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Luther was woken up by Chansey, just as planned. He hadn't set an alarm, instead entrusting Chansey to wake him at the right time.
And when it came to waking people up, Chansey had quite a few tricks up her sleeve. Luther and Chansey's past battles over getting out of bed were downright brutal.
At first, Chansey tried pulling on Luther's hand to drag him out of bed, which was effective at first, but soon Luther would groggily flop right back down, mumbling, "Just five more minutes…"
Five minutes later, the scene would repeat.
So Chansey got creative. She invented all kinds of new wake-up techniques: pinching Luther's cheeks, ripping off his blanket, rolling the egg from her pouch across his face, or simply flopping down on his stomach…
Thanks to her relentless efforts, Luther finally broke his "five more minutes" habit. Now, just a few pushes and he'd sit up, yawning.
3 PM.
Practically dinnertime already!
"Didn't we agree you'd wake me by noon?" Luther asked.
But when he saw Chansey's smiling face, he understood, she had wanted to let him sleep in for once. How could he not accept that kindness?
Getting dressed and stepping out of his tent, Luther spotted Slowpoke blankly staring at the sky. Chikorita was swaying the leaf on her head back and forth in front of Slowpoke's face, trying to provoke some sort of reaction.
The moment Chikorita saw Luther awake, she leapt toward him in excitement.
Chansey, after playing with Chikorita for a bit, slipped into Luther's tent to check on the condition of the Pokémon eggs. The interrupted playtime hadn't been much fun for Chikorita, but she'd behaved well and hadn't made a fuss. After all, both Luther and Mai were asleep.
Now that Luther was up, she couldn't hold back her enthusiasm anymore.
Luther picked up Chikorita, gave her a gentle rub, and patted Slowpoke, who had loyally stood guard. Then he went over to Mai's tent and called her awake.
Two groggy humans wandered the camp, realizing their Pokémon were nowhere to be seen.
Chikorita babbled away, and with Chansey's help, Luther finally pieced it together. Kirlia and the others were at the lake.
Leaving Slowpoke to keep watch, Luther and Mai rushed to the lakeside.
Just as they arrived, the lake Pokémon had finished diving underwater, and a different group of people also reached the shore.
Espurr spotted Luther, let out a soft cry, and floated over, holding the two pieces of jewelry they had worked so hard to find.
"Hyper Beam."
A beam of light shot toward Espurr from the opposite side.
"Light Screen."
Kirlia and Chansey reacted instantly, casting Light Screen in tandem and successfully blocking the Hyper Beam.
During this brief window, the Pokémon on the shore quickly retreated to Luther's side.
Luther scooped up the soaking-wet Espurr and soothed her. He didn't immediately take the jewelry she offered, but instead stepped forward and addressed the three male Pokémon Trainers across from him.
"So I'm invisible now, huh? You three see me here and still attack my Pokémon?"
The man in red at the front clicked his tongue and stepped forward.
"A Pokémon Trainer just passing through? Guess you're not from around Snowpoint City, then."
"Oh, I see how it is," Luther said coldly. "If I were a local, you'd keep quiet and avoid making trouble. But since I'm not, you think you can push me around?"
Luther's tone turned icy. He had no patience for bullies, especially ones who dared to attack his Pokémon right in front of him.
Kirlia's warning had already been clear. Both Luther and Mai understood exactly what she meant.
'Sorry, but Luther wasn't one to just give things away. If something ended up in his hands, unless the rightful owner came to claim it, no one was taking it from him.'
And these three men? Not a chance they were the rightful owners.
"Long story short," said the man in red, "our Pokémon were also searching this lake for sunken valuables. The fact is, your Pokémon took something we had already found."
Kirlia placed a hand on Luther's arm, and Luther could faintly perceive some of the information she was transmitting. The words Sharpedo and treasure at the lake bottom came together in his mind, and he more or less pieced the situation together.
"You guys talking this tough when Sharpedo was still around?"
Luther took the jewelry from Espurr and waved it in front of the trio.
"Or do I just look easier to bully than Sharpedo? Let me make myself clear, I was the one who drove Sharpedo away. That makes this mine. If you want something, go dive down and find it yourselves."
"Treasure hunters have always operated on a first-come, first-served basis," The red-clad man snapped. "You're breaking the code."
His anger was so irrational that Luther couldn't help but laugh.
"First-come, first-served? These things have been sunk in that lake for decades, maybe centuries. If we go by your logic, none of this belongs to any of us. Whichever Pokémon swam past it first, that's the real 'first come'. Wake up, pal, we're about the same age. Be realistic. The one who gets it is the one who keeps it. That's the real rule."
Luther continued, "I once met a treasure hunter from a family in Hearthome City. She was way more principled than you guys. To catch a single Pokémon, she was willing to suffer and camp out in the forest for days. You just follow behind my Pokémon trying to pick up scraps. You don't even measure up to that girl."
"If that's how it is," The red-clad man said, "Then let's settle this like Pokémon Trainers. A battle, just you and me."
Luther turned back to Mai and handed her the jewelry.
"Sorry, I can't think of a single reason why I should battle you. I already have the item, why would I gamble it?"
"So you're trying to force me to take it by robbery?"
The trio's Pokémon were already revved up and ready to go.
Machamp. Exploud. Muk.
Not a bad combination.
Mai looked at Luther worriedly. He gestured for her not to worry.
"I think you're confused about something," Luther said calmly. "The real issue here is whether or not I want to press charges over your ambush on my Espurr, not..."
He patted Kirlia, Chansey, and Marill.
"...not whether I'm going to let you threaten me."
"Kirlia, Psychic. Chansey, Thunderbolt. Marill, Ice Beam. Knock their Pokémon flat!"
The trio of treasure hunters hadn't expected Luther to suddenly go on the offensive, and they scrambled to defend against the barrage of moves.
As soon as Exploud blocked the first wave of attacks, Marill suddenly appeared right in front of him. She launched both fists forward, Superpower, and sent Exploud flying into a tree with explosive force.
Machamp was commanded to attack Chansey with Close Combat, but Chansey simply smiled and took the full combo head-on, tanking every hit thanks to her incredible durability. Then, without missing a beat, she picked up Machamp and used Seismic Toss, hurling him straight into the lake.
Muk's sludge attacks were especially gross and annoying. Luther had Kirlia catch the sludgy projectiles with Psychic and fling them right back at the trio.
As the treasure hunters frantically dodged their own attacks, Kirlia followed up by slamming Muk with Psychic, right onto the just-recovering Exploud.
Marill calmly walked to the lakeside, grabbed the soaked Machamp who had just floated to shore, used Bulk Up, spun like a top, and lightly let go.
Machamp crashed directly onto Muk.
"I hate threats," Luther said flatly. "Any time someone threatens me, it reminds me of things I'd rather forget."
"You can try spitting out another threat if you want, but next time, I won't stop at a simple lesson."
"I suggest you believe me... because I always follow through."
(End of Chapter)