Chapter 3 - The Million Dollar Pokémon
The Saffron City Gymnasium was a labyrinth of rooms designed to confuse challengers and prevent them from ever reaching the leader, the ever-serious Sabrina. She was a renowned psychic, and it showed - Luther could feel her probing his thoughts as soon as he walked into the building. Fortunately, Giovanni had keys to the backdoor - he and Sabrina were friends.
"Gio's brought me a friend, huh?" came a disembodied thought into Luther's mind, like what he imagined a schizophrenic might hear. It was chilling to its very core - lacking all emotion.
As the two walked down a narrow metal walkway, Luther peered down onto the battlefield and spotted, at one end, a man clad in black, his eyes hidden beneath the shadows of his beret, a red R emblazoned across his chest. One of Giovanni's lackeys, presumably. At the other stood a youthful man with wild black hair, his body covered in a light purple garment, his eyes hidden behind reflective glasses. One of Sabrina's.
"Fancy a little wager, Luther?" Giovanni joked. "My challenger versus Sabrina's psychic. Shall we say...one hundred million?"
"Something tells me I'd be getting the shaft on that bet."
"Not that you aren't used to it."
The ceiling lights erupted to life in sequence, starting at the Rocket grunt's end until the whole room was filled with sterile white. The Rocket had a wide, yellowed grin plastered on his face, like a wily Persian. He tossed a black and red ball idly into the air as he awaited his command.
Sabrina, darling," Giovanni called out into the air. "Could I trouble you for some refreshments?"
"Of course, I'll send my staff. Will that be all?" she communicated to him telepathically from some unseen vantage. He nodded his head.
Luther shifted uneasily on the balls of his feet as a wall panel slid away, revealing a posh lounge area. VIP - Giovanni would settle for nothing less. The Rocket boss gestured for Luther to sit. He complied, and Giovanni joined.
"Feast your eyes, Luther. What you're about to witness is unparalleled strength. You are about to see the world's first million dollar Pokémon."
The two trainers opposite one another took fighting stances as a scoreboard came to life, showing portraits of the two men, each with two LED Poké Ball icons signifying the terms of the match. Two monsters each. Battle to the death.
"Begin!" Giovanni roared, and the trainers tossed their first Poké Balls into the air, two flashing lights giving rise to opposing life forms.
"Are you excited about your big day, Master Roth?" Elbert asked, pouring a glass of cold milk to accompany the boy's breakfast. Red sat huddled uncomfortably in the cushioned iron chair, having not touched a bite of his meal.
"Sure," Red dismissed the butler. "Thrilled."
"The Pokémon League Academy is a wonderful school. A degree from there can take you anywhere in the world. You are a very fortunate young man."
"I've never been much of a student. You know that, Elbert."
"You're just young," Elbert assured him. "And may I say, sheltered. What you are feeling - this sort of claustrophobia, this anxiety - it will pass once you arrive at the academy. Trust me - I've been in your position before."
Red cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "You, Elbert?" he asked through chuckles. "You went to the Academy?"
"I certainly did! And it was a wonderful experience for me that I'll never forget."
"But then why are you a servant?" Red responded callously. "I thought you said you can do anything with an Academy degree."
Elbert shared a chuckle with the young man.
"Yes, well, I never said I graduated. I was...impatient. You see, on the eve of my second year there, I decided that I did not want to wait to make my mark on the world. I left in the middle of the night - just walked away. I took the path less traveled. And while yes, I am a butler - the years I spent on the road are a memory I wouldn't trade for anything. Not for any degree or any amount of money. Those were the best years of my life - apart from serving you, of course."
Red grabbed his fork and used the side to cut into his waffles. Something Elbert had said had stirred his appetite.
"No regrets?" the young man asked, syrup dripping from the corner of his lips.
"No regrets," the butler echoed, giving the child a quick wink before leaving him to his breakfast.
As Red ate, he kept his eyes looking ahead, down the grassy path out of town. The path to Viridian City.
The road less traveled.