Chapter 53: Ryuu Becomes a “Rival in Love”

"Ryuu, what kind of Pokémon do you have? Fire-type or Water-type?"

On the way, Takahashi Yui was full of curiosity about Ryuu.

But the way she kept asking made Ryuu start to overthink things.

Could it be that Yui had taken a liking to him?

It made sense. He was strong, talented, and undeniably good-looking. It wouldn't be surprising if Yui was interested in him.

However, what really bothered him was being called "Ryuu-kun" so casually.

Technically, he was two months younger than Yui, yet she treated him like a little brother.

She had a graceful, mature demeanor—almost like a refined noblewoman—which only made her more captivating.

On second thought, maybe it wasn't so bad being called that.

"It's here, Ryuu. Remember to greet everyone properly."

Fujiwara Kiyoshi pushed open the door to an exclusive private room.

Inside, several elderly men sat at a long table, accompanied by a few younger trainers.

Ryuu scanned the room and immediately recognized them.

These weren't ordinary trainers.

The weakest among them were Elite candidates—trainers who had at least one Elite-level Pokémon but hadn't yet reached the full requirements to be recognized as an Elite Trainer.

The rest were full-fledged Elite Trainers.

If these people ever joined forces, they could easily overpower a small nation.

"Good afternoon, everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Ryuu spoke with confidence, keeping his usual persona—polite, refined, yet ambitious.

"Ah, so this is Kiyoshi's grandson? Quite the promising young man."

"He's got a strong presence. My granddaughter is about the same age as him; maybe they should have a chat."

The elders were all smiles.

They liked Ryuu—he was respectful, well-mannered, and had a bright future ahead of him.

"Of course. My grandson is quite remarkable, after all." Kiyoshi said proudly, patting Ryuu on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, the younger trainers in the room—especially the male ones—had mixed expressions.

Nobody liked being overshadowed by someone better-looking and more talented than them.

Just like how women disliked being around someone more beautiful, men also hated being compared to someone superior.

"Ryuu-kun, sit next to me."

Before he could respond, Yui grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the seat beside her.

Ryuu wasn't sure what she was up to, but when a beautiful girl made a request, he wasn't going to refuse.

Across from him, a young man shot him a piercing glare.

The hostility in his gaze was palpable, as if he had some deep grudge against Ryuu.

Ryuu immediately noticed the animosity. He met the man's eyes and studied him.

It was clear—this guy hated him.

But why?

As far as Ryuu knew, they had never met before.

He barely spent time in Kyoto, so there was no reason for any prior conflict.

Leaning slightly toward Yui, he whispered, "Who's that? Did I do something to him?"

His voice was low, close to her ear.

From an outsider's perspective, it looked like they were sharing an intimate moment.

The man's expression darkened even more, his fists clenching tightly.

It was as if Ryuu had just stolen something precious from him.

Yui followed Ryuu's gaze and immediately understood.

Ah.

So that's what this was about.

"That's Inoue Riku. His grandfather is an Elite Trainer, a veteran like your grandfather, and the two of them don't really get along."

Ryuu immediately understood.

"So, a rivalry between the older generation got passed down to us?"

He sighed.

This was just like in the novels—two families locked in conflict, where the younger generation was forced to continue the battle.

Fujiwara Kiyoshi nearly choked on his tea.

"Good grandson, you're thinking too much. It's not some deep-seated family rivalry.**

Several of the elderly trainers chuckled.

They were all experienced enough to see the real situation.

Ryuu wasn't being targeted because of some generational feud.

He was being targeted because Inoue Riku saw him as a romantic rival.

Ryuu wasn't stupid.

After seeing Riku's burning gaze toward Yui, he quickly figured it out.

This guy was obsessed with Yui.

The way he looked at her was filled with possessiveness, almost like she was his personal property.

So now, Ryuu had unknowingly become a "rival in love."

Which was ridiculous.

This was literally the first time he had ever met Yui.

And yet, Riku was glaring at him like he had stolen his wife.

"Riku, where's your grandfather? Why isn't he here yet?"

An older Elite Trainer spoke up, trying to change the subject.

Nobody wanted things to get too awkward.

They could all tell Riku was fuming with jealousy, but nobody wanted to say it outright.

Yui's grandfather, Takahashi Haruto, leaned back in his chair, clearly amused.

His granddaughter was so remarkable that even two Elite grandsons were competing over her.

That was an achievement in itself.

A moment later, Riku finally responded.

"My grandfather is out shopping. He'll be back soon."

His voice was stiff, forced.

The truth was, his grandfather deliberately arrived late on purpose.

Making the last entrance gave off the impression of power—if you couldn't defeat someone in strength, you could at least try to overwhelm them in presence.

But he couldn't exactly admit that out loud.

If he did, it would offend every other Elite in the room.

"Let's order first. No need to wait for Inoue-san; who knows how long he'll take? It'd be a waste of time."

Kiyoshi's tone was casual, but there was clear disrespect toward the Inoue family.

He wasn't fond of them, and he wasn't about to sit around waiting.

"Agreed. We shouldn't delay things."

The other Elite Trainers didn't care much about Riku's grandfather either.

They all had busy schedules. Sitting around doing nothing wasn't an option.

Riku gritted his teeth but didn't dare to argue.

Offending multiple Elite Trainers at once was something he couldn't afford to do.

Instead, he turned his focus back to Ryuu.

He needed to know more about him.

Who was he?

How did he get close to Yui so quickly?

And most importantly—how did he plan to deal with this rival in love?

Ryuu, however, had already stopped paying attention to Riku.

For him, this whole situation was laughable.

He already had someone he liked.

So why on earth would he care about some random guy being jealous over Yui?