The full battle between Joseph and his brother Siebold continued, while the spectators watching the match began murmuring among themselves.
Most believed that the First Young Master had a greater chance of winning, but that didn't mean they were ready to bet everything on Siebold.
After all, Joseph had one absolute advantage…
He was younger!
Given Family Head Mars's current health condition, he could easily live another ten or twenty years.
By then, Joseph would have already matured, and judging by his current performance, he definitely wouldn't fall far behind Siebold.
These were the kinds of thoughts going through the minds of the heads of the branch families and affiliated houses.
Meanwhile, the family wives had gathered in another section, watching the match from the side. Unsurprisingly, their conversation had turned to matchmaking.
Among the candidates, Siebold and Joseph were by far the most popular!
Sitting among the group of wives, "current" Head Wife Mandy kept a pleasant smile on her face, though she was cursing internally.
'If I had the authority to decide the marriages of the six Young Masters and Ladies, would I be sitting here silently like this? A bunch of clueless fools…
Useless!'
Meanwhile, at the center of everyone's chatter, Siebold and Joseph remained composed as ever.
They let the gossip flow. 'Let them talk. If I actually marry, I lose.'
On the battlefield, after recalling Wigglytuff, Joseph didn't immediately send out his next Pokémon. Instead, he smiled and struck up a conversation with his brother.
"You only arrived last evening, Siebold. I didn't get a chance to properly catch up with you, and now here we are jumping straight into a full battle… it's made the atmosphere a bit weird."
As he spoke, Joseph casually glanced around at the surrounding spectators, clearly hinting at something.
Seeing this, Siebold wasn't in a hurry either. He crossed his arms and gave a charming smile of his own.
"I thought this was exactly what you wanted. Now I see, you really haven't changed, little brother."
"So, big brother… how's your restaurant coming along?" Joseph played with the Poké Ball in his hand, asking with an air of casual ease.
Siebold paused. He hadn't expected Joseph to bring that up in front of so many people.
If he didn't know his brother's personality so well, he might've thought Joseph was deliberately mocking him…
A powerful family with a long lineage, and the First Young Master just wanted to open a restaurant? Be a chef?
To others, that idea was completely absurd!
"It's going well. I've picked a location, and we're working on the design and interior."
Of course, Siebold had never tried to hide it. Since Joseph brought it up, he had no problem saying it in front of the entire Family's core members.
But to return the favor, Siebold added, "I heard your skills as a Breeder have improved a lot. And the Pokémon you've caught are mostly support types. So… have you decided on your path?"
"It's never changed." Joseph answered with a smile, but his tone was serious.
Down below, Mars wore a dark expression as he watched his two most talented -and most rebellious- sons, thinking they must have been sent by Arceus to punish him.
Joseph wanting to be a Breeder had already disappointed him deeply. But at least it was still related to Pokémon, and he hadn't completely given up on being a Trainer.
…But his eldest son wanted to become a lowly chef?
If not for needing him to maintain the family's public image, Mars would've long since kicked him out of the house.
That was also why Joseph, even when he was still very young, had suddenly received such importance.
With an "awful" example like Siebold standing beside him, Mars was both enraged and more determined than ever to turn Joseph into a top-tier Trainer who could one day inherit the family.
Mars had already made up his mind. If Joseph could show a talent in this battle that rivaled Siebold's, he would once again give Joseph his full support and nurture him as the heir.
As long as his strength was solid, being a Breeder was still better than being a chef!
But these matters were supposed to be discussed privately within the family… yet these two unfilial sons were openly chatting about it in front of so many outsiders.
Even more outrageous than before!
"If you're going to battle, then battle! What's the referee doing? Can't even follow the rules and push things along?"
With no outlet for his anger, Mars could only vent at the referee.
Referee: …Heh?
"Sixth Young Master Joseph, please send out your next Pokémon to continue the battle!"
Joseph kept smiling, then deliberately winked at his big brother before tossing his third Poké Ball.
"Gogoat, get ready for battle!"
"Battle continues!"
"Clawitzer, use Water Pulse!"
"Gogoat, use Bulldoze!"
Water Pulse shot forth at high speed, closing in on Gogoat in the blink of an eye and forming a watery prison once again.
But this time, Gogoat stomped its powerful front hooves hard against the ground, and a wave of earthy brown energy burst outward in all directions.
CRASH~
The Water Pulse prison instantly collapsed into pieces.
"Clawitzer, Aura Sphere!"
Siebold's command rang out again, and the cannon-armed Clawitzer quickly sprang into action.
Its dragon-head-like claw, acting like a no-cooldown turret, launched a massive Aura Sphere!
Ability: Mega Launcher activated.
The power of Aura Sphere increased by 1.5 times.
Not only that. Aura Sphere had aimbot capabilities, making it a theoretically guaranteed-hit move!
"Charge in! Horn Leech, full force!"
Soon enough, Joseph's Gogoat was on the move, picking up speed with confident strides and suddenly lowering its head.
Its twin, faintly glowing green and slightly curved horns clashed head-on with the incoming Aura Sphere.
Pop!
The Aura Sphere burst on contact, and the Fighting-type energy inside spilled out wildly through the rupture, but it could no longer deal any effective damage to Gogoat.
Without slowing, Gogoat kept charging straight toward Clawitzer. If it could get in close, Clawitzer's unusual body structure meant it had virtually no way to fight back.
At the critical moment, Clawitzer used its smaller claw to fire off a not-so-powerful Aqua Jet straight ahead.
The Aqua Jet propelled Clawitzer backward in a sudden burst, causing Gogoat's chase to fall short of its mark.
"Earthquake!"
If he couldn't catch it, then he'd hit everything. Joseph issued his command decisively.
"Gogogo!"
Gogoat cried out as it stomped its strong hooves down with force.
In an instant, the entire battlefield trembled, and Clawitzer, not known for its balance, was knocked flat on the ground.
"Charge in, use Leaf Blade!"
"Clawitzer, defend with Water Pulse!"
Clawitzer's mastery of Water Pulse was near perfection. Even while still regaining its balance, it was able to fire off a clean shot at Gogoat.
Gogoat accelerated once again, charging headlong toward Clawitzer, its horns glowing with verdant green Grass-type energy.
But this time, the two horns merged into one. At first glance, it now looked like a massive greatsword mounted on its back!
Shing!
The "greatsword" slashed horizontally, slicing the incoming Water Pulse cleanly in half, leaving it unable to reform into a watery prison.
Gogoat successfully closed the distance!