Early the next morning, Luther accompanied Mai to the Breeders' Association.
At that time, the sky had only just begun to lighten. The open space in front of the association held only Mai and Luther.
"Aren't you planning to challenge the Veilstone City Gym? You should go now. I'll be fine on my own," Mai said.
Mai took Wurmple from Luther's shoulder, put Eevee on a nearby bench, and gestured for Luther to go do what he needed to do.
Luther knew that Mai wanted a moment alone to calm down and prepare for the exam.
He gently hugged her. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You're already good enough."
Then, he waved at her and turned to leave.
Even after Luther had been gone for quite a while, Mai was still standing there, absentmindedly. Seeing this, Wurmple tried to crawl up to check on her, but Pachirisu smacked it back onto the seat with its tail.
The Veilstone City Gym Leader was Maylene. She was famous for her ability to knock away an Aura Sphere barehanded and trade blows with Lucario to a standstill.
However, she was somewhat lacking in battle ability. Having taken over the gym only half a year ago, the pressure of this inherited position weighed heavily on her.
After all, the Veilstone City Gym was considered one of the core gyms. No matter how strong someone's mentality was, repeated failure would make them question their fitness for the role.
Not to mention Paul's unpleasant attitude, which only made things worse.
"I wonder how her recovery is going. Is she able to accept challengers yet?"
As Luther walked through the gym's main entrance, he realized he wasn't the first challenger there.
The electronic screen in the gym lobby showed that a battle was already in progress.
A muscular male staff member in fighting attire warmly welcomed Luther and helped him register for a battle.
The Veilstone City Gym's battle venue wasn't designed for spectating at all. It essentially operated like a dojo, with no real viewing area and no real resting area either.
Guided by a staff member, Luther walked through a spotlessly polished wooden corridor.
It was clear that the Veilstone City Gym was quite old. The slightly darkened tones of the building materials exuded age and history.
After walking under the eaves for a while, the staff member pushed open a wooden door. As Luther stepped inside, he finally heard the sound of moves colliding.
"Brother, don't lose! Shuckle, you can do it!"
Luther couldn't help but slow his steps. 'That voice... why did it sound so familiar?'
Entering the battle arena, he saw Lucario leaping through the air. At that moment, Shuckle was knocked away and bounced into the courtyard. After a short while, all four of its limbs extended out of its shell.
"Shuckle has lost the ability to battle. Therefore, the winner of this match is Gym Leader Maylene."
Maylene, with her distinctive pink hair and energetic smile, shook hands with the challenger.
The challenger was a boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old. He wore a white shirt and black trousers. With his serious expression, he looked dull and rigid.
Luther's gaze didn't linger on either of them. Instead, he looked at Naomi, who stood behind the boy and stared blankly at him, with interest.
She pointed at Luther for a long time without saying a word. Seeing this, her brother instinctively stepped in front of her protectively.
"Brother, my badge... I lost it to him."
In front of her brother, Naomi looked completely different from how she had appeared to Luther before. Now, she seemed timid and hesitant.
Her brother glanced at her, then led her over to Luther. "You're Luther?"
Luther sighed. He hated trouble, yet it always seemed to find him. The feeling of "you beat the younger one, and the elder shows up" was really unpleasant.
Maylene had just wiped off some sweat and was cooling Lucario down with a towel. Seeing this, Naomi hurried over to see what was going on.
Suddenly, Naomi's brother placed a hand on her head and pressed it down gently while bowing to Luther.
Luther froze.
"I'm Naomi's brother, Evan." Evan pressed down a bit harder with his hand. "Did you forget what I told you? Apologize!"
He emphasized the word. Naomi shuddered and obediently lowered her head, quietly saying, "Sorry."
"I already know what you did yesterday, Naomi. I don't know where she learned that badge-wagering nonsense. I'm very sorry for the trouble she caused you."
Only then did Luther come to his senses. He waved his hand. "There's no need to apologize anymore. It wasn't really trouble, though I was a bit angry at the time. Still, Naomi's actions afterward calmed me down."
"Naomi."
Luther's voice made her look up.
A pink, glowing metallic object was tossed over. Naomi instinctively reached out and caught it.
When she realized what it was, her face lit up with joy. She breathed on the badge, wiped it vigorously with her sleeve, and burst into tears of happiness.
Evan sighed. "You should've smashed the badge and taught her a lesson."
Evan's words made Naomi shiver. She quickly clutched the badge to her chest.
"She's already been punished. Losing a Badge is painful enough. After this, she won't bring up wagering badges again."
Naomi hugged the badge tightly and nodded vigorously, promising that she would never act recklessly again.
Maylene glanced at her phone, her eyes lighting up. "You're the Luther that Candice and Hakuya mentioned?"
Luther thought back. During his stay in Snowpoint City, Candice had mentioned having a friend who had just become a Gym Leader. It seemed that person was Maylene.
"How did Candice describe me?" Luther asked, a little curious.
"She said you went back and forth with Hakuya, and that you're someone who can win even in a formal Gym Battle against her when she goes all out."
Maylene leaned in close to Luther's face, stood on tiptoe, and stared at him with burning eyes. "You're here today to challenge the Veilstone City Gym, right?"
The Gym staff chose that moment to announce the next challenger. When Luther's name appeared, Maylene was instantly overjoyed.
Evan and Naomi couldn't understand her reaction at all. 'Was Luther showing up really something to be that happy about?'
"Please allow me to adjust my Pokémon to their best condition before accepting this challenge."
With that, Maylene picked up a damp towel again and continued wiping down Lucario to cool him off.
"Seems like the Veilstone Gym doesn't get many challengers," Luther said casually as he checked Lucario's data on his Pokédex.
Maylene scratched her cheek awkwardly, while Lucario let out a snort.
"Well… there were rumors a while ago that the Veilstone Gym might replace its Gym Leader, and that Badges wouldn't be issued for the time being…"
Luther nodded in understanding. "A chain reaction after losing to Paul?"
Maylene's face instantly flushed red. "Even Trainers who've been traveling nonstop heard about that?!"
This time, even Lucario couldn't help covering his face.
"But I've pulled myself together," Maylene said seriously. "I'm working hard now to become an outstanding Fighting-type Gym Leader."
That line noticeably eased Lucario's mood.
Bright eyes, energetic words… Maylene's spirit actually wasn't bad at all. It seemed that after her battle with Ash, Maylene had grown quite a bit.
Come to think of it, Hakuya had also said before that Gym Leaders and challengers grow together. When Lucario finally stood up comfortably and stretched his body, Maylene nodded toward Luther.
"What are the Veilstone Gym's rules?"
"I want to have a one-on-one Gym Battle with you using Lucario," Maylene said, rubbing her hands together. "Candice doesn't have time to guide me. You wouldn't refuse either, right?"
The moment she finished speaking, both Evan and Naomi stared in shock.
'Guidance?'
'Did Maylene just say guidance?'
Wasn't Luther just an ordinary Trainer challenging the Lily of the Valley Conference?
Luther smiled wryly. "I'm not good at teaching people. I can't really offer guidance. But I will give this battle my all, let's consider it repayment for when Candice fought me at full strength."
He kicked Marill lightly, who was behind him teasing Milcery. "I won against Candice thanks to her finishing blow back then. I'll use her this time."
Maylene squatted down and extended her hand toward Marill. "Please take care of me."
Marill looked awkwardly at her short little arms, froze for a moment, then turned around and placed her tail into Maylene's palm, giving it a small wag.
"Do you have a larger space?" Luther rubbed his nose and made a suggestion. "This dojo setup is nice, very antique. It'd be a shame if it got damaged because of the battle."
Maylene hurriedly nodded, saying they could battle in the open space behind the dojo.
"Please let us watch this battle!" Seeing Maylene and Luther about to leave, Evan quickly spoke up.
"Of course," Maylene said cheerfully. "Gym Leader battles are meant to be seen by Pokémon Trainers. Otherwise, how would you improve yourselves?"
As Evan and Naomi followed behind them, Maylene suddenly smiled and said,
"Senior Luther, Candice said you still haven't positioned yourself properly, even now."
"Drop the 'senior.' I don't have the qualifications to be called that."
Maylene burst out laughing. "Candice guessed exactly right. She said that as soon as I called you 'senior,' you'd say this. And she also said, once you say that, it proves you still haven't put yourself in the right place."
"She asked me to ask you a question. Senior Luther, do you know how many grassroots Pokémon Trainers there are in the Pokémon League? How many people can't even reach the threshold of the Lily of the Valley Conference? Not eight Badges, do you know how many people can't even collect four Badges?"
The foot Luther had just stepped down suddenly loosened. He froze.
Lucario beside Maylene shrugged in sync with her words. He could tell as well, Luther had never thought about this question before.
"The Pokémon Trainers who can ultimately stand on the stage of the Lily of the Valley Conference are one in ten thousand, filtered through layers upon layers of selection. Those who make it into the main tournament are even rarer. By that point, they're already standing at the very top of regional Pokémon Trainers."
"As you challenged Gyms along the way, did you ever think about this, why is it that outside of Gyms with powerful leaders, there are clearly weaker, officially certified Gyms that can be challenged, yet under these conditions, most Pokémon Trainers still can't gather enough Badges?"
Luther finally understood what Candice was trying to tell him.
"Do you get it?" Maylene continued. "Senior, your gaze is too far ahead, your goal too high. You strive with the main tournament of the Lily of the Valley Conference in mind, perhaps even aiming for the championship."
"But below you, there are countless people whose only goal is to enter the preliminary rounds. As long as they have eight Badges, they can step onto the conference stage. Even if they're eliminated in the preliminaries, that's enough for them."
"And below them are innumerable Pokémon Trainers who train bitterly just to obtain eight Badges, even though their fate after collecting them is still being knocked out in the first round of the preliminaries."
"Ever since Pokémon League tournaments began, countless people's dreams have been to be 'one-round exits,' not the main tournament you see. Knowing that, do you still think you don't deserve to be called 'senior'?"
(End of chapter)
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