Shortly after the battle, Kashiwagi approached Steelix with Aggron and Chansey in tow.
The giant serpent flicked her eyelids open, her massive frame trembling slightly when she caught sight of Aggron. It was clear that the behemoth had developed a healthy fear of the "Greater Monster." The primal instinct of the wild—where the weak submit to the strong—had been successfully triggered.
Kashiwagi let out a silent sigh of relief. His biggest fear was that Steelix would be stubborn and refuse to back down.
Going head-to-head, one-on-one, had been the right call. Had he jumped her with a group, even if he won, she likely would have harbored resentment rather than respect.
"Mm... sorry about that. Pulling you out just to give you a beating wasn't the plan, but it looks like you understand now that we aren't to be trifled with."
He shifted to a "soft" approach. He began stuffing Berries into her mouth while signaling Chansey with a look.
Chansey skirted around Steelix's field of vision. While Kashiwagi distracted the giant by stroking her metallic hide, Chansey quietly used Heal Pulse, restoring her stamina and mending the worst of her bruises.
Feeling the gentle touch on her head and tasting the sweet Berries, a soothing warmth began to flow through Steelix's body. Her tension rapidly drained away.
"Roar..."
"You must be hungry, right? Try this."
Kashiwagi pulled out the pre-prepared "Glowing Cuisine" and fed it to her. When Steelix closed her mouth, her teeth looked neat and formidable, but when she opened it, the teeth were staggered—alternating top and bottom—making her look somewhat endearingly gap-toothed and silly.
After the brutal workout, Steelix was indeed famished. The aroma of the high-quality food was irresistible, and she began to eat eagerly. Unfortunately, the portion was far too small to fill a stomach of her size.
She glanced cautiously at Aggron, then turned a pleading, longing gaze toward Kashiwagi.
"Want more?"
"Roar!"
"Then you're with me from now on. He's the Big Brother, and I'm the Grand Boss. Come on, greet the Big Brother!"
"Roar!"
"Greet the Grand Boss!"
"Roar!"
"Right, and we have a Big Sister here, too. Greet the Big Sister."
"Roar!"
Pop! Pop! Two Poké Balls opened.
Kashiwagi pointed at Mawile. "This is the Big Boss Sister! Greet her!"
"Roar!"
He pointed at Deino. "This is... this is our little brother. You don't need to greet him."
"Roar... Roar?"
At this point, Steelix had entered a state of total compliance. Whether she actually understood the specific hierarchy was questionable, but she was nodding along.
To test the results, Kashiwagi stuffed the last bit of food into her mouth and climbed onto her massive, platform-like skull. He gave it a light pat. "Stand up!"
Steelix slowly reared her upper body. Allowing a human to stand atop her head was the ultimate sign of submission.
Before her head hit the ceiling, Kashiwagi flattened himself against her crown, eventually breaking into a laugh. The feeling of being "at the summit, looking down on the world" was incredibly exhilarating.
"It seems Soshiro is a master of psychological manipulation, but he doesn't quite understand the heart of a Pokémon," Kashiwagi mused.
Taming Steelix had gone far more smoothly than he'd expected. He'd anticipated a long, drawn-out tug-of-war. Now, he realized his investment hadn't just broken even; he'd struck gold.
Come to think of it, he wondered, if I have Level 60 Pokémon, how many Gym Badges would that be worth? If I entered a League Conference now, could I win the championship?
Probably not. He only had two Level 60s, and he didn't even have a full team of six yet. Serious contenders usually prepared at least nine Pokémon to ensure they had a healthy rotation for back-to-back battles.
"Long way to go. Thanks for the hard work, put me down."
Kashiwagi patted her head again. Steelix complied with surprising grace.
Now that they were teammates, Aggron retracted his intimidating aura and gave Steelix a toothy grin. The giant serpent, seemingly flattered, began to sway her head back and forth. Even her thick tail started wagging like a puppy's.
"We already have one 'dog' in the house. Behave yourself and pick a different personality," Kashiwagi muttered.
Under Steelix's puzzled gaze, he returned her and the rest of the team to their Poké Balls.
"Good work, everyone."
He walked out of the room to check out with the arena owner. The owner greeted him with a jolly smile. "How was it? Extremely sturdy, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, not bad. I'll come back next time I have a chance," Kashiwagi nodded, handed back the key, and left.
"Thank you, come again~!" the owner beamed.
Two minutes later.
The owner walked into the room to inspect for any "minor" scuffs, humming a little tune. "My lovely little ro—HOLY MOTHER OF...!"
He stood frozen, jaw dropping at the sight of walls riddled with massive craters. Deep cracks spiderwebbed across the reinforced metal, pushed to the absolute limit of structural failure. Some sections were completely caved in.
It looked like it had been hit by a localized missile strike.
"Who... what kind of person is he...?"
The owner sucked in a sharp breath. Recalling Kashiwagi's face, he suddenly yelped: "I knew he looked familiar! It's him!"
Kashiwagi's nickname wasn't just known among the gangs; the merchants of the Underdome knew it too. To survive in business here, one had to be well-informed.
"Incredible. Simply incredible."
The owner quickly snapped photos of the ruined walls and uploaded them to the Underdome Merchant Group chat with a caption:
[Today, the 'Demon Wood' visited my shop! This young talent is truly extraordinary! (image.jpg)]
[For real?!]
[The new Snagem Executive?]
[Mr. Ikegami, you made a connection with the Demon Wood? Is it convenient to introduce us?]
[Me too.]
[Same here.]
The chat flooded with memes and emojis. The owner watched the screen, his vanity reaching new heights. As for the introduction... he hadn't even finished a full conversation with the guy yet. Introduce them? Not a chance!
-----
Back at the villa, Kashiwagi finally released Steelix into the yard.
The bright blue sky helped her relax further. For a creature of her size, the semi-enclosed arena had been far too claustrophobic.
"Roar~"
"Already got it ready for you. Dig in."
Kashiwagi carried a massive basin of food out of the house and placed it before her. In truth, the basin was still too small given their size difference, but three trips would get the job done.
First, he wanted her to eat smaller, frequent meals. Second, given the quality of the food—packed with calories and nutrients—it was actually enough. If Steelix just wanted to feel "full," she could always snack on iron-rich soil or rocks, the staple diet of a wild Steelix.
But once she adjusted, she wouldn't need to eat massive quantities at once. Steelix wasn't a Snorlax; she didn't just digest everything she ate immediately.
Even so, looking at Aggron, the giant Steelix, and the gold-devouring Deino, Kashiwagi had to give serious thought to his bank account.
"In this family, only the three of us have small appetites and save money," he said, looking at Chansey and Mawile with a heavy sigh of realization.