Can a full-power Ice Punch meet the requirement of being launched as a projectile?
After thinking it over, Mawile decided to put it into practice.
"Ma-wile!"
Her right fist glowed with a brilliance white as snow, shimmering like the trailing tail of a comet streaking across the sky. The energy accumulation was completed in an instant, and she swung her fist fiercely at the air!
Boom!
A cloud of white mist exploded where Mawile's fist landed. Chilling air surged in all directions before slowly dissipating.
That was all.
"Ma-wile..." Mawile looked at her fist with disappointment.
Clearly, this technique wasn't something that could be mastered so easily.
Watching his goddess so saddened, Piplup's heart nearly shattered. His small eyes brimmed with sympathetic tears.
"Pip-lup..."
"No need to be so down. Didn't Professor Kukui say it himself? The variation of moves depends on the imagination and diligent practice of the Pokémon and the Trainer. There are no shortcuts on this road," Kashiwagi comforted them with a relaxed smile.
Dawn chimed in quickly, "He's right! If you keep practicing, you'll definitely master it! It's perfectly normal to run into trouble early on!"
As someone with a fair share of experience in "whimsical" designs—like combining Mamoswine's Ice Shard with Quilava's Flame Wheel to create Flame-Ice—she knew that what seemed like a pipe dream to others could be achieved through trial and error.
"Oh, right!"
She seemed to remember something and pulled a Poké Ball from her pocket. "Come on out, Buneary!"
Pop!
White light flashed, and a small, bipedal brown rabbit landed on the ground.
"Bun-bun?"
"This is the Ice-type move expert of my team. She can definitely help Mawile!" Dawn said with a grin.
"An Ice-type expert?"
Kashiwagi blinked, then remembered. This was the same Buneary that could freeze an entire lake—a Normal-type that wielded Ice Beam with divine proficiency, and a certain "fangirl" who was deeply in love with Ash's Pikachu.
Upon seeing Buneary, Piplup's eyes lit up too.
"Pip-lup! Pip-lup-lup!"
He chirped loudly at her, not at all politely.
"Bun-bun?"
Buneary leaned back slightly, looking at him with clear distaste before turning her head away with a huff of disdain.
However, when her gaze landed on Mawile—specifically on the red hair ribbons at the back of Mawile's head—she became shy yet curious.
"Bun-bun~"
"Ma-wile~"
Mawile looked up to exchange a glance with Kashiwagi. At his encouraging nod, she approached Buneary and proactively turned her head around to show off her red ribbons and the Soothe Bell.
"Bun-bun~"
Seeing the ribbons and the bell up close and smelling that pleasant fragrance, Buneary's nervousness and shyness vanished instantly.
Evidently, these two Pokémon shared similar hobbies; both loved dressing up and looking pretty.
Piplup tried to join the circle, only to find himself invisibly excluded. He was completely unable to interject when the girls were having their "girl talk."
"Pip-lup—"
Piplup turned to stone on the spot, a single tear frozen at the corner of his eye.
Kashiwagi couldn't help but laugh. "Your Piplup really is one-of-a-kind cute."
"Ahahaha..." Dawn gave an embarrassed laugh.
Next, with the companionship of Dawn and Buneary, Kashiwagi and Mawile began intensive training for Ice Punch, striving to master the "projectile" release technique before the next Contest.
Why "companionship" and not "guidance"?
Because Buneary only knew Ice Beam—a move that was already long-range. All she could teach was how to shape and mold the ice energy.
That said, Kashiwagi was genuinely curious how she managed to create hollow, transparent ice spheres. To use Ice Beam to such a degree... Dawn truly was a prodigy.
There was a reason she was sometimes called the "female version of Ash."
...
...
Noon
After finishing their practice, the two ate lunch together. To thank Dawn for her help, Kashiwagi decided to head into the kitchen and show off his skills.
She was hesitant at first, and seeing the massive amount of ingredients he'd bought, she repeatedly insisted he didn't need to go to such trouble. But the moment the aroma wafted out from the kitchen, she fell silent.
"It smells so good..."
Dawn and Piplup sat in the living room, feeling like their noses were growing longer as they were led astray by the delicious scent.
"Pip-lup, pip-lup..." Piplup agreed. The food's aroma was so enticing it practically wiped away half of Mawile's image from his mind, and the invasion was continuing.
Both couldn't help but recall the squinty-eyed man who used to cook for them during their travels. They remembered how Brock's food used to tug at their heartstrings just like this.
They wondered where he was now, and Ash... which region was he traveling in?
As Dawn and Piplup reminisced, Kashiwagi and Chansey emerged carrying plates and bowls.
"Lunch is served!"
He called out to them, then unclipped his Poké Balls to release his team. "Time to eat, everyone!"
"Pip-lup!"
Piplup sprang off the sofa in a flash and hurried to Kashiwagi's feet, demanding to carry a plate.
The proud little penguin refused to eat "charity" food; but if he helped out, then the meal became his hard-earned reward.
"What's up? Can't wait?"
Kashiwagi had no idea what he wanted, especially since Piplup was just standing there raising his flippers and chirping. Fortunately, Chansey was more intuitive and handed him a bowl. Piplup got his wish.
On the other side, Dawn watched Kashiwagi's Pokémon with wide eyes. She was initially startled by the massive Aggron, but was surprised to find it was actually quite friendly. It even extended a claw as if wanting to shake hands.
The other Pokémon were equally unique—especially Galarian Corsola, Deino, and Porygon. She didn't recognize any of them. She hurriedly pulled out her Pokédex to scan them one by one.
"Wow! So many Pokémon I've never seen before!"
Dawn felt like she was learning so much today. She quickly released her own partners. "Everyone, come on out!"
Pop-pop-pop—
A series of lights flashed as her remaining Pokémon landed: Pachirisu, Quilava, Mamoswine, and Togekiss.
"Pachi-pachi!" The energetic Pachirisu caught the scent of food and ran straight for Kashiwagi, climbing up his clothes until it reached his shoulder, peering down hungrily.
Mamoswine, who shared a love for food—and had actually been lured into joining Dawn because of it—couldn't hold back either.
Luckily, Kashiwagi already knew about Mamoswine's reckless personality. He handed its portion, along with another, to Aggron.
"You two big monsters go divide this yourselves."
"Agg-Ron!" Aggron took the food and locked eyes with Mamoswine.
Seeing the monster that was taller than itself and radiating an intimidating aura, Mamoswine didn't dare charge. "Maaa-muuu—"
"Gronn-." Aggron tilted its head, and the two walked off to eat.
Quilava and Togekiss were more reserved, but they too began to gravitate toward Kashiwagi, unable to resist. Before long, every Pokémon had their respective meal.
Kashiwagi and Dawn finally began their own lunch.
"Thanks for the food!"
Dawn clasped her hands together happily, eagerly taking a bite of the fried rice. She stroked her puffed-out cheeks in pure bliss.
"So delicious~"
"As long as it didn't disappoint you," Kashiwagi smiled.