After seeing off the busy Officer Jenny, Kashiwagi let out a sigh.
She had only dropped by to check on the situation, but upon seeing the "culprit," she warned him to keep his Steelix under control. The Petalburg Woods wasn't just for Trainers; it was frequented by herb gatherers, woodcutters, and fruit farmers—many of whom traveled with Pokémon that had zero combat capability. There were families out for picnics and even ordinary people without Pokémon hoping to find a partner.
Furthermore, the outskirts of Petalburg Woods were mostly home to weaker Pokémon. Being too flashy could cause a localized panic.
The person who had reported him was an herb gatherer. While harvesting, he had happened to glance up and nearly died of fright at the sight of a Steelix soaring freely through the sky.
Recently, the Giant Monster movie series had been a massive hit, specifically one featuring a "Mecha Tyranitar" destroying a city.
The poor guy had projected the movie right into reality.
"I mean, taking a movie that seriously is a bit much, but I guess getting scared is understandable..."
Kashiwagi looked awkwardly at Steelix, who looked equally awkward—and perhaps a bit hurt.
"Steeelix..."
Steelix let out a low rumble. It was incredibly popular back in Pyrite Town; it had never been "shunned" like this before. Well, technically it had—plenty of thugs in Pyrite Town were terrified of it—but back then, it hadn't cared. Now, looking back, the giant serpent realized Pyrite Town gave it nothing but fond memories.
Mainly because it could dig holes whenever it wanted.
"In that case... you'll just have to work a little harder and travel back and forth between me and Pyrite Town more often." Kashiwagi patted its massive head.
To look after the Pokémon he sent back, N had specially arranged for a highly empathetic Indeedee to be on standby. This ensured that even if N was busy, Kashiwagi's Pokémon could be swapped out promptly.
"Steelixx!"
Steelix was happy with that arrangement. It signaled that it would train even harder back in Pyrite Town—burrowing through mountains and tunneling through the earth could make it stronger too!
"I hope so..."
Kashiwagi recalled the tips Brock had given him regarding Steelix's upbringing and felt a bit more at ease. Even when raising Pokémon, you didn't need to have them by your side every second; regular check-ups and maintenance routines were enough.
He checked the time.
"Dinner time! Everyone, lend a hand!"
He called out loudly, summoning all the playing Pokémon back. He assigned a task to each of them, making sure everyone felt involved. A "sense of participation" made food taste better and improved the Pokémon's mental well-being—at least, according to the Health Management chapter by that Ranch Uncle.
Dinner consisted of fried rice and mushroom soup. Portions were necessarily modest since space in a travel bag is a premium, but fortunately, the wild was overflowing with Berries. With Berries as a supplement, even big eaters like Aggron and Steelix could eat their fill.
Speaking of which, most berry trees were guarded by wild Pokémon. However, thanks to Steelix's presence, nine out of ten guards were scared off. The tenth was either asleep or had fainted from shock.
They were "all bark and no bite"—or rather, neither bark nor bite—wishing only for this "God of Calamity" to leave as soon as possible.
Kashiwagi wasn't worried that picking the Berries would leave the locals starving. Because of the abundance of Grass-type Pokémon in most forests, fruit was usually in extreme surplus. It wasn't like a Team Rocket operation where they stripped the land bare.
The fried rice was fragrant, and the mushroom soup was savory. Watching the smiles on Chansey and the others, Kashiwagi didn't feel lonely at all, despite traveling solo.
Wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air as the dusk faded and night fell.
Before long, the sky was blanketed in stars.
Chansey proactively took over the dishwashing. It loved these small, meticulous tasks; they made it feel useful. After a short rest, everyone began their usual training.
Kashiwagi joined in, doing various aerobic and anaerobic exercises. He aspired to raise his physical constitution to "Ash Ketchum levels"—the kind of level where you could take a Pokémon's move point-blank and just yell, "Hey! What was that for?!"
Maybe getting shocked by electricity would have a miraculous effect? Actually, he had never dared to tank a Pokémon's move head-on. He wasn't that brave yet.
In the distance, loud thuds and clangs rang out.
That was Steelix and Aggron colliding. One was trying to learn Iron Head, while the other was practicing Heavy Slam; both were working diligently.
Truthfully, if Kashiwagi had a choice, he'd prefer Aggron to learn Head Smash, that heavy-hitting Rock-type physical move. However, that was an Egg Move; it couldn't be learned through self-realization. He'd either have to get it as a simulator reward or find another Aggron that knew the move to teach it.
Nearby, Mawile was dancing. Swords Dance was proving to be a real challenge for it. It had somehow accidentally learned Double Team while trying, but Swords Dance remained elusive.
In contrast, while Chansey couldn't launch an offensive yet, it was a beast at learning status moves. It had already picked up Helping Hand and Light Screen, much to the envy of the others.
Currently, Chansey was helping Deino learn Dragon Pulse. It used Helping Hand to boost the energy output of Deino's Dragon Breath, allowing the little dragon to feel exactly how much power was needed for a Dragon Pulse. This method was highly recommended by Trainers online. Kashiwagi didn't know if it actually worked, but after a few safe trials, he let them get on with it.
As for new moves, Deino had certainly made gains over the last two months: Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, and Ice Fang. No doubt it had learned these from Mawile, though its own obsession with biting everything certainly helped.
Everyone was working hard.
Even the perpetually depressed Galarian Corsola was doing its part. It looked like it was just staring blankly at the campfire, but it was actually practicing Will-O-Wisp, trying to grasp the power of flames from the embers.
Kashiwagi hadn't believed this would work at first. But back at the Littleroot Pokémon Center, while he was trading culinary tips with Brock, he had left Corsola near the stove. Even from several meters away, the coral Pokémon had suddenly shuddered and spat out two wisps of flame. That had given him the inspiration.
Galarian Corsola could only learn two Fire-type moves: Will-O-Wisp and Sunny Day. Either way, it was a win.
They kept at it until nearly 8:00 PM.
Worried that Officer Jenny might return on overtime, Kashiwagi called a halt. He took all the Pokémon (except Steelix) to a nearby stream to wash up.
"Dry off that fur, and tomorrow will be another energetic day."
Kashiwagi used a brush and a cordless hairdryer to dry the three furry ones, then gave them a good grooming. He exhaled a long breath into the cool breeze. Camping was definitely hard work, yet it was so incredibly rewarding.
He sat in his camping chair with the sleeping Deino curled at his feet. He picked up the kettle from the small table, listening to the bubbling water as he made himself a cup of hot cocoa. Tucking a blanket over his knees, he looked up at the vast starry sky.
The campfire nearby crackled and popped. Aggron and Chansey stared into the flames, lost in thought. Behind them, the woods rustled—perhaps the wind, or perhaps the nocturnal Pokémon were beginning their day.
Kashiwagi felt wonderful.
The world of the anime was bizarre and filled with wonders—mysterious ancient technology, majestic legendary spirits, and even sinister ghosts. But as long as Aggron and the others were by his side, he feared nothing.
"Tomorrow's going to be a beautiful day..."