With nothing to do, Kashiwagi decided to take a proper look around the ship.
The Eros Milotic was massive. If he didn't take the time to appreciate the various facilities on board, wouldn't he be wasting the high-end premium ticket Yamamino had bought for him?
Most of the facilities allowed Pokémon to walk alongside their Trainers, though there were restrictions on height and weight. A few areas were strictly off-limits to Pokémon due to their layout or other concerns, all to prevent unnecessary trouble.
Among Kashiwagi's team, Mawile was the only one particularly enamored by this glittering world. As they browsed the shops, it constantly wanted to buy this or that, but upon closer inspection, most of it was useless junk.
He certainly wasn't short on cash, but he didn't want to carry a pile of trash around either. Eventually, he struck a deal with Mawile: it could only pick three things.
In the end, Mawile chose a small bottle of perfume, a red silk ribbon that could be tied to its Soothe Bell, and a piece of cream cake that was supposedly delicious.
"Watch out, or you'll get fat!"
Kashiwagi teased. In response, he received a swift kick from the puffed-up Pokémon.
"Maw-wile!"
What do you think you're saying to a lady!?
Seeing Mawile's indignation, Kashiwagi chuckled and tied the new red ribbon onto it.
"Maw? Maw-wile?"
Mawile touched the ribbon, checked its reflection in a nearby floor-to-ceiling window, and tilted its head left and right, asking its Trainer how it looked.
"You look great, of course."
Kashiwagi ruffled its head and continued their stroll.
-----
They explored until noon.
Both were getting hungry, and they happened to be near a high-end restaurant. It looked decent and only restricted heavy or oversized Pokémon, so they decided to head in for a meal.
Initially, Mawile was full of enthusiasm. Having learned the habit from somewhere, it dragged Kashiwagi into taking photos of him and the food. However, after just two bites, it voluntarily swapped back into its Poké Ball to let Chansey take its place.
In its honest opinion: the plating was pretty, but the taste was lacking.
Chansey might actually like this—
Unfortunately, "Little Egg" wasn't particularly fond of it either. But upon hearing that the dish was expensive and the cooking techniques were worth studying for their own recipes, Chansey gritted its teeth and finished every last bite.
Kashiwagi watched with a smile. He actually thought it was fine; his Pokémon's dislike was likely just a matter of taste. It was similar to how Aggron thought iron tasted sweet and copper tasted sour, whereas he couldn't eat metal at all.
The taste buds of humans and Pokémon were similar most of the time, but they diverged in subtle, specific ways.
After filling his own stomach, he quickly found a shop specializing in Pokémon food. He bought a large supply and headed to the ship's rest area to feed the starving Aggron and Deino.
Mawile and Chansey hadn't eaten their fill either, so they squeezed in to snag some snacks.
Kashiwagi sat with them in a circle, glancing at the other Trainers and Pokémon around him.
Just as the guides had said, the rest area was the default spot for Pokémon to eat, making it a hub for Trainers, Breeders, and Pokémon lovers to socialize. It was a very popular non-entertainment zone.
"Should we check out the Battle Arena this afternoon? Let's see just how strong the Trainers from the outside world really are," Kashiwagi whispered, reaching out to wipe a crumb from the corner of Deino's mouth.
Aggron and the others let out soft cries of agreement.
Hearing them, the surrounding Trainers turned their gaze toward them. Seeing the massive Aggron, they couldn't help but let out murmurs of admiration.
In the Pokémon world, bigger wasn't always better, but being able to raise an Aggron to be this robust was proof of its excellent natural talent and Kashiwagi's skill as a Trainer.
Two Trainers approached him, praising Aggron before asking if Kashiwagi was interested in a Pokémon trade.
"Check out my Dodrio! It's got a lively personality! You'll definitely love it!"
"Look at mine! Scolipede! Look at how beautiful its horns are—and it's incredibly fast!"
The two introduced their Pokémon fervently.
In the Trainer community, trading Pokémon to raise them was a common practice; there were even trade conventions held to give people more options.
However, Kashiwagi had little interest in it, unless it was a newly caught Pokémon with no emotional bond... but then again, he wouldn't catch a Pokémon unless he liked it in the first place.
Seeing that he wouldn't budge, the two sighed in disappointment, added his Trainer ID, and took their leave.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the distance.
Kashiwagi stood up to look. A crowd of onlookers had gathered to his front-left. Amidst the noise, one voice rang out clearly.
"Give my Pokémon back to me!"
Huh? Is someone actually robbing Pokémon in broad daylight on the Eros Milotic?
He looked on with curiosity.
Soon, a boy with slanted, "triangular" eyes and a bit of a delinquent look emerged from the crowd. Behind him followed a boy with deep green hair and glasses.
Both looked to be about ten years old. They were tugging at each other's clothes, looking exactly like a school bully and a picked-on nerd.
"You're so annoying! Are you really that much of a sore loser?" the first boy shouted, turning around.
The other argued firmly, "I never agreed to trade Pokémon if I lost! You guys forced it from me and took it to the trade machine!"
Good grief.
So that's what's happening.
Kashiwagi clicked his tongue in amazement, catching a glimpse of several people in security uniforms approaching out of the corner of his eye.
The onlookers noticed the ship's security as well and quickly dispersed. The triangular-eyed boy tried to run, but the boy in glasses held onto him like his dear life, dragging him along until the security reached them.
Under their arguments and explanations, the boy in glasses successfully got his Pokémon back. The triangular-eyed boy received a harsh reprimand from the guards and shot a resentful glare at his victim.
The two boys were eventually separated by the guards and ordered not to contact each other again.
I guess there are "special specimens" in every region, Kashiwagi thought, shaking his head. He knew that while other regions were far better than the "rotten-to-the-core" Orre, it didn't mean they were devoid of trash.
Otherwise, where would the evil organizations come from? Where would the endless stream of poachers come from?
Disgusting people were everywhere; it was just a matter of quantity.
Case in point: that guy who abandoned Charmander at the start of the original series was disgusting enough to make anyone want to punch him.
"The show's over, and the food's finished..."
He quietly packed up the bowls and his Pokémon, then headed back to his room for a nap.
-----
Afternoon
Kashiwagi arrived at the Battle Arena.
As a globally popular sport, Pokémon battling drew massive attention wherever it was held. Even on the Eros Milotic, there were endless crowds coming to watch and even more wanting to participate.
He wandered around for a bit but couldn't find an opening for a match. There were just too many people.
However, he found that if he looked closely enough, he could find opportunities—specifically at the "wager" battlefields.
Kashiwagi spotted the triangular-eyed boy again. He seemed to be with a group of friends, hogging a battlefield and baiting people into matches.
Whenever someone stepped up, they would wait until the match started to forcibly add a wager: the loser had to trade a Pokémon. Without waiting for the opponent to agree, they would start the battle. Once it was over, they would snatch the person's Poké Ball and force it into a nearby trade machine.
Truly disgusting. No wonder the boy with glasses had been tricked earlier.
Kashiwagi looked around and noticed that while everyone was annoyed, no one was stepping up to stop them.
He recorded the group's antics on his phone, posted it directly to PokeBlog, tagged the official Eros Milotic account, and made a call to customer service.
As he hung up and scanned the area, he caught a glimpse of the green-haired boy from earlier.
Less than two minutes later, the punks were caught by the arriving ship security.
The guards returned all the stolen Pokémon to their original owners and announced on the spot that the group would be kicked off the ship and handed over to the police at Gateon Port.
The Eros Milotic was set to depart at 3:00 PM. With about an hour left, it was the perfect time to say goodbye to them before the ship set sail. Once they were at sea, dealing with such people would be a hassle, as the ship couldn't exactly throw them overboard.
A moment later, customer service called back to provide feedback. Kashiwagi couldn't help but smile.
"Great efficiency. I hope The Resistance gives those bastards a lesson they won't forget."
"Big brother! It was you, wasn't it?"
A voice, forced low but bursting with excitement, whispered in his ear.
"Hmm?"
Kashiwagi frowned and looked to his side. It was the boy in glasses he had spotted earlier.
The boy had sidled up to him at some point, looking at him with pure admiration. "I just heard you talking to the ship staff on the phone... No, even before that, I saw you recording them and reporting it! I was originally going to go up and try to stop them from tricking more people.
"But then the guards came! You must have been the one to solve it! You're so cool!"
"The guards are the cool ones; I just helped by reporting it."
He admitted it openly, then patted the boy's shoulder. "Kid, be careful when you are out and about in the world. And maybe work on your physique—you look like an easy target for bullies."
"My dad says the same thing, hehe..."
The boy in glasses smiled bashfully. "My name is Max! What's your name, big brother?"
"I'm... wait."
Kashiwagi looked at him in disbelief.
"What did you say your name was?"