"What can I help you with?" Cole swallowed his food and looked up, his expression neutral.
The man spoke with exaggerated politeness, "Pardon my interruption. I am Danny, and I was wondering if you would trade your Gardevoir?"
"What do you mean?" Cole's brows furrowed.
Daisy stopped eating.
"I'm very interested in your Gardevoir and would like to propose a trade. I can offer you this Kricketune in exchange."
Danny took out a Poké Ball and released a Kricketune. The creature appeared listless, its eyes dull and lacking energy.
"Do I look like an idiot to you?" Cole countered.
Danny was taken aback.
"Why would you say that? My Kricketune is very powerful — it can play all kinds of beautiful music." He turned to his Pokémon, "Kricketune, perform for this young man."
The Kricketune crossed its knife-like forearms, and a beautiful, flowing melody emanated from its body. The sound was pleasing to the ear, revealing professional musical training.
Kricketune is a special Pokémon, with a violin-like body containing hollow chambers and specialized structures. When it calls out and rubs its forearms together, the sound resonates within these chambers, transforming into beautiful music.
Each Kricketune's voice is unique, with varied tones and a broad range. This makes them natural musicians, always striving for musical perfection — and particularly popular among musicians.
Yet this particular one, despite its professional performance, played with clear undertones of melancholy and lifelessness. Anyone with basic musical knowledge could hear it, hinting at its treatment under Danny's care.
"Well, young man, isn't my Kricketune impressive? Give me your Gardevoir, and it's all yours!" Danny said smugly.
Cole's anger rose at the man's persistent demands for Daisy, "Not interested!"
"Garde~ Garde~"
Daisy was furious — how dare this old fool try to separate her from her precious one! His creepy, lingering gaze was absolutely disgusting!
As a Gardevoir, she could sense the emotions of nearby people and Pokémon through Psychic Power, and she detected this man's hidden desires!
With the mood ruined, Cole lost his appetite. He looked at Daisy and said, "Daisy, are you finished? Let's go if you're done."
"Garde~ Garde~" — Yes, let's go, let's go!
Daisy quickly nodded and stood up, shooting Danny a fierce glare.
However, Danny became even more entranced by her "alluring" glare.
He grabbed Cole's arm and said, "Young man, don't be so quick to refuse — let's discuss this further."
Cole looked at the hand gripping his arm and said coldly, "Please let go, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
Danny didn't back down. He smiled and said, "How about we have a Pokémon battle? If I win, you'll give me the Gardevoir — how about that?"
Hearing these words, Cole's eyes flashed blue. At the same instant, Danny's voice cut off as his face turned red.
Hrrk~ Hrrk~
Danny clutched his throat, curling up on the ground and convulsing.
This sudden change startled everyone nearby, and they stepped back, afraid of getting involved.
After a while, just as Danny was about to suffocate, Cole relented. If he hadn't been mindful that he was hitching a ride on someone else's ship and shouldn't cause trouble, he wouldn't have let Danny off so easily.
After Cole withdrew his Psychic Power, Danny stood up with a red face, gasping for air while letting out a cold laugh.
"So you're a Psychic. Very well, I challenge you to a duel!"
With that, he took off his black glove and threw it at Cole.
As someone from the nobility of Kalos, Danny had seen all sorts of people. A mere Psychic was nothing special. In this region, an ancient custom allowed nobles to resolve conflicts through duels, with throwing down one's glove serving as the signal to initiate.
But Cole wasn't from a noble background.
"I refuse—"
Before he could finish speaking, Daisy quickly stepped forward and picked up the glove.
She had disliked this mustached man (Danny had a small handlebar mustache) from the start, and today she would teach him a lesson.
"Daisy..."
Cole wanted to stop her but heard her shout:
"Garde~" — Darling, shut up!
The usually powerless mother finally stood up for herself.
Hearing the anger in Daisy's voice, Cole shuddered and obediently kept quiet.
"Excellent!" Danny smiled coldly, then turned to a nearby server, "You, arrange a dueling arena for us."
"Y-yes... yes..." The server hurriedly agreed and ran off.
The ship's staff worked efficiently, and soon the battle arena was ready. Cole and Danny took their positions on opposite sides.
Meanwhile, Sebastian learned about the conflict between Cole and Danny from his subordinates. As the owner of the cruise ship, nothing on board escaped his notice.
"Tch~" Sebastian had been enjoying a massage from several ladies when his expression turned cold upon hearing the news, "That old fool again, can't he stop causing trouble for once!"
He waved the ladies away and headed toward the battle arena with his subordinates.
When he arrived, the battle had already begun. On Cole's side, Daisy had naturally taken the field — Cole couldn't have stopped her if he tried.
On Danny's side, instead of Kricketune, he sent out a Swampert, revealing his earlier attempt to deceive Cole. He had likely assumed Cole's youth made him an easy target.
Despite having a rarer Pokémon, he had tried to trade a common Kricketune for a Gardevoir — what wishful thinking!
"Swamp~"
As soon as Swampert emerged, it let out a fierce roar at Daisy, attempting to intimidate her, but she remained unfazed.
Daisy: I've faced Legendary Pokémon before — why would I fear a mere Swampert?
The Swampert did look formidable, which explained Danny's confidence in issuing the duel challenge. Cole suspected Danny had bullied many others using this Pokémon.
At the referee's signal, both Pokémon launched their attacks.
Swampert slammed its hand on the ground, sending a turbulent wave of mud toward Daisy.
Daisy calmly raised her right hand, her eyes flickering with a faint purple light. In an instant, Swampert's Muddy Water hung suspended in mid-air by Psychic Power.
With a thunderous boom, the muddy wave exploded, spraying dirty water everywhere. Yet not a single drop touched Daisy, protected by her psychic barrier.
An angry woman (Pokémon) was not to be trifled with. Though she lacked formal battle experience, her daily training made her a formidable opponent.
Seeing this display, Danny's expression changed — he realized he'd kicked an iron plate.
When Sebastian entered and witnessed the scene, he told his subordinates in surprise, "Little Brother Cole's strength is quite impressive! I really underestimated him, no wonder he dares to travel alone at such a young age."
The battle continued. When Muddy Water proved ineffective, Swampert grabbed mud from the ground and hurled it at Daisy.
Since Muddy Water had failed, Mud Shot would naturally fare no better. As expected, all the mud balls hung suspended in mid-air by Daisy's Psychic Power.
Using the mud balls as cover, Swampert suddenly rushed to Daisy's side, its fist crackling with icy energy.
✲ Ice Punch ✲
Did it think she hadn't noticed?
Daisy thought: Ridiculous! I sense everything around me!
She raised her other hand as purple light flickered rapidly in her eyes. A white barrier materialized, blocking Swampert's fist. The powerful punch only made Daisy step back slightly.
Quick as lightning, Daisy's hand controlling the mud balls hurled them from mid-air. Then she struck with incredible speed at the close-range Swampert, her hand gleaming with rainbow light.
"SWAMP!!!"
With a cry of pain, Swampert flew backward and crashed heavily to the ground.
Danny's composure crumbled. Looking around at the spectators pointing and whispering — including familiar faces — he felt mocked, making his blood boil.
He shouted at Swampert, "Get up! Get up and defeat that Gardevoir!"
Though badly injured from Daisy's Dazzling Gleam, Swampert struggled to its feet at his command.
Seeing this, Daisy's delicate face twisted in anger as she glared at Danny: What a despicable man!
From the sidelines, Sebastian remarked with disdain, "How unsightly. Why do I have such an uncle?"
His subordinates all took a step back — that's a question for your grandfather, not us.
As Swampert shakily rose, Daisy waved her small hand, sending a precise psychic shockwave that struck it down cleanly.
With a thud, Swampert crashed to the ground, unconscious.
Danny refused to accept defeat, shouting desperately, "Swampert, get up! I'm ordering you to get up, do you hear me?!"
But his calls were futile.
"Uncle!"
A voice snapped Danny back to his senses. He looked at the speaker and stammered, fear creeping into his voice, "Se... Sebastian."
Cole was stunned to learn that this uncouth old man was actually Sebastian's uncle.
"Since the duel is over, let's put this matter behind us. Cole is my invited guest, I hope uncle can show some respect." Sebastian said while staring directly at Danny.
"But... but..." Danny stammered.
"Uncle..." Sebastian's tone turned icy.
"Al... alright." Under pressure, Danny lowered his head. He dejectedly recalled Swampert into its Poké Ball and apologized to Cole with a flushed face, "I was too rude earlier. I hope you won't hold it against me, young man."
"Garde~ Garde~"
At this moment, Daisy suddenly pointed at his waist and called out.
Cole immediately understood what his mother meant.
"In that case, Mr. Danny, as per our agreement, please hand over the Kricketune."
Daisy had noticed something wrong with Kricketune's condition earlier and felt sympathy for it.
Trading Pokémon like this was actually illegal. According to regulations, trainers needed both the Pokémon's consent and proper documentation to make trades.
However, many people — especially self-proclaimed nobles like Danny — treated these regulations as mere formalities. While Kalos had indeed been ruled by nobility in the distant past, the nobility system had been officially abolished since the League's establishment.
Yet some former nobles still called themselves aristocrats, believing themselves superior and entitled to special privileges everywhere.
Danny was such a person. So was Sebastian, though he wasn't nearly as arrogant and extreme as his uncle.
Hearing Cole's words, Danny's anger flared, "You!"
"What? Does Mr. Danny want to go back on his word?" Cole challenged.
"Uncle, you made the bet, now pay up." Sebastian said, fixing Danny with a stern look.
"Hmph!" Danny snorted coldly. He took out Kricketune's Poké Ball and threw it at Cole. Daisy caught it with Psychic Power, "Sebastian, I'll tell your father about this — you helped an outsider bully your own uncle!"
With that, he stormed off.
Once Danny was out of earshot, Sebastian smiled at Cole, "Little Brother Cole, don't mind that old fool. He can't do anything."
Cole nodded, thinking to himself: Their relationship must be truly terrible!
What he didn't know was that while Danny was Sebastian's uncle, Danny's mother wasn't Sebastian's grandmother.
Danny was born to Sebastian's grandfather's second wife. As the saying goes, where there's a stepmother, there's trouble. Danny's mother had manipulated Sebastian's grandfather, trying to secure the majority of the inheritance for Danny — a scheme that sparked major family conflict.
However, Sebastian's grandfather died suddenly before making a will, and Sebastian's father stepped in as head of the family.
After taking control, Sebastian's father not only secured the family finances but also expelled Danny's mother. From then on, Danny held no power in family matters, receiving only a regular allowance.
Incompetent and outmatched by Sebastian's father, Danny had no choice but to accept his fate. Though he acted arrogant with others, he became utterly submissive when facing Sebastian or his stepbrother.
✲✲✲
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