(Luther went to Hearthome City and not Eterna City, so sorry for the confusion.)
Wild battles, unlike standard Pokémon League-sanctioned matches, don't follow any formal rules.
No rules is the rule.
The regulated battlefields, the safety protocols, the unspoken agreement to pull back before serious injury— all of that means nothing out here.
In a wild battle, both sides have a single goal: overpower the opponent by any means necessary.
That includes dirty tactics, like directly attacking the opposing Trainer.
Before today, Luther had only heard about wild battles through online discussions or in passing conversation with other Trainers.
But today was different.
Today, he felt it for the first time.
His opponent had clearly been a veteran of wild battles.
The rigged Poké Balls alone proved that.
Luther gritted his teeth, gripping his right wrist where a deep bruise had already started to spread.
Even the lightest touch sent a jolt of pain up his arm, like he'd brushed a live wire.
The ache pulsed through his whole body in waves.
Cacturne's Vine Whip hadn't pulled its punches.
That strike had been deliberate, an attack meant to disable his dominant hand and stop him from calling out more Pokémon.
Sweat dripped from Luther's brow.
Mismagius hovered close, circling anxiously, letting out soft, worried cries.
"I'm okay," Luther said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Take me to where that Flygon appeared. I want to check something."
He walked forward carefully, following Mismagius to the spot where she had launched her ambush with Shadow Ball.
A shallow crater was scorched into the ground.
Luther knelt down, scanning the area.
Beyond the impact zone, in the dry leaf litter and broken twigs, there was a trail as if something had been dragged through.
Behind and slightly to the right, he saw another scuffed patch: the place the man in black had landed when he jumped out.
Luther exhaled slowly.
It made sense now.
The moment that guy sensed the incoming Shadow Ball, he'd released two Poké Balls, each tied with thread.
The sound of the blast had masked the clink of them hitting the forest floor.
And Mismagius, focused on her target, hadn't noticed the Poké Balls slowly rolling across the ground.
Luther eased himself down onto the grass and pulled a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Marill, come out."
The Water-type blinked at him with concern.
"Marill, use Water Gun, aim at Mismagius."
"Mismagius, guide the water with your Psychic."
"Good. Marill, now use Ice Beam— freeze it."
A glimmering stream of water floated in the air under Mismagius's control, then solidified as Ice Beam hit it. With precision, Mismagius carved two chunks of ice from the frozen stream and gently floated them over to Luther's hands.
Luther dug into his backpack and pulled out a roll of emergency bandages, he'd bought them during a visit to the hospital a while back.
He pressed the ice against his wrist and tightly secured it with the bandages.
He didn't want Mai or Ash's group to notice that anything was wrong.
But the sting reminded him this wasn't over.
No matter how he looked at it, that shady group couldn't have been one of the known criminal organizations.
And if they had a target, it probably wasn't even him; more likely, it was Mismagius.
So what was going on with this idiotic behavior from the International Police?
If they had any sense, they wouldn't seriously believe he had some kind of connection to Cyrus.
Yet here they were— treating him like a suspect, tailing him, even attacking without warning.
And for what? They hadn't even given him a reason.
They'd shown no hesitation in using force, either…
Could it be that Cyrus had done something— something big— that hadn't reached the public?
Luther's thoughts spiraled as he stared down at his bandaged hand.
Something didn't add up.
Whether it was the International Police… or Cyrus himself, someone was hiding something.
And because of those secrets, things were getting more and more complicated.
Luther's furrowed brow and tight-lipped expression made his face look almost fierce.
Marill and Mismagius watched him anxiously.
Realizing he was scaring them, Luther took a slow breath, forcing a stiff smile in an attempt to ease their worries. After recalling Marill, he and Mismagius made their way back toward the Nature Park's stone monument.
A deep, thunderous roar echoed through the area.
"Frenzy Plant, huh," Luther muttered.
Despite getting tangled up with the International Police, he hadn't missed his chance to witness Paul getting knocked down a peg.
Spotting Mai in the crowd, Luther murmured apologies as he squeezed past the onlookers to stand beside her.
As soon as she saw him, Mai grabbed his wrist and pointed toward the battlefield, where Garchomp was wrapped in a dense tangle of Frenzy Plant vines.
"Every hit landed!" she gasped. "I've never seen anyone push Garchomp this far!"
Luther winced at the sudden pain in his injured wrist but kept his voice even. "Trust me, Garchomp won't even have a scratch."
Mai's eyes widened. "But that's a signature move from a Grass Type! And Garchomp took it all head-on!"
"When the power difference between two Pokémon reaches a certain threshold," Luther said, using Mai's surprise to gently pull his hand free, "strategy and tactics stop meaning much. They become next to worthless."
He nodded toward the battlefield. "Paul's idea to bait Giga Impact wasn't bad. If his Pokémon had been on Cynthia's level, it might've worked perfectly. But…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Garchomp emerged from the cloud of dust, its wings showing signs of absorbing the full impact of Frenzy Plant.
Cynthia let out a soft chuckle. "Brick Break."
Luther sighed. The outcome hadn't changed.
Paul was still too confident for his own good.
Over the years, plenty of Trainers had tried to take down Cynthia's ace, Garchomp.
Luther didn't know if any of them had ever attempted to bait her into using her favorite all-in move, Giga Impact.
But honestly, if it were that easy to counter… would the Elite Four still be losing?
Everyone knew Garchomp was a Ground- and Dragon-Type.
Everyone knew Ice-Type moves were its natural weakness.
And yet Cynthia remained Champion, untouched and unshaken.
People obsessed with type matchups who ignored the actual flow of battle, did they really think, "I could do that too. Maybe I'd just lose 0–3 instead of 0–6"?
Garchomp dove from the sky, accelerating to top speed before slamming Brick Break directly onto Torterra's skull.
The ground trembled.
With one powerful strike and a push-off from the ground, Garchomp flipped Torterra's massive body like it was nothing.
Paul's challenge ended in defeat as Torterra collapsed.
As mocking laughter and jeers echoed around him, Luther felt a pang of sympathy.
Technically, Paul had failed.
But from a tactical standpoint, he'd managed to wrest control of the battle, if only briefly.
Lacking raw power had sealed his fate, but the courage to challenge a Champion and the belief that he could win deserved recognition.
Meanwhile, the people sneering from the sidelines were the same ones who idolized Cynthia from afar.
Those who couldn't even respect the act of challenging someone stronger would never become real rivals to a Champion.
To win or to lose— both held meaning. But to dare to stand in the ring against someone leagues ahead… that was its own kind of honor.
That was why Luther never considered Ash foolish, despite the countless times he'd lost against Champions or fallen short against the Elite Four.
On the contrary, Luther believed Ash might one day become the strongest Trainer alive.
Skill could be learned. Team synergy could be practiced.
But the will to rise again and again, to push forward no matter the odds, that was rare. That couldn't be taught.
Ash had it. And so did Paul.
As Ash and Cynthia made their way to the Pokémon Center, Luther quietly took advantage of Mai's distraction to slip off and find Nurse Joy.
After Nurse Joy examined his injury, she handed him some topical medicine, offered a quick "sorry," and rushed off to prepare for surgery.
Luther applied the ointment and gently tested his wrist's movement.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when his Pokégear rang.
"Where are you? Ash and the others are heading out. Aren't you going to say goodbye?"
Luther blinked, realizing he'd gotten lost in thought while flexing his wrist. Time had slipped right by him.
When he stepped outside the Pokémon Center, the sky was glowing with streaks of red.
The orange hues of sunset spilled across the land.
Mai stood, bathed in that warm light, waving to him.
"Where'd you run off to? We saw Cynthia up close, it was such a rare chance, and you totally missed it. She's gone now," Mai said, pulling out a white short-sleeved shirt with Cynthia's signature boldly written across the front.
"Well? Jealous?"
"Honestly? Very jealous," Luther said with a smile, then turned to Ash, who looked ready to head out.
"You're leaving already?"
"Yeah," Ash nodded. "On to the next destination."
"Got it. I'm staying in the Hearthome City for a while. Mai and I are both planning to take on the Hearthome Gym, so we'll be around for a bit."
Ash's eyes lit up. "So you're both aiming for the Lily of the Valley Conference?"
Luther nodded while Mai hesitated, fidgeting slightly.
"I haven't decided yet," She muttered, cheeks flushing red.
"But didn't you travel all the way from Sunnyshore to Oreburgh just to challenge Gyms?"
"Hey, don't go digging into a girl's business!" Mai shot back quickly.
That ended the conversation.
Ash, Dawn, and Brock chuckled as they watched the exchange between the two.
Finally, Ash stepped forward and held out his hand.
Luther shook it without hesitation.
"I don't know why," Ash said with a grin, "but I get this feeling you're a really strong Trainer. There's something about you that feels… familiar. I really want to battle you someday."
"We'll definitely have the chance. I'd love to see how strong your Pikachu really is," Luther replied.
He let go of Ash's hand, then gave high-fives to both Brock and Dawn.
Pikachu hopped over to Mismagius and raised its tiny paw in farewell.
Mismagius floated forward and gave Pikachu a gentle nuzzle.
Marill, ever the friendly water mouse, came over and cheerfully shook paws with Pikachu too.
As Ash's group faded into the distance beneath the glowing sunset, shrinking into a speck on the horizon, Luther stood still, stirred by emotion.
Maybe their paths wouldn't cross again on this journey.
But they were heading toward the same place.
One day, Luther and Ash would both arrive at Lily of the Valley Island, each fighting for their own dreams.
(End of Chapter)
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