Noon.
Kashiwagi stood at the harbor, waving goodbye to Dawn.
From Slateport City to Littleroot Town, taking a ferry was undeniably the fastest and most efficient route. Traveling by land was possible, but it required a massive detour around the coastline.
Worrying that Brock might leave Littleroot at any moment, Dawn had opted for the sea route.
The parting brought a sudden wave of melancholy, but the two of them made a new promise: if they didn't cross paths in the next few Contests, they would definitely reunite at the Wallace Cup or the Hoenn Grand Festival.
They were friends, yes, but they were also rivals. Unless one of them flopped so hard they couldn't collect five Ribbons—which seemed impossible for this pair—they were bound to meet again.
"See you later!" Dawn called out, leaning over the ship's railing and waving down at Kashiwagi.
"Piplup-pip-pip—!!"
Beside her, Piplup was a mess of tears, wailing as he bid farewell to a very confused-looking Mawile.
He had been so looking forward to traveling with her; who would have thought their Trainers' paths would diverge so completely?
His dreams were shattered.
His hard-won "second chance at love" was being severed by the cruel distance of geography.
"Mawile~"
Out of politeness, Mawile gave a small wave to see him off.
The result?
Piplup started crying even harder, his tiny wings flapping so frantically it looked like he was trying to take flight.
"PIPLUP-PIP—!! PIPLUP-PIP—!!"
Unfortunately, his heartbroken cries were drowned out by the deep, resonant blast of the ferry's horn as it pulled away from the dock.
"Mawile?"
Mawile turned to Kashiwagi, looking up curiously.
Kashiwagi chuckled. "He says he likes you and really doesn't want to be apart... something like that, anyway. It's not like I actually speak Pokémon."
"Mawile!"
Mawile rolled her eyes at him. If you don't understand, why do you say it with such conviction?
But speaking of "liking"... if that was the case, it would explain Piplup's erratic, "episodes" from before. Thinking back, he wasn't much different from the crazed fans Kashiwagi had shown her in those internet videos.
Mawile, who currently had zero concept of romantic love, had her own unique perspective on the matter. It wasn't that Kashiwagi hadn't tried to explain it; it was just that her brain wasn't wired for that concept yet.
For example, if "Love" meant two people spending every day together, feeling happy just seeing each other, and wanting to be together forever...
Then aren't the Trainer and I in love? she thought.
She felt all those things! By that logic, Aggron must be dating the Trainer too. And Chansey, and Zweilous... the Trainer was dating a lot of Pokémon!
Faced with Mawile's flawless (to her) logic, Kashiwagi found it nearly impossible to explain the nuance between a Trainer-Pokémon bond and romantic love. Even the strongest theory falls apart when faced with the "logic" of a stubborn Mawile.
Some things she just had to realize on her own.
Kashiwagi watched the ferry shrink into the distance before turning around. "Alright, the guests are sent off. Time for us to move, too. Whose turn is it today?"
"Mawile!"
Mawile raised her small hands and snapped them together in a biting motion.
"It's Zweilous's turn already?" Kashiwagi was surprised. Though he wanted to give the newly evolved dragon more screen time to see the world, he strictly followed the rotation order to keep things fair.
Pokémon are sensitive to favoritism. Unless you were Steelix, who was too massive to walk through a city and was perfectly happy with his "excavation career" back at the base, everyone got their turn.
"Mawile~" Mawile let out a yawn, fished her own Poké Ball out of Kashiwagi's pocket, tapped the button, and tucked herself inside.
Kashiwagi and Zweilous had stayed up so late last night that she hadn't gotten nearly enough beauty sleep. Being dragged out just to say goodbye was exhausting.
Kashiwagi looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, feeling helpless. "You're something else, you know that?"
...
...
Speaking of Steelix, with Aggron's "big brother" approval and encouragement, Steelix had begun his "mountain reclamation tour." He was using Bulldoze to make his big brother's territory more fertile.
Though he'd been doing this for a while with Kashiwagi's secret support, getting the official nod from the team leader was different. He was working with such passion that his levels were likely to skyrocket.
Ash might have Professor Oak, but Kashiwagi had N's help, plus frequent deliveries of high-quality "Glow Cooking", Steelix wouldn't be falling behind the rest of the team.
Whether Steelix could pull off a "Kingler-style" 3-vs-1 sweep remained to be seen. But if he could Mega Evolve... it wouldn't even be a question.
Before Dawn left, Kashiwagi had picked up the polished Steelixite from Lyra.
The first batch of gemstones he'd sent over had been appraised at around 300,000 Poké Dollars, which would be deposited into his bank account in a few days.
As for where to put the Mega Stone? He'd already planned it out.
Right behind the massive head. There was a natural indentation in Steelix's armor there. By mounting the Steelixite into a metal disc and welding it to that spot, it would be 100% secure. Most opponents wouldn't even have a chance to hit him there.
Naturally, Steelix was thrilled to receive "Legendary-tier equipment" and was digging with even more gusto.
...
...
Along with the Mega Stone came the revised sponsorship contract from Team Aqua.
Yesterday, despite the internal cringe, Kashiwagi had said those words on stage: "I'd like to thank Team Aqua for their generous support." You either refuse the money or you do the job. Taking the cash and not doing the work was just bad ethics.
After a night of trending online, the move had been a huge success for Team Aqua. They were already looking to increase the funding in exchange for a longer contract.
Kashiwagi, on the other hand, was so embarrassed he wanted the post-match shoutouts removed from future contests. He was willing to extend the contract for free if it meant he didn't have to say it again.
After some negotiation, Team Aqua agreed.
The new contract arrived: increased sponsorship fees, longer partnership, but no more mandatory scripts after matches.
It wasn't that Team Aqua had more money than brains. It was simply that the shoutout had been a bit too abrupt, causing a minor dip in both Kashiwagi's and the organization's reputation.
Many fans felt that the Contest stage was for dreams, not heavy-handed commercialism.
Team Aqua, currently transitioning away from their "dark history," didn't want to risk their public image.
If they had the money, why not do things the right way? They just wanted a better future where they weren't the "bad guys" anymore.
...
Meanwhile, in a secret base hidden deep within a remote mountain range...
A man with swept-back red hair, wearing glasses and a scholarly but sharp red robe, stared at a computer screen displaying public sentiment regarding Team Aqua.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"Courtney. Go and meet this man called Kashiwagi."
"Understood... Leader..."
A girl with a cow-horned hood and purple hair replied with a hollow, mechanical smile.