Hakuya had only mentioned Duckweed Town's gym in the context of its previous gym leader and never mentioned the current one.
Luther immediately understood that this was Hakuya's answer.
There was nothing notable about Greenpool Town's current Gym Leader.
A young trainer who inherited the position from a family member was no match for Gym Leaders who had fought their way up through the Pokémon League's rigorous tests over the years.
Each generation seemed weaker than the last and was always vulnerable to stronger challengers— the harsh reality of family-inherited gyms.
Sometimes, the Pokémon League would overlook these Gyms, treating them as mere stepping stones to give rookie Pokémon trainers badges and confidence.
This time, Mai did not accompany Luther to the Duckweed Gym.
Their supply of potions had mostly been used up, and the berries for concoctions had largely been consumed by Darkrai's needs. Mai intended to restock in Duckweed Town to sustain them until their journey to Snowpoint City.
Luther assigned Darkrai to stay by Mai's side, ostensibly to help her test potions, though she already knew what she needed. Darkrai's role was essentially that of a bodyguard.
In front of the shelves, Mai held two sprays in her hands, hesitating, frowning, and muttering to herself for at least five minutes.
Darkrai couldn't understand why she was hesitating. Taking both would solve the problem if necessary. Yet, Mai wasted so much time here.
After scanning the area to ensure there was no one nearby, Darkrai emerged and startled Eevee. He reached out and tossed both bottles into Mai's shopping basket.
Mai blinked and snapped out of her daze. She frowned and reluctantly returned one bottle to the shelf.
"I'd love to buy both, but I can't. We have to save."
Still, Darkrai's intervention sped up Mai's shopping.
From that point on, she chose inexpensive yet effective items, only resorting to pricier alternatives when absolutely necessary.
"Although Luther received two shopping cards from Bertha and still has plenty of credit, it'll be used up quickly if we aren't careful."
To outsiders, it seemed as if Mai were talking to herself, but Darkrai knew the words were meant for him.
"When I first met Luther, I was actually quite poor. All my money went toward lodging and all sorts of unnecessary expenses."
Mai smiled, recalling a memory.
"I remember freeloading quite a few of Luther's meals back then. Thinking about it now, it's pretty embarrassing. At home, I never really cared about money. If I wanted something, it was always there. Traveling with Luther made me realize that life isn't as simple as I thought."
Darkrai didn't fully understand. From her words, he sensed frustration and hardship, yet she smiled as she spoke. Human emotions were confusing, just like last night when Luther had shouted at him.
Even though Luther had wanted to form a cooperative relationship and had been talking amicably, the moment Darkrai sensed any reservation, Luther seemed to forget all his previous words.
If Darkrai hesitated for even a second, Luther would try to overpower him.
Being discovered and ambushed by humans wasn't new to Darkrai, but this was different. Luther didn't aim to capture him.
While escaping the ambush, Darkrai glanced at the Pokémon sent to surround him. Without exception, each one wore strange decorations; their eyes were vacant, and their movements were stiff, like puppets on strings.
He could tell that these Pokémon had no consciousness of their own.
It infuriated him to no end; Evergreen wanted to turn him into one of those things.
He was proud. If a strong trainer could defeat and capture him, he would relinquish his pride and obey commands.
Using me as a tool? Never.
Oblivious to his brooding, Mai asked: "Do you have a favorite food?"
She glanced at the colorful array of goods on the shelves, then looked at her shopping basket again.
"Jumpluff likes chocolate bars, Milcery likes milk candies, Eevee and Espurr like fruit gummies, Pachirisu and Corsola like strawberry cream cookies, and Chikorita likes jam."
Except for Marill, who would eat anything offered, Mai carefully noted down every Pokémon's favorite flavor.
Darkrai remained silent, but Mai stood on her tiptoes and grabbed a large bag of chips from a high shelf.
"If you're not talking, then you can share these with Marill."
She shook the bag of chips under her foot, then carried the basket to the counter to pay. When they returned to the hotel, Mai knocked on Luther's door. She only meant to check, but to her surprise, Luther was already back.
"Did the Gym Battle end so quickly?" Mai asked, astonished.
Luther showed her the green, water-leaf-patterned Round Badge, then sighed and returned it to its case.
"Now I understand why Hakuya didn't mention Duckweed Town's current Gym Leader. He really couldn't bring himself to talk about it."
One word: pathetic.
In a four-on-four battle, Luther's lead Pokémon, Espurr, singlehandedly smashed through the opponents. What kind of Gym Battle is that?
Luther went in fully prepared for a tough fight, but one punch knocked the other side down. Compared to Hakuya's battles, Duckweed Town's Gym was shockingly weak; Luther could barely comprehend it.
Now it made sense why Hakuya didn't mention it: a little courtesy to Luther, a fellow traveler.
Having absorbed and consolidated so much new battle experience from Hakuya, Luther needed to continue testing and reinforcing it in real battles.
"Let's adjust our focus. Capturing a Flying-type Pokémon isn't urgent. Following our current route, we can head straight to Snowpoint City along the main road."
Knowing Luther's eagerness to fight, Mai grinned.
Luckily, she had done the shopping beforehand and bought everything needed, so Luther wouldn't be delayed.
Mai began distributing the Pokémon's snacks for the day. Except for the motionless Slowpoke, the others crowded around her.
As they enjoyed their pre-dinner snacks, Marill suddenly realized that she hadn't received any.
Mai patted the ground, and Darkrai emerged from behind her, holding a bag of chips.
"Here, share it with Darkrai. Don't eat them all at once, or you'll get less next time."
The problem wasn't simply about "not finishing it."
Sharing a treat that she usually enjoyed alone and not being allowed to eat it all at once effectively reduced her portion to fractions. Marill did the mental math— it was a huge loss!
She glared at Darkrai as if he were an enemy, her eyes full of murderous intent.
'What was this glare about?' Darkrai was confused. He knew wild Pokémon would fight over food, but Marill was a tame Pokémon. A little snack shouldn't drive her this crazy.
Darkrai didn't believe it.
Originally uninterested in the chips, Darkrai floated backward, carrying the bag.
This gave Marill the strong illusion that this jerk was trying to hog it all!
Without hesitation, Marill stomped on Slowpoke's head, jumped, and punched Darkrai in the face with Ice Punch.
No one was going to steal Marill's snacks!
(End of Chapter)
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