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Cynthia couldn't understand. She tried hard to put herself in Kukui Tetsu's position and figure out why he would make such a foolish decision.
News of Kukui Tetsu's marriage had already shocked Cynthia a few months ago. He was undoubtedly a qualified businessman, someone capable of maximizing benefits to the fullest extent.
Using Mai to bind Luther while maintaining his relationship with her and strengthening his family's interests was practically a perfect case of having the best of both worlds.
Up to that point, Kukui Tetsu could be said to have handled things fairly well. Although Mai might not have been pleased about the marriage, she would never completely sever ties with Kukui Tetsu.
As long as Luther's feelings for Mai remained unchanged, it would eventually benefit the Kukui family.
But...
'Why create trouble for Luther during the tournament?'
'What possible benefit could that bring to Kukui Tetsu?'
'Were Cynthia and Bertha simply too foolish, or was Kukui Tetsu too shrewd? Why couldn't an Elite Four member or a Champion figure out his true purpose?'
Mai couldn't understand it either.
Where was the sharp, calculating father she remembered from her childhood?
Wasn't mutual compromise the best possible outcome?
Mai had never expressed any dissatisfaction about his marriage. When Kukui Tetsu's new wife—Mai's stepmother—contacted her for the first time, Mai spoke calmly and offered her blessings.
She also blessed her father.
As a daughter, Mai felt she had done well enough.
After the call ended, Mai hugged Eevee and sat on the steps of the safety passage in the Contestant Village. She stared absentmindedly at the scenery beyond the glass window.
Slowly, she buried her face in Eevee's fluffy fur, ignoring the blazing summer heat completely.
Eevee could clearly feel that Mai was trembling.
"You have to believe me. I didn't do this."
Those were Kukui Tetsu's exact words.
Liar.
Could Hayata have attacked so relentlessly and targeted Luther from start to finish without Luther's involvement?
Out of all the contestants, why did Hayata focus solely on Luther?
He still spoke to her in that tone, treating her like a child and unwilling to tell her a single honest truth.
She couldn't forget Kukui Tetsu pacing anxiously beside her hospital bed when she was sick as a child.
Nor could she forget how firmly he had driven away Pokémon back then.
The two memories tangled together until Mai felt as though she could barely breathe.
Mai suddenly froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a fleeting shadow. She looked up, and before it could retreat fully into the darkness, Darkrai found itself meeting Mai's gaze awkwardly.
She beckoned to Darkrai.
With no other option, Darkrai slipped out from the shadows and moved closer to her.
"Did Luther send you?"
Darkrai held back completely, not moving at all so that Mai wouldn't be able to judge anything from its reaction.
Darkrai had only wanted to find an opportunity to slip into Mai's shadow. However, its movement had been a little too obvious before it could hide, and it had been discovered. Now, Darkrai felt somewhat at a loss.
Yet, Darkrai's motionless behavior suddenly eased the gloom on Mai's face, and she couldn't help but smile.
When had things related to Luther begun to genuinely make her happy?
Come to think of it, what had attracted her to Luther in the first place?
Initially, the two of them had met by chance during a morning run.
Such coincidences happen countless times every day around the world. Yet, this one encounter had become extraordinarily important to her.
After being denied and rejected by her family time and again, Mai finally felt acknowledged and needed.
Holding Eevee, she stood up and looked at Darkrai with a smile.
"What kind of estate does Darkrai like?"
Darkrai was completely stunned. The question was far outside anything it had ever considered.
Seeing Darkrai's bewildered expression, Mai seemed delighted. She patted Darkrai lightly, walked up the steps, and returned to her room.
Meanwhile, Luther was giving Larvitar a bath.
Larvitar was probably the strangest Ground-type Pokémon Luther had ever seen. When Marill sprayed Larvitar with Water Gun just to scare and tease it, it simply stood there blankly and let itself be hit.
The key point was that, after being hit, Larvitar acted completely fine and continued playing happily, which piqued Luther's curiosity greatly.
He carried Larvitar back to the room, turned on the showerhead, and began washing it. Larvitar bounced around under the spray without the slightest fear of water.
"You really don't feel uncomfortable at all?"
Luther poked Larvitar's forehead and asked curiously.
Larvitar shook its head vigorously.
Luther fell into deep thought. Had his understanding of type advantages been insufficient?
The sound of Mai's footsteps made Luther turn around. He quickly turned off the shower, dried Larvitar with a towel, and hurried out.
Larvitar had barely stepped out of the bathroom, still shaking the remaining droplets from its body, when Marill suddenly grabbed it and dragged it toward the door.
Marill's ability to read the atmosphere was top-tier. Judging from Mai's expression when she entered, Marill felt that something was about to happen. When it saw Eevee nudging Corsola toward the exit, it instantly understood:
Privacy... everyone needed to clear out immediately!
"I want to go home for a while," Mai said with a smile.
Luther had already heard the whole story from Cynthia. The only thing he could do was defeat Hayata the next day and continue in the tournament; the rest was up to Mai and her family.
Upon hearing her words, Luther froze for a moment. Before he could react, Mai stepped forward and hugged him.
"I want to bring all my Pokémon with me."
Almost instinctively, Luther raised his hand and rested it against her cheek.
Mai smiled sweetly, revealing her white teeth. Luther felt as though a massive hammer had struck his chest. After that dull impact, countless words he wanted to say were blocked by her smile.
"I won't go back there ever again. In the estate and ranch you dream about, can you save a place for me?"
Luther gently pinched Mai's cheek. Seeing her face turn bright red after she said those words, he laughed.
"You might end up eating dirt with me, you know. I don't even know if I'll win the championship or how expensive it will be to raise and breed Pokémon in the future."
"It's fine," Mai said casually. "If we have to eat dirt, I'll eat it with you. I'll handle raising and breeding Pokémon. You focus on battling. I'll make sure you have nothing to worry about."
"How about I go with you after the tournament? There's no need to rush back now," Luther said, lightly tapping her nose.
"No, I've realized that hesitation only creates more trouble. Since he likes playing tricks so much, I'll be straightforward and never give him any more excuses."
"Besides, I really just want to be with you."
I really, really like you..."
Milcery and Espurr had just returned from playing outside. They were about to push open the door to rest when Marill suddenly pulled them aside.
Houndoom nudged the door open slightly with its tail. Seeing Luther gently kiss Mai on the forehead, Houndoom nodded repeatedly with deep satisfaction.
Standing behind Houndoom, Darkrai also showed an approving expression.
These two had finally reached this point.
All the effort everyone put into creating opportunities hadn't been in vain.
(End of Chapter)