Impacted by the current climate, Kashiwagi had no choice but to close his restaurant and pivot most of his energy toward the reconstruction of Magnet-Barium Street.
Fortunately, he no longer had to attend the literacy classes. Except for some rare and obscure vocabulary, he had achieved a functional mastery of the common language of the Pokémon world.
In truth, if Naruhisa and Otsuka were capable of holding the fort, Kashiwagi, as an Executive, wouldn't have needed to spend thirty minutes to an hour every day patrolling the area.
Unfortunately, while those two were growing faster than the people around them, their progress was still far too slow compared to Kashiwagi himself. They lacked the raw power necessary to make the former Jackal Gang members submit out of genuine respect.
Of course, they could always report issues to Kashiwagi. But doing that too often would only invite contempt from their subordinates. Naruhisa and Otsuka were well aware of this, so they had been pushing themselves to the limit lately.
On the other hand, Kashiwagi had a personal reason for frequenting Magnet-Barium Street: he was there to purge the local culture.
On the first day of reconstruction, he discovered that some former Jackal Gang members were forcing civilians to build houses for them and their families first, followed by a series of entertainment venues. Only after these facilities were finished would the civilians be allowed to repair their own homes.
The local populace, accustomed to this treatment, had chosen to suffer in silence, just as they always had.
When Kashiwagi found out, he immediately had the ringleaders and "idea men" hung from flagpoles to bake in the sun. The remaining accomplices and their families were ordered to build houses for the civilians instead.
Until every civilian's home was finished, they weren't allowed to touch their own.
To ensure no one rescued the men on the flagpoles, Kashiwagi assigned Team Snagem members to stand guard—though, frankly, guarding prisoners was part of their job anyway.
Following this display of "draconian" justice, the Jackal Gang members began frantically questioning the veterans about their new boss's likes and dislikes, terrified of triggering his temper. To them, showing compassion for the bottom-tier civilians was utterly bizarre; why care about mere "disposables"?
But since the boss liked it that way, they would put on an act even if they had to fake it, just to avoid being the next one dangling from a pole. Through this "show of force," Kashiwagi successfully secured a relatively peaceful jurisdiction.
However, a new headache soon arrived: the resources for reconstruction.
While Team Snagem had certainly profited from the Jackal Gang's downfall, the amount of money they were willing to release for the repair of Roki's three districts was pittance. No money meant no infrastructure, and no infrastructure meant the civilians couldn't return to a normal life.
Asking Kashiwagi to pay out of pocket was out of the question. He knew his meager savings wouldn't even make a dent, and he wasn't that generous anyway.
Furthermore, most of his bonus from the operation had already been converted into "consolation payments" for the peripheral members from Blue Iridium Street who had been severely injured. Those men had barely received any bonus at all, and Team Snagem provided almost zero severance. If Kashiwagi didn't look out for them, they would have no way to survive.
The remaining funds were strictly reserved for the upkeep of Aggron and the others—food, professional massages, and health care. He could eat poorly if he had to, but he wouldn't let his Pokémon's quality of life suffer.
So, he found himself constantly running to the Team Snagem headquarters to pester the finance department.
It was an uphill battle. Kashiwagi wasn't the only one with his hand out; the administrative staff were already drowning in paperwork for various compensation claims. In the end, the Snagem higher-ups realized with a shock that the invasion of Roki's territory was actually a net loss.
Well, if you didn't count the portion the leaders pocketed for themselves, the actual spoils weren't enough to cover the overhead of the operation.
So, what was the solution?
While everyone in Team Snagem was worrying about money—carefully avoiding any thought of whose pockets were currently overflowing—something happened that even Kashiwagi hadn't anticipated.
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If one were to describe that day in a single phrase, Kashiwagi would call it the "Pokémon Version of the Hongmen Banquet."
The context was simple: the defected Gemat Unit, led by Gemat and his inner circle, held a celebratory feast with the three Top Executives of Team Snagem and the Boss (who was currently in Phenac City).
Kashiwagi found the whole thing nauseating and didn't want to deal with the social posturing, so he didn't go. As a result, he missed a legendary spectacle.
Gemat was backstabbed by the very subordinate Kashiwagi had released as a "messenger." He died on the spot, and the rest of his inner circle fell under that lunatic's blade as well.
Only a few days after carving up the Jackal Gang, they had "slaughtered the donkey once the grinding was done," wiping out the defectors.
It was a staggering move. Although Team Snagem later released footage showing that it was indeed Gemat's own subordinate who initiated the attack, whether the other factions in Pyrite Town believed it was another matter entirely.
In any case, after Gemat's death, Team Snagem "mournfully" moved in to take over his territory, granting Gemat's son an Executive position to manage a small portion of his father's former streets. The son accepted the title with jubilant gratitude.
Having devoured two-thirds of the Jackal Gang's assets, Team Snagem's ledgers finally started looking healthy. With the influx of former Jackal Gang members and the return of their own recovered wounded, their power began to swell rapidly.
Kojiro, who had been hoping to exploit Team Snagem's weakened state, was so terrified by this turn of events that he retreated into his territory and refused to come out.
But clearly, the "alliance" he had sought to avoid a Snagem invasion had invited a wolf into his home. A few days after Gemat's death, the news broke: Kojiro had suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack. His territory was immediately absorbed by the "partner" he had previously invited.
And so, from the Boss being taken by International Police to the three Top Executives falling one by one, the Jackal Gang—once a mid-tier power on par with Team Snagem—completely collapsed and vanished into history.
Did Team Snagem feel a sense of "the fox mourning the death of the rabbit"?
Kashiwagi suspected not. The upper management was lost in a frenzy of newfound wealth, while the lower ranks saw little change in their daily grind.
It had to be said that while Soshiro loved his psychological manipulation, he truly looked out for Kashiwagi. He allowed Kashiwagi to head into Gemat's former territory to recruit new underlings, specifically cherry-picking the smartest ones.
This time, Frobo gave him a pointer, telling him to specifically target members of the Resistance who had been hiding within the Jackal Gang.
To be honest, until he saw them in person, Kashiwagi never imagined he'd run into a familiar face.
"Huowu?"
He looked at the dark-skinned, slender woman in absolute shock. During the Charity Tournament, this woman—riding an Arcanine—had given him a lot of help.
Huowu was equally surprised when she saw Kashiwagi. She looked like she couldn't believe her eyes.
"You... you too?"
"Me too."
Kashiwagi nodded with a smile. She had certainly been hiding in plain sight. Looking back, when she had her Arcanine snatch up those naked Snagem members, she was likely doing it to save them.
The people of the Resistance possessed a level of kindness that was rare in Pyrite Town.
Good thing I didn't push her too hard back then, Kashiwagi thought. He didn't notice the complex swirling of emotions on Huowu's face. Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared; he was more concerned with whether they could coordinate effectively.
Coordinate for what?
Growth and progress, of course. Under the shade of the great tree that was Team Snagem, they were short-staffed and spread thin. They would have to use the women like men, and the men like beasts.