When nothing happens, nothing happens; but when it does, it's earth-shattering. Joseph's sudden burst of strength left everyone completely stunned.
Using only a Peak Elite Blissey, which was famously unsuited for battle, he had defeated Second Brother's main Pokémon, Greninja.
If anyone had told them that before the match, they would've thought that person had lost their mind.
But now the truth was right in front of them, and they hadn't even had time to process it.
Family head Mars was equally ecstatic. Back when he favored Joseph, it wasn't just because Joseph's mother was his current favorite wife at the time; Joseph had shown extraordinary talent as a Trainer from a young age.
That's right, talent as a Trainer!
Because of the expectations placed on him, Joseph had lost his entire childhood, forced to endure endless hours of crammed lessons every single day, with no end in sight.
This so-called "favored" eventually planted a seed of rebellion in Joseph, who had never been one to obey easily.
And then… he ran away.
Ran far. He fled all the way to the Hoenn Region, where the Narcissus Family held no influence at all. Now, Joseph had returned to the family with genuine strength, and had shocked more than a few people.
Mars, in a great mood, began asking Joseph about the past few years.
Joseph picked out a few unimportant events and casually brushed over them, but even so, his siblings couldn't help feeling a strange mix of caution, jealousy, and admiration.
"Joseph, the past is the past. From now on, we're family, and we must love each other dearly. Only if you brothers and sisters unite can the Narcissus Family grow even stronger!"
Mars said all the "right" words, and Joseph and the others all obediently responded, but deep down, they likely had different thoughts.
Mars laughed heartily, swept a satisfied glance over his children, and once again let his gaze rest on Joseph.
"Right, Joseph. The family still owes you a Starter Pokémon. Even though you already have some excellent partners, surely you wouldn't mind having one more."
Joseph smiled lightly and replied softly, "Not at all."
"Good. The family recently raised a batch of excellent Pokémon hatchlings. You can go pick one out later."
Joseph nodded. He didn't refuse; if a Pokémon was deemed excellent by the family, then its potential had to be at least Ace level.
Among Water-types, there were quite a few that matched his selection criteria. It was definitely worth taking a look.
No one else objected to this either, except for Joseph's Third Sister, who quietly pursed her lips.
'Sixth Brother had been back for two months, and only now did Father remember to make up for it. Obviously, it was because of today's battle that he had seen Joseph's potential.
Otherwise, if he hadn't mentioned it, Sixth Brother would have had no grounds to demand anything.'
After all, those were Starter Pokémon!
At that moment, Dale suddenly stepped forward and whispered something into the family head's ear, causing Mars to frown immediately. Then he turned and looked at Dale.
"This… really happened?"
"Miss Jade just saw it herself. A few maids in the Sixth Young Master's courtyard were sitting in the lounge chairs chatting openly. They were breaking the rules."
"Hmph! A bunch of disgraceful wretches!"
Mars was furious, then turned to Joseph with concern and said, "These unruly servants should be punished with the hardest and most exhausting chores to make up for their offense.
Don't worry, child. This afternoon I'll have Dale find you new maids. I won't let anything like this happen again."
Joseph nodded calmly and also took the initiative to thank Dale.
This was for the best, he could remove all the spies around him in one sweep, making it much easier for him to act freely going forward.
As for the awkward "performance" put on by Mars and Dale, master and servant… Joseph genuinely didn't break character.
In the end, both Fourth Brother and Fifth Sister also stepped up for a battle, using a Low Ace Clawitzer and Dragalge, respectively. In Joseph's eyes, their strength was nothing special.
But it wasn't surprising that Mars was proud. All six of his children had at least one Ace level Pokémon.
And the eldest son, who hadn't shown up today, was out training, aiming to break through the Elite Four wall.
In Mars mind: I may not be the strongest, but I have more children than you! And they're stronger than yours. That alone was enough to be proud of!
Once the surprise match concluded, Joseph quickly became the most talked-about figure in the castle.
He acted completely unaware of it all, continuing with his usual tasks, treating everyone with the same politeness.
That afternoon, Joseph visited the family's breeding base to select his long-overdue true Starter Pokémon.
Half an hour later, Joseph left the breeding center completely satisfied, carrying a Poké Ball, but he didn't release the Pokémon inside.
---
"You're saying… Joseph really chose that Pokémon?"
Mars, in his office, had just received a report from the head of the breeding center and couldn't help exclaiming.
[Yes, Family Head. That Pokémon, which had been lingering at the base for nearly three years, finally accepted the Sixth Young Master.]
"Hmm, understood… Also, keep this a secret. No one else must know for now!"
[Yes, Family Head!]
After hanging up, Mars thought back to Joseph's performance that morning and couldn't help letting out a hearty laugh in his empty office.
"As expected of my bloodline!"
---
And so it was from that day on that Joseph once again became active in the eyes of the Narcissus Family; and he kept overturning everyone's expectations.
The next day, Joseph challenged his Third Sister at the training grounds. With a lineup of Meganium, Gogoat, and Blissey, he defeated her in a clean 3-0 sweep.
Furthermore, Meganium, having defeated Barbaracle in a cross-stage battle, successfully broke through to the Ace level.
On the third day, Joseph directly challenged his Fourth Brother. Using Meganium, Gogoat, and Wigglytuff, he once again scored a 3-0 clean victory.
What shocked everyone even more was that this time it was Wigglytuff that broke through to the Ace level.
Three battles, three wins, three breakthroughs…
Once again, the entire Narcissus Family was stunned!
The Sixth Young Master, Joseph Narcissus, was this terrifying!
On the fourth day, just when everyone thought Joseph would challenge his Fifth Sister, he made a call right in front of his father and siblings.
"Big Brother, take some time to come home. Let's have a full 6-on-6 battle."
On the other end of the video call was Mars's eldest son, Joseph's older half-brother, Siebold Narcissus, Elite Four candidate of the Kalos League, who lightly nodded.
[Alright.]
Three days later, Siebold returned from the Kalos League. That same day, he met the youngest and most rebellious of the siblings… rumored to be the most naturally gifted.
Joseph Narcissus.
Because they were half-brothers, Siebold's hair was pale gold, while Joseph's was bright gold, more like that of his birth mother.
Yet, when the two stood side by side, they looked quite similar; after all, ugliness came in countless forms, but handsome men… always looked alike.
•
•
150 PS - CH