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Luther's interviews were arguably the most entertaining in the entire Pokémon League Tournament.
Post-match interviews with contestants who had advanced usually followed a stiff, formal tone, but when it came to Luther, things took on a completely different style.
"First of all, congratulations on making it to the top 16. We'd also like to ask a fun question on behalf of online users and the audience: when are you planning to catch a Pokémon that can carry you and fly?"
"If you go on to win this tournament, you'll be the only Champion in the history of the Lily of the Valley Conference without a flying Pokémon capable of carrying a person."
The reporter interviewing Luther had to hold back their laughter as they read from their prepared script. The moment the question was asked, the reporters surrounding Luther lit up with excitement. From their expressions alone, it was clear that they had similar questions ready and were waiting for his answer.
Having watched the forums constantly joke about his inability to fly, Luther suddenly understood how a certain Legendary Pokémon must feel.
So what if you can fly?
"For now, I haven't come across a suitable one, so I'm just not thinking about it," Luther replied.
Honestly, even he found the question amusing.
"Can you tell us which flying Pokémon you'd like to catch? Everyone's really curious," Another reporter asked.
Luther tilted his head and thought for a while. "Tropius and Altaria, I guess. I've heard that if you raise Tropius well, its fruit grows quickly and tastes great. And, as you all know, my Azumarill is quite the glutton..."
Luther's answer sent the reporters into immediate laughter.
Marill's reputation as a "big eater" was already a well-known fun fact among followers of the Lily of the Valley Conference.
Even after evolving into Azumarill, her appetite hadn't decreased at all. To Luther, it seemed to stay the same, but to others, it was clearly bigger. After all, she had evolved and grown in size.
So, when she visited the Pokémon League cafeteria for the first time after evolving, the staff, thinking her appetite must have increased, served her double the usual portion.
She ate so much that she could barely walk afterwards.
Later, Luther pinched Azumarill's cheeks, trying to understand why she kept eating even when she was full. Wasn't that just making things harder for herself?
Azumarill was also quite helpless; the staff had simply been too enthusiastic. In short, it was the food's fault, not hers.
"As for the latter, it's because I once told Mai that I wanted to raise an Altaria with her."
The reporters' eyes sparkled with anticipation. If it had come from any other contestant, a line like that, bordering on a confession, would have been relentlessly pursued.
But this was Luther. His relationship with Mai had already become obvious to everyone after his battle against Hayata.
"However, we've heard a rumor from someone who knows you well that you've failed to obtain every Pokémon you've ever specifically gone out of your way to find or catch. For example, Heracross."
Luther covered his face. Only a handful of people knew about that, so who had exposed it as a 'fun fact' for the tournament?
Interviewing Luther was every reporter's favorite part of the job. Aside from the rare times when he was too exhausted after a battle and needed time to compose himself, he was always very cooperative with the media. Luther understood clearly that there was no need and no benefit to offending the media. Maintaining a good relationship with them only worked in his favour.
What he didn't realise was that the cheerful atmosphere of his interviews was spreading to the other contestants, almost as if the chaotic, meme-filled forums had come to life.
The interview segments of this tournament were producing one iconic quote after another.
Ash, who had just advanced, said during his interview that he was 'just a rookie Pokémon Trainer still working hard.'
Less than ten minutes later, the nickname 'Ash, the eternal rookie Pokémon trainer' had spread far and wide. Etorre, on the other hand, said he hadn't performed well because, if he had, his Pokémon wouldn't have been injured or lost so much stamina.
This line was worthy of a place in the "Most Absurd Quotes of This Year's Lily of the Valley Conference."
When asked if he had any other Legendary Pokémon besides Darkrai, Dakota replied:
"I used to have a Latios, but unfortunately it ran away."
Another outrageous line.
"I used to have a Latias, but unfortunately she ran away."
"Hey forum users, has anyone seen my Meloetta? It accidentally ran off. If anyone can provide information, there will be a generous reward."
Netizens immediately started joking along with Dakota.
Nobody believed he was telling the truth, they just thought he was being humorous and creating a fun meme.
Meanwhile, Paul, who had also advanced through the rounds, had a very poor relationship with the media. He rarely gave interviews and remained taciturn even when facing the camera.
On his way back to the Contestant Village, however, Luther noticed Paul watching him from a distance. But the moment Luther stopped and looked at him, Paul simply turned around and left.
The round of sixteen to eight would be the final 3v3 format. Even before his opponent had been decided, Luther had already planned his line-up.
Darkrai floated back and forth in front of Luther, pointing at Houndoom and Jumpluff, who had both been knocked out by Dark Void and were now sleeping soundly. They were desperately trying to secure a spot in the match.
It was hard to refuse. Although the training period had been short, Darkrai's ability to extrapolate and improve was astonishing. Its Dark Void activation had evolved from a slow, obvious hand-raising motion to a much more subtle one, visible progress to the naked eye.
Accuracy aside, Luther felt it was time to let Darkrai test its improved Dark Void on the tournament stage. It might even reveal new areas for improvement.
"As for Houndoom… he's actually motivating you, giving you more drive. He doesn't really dislike you."
Luther munched on some crisps, handing one to Azumarill and then offering one to Darkrai.
"He's getting old, so he's a bit envious of you younger ones. You still have time to grow and improve through battles. He doesn't."
Darkrai shook its head vigorously.
"I know you didn't use your nightmare abilities to mess with Houndoom. I'm just saying, he actually wants you to become stronger. Old guys, you know... When they see someone who could take their place and they feel like their time is running out, they naturally get a bit anxious."
Darkrai glanced at the sleeping Houndoom, a strange expression appearing on its face. Luther knew that Darkrai had fallen into one of his overthinking spirals again, so he clapped his hands together to snap him out of it.
"Oh right... can you smile for me?"
At Luther's odd request, Azumarill became instantly excited. She also wanted to see if the usually stern-faced Darkrai could smile. Espurr floated over while Kirlia also stared curiously at Darkrai. Darkrai hesitated for a moment. Then it raised the corners of its mouth slightly, opened its eyes wide, and tried to look gentle and approachable.
Unfortunately, to Luther, it just looked like another form of intimidation.
Seeing the disappointed expressions on the faces of Espurr, Kirlia, and Azumarill, Luther couldn't help but laugh.
As expected, asking a Dark-type Pokémon like Darkrai, which didn't even have a visible mouth, to act cool was easy.
But asking it to smile? That was asking a bit too much.
This is my first time writing a novel. I honestly can't believe I've written over a million words. Thank you in advance for your support; if it weren't for a group of hilarious readers who have stuck with me, I might have given up a long time ago.
(End of Chapter)