Evening.
Inside the spacious master bedroom.
Kashiwagi lay on the bed, scouring the internet for information on how to legally purchase a mountain and exactly how much one would cost.
Unsurprisingly, most of the responses were unreliable.
However, a couple of points were worth considering:
Nowadays, the wilderness in most regions is classified under natural conservation laws. Forest Rangers are stationed everywhere, and private ownership or development is strictly prohibited.
Therefore, if Kashiwagi wanted to obtain a mountain in another region, he would either have to acquire it from an ancient lineage that held ancestral fiefs or buy it from a multi-billionaire.
In short, it was simple: you either needed to be incredibly rich, incredibly powerful, or—most likely—both.
"So, to get a mountain, I'd need to be at least Elite Four or Champion rank?" He scratched his head, not particularly surprised.
The core regions were teeming with talent; powerful trainers were everywhere, and the wealthy were as common as Pidgey. All the "slices of the pie" had long since been distributed. As an outsider from a region like Orre, he had no way to wedge himself in unless he reached the very top.
But Kashiwagi just wanted a mountain—a mountain that would satisfy Aggron.
"Bottom line: I just need to make as much money as possible."
He cleared his mind. As he switched off his phone, he suddenly heard a harsh, scraping creak-crunch coming from outside.
"What's going on?"
He got up and went out, only to find Aggron and Mawile hauling the "Princess Bed" he had bought previously. The new house didn't have one, so they had decided to move it themselves.
Mawile had only slept in it for less than two months, so it was hardly "old," and there was no need to buy a new one. Besides, Mawile was a creature of habit when it came to her bed.
"What are you two doing?" Kashiwagi asked, curious.
"Mawile~"
Mawile pointed toward the master bedroom and let out a soft cry.
Kashiwagi was taken aback. "You want to sleep in the master bedroom? Won't you be scared with so much empty space? I mean, if you want to, I don't mind..."
"Mawile!"
Mawile shook her head frantically, the Soothe Bell on her head jingling wildly. Seeing that her trainer completely misunderstood her, she puffed out her cheeks in frustration like a steamed bun.
At that moment...
"Aggron~"
Aggron, being a thoughtful companion, stepped in to clear the mystery. It gestured animatedly, performing a series of elaborate mimes.
Kashiwagi finally realized. "You... want us all to sleep in the same room?"
"Mawile!"
Mawile turned her face away, refusing to look at him with an expression that screamed "Absolutely not," looking quite tsundere.
But having spent so much time with her, Kashiwagi knew her well. If she truly didn't want something, she would refuse bluntly—like how she refused to eat green peppers no matter what, eventually snapping at him with her giant jaws if he pushed too hard.
"Let me give you a hand, then."
Kashiwagi patted her head. Ignoring her "You're so annoying" look as she twisted away, he worked with Aggron to move the Princess Bed inside.
The old two-story house had limited space, so the Pokémon usually stayed in their Poké Balls. This new room, however, was big enough to fit a Steelix—though it was a bit tighter now with the added bed.
"Alright you two, let's head to the backyard and move around a bit. It's still early."
Kashiwagi didn't want to waste precious time. After shooing the two Pokémon to the backyard, he went to the large kitchen to find Chansey, who had been busy exploring the new appliances. He found her staring into a bowl, lost in thought.
Seeing Chansey in such a contemplative state was rare, and his curiosity was piqued.
"What's wrong? What's the situation over here?"
"Lucky!"
Chansey jumped, reflexively reaching for the bowl, but she froze halfway and slumped her head in dejection.
Kashiwagi took the opportunity to peer inside.
There was a thick, viscous mass of glowing, multicolored matter. A pungent, almost corrosive odor hit his nose.
"...A new recipe?"
He looked at Chansey uncertainty. She kept her head down, fidgeting with her small hands, looking like she was too afraid to speak. Clearly, the dish was a failure.
Kashiwagi wasn't angry. Even master chefs occasionally produced "luminous dishes of death" that only an Immunity-ability Snorlax could handle. It was normal for Chansey to make a mistake.
"Just try harder next time. You probably aren't used to the new kitchen yet; you'll get the hang of it after a few tries," he comforted her, gently stroking her head.
But his usual gentle approach didn't seem to work today. Chansey didn't bounce back; instead, she looked even more miserable. She looked up several times, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something.
Only when she saw that there wasn't a hint of impatience on her trainer's face did she finally cry out softly, explaining her predicament.
Kashiwagi learned that for the past two days, almost every dish Chansey made had turned out like this. No matter how simple the recipe, the result was always a bowl of pungent, unidentified sludge. This had never happened before, and the sudden change had left her deeply distressed—to the point where she thought she had lost her "cooking soul."
Losing her cooking talent was one thing, but she didn't want to disappoint her trainer, so she had kept it a secret.
"Why haven't I seen these failures before? You... you didn't eat them, did you?" Kashiwagi asked, concerned.
"Lucky..."
Chansey lowered her head guiltily.
"You big dummy..."
He knew immediately that she had been secretly disposing of the failures by eating them herself. It was a miracle she hadn't been rushed to the Pokémon Center for food poisoning...
Wait.
When was the last time we checked her moves?
"Do you use Heal Bell on yourself every time after you eat it?" Kashiwagi asked suddenly.
Seeing his eyes light up, Chansey hesitated, then nodded. She braced herself for a lecture, knowing she had done something wrong.
But to her surprise, Kashiwagi didn't get angry. Instead, he burst into a delighted grin.
"You might have just learned Toxic!"
"Lucky?"
"Don't be surprised. Food poisoning and status-inflicting elemental energy are different. Your Heal Bell isn't at the level where it can instantly cure actual food poisoning; the only thing it could be 'curing' is a status effect created by your own energy."
He spoke with growing excitement. "Of course, we need a proper test to be sure. I'm just guessing right now."
Though it sounded a bit far-fetched, the logic of the Pokémon world was often that simple.
Kashiwagi hurried to the backyard, shared the possibility with Mawile and Aggron, and told them to continue their training while he took Chansey to the Pokémon Center.
In the high-tech world of Pokémon, checking moves was a standard procedure. In the Diamond & Pearl anime, Paul used a Pokédex to check if a Starly knew Aerial Ace.
However, because Pokédexes were quite expensive in the Orre region, Kashiwagi hadn't brought himself to buy one yet, since regular check-ups at the center served the same purpose.
Now, it seemed, he had no choice but to buy one.