After lunch.
In the spirit of letting Mawile relax and balancing work with rest.
Baimu and Xiaoguang paired up to stroll and shop at the many open-air markets in Kaina City.
Mawile was naturally delighted about this, as shopping was one of its few hobbies, especially after its Trainer made money and generously fulfilled its various needs.
Piplup, intoxicated by love, continued to fawn over it, but Mawile often couldn't understand the little penguin's actions. Mawile even began to think that Piplup, like Chansey, was mentally unwell and looked at it with sympathy.
However, it quickly threw itself into shopping because the open-air markets in Kaina City were very different from the department stores it had visited before.
The stores here didn't have flashy decorations or sales assistants in professional attire.
Instead, there were stall owners with big smiles who would hand out things to it because of its cuteness. Whether young or old, man or woman, they would give things to it as long as it lingered for a little while.
Didn't it seem like there was no need to buy anything?
Mawile tilted its head, its naive and adorable look making Piplup willingly become its little bag-carrying sidekick.
Of course, when others gave things, Mawile would certainly say thank you, and its polite and well-behaved manner made the stall owners even happier, resulting in them giving more things.
Eventually, Baimu had to help take some of the load off Piplup.
"Come on, you've never carried things for me before!" Xiaoguang, seeing Piplup like this, was a bit peeved, but she was only joking.
Despite the age difference with Baimu, they both had the shared language of Coordinator Trainers and a love for traveling and Pokémon.
And because Baimu knew Xiaoguang quite well, their conversations were quite enjoyable.
Under Baimu's intentional guidance, Xiaoguang learned that Xiaogang was also in the Hoenn Region, doing a Pokémon doctor internship in Littleroot Town.
This was a pleasant surprise for her.
"I didn't expect you to know Xiaogang!"
"I actually met him through Xiaosheng. Do you know Xiaosheng?"
"Yes, yes! Xiaoyao's brother, right? I often meet her at the Gorgeous Competition venues!"
"They traveled with Ash Ketchum, and you've also traveled with him. Although I haven't, I know him from hearing about him."
"Hee hee hee..."
Using a certain main character traveling in Carlos as a core connecting point, Baimu and Xiaoguang quickly grew closer.
Afterward.
They bought incense materials at the market and took Mawile to the Pokémon Beauty Salon.
After some running around, it was almost four or five in the afternoon.
He invited her again to have dinner together.
Xiaoguang initially wanted to decline, but seeing Piplup had already naturally followed Baimu into his room, she could only say she was intruding while thickening her skin to enter.
While her cooking skills might not be great, she was very talented in making Poffins.
Poffins are similar to Poké Blocks, but they mainly enhance a Pokémon's appearance, making them shinier and more attractive.
Xiaoguang once used Poffins to attract Mamoswine.
To repay for the day's meals, she decided to showcase her skills.
"Let me take over the kitchen for a while!"
Xiaoguang announced with great vigor that she was about to manage the kitchen.
"Are you sure you can handle it alone?" Baimu, knowing her culinary skills were far better than Xiaoyao, the Poké Block killer's, still had a bit of concern.
"No problem, no problem, you just wait to eat!"
She righteously closed the kitchen door.
Soon.
Xiaoguang triumphantly held out a plate of colorful Poffins, which were small, even small enough for Piplup to eat in one bite, with different colors representing different flavors.
"Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and astringent! All here! Everyone, come and eat!"
She proudly invited the Pokémon to taste.
Baimu picked up a pink one, remembering it was sweet.
It was indeed as he thought once he bit into it.
But surprisingly, the texture was soft. He always assumed they were crunchy like pancakes, "So this is the texture."
"How is it?" Xiaoguang looked at him expectantly.
"Not bad, very nice and delicious."
Baimu nodded, and the continued praise made Xiaoguang beam with pride.
"I told you it'd be fine!"
"I underestimated you."
—
After dinner.
After a short rest, Baimu headed back to the seaside.
He wasn't just a Coordinator Trainer; being a Trainer was also very important.
Xiaoguang, with nothing else to do, volunteered to have her Pokémon act as sparring partners.
"Don't underestimate me! A Coordinator Trainer's combat abilities are also very strong!"
"Pipipi!"
Piplup straightened up, trying to appear strong.
Baimu was happy to have sparring partners because nothing fostered Pokémon growth more than practical battle experience, though daily practice was also crucial; real battles provided unique experiences that everyday training couldn't offer.
Moreover.
The Gorgeous Competition's performance battles were his weak point, so letting Mawile engage in some battles to gain experience was very important.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Baimu nodded, "But let's take it easy and not get overly competitive."
"Okay!"
Xiaoguang gladly agreed.
The first Pokémon she sent out was, without a doubt, her ace—Piplup.
"Pipi!"
Piplup moved forward proudly, but its momentum faltered when it saw its goddess Mawile might come out. Upon seeing that Deino was the one to actually battle, it grew confident again.
"Raaah!"
Deino sniffed fiercely at the unfamiliar scent nearby, committing it to memory to avoid being clueless in battle.
However, Piplup's scent was rather prominent—a fresh aroma mingled with a hint of food and an arrogant tang of fishiness and... huh?
What was that scent?
That last complex odor confused Deino, as, being young, it couldn't understand the legendary "hormones," the smell of love.
But it was quite intoxicating, sharper than the mud residue in Aggron's claws.
Tracked you!
Deino crouched low.
"Dragon's Pulse!"
"Raaah!" Responding to its Trainer's command, it shouted, quickly forming a blue flame in its mouth, and launched it towards the direction guided by the scent!
Roar!
The flame left its mouth, transforming swiftly into a clawing energy dragon!
However, halfway through its flight, the energy dragon was blocked overhead by ice-blue Thunder from Piplup's beak, with Xiaoguang's voice "fashionably late."
"Frozen Beam!"
Boom!!
The blue dragon flame clashed with the ice-blue Thunder, temporarily coming to a standstill. Under Piplup's direction, both the energy dragon and Thunder soared towards the sky together!
Bam!
The two moves exploded into colorful fireworks, scattering in the night sky.
Baimu watched, quite impressed by the scene. Being able to transform the energy explosion's smoke into fireworks, Piplup seemed to have an exceptionally high level of move control!