To be fair, Cynthia was telling the truth.
Luther had done the math himself once. Based on the Pokémon League's benefits system and a bit of income from simple work, living comfortably wasn't difficult. But achieving the dreams he'd spoken of? That was a different story entirely.
In a world where most jobs could be done by Pokémon, Luther didn't have many career options. Given his circumstances, joining the Pokémon League seemed like the optimal choice.
Although the Elite Four had their fair share of responsibilities, their lives were far more relaxed than those of the low-level staff working under the League.
The more Luther thought about it, the more he sensed something beneath the surface.
Cynthia hadn't explicitly said it, but she had hinted at a clear message.
Bertha was about to retire.
For years, Bertha had wanted to step down from her position as one of the Elite Four. Rumors first began circulating when Cynthia defeated her and claimed the title of Champion.
At that time, it was said that she planned to leave the Elite Four to dedicate more energy to training her successor.
However, she hadn't found the right candidate at the time, so the matter was put aside.
Now, however, Bertha had asked Luther to go to the Abandoned Mine Area, the very place that had given her the chance to become the Ground-type Champion, to catch a Pokémon and send it to her. That alone spoke volumes about her intentions.
She had finally found the successor she'd been searching for all this time.
Perhaps it was Chiaki, or maybe the indecisive, hesitant boy from her relatives' family that she'd mentioned several times before.
Keeping this in mind, the Lily of the Valley Conference, held after the Champion battles, wouldn't only feature challengers facing Cynthia. It would also be the last time Bertha stood as one of the Elite Four. She used this opportunity to evaluate candidates to replace her.
Having spent half her life tirelessly working for the Pokémon League, this elderly woman was now making arrangements for the world she'd leave behind.
The Pokémon League itself probably agreed that it wasn't right to force such an influential, long-serving figure to stay any longer. They had silently approved of her decision.
Regardless, life must be lived one step at a time and meals eaten one bite at a time. Even if Luther ultimately became an Elite Four member, he couldn't skip laying a solid foundation and gaining experience.
Luther glanced at his Pokémon, who had already started their daily training in the hotel's practice area. He took out his phone, opened the Pokémon League's official website, and looked up information on the Whitewind Town Gym.
Most of the verbose text was meaningless filler. The officials probably knew most people didn't care for it, so instead, they posted a few direct evaluations from Core Gym Leaders and League members.
"Honestly, he should be a Core Gym member already. The inspectors must have been a bit too harsh," Said Candice, the city gym leader.
"I'd like to call him a rising star, but it would somehow feel insulting to him. Luckily, he's never cared about such things. So, I'll be blunt: What a shame," Said Bertha, one of the Elite Four.
"To challengers who lose to me and complain about talent or this or that, I often say, 'You should meet Hakuya in Whitewind Town,'" said Aaron, one of the Elite Four.
Luther scrolled back up, trying to see if he had missed something earlier in the profile.
In those corners filled with flowery, official language, there was one inconspicuous line of description.
"Aphasia patient."
Hakuya's aphasia manifested as an ability to hear and understand external information normally, but it is also an inability to articulate grammatically accurate sentences correctly.
In other words, the main difference between Hakuya and a mute person was that he could speak.
He tried to convey important information through speech, but others found it extremely difficult to understand him. He could never fully express his intended meaning.
Luther was stunned. For a Pokémon Trainer, being unable to clearly speak a grammatically correct sentence was a nightmare.
Although communication isn't limited to speech, it's by far the quickest and most convenient method.
In a Pokémon battle, a Trainer who was forced to give orders through sign language or written instructions would immediately be at a disadvantage against an equally skilled Trainer who could speak normally.
Yet, despite this, Hakuya had become a Gym Leader, and not just any Gym Leader, but one of the highest-ranking ones, second only to the Core Gym Leaders.
Luther opened Hakuya's battle records. According to the Pokémon League archives, Hakuya became a Gym Leader at the age of sixteen. Over the next four years, he conducted 2,997 official Gym battles, using fourteen different Pokémon in total.
His win rate in matches where he awarded Badges was an astonishing 77%.
For comparison, Gardenia and other Core Gym Leaders typically maintained win rates around 90%.
Furthermore, none of the data from Gyms rated at the second-highest level came close to Hakuya's.
The nearest rival gym had a win rate of only 74%, meaning Hakuya singlehandedly raised the overall performance statistics of Sinnoh's second-tier gym leaders.
Luther's expression turned serious. Only now did he finally understand the meaning behind Bertha's cryptic comment.
Hakuya's natural talent was weighed down by his own body. His body had shackled his soul.
Though Luther didn't know how Hakuya solved the communication difficulties that came with battling, whatever method he used was certainly inferior to issuing commands verbally.
Nevertheless, Hakuya fought through his innate disadvantage and earned a spot in the Sinnoh Pokémon League.
The photo of Hakuya posted on the League's official website was striking. Dressed in a black suit with his pale silver hair hidden beneath a black fedora, Hakuya appeared stiff and restrained.
His eyes, staring toward the camera, carried a hint of nervousness and unease, a sharp contrast to the confident portraits of other Gym Leaders. It was as if he were worried about something.
Chansey, drenched in sweat from training, ran over to Luther with a water bottle in hand. Just as she was about to take a sip, she noticed Luther staring blankly at his phone. She waved her hand in front of his face.
Smiling, Luther took the bottle from her and twisted the cap open.
"We might be facing a truly admirable opponent this time," He said as he opened the water bottle.
Chansey tilted her head back to drink, not fully understanding what he meant. She tilted her head in confusion mid-drink, causing the water to rush up her nose.
Startled, she sneezed violently. Luther fumbled for tissues to help wipe her down.
After a long moment, Chansey finally calmed down.
"I didn't schedule nose-drinking as part of your training today," Luther teased, looking at her flushed face.
Chansey buried her face in her hands, squirming in embarrassment.
"I'm serious," Luther continued. "The Gym Leader of Whitewind Town is an unusual person. Maybe through this challenge, we'll learn something valuable from him."
"He's different from any Pokémon Trainer we've ever met. He's more like a warrior."
(End of Chapter)
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