Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

”We’ll talk about that later,” Cissy’s father said. ”Cissy is back now. What matters is how we handle her side of this, and what we tell the League.”

He cared about his daughter. As long as she came home safe, that was enough.

After this, he would have to train both her and Senta harder. They needed to be strong enough to protect themselves. He had been too careless before, too willing to let things slide. That ended now.

”What else is there to say?” Cissy’s grandfather gave him a sharp look. ”Remove Cissy from the cargo ship incident. Have the League erase that part.”

There was no need to overthink it.

”We side with the League. Properly this time. I don’t think Team Rocket can win.”

”The League may be rotten in places, but it’s still the League. It’s stronger than it was before. It swept through the Orange Archipelago once, and if it has to, it can do it again. Haven’t you seen what happens when the League reaches a new region? Most places surrender before the fight even starts.”

”Fine. We’ll handle it that way.” Cissy’s father nodded. ”What about the Kanto relatives? They’re still asking us for their son.”

The Kanto side had come looking as soon as the incident happened.

Mikan Gym already knew what had really happened with the pirate attack. With that family’s influence inside the League, there was no way they couldn’t pick up some clues too. Add Team Rocket helping from the shadows, and it would be easy for them to learn that the League was protecting Mikan Gym.

”Their son?” Cissy’s grandfather laughed coldly. ”He’s fish food now.”

That bastard had almost ruined his precious granddaughter and still wanted to go home alive?

Dream on.

If Reiji hadn’t already thrown him into the sea, the old man would have done it himself. He was a fisherman too. There was no chance he would have let the man walk away.

”We still need to give them some kind of answer.”

”No, we don’t. Tell them to ask the League.” Cissy’s grandfather had no patience left for the Kanto relatives. They had tried to drag him into their mess, and now they wanted their son back?

They could look for him at the bottom of the sea.

”What about this?” Cissy’s father looked at the Team Rocket badge on the table.

If they handed that over, he knew exactly what it would do. The Kanto branch would be finished.

Mikan Gym would be targeted too. He wasn’t afraid of retaliation, but he was worried about his daughter. That was why he wanted Cissy and Senta to get stronger as soon as possible.

”Keep it for now,” Cissy’s grandfather said. ”When the Kanto side loses patience, we throw this out as a warning. If anyone attacks the Gym, Cissy, or Senta, we hand the badge to the League and let them deal with it.”

The old man had not made a move yet, but once he did, it was ruthless.

Use the League as the shield. Remove Cissy from the case. If the Kanto side dared to move, expose them. If they kept pushing, flip the table and let everyone burn.

Once the cards were on the table, the Kanto relatives would be in a much worse position than Mikan Gym. They had chosen Team Rocket. Mikan Gym was only leaning toward the League.

That difference mattered.

The League could openly crush gangs and criminal groups. Team Rocket had to hide and take revenge in the dark.

All Mikan Gym had to pay was its neutrality. Even that would happen quietly. On the surface, nothing would change.

Mikan Gym was already a League Gym. At most, it would move from neutral to League-aligned. They would have had to choose a side sooner or later. This only moved the timetable forward.

And if the League won in the end, Mikan Gym might even get credit for choosing early.

When Cissy’s grandfather and father left the hidden room, they went to the dining room and found Cissy, her mother, and Senta eating lunch.

Reiji was not there.

”That kid isn’t here?” Cissy’s father looked at Senta. He was sure Senta would know where Reiji had gone.

”Dad, Rai-nii went back. He said he wanted to rest, so he didn’t stay for lunch.” Senta kept shoveling rice into his mouth.

He had tried to make Reiji stay, but once Reiji decided to leave, there was no stopping him.

”Forget it. Let him rest for a few days. We’ll call him over later.”

Cissy’s father waved it off, then looked at Cissy, who was clearly starving. ”Cissy, why did you run away? Tell me. I’ll fix it.”

”I already asked her,” Cissy’s mother said, giving him an annoyed look. ”The person she was scared of was you.”

”Me? What did I do?” Cissy’s father was baffled.

He hadn’t even done anything yet. The special training had only just started, and Cissy had already run away. How was that his fault? He hadn’t even turned up the pressure yet.

”Not the training. The marriage.” Cissy’s mother finally explained it. ”Cissy thought you were going to use her for an arranged marriage.”

”Marriage?”

Cissy’s father was struck dumb.

He had already taken the hit for her. He had agreed to stay and take over as Gym Leader so she wouldn’t have to marry anyone. How had this still led to her running away?

So the problem was that father and daughter hadn’t talked enough. His neglect had almost caused a disaster.

”Cissy, I agreed to stay as Gym Leader so the old man would drop the arranged marriage,” he said quickly. ”I meant to tell you, but I was busy planning your training, and then you ran off before I had the chance. That’s my fault. I should’ve said it earlier. Forgive me, all right?”

”Really?” Cissy turned to her grandfather.

So Grandpa was the one who had wanted the marriage.

Cissy’s father did not hesitate to throw him under the bus. Better Grandpa take the blame than lose his daughter’s trust.

”Of course it’s true,” Cissy’s grandfather said. ”At first, I did want to pair you with that brat and have him marry into the Gym. But once your father stopped running away and came back to take over, there was no need for that anymore.”

”Yes! No arranged marriage!” Cissy jumped up in joy and kissed her mother on the cheek.

She was finally free.

Senta, however, seemed to have heard something interesting. ”Grandpa, who’s that brat?”

”Who else? The one who saved your sister. Rai.”

”What? Rai?” Cissy froze. ”The person I was supposed to marry was Rai?”

The moment she heard the name, her happiness vanished.

It felt like heaven was punishing her.

She had run away to avoid the marriage and nearly lost everything. On the way home, she had been terrified of what would happen once she got back. Then she finally learned the marriage was canceled, and for half a minute, she was overjoyed.

Now she found out the marriage target had been Reiji.

So what was all that singing and jumping just now? Why did it feel like she had missed something huge?

Why did it hurt?

Why did she suddenly feel like a clown?

”What’s wrong?” Cissy’s father asked, confused. ”You were happy a second ago. Why do you look like a wilted plant now?”

”I’m not upset,” Cissy said, poking at her rice. ”It’s fine.”

Cissy poked at her rice with her chopsticks, but she had completely lost her appetite. Reiji didn’t even like her. She had practically thrown herself at him, and he still pushed her away. The guy only cared about Pokémon. How was she supposed to get through to someone like that?

To be clear, Reiji was a fisherman. A fisherman. A fisherman.

This needed to be said three times.

If he had to be called dense for the sake of fishing, he would accept it. Cissy had simply chosen the wrong word.

Cissy’s mother knew her daughter too well. One look was enough. Cissy had fallen for Reiji after being rescued, and the whole family had worried for nothing.

She liked him, and he had been the arranged marriage candidate all along.

What a mess.

The thought made Cissy’s mother laugh before she could stop herself.

Cissy’s grandfather and father both turned to look at her.

She didn’t explain. She was afraid of upsetting Cissy again. Without the rescue, even if they had told Cissy earlier who the marriage target was, Cissy would never have agreed.

Life really loved playing tricks.

Cissy’s grandfather understood too. His granddaughter had fallen for the kid. After all that circling around, it was still that same brat.

”Cissy,” he said, testing her, ”what if we keep the arranged marriage?”

”Okay.”

Cissy answered without thinking.

The moment the word left her mouth, everyone at the table stared at her.

Her face turned bright red. She threw herself into her mother’s arms and whined, ”Aaaah, you’re all laughing at me!”

”Hahaha!”

No one could hold it in. The whole dining room burst into laughter.

Cissy’s father finally understood. His daughter’s heart had already flown away with that kid.

”Oh, now you know how to be embarrassed?” he teased. ”Who was it that left a letter and ran off like she owned the world?”

”’The world is so big, I want to see it.’ ’I want a trip I can leave for at any moment.’ Tch, my daughter really is grown up now.”

”Dad, stop laughing at me!”

Cissy stormed off in a huff, while the laughter behind her only grew louder.

Once the laughter died down, Cissy’s father looked at the old man. ”Father, do you think this can actually work?”

”Cissy was the hard part before. Now she’s willing, so that’s settled,” her grandfather said. ”The problem is the kid. That boy thinks too much. Push too hard, and he’ll run.”

Back when Reiji was still struggling, they might have had ways to keep him close: resources, a place at the Gym, or Cissy herself. But Cissy hadn’t wanted it then. Now that she did, Reiji had already grown harder to tie down.

”Why make it so complicated?” Cissy’s father said. ”Bring him here, ask if he agrees, and if he does, get the papers done.”

The old man’s cane came down hard.

”Idiot. Use your head for once,” Cissy’s grandfather snapped. ”He’s already registered with the League. What, you want to force him? Our family still has a reputation.”

”Then what are we supposed to do?” Cissy’s father rubbed his head.

If force could solve the problem, he didn’t see the point of making it difficult. Reiji wasn’t Elite Four tier yet. If it came down to strength, he could handle him easily.

”Listen to your father and don’t rush it,” Cissy’s mother said, calming him down.

Her husband wasn’t stupid. He just stopped thinking once he came home and had his father to make the decisions.

”We take it slow,” Cissy’s grandfather said. ”As long as the kid stays at the Gym, Cissy will have plenty of chances. Let them spend more time together first.”

He had dealt with enough people to know this couldn’t be forced. Move too fast, and Reiji would leave. Give it time, and there was still a chance.

”He lives in that cabin by the orange grove, doesn’t he? Give Cissy a push. Have her bring him breakfast tomorrow, teach her a few dishes, let her cook at the cabin, help with his Pokémon. She was already doing some of that before, so let her keep doing it. You two need to help her too.”

”Leave that to me,” Cissy’s mother said. ”Cissy knows the basics, and she knows how to care for Pokémon. If she cooks a few more times, she’ll improve quickly. I can also have her learn from the kitchen staff.”

Her husband was too rough for this kind of thing. A mother knew her daughter best. If this was about Cissy’s future, she had to be the one to guide her.

”That’s it for now. If anything changes, we’ll talk again,” Cissy’s grandfather said. ”And remember, Cissy has to make the first move. A good son-in-law doesn’t just fall into your lap. You have to grab him before someone else does.”

Then he turned to Cissy’s father.

”And you. I don’t trust you. Don’t scare him off. We’re already siding with the League, and Rai is registered with them too. No one knows how far he’ll go in the future. If you drive him away, I’ll beat you myself.”

”I know,” Cissy’s father muttered.

He was only being pushy because of his daughter. Was that wrong?

The old man snorted and left the table. His son never gave him peace of mind. Everything he did was too direct, too rough. There was no way the old man could trust him to handle this properly.

After he left, Cissy’s father heard someone snickering.

He turned and saw Senta, who had been trying very hard to pretend he didn’t exist. Before he could scold him, Senta slipped away.

Out in the hallway, Senta sighed for Reiji.

”Rai-nii, once Grandpa sets his sights on you, you’re not getting away. Looks like I’m really getting an Indigo Plateau champion for a brother-in-law.”

”That brat,” Cissy’s father muttered.

He was already thinking of ways to make Senta’s afternoon training more interesting.

”Don’t be angry,” Cissy’s mother said quickly. ”Senta is just being playful. Don’t let him get to you.”

They only had one son. If the training broke him, there wouldn’t be another.

”If he breaks, we’ll just make another one. Right?” Cissy’s father gave his wife a mischievous smile.

The luckiest thing that had happened to him while he was away was meeting her. She had stayed with him through the worst part of his life.

Her family had never approved of their relationship. Even now, she still hadn’t made peace with them.

He knew her family wasn’t simple, but she never brought it up, so he never asked. All he could do was spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

”We’re not young anymore,” Cissy’s mother said, embarrassed. ”What if the children hear you?”

They had been married for years, but he still said things like that.

”They won’t hear.” He leaned in and stole a quick kiss while no one was looking. ”We’ll talk about it later. Quietly. I’m going to start their afternoon training.”

Cissy’s mother gave him a look, but he left looking very pleased with himself.

”Honestly...”

She scolded him under her breath, straightened the collar he had messed up, then began clearing the dishes. After that, she would stop by the kitchen and see what dishes she could teach Cissy.

[End of chapter]

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