Blissey and Chansey had already prepared breakfast early in the morning.
Luther hadn't slept well the night before. His dreams were fragmented and restless.
Although he kept telling himself that he trusted Cynthia's strength and wasn't worried, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy. After all, those were the twin gods of space and time.
Blissey carried a feeding bowl into the courtyard. Luther had wanted to tell her not to prepare so much, but then he realized that Cynthia must have informed Blissey about her departure.
Looking over, Luther saw two timid Starly and a Rattata that backed away instinctively upon hearing his footsteps. All three were drooling and staring longingly at the food.
Blissey smiled and gently pushed the food toward them. Clearly starving, they could no longer hold back, burying their heads in the bowls.
Blissey was very familiar with the wild Pokémon that wandered around the area, so she often prepared extra food for them.
Most of the Pokémon roaming between cities had either been abandoned by people or had wandered in by accident. Without a proper foraging environment, they were often so hungry that they couldn't find their way out.
Patting Blissey to show his approval, Luther returned to his seat and continued eating his breakfast.
Mai staggered out of the study, still unsteady on her feet. When she saw Luther, her face flushed red.
After glancing around, she asked curiously, "Where's Cynthia?"
"She had an urgent matter last night and left early," Luther replied. Seeing her right arm hanging limply at her side, he smiled. "Next time, don't sleep with your head on your arm. It probably doesn't feel great right now, does it?"
Mai shook her head vigorously, swung her arm hard, and signaled that she was perfectly fine. She sat down and picked up her chopsticks to prove it to Luther.
Marill suddenly felt bored. Usually, the courtyard was lively at this time of day. Gastrodon and Milotic would always give her the food they couldn't finish.
'Where were those two big brothers who always fed her?'
Garchomp, who was always at odds with her, seemed to have disappeared too. The courtyard felt empty, and she wasn't used to it.
"Let's set off." Mai spoke up out of nowhere.
Luther froze for a moment, then quickly replied, "There's still plenty of time. You don't need to rush."
"I'm ready."
Her words were simple yet firm. Mai's gaze was serious, without the slightest hesitation.
Luther glanced at the backpack that Slowpoke had levitated out using psychic power. He took out a piece of candy and fed it to Milcery. Then he smiled and said, "It's been a long time since we traveled at night. Want to experience it tonight?"
That settled it. Confidence was much like momentum; you had to strike while the iron was hot. Since Mai was so confident that she could pass the exam on the first try, it was important to maintain that confidence.
Blissey looked dejected. After hearing the news, she reluctantly gazed at Luther and Mai.
Being left alone to watch the house was lonely. She had hoped that Luther and the others would stay longer because of the liveliness of this period.
But the time to leave had come. Blissey and Chansey exchanged the eggs in their arms, and Luther returned the villa keys to Blissey.
The ongoing entry and exit inspections in Sun Heart City did not affect Luther. After presenting his Pokédex, he confirmed the direction to Veilstone City and set off on his journey once again under the cover of night.
As he walked through the woods beside the main road, Darkrai wanted to release his aura to prevent wild Pokémon from jumping out and blocking Luther's path.
However, Luther stopped him. Milcery had reached the stage where she was interested in basic battles. After seeing Marill and the others sparring several times, she had hopped into the field herself out of curiosity.
Her actions always startled the Pokémon training in the courtyard. Last time, Gastrodon was just about to fire off a Water Pulse when he noticed Milcery bouncing into the battlefield. He had no choice but to swallow the attack back down.
Milcery copied Marill and the others, waving her arms at Chikorita and striking a pose as if she were about to attack.
Chikorita lay flat on the ground, squinting as she watched for a long while. Before Milcery could pounce forward and attack, Chikorita extended her vine whip and pressed Milcery down.
Milcery struggled for quite some time but didn't move an inch, which made both Chikorita and Luther sigh.
Although no one expected Milcery to have strong combat ability, being this weak was still a bit inappropriate. At the very least, she needed basic abilities to protect herself.
Milcery's sweet aroma drifted through the forest, and nocturnal Pokémon began poking their heads out, one after another, following the scent toward Luther.
Darkrai, who was clearing the way ahead, watched the chaotic group of Pokémon rushing over and felt like knocking them all down. However, since Luther wanted them blocked rather than driven off, Darkrai could only comply.
After the Pokémon rushed over and found no food, several fierce-looking Pokémon surrounded them.
Just as one Pokémon tried to break through, it was knocked flat to the ground by a single punch from a blue, round-bodied Pokémon.
The trembling Pokémon desperately wanted to know what they had done wrong to deserve this treatment.
"They're all Bug-type Pokémon. I'm not sure how strong they are. Do you think there's one suitable for sparring with Milcery?" Mai looked down at the trembling Bug-type Pokémon, her face full of curiosity.
Luther had Espurr step forward, then said, "Each of you use one move on Espurr. Once you're done, you can leave."
The Bug-type Pokémon looked at each other, clearly doubting Luther's words.
Darkrai slowly floated over behind them and let out a soft snort. The Bug-type Pokémon began shaking violently. Then, they nodded frantically and started lining up to attack Espurr one by one.
The first to step forward was a Spinarak, which used a Scratch-type move. After attacking, it looked nervously at Luther.
Espurr rubbed her stomach where she'd been hit, then waved her hand to signal that the Spinarak could leave.
Spinarak didn't hesitate for a second; she dashed straight into the grass and ran off without looking back.
Seeing this, the other Pokémon became excited and rushed forward to attack Espurr.
More and more of the Bug-type Pokémon were attracted and left. Out of more than a dozen, only two or three remained. Each time Espurr waved them away, she turned to Luther and shook her head.
Espurr had tested Milcery's strength personally, so she was trying hard to find a Pokémon whose strength matched Milcery's. However, all of the Pokémon she had tested so far were stronger than Milcery, which troubled her.
When Wurmple bumped into Espurr's belly, it bounced straight back. Espurr, who had been distracted, froze for a moment, then looked at Luther with delight.
Luther realized this, too, and quickly squatted down to look at Wurmple. He smiled and said, "I have lots of tasty food here. As long as you help me with one thing, I'll give it to you. What do you think?"
At that moment, Luther felt that his expression made him look like a human trafficker.
Wurmple shook his head desperately, signaling that he didn't want the food and only wanted to leave.
Luther frowned. "I think you should reconsider. We provide food and lodging."
Wurmple continued shaking his head. Reading Luther's expression, Marill rushed in first, darted over, grabbed Wurmple with one hand, and slammed him down against the ground.
"Nod your head, nod it for me! If you don't nod right now, I'll throw you into Chansey's pot!"
(End of Chapter)
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