By the time Luther received Bertha's call, it was already evening. He was lounging comfortably in a warm bath, cradling a Pokémon Egg and letting out a contented sigh.
"Is that so? Well, as long as she likes them," Bertha said over the phone.
Luther exhaled in relief. Knowing that Chiaki genuinely liked Sandshrew and Diglett made him happy for the two little Pokémon; they had clearly bonded with their Trainer at first sight.
That said, Bertha had misunderstood his "careful selection" of Pokémon types.
In truth, he had simply followed Sandshrew into a mine and collected the Pokémon he found there. But admitting that felt awkward, so he let it slide.
Then Luther paused, curiosity prickling. "You didn't mention the big Steelix… does that mean she… doesn't like it?"
Bertha huffed. "That kid got completely spooked by it. She thought you'd sent her a monster."
Luther scratched the back of his head. "But it is a Steel-type, isn't it? And she likes Steel-types."
Bertha sighed. "Yes, she likes Steel-types, but specifically the ones that look cool. She likes Aron, Skarmory, Scizor… even Seismitoad."
Luther pictured each Pokémon in his mind and suddenly understood.
"So what you're saying is, she likes Steel-types with one extra condition, they have to look good. But I thought Steelix was cool! Its metallic scales glint in the sunlight; it's fierce, and it hits hard. Isn't that perfect?"
"Everyone has their own taste in Pokémon," Bertha said. "I heard from Cynthia that when you debuted, you also preferred Pokémon that looked good."
Luther chuckled wryly. "That was back then. Now… I've changed a bit. If a Pokémon suits me, appearance doesn't matter. By the way, if Chiaki doesn't want Steelix, what are you going to do?"
"She will want it," Bertha said lightly. "After she ran off to her room without acknowledging it, I gave her a little lesson. When a Pokémon makes its debut, it deserves recognition. Especially one this strong. If she ignores it, the Pokémon could start doubting her. Becoming a Pokémon Trainer means first learning to understand your Pokémon's feelings. She didn't consider theirs and chose to run away. That was my failure in teaching her."
"Right now, she's in the courtyard, trying to approach Steelix. Afterwards, I'll make sure she personally thanks you."
Bertha's tone softened as she remembered something else. "You're in Whitewind Town, right? There's a new hotel opening soon called Yunqi. The owner is a friend of mine. They have geothermal hot springs right next door. If you mention my name, you can enjoy their services for free."
Luther blinked, then couldn't help laughing. "I'm actually in Yunqi's geothermal hot spring right now."
He went on to recount his day to Bertha.
After arriving in Whitewind Town that morning, Luther had gone straight to the Pokémon Center to transfer Poké Balls, while Mai took the Pokémon out for a stroll in the town's commercial district.
Whitewind Town turned out to be larger than he had imagined.
A town blessed with geothermal resources, it had become a famous tourist destination. Especially in winter, travelers and Pokémon Trainers alike came from far and wide to enjoy the hot springs. With the year-end approaching, the town was busier than ever.
By the time Luther arrived, the Pokémon Center was packed, and all the hotels with hot springs were fully booked.
Without a pre-reserved room, Luther was wondering where he would camp, when Mai returned carrying two slips of paper.
Once again, Mai's luck proved ridiculously absurd. She had only gone out to explore, casually helped fill out a survey, and randomly drew a prize, winning first place.
The prize? Full access to all of Yunqi Hotel's pre-opening services. And yet Mai thought it was a bit of a rip-off, she regretted missing out on the VIP card and extra coupons that came with the grand prize.
"Is this even human behavior?"
Luther stared in disbelief. He had never even won a consolation prize in a lottery like this!
At that moment, he firmly concluded that Mai was the kind of person who could play Russian roulette and somehow fire five bullets in a row without hitting a single chamber. Truly a monster of luck.
Bertha chuckled quietly. She told Luther to reassure Mai that the VIP card and coupons would arrive, after he finished enjoying the hot spring, of course.
Then she hung up, leaving Luther to his bath in peace.
The hot spring wasn't crowded. In the men's section, there were only four or five other people, all winners from the survey, just like Mai.
The Pokémon were enjoying themselves too, except, naturally, for the few who were afraid of water.
By the edge of the spring, a Golem, a Flareon, a Charmeleon, and a Magby watched enviously as their companions splashed around.
Luther's Pokémon had no such issues. Marill swam happily, greeting a Marill belonging to another Pokémon Trainer with cheerful familiarity.
Jumpluff, however, seemed afraid of the hot water. Luther carefully cradled her in his arms, slowly letting her test the spring until she acclimated.
Espurr had been playing by the edge with Magby when Chansey, unusually mischievous, popped out of the water and tugged at her.
Espurr tumbled into the spring, soaked, staring blankly at Chansey before springing up and retaliating, sending a spray of water chasing Chansey across the pool.
Chansey paddled furiously with her stubby arms, darting away, but Espurr pursued relentlessly.
Soon, other Pokémon were drawn into the escalating water fight. A Golem on the shore, about to complain that this was boring, suddenly had a massive waterball explode against him.
The skirmish quickly escalated, Pokémon using moves to splash, spray, and drench their opponents, all carefully controlled to avoid actual injury.
Golem was the first to lose his battle capability, staring dazed with spiraling eyes before being reluctantly withdrawn by his Trainer.
Luther and the other Trainers leaned back at the edge of the spring, observing the chaos. Any Pokémon going too far would be immediately called back by their Trainers.
For example, when Espurr tried to siphon water beneath her feet to form a giant waterball, aiming to launch what looked like a massive energy attack, Luther immediately stopped her.
If any Pokémon fainted from the heat, the remaining Trainers politely acknowledged the withdrawal with a synchronized, "Well played."
The Espurr-initiated spring war was now shrinking in scale. All of Luther's Pokémon had been eliminated.
Chansey, noticing her egg had overheated, immediately moved to a cooler area of the spring before finally settling next to Luther to help watch over it.
Kirlia didn't participate at all. Post-evolution, she had become obsessed with elegance. Watching Diantha's Gardevoir, she quietly studied her every move. At this chaotic event, she only splashed water twice out of curiosity and withdrew when it became clear things had spun out of control.
Jumpluff had fainted from the heat. Positioned directly in the path of other Pokémon's attacks at the start of the water fight, she couldn't endure long before collapsing.
Espurr was called back by Luther for violating the "energy blast" rules.
Marill was eliminated purely through her own foolishness. She had submerged herself in the hot spring, didn't understand why, and ultimately passed out, floating to the surface.
Was this… a case of a frying pan cooking itself?
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395