Kashiwagi had made up his mind and was just about to go to sleep when he realized several pairs of bright eyes were staring at him.
"You guys aren't asleep yet?"
"Gron~"
"Mawile~"
"Lucky~"
The three Pokémon shook their heads in unison. Their Trainer had been tossing and turning; as his partners, how could they not notice? They could even faintly sense the extreme mental conflict he had been enduring.
Currently, the bedroom held only the original four companions. Deino was still sleeping with its nursery mates for the time being, not having fully integrated into this inner circle yet.
"...Listen to me."
Kashiwagi took a deep breath and shared his future plans with Aggron and the others. Trainer and Pokémon are of one mind and heart—the most intimate of relationships. No matter the reason, he felt he had to let them know what lay ahead.
As they listened, Aggron and the others struggled to process the information. After all, concepts like participating in the salvation of Orre for the sake of spiritual clarity and peace of mind were a bit too complex for them. Their life experiences weren't quite enough to grasp the nuances of social reform.
It was like someone who had never seen a computer trying to understand what a graphics card, motherboard, or CPU was.
So, to help them understand better, Kashiwagi simply changed his phrasing.
"We're going to beat up the bad guys! Save the good guys! Take over territory! Be admired by thousands! Listen to the cheers of countless people! And... make sure we have no regrets when we look back on this later!"
Hearing this, the eyes of the three Pokémon instantly lit up.
"Aggron?" Take over territory?
"Mawile?" Admired by lots of people?
"Lucky?" Save the good guys?
Aggron, Mawile, and Chansey looked at each other, their hearts racing and faces breaking into wide grins. After all, these were the very things they had always craved and wanted to do! Nothing could be more appealing to them than this.
With everything explained, Kashiwagi lay back on his bed, dreaming of the future.
Aggron lay prone, silently wondering just how much territory it should seize. A mountain? Maybe a whole mountain range. Throw in two basins and a canyon while they were at it. It would slowly plant trees, dig out underground springs, and create a paradise of green hills and blue waters...
Mmm~ It would take one for Kashiwagi, one for Chansey, and one for Mawile. As for Deino... if that kid didn't bite its trees, it might begrudgingly help it take one too. (TN: Cute)
Hehehe. It was practically bubbling with joy.
In her princess bed, Mawile hugged her plushie and drifted into a dream—a "Super-Deluxe Dream" where crowds of people and Pokémon were calling her "Big Boss."
Chansey clutched her egg, her thoughts much simpler. She dreamed of meeting one worried person after another, but through her hard work, their faces turned into smiles as they thanked her.
"Chansey, I'm so glad you're here."
"Chansey, you're the best."
Kashiwagi's words of praise also echoed in her ears, making her heart skip with delight.
Inside the bedroom, four different individuals held four different thoughts, yet a mysterious bond locked them together as they moved toward the same distant goal.
----
The next day.
Kashiwagi woke up early.
Despite the short sleep, he was full of energy, as if he had taken a miracle tonic. At the breakfast table, Takeshi kept glancing at him.
"Did something happen while I wasn't looking?"
"Something did happen, but it's a good thing."
Kashiwagi smiled at him. Takeshi found it odd but didn't press for details, continuing with his breakfast.
After finishing, Kashiwagi planned to visit Ryuka again to clarify his thoughts. He didn't intend to join the International Police—he probably wasn't qualified anyway. He simply planned to do what he had to do and then plan his next move.
But before he could leave the house, he received a call from Yamamino.
"I assume Ryuka and the others fully laid their cards on the table yesterday?" he asked, sounding as if he had expected it.
"...Yes."
"What are your thoughts now? Do you plan to leave this den of trouble as soon as possible, or stay as an observer and take it one step at a time?"
"What about you, Yamamino? Ryuka told me you aren't International Police. So, in what way do you plan to save the land of Orre?"
"From the sound of it, you've decided to stay."
Yamamino didn't answer the question. Instead, his voice carried a hint of a smile. "In that case, rather than me telling you, why don't you see for yourself what I plan to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Let's cooperate, Kashiwagi. Great ideals require the support of companions; a person can never reach the finish line alone. Sweeping away the old, rotten order is just the starting point. Orre needs far more than you can imagine—whether it's re-establishing order or improving the land itself."
"A Pokémon League?"
"That's only the first step. You must know Chairman Rose of the Galar League. Galar used to be poor, but coming from a mining background, he brought new life to the region. Orre might not have Dynamax, but this land still has a direction it can move in!"
"...It sounds tempting, but did you think a single phone call would be enough to get me on your 'pirate ship'?"
"Of course not. I've already arrived."
Two voices—similar yet distinct—sounded simultaneously.
Kashiwagi looked up and saw a young man with an extraordinary aura walking down the front yard path, holding a phone and smiling as he approached.
"Do I need to visit seven times, with you rejecting me seven times before agreeing?"
"What's that from?"
"An old legend from the outside world. A king wanted to invite a wise man to assist him. He visited seven times but couldn't recruit him. On the eighth visit, the wise man was moved by his sincerity and finally agreed to serve him."
Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage, huh... (Though this legend sounded a bit different from the one Kashiwagi knew).
Kashiwagi twitched his lips. "Are you saying you're the king?"
Yamamino said, "I wouldn't mind letting you be the king."
Their gazes met, emotions swirling between them. Each had his own considerations, yet they both knew their goals were identical.
Kashiwagi said, "By the way, I still don't know your true identity."
Yamamino replied, "I've always believed that backgrounds aren't important, but I also understand that the labels I carry aren't easily stripped away. Besides, I do indeed need the power of my background. I am the son of Dinis. My father is in charge of Pyrite Town's mineral exports. In other words, my family provides the livelihood for the people of Pyrite."
"Oh? So aren't you rebelling against your own father?"
"No, he's also one of the people planning to turn Orre upside down—he's even one of the leaders. He's been in contact with the International Police since before I was born. In this operation, he will be fighting the biggest battle in Phenac City."
The sheer volume of information in Yamamino's words left Kashiwagi reeling for a moment.
"So, who exactly is our enemy?"
"In the narrow sense, the enemy is the massive interest group led by Mayor Es Gan of Phenac City. In the broad sense, the enemy is the corrupt atmosphere of the entire Orre region."
Yamamino reached out his hand, his voice deep and full of allure.
"Come to my side. No matter what you pursue, as long as we move forward together, you will be the pride of Orre, and Orre will be the pride of you! I am convinced that my companion must be you!"
Kashiwagi looked at him for a full two or three seconds before finally taking his hand. "I'm touched, but you sound a bit like an ambitious schemer. You won't turn from a dragon slayer into the dragon yourself, will you?"
He meant it as a joke, but Yamamino responded with total seriousness:
"If that day ever comes, come and kill me. I believe you can do it. Likewise, if you ever walk down that path, I will come to kill you too."
"...Why didn't you go to the Unova region?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Legend says Unova has a giant black dragon. It offers its power to heroes with the highest ideals, eventually helping them become legends."
"Is it too late for me to go now?"
"Better not. In the legends, the descendants of the Hero of Ideals fell from grace. The pitch-black dragon and its brother, the pure-white dragon, ended up burning the entire continent."
"The more you say, the more interested I get."
Their hands gripped tightly. Between their eyes, sparks seemed to dance like embers—the kind of sparks that could start a prairie fire and burn through all of Orre.