"Azumarill!"
The kid shouted in a panic, "Use Aqua Jet!"
Zzzt!
Static electricity crackled within the smoke. Snapping out of his reverie, Kashiwagi commanded, "Dark Pulse!"
In the next instant, a beam composed of numerous black rings tore through the smoke.
Azumarill, caught at the tip of the blast, was sent flying into the railing before sliding helplessly to the deck.
"Rill..."
Its eyes were replaced by dizzy spirals, and tiny sparks of electricity danced across its body.
There was no doubt about it—the trademark sign of paralysis. This was exactly why Aqua Jet had failed to trigger.
Still, Azumarill was sturdier than Kashiwagi had expected; after all, his Deino had the Hustle ability, which significantly boosted its Attack.
High level? Kashiwagi wondered.
Of course, no matter the level, few could withstand the back-to-back combo of Thunder Fang and Dark Pulse.
"Azumarill!" The kid rushed forward and scooped up his fainted partner.
"Don't worry, it's just paralyzed. A bit of Paralyze Heal and some Potion for the scratches, and it'll be fine." Kashiwagi patted Deino, who had trotted over looking for praise, then pulled two spray bottles from his pocket.
"Can you handle it yourself?"
"..." The kid hesitated, looking a bit lost.
Seeing this, Kashiwagi knelt down, took the Azumarill, and sprayed the Paralyze Heal onto the clear bite marks on its back. Within seconds, the jumping sparks vanished.
He then applied the Potion evenly. Before long, Azumarill stirred.
"Rill~ Azumarill!" The chubby water rabbit was back to its energetic self.
Seeing his Pokémon healthy again, the kid beamed.
"Azumarill! Say thank you to the big brother!"
"No problem. I should thank you for the battle." Kashiwagi patted the boy's shoulder.
He had been struggling to pick a theme for the upcoming Contest, but Azumarill's Ice Beam had sparked an idea. If he could execute it the way he envisioned, passing the first appeal round shouldn't be difficult.
The two cleared away the scuff marks from the battle, shared a smile, and parted ways. The kid went off to find other trainers to challenge, while Kashiwagi leaned against the railing, sketching out various dance moves for Mawile.
Thanks to her consistent hard work, she had recently begun to grasp the mechanics of Sword Dance. Kashiwagi expected her to master the move within a few days.
For him, this was fantastic news—Sword Dance wasn't just a core stat-boosting move to make Mawile more aggressive; it was the centerpiece he needed for the Contest.
After a short while, Kashiwagi finished designing the new theme on paper, but looking at it now, he realized the technical hurdles were significant.
"Projecting Ice Punch away from the body... how exactly do they do that? Or is it something only Psychic-types can manage?" He opened a pre-downloaded video on his phone, feeling a bit stumped.
In the anime, trainers often used "contact" moves as if they were long-range attacks.
Take the classic "Elemental Fangs"—especially Fire Fang. It was often depicted as a giant mouth of flames forming in front of the user, dealing damage even if the physical teeth never touched the opponent.
But that wasn't even the most exaggerated example.
In the video he was watching, a Medicham was using Ice Punch as a projectile. It condensed the energy into a solid form and hurled it forward. Anyone caught off guard would mistake it for Ice Shard.
Kashiwagi recognized the trainer in the video: Grace, a "big sister" figure May had met when she won her first Ribbon.
In the anime, she shared a voice actress with Jessie and had similar hair, which had confused Kashiwagi when he first saw her.
Kashiwagi desperately wanted Mawile to learn this technique, but practice was proving much harder than theory.
Wooooo—
A long foghorn blast interrupted his thoughts. They had arrived at Slateport City.
...
Slateport City
The city where people, Pokémon, and nature mingle in harmony.
It was one of Hoenn's premier tourist destinations. While it lacked the heavy high-tech atmosphere of Rustboro City, it made up for it with its sprawling local markets.
Because of its frequent international trade and diverse visitors, one could see many Pokémon here that weren't native to Hoenn—making it the perfect place for trainers looking to broaden their horizons.
Kashiwagi headed straight for the Pokémon Center upon disembarking, but as usual, he was told the private rooms were full.
"If you don't mind sharing..."
"Sorry, I won't trouble you." He politely declined Nurse Joy's suggestion of a shared room.
Slateport had plenty of beachside resort hotels; the only issue was the price. Although he'd just got some free money, his instinct was to save where he could.
As he turned to leave, he noticed a tall, imposing Blaziken leaning against a pillar by the entrance. It wore a nurse's cap on its head, which looked quite comical.
Kashiwagi blinked, then remembered.
This was the Combusken that had evolved early due to Ash and his friends' interference before a new trainer could choose it. Nurse Joy had kept it as a bodyguard for the Center.
It evolved again? Impressive... He made eye contact with the Blaziken.
"Bla-ze?" The Pokémon looked confused for a moment, then stepped closer as if asking if he needed help.
"I'm fine, thanks!" Kashiwagi waved and made his exit.
After a quick search on his phone, he walked to the nearest resort and successfully booked a high-floor ocean-view suite equipped with a kitchen.
"Here is your keycard. Please contact us if you need anything~" the smiling receptionist bowed.
Kashiwagi thanked her and headed for the elevator. Just as he pressed the button, the doors slid open, and a blue shadow lunged straight at his legs, accompanied by a startled cry.
"Piplup!"
"Pip-lup!"
A round-headed little blue penguin slammed into Kashiwagi's knee. It hit with surprising force, sending a sharp sting through his leg.
However, the recoil seemed to leave the Piplup looking a bit dazed.
"Are you okay, Piplup?"
A dark-haired girl wearing a white beanie knelt down anxiously. Once she confirmed Piplup was unhurt, she immediately apologized to Kashiwagi.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine... Dawn?"
Kashiwagi rubbed his knee, taking a closer look at the girl. He couldn't help but sound surprised.
The girl blinked, looked up at his face, and wore a look of utter confusion.
"You are...?"
"Pip-lup?"
Piplup, rubbing its head as it stood up, also looked on in confusion.
It really is a small world, Kashiwagi thought. He didn't know what to say, but given that Ursula was in Hoenn for the Contests, it made sense that Dawn would be here too.
"I've seen your Contests," he said, offering a smile to Dawn and Piplup.