"Retirement. I want to live close to people I know and turn the island into the kind of place I'd actually enjoy living in," Luther answered without hesitation.
It wasn't a secret, so when the reporters asked, he saw no reason to hide it.
The moment Luther mentioned retirement, everyone around him burst out laughing, clearly taking it as a joke. Not a single person believed that was genuinely what he had in mind.
"We've heard you weren't the only one who paid for the island. Bertha also contributed to the purchase because she plans to live there after retiring. Is that true?"
Luther nodded. That wasn't much of a secret either. Bertha's retirement was right around the corner, and from what Luther had heard, she was handling it decisively.
She had already sold off most of her extra properties in the Sinnoh region, keeping only one. Once she retired, she planned to split her time between that house and the island.
After hearing that Luther had already cleared out the wild Pokémon from the area he'd marked off for himself, Bertha sent the first batch of her own Pokémon over.
Golem, Claydol, Gliscor, Flygon, Sandslash, and Nidoking were already settling into their new surroundings. Luther had even gone over to warn them not to wander too far inland, worried they might clash with the local wild Pokémon.
When Bertha heard about it, she gave Luther permission to command any of the Pokémon she'd sent to the island. That showed just how much she trusted him.
"We've also heard Bertha wasn't the only person who helped fund the purchase. Can you tell us who the other investors are?"
Once word got out that Bertha intended to settle there, speculation immediately ran wild. If Bertha planned to live on the island, did that mean the other investors were planning to move there too?
Naturally, everyone became even more curious about who the island's future residents would be.
Luther rubbed his chin and gave them an apologetic smile.
"Bertha's plans are already public, so there's no point pretending otherwise. But as for everyone else, until they choose to say something themselves, I'm afraid my answer has to be: 'I don't know anything.'"
A few reporters tried to press him further, but Luther simply kept smiling and held his tongue. Realizing they weren't going to get anything else out of him, they quickly changed the subject.
"Will other people be allowed to apply to live on the island in the future?"
The question came far too early; construction on the island hadn't even properly begun yet.
"I haven't really thought about it, so I can't give you an answer right now."
That was what Luther said aloud, though he actually 'had' considered it. If the island's first residents were going to include Elite Four members and regional Conference winners, anyone wanting to move there in the future would need to meet a pretty high standard.
At the very least, they'd have to be an accomplished Trainer with plenty of real battle experience and a solid competitive record.
Of course, that would only matter if the island was eventually developed well enough, and made comfortable enough, to satisfy Cynthia and the rest of the founding group.
"Have you decided on a name for the island yet?"
'That' was the question giving Luther the biggest headache.
Even now, everyone was still calling it Lily of the Valley East Island as a placeholder. Nobody had managed to come up with something they could all agree on.
Cynthia had suggested calling it Slacking-Off Island. She completely ignored Luther's eye roll and insisted it was a wonderful name.
"It matches what you're aiming for, and it perfectly captures the exact vibe everyone coming to the island is looking for. What's wrong with that?" That was her argument.
Lance, meanwhile, suggested Dragon Island.
Luther had absolutely no idea what part of the island had anything to do with dragons. The first two Pokémon Lance had sent over to rest were his red Gyarados and Aerodactyl.
One spent its days swimming through the waters below the cliffs, while the other constantly flew between the crags and the crashing waves.
And neither of them was even a Dragon-type.
So apparently, Lance had fought for that beautiful stretch of cliffs just to let a giant fish swim around, and a flying reptile stretch its wings.
Diantha's suggestion was much more sensible. Since Lily of the Valley Island had been named after a flower, she proposed naming Lily of the Valley East Island after another plant to match. The idea itself was solid, but then everyone started arguing over which plant name would actually fit.
Even Caitlin, who Luther had assumed only threw money into the project to support Cynthia, couldn't resist joining in. Her suggestion was Pomelo Island. One look was enough to tell where she got the inspiration: the Pomelo Berry.
The whole situation quickly devolved into a mess.
It was like spending forever in a character creator before even starting a game, carefully tweaking every little detail until your character's face was exactly how you wanted it. Then a box suddenly popped up: '"Please enter your character name/ID."'
After already suffering through character creation, you were immediately thrown into another round of agony trying to come up with a handle. That was more or less how Luther and the others felt.
In the end, they agreed to shelve the argument and keep using Lily of the Valley East Island for the time being. Everyone was completely satisfied with their own suggestion, and nobody could convince anyone else.
So as far as the public was concerned, Luther had only one answer: "Sorry, we still haven't decided on a name."
He had answered everything he reasonably could, confident he'd taken the interview seriously enough to fulfill his part of the contract.
The reporters still had plenty more they wanted to ask, but their allotted time was up. They could only stare reluctantly as Luther walked away, looking like lovers forced to part after a long-awaited reunion.
Most of the Q&A after the launch had ended up focusing on Luther's private life. He'd expected that to ruin Kukui Tetsu's publicity plans, but Tetsu seemed more than satisfied.
After getting Luther's permission, he even reached out to pat Azumarill's cool body.
A Pokémon like Azumarill, who wasn't nervous in front of a crowd, knew how to show off, and naturally drew attention, was practically born for the stage. That impromptu drinking stunt had been wildly effective. Once the news hit tomorrow, Kukui Tetsu was certain the sight of Azumarill chugging bottle after bottle would bring in customers by the truckload.
Of course, Luther had done his part too. The moment he tasted something he genuinely liked, the look in his eyes shifted, and the cameras had caught it perfectly.
The new product launch was shaping up to be a massive success.
"I've reserved a table for dinner. Would you mind joining me?" Kukui Tetsu asked.
Luther really wanted to refuse. If he left now, he could stop by Sunyshore City, pick up Meowth, and probably still make it back to Lily of the Valley East Island in time for dinner with Mai. Eating with Mai and a whole crowd of Pokémon sounded far better; he genuinely couldn't think of a reason to stay.
"As Mai's father, I've always wanted a chance to talk to you." Kukui Tetsu looked directly at him, his composure slipping just enough for a hint of emotion to leak through. "About you. And about you and Mai."
Luther met his gaze, trying to read what was behind the words.
Mai's feelings toward Kukui Tetsu hadn't changed. Even after the misunderstanding during the previous tournament was cleared up, she remained distant toward him.
Luther had once asked Mai how she planned to handle things when they got married.
She had clearly imagined that day many times before. She described what she wanted to wear, what decorations the Pokémon would have, what food they'd serve, the kind of ceremony she wanted, how every part of the wedding would go, and which friends she wanted there to celebrate, witness it, and take pictures.
Her plans were incredibly detailed, she'd obviously gone over them in her head countless times.
Yet throughout the entire conversation, as Mai spoke with a face beaming with happiness, she never mentioned Kukui Tetsu even once.
Not even the Kukui family.
(End of Chapter)
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