Digesting after dinner.
Taking advantage of the brief window before the temperature dropped to freezing levels, Kashiwagi gathered Lairon and Chansey in the backyard for training. He extended an invitation to Mawile as well, of course.
He was rejected with absolute decisiveness.
"Alright then."
He didn't force the issue, considering it was only her first day. Even local Pyrite Town trainers would spend two or three days breaking in a new acquisition; he wasn't so desperate that he couldn't match their patience.
Preparation phase—warm-up.
Lap running, short sprints, weighted interval training...
After a full set of basic physical conditioning, Kashiwagi and his two Pokémon were all panting for breath.
He glanced toward the sidelines. He had expected Mawile to head back inside out of boredom, but she was still sitting on the chair he had brought out for her, watching them intently.
However, thinking she had suddenly gained an interest in training would be a mistake. Her copper eyes were directed toward them, but her pupils were out of focus; she was clearly lost in thought.
Pokémon are so hard to read, Kashiwagi thought. Feeling his heart rate gradually steady, he turned back to his team. "Let's keep going!"
"Lai-ron!"
"Chan-sey!"
The two responded in unison.
Regarding offensive and defensive training, Kashiwagi found that he could combine physical conditioning with move practice—training a specific stat while refining a move simultaneously.
To do this, he only needed two targets.
Chansey used Telekinesis to control the targets, swinging them at Lairon. Lairon, while strictly controlling his elemental energy output, would use Iron Head to knock the targets away, only for Chansey to pull them back.
This repetitive cycle trained Chansey's mental focus (her weak point) and Lairon's physical impact and energy control. The only downside was that targets broke easily, so they had to hold back. Moves like Rock Tomb or Rock Blast, however, couldn't be used on targets; they needed sturdier junk that Kashiwagi wouldn't mind seeing destroyed.
As for Chansey's defensive endurance training, Kashiwagi had commissioned four rolling wooden training dummies. Once they arrived, Chansey would step inside and start taking hits; the more she moved, the more she'd get struck. These dummies would also double as reaction training for Kashiwagi's own boxing—hitting several Pidgeys with one Stone Edge.
He just had to wait a few days for them to be delivered.
When it came to learning new moves, things became more "metaphysical." Without special move tutors or scrolls, Kashiwagi had to rely on his own imagination and the Pokémon's intuition.
"Ground-type moves... in principle, they should be similar to Rock Tomb, both involve stomping the ground," he said softly to Lairon. "But the difference is that Rock Tomb uses your feet to channel energy into the earth to condense rocks and make them fly. A Ground-type move like Bulldoze should use that energy to vibrate the ground, spreading it out as far as possible."
"Lai... ron?"
Lairon nodded, seemingly understanding. He cautiously lifted a front paw and slammed it down. Thump! The impact caused a slight tremor due to his natural weight. He looked up. "Lai-ron?"
Kashiwagi: "I think the motion and direction are right. Let's work on the energy flow."
Lairon went off happily to practice his new move.
Then it was Chansey's turn.
Though the moves they wanted to learn were clear, the method was the problem. How does a Normal-type Pokémon with no venom glands learn Toxic? Without electric organs, how do they learn Thunder Wave? Is it through bio-electricity? Don't even get started on Stealth Rock.
"Protect," Kashiwagi decided to start with the "easy" one. Holding his boxing mitts, he looked at the confused Chansey. "The key to this move is the feeling of wanting to protect yourself—the resolve to stop any attack."
He gave Chansey's left side a light smack with the mitt. "Does that hurt?"
"Chan-sey..." Chansey nodded.
"Then carry that desire to avoid the pain. Imagine a shield of light in front of you that can't be broken." He smacked her again. "If it hurts, find a way to block it!"
The method was crude and blunt. But it was still more "normal" than his previous wild idea of making Chansey eat poisonous things to learn Poison-type moves.
During the breaks, Kashiwagi would occasionally glance at Mawile, wondering what was going on in her head.
----
Mawile watched the human and the two Pokémon training fervently, then looked up at the grey, overcast sky. She couldn't help but reflect.
How did I end up here?
She remembered yesterday afternoon when the breeder who had always cared for her suddenly arrived, saying he had found her a "great Trainer partner."
Partner? She didn't need a partner.
Mawile's first instinct was to refuse, but seeing the breeder's expression, she realized this wasn't her choice to make. Sure enough, she was taken to the familiar medical wing for checkups and vaccinations.
From the brief conversation between the breeder and the doctor, she managed to piece it together: she was being traded. A Trainer had picked her and given up another Pokémon for her. She was going to a completely strange place to face a completely strange person.
Even with her bold personality, Mawile felt a surge of panic. Why? Was I too willful? Did they jump at the chance to send me away the moment someone offered a trade?
She wasn't ready. Even if she hadn't made any Pokémon friends in the ecological park, she still needed time to process this. When she was recalled into her Poké Ball for the long trip, she felt no sense of security, only a mind full of spiraling thoughts.
And then, when the blinding sunlight hit her eyes again... Mawile was completely dazed. She couldn't even see who was standing in front of her; she only heard someone greeting her.
What do I do? How do I respond?
She lowered her head until her eyes finally adjusted to the glare. She began to observe the surroundings, the young human male, and the other Pokémon.
I really have left that familiar place.
She let out a sigh from the bottom of her heart. Unable to get used to the scorching wind and the dusty air, she retreated into the small house like a refugee. Fortunately, the interior was nice, even if many things looked a bit old.
She explored the house, tried the sofa, and decided it wasn't soft enough, so she sat on a cushion instead. Finally, something satisfied her. Then, she felt thirsty.
Is there a stream nearby?
She remembered that whenever she was thirsty in the breeder's house, he would pour her water. She called out, hoping this human would be like the breeder. But he was so dense! Could he really not understand?
Thankfully, that Chansey was quite clever and solved her thirst crisis—though she could have used more ice.
Then, she heard the human's words. They made her quite indignant.
"What do you mean 'impossible to send me back'?! I don't need you to tell me that! I already know!"
Seeing his serious face, Mawile felt a flare of irritation and decided to use her old trick to scare him. But after the scare, she immediately grew nervous. This is the Trainer who is supposed to care for me, right? Did I just make him angry? Will I be hit? Scolded?
She remembered stories other Pokémon in the park told about Trainers and felt lost.
But he didn't get angry. Instead, he gave her the doll she treasured, and spoke to her about "benefits" and food. And... a princess bed?
She had heard of those. A Snubbull in the park had raved about hers, calling it "so cute" and "lovely." Mawile had longed for one for ages. Can I actually find a princess bed here?
Her mind became so consumed with anticipation that she didn't even process what was said afterward. She waited in her ball until she was brought to a dark place—the Underdome. She followed the human, and there, in a shop, she saw it. The bed of her dreams.
It was truly, truly cute. She used to think Snubbull was exaggerating, but she realized now it was all true. She desperately wanted him to buy it, but didn't know how to convince him, so she pretended she didn't care.
In the end, he bought it anyway.
Then he took her to get burgers and cola. She had seen the breeder eating those during checkups, but she was always refused. "It's unhealthy, you shouldn't eat it," he had said, even as he ate it with such relish.
Now that she had finally tried it, she found it wasn't as amazing as she'd imagined, but the cola was sweet and bubbly and danced on her tongue. That was fun.
By this point, her nervousness had mostly vanished. She had seen so many new things, met interesting Pokémon, and fulfilled a long-held wish. Besides, this Trainer was actually very nice to her—even if she knew that kindness was likely because he wanted her to fight for him.
Mawile finished her dinner, ate the whipped cream cake (which she used to only get once in a blue moon for "health reasons"), and watched the Trainer and the two Pokémon working hard in the yard.
Her heart was suddenly full of hesitation. It wasn't that she disliked fighting; it was just that it had been so many years since she'd had a real fight. Her physical strength was only used to smash rocks, and her jaws were only used to crunch tree trunks. She was afraid she had forgotten how to battle.
Is his kindness based entirely on my ability to fight? If he finds out I'm not that impressive...
Will the princess bed, the cola, and the cake all disappear?
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She didn't dare join Lairon and Chansey in their training.
She was afraid of being found out.