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Luther and Mai left Hearthome City, waving goodbye to Gardenia and the trainee Pokémon Trainers.
Basil eventually returned to Hearthome Gym to continue improving herself, picking up the things she once thought she no longer needed and studying them seriously.
To Gardenia, that might have been Luther's parting gift, helping a child who had lost her way find a path that suited her before he left.
Who knows? Perhaps one day, her name will appear on the list of notable trainers from Hearthome Gym, or maybe she'll venture out and make a name for herself.
The time for traveling began to flow once more. Luther and Mai didn't choose to head toward Eterna City or Veilstone City, the former being home to a Ghost-type Gym, the latter to a Fighting-type Gym.
Instead, Luther chose to continue heading north.
They only turned on the danger zone alert feature on their phones, ignoring detailed maps entirely. Luther found this approach far more interesting than carefully planning every part of the journey.
It was a journey of spontaneity; when they were tired, they pitched their tent, lit a campfire, and heated up the dry food and rations they carried.
When they were in good spirits, they chased after glimpses of wild Pokémon they spotted, tracking them through the terrain.
At one point, Luther and Mai cornered a Chikorita that had been fleeing with a Berry in its mouth and had taken shelter in a tree hollow. Seeing the trembling Chikorita, the two of them burst into laughter.
Of course, the Berry didn't survive; a bossy-looking Marill snatched it away and began munching on it with great satisfaction.
Chikorita had complicated feelings. It had stored many more Berries for the winter in the hollow and was fully prepared to be robbed. But to its surprise, these two didn't even glance at the stash; instead, they took down a tent from their backpack and began to set up camp.
To Chikorita, the tent was the size of a small mountain. It was pitched right in front of the hollow. A group of Pokémon gathered around the tent, bustling about. Chikorita, still holding the pose of biting down on its Berry, could only stare blankly at the scene before it.
Winter nights fell especially quickly. By the time Luther finished setting up camp, it was already dark.
A campfire burned at the entrance of the tree hollow. Luther and Mai had plenty of dried meat. With a light splash of water and a bit of dry food on the side, it made for a luxurious picnic.
Kirlia, Eevee, and the others mostly ate Berries. Even on the cusp of winter, plenty of Berries still hung in the wild. Luther, driven by the mindset that "if I don't pick them, they'll just fall anyway," foraged freely. That satisfying feeling of harvesting in the wild was incredible, comparable only, perhaps, to discovering a fully stocked supermarket all to yourself during the apocalypse.
Chikorita sat curled up in the corner of the hollow. At first, she cautiously guarded her hoard of Berries. But as the fire lit up and the scent of warm food drifted in from Luther and Mai's side, she gradually relaxed.
It really did seem like these two weren't interested in her Berries, except for that annoying, round, blue, ball-shaped Pokémon!
Feeling a little safer, Chikorita crept to the edge of the hollow to peek out, a movement that Kirlia quickly noticed. She tapped Luther beside her. Luther turned his head and saw the tip of a leafy head poking out. This little creature, thinking she was well-hidden, had been completely exposed.
Luther rummaged through Chansey's shoulder bag and pulled out the Sweet Cheri Berry Jam he had bought in Lumiose City. He fetched some water from a nearby stream, boiled it in a pot beside the fire, and served a hot post-meal drink to each Pokémon.
The sweet and fragrant scent of the Cheri Berry made Chikorita's leaf sway back and forth. Hidden at the edge of the tree hollow, she heard approaching footsteps and shrank back further.
Something poked at the leaf on her head, causing Chikorita to dash straight to the back of the hollow.
"Marill stole your food earlier, I'm sorry. Please have some of this instead."
With that, Luther left the cup near the tree and walked back toward the tent.
Chikorita sniffed the delightful aroma and crept to the hollow's edge, carefully observing the clear cup filled with the sweet Cheri Berry juice.
But just as she wanted to drink, it happened… she couldn't reach it with her mouth!
The cylindrical cup was perfectly shaped to make her the very image of the crow that can't drink the water.
She tried to curl her large leaf into the cup to scoop out the juice, but when she pulled it back, the juice just spilled everywhere.
Using Vine Whip to dip and lick the juice was even more frustrating and unsatisfying. Upset, Chikorita whimpered and paced around the cup in circles.
At this point, not just Kirlia, but all the Pokémon enjoying dinner looked over at her, dozens of eyes locked onto her.
Realizing she was being watched, Chikorita darted back into the hollow.
Luther approached the tree, tapped the entrance, and said, "If you don't mind, I can help feed you."
It was the only option; every Pokémon Feeding Bowl was already in use, and there wasn't a proper container available for Chikorita.
Chikorita hesitated for a moment, then crawled out of the hollow and opened her mouth.
Luther picked up the cup and slowly poured the juice into her mouth, bit by bit. Only when the cup was empty and Chikorita let out a satisfied exhale did he leave with the cup in hand.
He truly enjoyed these little interactions with wild Pokémon. Whenever Luther and Mai teased or played with wild Pokémon, they would always leave a few Berries behind for them.
Sometimes they'd even set up camp near the Pokémon's dens to shield them from the wind for a night.
Last time, a large Sentret with a love for Cheri Berries insisted on trading some of its stored goods for a few pieces of dried fruit from Luther.
There was also a Vigoroth who handed over two Lum Berries in exchange for three pieces of dried meat.
And once, a massive Ursaring, on the verge of hibernation, caught the scent of Lum Berries in Luther's backpack. It actually brought out some honey stored in a hollow tree stump and offered it in trade.
To many Pokémon, Lum Berries were incredibly valuable, something to keep at least one or two of in reserve. Apparently, this Ursaring hadn't been able to find the Berries it needed before winter arrived.
Luther had bought two big jars of Lum Berry concentrate in Lumiose City, enough to last him a long while. So he happily placed two Lum Berries into Ursaring's paws.
The goofy, burly bear touched its head awkwardly, turned around, then, after a few moments, turned back again, gesturing for Luther to follow.
Luther and Mai followed Ursaring to a spot near a rotted log, where it began to dig furiously at the ground. Before long, it had unearthed a good stash of Berries and a pile of strange items dropped by passing Pokémon Trainers.
Unused Poké Balls, shiny jewelry, a few chocolates, and instant noodles that hadn't even passed their expiration date, this big guy with a collector's habit laid them out in front of Luther, gesturing for him to take whatever he wanted.
Luther looked at the unclaimed accessories, shared a smile with Mai, and felt a bit like he'd struck gold.
He took the jewelry, the chocolate, and the noodles, then dug through the Berry pile to pick out a few Pokémon favorites. After that, he took out a jar of his condensed berry mix, found a small clear bag, poured in a bit, tied it up, and handed it to Ursaring.
Ursaring knew what was in the bag and waved a paw, indicating that it wasn't necessary. But Luther didn't take it back. Stuck with the gift, Ursaring ended up helping keep watch through the night. Even when Luther left the camp, Ursaring followed him quite a distance.
Luther felt like a merchant walking the Silk Road, trading goods from his hands that always returned to him in another form. There were no bandits here, no sandstorms.
What there was: the biting chill of oncoming winter, and a group of curious wild Pokémon watching him and Mai.
Their trading partners couldn't speak, and all communication relied on gestures, but both sides were honest and fair in their dealings.
Chikorita sat atop her mountain of Berries, hesitantly picking through them.
This one looks like it might be going bad. Can't give him that.
This one… I like this one too much. I don't want to part with it.
This one's too small. Not suitable. Gotta pick another.
After a long while, she used Vine Whip to pile some Berries at the entrance, then came up to Luther and rubbed her head leaf against him.
Luther noticed the Berry pile and saw Chikorita's Vine Whip pointing toward the juice that Kirlia was holding, her face full of hope.
Luther shook his head. Chikorita quickly ran back to her stash and brought out more, but Luther gently stopped her. He scooped some Sweet Cheri Berry jam into a small pouch, sealed it, and demonstrated to Chikorita how to open and prepare it, then placed it in front of her.
He had no intention of trading with Chikorita. From what he had seen of her stash in the tree hollow, it was clear this winter would be tough for her. Tempted by aroma and flavor, she hadn't noticed the potential danger.
Chikorita looked nervously between the Berry jam and her own pile of Berries.
To her, these two things didn't feel like a fair trade. The jam smelled amazing, far better than anything she had. She felt like she was making a great deal.
But the fact that Luther gave it to her for free left her unsure of what to do. She reached out her little paw to try and push the jam back into the hollow, but then hesitated, leaving it where it was.
As the campfire slowly dimmed, Luther and Mai fell asleep early. Keeping up their energy during wilderness travel was vital.
The Pokémon on watch had already been assigned their shifts, taking turns between the first and second half of the night. Before bed, Luther and Mai gave each other a high-five, something that had become a little ritual.
Once inside their respective tents, Luther would always tell Mai a story.
Most of them were tales from his original world: its history, strange events, or things he had personally seen and experienced. Mai used to wonder how Luther knew so many unusual and fascinating stories.
But now, she didn't bother thinking about that anymore. She just let herself get lost in his words.
She imagined that in some other world, there really were storytellers who sat beside a glowing campfire in the silent night, spinning mesmerizing tales and singing beautiful songs.
Songs so enchanting they could drive away the demons lurking in the night, and stories passed down like torches, from generation to generation.
She wondered… whether the stories of her journey with Luther might someday be told and sung by other Pokémon Trainers, gathered around a fire under the stars.
After finishing his story, Luther and Mai both drifted into peaceful sleep.
But Chikorita was still stuck in her inner struggle.
(End of Chapter)
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