Kashiwagi had successfully established a friendly rapport with Chansey.
Much of this was due to the little pink egg being incredibly empathetic; she hadn't let her tragic past prevent her from communicating with him. Kashiwagi truly admired her grace after being abandoned twice. He couldn't help but steal a few more glances at her data.
Reading the pure text was a struggle, but luckily he had purchased a pen and paper earlier. Stumbling through it, he managed to translate the information into something he could understand.
Pokémon: Chansey
Type: Normal
Gender: Female
Height: 108cm / Weight: 34kg
Ability: Natural Cure
Level: 30
Moves: Pound, Withdraw, Tail Whip, Soft-Boiled, Double Team, Sing, Heal Pulse, Heal Bell
Only one attacking move—Pound? And she only knows nine moves total? No wonder the "original price" was only 1.1 million.
Most trainers in Pyrite Town were short-sighted, valuing only direct offensive power. Concepts like support, team medics, or special walls were beyond their comprehension.
"Every Pokémon must be a God of War!"—that was their straightforward philosophy.
Kashiwagi, however, thought Chansey was exceptional. If she hadn't been poached and brought here, she undoubtedly would have become a top-tier Pokémon Nurse.
"A talent nearly buried," he mused.
Under Chansey's puzzled gaze, he patted her tufted head. Then, to ensure neither felt neglected, he did the same for Aron.
Once he had soothed the two mainstays of his team, it was time to check the reinforcement from his "big brother," Ryuka.
Each version of the Poké Ball had slight setting differences, but this one clearly hid its occupant. Kashiwagi guessed it wouldn't be an ultra-high-level Pokémon. High-level Pokémon have pride; like Charizard, if they don't acknowledge you, they won't lift a finger. Looking back, the Rhyhorn Shibata rode probably didn't respect him either.
"In any case, you two, stay sharp."
Kashiwagi signaled for Aron and Chansey to back away.
Chansey clearly didn't understand the gesture and stood frozen, looking lost. Thankfully, Aron was clever enough to friendlily grab her stubby tail and pull her back. Only then did she retreat.
Pop.
A flash of white light burst forth, manifesting into a figure as vibrant as a fresh sprout. The buzzing of wings soon followed.
Buzz— Buzz—
"Vibrava!"
Kashiwagi looked at the large antlion-like Pokémon in surprise.
As expected of a Pokémon from an Executive. It was significantly larger than the two he had seen back in the mine.
"Lafu!"
Vibrava darted nimbly through the air, the antennae on its small head twitching. Its large, dark green eyes actually looked somewhat cute. Kashiwagi noticed something attached to its left front leg—a crumpled piece of paper.
He carefully smoothed it out. With the help of his reading pen, he deciphered the text, realizing it contained information about Vibrava. At the bottom was a warning from Ryuka in surprisingly simple sentences:
This is the youngest and gentlest one. Whether you can get it to help you depends on you.
"Young and gentle, huh?"
Kashiwagi looked up, meeting Vibrava's eyes. "Hello?"
"Lafu~"
Vibrava chirped softly, its innocent and peaceful expression showing no sign of hostility. And then—
Vroom!
It suddenly accelerated into a burst!
The close-range dash startled Kashiwagi. Fortunately, his reflexes kicked in, and he twisted his body just in time to avoid the collision.
"Kwah!"
"Wait—"
He hurriedly reached out to stop the aggressive Aron, signaling him to comfort the startled Chansey instead. He then looked at the Vibrava, which had stopped flapping its wings but remained suspended in mid-air thanks to its Levitate ability.
This fellow...
Kashiwagi locked eyes with those emerald orbs and detected a very human-like trace of mockery.
Gentle? Maybe compared to Ryuka's other Pokémon.
"Let's be blunt then. Aron and I will take you on in a fight. If we win, you listen to me until I return you. If we lose, you do whatever you want. Deal?"
Kashiwagi didn't try to use Ryuka's name to pressure Vibrava; that would only spark rebellion. He'd speak with strength.
"Lafu!"
Vibrava glanced at Aron with disdain, flapped its wings rapidly, and dove straight for him! It clearly intended to end things instantly to prove its contempt for Kashiwagi.
"Dig!"
At Kashiwagi's shout, Aron fixed his eyes on Vibrava and rapidly burrowed into the ground.
Whoosh—
Vibrava swept across the floor like a bomber on a run. It had to fly in a wide arc to turn back, its irritation reaching its peak.
But just as it lunged toward the hole, intending to use Supersonic to force Aron out, it saw Aron poke his head out voluntarily.
"Mud-Slap, right in the face!"
Splat!
A large glob of mud erupted. Vibrava couldn't dodge in time and was plastered across the head and face. Ground-type moves were ineffective against a Pokémon with Levitate, but Kashiwagi wasn't aiming for damage.
"Lafu!"
It swayed frantically from side to side, twisting its head in a futile attempt to clear the mud. Vibrava is modeled after an antlion, not a dragonfly; while it can fly at high speeds for short bursts, it lacks the ability to hover or brake instantly. Once it lost its cool, getting hit was inevitable.
It shouldn't have abandoned the winning strategy of long-range Supersonic harassment from the start.
Too young, too simple, Kashiwagi thought. Just a kid, after all.
"Chase it and use Mud-Slap again!"
Kashiwagi waved his hand. Aron had an awkward weakness—a lack of decent long-range moves. He had been thinking about learning new skills since day one; the fact that he couldn't learn the Rock Blast move they'd recently acquired only added to the urgency.
"Kwah!"
Aron chased after the flustered Vibrava. The latter was flying erratically in the air, so Aron had to essentially "spit" mud repeatedly, aiming carefully. After two or three more hits, as the mud on its face and body piled up, Vibrava finally snapped.
"Quick, Dig!"
Noticing the change, Kashiwagi yelled and sprinted backward, scooping up the panicked Chansey as he passed her.
Whirrr—
A violent vortex of yellow sand swirled around Vibrava. Driven by the high-speed vibration of its wings, sand pelted the surroundings like rain.
Sand Tomb!
Kashiwagi and Chansey hid in a corner, shielding their faces from the flying grit. He peered through his fingers to check on Vibrava. The Pokémon was flying like a headless fly, crashing into things blindly as if it were confused.
To his surprise, Chansey was panicked but not shaking. He had thought she was timid, but now he realized it was more about nervousness and not knowing what to do. She occasionally peeked out, her face showing a look of genuine worry.
"Are you worried about it?" Kashiwagi asked, crouching down curiously.
Chansey looked up at him, her small hands wringing together in front of her chest—a picture of indecision.
"In that case, go save it. Help it escape this state of pain."
Kashiwagi patted her head with a smile. "Do the thing that only you can do. Save it. Heal it."
"Lucky?"
"Chansey! Use Sing on Vibrava!"
A gentle nudge from behind pushed Chansey out of the corner. Looking at the distressed, wildly flying Vibrava, her fear gradually dissolved. She took a deep breath. Ignoring the sand hitting her face, she clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and began to chant a melodious tune.
"~La la la la~"
Kashiwagi covered his ears. Under the influence of the pale pink sound waves, Vibrava's movements slowed from frantic to sluggish. Finally, it drifted to the floor, its eyes closed in deep sleep.