Luther had never realized that the Pokémon League Competition Committee had such a wide range of responsibilities. The person representing the Pokémon League in negotiations with him today was none other than Ron himself.
Was the Competition Committee really so short-staffed that its chairman had to come personally?
"Don't be surprised. The Competition Committee is responsible for dealing with the elite Pokémon Trainers selected through the Lily of the Valley Conference. Whenever something involves those Trainers, the committee can get involved."
"You're the winner of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference, and you're also talking about a major transaction like buying an island. The people under Ron don't have enough authority to handle something like this, so it's perfectly normal for the chairman himself to come," Cynthia explained.
The meeting was being held at Cynthia's small villa on Lily of the Valley Island. It was obvious that the Pokémon League wanted the negotiations to take place in a relaxed, comfortable environment rather than a formal one.
"Wait, I don't meet the requirements to buy the island?"
The moment they sat down, Ron's first sentence left Luther completely baffled.
Ron calmly explained, "Do you remember what I told you at the celebration banquet?"
"Favors are favors, and work is work. They can't be mixed together."
Ron looked Luther directly in the eyes and repeated the point.
"But I'm buying the island. I'm paying for it. What does that have to do with favors?" Luther was completely confused.
Ron then explained the situation in detail.
Unlike the remote islands, the island Luther wanted to buy was right next to Lily of the Valley Island. Although it had never been developed further, it was already on the Sinnoh League's list of islands for future development.
The Pokémon League executives Luther had saved that night were all eager to repay what they owed him as soon as possible and put the matter behind them.
However, they wanted Luther to make a gesture that would give both the League and the public a stronger sense that he was part of the Sinnoh League community.
That way, Luther could buy the island and retain full ownership, while still being recognized as a member of the Sinnoh League. His development of the island would then indirectly contribute to the development of Sinnoh itself.
Otherwise, although Luther was the Lily of the Valley Conference champion, he had made no actual contribution to the Pokémon League. If they casually sold an island near Lily of the Valley Island to him, how would that look to outsiders?
The higher-ups didn't want people interpreting the deal as nothing more than a blatant exchange of favors.
After Ron finished explaining all those complicated considerations, Luther finally understood the situation completely.
"There have always been rumors within the Pokémon League that you don't want to challenge the Elite Four and would rather just settle down and live a comfortable life. Is that true?" Ron asked.
Luther scratched his head without answering.
Ron immediately understood.
Ron sighed. "I don't know what's gotten into everyone this year. All the talented young Pokémon Trainers have suddenly lost interest in challenging the Elite Four and Cynthia."
"Misaki left Sinnoh without saying a word, and we don't even know where she went."
"Ash turned down the Sinnoh League's invitation and continued traveling, saying he wanted to keep honing his strength."
"Dakota thinks she's not qualified to challenge them yet, and she's also openly said she has no interest in joining the Pokémon League."
"And you're even more direct. As the Conference champion, you have the right to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion directly, yet you don't even want to use it."
"Young people these days are really strange. When I was traveling, I would have given anything for an opportunity like that. I would've fought my way through the Pokémon League just to become Champion and prove my strength. But you people aren't interested at all."
Ron glanced at Cynthia. "Is this what they call the negative influence of a bad example?"
Cynthia, who had been drinking orange soda, froze for a moment before bristling. "Ron, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"What do you mean by 'bad example'? Are you saying I'm a lousy Champion? That my strength isn't good enough, or that my ability isn't impressive enough?"
"Misaki and Luther were both discovered by me. One became the Conference champion, and the other is an exceptionally talented and hardworking rising star. Look at those two before you call me a bad example."
Arguments like this had become a regular occurrence ever since Cynthia became Champion, and Ron had already learned how to deal with them.
Ignoring Cynthia's increasingly indignant voice, Ron continued discussing the island with Luther.
Luther understood now, too. He needed to make some kind of gesture that would allow the League's higher-ups to repay their debt to him in a more natural and acceptable way, rather than doing it so bluntly.
Before coming to the meeting, Ron had already prepared a list of tasks the Pokémon League currently needed people to handle. He had even thoughtfully written down what each assignment involved, how long it would take, and how much the Pokémon League would pay Luther.
"Three-month assignment in the Hoenn Region. Work with the Hoenn Pokémon League and the International Police to investigate the movements of the remaining members of Team Magma and Team Aqua and assist with their capture."
"Kalos Region ecological monitoring assignment: protect and assist a Professor from the Kalos Region, ensuring their safety while they spend three months collecting the data required by their research lab."
"One-month assignment to crack down on wild Pokémon theft in Kanto and Johto and assist Rangers in protecting the Pokémon in forest reserves from poachers."
"Within two months, assist Rangers in the Unova Region with preventing illegal logging and Pokémon poaching in forest reserves."
The long list of assignments made Luther's head spin. Only now did he realize just how many miscellaneous responsibilities Pokémon League members had to deal with.
According to Ron, they were constantly short-staffed.
There were simply too many places in every region that needed attention. Even if every Pokémon League field agent was deployed, they still couldn't cover everything.
And these assignments carried varying degrees of risk, so they couldn't just be handed to anyone.
Luther spotted something interesting on the list. He quickly took out his phone and checked the map.
Ron looked at Luther's phone, then at the thoughtful expression on his face. "Made your decision?"
"This one. I'll go to Fallarbor Town."
The assignment would last two months. Luther would assist the Rangers stationed around Fallarbor Town in monitoring the local Pokémon ecosystem while helping prevent illegal logging and poaching.
Fallarbor Town was in Hoenn, and the famous Meteor Falls was located not far away.
Ron glanced at the assignment and immediately registered Luther for it.
The Pokémon League's requirements put an end to Luther's hopes of spending his days doing nothing, but for the sake of having an island of his own, he felt it was worth it.
"I should mention one more thing. Completing a single assignment won't be enough. We'd like you to maintain this arrangement for the next three years."
"Of course, we're also giving you some flexibility. Once you've officially purchased the island, you'll be free to start managing and developing it. You won't have to wait three years before moving onto the island and beginning construction."
Luther breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been worried the Pokémon League might use the three-year requirement to keep him waiting until the full three years were up before allowing him to start developing his island.
With all the conditions for purchasing the island settled, they finally reached the most important part.
Ron took a stack of documents from the bag he had brought with him and pulled out one of the sheets.
"Since this island is located east of Lily of the Valley Island, we'll use Lily of the Valley East Island as its temporary name. Once you've chosen an official name, you can contact the Pokémon League and have it changed."
"After discussions between the Sinnoh League's Finance and Land Departments, the asking price for Lily of the Valley East Island has been set at thirty-seven million Pokémon Dollars."
"After the sale, the Sinnoh League will, as usual, complete the island's basic infrastructure. The Pokémon League will cover those costs."
Ron turned the document toward Luther and rested his chin on his hand. "Thirty-seven million Pokémon Dollars. So... how would you like to pay?"
Mai looked at the small fortune she and Luther had accumulated and broke into a cold sweat.
Between them, Luther and Mai had only managed to save 2.1 million Pokémon Dollars so far, most of it coming from the business contract they had negotiated with the Kukui Family.
That left a funding gap of...
35 million Pokémon Dollars.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395