Using his dinner invitation at Norman's house as an excuse, Kashiwagi declined Hideki's challenge request.
Hideki looked utterly dejected.
"Don't worry about it; your brother will figure something out." Kashiwagi saw off the brat with the endless schemes, retrieved his Aggron and the others from Nurse Joy, and headed back to the Petalburg Gym.
Last time he entered through the front; this time, he used the back entrance.
Norman happened to be drinking tea. Seeing him, he waved him over immediately. "You've come at just the right time. An old lady just sent me some Lavaridge Rice Crackers; come try some."
"Lavaridge Rice Crackers!"
Kashiwagi's eyes lit up. He had been looking forward to this Lavaridge Town specialty for a long time. Unfortunately, they were rarely sold elsewhere; the specialty shop in Littleroot Town always had lines so long he could never buy any, forcing him to give up.
He hadn't expected to find them at Norman's house.
He couldn't wait to pick one up and inspect it. The moment it touched his hand, the aroma of toasted rice mixed with hints of seaweed and soy sauce hit him. Taking a bite, the crunch was phenomenal, and the umami of the seaweed combined with the salty-sweet soy sauce exploded on his tongue.
"Delicious!"
Kashiwagi's eyes sparkled. He released Mawile and Chansey to share with them—he actually wanted to let more of his Pokémon try, but he felt a bit too embarrassed to ask.
Crunch, crunch. One piece, two pieces, three pieces.
In no time, the entire large plate was polished off by Kashiwagi and his two Pokémon. Seeing the empty plate, his face flushed slightly. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't stop myself."
This stuff is more addictive than Want Want crackers. Terrifying.
"Hahahaha, it's fine, it's fine! I understand. We're happy to see you enjoying them so much!"
Norman laughed heartily, not minding at all, and poured him a cup of Oolong tea. "I was just like you when I was a kid—once I had one, I couldn't stop. It's perfectly normal."
"When you were a kid?"
Kashiwagi blinked, then realized that the anime version of Norman might not be from Johto like his game and manga counterparts. There was a high probability he was a Hoenn local.
-----
Evening.
Caroline prepared a table full of delicacies to host him. The number of dishes was far more impressive than lunch.
While the food hadn't reached the "Glowing Dish" tier, Caroline used top-tier ingredients, allowing Kashiwagi to eat until he was physically unable to take another bite.
His Pokémon fared no better; Deino, lacking any sense of restraint, ate until it was actually gagging from being too full.
"You dummy, I look away for one second and you stuff yourself to death!" Kashiwagi laughed and scolded.
Norman observed the Pokémon and gave high praise to each. "These are all wonderful Pokémon; you've trained them very well."
"You flatter me..." He smiled modestly, then hesitated before asking: "Mr. Norman, do you know about the Gym in North Petalburg?"
"The North Petalburg Gym? Of course. Are you planning to get your second Badge there?" Norman asked curiously.
"No." Kashiwagi shook his head and told him about the events of the previous day.
Norman fell into deep thought. After a long silence, he said: "I see. A crisis of closure... No wonder I haven't heard much news about them lately."
"I actually hoped the North Petalburg Gym could relieve some of the pressure on my side," Norman said helplessly. "The consequence of fame is that I almost never get a holiday during the year. I even privately suggested some people I know to go help out... but I didn't think it would reach the point of closing."
Kashiwagi asked, "Was allowing his brother to hand out flyers at your door your idea?"
"I could only help in small ways like that," Norman sighed. "I met that young Leader once last year, but he was probably too nervous to communicate properly. I was worried that being too direct with my help would put too much pressure on him."
Too nervous meeting his idol?
That was common enough. Kashiwagi thought to himself that if Toshiki didn't pull himself together, no amount of help would matter.
-----
The next day.
Kashiwagi woke up early.
He had planned to make a final stop at the North Petalburg Gym to say goodbye and ask about their plans. To his surprise, Toshiki was already waiting for him at the entrance.
"Kashiwagi!"
Toshiki rushed over and, without a word, gave a deep, formal bow. "Please, help me!"
"What can I help you with? Strategy?" Kashiwagi didn't refuse immediately; he asked for clarification first.
"Hideki told me you're on great terms with Mr. Norman and even had dinner at his house. I want to ask you to accompany me to see him," Toshiki said bashfully.
"You... fine, okay."
He wanted to criticize Toshiki for being so timid, but on second thought, Norman's "Idol Aura" was likely just too bright for Toshiki to handle. "But let me make one thing clear: I am not responsible for speaking for you."
"Eh?"
"Don't 'eh' me. If you don't even have the confidence to speak to Mr. Norman, how are you going to get advice from him if you can't communicate normally?"
Kashiwagi patted his shoulder. "Bring out the courage you used to apologize to Officer Jenny. Just pretend your brother caused trouble again—and this time, the person he troubled is Mr. Norman!"
"That—alright, I understand." Toshiki nodded helplessly.
They got into the car.
"By the way, did you make an appointment?"
"Of course I did!"
"If I had said no, would you still have gone? You wouldn't have stood him up, would you?"
"Stood him up? Uh... it would be very rude to make an appointment and not show up. I think I probably still would have gone..."
"So you were going regardless. Why am I here? Stop the car and let me out!"
"Don't! Please! I'm begging you, come with me!"
Seeing Toshiki's hands starting to shake, Kashiwagi stopped teasing the guy. If he caused him to crash the car, it would be bad.
In a flash, they arrived at the Petalburg Gym. Toshiki spent several minutes taking deep breaths at the entrance until Kashiwagi finally dragged him through the back door. They successfully met with Norman, who had been waiting for a while.
"I've finally been waiting for you, Toshiki."
Norman looked calm and relaxed, exuding a natural friendliness. But Toshiki looked like he was facing a Final Boss. He broke into a cold sweat and took forever to get his first words out. "M-Master Norman, I'm Toshiki... the Leader of the N-North Petalburg Gym..."
This guy is really struggling.
Kashiwagi whispered in his ear: "Have some courage. Calm down. You're making it awkward for Mr. Norman and wasting his time! Do you understand!"
Hearing this, Toshiki steadied himself immediately. After another deep breath, his voice was still a bit shaky, but he could finally communicate normally with Norman.
He couldn't help but glance at Norman, who gave him an "I've got this, don't worry" look in return.
And so, Kashiwagi decisively took on the role of "Door Blocker," preventing Toshiki from using an excuse to flee like he had the previous year.
-----
It turned out that Kashiwagi was right to block the door.
Toshiki tried several times to explain his situation and seek help but failed to get the words out, repeatedly attempting to take his leave. However, because the door was blocked, he was forced to remain alone with his idol.
Norman also seized the opportunity to potentially get more time off in the future. Once Toshiki finally laid everything out, Norman shared his wisdom as a veteran Leader.
It took two and a half hours. Their conversation finally concluded.