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Everyone has a soft spot, and the trio from Team Rocket was no exception.
Jessie's impoverished childhood, missed first love, and shattered ideals and dreams had left her with certain personality flaws. Her outwardly brash and fiery demeanor was largely a façade to protect herself.
Luther's words struck a nerve with Jessie; romance was a lingering wound for her.
"You're really not afraid we'll just take the money and run?" Jessie's gaze was piercingly earnest.
"If you do that, I'll pretend I never saw it," Luther said with his eyes sweeping over the trio. "I'll apologize to her, tell her I made the wrong choice, and then we'll work together to earn back the money we lost."
Luther felt deeply conflicted about Team Rocket's trio. In this context, they were the villains. Yet he found it difficult to act against them directly.
His heart was filled with illusions, a perfect reflection of his current state of mind.
If Team Rocket took the money and slipped away quietly, he would actually feel relieved.
Then, when they met again, they would simply be enemies.
"How can we contact you?" James asked.
"Go to the nearest contestant village. Just have the administrator find me. Once the main tournament begins, I'll have someone else check on your progress."
After that, Luther continued strolling through the streets with Joltik and Altaria, while Team Rocket swiftly packed up their stall, grabbed the account details Luther had given them, and headed to the nearest bank.
After successfully withdrawing the money, the trio stared at the cash in their hands, feeling as though they were dreaming.
Meowth had just suggested treating themselves to a nice meal when Jessie and James immediately dismissed the idea.
James was eager to find a supplier while Jessie prepared to work through the night.
During their conversation, James realized that Luther was short of money, too. All the money he had left was intended for a girl, but he had brought it all out for their collaboration.
James couldn't understand why Luther was taking such a big risk. As Jessie had pointed out, criminals like them had no credibility whatsoever.
But James didn't care. Right now, he just wanted to show off his skills. He was completely confident that, with this funding, he could make a killing during the Main Tournament stage.
Being a woman, Jessie was more prone to overthinking and trying to decipher Luther's deeper motives. She pondered it all night but couldn't reach a satisfying conclusion.
"Dating such an idiot must be a real headache for that girl," She finally concluded.
Luther made no secret of his actions. That evening, he told Mai the whole story.
"It's fine," Mai replied. "Just make your own decisions."
She had always trusted his judgment. In her eyes, he had proven himself to be remarkably reliable time and again. She was confident that this choice would yield significant benefits, too.
Watching Luther and Mai's tender moments was particularly painful for Gengar.
Ever since he could remember, all the Pokémon had seen him as a troublemaker. They believed that if he wasn't restrained, he would inevitably ruin everything.
Dusknoir held Gengar firmly in place with both hands while Aggron stood nearby, ready to pounce at the slightest sign of resistance.
Gengar felt deeply wronged. "This is just a stereotype! A biased perception!" he thought. "How could I, having seen my master and his beloved being so affectionate, possibly cause trouble?"
But Dusknoir and Aggron remained unmoved. When Gengar tried to argue, Aggron raised its tail, preparing to strike.
Gengar fell completely silent.
Early the next morning, Luther and Mai visited the place that Team Rocket had set up for themselves.
Not far from Contestant Village, a shriveled, Meowth-shaped hot air balloon stood out prominently on a small hill.
Having agreed on a time in advance, Team Rocket had also gotten up early. They were currently eating sandwiches and organizing the merchandise they had crafted late into the night.
When they saw Mai, the trio immediately recognized her as someone they would likely be dealing with for the foreseeable future.
After Luther introduced them, Mai nodded to the trio and picked up one of their creations to examine it.
"For something handcrafted, this level of quality is quite impressive," She remarked. "If I were a tourist, I'd definitely be drawn to it."
Having grown up in a family of merchants, Mai had developed a keen eye for business. Hearing her approval, the trio breathed a collective sigh of relief. After all, she would ultimately be their main point of contact, so it was important to make a good first impression.
Luther left the two women to their conversation and headed to the Pokémon League headquarters.
Hakuya's initial assessment had just concluded, giving him a rare opportunity to appear in person.
Hakuya and Junna were still full of energy. Spotting Luther, they waved enthusiastically and ushered him into a nearby dessert shop.
"Where's Mai? Why isn't she with you?" Junna asked, taking a bite of her pudding before feeding a spoonful to the Dunsparce beside her.
She'd wanted to ask this the moment they met, but Hakuya and Luther had started talking straight away, so she'd held back. Now she finally had a chance to interject.
"She's discussing a collaboration with someone else, so only I could make it," Luther replied with a smile, turning to Hakuya. "So, are you and Junna dating?"
Junna's spoon paused mid-scoop while the Dunsparce beside her raised its head eagerly. Watching Hakuya scribble frantically on paper and make two consecutive mistakes, Luther felt a chuckle rise in his throat.
"No, no, it's just that we're... Getting to know each other better..."
'Such a clever phrase,' Luther thought, utterly bewildered. 'Getting to know each other better? What stage is that, exactly?'
Earlier, when he saw Junna clinging to Hakuya, he had assumed that their relationship had progressed.
"That's right! We're dating!" Junna declared.
Hakuya turned 'magenta,' his blush spreading from his face to his hands. The reaction was quite amusing.
Luther had originally planned to ask why the Elite Four Qualification review process was taking so long, as it contradicted what he had been told, but now he couldn't bring himself to do it.
It was the first time Luther had ever seen Hakuya so flustered that he tried to explain himself; however, his words came out jumbled and incoherent.
After the commotion died down, Hakuya finally regained his composure. He gulped down several mouthfuls of fruit juice and decided to steer the conversation back on track.
"Your team lineup... you need to consider stamina consumption carefully."
Luther nodded. He had already recognized the issue that Hakuya was pointing out, but Hakuya's clear and direct emphasis drove the point home.
"I know it'll be bad, but exactly how bad is it going to be?" Luther took a deep breath and asked.
"Take Conway, your opponent in Group D, as an example. You can defeat him, but you'll suffer uncontrollable stamina depletion. In the next round, all three of your Pokémon might be unable to perform at full strength."
"If you were to face Conway in a six-on-six battle..."
Luther pressed his hand on Hakuya's notebook. "I understand."
Hakuya hesitated for a moment before continuing to write. "Controlling rhythm alone isn't enough. You also need to conserve stamina while maintaining rhythm to prepare for the battles that follow. This is what you need to grasp now."
"It's hard to teach. I'm sorry," Hakuya said, holding up the notebook, his face full of apology.
Hakuya had few friends. Luther was truly the first friend he had made in a long time, and he desperately wanted Luther to have a greater chance of victory.
The reason he hadn't mentioned this technique during their sparring sessions was precisely that it was difficult to master, requiring a gradual progression from basic understanding to deeper comprehension.
He now desperately wanted Luther to quickly grasp this technique, but mastering it couldn't be achieved in a day or two. Last-minute cramming would be useless, and intense training was no longer suitable at this stage.
Now, Hakuya could only verbally share his Experience.
The rest depended entirely on Luther's own insight.
(End Of This Chapter)