Kukui Tetsu was in the middle of a meeting when he received a call from the butler. His first reaction was disbelief. After all, Mai should be on Lily of the Valley Island with that brat, Luther.
Doubt and anxiety crept in as Kukui Tetsu hastily ended the meeting for the day and rushed home.
On the way, countless possibilities ran through his mind, from Luther bullying Mai to Mai finally seeing Luther's true nature.
He tried to think of what he should say when they met. But the moment he stepped through the front door, Kukui Tetsu froze.
On the balcony of Mai's room, Corsola was ordering Dusknoir to move the wardrobe where Mai kept her clothes.
Mai didn't actually have many belongings she wanted to take. Truthfully, she mostly just wanted to bring the things her Pokémon liked.
However, Corsola had taken a liking to that wardrobe. She had hatched inside it and once hid there during a game of hide-and-seek with Mai until she was discovered.
At that moment, Dusknoir played the role of an excellent mover. It carried the wardrobe down into the courtyard, stuffed the cabinet into a sturdy, pocket-like storage bag, placed it onto Altaria's back, and tied it securely.
Meanwhile, Gengar talked with the wild Pokémon living in the courtyard.
Holding Pokémon food, Gengar distributed it one by one. The wild Pokémon accepted the food and said goodbye to Mai, who was standing on the balcony.
At Aggron's feet were his companions, who had just been recalled into their Poké Balls.
Aggron had brought out his treasured iron ore. He had intended to place it on Altaria's back and take it with him, but after seeing Altaria's fierce glare, he realized that wasn't going to happen. So, he simply started chewing on the iron ore right where he stood.
Scene after scene left Kukui Tetsu with an ominous sense of foreboding. He was about to head upstairs when he noticed Mai standing on the edge of the balcony as if she were about to jump.
Before he could react, she lightly leaped off.
In midair, Dusknoir caught her steadily and gently set her down on the ground.
Gengar continued handing out Pokémon food.
Aggron continued chewing iron ore.
Altaria flapped its wings twice, as if applauding the performance.
Flygon simply turned its head away in disdain.
Not a single Pokémon looked surprised or worried.
But Kukui Tetsu broke into a cold sweat. He stepped forward, intending to scold Mai loudly and make her understand just how dangerous her behavior was.
However, the moment their eyes met, the words stuck in his throat.
Mai's expression was indifferent, as if she were looking at a stranger. That sense of distance pierced Kukui Tetsu's heart for no clear reason.
All the words he had prepared vanished.
Mai felt the same way.
She had once imagined what she would say when she met Kukui Tetsu again, perhaps something decisive like, "We'll meet again if fate allows."
But now that the moment had come, she couldn't say it.
"You're…leaving this home?" Kukui Tetsu asked, his voice trembling.
Leaning against Altaria's soft wing, Mai hesitated for a moment before nodding heavily.
Kukui Tetsu took a deep breath, trying to release the frustration in his chest.
"Can we talk inside the house?"
"No, let's talk here."
Mai didn't want the determination she had finally gathered to waver.
There were too many memories in this manor, memories that could surface at any moment. She was afraid that if she went inside, her heart might soften.
Seeing Rongmei, the butler, and the servants standing at the entrance of the house and watching from afar, Kukui Tetsu sighed.
"Is it because of Rongmei?" he asked. "I admit it, and I know it hurts you. But I truly hoped you could live in a better environment."
Mai shook her head.
"It has nothing to do with her. I talked with her. She's a very kind person. Please treat her well in the future. No matter what you truly think, she genuinely likes you."
Hearing this from his daughter made Kukui Tetsu feel awkward, and he could only give a vague acknowledgment.
"If it's not because of Rongmei, then why are you insisting on leaving?" Kukui Tetsu asked urgently. "This will always be your home."
Mai felt as if something had stabbed her heart. Not knowing how to face him, she lowered her head and thought silently for a moment.
"Because of you."
Those three words shocked Kukui Tetsu. He trembled as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Me?" Kukui Tetsu asked.
"You still won't admit it?" Mai said through clenched teeth, staring at the ground. "What about Hirakawa Kazuto? What about Uematsu Hayata?"
"Are you really going to tell me you knew nothing about it?"
Are you seriously going to claim that the Uematsu family did this and it has nothing to do with you?"
The rapid series of questions left Kukui Tetsu speechless. His lips trembled slightly. After a long moment, he sighed.
"Yes, I admit those people are connected to our family. They are Pokémon trainers sponsored by our household."
"But what you said on the phone—that he targeted Luther—has nothing to do with me. I never ordered him to do such a thing."
After hearing this, Mai suddenly laughed.
"When I was little, you taught me that when a lie is exposed, you either deny it completely or admit only part of it."
Kukui Tetsu looked as if he wanted to argue but couldn't.
"No matter whether it was over the phone or in person, I've told you that I didn't know about it," he said angrily. "You're accusing me of targeting Luther, but I really didn't do that!"
"I'm your father, the one who has loved you the most since you were little."
"Enough." Mai said quietly, suppressing her voice.
"Do you remember when you were sick and I stayed by your side day and night?"
"Do you remember the time you secretly ran out to play and brought Eevee back? Do you know how terrified I was of losing you after you fainted?"
"And also..."
"Enough!"
Mai's shout made Kukui Tetsu freeze.
"Why…" When Mai raised her head, tears were already streaming from her eyes. "Why do you always bring up when I was little?"
"I also want to go back to when I was a child. I want to know why the father I had back then became the person you are now.
"Why is it that when I stay with you now, all I can feel is pain?"
Aggron stuffed the last piece of iron ore into its mouth. Seeing Mai's expression, it hurried to her side and glared angrily at Kukui Tetsu.
Kukui Tetsu wanted to reach out and touch Mai, but the coldness in her eyes made him weakly lower his hand.
"I never targeted Luther. I did think about asking someone to challenge him, but in the end, I gave up."
When the tournament started, I even considered contacting the Pokémon League to have Luther accept sponsorship from our family, but I didn't dare do it, thinking about your feelings."
"That might have made you think I was interfering with Luther's competition. By the time I looked again, the promising Pokémon trainers had already been recruited by others or had refused sponsorship. That's why we eventually chose him."
Kukui Tetsu's eyes reddened.
"Why… won't you believe me?"
Mai cried uncontrollably as she spoke through sobs.
"I really want to believe you. You're my dad. You raised me and protected me from the wind and rain since I was little."
"But I truly don't know how to believe that what you're saying is real. Don't you think something is wrong?"
Every word Kukui Tetsu said made Mai analyze it and think about whether it was a lie.
Three feet of ice does not form in a single day. Mai could no longer remember, or even know, when Kukui Tetsu's first or last lie had been.
He promised that once she recovered from her illness, she could travel. Yet, in the end, he confined her to the house and drove away the Pokémon.
After the father-daughter heart-to-heart, Kukui Tetsu broke his promise.
When she obtained her Breeder Qualification, he tried to break his promise again.
Too many lies.
Too many broken promises.
Parents also have a kind of credibility rating in their children's hearts. When parents repeatedly lure their children with tempting rewards and the children work hard to achieve their goals, only to have the promises go unfulfilled...
In the eyes of a child, such parents are no different from liars.
This is especially true when parents still treat their children as if they are still in childhood and use the same tricks to manipulate them.
It wasn't that Mai didn't want to believe.
She simply didn't dare.
"We're father and daughter, so why do I have to guess whether what you say is true?"
Mai's tearful voice caused Kukui Tetsu's tears, which he had been holding back, to spill over.
It shouldn't have been like this.
How had things turned out this way?
Kukui Tetsu buried his face in his hands, feeling pain. He truly wanted to know where he had gone wrong.
"Let me go. Let there be some distance between us. Let me go far away. Maybe in the future, we'll both change. When that time comes, if we each take a step back, maybe we'll understand each other," Mai pleaded. "Let's at least preserve the last bit of familial affection, okay?"
"I really like Luther. You might think I'm a child who doesn't understand what it means to like someone..."
"When he wakes up early, he helps Chansey prepare breakfast. If I oversleep, I can still wake up to a hot meal."
"When I fell asleep studying for my qualifying exam, he quietly closed the window and covered me with a blanket."
Whenever we encountered danger, he always stood in front of me to protect me.
"On the way to Snowpoint City..."
There were simply too many memories.
Only now, as she recalled them, did Mai realize how many unforgettable moments she had shared with Luther.
They were ordinary, everyday moments—nothing more than small fragments when remembered—but they made her want more.
Through her sobs, Mai softly said,
"Dad, this time I want to make my own decision."
She took the Poké Ball that Aggron had been holding and placed it in her bag.
After recalling Aggron, Gengar, and Dusknoir, she climbed onto Flygon's back.
Kukui Tetsu turned around weakly and said in a hoarse voice,
"Go."
It felt as if shackles had been removed from her body. Her shoulders relaxed as she gently patted Flygon.
Flygon flapped its wings and rose into the sky, followed by Altaria carrying the wardrobe on its back.
Mai waved vigorously to the old butler and the servants until the entire manor gradually shrank into a tiny, distant dot.
Feeling the wind blowing against her face and bathing in the warm sunlight, Mai's hair fluttered wildly in the air as she wiped away her tears.
She took the Poké Balls out of her backpack and gently pressed each one against her cheek.
"Now… let me take you home."
(End of Chapter)
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