You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon, and I've also activated a (date-to-date) subscription model on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
It was the morning two days later when Luther received the message from Greystone.
Since arriving in this world, Luther had developed a habit of waking up early, completely breaking his old, unshakable routine of not getting out of bed until the last possible moment before work, a habit of stubbornly staying in bed no matter what.
Every morning at just past five o'clock, Luther would wake up under Jumpluff's urging and then start a morning run with his Pokémon.
For the short-legged Ralts, participating in the morning run seemed quite strenuous, and Luther really wanted her to give up, but she stubbornly shook her head, clinging to Marill's tail, determined to keep up no matter what.
Ralts' stubbornness probably stemmed from a sense of crisis.
Over the past two days, Luther had conducted various Move training sessions for Ralts through Jumpluff, Marill, and Misdreavus.
Compared to the small-scale skirmishes at the Pokémon Center, this was an upgrade. Jumpluff and Marill took turns testing Ralts's Battle Response Ability, while Misdreavus used its speed to challenge Ralts's Accuracy.
This was a painful process; Ralts didn't perform well against any of them, and even though Jumpluff and Marill repeatedly held back, it was still hard for Ralts to defeat them successfully.
As for Misdreavus, even its slowest movements made Ralts feel dizzy and disoriented…
After seeing Ralts get knocked to the ground by Jumpluff once again and struggle to get back up, Luther couldn't help but want to abandon training Ralts.
Not every Pokémon has the Talent for Battle; without a doubt, this was a tough path that required constant self-challenge and self-improvement.
Just like humans, Pokémon have different Talents, and forcing a Pokémon to strive down a path that disregards its Talent and seems excessively difficult struck Luther as something an unqualified Pokémon Trainer would do.
Luther asked Ralts if she wanted to work toward a different direction, explaining that not everyone in his team needed to be a fighter, having someone to help care for the other Pokémon was also essential.
That sentence made Ralts tremble, and afterward, her training with Jumpluff and Marill became even more desperate.
Luther realized that Ralts had misunderstood him; that sentence seemed to have sparked a panic in her, a fear of being abandoned. It took Luther an entire night to explain his meaning to Ralts, but what followed was Ralts becoming even more stubborn.
Originally, it was Jumpluff dragging Ralts to train Moves on time; now, it was Ralts pushing Marill and Jumpluff to start training with her even earlier.
Even the morning run, which was extremely taxing on Ralts's short legs, was something she absolutely refused to fall behind in.
Today, Luther's morning run route would take him through the central park of Oreburgh City, and as usual, at this hour, only a handful of Pokémon Trainers were out running with their Pokémon in Oreburgh City's park.
After a few days, Luther had become familiar with the Pokémon Trainers on this morning run route, nodding in greeting to a Trainer with an Eevee before continuing deeper into the central park.
Taking out his phone to glance at the picture Greystone had sent, Luther checked the distance, bypassed the artificial fountain in front of him, and arrived at an open area behind it.
In front of Greystone, a Machamp was matching Greystone's Rhythm, engaging in a hand-to-hand Battle with Greystone himself.
Luther was stunned… Although he had long known that some well-trained people could spar with Pokémon and hold their own, seeing this happen with a man in his sixties or seventies still left him in awe. To maintain such strict self-discipline into such an age, truly, the older, the wiser.
Luther didn't interrupt Greystone's training, quietly finding a bench nearby to sit down and carefully observe the fight between human and Pokémon, relying purely on physical prowess.
Both Greystone and Machamp, fully focused, didn't notice Luther's arrival, and their back-and-forth combat lasted nearly twenty minutes. Covered in sweat and panting heavily, Greystone called a halt, tossing a towel to Machamp, and they wiped the sweat from their bodies together.
Out of the corner of his eye, Greystone caught sight of Luther sitting not far away and approached with Machamp. Luther stood up and walked over as well.
Up close, Greystone, still catching his breath, said with a sheepish smile, "Sorry you had to see that. I really enjoy sparring with my Pokémon like this; I think it's a way to push my own limits."
Luther shook his head, indicating that he didn't mind at all and could even enjoy watching such an explosive Battle scene a bit longer.
"I believe Lucian told you why I came here, but I still want to know, what else did he instruct you about?" Greystone unscrewed a bottle and took a sip of water.
"Lucian told me to forget about the abandoned Pokémon I encountered in Violet Forest after meeting you. He also said you'd take care of everything and asked me to recall more details about that incident."
Greystone burst into laughter upon hearing this. "That's his style, soft-spoken but ruthless in action. But he's not wrong about this. I'm here specifically to take the blame for you."
Glancing at the Pokémon by Luther's feet, Greystone continued, "This kind of thing should be left to professionals. As it happens, I'm a pro at taking the fall, and I'm also a pro at dealing with scum like this. Forget about Violet Forest. Afterward, everyone involved in rescuing you will be reminded by us that I was the one who got involved and accidentally dragged you, a Rookie Trainer, into it. If you feel I've offended your righteous anger toward those people, then grow stronger with your partners quickly, join the Pokémon League, and assist us."
Luther knew Greystone was warning him not to let hatred blind him over this matter. A Rookie Trainer should focus on improving themselves, getting involved in these things required Strength, not just hot-blooded passion.
Too much passion often wasn't a good thing.
Taking the lesson to heart, Luther respectfully bowed to Greystone.
No matter how you looked at it, this old man was taking the blame for him and offering guidance, a bow was certainly warranted.
Greystone accepted Luther's gesture with a gratified nod.
"Tell me, what useful information do you and Misdreavus have for me?"
Luther took a deep breath, trying to calmly recount to Greystone what he'd seen in Misdreavus' memories: the imprisoned Pokémon, the Pokémon cages, the nauseating Pokémon experiments, and finally, the Pokémon's riot and uprising.
Greystone's expression shifted from warm to grim, then to steely resolve. His fists clenched, his eyes seemed to harbor a beast ready to devour, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Raising the half-drunk bottle of water, Greystone poured it over his face, and it took a while for the bloodshot red in his eyes to fade.
Windmills, that was the only regional clue Luther could provide. Misdreavus' blurry memories after escaping didn't offer much useful detail, with windmills being the most prominent marker.
Greystone paused when he heard about the windmills, then solemnly instructed Luther, "For you, this matter ends here. I won't hide it from you, the situation is far more serious than I expected. Pokémon experiments and spontaneous Pokémon riots point to something extremely sensitive. You'll come to understand these things in time."
Greystone's gravity put immense pressure on Luther. For a veteran International Police officer to say this, it seemed Luther had unwittingly stumbled into something massive.
Composing himself, Greystone's face regained its gentle smile.
"Official business is done. Now, let's talk about something personal between you and me."
Luther was puzzled. What personal business could he have with an International Police officer?
As Greystone tossed a Poké Ball to the ground and the light revealed the Pokémon within, Luther instantly understood that he and Greystone indeed had personal matters to discuss.
One of the leaders among the abandoned Pokémon, that incredibly robust Houndoom, had been taken in by Greystone.
Though Luther hadn't captured Houndoom himself, back in Violet Forest, he had briefly considered adding Houndoom to his team. He hadn't expected that just days after sending it to Professor Rowan's Research Lab, someone would swoop in and claim it.
"Want to know why he was abandoned?" Greystone bent down and patted Houndoom's body.
Luther froze for a moment, then shook his head.
The only thing he could confirm was that most of these abandoned Pokémon were ones who had gathered together after fleeing the Pokémon riot. Misdreavus and Houndoom were the leaders of this group of abandoned Pokémon… As for why Houndoom was abandoned, Luther was baffled. Who would abandon such a well-trained Houndoom?
Greystone patted his own chest, saying bitterly, "He and I, we're both too old."
"This Houndoom's age is close to seventy in human years, making him a bona fide senior among Pokémon. Considering his competitive performance would only decline further, it's not hard to guess he was cast out due to his age."
Greystone tossed a ring-shaped object to Luther. Luther caught it and looked; it seemed to be an ornament from Houndoom's leg.
Engraved on the outer side of the iron ring were the words: "Sunyshore City, Kanto."
"I looked into it. This is from a Pokémon Bulk Up expert. If you search online for Pokémon fitness information, you can easily find details about him. In Sunyshore City, he's quite famous, with a high win rate for the Bulk Up Pokémon he trains in competitions. The Bulk Up school he runs is very popular."
"This Houndoom doesn't seem to have achieved any notable rankings in Bulk Up competitions. At least, when I checked the awards from Bulk Up contests, I found no trace of Houndoom. Compared to other Pokémon that could bring fame and status, Houndoom, as an old-timer, had little value."
Luther gripped the iron ring tightly, his voice laced with coldness. "Aren't Pokémon and people supposed to choose each other? When they're no longer useful, they're kicked out without even a peaceful meal to live on. And this guy can still stand tall, basking in flowers and Applause, enjoying fame and fortune?"
"Unfortunately, that's the reality. Bad people and villains always hurt the kind ones, both humans and Pokémon. Because they're kind, they always end up suffering. Just like Houndoom, cast out, he didn't want to go back and beg his master, only willing to wander outside. But why should good people always be the ones bullied? Qualities like kindness and gentleness should be praised, not used as stepping stones by those with dark hearts climbing their way up."
"Luther, lend Houndoom to me. My capture of him is temporary. I'll train him for you, take care of him. That idiot named Kanto completely wasted Houndoom's Battle Talent. Let me awaken it. All I ask is that when you step onto the Lily of the Valley Conference and enter the Pokémon League Tournament stage, you bring him out. Prove something for us old folks."
(End of Chapter)