accomplished as Luther end up this broke, but mostly because the winner of the Lily of the Valley Conference had somehow never heard of either the Pokémon Trainer Bounty Association or the Regional Pokémon League Commission Center.
The Bounty Association was a public organization that worked with the Pokémon League, accepting requests from ordinary citizens and posting them as bounty missions.
The Commission Center, meanwhile, was an official Pokémon League department responsible for reviewing and issuing missions, as well as coordinating assignments across different regions. Luther's upcoming mission in Hoenn had come from there.
Simply put, the first offered private jobs, while the second handled official League assignments. Both paid immediately upon completion, but official missions were only given to exceptional Trainers recognized by the Pokémon League.
Cynthia had only one word for the bounty hunters active in the association:
"Weak."
"Theoretically, any Trainer registered with the Pokémon League can create an account with the Bounty Association and accept missions," she explained. "Unfortunately, plenty of rookies take high-paying jobs they have no chance of completing. The association introduced a security-deposit system with help from the Pokémon League. If someone accepts a high-value mission and fails, money is deducted from their account deposit. Even so, people keep doing it."
Luther understood. Plenty of Trainers completed these missions to help cover their expenses. The association attracted Trainers of every skill level, but most of them were rookies.
Following Cynthia's instructions, Luther registered with the Sinnoh Bounty Association. Since its system was connected to the Pokémon League's Trainer database, a line of shimmering golden text immediately appeared beside his profile information:
'Winner of the Lily of the Valley Conference.'
It even came with special effects.
Cynthia doubled over laughing. This was exactly what she had been waiting to see. Luther had to be the first Conference winner in history to take bounty missions because he desperately needed money rather than because he thought they sounded fun.
Luther covered his forehead. "How do I hide this title? What's the point of using a nickname if everyone recognizes me immediately?"
Cynthia covered her mouth, still laughing. "Isn't it a good thing? Once people know you're a Conference winner, they'll all want you to solve their problems."
"I still have some dignity left!"
Luther finally found the relevant setting and hid his title.
The platform wasn't much different from a traditional online forum. Each mission board had a discussion section beneath it. Luther opened one and found it surprisingly active, although most of the posts were from Trainers asking for advice. There was also an employer feedback section where clients could rate the abilities of the Trainers they hired.
Missions were divided by city, with a number beside each city showing how many posted jobs were still available.
Hearthome City had 1,327.
Sunyshore City had 821.
Luther stared at the screen. "There are this many missions?"
Cynthia was feeding cake to Gastrodon. Hearing him, she looked over in confusion. "You think that's a lot? Hearthome City has nearly seven million permanent residents, and Sunyshore has more than five million. What you're seeing is only what's left after other people picked their missions. Most requests are already being handled."
"You know that many parents don't approve of their children becoming Pokémon Trainers, don't you?" Cynthia continued casually. "Why would they want their children to give up a stable career to pursue a risky path where only those with enough talent to stand out can make money?
Most parents would think twice. It's only because regional Conferences have become more influential in recent years, and bounty platforms like this have continued to improve, that lower-level Trainers now have a way to support themselves. Otherwise, most parents would still oppose their children becoming Trainers, unless the family was wealthy enough to afford the risk."
Simply put, chasing the dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer had become easier than before, allowing more people to pursue it. In turn, these bounty missions gave less accomplished Trainers a way to make money.
"Looking for a patient Pokémon Trainer to accompany my daughter while she catches a Skitty. Reward: 1,000."
"Annoying Ghost-type Pokémon have appeared near my villa. Please make them leave. Reward: 1,000."
"A Rhydon destroyed the cabin near our ranch. Three Trainers have already failed, so don't accept unless you're strong enough! Reward: 5,000."
The missions covered just about everything. Some people wanted Trainers to look after their Ambipom, while others needed help chasing a Raticate out of their house.
None of those rewards were enough to interest Luther. He was forty million in debt!
He went straight to the high-value mission section and sorted the rewards from highest to lowest.
The mission at the top offered a staggering one million.
The person who had posted it was... Lucian?
"Defeat Cynthia in a full six-on-six battle."
Flint and Aaron had even commented underneath it, both recommending that the administrators ban Lucian's account.
Seriously, that man never missed an opportunity to stir up trouble.
The reward was tempting, but the difficulty of completing it... It was better not to think about it.
Most of the other missions paid between ten and fifty thousand, but the work involved was tedious and complicated. One mission offered thirty thousand to protect someone entering an area frequently visited by wild Pokémon, for an entire month. Another offered ten thousand to identify the Ghost-type Pokémon that had infiltrated a mansion and drive them away within a week.
Most of the missions had strict time limits and were extremely difficult to complete. No wonder nobody wanted them.
Then a mission offering sixty thousand caught Luther's attention. An astonishing eighty Trainers had already failed it. That meant eighty people had lost part of their security deposits, and half of the deducted money had been added to the reward, eventually raising it to sixty thousand.
"Defeat six Pokémon within one minute. Time outside battle does not count."
Luther opened the mission's comments and found nothing but complaints. Everyone claimed the employer's Pokémon were far too strong and that the whole mission had been posted purely to humiliate Trainers.
Luther added money to his account as a security deposit and accepted his first bounty mission.
"Let me see." Cynthia craned her neck to look at the screen. "Eighty people failed something this easy? And it pays sixty thousand? You've hit the jackpot."
Luther expected Cynthia to come along and enjoy the show, but she merely lay back down on her lounge chair and closed her eyes for another nap.
Since the mission was located in Hearthome City, Luther soon reached the address listed on the request. It was a luxurious mansion in the city. By the time he arrived at its marble archway, a servant was already waiting to receive him.
The servant led Luther through the flowerbeds in the front courtyard, around a fountain, and through the mansion's main entrance.
Inside the lavishly decorated hall, a girl of fifteen or sixteen lounged lazily on a red-cushioned sofa, flanked by servants. Her mouth hung slightly open as she waited for a maid to place a grape between her lips.
The moment she saw Luther enter, her eyes lit up. She sprang to her feet and stretched.
"A new challenger! Finally, something entertaining to watch."
(End of Chapter)
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