Joseph had once thought seriously about it. What he wanted to expose was simply the past misdeeds of the Family Head, Mars.
As for the others, most were innocent. Joseph didn't want the disintegration of the Narcissus Family to leave the branch Families and affiliated Houses with no way to survive.
That was why, before organizing his coming-of-age ceremony, Joseph had specifically requested not to invite any "outsiders," only "family."
The purpose was to prevent news of the Family split from leaking too soon and catching the innocent parties completely off guard.
But he had underestimated human nature… and never expected that the Lane Family, victims themselves, would betray them so quickly.
They turned around and sold out their two nephews without hesitation, throwing their full support behind Mars.
A darker thought crept into Joseph's heart… 'As the younger brother of Mars's second wife, was it possible that Grant himself had been aware of -or even involved in- the three so-called accidents?'
But that didn't matter anymore…
Joseph's hand gripped the remote in his pocket. With a single press, the large screen would begin looping the evidence he had painstakingly collected.
But seeing the situation before him, Joseph's heart had already gone cold.
Even if he insisted on showing the evidence, perhaps everyone present would just cover their eyes and ears and choose to ignore it.
Family interests trumped all else.
In that moment, Joseph suddenly understood!
"Family" was just an adjective. The true subject was "interest."
"JOSEPH!"
Suddenly, Mars spoke; his voice heavy with grief and regret.
"My dear child… though I don't know who has poisoned your mind, as long as you are willing to admit your mistake, you are still the most gifted one. I will still give my all to nurture you!"
Mars's words rang out with force, and his fatherly affection seemed ready to overflow from his chest. After speaking to Joseph, he then turned to the other four children, looking at them kindly and adding in a soft tone. "The same goes for you~"
Second Brother and Third Sister looked panicked; they clearly hadn't expected things to veer so far off from Joseph's original plan.
Not wanting to lose their comfortable lives, they nearly nodded in agreement without thinking.
"YOU'RE LYING! You… you… YOU… and all of you… YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES!"
Suddenly, Fourth Brother exploded. He raised his head and shouted furiously at Mars, then pointed at his uncle and the sanctimonious leaders of the other Families.
"Joseph, didn't we collect the evidence? Show it to them… SHOW IT TO THEM SO THEY'LL KNOW THE TRUTH!"
Fourth Brother turned to Joseph with eyes full of rage and fear!
In truth, he had long known his mother hadn't died by accident.
But her death not only involved their father, it even implicated his own uncle. And he still had a younger sister to look after.
With no one else to rely on, he had buried his hatred deep within, hiding his pain, until Joseph told him that he, too, had discovered the truth about his mother's death.
With Joseph standing at the front, drawing all the attention, Fourth Brother didn't hesitate to agree to the plan, and even offered up key evidence he had secretly kept.
But now… they were about to fail.
And the only thing they might still rely on… was the unrevealed evidence.
Sure enough, once the crowd heard that Joseph had collected actual evidence, many people's expressions changed instantly, and their gazes grew openly hostile.
"HAND IT OVER!"
Grant Lane shouted harshly at Fourth Brother and Fifth Sister. Though he was their biological uncle, there was not a trace of familial affection in his eyes.
"All fabricated evidence. These days, what can't be faked?"
"Exactly. Who really knows the truth of what happened decades ago? It's probably all fake evidence anyway…"
"But for the sake of the Family's reputation, we should deal with it right away."
"I agree!"
"Same here!"
"Joseph, hurry up and hand over your fake evidence. Show some real remorse!"
"..."
Just as Joseph expected, the crowd wasted no time passing judgment with one voice, not even waiting for any explanation from them.
"Dale, go shut down the cameras in the back, and wipe all the data. We can't let that fabricated evidence become a stain on my Joseph's life."
Mars spoke again. This time, he didn't even bother to pretend anymore.
Dale said nothing. He just lowered his head and quietly walked toward the back.
Meanwhile, Mars looked at his once most promising son with ice-cold eyes. The oppressive aura of a superior bore down on Joseph without restraint.
"When you do something wrong, you should accept punishment. Before, I could chalk it all up to someone misleading you, but falsifying evidence? That crosses the line!"
Second Brother and Third Sister went pale. Fourth Brother supported the trembling Fifth Sister, both of them filled with fear.
Only Joseph… a faint smile crept back onto his face. "…So? What punishment does you, Mr. Mars, intend to give me?"
To Mars, that smile was sheer mockery.
"From now on, you stay in the house. Without my permission, you are never to take a single step outside."
In other words, indefinite house arrest.
"Fufufu… hehe… HAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Joseph laughed wildly, laughed with abandon. His piercing voice stabbed like icy needles into everyone's hearts.
Suddenly, the laughter stopped. Without hesitation, Joseph threw out two Poké Balls, Florges and Gallade.
"You want to punish me? You think you're worthy?"
In the next instant, Florges lashed her Vine Whip toward Mars without hesitation.
Gallade stood silently by Joseph's side, ready to defend him.
Mars was momentarily startled by Joseph's sudden move, but then a shield of green energy flashed before him, blocking Florges's attack.
A Jellicent appeared behind Mars. It had used Protect, of course.
The sudden turn of events stunned the entire audience. They backed away in panic while hurriedly releasing their own Pokémon.
On stage, Joseph had never expected Florges to actually subdue Mars with just a Vine Whip.
This was merely a distraction… to buy time for his escape.
Gallade was already prepared for long-range Teleportation!
"Meowstic, Mean Look!"
But no one had noticed… Dale had already returned to the room. And as if he had anticipated Joseph's escape, he instantly sent out a Meowstic, using Mean Look to block Gallade's Teleport.
At the same time, Mars reacted swiftly and commanded his Jellicent to use Psychic on Joseph!
In a flash, despair spread across Joseph's face. All he could think was…
Would he ever make it back to Shadownight Gym?
BOOM!
A deafening blast. The ceremonial hall's doors shattered into pieces.
Amid the thick smoke, came a voice Joseph knew all too well…
"You want to lay a hand on someone from Shadownight Gym…? Has anyone even asked if I agree?"