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Seeing the admiration in Claire's eyes, Luther felt a bit dizzy.
"Hold on, hold on, I think there are some misunderstandings here. First of all, 'beating up challengers' is clearly a misstatement. At the time, I was the Acting Gym Leader. It was my responsibility to evaluate Trainers. If they failed, it just meant they lacked strength."
"As for Basil, there's not much to say. She lacked confidence and stage experience. I just gave her a taste of what that experience feels like. The fact that she changed is largely due to her own efforts. You can't ignore that and just give me all the credit."
"And about not taking any more students, Gardenia tells people after defeating challengers that they can attend free tutoring in the backyard to strengthen their fundamentals, and I help out with training. But unfortunately… no one comes."
Claire laughed helplessly as she finally understood the whole situation. "Well, that's the free-spirited traveler mindset for you. They always believe their losses are due to lack of practice, not lacking basic skills. If they lose and then get told to go to remedial classes by the Gym Leader, it feels like being force-fed like a Tauros."
Luther hadn't expected Claire to grasp the core issue so clearly, these fledgling Trainers, just getting their wings, tend to be extremely rebellious and prideful. Losing in public already hurts their ego, if they then walk into the backyard for extra lessons, it's like publicly admitting they're weak. A total joke.
Even though not going makes them look like an even bigger joke.
Claire also chatted with Luther about Basil's recent progress. Apparently, Basil had reached a 20-win streak in her circle. Rumor had it that she set a goal for herself, once she reached 50 consecutive wins, she would begin her journey. Now she was halfway there.
"What about you? Are you planning to travel?" Luther asked.
"Of course! Once Poliwag gets stronger, I'll start training him. Then, with his help, I'll capture more Pokémon and assemble my team to begin my journey!" Claire stroked Poliwag with full confidence as she spoke.
Luther was about to say something when the door opened, and Mai walked in with a bowl of Pokémon food, placing it in front of Poliwag with a smile.
"Chansey's egg liquid is great, but it's not enough. Try the food I made, I added a Pomelo Berry to help restore physical condition. It should taste really good!"
Mai's smile was a little stiff. Luther could tell she was trying hard to keep her emotions in check.
Seeing Poliwag half-covered in egg yolk crawling out of the feeding bowl, Luther joked, "Coat him in breadcrumbs, fry both sides till golden brown, even the neighbor's kid would be crying with envy."
Poliwag didn't understand Luther's joke, but Mai did, and her expression softened as she laughed.
Claire also noticed something had happened while Mai was out, but tactfully didn't ask further, sensing the mood.
As it neared shift change, Claire carefully asked about what she needed to pay attention to while taking care of Poliwag. She patiently took notes with a pen, exchanged contact info with Mai and Luther, and then left.
After sending Claire off, Mai let out a sigh of relief. She did a routine check on the last remaining Pokémon egg in the room, wiped up the mess Poliwag made with the egg liquid, and completed all the remaining chores. By the time the next shift arrived, it was already close to dusk.
"Today wasn't bad. A few days ago, before the newly hatched Pokémon were picked up, each of us had to take care of several of them. We were busy till after 7 p.m. and couldn't even eat on time."
Mai was in a good mood after finishing her shift. She changed out of her uniform, pulled an orange from the bag Luther was carrying, and started eating.
"I used to think that even if Day Care was busy, there'd still be some downtime. Turns out, I was being way too optimistic."
Chewing on her orange, Mai waved her hand and said, "It's always like this before every Tournament. The Day Care's busiest period is from autumn to winter, Pokémon breeding rates go way up, and more Trainers choose to adopt wild Pokémon eggs."
"Anyway, it's more mentally exhausting than anything. I'm always afraid of accidentally hurting these little newborn guys," Mai added thoughtfully.
Luther stretched lazily. "I didn't get to visit the pasture behind your Day Care today. That's where the baby Pokémon play, right? Do you think I could take a look tomorrow?"
"You're welcome anytime. Just remember to bring some fruit next time, but no more oranges."
"Alright then, I'll bring you peaches."
As he walked out of the Day Care, Luther unexpectedly spotted Claire not far ahead. She was holding Poliwag in one arm and carefully studying something in the other hand.
That didn't seem right. Claire had left half an hour ago. Why was she still here?
"Claire? Didn't you already leave? Why are you still here?" Luther approached and asked.
Claire paused for a moment when she saw Luther and Mai, then smiled and handed the paper in her hand to Mai.
"I was just thinking about whether I should go back and tell you about this."
Mai took the note and glanced at it. Her expression instantly turned ugly.
"She was waiting for me just outside the door. She spent a long time explaining her own methods of raising Pokémon. I told her you and Luther had already guided me, but she insisted my Poliwag was too weak and that your method would only hurt it. Then she took me back and made me write down these instructions, saying I should follow what's on this note instead."
From the corner of his eye, Luther caught sight of the signature at the bottom of the note. A rush of anger suddenly flared up in his chest.
Mai finished reading and silently folded the note. Smiling, she asked, "Claire, do you trust me, or do you trust her?"
Claire gently stroked Poliwag, looking very calm.
"I trust you. Luther told me about what you did during the incubation. I don't know if the baby inside the egg could hear your efforts, but I believe that unless someone tries, we'll never know what's truly effective."
"Thank you."
As Claire left, she raised the notes on Pokémon care that Mai had given her earlier, her way of showing support.
Standing off to the side, Luther watched Mai smile and wave enthusiastically at Claire.
But as soon as Claire disappeared from view, Mai's smile faded into a dark, unreadable expression.
"I've got something I want to take care of. I might be back a little late," Mai said.
"What a coincidence," Luther replied quickly. "I was just thinking I'd like to see what you're up to. Why don't we both head back late?"
Mai shook her head. "You go ahead and order dinner for me. Otherwise, we'll both miss the hotel's meal time."
"Is eating really more important than staying with you?"
It was like a stone thrown into a still lake, ripples silently spreading through Mai's heart.
She was quiet for a moment, then turned around and walked back into the Day Care.
Luther patted Marill and said, "How about barbecue tonight? After we're done, we'll go to the supermarket and buy some ingredients. You've worked hard practicing Ice Punch today, you deserve a good meal."
"For now, let's hold back a little. Time to catch up with Mai."
(End of Chapter)