When Luck Trips, Everything Falls
Leon Ashford woke up feeling wrong.
Not sick.
Not tired.
Just… wrong.
Like the world had shifted half a step to the side and forgotten to tell him.
Luck Backlash Begins
The first sign came early.
Leon tried to withdraw money.
Transaction Failed
He frowned and tried again.
Account Temporarily Restricted
"…What?"
His phone buzzed immediately.
Bank Notification:
Funds under review due to abnormal transaction patterns.
Leon's chest tightened.
"That's never happened before."
Luck used to smooth things like this over.
Always.
Dungeon Failure
Leon still had confidence.
At least dungeons won't betray me.
He entered a C-rank dungeon—something he'd cleared dozens of times.
Five minutes in—
His Pokémon misstepped.
A move mistimed.
A coordination error.
An enemy landed a clean hit.
Leon panicked.
"Why didn't you dodge?!"
His Pokémon hesitated.
That hesitation almost got it killed.
Leon barely escaped, wounded, humiliated, and furious.
Dungeon staff recorded everything.
Again.
The College Email
When Leon returned to campus, his phone vibrated.
Subject: Disciplinary Review Notice
He opened it.
Leon Ashford, due to repeated incidents involving Pokémon mistreatment, public misconduct, and reputational damage to the institution, you are required to attend a disciplinary hearing.
His hands shook.
"No… not again."
Students nearby whispered.
Some pointed.
Others recorded.
Luck used to bend crowds away from him.
Now?
It didn't.
League Steps In
The real hammer fell that evening.
A Pokémon League insignia appeared on his screen.
Official.
Cold.
Pokémon League Notice:
Trainer Leon Ashford is placed under temporary monitoring status
Restrictions applied:
• Dungeon access limited
• Pokémon activity logs required
• Trainer behavior evaluation ongoing
Leon stared.
"…Monitoring?"
That word terrified him more than punishment.
Monitoring meant scrutiny.
And scrutiny killed protagonists.
Everything Slips at Once
The next day—
A sponsor quietly withdrew A dungeon permit was "delayed" A professor canceled a recommendation letter A fellow student refused to team up
Each alone was manageable.
Together?
Crushing.
Leon slammed his fist into the wall.
"Why now?!"
No answer came.
Public Opinion Turns Cold
Clips of Leon yelling at commenters resurfaced.
Paired with:
Dungeon failure footage Past Pokémon mistreatment reports The Valencrest scandal
The narrative shifted.
"He's unstable."
"Power went to his head."
"This guy shouldn't be a trainer."
Leon refreshed his feed obsessively.
Nothing helped.
Lunaria Isn't There
He tried calling Lunaria.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
For the first time—
Leon felt alone.
Truly alone.
League Hearing Announcement
Another message arrived.
League & College Joint Review Scheduled
Attendance mandatory
Failure to comply will result in license suspension
Leon's breath caught.
"Suspension…?"
That wasn't supposed to happen.
I'm the protagonist.
That thought felt weak.
Hollow.
Far Away — Cause and Effect
At Runcandel Mansion, Alex read the League notice quietly.
Kirlia floated beside him, leaning against his arm.
"…It's accelerating," Alex said calmly.
He opened the system panel.
Leon's luck bar—once overflowing—
Was visibly fractured.
Cracked.
Still there.
But bleeding out fast.
Alex closed the panel.
"This is what happens," he murmured,
"when luck forgets your name."
Kirlia nodded seriously.
Somewhere—
Leon Ashford stared at a calendar full of hearings, reviews, and warnings.
And for the first time—
The future didn't look scripted.