At first, Luther didn't understand why someone who had weathered so many storms would suddenly lose confidence and hesitate at a time like this. However, upon careful consideration, he could see what was going through Hakuya's mind.
As someone with aphasia, Hakuya must have grown up withdrawn and unable to fit in, probably without a social life. Looking at how stiff and awkward he was in his first official trainer photo made that clear. He had never truly understood how to interact with people.
It was only after becoming a Gym Leader and being forced to interact with others that he slowly started to open up.
However, the Elite Four are on a different level from Gym Leaders. They represent the pinnacle of Sinnoh's Pokémon trainers; they are the face of the Sinnoh Pokémon League.
The Elite Four must appear in public countless times.
What worried Hakuya wasn't his strength. He was confident in that; he'd fought all this way to meet the expectations of his Pokémon and carve out his own path. He worried whether someone like him, unable to speak, could really take on that role or if he would only bring shame to Sinnoh.
Junna probably understood his feelings better than anyone. However, Hakuya couldn't fully trust her because she was someone close to him and familiar with him. What he wanted was the judgment of an outsider.
He needed the opinion of a rival whose strength was close to his own.
Bertha knew this and wasn't just sharpening a blade when she sent Luther here. She was also offering Hakuya a solution.
"As for strength, there's nothing more to say. I just want you to know that your worry is completely unnecessary.
Think about it: A trainer who can't speak still commands a team of Pokémon and fights his way up to the Elite Four. People won't dwell on your flaw. They'll be shocked and amazed."
Luther couldn't quite understand why Hakuya was trapped in such a simple dead end.
Then it hit him- wasn't he the same?
Ever since he came to this world, he'd been clinging to the past and searching for the opinions of others.
What Luther needed wasn't advice; he needed someone to give him a push.
Hakuya was no different.
"You're overthinking it," Luther said with a wicked grin as he packed together a huge snowball. "You're worrying about becoming Elite Four before you've even earned it. That's just plain adorable."
He hurled the big snowball at Hakuya.
Suddenly, Hakuya pulled out his harmonica and played a note.
Noctowl darted forward and sliced the snowball apart in midair.
"Seriously? Cheating? Calling in backup like that is so shameless!" Luther spat, full of disdain. "Marill, go!"
Marill had already rolled a snowball bigger than her own body behind Luther. With a quick spin, she hurled it straight at Hakuya.
Hakuya was shocked. Was this still a snowball fight? That's not a snowball; that's a bomb!
At the sound of the harmonica, Hakuya's Pokémon gathered together. Some shaped snowballs, some threw them with strength, and some hauled in fresh snow from afar.
Luther refused to be outdone. He used Marill's Ice Beam to build a defensive wall and crouched behind it while launching counterattacks with Marill's snowballs.
The ruckus was so loud that Junna and Mai, who had been chatting happily about private matters, poked their heads out in confusion.
Stepping into the yard, they found snowballs flying everywhere.
Junna was about to scold them for being childish when a weakly thrown snowball fell from the sky and hit her by mistake.
Both Luther and Hakuya froze, pointing at each other to show that they weren't responsible.
It was impossible to prove whose snowball it was, but that stray hit on Junna opened up a third battlefield.
Junna and Mai's Pokémon joined forces immediately, rolling up snowballs and launching them furiously at Luther and Hakuya.
Team Luther's ace pitcher, Marill, showed off astonishing throwing power, landing a direct hit on Mai's forehead with a fastball. She leapt up in delight and pointed at Mai to show Luther her work.
Luther just covered his face, looking exasperated.
However, Mai seemed all too familiar with this kind of scene. Even after getting hit in the head with a snowball, she did her best to enforce the rules: no using abilities or moves; otherwise, it counted as a loss.
Luther really wanted to complain. How exactly was one supposed to "win" this game?
Was Marill supposed to throw everyone flat on the ground with a fastball?
He realized that, ever since he came to this world, none of the Pokémon games he'd played had had complete rules. They always started suddenly, devolved into chaotic free-for-alls, and ended abruptly.
The snowball fight was no exception. It only ended once all three sides' Pokémon collapsed onto the ground, panting in exhaustion.
Junna was probably the biggest loser of the snowball war. After noticing Luther's increasingly stern expression, Marill redirected her fastballs toward Hakuya and Junna.
However, Hakuya was clever; he used Tauros as a shield, making himself an impossible target.
Standing out in the open, Junna naturally became Marill's prime target.
The next morning, when they gathered at Whitewind Gym again, Hakuya was constantly stretching his arms.
"Too much effort last night; they're sore."
It wasn't just Hakuya, though. After soaking in the baths the night before, Luther and Mai also felt completely worn out.
That's what happens when you play too hard.
It was the first time Whitewind Gym had ever been so lively during the New Year holiday. Hakuya admitted that in previous years, he and his Pokémon had always spent the holiday alone.
Now, all the Pokémon followed the lead of Hakuya's team, helping with the final big clean before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Mai and Junna were in the kitchen preparing New Year's dishes.
Meanwhile, Luther slipped out after asking around town if anyone knew paper-cutting crafts. When he returned, he was holding two thin paper bags.
As he pulled out paper cuttings of Dunsparce, Ursaring, Kangaskhan, Slaking, and others, Hakuya's eyes lit up with curiosity. He admired them.
So what if there were no traditional "door gods"? They could adapt and innovate by making use of the local culture.
Soon, the front doors of Whitewind Gym were adorned with Hakuya's signature Pokémon in bright red paper cutouts. Kangaskhan looked fierce and imposing, and Slaking was captured mid-roar, pounding its chest.
To Luther, this seemed like the perfect deterrent; no matter how brave a legendary monster might be, it would think twice before barging in.
Between the two paper cutouts was a character for "fortune," deliberately pasted upside down.
After Luther explained its meaning, Hakuya quickly accepted the idea and looked over the newly adorned entrance, fascinated.
For Luther, this was the first time he'd actively tried to bring something from his world into this one.
The stronger the New Year's atmosphere, the better.
As the gym became more festive, covered in red and lit with soft yellow lights, Luther felt a familiar sense of home.
This was his first New Year since arriving in this world. One way or another, he had to thank it for accepting him.
Taking out a can of orange juice, Luther raised it toward the darkening sky.
"A toast to this world."
"Also... Alpaca, sweet dreams. And please, never wake up."
(End of chapter.)
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