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Mai's conflict with her family was set aside for the time being, and the Pokémon that had previously been taken away were returned to her family's courtyard.
Now that she once again had her own Pokémon, Mai finally entered the local social circles and, through Pokémon, made quite a few new friends.
With her own Pokémon, Mai later went back to the forest where she had once gotten lost and found Aggron again.
"I brought him a lot of food. He didn't guard against me at all. As soon as he saw me, he ran over and started eating."
Luther was immersed in the beauty of this mutual understanding and harmony between humans and Pokémon when Mai suddenly said something that made him cover his face.
"While he wasn't paying attention, I threw a Poké Ball at his head and caught him while he was still totally confused."
Mai clenched her fist in excitement.
'Wait a minute... what about the most basic trust between people and Pokémon?'
Oh... well, it seemed like Aggron didn't resist either. Looks like he was okay with being caught?
"At the time, I thought my courtyard needed a big and powerful guy to help keep order among the Pokémon. Corsola didn't want to do it, and Eevee didn't have the strength. So I immediately thought of Aggron. Thankfully, he adapted really well to life at my house. Even now, he's still the boss of the courtyard."
Mai kept raising more and more Pokémon, and the scale of her care expanded. Gradually, it became too much for one person to handle.
To ease the tension between father and daughter and eliminate the barrier between them, Mai's father personally hired a breeder to come help take care of the Pokémon, and also to exchange insights with Mai.
After repeated health checkups confirmed that she had fully recovered, her family finally agreed, under her strong insistence, to let her set out with her Pokédex and her Pokémon.
The charcoal fire on the grill had burned low. After confirming that Mai had eaten her fill, Luther didn't add any more coals.
"Thanks for letting me dump all that on you."
Luther understood that feeling. When you're feeling down, you start reminiscing. And the more you recall, the more things build up and feel stuck inside, until suddenly you find yourself saying it all out loud.
It's good. Bottling it up just makes it worse. Saying some of it out loud feels a lot better.
"You forgot again, 'thanks for your trouble.'"
"Mm, there's no need to say that with you. I'll remember next time."
Mai stood up and stretched, then turned to face Luther, after pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts.
"I've decided. I want to be not only an outstanding Pokémon Trainer but also a renowned breeder in the Sinnoh region."
"In the past, I kept struggling over whether I should choose to be a Trainer or a Breeder. But now, I realize, it's unnecessary! I'm an adult now. I'm not choosing. I want both!"
"I might not become a Pokémon Trainer as strong as Cynthia, but I will become the top breeder in Sinnoh!"
Seeing Mai so confident, Luther corrected her: "Change 'Sinnoh' to 'the world.' I think you can make it."
"And what about you? After traveling for so long, I still don't know what your goal is, Luther. Tell me?"
Luther gazed at the distant lights, where the city's nightscape sparkled in every color. He was a bit lost in thought.
Goal?
Luther had always felt his own goal was unclear.
When he first arrived in this world, he was like a rootless wanderer. He pinned his hopes on Ash, poured all his lingering passion into him, and hoped he could help Ash defy fate.
Looking back, it was actually quite naive.
'Did Ash really need a Champion?'
From the outside, maybe. But in Ash's own eyes, no.
Spending even a short time with Ash made Luther realize that what made Ash truly exceptional was his determination to fight any opponent and his perseverance in the face of any challenge.
Becoming Champion, for Ash, was something that would naturally happen over time. What he really craved was to give his all in every battle and to face strong opponents who could help him test and prove himself.
Paul was that kind of person. That's why the two of them are truly two sides of the same coin.
There's no need to deliberately try to help him. If you really want to help, then give it your all to defeat him. He's the kind of person who grows stronger every time he loses.
If you acknowledge him, then you should beat him.
Back at that banquet with Diantha and Cynthia, Luther had already realized that his earlier thinking was mistaken. So he chose to follow his heart.
What he said to Diantha while running, that was what he truly felt.
The gentleness of this world, its slow and steady rhythm of life, made Luther begin to long for a lazier, more peaceful lifestyle.
Even now, Luther still thinks that having his own little ranch, tossing all his Pokémon in there, raising a bunch of Mareep, shearing wool, planting fruit trees, occasionally having battles with a few people, that kind of quiet life would be perfect for living out the rest of his days.
To achieve that goal, his first step was to make a name for himself in the Pokémon League, to win good placements in tournaments. His journey has continued with that goal in mind.
But the "Crowd of Rabble" incident shattered that second goal again.
Shiran's sophistry, his indifference toward the life and death of Pokémon, made Luther uneasy.
And Oleander's bound life, her madness when she tried to slit Shiran's throat, left Luther with a deep, inexplicable sadness.
All these things happened right before Luther's eyes, yet they didn't initially give him a strong sense of crisis. At the time, he thought they were just minor detours, and that he'd eventually get back on track and return to his peaceful daily life.
But things never go the way Luther expects.
When Evergreen sat in front of him, sipping lemon water. When Evergreen used Mai and Cynthia as gambling chips, playing mind game,s and trying to destroy him. When he had to disguise himself and mutilate Shizukumo into a living corpse,
At that moment… Luther was left with only one goal.
"I want the strength to protect the things I care about. It doesn't need to be overwhelming, just enough so I qualify to fight with everything I have."
The scariest thing in life is not having even the power or the right to fight in the middle of your own ridiculous mess.
Luther hated the powerlessness he felt during his conversation with Evergreen. He had no leverage, no bargaining chips. All he could do was build up a fake swagger, hoping the other side would fall for it...
If he had any ability to truly fight at that moment, he would never have bet on Evergreen not blowing up the bridge.
Getting injured while fighting Shizukumo that night felt like a kind of atonement. It lessened his guilt toward Mai, even just a little.
Even though so much time had passed, the image of Mai and the others falling from the broken bridge still surfaced in his mind again and again.
Luther used to have no answer. But now… he might finally have one.
"To gain the strength to wipe out the Rabble, to become someone that the Pokémon League cannot ignore."
Mai looked at Luther, curious. "I thought your goal would be to challenge Cynthia."
"No. Actually, that's not necessary. I once read a book that asked a question which stuck with me for a long time."
Mai rested her chin on her hand, waiting for Luther to speak.
"How much power does a person need… to hold onto their own happiness?"
(End of Chapter)