Hayata glanced back at the Battle Arena, sighed, and hung his packed backpack on his Ice Ninetales. Then he walked toward the harbor.
As he watched the sunset slowly sink below the horizon, dyeing the seawater a burning red, Hayata took out his phone and snapped a photo.
When he turned off the screen, the message he had received from home came into view once again.
"Your performance has disappointed me."
It came from the current head of the Uematsu family.
Hayata knew exactly what it was referring to. He had failed to defeat Luther, losing miserably. Naturally, they would not be pleased.
Although his parents still had some influence within the family, they probably wouldn't be able to secure many benefits for him now.
The message arrived at noon, after Hayata delivered the tickets and shopping vouchers to Haruto Kisaragi and Airi. By now, the family had probably already concluded their discussion about him.
At worst, they would cut off the funds for raising Pokémon, as well as his daily living expenses. He had already prepared himself for that.
Among the family members who aspired to become Pokémon Trainers, Hayata had become a laughingstock. There were even quite a few posts mocking him on the forums.
Hayata paid them no mind. His parents had taught him since childhood that if you lose, you must accept the loss. The important thing was whether you could stand up again afterward.
After taking one final look back at Lily of the Valley Island, Hayata took out his S.S. Ticket and began confirming his boarding details.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
Knowing it was probably a result of his family discussing him, Hayata didn't want to look.
Even after the ship slowly departed from the harbor, his phone continued to vibrate. Annoyed, Hayata finally took it out.
The first message was actually from his mother.
"The family head has been replaced. Don't rush to leave Lily of the Valley Island."
Hayata frowned.
The Uematsu Family operated under a system where several elder members directed a family member with decent ability to handle day-to-day affairs remotely. This was the biggest difference between the Uematsu Family and the Kukui Family.
Externally, he was called the family head, but in reality, he was just a manager. Major cooperation deals were still decided upon by the old masters, who would bring him along merely to familiarize him with the circle.
There was no helping it. The old masters had only recently retired from active affairs and were still wary of the younger generation's abilities. This method allowed them to protect the family's industries while training their successor gradually.
Hayata didn't understand how the replacement of the family head was relevant to him. The plan targeting Luther had already failed, and he had indeed lost.
However, the next message left Hayata stunned.
It was a voice message from several elders clearly stating that the previous family head's words were withdrawn. Hayata would remain a key figure the family intended to cultivate.
All his rights would remain intact.
They had even transferred money to his card.
Wait—was this what the elders called pocket money?
The amount wasn't small. For pocket money, it was extravagant.
What on earth was going on?
Hayata was baffled by the flood of messages.
When he asked the elders what they meant, he saw their reply. Hayata's brain froze for a moment, then he burst into laughter.
He walked to the bow of the ship, released Dragalge, climbed onto it, and flew back toward Lily of the Valley Island.
"Find a way to apologize to Mai and Luther on our behalf."
That single sentence revealed the whole truth.
If Hayata still couldn't figure out the foolish thing the former family head had done, he might as well throw his brain away.
Since the elders had brought the former family head along to introduce him to their social circle, they would naturally start with the Kukui family, who were closest to them.
Everyone knew about the tense relationship between Kukui Tetsu and his daughter, Mai. When discussing business and chatting about everyday matters, it was normal for the conversation to drift to such topics.
However, when Kukui Tetsu spoke with the elders, he spoke casually, but his listeners took him seriously.
In the eyes of the former family head, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to strengthen relations with Kukui Tetsu further.
He noticed the hostility and resentment Kukui Tetsu showed toward Luther and kept it firmly in mind.
At the same time, despite being cultivated by the elders, Kukui Tetsu had yet to produce any tangible achievements. Naturally, he wanted to prove himself. Under these circumstances, certain ideas began to form in his mind.
He contacted Hayata and helped build momentum for him on the Pokémon League forums.
Hayata, in turn, assumed this was an instruction from the elders and simply followed the former family head's plan.
If things had stopped there, it would have only been considered a foolish mistake. The elders could have reprimanded Hayata and made him apologize to Kukui Tetsu in person, and the matter would likely have been settled.
After all, Kukui Tetsu and the elders were friends despite their age difference. A simple apology would have been enough to smooth things over.
However, Hayata recalled that Luther had mentioned earlier that Mai had returned home when he left Lily of the Valley Island today. He could easily guess what had happened.
Mai exploded in anger.
From their perspective, Kukui Tetsu must have orchestrated everything targeting them.
In short, Kukui Tetsu was to blame. This conclusion was natural and reasonable.
But, in reality, Kukui Tetsu had done nothing.
The only thing he had done was sponsor Hirakawa Kazuto.
Who would have thought that, after receiving sponsorship from the Kukui family, Hirakawa Kazuto would deliberately try to provoke Luther upon learning about the poor relationship between Luther and Kukui Tetsu?
Too many misunderstandings and coincidences had come together to cause a huge mistake.
Kukui Tetsu was also a smart man. Although his mood dropped to the lowest point after being unjustly accused by Mai, his long experience navigating the business world still allowed him to identify the most likely explanation.
When Kukui Tetsu confronted the Uematsu family in person, everything came to light.
Hayata's mother described the scene: Kukui Tetsu took out the contract that had been prepared for renewal and tore it up in front of the elders, leaving them no face.
In Kukui Tetsu's eyes, it seemed likely that the Uematsu family had tried to gain more from the Kukui family by damaging his relationship with his daughter.
The entire incident began with one "smart person" making decisions alone, but the chain reaction that followed was astonishingly huge.
Even Luther and Mai probably never imagined that something involving them would escalate to this extent.
Naturally, the elders knew exactly where the problem lay.
They quickly removed the "smart" family head. If he had remained in that position any longer, it probably wouldn't have taken even a week before he completely ruined the Uematsu Family's decades of accumulated connections.
On the other hand, they hurried to appease Kukui Tetsu. The elders were probably gathered at his residence at that very moment, something that rarely happened, trying to reason with him and appeal to his emotions.
The large sum of money given to Hayata was actually intended for Luther and Mai.
The two of them still didn't know that the problem originated with the Uematsu family.
If they found out the truth afterward, however, the resentment in their hearts would never truly disappear.
Given Luther's abilities thus far, even if Mai left the Kukui family, she would still be a Pokémon Trainer with limitless potential. In the future, she could join the Pokémon League—or perhaps achieve something even greater.
After all, what merchant would willingly oppose money and potential profit?
An apology should never be delayed.
Clinging to Dragalge as it flew, Hayata looked at the messages his mother had sent and chuckled.
Although he had decided to travel independently, without relying on his family's power, it didn't hurt to be highly valued by the family elders.
Thinking it over, Hayata suddenly realized that he might actually be benefiting from Luther's influence.
(End of Chapter)
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