Though the elderly Joy standing on the stage felt somewhat surprised, years of cultivated composure weren't for nothing. Her expression remained unchanged, only narrowing her eyes slightly as she stared intently at the departing backs of the two.
"Look into that young man's background and his relationship with Chloé," the elderly Joy ordered the assistant beside her.
The departure of Chloé and Sieg didn't affect the banquet's proceedings. Though most people harbored hopes of marrying into the Joy Family, they didn't believe they could stand out from all the outstanding young talents present and become the chosen one.
So they were mostly just here to join the excitement.
At this moment, on a deck, Sieg faced her under the moonlight and asked seriously, "Chloé, how have you been these past..."
Before Sieg could finish, Chloé drew closer, looking flustered as she hurriedly explained, "Sieg, it's not what you think! I only found out about my grandmother's plan after boarding this ship. I'm not ready yet, so I don't want to marry anyone right now!"
Seeing how worried she was that he'd misunderstand, Sieg chuckled softly. "You mean the matchmaking event?"
"Pfft~ So that's what you all call this banquet in private?" Chloé was amused, her charming lips curving into a gentle arc.
"Right, I didn't say anything, yet you were so quick to explain just now." The corner of Sieg's mouth lifted slightly, showing a mischievous smile as he looked at the beauty before him with interest, an urge to tease her welling up inside.
Hearing this, Chloé shot Sieg a coquettish glare, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
She couldn't help but raise her small hand, curl it into a fist, and lightly pound it against Sieg's chest, saying playfully, "So now you've learned to tease me?"
The two of them strolled on the deck, moonlight draping over them like a hazy veil.
When Sieg returned to the indoor banquet hall, he was alone. After all, Chloé had run off so hastily earlier, she now had to go back and explain to her family.
It was also Sieg's first time learning that Chloé's grandmother was actually a Joy Family elder!
"No wonder Chloé can work at a Pokémon Center in a developed city like Rustboro. Her status as a core family member certainly played a role, but having this grandmother as backing is probably more important!"
Sieg sighed for the first time, never expecting that, despite already having such status, Chloé was still working toward her breeder certification.
She truly radiated captivating charm from head to toe.
Sieg casually grabbed a complimentary bottle of mineral water from beside the dining table, opened it, and took several gulps to relieve his dry mouth.
While Sieg was drinking, a refined-looking young man in his early twenties wearing a peculiar emblem on his chest approached.
Extending his hand with a smile, he said, "Hello, I'm Kinshita Takanobu, a trainer. Would you be interested in having a Pokémon battle with me?"
Sieg looked the young man up and down. From his exquisite clothing, it was clear he wasn't a common trainer. The emblem on his chest was most likely a family crest.
In other words, this young man before him was at least a member of a minor family.
"Is this just a regular battle, or is it because of my close relationship with Chloé earlier?"
Sieg had already anticipated this on his way back. After all, having a wife with a Joy's appearance was every man's dream.
Sure enough, when Sieg glanced around, he caught sight of two other young men in equally fine tailcoats behind this one, huddling together, conversing and pointing at him.
Both wore the same family emblem on their chests as Kinshita Takanobu.
"Sorry, not interested."
Sieg replied flatly and turned to leave this troublesome place.
These three were obviously spoiled rich kids. He had no interest in playing house with children. He'd bet they didn't even have a single Pokémon above level 30.
Sieg's refusal left Kinshita Takanobu frozen in place. As a family member challenging an ordinary trainer, shouldn't most people immediately agree with bowing and scraping?
As Sieg passed the two snickering spectators, he also noticed the stiff expressions on their faces.
"Wait! What would it take for you to battle me!"
Recovering from the shock of Sieg's rejection, Kinshita Takanobu ran forward to block Sieg's path, shouting loudly. His previous refined demeanor vanished instantly.
His loud voice attracted quite a crowd.
"A battle is fine, but without stakes, I can't work up much interest." Sieg decided to teach this young nobleman, who didn't know his place, a lesson.
Seeing Sieg agree, Kinshita Takanobu was delighted and immediately shouted, "Fine, no problem! Here's a debit card with 100,000 Pokédollars!"
Sieg glanced disdainfully at the card the opponent held high. "So little? You're not embarrassed to offer so little?"
"Then what do you want?" Kinshita Takanobu frowned, asking with dissatisfaction.
Sieg said calmly, "If I win, I want a Protect TM."
Opening with a rare TM worth several hundred thousand, not only the surrounding spectators but even Kinshita Takanobu were startled.
Though he had family member status, the Kinshita Family he belonged to was merely an up-and-coming second-rate family.
The family only had one barely quasi-Elite Four-level expert holding things together. Even as a core family member, due to the family's large population, the monthly resources allocated to him personally were quite limited.
Worse still, he wasn't dedicated to Pokémon training. Most of his money was squandered with his so-called friends on dissolute living, drinking, gambling, and worse.
"Screw it, I'll lose face if I have to."
Just as he was about to refuse, Sieg's next words reignited his fighting spirit.
"If you win, I can give you a Grass Knot TM of equal value," Sieg said with a calm expression.
This Grass Knot TM was spoils he'd looted from Rose's body. Since he didn't dare sell it on the black market controlled by Team Rocket's base, he planned to keep it temporarily and sell it in another city.
Using it as stakes now was perfectly appropriate.
Kinshita Takanobu's eyes darted around as he frantically weighed the pros and cons in his mind while calculating his odds of winning.
Actually, he'd originally just wanted to show off to his two cousins the Pokémon he'd just purchased, planning to randomly find some ordinary common trainer to defeat and then make a display.
By sheer bad luck, he'd approached Sieg. After all, this guy was dressed rather plainly and wasn't carrying a spatial backpack, clearly just an ordinary common trainer.