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Luther returned to the campsite just in time. Chansey had just been about to send Espurr out to look for him so that they could eat.
"Where's Mai?" Luther asked while picking up his bowl. Suddenly, he remembered something.
Eevee, who was just about to start eating, froze for a moment, then ran back to the tent. Shortly after, Mai came out.
"Chansey made plenty today. Since you're preparing for an exam, you should eat well. Come eat while it's hot." Luther hurriedly handed Mai her bowl while speaking.
She took it and had just started eating when she noticed a girl standing some distance away. Following Mai's gaze, Luther turned his head. Naomi was standing there with her Solrock, staring fixedly at Luther.
Seeing Luther turn around, Naomi walked closer to the campsite and chuckled. "You didn't want to accept the wager because you were afraid of losing face in front of your girlfriend, right?"
Mai had just put a bite of food in her mouth when she choked and nearly coughed everything out.
Food kept dropping from the wide-open mouths of Luther's Pokémon. The Pokémon food that Marill was holding for Wurmple rolled all over the ground.
All the Pokémon stared at Naomi, wondering who she was.
All the Pokémon tacitly understood Mai and Luther's relationship. In their eyes, it was only a matter of time.
But having it pointed out by an outsider was far too strange. This outsider looked like she hadn't come with good intentions.
"Is there a rule in your upbringing about disturbing people while they're eating?" Luther set his bowl down, stood up, and faced Naomi.
He was feeling irritated. She'd already been refused, yet she still followed him here.
'Was reading the room really that hard? Shouldn't observing others' reactions be a basic move?'
Professor Oak and Professor Rowan once published a paper arguing that allowing children to become Pokémon Trainers and start traveling too early was questionable because it hindered their basic education.
Put simply, "basic education" meant learning how to behave as a person.
At the very least, Luther couldn't bring himself to disturb a group of people while they were eating. That was a matter of basic manners.
"My family has never criticized me for things like that," Naomi said matter-of-factly.
Luther took out a tissue and wiped his mouth, concealing his emotions. "I can tell."
"So, are you accepting the wager or not?"
Luther stroked the Milcery in his palm to calm himself and asked, "I'm curious, why are you so set on choosing me?"
"Your Pokémon look weak. I'm guessing you got those seven badges by taking advantage of gym leaders after they'd already been through tough battles. My brother told me that lots of Pokémon trainers use this method, and it really works; it lets trainers without much strength succeed."
"Most of the trainers I saw today only had three or four badges. Even if I beat them, it wouldn't be enough to meet the conference requirements. After thinking it over, I've decided you're the most suitable. I'm only betting half. If you lose, you'll still have a chance to recover."
'Was this Naomi's version of mercy? Was Luther supposed to be grateful?'
Luther himself didn't react much, but the Pokémon were a different story.
The usually silent Darkrai almost emerged from the shadows. It was only "almost" because Houndoom stepped right where Darkrai was about to rise, took two steps forward, and let out an angry roar.
Marill clenched her hands, causing Wurmple's feeding bowl to make a pitiful sound. If Wurmple hadn't used Tackle on Marill's hand urgently, she wouldn't have had a feeding bowl left for tomorrow.
Those badges were something they had all earned with Luther. After going through all kinds of chaotic situations together, they had grown into who they are today.
Suddenly, an inexplicable stranger ran over and belittled Luther and his friends; it was unbearable.
Espurr dragged Chikorita back to stop her from rushing up to attack Naomi.
"Let go of me! I want to bite her! I want to bite her!"
"You can't attack people... Fine, if you're really that angry, just bite me instead."
With a chomp, Chikorita bit down on Espurr's head.
While restraining Chikorita, Espurr also used her psychic powers to stop the indignant Eevee from standing up for Luther.
"Let me ram into her. I want to ram into her."
Espurr was so tired. With Chikorita hanging off her head, she couldn't help but sigh.
Naomi's mockery wasn't really aimed at Luther at all. As long as she provoked Luther's Pokémon, he wouldn't refuse to fight.
In a Pokémon's eyes, a Trainer who backed down would see their standing plummet, let alone doing so in front of his girlfriend.
Mai stood up and walked over to Luther. Having been provoked right at her doorstep, she had to make her stance clear.
Luther stopped the Houndoom that was about to step forward. "Before we wager Badges, I want to do one thing. As long as you agree, the wager itself doesn't matter."
Seeing Luther relax, Naomi smiled smugly. "A condition? Sure, go on."
Luther took out his badge case, removed a badge, and held it between his fingers. "Let's battle first. If, after the battle, you still think it's worth notarizing the wager, I'll go all the way with you."
Naomi was just about to agree when Luther added with a smile, "Each of us puts up one badge. Whoever loses smashes the badge they put up. What do you think?"
Naomi froze. She never expected Luther to make such a demand.
"Are you trying to scare me? Using this to force me to cancel the wager and save face?" Naomi let out a dry laugh to cover her panic. "What's there to be afraid of? Let's bet!"
Naomi took out a badge from her badge case as well. After Mai checked it, she confirmed that it was indeed from a gym certified by the Sinnoh Pokémon League.
The two badges were placed on a rock near the campsite while they waited for the result of the battle.
"Can we start now?"
Luther cracked his knuckles. He was restraining his emotions as much as possible; otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as proposing to smash just one badge.
Naomi thought for a moment, left Solrock behind, and ran toward the park beside the campsite.
Luther wondered what trick Naomi was pulling when, shortly after, a group of Pokémon trainers came running after her.
"Everyone, please bear witness. This Pokémon Trainer named Luther has decided to use this battle to determine whether he will wager Badges with me. He has also proposed that the loser of this battle will personally smash one Badge."
"Without witnesses, I'm worried something unexpected might happen, so I hope everyone can lend a hand."
Even without Naomi asking, the Pokémon Trainers camping in the park were more than willing to help.
A badge wager was rare enough. Smashing a badge was even more ruthless. Everyone wanted to witness it firsthand.
Someone had already opened the forum and started a live text broadcast. Before typing the first line, he turned to look at Luther and Naomi.
"May I ask what the battle rules are?" Luther extended his hand, signaling for Naomi to choose.
"Then I won't hold back. It's New Limit Four: four moves, three-on-three, and free switching of Pokémon. You don't have any objections, right? These are the most familiar rules for Trainers preparing to participate in the Lily of the Valley Conference."
Luther thanked Naomi for her "kindness" and gestured for the onlookers to move back a bit, in case stray moves caused accidental injuries.
(End of chapter)