The third day since the Mayor's departure.
The atmosphere in Pyrite Town had grown oppressive. Kashiwagi picked up some rumors at the restaurant regarding the Mayor's subordinates using his absence as an opportunity to extort money. They had set up checkpoints at essential traffic hubs; regardless of affiliation, anyone wishing to leave Pyrite Town had to pay a steep fee.
Failure to pay resulted in being detained under "suspicion of theft" for interrogation.
Most people chose to endure it, but there were some stubborn holdouts. These "tough nuts," by the time the interrogation ended and their "suspicion" was cleared, usually came out broken and soft. Not only that, but the toll fees became more expensive with each passing day, with prices specifically tailored to target different individuals.
After a few days, resentment was widespread, and the glares directed toward the Mayor's faction became increasingly hostile.
Kashiwagi found it strange. The Mayor's men were always corrupt, but they had never been this "high-profile" about it. This level of blatant, frantic greed was almost manic—didn't they realize what they were doing?
It wasn't until he asked Yamamino that he understood the reason.
Someone had leaked news within the Mayor's faction that the Mayor was about to be removed from office. This sparked internal panic. The Mayor's confidants remaining in Pyrite assumed he was heading back to Phenac City permanently and were desperate to harvest one last "crop" of wealth.
With the leadership in chaos, the middle management couldn't be sure if they would be taken along, but they couldn't bear to miss the immediate chance to make a fortune. Since they could blame everything on their superiors, they descended into madness.
As for the lower ranks... while they got a cut, they were also the first to face the fury of the public. They took the smallest share of the money while carrying the biggest share of the blame.
However, Kashiwagi had his doubts—such a lie should be easy to expose. Could the Mayor's confidants not contact the Mayor directly?
Naturally, they could. The key was that the Mayor himself believed he might lose his position.
"He's been getting the cold treatment for two days. His direct superior hasn't summoned him yet, so he's likely panicking internally," Yamamino said, his tone laced with schadenfreude.
"Is your father's side putting on the pressure?"
"Of course. From the summons to the two days of sitting on a cold bench, it's all been arranged by Phenac City."
Yamamino continued, "Tell Takeshi that the time to leave is coming; have him prepare. You too—Team Snagem's next move isn't far off."
"Understood." Kashiwagi nodded and relayed the news to Takeshi.
"Got it!" Takeshi nodded vigorously, then added, "Wait for me! I'll be back as soon as I drop off the Deinos!"
Kashiwagi was surprised. "You're coming back?"
"I have to! Now that I've seen what's going on here, how can I sit by and do nothing? Not only that, I'm going to call upon more Dragon Tamers!"
The young man with the lion-like hair had fire in his eyes. Clearly, these days of hiding had stoked his anger to the breaking point. Kashiwagi couldn't help but feel worried—saving Orre was, at its core, an internal affair. Would the involvement of outside forces make the situation even more complicated?
Wait, he was overthinking it. This world was vastly different from his previous life's geopolitical concepts. At the very least, there wasn't a clear sense of distance between regions like there was between nations. Otherwise, how could Ash, a boy from Kanto, become the Alola Champion? The Elite Four of various regions weren't always locals, either.
Moreover, once the International Police stepped in, Orre's issues were no longer just internal—they were global.
Still, looking at Takeshi's excitement, Kashiwagi had a premonition that things were about to get messy.
Originally, the dark forces of Orre only had to face a group of internal rebels who refused to kneel. But once outsiders joined in, the outcome became unpredictable.
----
During these days of external turmoil, Kashiwagi put more effort into bonding with Deino.
Despite the interference from its brothers, his Deino gradually realized the difference between itself and the others. For instance, its meals were strictly controlled, but it was often called out in the middle of the night for "extra rations" or to play fetch in the yard under the cover of darkness. Eventually, they simply fell asleep together in the living room.
Of course, its mouth was always clamped onto his hand.
Each of these small actions seemed to signify something. Though Deino's mind was somewhat juvenile, it was beginning to understand certain concepts. After all, since birth, someone had always been whispering in its ear:
"One day, you will find the Trainer you will spend the rest of your life with."
Trainer?
The younger Deino hadn't understood, thinking it was just something tasty or fun. But after meeting Kashiwagi and spending more time with him, this blurry word suddenly became clear, and it felt a genuine sense of joy.
Following this complex emotional shift, Kashiwagi soon noticed that the little guy's obedience had increased—it felt as though their friendship had taken a sudden leap.
However, its temper was still easily triggered. A few provocations from Aggron or Mawile would send its blood boiling, causing it to charge in and bite wildly.
Unfortunately, this was usually just "impotent rage." Aggron's physical defense was massive, and Mawile could simply use Magnet Rise to float out of reach.
Through these outbursts, Kashiwagi noticed that the little guy instinctively used biting and slamming as its primary means of attack. In his vision for Deino's future, a long-range Special Attack cannon was the top priority to maximize Hydreigon's strengths. Physical moves were only meant to be backup options for close-quarters combat.
After all, the team already had enough physical focus. If everyone focused on physical attacks, wouldn't they just be a "Glass Cannon" squad?
He had to find a way to pivot its combat subconscious. Success would be when it instinctively unleashed Dark Pulse on Aggron instead of blindly rushing in to bite.
Ironically, Mawile actually managed to learn Taunt. Despite practicing Sword Dance and Play Rough every day, this was the move she picked up first. Kashiwagi didn't know whether to call it a lucky coincidence or just a natural talent for being a brat.
Aggron's Magnet Rise showed no progress; lately, it preferred brawling with Haxorus and took great pride in the new slash marks on its armor. It was becoming more durable in every sense. Chansey's progress with Reflect and Light Screen wasn't going smoothly either.
In terms of learning new moves, they seemed to have hit a stagnant zone.
Is it because they have too many moves already?
Kashiwagi began to speculate and pulled out his phone to search for ProfessorKukui. This young professor in Alola was famous for his research on Pokémon moves. His projects included not only Alola's specialized Z-Moves but also standard moves, as the connection between the two was a key point of his research.
After a moment of thought, he sent a question to Professor Kukui via PokeBlog.
Additionally, Aggron and the others were spending a significant portion of their day just practicing and staying familiar with their old moves. He wondered if he should pause the learning of new moves and dedicate that energy entirely to mastering their current arsenal.
Considering the escalating events in Pyrite Town, he felt it was necessary.