After Director Shiran announced that Luther was about to begin his journey, the Pokémon Center staff spontaneously decided to throw him a farewell party.
To everyone here, Luther's story was an inspiring one. After spending years at the Pokémon Center battling his inner demons, he had finally overcome them. Now, he was about to step into the world and chase his dream.
The Farewell Ceremony was held at noon. After bidding goodbye to the elderly and children he had spent so much time with, the staff led him into the dining hall.
A long table was packed with dishes, a lavish lunch already laid out in his honor.
Luther scanned the food for a long time, eyeing every dish with suspicion. The ingredients all seemed… normal.
He sighed, feeling both relieved and oddly disappointed.
"No braised Magikarp? What a shame."
After chatting with a few familiar staff members, Luther slowly realized something, this farewell party wasn't really about him.
A massive prize wheel had been set up near the dining area, surrounded by a mountain of wrapped gift boxes. The atmosphere wasn't one of sentimental goodbyes; it felt more like… a festival.
He eyed the decorations and party setup skeptically. "Are you sure this is a farewell party?"
A nearby staff member, noticing his suspicion, let out a sheepish laugh. "Alright, you caught us. We just wanted an excuse to take the afternoon off."
Another chimed in, grinning. "Think of it as killing two birds with one stone, we celebrate you leaving, and we get to have some fun."
Luther sighed. Figures. He didn't need a grand send-off, but it seemed the staff had decided to make the most of the occasion.
He turned his attention to the pile of gifts. "What's up with the prizes?" he asked, popping a bite of some mystery meat into his mouth.
"Director Shiran put up the grand prize and first prize, and the rest of us chipped in for the other rewards, battle items, berries, and decorations," a staff member explained, handing him a folded piece of paper. "I was supposed to post this. Here, take a look."
Luther unfolded the list.
Prize List:
Grand Prize – ???
First Prize – ???
Second Prize (x2) – Pokémon Decorations ???
Third Prize (x3) – Pokémon Care Supplies ???
Luther raised an eyebrow. "No one knows what the grand prize is either?"
He skimmed over the smaller rewards, uninterested. If he was going to think about a lottery, he might as well aim high.
Before he could ask more, a loud cheer erupted from the dining hall.
Luther turned his head just in time to see the prize wheel slowing to a stop, right on the Grand Prize section.
"No way."
His heart sank. He hadn't even gotten a chance to spin the wheel, and the biggest prize was already gone.
The lucky winner, practically glowing with excitement, rushed forward to claim their prize, a blue-wrapped gift box with a tag marked Grand Prize.
As the crowd clapped and cheered, they eagerly watched the winner peel away the wrapping and lift the lid.
Inside was a single Poké Ball.
The room erupted with even louder cheers.
Encouraged by the energy of the crowd, the winner wasted no time and tossed the Poké Ball into the air.
Luther held his breath.
With a flash of light, a Happiny appeared.
Luther's stomach twisted.
Of course, it's a Happiny…
That pink, deceptively cute Pokémon, better known in its evolved form as the "Pink Devil", was an absolute must-have for any Trainer. Once it evolved into Chansey or Blissey, it was one of the best Pokémon for traveling, healing, and even hatching eggs. For someone as lazy as Luther, owning a Happiny would have been a dream come true. No more worrying about egg incubation, just hand them over to Happiny and let it do all the work.
"I should have spun the wheel earlier!"
Luther had heard rumors that Director Shiran had requested several Pokémon from Professor Rowan to help out at the Pokémon Center. He hadn't expected one of them to be thrown into a lottery.
He watched in frustration as the winner paraded Happiny around, basking in the attention.
Luther exhaled, shaking his head.
Then, in one swift movement, he pushed past the crowd and yanked the wheel's handle before anyone could react.
The hall fell into stunned silence.
The only sound was the wheel spinning rapidly, the clacking noise echoing through the room.
Luther knew it was foolish to put his hopes on pure luck, but still… if the Grand Prize was a Happiny, then the First Prize might be another Pokémon.
He could only pray.
The spinning prize wheel gradually slowed as it passed over the third and second prize sections, teasing the crowd with the possibility of stopping there, but it didn't.
It skipped past the smaller prizes, bypassed the already-claimed grand prize, and then…
Luther's eyes widened. The wheel came to a halt right between the first and second-prize zones.
The entire room went silent.
For a moment, no one knew how to call it. But then, as if nudged by an unseen force, the wheel tilted slightly downward, landing firmly in the first prize section.
A stunned hush fell over the room before a collective outcry of disbelief.
Did Luther just defy all odds?
Luther could hardly believe it himself. In his past life, luck had never been on his side. Even when playing mobile games, he always had to scrape together the bare minimum just to summon a character he liked.
Other players would effortlessly pull five-star Pokémon in a few single rolls. Meanwhile, Luther would go through multiple ten-rolls and still walk away empty-handed, only to get the featured Pokémon at the last possible moment, after exhausting all his resources.
Yet here he was now, hitting the jackpot in a single try.
This is like pulling the banner Pokémon on the very first summon… What kind of miracle is this?
His colleagues were just as stunned. In the span of two spins, both top prizes had been claimed.
Now, the tables had turned, they were the ones staring at him with envy, jealousy, and barely contained frustration.
Luther ignored their looks, walked over to the prize corner, and picked up another blue-wrapped gift box. Quickly unwrapping it, he found exactly what he expected inside, a Poké Ball.
Don't tell me… another Happiny?
He threw the ball without hesitation.
It popped open, releasing a small, round Pokémon with blue fur, standing on a tail that resembled a bouncy balloon.
Luther's breath hitched.
A Marill.
He crouched down, gently cradling the tiny Water-Mouse Pokémon in his hands, feeling the coolness of its fur against his palm. The little creature blinked up at him in confusion, its tail twitching slightly as it adjusted to its new surroundings.
The staff gathered around, intrigued, but they didn't react as enthusiastically as they had for Happiny.
Only Luther knew just how much potential he was holding.
Sure, it wasn't a Pokémon that would make an entire forest tremble at the sound of its name. But Dragon-types? They would cry.
One day, this small, unassuming Marill would stand tall before them and proclaim:
"Who else wants some?"
"None of you can fight!"
"I'm not targeting any one of you specifically, I mean all of you. You're all trash."
In Sinnoh, Fairy-types were still not widely acknowledged in battle. But in Kalos, researchers were diving deeper into this new typing. Once their research was officially published, the Fairy-type's dominance would reshape competitive Pokémon battles across the world.
Right now, Marill was just a Water-type. But once the Kalos scholars finished their work, this little one would become something much, much more, a Dragon Slayer.
Luther smirked.
Maybe crossing over into this world wasn't so bad after all.
At the very least, he knew something these people didn't.
Beside him, Ralts tensed, watching the newly obtained Marill with quiet wariness. It seemed to sense that Luther was paying special attention to this newcomer.
Luther glanced at the ongoing celebration, still loud and lively, then let out a small chuckle. He wasn't bothered that his farewell party had turned into just another excuse for his colleagues to goof off.
He quickly finished the rest of his meal, shouldered his packed backpack, and stepped outside the Pokémon Center.
Waiting for him at the entrance was Director Shiran, standing beside his Alakazam.
Luther hesitated. "…Did you do that?"
Shiran arched an eyebrow. "Not me. Alakazam thought the result was a bit underwhelming, so it gave the wheel a little nudge."
Luther turned to look at Alakazam.
The Psychic-type merely huffed and turned its head away, looking every bit as smug as expected.
Luther let out a short laugh.
'Guess I owe you one, huh?'
"You said I could only take one."
"That's right. You chose Ralts last night," Director Shiran said with a knowing smirk. "But the lottery was a different matter." He gave Luther a playful wink. "If your luck had been bad, I wouldn't have been able to help you. Stopping in the gap between two prizes? That was just pure luck."
Luther didn't bother saying thank you, expressing gratitude for something like this felt a little awkward.
Instead, he focused on checking his backpack one last time.
Inside were compressed biscuits, bottled water, extra clothes, his phone, two thousand Pokémon League coins, a simple sleeping bag, and that Great Ball.
A small frown crossed his face as a familiar thought resurfaced.
Why didn't Ash ever carry a phone?
Technology in this world is incredibly advanced. Phones weren't just for calls, they could access the internet, browse community forums, check for local trainers looking for practice battles, and even scan items to determine their properties. The newest models had scanning features that covered almost everything a Pokédex could do.
So why didn't more trainers use them?
"Are you all set?"
Professor Qilan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Luther nodded and followed him to the bus stop near the Pokémon Center.
Yes, a bus stop.
A direct bus ran between Sandgem Town and Twinleaf Town. In fact, most of the Sinnoh region had surprisingly efficient public transportation. Cities and towns were well-connected, and travel was incredibly convenient for anyone who actually used the system.
Of course, most rookie trainers completely ignored these options.
For them, the "true" adventure meant climbing mountains, trekking through dense forests, and trudging across snow-covered routes on foot, regardless of whether they were prepared for it or not.
And so, every year, a significant number of trainers went missing.
Honestly, it was a miracle the population hadn't started declining at this rate.
Luther, however, had no intention of making things harder for himself. If he could take a bus, he absolutely would. Not because he was scared.
Mostly because he was just a little lazy.
While waiting, he chatted with Professor Qilan about Marill. After going through some data, he learned that his Marill (Baby Form) had a huge sweet tooth, just like Ralts.
But there was something else.
Ralts, for some reason, wasn't particularly fond of Marill.
It had already tried tugging on Marill's tail with its Psychic powers multiple times.
At first, Marill didn't seem to mind. It loved using its tail as a pillow while sitting on the ground. But after noticing Ralts constantly poking and pulling at it, Marill started mimicking the action out of curiosity.
Luther sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Ralts, stop bullying the newcomer."
Ralts turned its head away, pretending it didn't hear him.
Just as he was about to intervene again, the bus arrived. Luther turned back one last time before boarding.
"If I fail… can I come back?"
Director Shiran stared at him for a moment before laughing heartily.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You're already an experienced therapist. You'll only gain more knowledge from this journey. If anything, I should be giving you a raise!"
Luther chuckled. Guess I was overthinking things again.
The bus doors slowly closed.
Through the window, Luther took one last look at the Pokémon Center, the place that had been his home for so long.
A strange mix of fondness, loneliness, and emptiness settled in his chest as the building disappeared from view.
Once it was completely out of sight, he exhaled a quiet sigh.
Holding Ralts and Marill close, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
His journey had already begun.
He needed to be in top condition.
Luther couldn't predict what kind of attitude Professor Rowan would have towards him.
In the world he came from, Rowan had always been depicted as strict yet kind, especially toward Ash and Dawn. But after staying up late researching this world's news and information, Luther realized something unsettling.
There were many small details that didn't match what he had expected.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Luther let the soft sway of the bus lull him into a light sleep.
(End of Chapter)