"Please, have some tea."
Kashiwagi poured tea for the man and two women sitting before him. On the surface, he maintained a polite smile, but internally, his mind was racing.
"Thank you."
The three took the tea without a hint of disdain, drinking with refined grace. Beside them, Takeshi sat with his legs crossed, leisurely enjoying a popsicle.
Kashiwagi shot Takeshi a sideways glance. He wasn't annoyed by the guy's lack of manners, but rather by the fact that he had brought home such a "heavyweight" guest without a single warning call.
Taking a deep breath, Kashiwagi discreetly observed them.
The man on the left was lean, with a handsome face and long, fluffy green hair that reached his waist, loosely tied back. A strange, spherical celestial ornament hung from his neck, and a golden, cube-like object rested at his waist.
Of the two women, one had long pink hair, while the other had blonde hair tied in a ponytail with two strands sticking up like rabbit ears.
"Um... Mr. Gropius, is there anything I can help you with?"
Kashiwagi struggled to keep his voice steady.
Yes. Sitting in his living room was the former foster son of the leader of Team Plasma from the Unova region—a man who once commanded the power of Reshiram, rumored to be a child born of Pokémon, and a legendary figure who could understand their language.
N.
Full name: Natural Harmonia Gropius.
It was hard to believe he was physically standing there. The jolt Kashiwagi felt was no less than the first time he had seen a real Pokémon.
"Forgive the intrusion, Mr. Kashiwagi. We apologize for any inconvenience our sudden arrival may have caused," N said.
His voice was soft and gentle. His two sisters smiled and bowed their heads in greeting. "We came here primarily because of what Takeshi told us regarding the current state of Pyrite Town. We hope to offer what little help we can."
Upon hearing this, Kashiwagi immediately stood up and extended his hand. "Thank you three for your generous offer. Your arrival is a massive help to us. Since we share the same goals, let's consider ourselves comrades from now on. You can call me by my name, and please allow me to do the same for you."
"...The honor is mine. However, you may simply call me 'N'."
N seemed slightly surprised by the young man's decisiveness, but he likely attributed it to the dire nature of the Orre crisis. He shook Kashiwagi's hand firmly. Next were his sisters, the pink-haired Anthea and the blonde Concordia.
Their composed demeanor suggested this was the N from after the collapse of Team Plasma. In the original stories, N initially loathed human behavior and wanted Pokémon to be separated from them. It wasn't until he met Ash that he understood the true bond humans and Pokémon could share, ultimately receiving his answer from Reshiram.
Currently, he was likely traveling the world to build an ideal society for both species.
As the four spoke, N did most of the questioning while Kashiwagi provided answers. Based on N's focus, it was clear he was here specifically to save the Pokémon of Orre. For Kashiwagi, who had just resolved to save the "voiceless" Pokémon alongside the people, N's arrival was like a rainstorm in a drought.
However, since Kashiwagi functioned mostly as the "muscle" for the local movement, he wasn't sure what high-level strategic information he should disclose. He decided to put N in touch with Yamamino.
While they spoke, Kashiwagi pulled Takeshi aside.
"Is he a Dragon Tamer?"
"Nah."
"Then why the hell did you bring him here?"
"Met him during my travels. He said he was dedicated to helping Pokémon all over the world. I figured Orre is part of 'all over the world,' so I hit him up and we came over."
"And why didn't you notify Yamamino first instead of dropping them at my doorstep?"
"He's not a Dragon Tamer, why would I call Yamamino? Besides, aren't you calling him right now anyway?"
Seeing Takeo's nonchalant expression, Kashiwagi rubbed his face in frustration. "And what about the Dragon Tamers you promised?"
At this, Takeo's expression turned sheepish. He rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Uh... hahaha..."
Seeing Kashiwagi's unwavering stare, Takeo slumped his shoulders. "Elder Li said I was being too impulsive. You can't just jump into something this big based on a few sentences. She told me to come back, get a clear picture of the situation first, and... she wants a ten-thousand-word report."
"Ha!"
Kashiwagi couldn't help but laugh. It seemed Elder Li was the sensible one; you don't blindly join a revolution without knowing exactly who is doing what.
On the other side of the room, Yamamino seemed to have finished his initial conversation with N's group. The stiff formalities had faded. Following Yamamino's signal, Kashiwagi stepped away to take a private call.
"Look at that—our first group of allies has arrived, even if it's only three people," Yamamino sounded delighted over the phone. "But his power... I believe it's worth more than a thousand soldiers."
"You know him?" Kashiwagi asked.
"Of course. He's a famous Pokémon relief worker. They call him the 'Son of Pokémon'—a man who needs no Poké Balls and no battles, who can communicate with any Pokémon and lead them with just his words."
Yamamino's tone was that of a gamer who had just pulled a legendary SSR unit. "His direct combat strength might not be 'Top Executive' level, but his utility far exceeds ten Soshiros!"
"...Why has the Boss become a unit of measurement for combat power?"
"If you'd prefer another scale—"
"No, it's fine."
"Anyway, more people like him will show up soon. It's not convenient for me to host them right now, so I'll have to trouble you to look after N and his sisters."
"I can do that..."
Kashiwagi hung up, feeling the weight of the task. While he had spare rooms, he valued privacy, so he arranged for N's group to stay in Ryuka's villa next door.
According to N, Yamamino wanted them to stay "underground" for now, not revealing their presence until Ryuka initiated the main operation.
At this point, the future was becoming clear.
The chaos in Pyrite Town served two purposes:
- first, to cull the internal strength of rival gangs;
- second, to bait Es Gan's forces into leaving Phenac City.
This would relieve pressure on the primary offensive led by Yamamino's father.
As long as Ryuka could use Pyrite Town to bog down Es Gan's troops, their chances of victory would skyrocket. The Snagem convoy headed to Phenac would serve as the first line of distraction, ensuring the enemy couldn't return to reinforce the capital in time.
But Kashiwagi noticed something: Ryuka and Yamamino seemed to have different final goals for Es Gan's army.
Ryuka simply wanted to stall them. Yamamino... sounded like he was planning to annihilate them entirely.