You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Ash's Pokémon were already prepared. They had learned there would be a battle after dinner. Luther crouched beside Houndoom and shook him gently, finally waking the sleeping Pokémon.
"If you're tired, go back to the tent and rest. I can switch in another Pokémon. This is just a sparring match, not a formal battle."
Houndoom lifted his head, glanced at Mismagius, and then shook his head.
He knew Luther wanted him to rest and recover some energy, but he still had to watch, even if he couldn't participate in this kind of battle. After all, he was a member of this team.
Houndoom lay down beneath a tree stump beside the clearing and watched the battle silently.
Just as the battle began, Mai's phone vibrated. She glanced at the number and intended to hang up immediately, but when she remembered the qualification certificate in her pocket, she felt a surge of courage.
The match between Staraptor and Marill had already begun. Holding her phone, Mai silently cheered for Marill. Then, she quietly slipped away.
Only after walking to a park where she could no longer hear the sounds of the battle did she return the call.
It rang for a long time with no answer. Just as she was about to end the call and return to watching Luther's performance, the call was connected.
"I thought you'd forgotten you still have a home."
Mai had many things she wanted to say. She had even prepared a gentle way to start the conversation, but her father's words forced it back down her throat.
She didn't speak, responding only with the sound of her breathing.
"Not saying anything?"
Her father's tone grew heavier.
"I had something to say, but never mind. I don't want to argue with you. But you clearly called me just to argue. If there's nothing else, I'm going to hang up. I have something urgent to deal with."
If not for this call, Mai would have been enjoying Luther's battle. It should have been a happy moment, but it turned bitter instead.
"Am I wrong?" Her father asked, his anger obvious. "You came back to Sun Heart City more than a month ago and haven't come home once. You'd rather stay at Cynthia's villa than see your family, and you still think you're in the right?"
Nearby, Corsola had clearly heard her father's voice. It started hopping around and spewing curses.
"I got the Breeder Qualification Certificate."
Mai didn't continue along that line of argument, lightly skipping past it.
The other end of the phone fell silent. Rapid breathing and hesitant swallowing sounds alternated.
"The person you said was useless got the qualification certificate. The person you thought couldn't survive alone outside made it all the way here, living happily every day and making many friends."
Facing the now completely silent line, Mai laughed brightly.
"Keep your promise."
After a long silence, her father's voice came through again.
"There are still eight badges."
Mai gave a wry smile. "I remember you saying that either eight badges or the Breeder Qualification Certificate would be enough. Are you going back on your word?"
"What's so special about that guy Luther? Why would you rather run around outside with him than come home?"
"I like him."
Silence.
Only the sound of breathing remained from both ends of the line.
"I don't want to be locked up at home and treated like a child who never grew up. I'm not the weak Mai who was in the hospital every day anymore."
"I don't want to be taken care of. I don't want to be treated like a pampered young lady who reaches out for clothes and opens her mouth for food. That was never the life I wanted!"
"You never asked me what I wanted. You just kept giving me what you thought I wanted."
"I'm not a child!"
Mai shouted with all the strength in her body.
Standing by Luther's side, she could feel that she was truly needed.
That feeling of being needed, was something she had never experienced before, and for the first time, she felt how important her existence truly was.
Only by Luther's side did she feel truly unrestrained. She didn't have to alter her thoughts or actions because of her family's scrutiny.
To Mai, the word "home" meant nothing but layers upon layers of chains. All her family wanted was for her to return and become a well-behaved, obedient daughter.
No one had ever cared about what Mai actually needed.
"If that's the case, I'll prove that he can't protect you."
Mai let out a soft laugh.
"As a well-known entrepreneur, it would look pretty bad if you lost a battle. Take my advice, don't do something like that."
"You're too close to him to evaluate him objectively. You blindly defend and glorify him. In Sinnoh, he's just an average Pokémon Trainer who couldn't even make it through the Lily of the Valley Conference preliminaries."
After speaking earnestly, Mai's father paused, then added,
"I'll personally go find Cynthia to witness this battle.
"If Cynthia doesn't stop you, then fine. But let me be clear, if you still want me to be your daughter, you'd better keep your promise."
"You are my daughter!"
"But I'm also Mai."
Mai ended the call.
The conversation had completely broken down. In truth, she should never have harbored any hope in the first place. She and her father had long since lost the ability to understand each other. There was no room left for mutual compromise.
Mai wanted to be considerate of her father and give in a little. However, every time she did, he only tightened his grip on her right to choose.
Luther had once said that her family's desire for control was overwhelming.
Mai felt that Luther was slightly mistaken; it wasn't just strong, it was distorted.
Because of her fragile health as a child, her family regarded her as a greenhouse flower that would wither and die the moment it left its shelter.
This impression turned her entire family into gardeners. They protected her at all times, caring for her in the ways they believed were best.
In their eyes, Luther was nothing more than a flower thief, stealing a blossom not meant to survive outside. Thinking of this, Mai suddenly felt that maybe it would be better if Cynthia didn't stop Luther.
Maybe this mindset meant she was due for a harsh lesson.
When she returned to the campsite, the battle was still ongoing.
Darkrai's Dark Void hit Infernape. Infernape tried to force itself to use Flamethrower, and Ash desperately shouted for it to stay awake, but it was useless. Infernape fell asleep anyway.
"Dream Eater."
A powerful psychic assault struck Infernape. Still trapped in its dream, Infernape groaned and lost consciousness completely.
"Second time... same routine again."
"Pikachu worked so hard to take down three of them—was that still not enough?"
Mai looked behind Luther.
Marill was stunned by electricity, Espurr's fur stood on end, and Jumpluff had a mark on its face. Judging by that, these were the three that Pikachu had taken down.
Chansey was panting heavily, most likely worn out from the gauntlet-style battle, and had to withdraw due to lack of stamina.
Mismagius looked to be in great condition. It was hard to tell if it had even entered the fight.
Brock stepped forward to check on Infernape and signaled to Ash that the outcome had been decided.
Still, Brock felt curious. It seemed to him that after Luther sent out Darkrai, Luther's battle style became far less aggressive than it had been with his earlier Pokémon.
From controlling tempo, draining Pikachu's stamina, using Chansey to buy rest time, Jumpluff's harassment strategy, to Espurr's contest over weather control—all of it had given Ash new insights into battling. It could be said he had learned extremely valuable techniques.
But Darkrai's way of fighting seemed to carry…
A faint sense of feeding moves, as if it were deliberately teaching through combat.
(End of Chapter)