Under Frobo's introduction, Kashiwagi met the reinforcement sent by the International Police.
"Hello, I'm Wes."
A young man with a beige afro topped with silver goggles and a white marking above the bridge of his nose extended his hand. He wore a peculiar, long blue coat.
"Hello, I'm Kashiwagi."
Kashiwagi shook his hand, his heart racing once more.
Beside them, Frobo smiled as he explained Wes's background. "Let me introduce you. Many years ago, he was an important member of Team Snagem. Later, he broke ties with them, defected to the side of justice, and successfully crushed Team Cipher, whose influence once blanketed all of Orre. He defeated the former mayor of Phenac City, Es Cade, and is now a member of the International Police."
Wes!
As someone who had played the Pokémon Colosseum series, how could Kashiwagi not know this protagonist? He had simply assumed Wes didn't exist because the reality of this world was so different from the games.
It turned out Wes was very much real; the game's plot had simply taken place years earlier.
"Is Es Cade related to..." Kashiwagi looked at Frobo.
"Es Cade and the current Es Gan are cousins. He inherited the wicked assets and reorganized the remnants of Team Cipher, allowing many members to transform into figures who can operate in the light of day," Wes proactively explained. "I came this time to completely resolve the lingering issues of Team Cipher."
Kashiwagi nodded. Although he had suspected a connection, hearing it confirmed was still surprising. He had initially wondered if the current villain was just a parallel-world version of the game character.
"Wait! You mean you're here to handle the mayor's main army?" Kashiwagi asked, stunned. He hadn't processed it immediately, but that was clearly what Wes meant. Otherwise, Wes would have gone straight to Phenac City.
"I wouldn't be that overconfident. It's not just me. My girlfriend, Rui, is already heading toward Pyrite Town with some villagers from Agate Village. Next, I plan to persuade Eagun; we have some history together," Wes said with a smile.
Rui! These two actually ended up together.
Kashiwagi had suspected they were a pair while playing the games; hearing it confirmed now, he almost blurted out a "congratulations."
As for Agate Village...
He knew of the village in northern Orre. The north was a rare oasis zone, and in the games, the only character with the trainer class "Legendary Trainer" lived in that village. From Wes's words, it seemed Agate Village possessed quite a few powerful trainers.
"Until the mayor's army arrives, Wes's presence must remain a secret. So, you'll have to work hard for the next few days," Frobo said, taking the opportunity to assign Kashiwagi his next task: guarding the territory formerly belonging to the Jackal Gang to prevent any incursions.
"Understood."
Kashiwagi nodded, though a trace of worry lingered. Could Wes really take down the Es Gan's army? And why did the International Police only send him and his wife? Unless... did the Es Gan have a massive stockpile of Shadow Pokémon?
Seeing Wes and Frobo talking, Kashiwagi couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, I've never known exactly what kind of power the Es Gan's army possesses. Do they carry advanced technology that Pokémon can't withstand?"
The Mayor's faction certainly possessed technology far superior to Pyrite Town's, but their primary offensive power still relied on Pokémon—a classic trait of the Pokémon world where weapons are kept to a minimum. A bomb was often less effective than an Aura Sphere.
Because the Pokémon world focused on peace, there hadn't been a major war in a very long time. Without the catalyst of war, the technology tree had developed differently from his past life. Since the Es Gan had reigned for so long without much resistance, Kashiwagi didn't think he had developed weapons of mass destruction like tanks or heavy artillery.
"Technology is one aspect. On the other hand, they possess a fractured technique," Wes said softly. "Shadow Pokémon creation".
Kashiwagi's heart skipped a beat. Just as he thought—Cipher's Shadow Pokémon.
"This technology seals away a Pokémon's emotions, turning them into soulless fighting machines", Wes said in a low voice. "I once destroyed this technology, but it reappeared shortly after. After destroying it again... Es Gan revived it."
"To ensure Shadow Pokémon never appear again, saving Orre is imperative", Frobo said seriously.
Kashiwagi's emotions grew complex. No wonder Ryuka and the others were so wary of Es Gan's power.
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder: if N saw a Shadow Pokémon, would the Savior go mad or fall into darkness?
It was hard to say. N had already lived through the trauma of Team Plasma manipulating Pokémon. Seeing history repeat itself might trigger a breakdown. N had traveled all this way to help; Kashiwagi didn't want this protagonist—who had finally found his ideals—to fall into a dark path like Lysandre. Lysandre, after all, turned to world-ending thoughts after repeated disappointments.
"I need to give him a heads-up..."
He walked home, wondering how to break the news to N. It was a headache. He only hoped N would understand the inhuman nature of Es Gan's clique.
Yeah. I'll just revoke their 'human' status entirely!
Halfway home, Yamamino called with more unexpected news.
"I've made contact with the Devon Corporation in Hoenn."
"Devon...?"
"They're the leading enterprise in Hoenn, involved in tech, biology, energy—you name it. A huge portion of Pyrite Town's ore is exported to their subsidiaries."
"And?"
"And I contacted their president, Mr. Stone. I told him about the situation here, and they've agreed to provide assistance."
"Assistance... are they sending employees to help us fight Es Gan?"
"Where is your head? I mean technological aid and the food issue you've been obsessing over!"
"Holy crap!"
"No swearing! Just wait, you'll be enjoying mainstream regional technology soon!" Yamamino said excitedly.
Kashiwagi was equally thrilled. He knew exactly how powerful Devon was. Combined with the "acquaintances" popping up over the last two days, it really felt like a "call for help met by the world" scenario.
However, the excitement faded quickly.
When Kashiwagi got home, he saw N's sisters, Anthea and Concordia, teaching Mawile how to dress up. Their Pokémon—Gardevoir and Gothitelle—were standing by.
"Where's N?"
"In the backyard. Did something happen?"
"Nothing... wait, actually, yes."
Kashiwagi decided it might be better to discuss this with Anthea and Concordia first, so they could break the news to N.
"Listen to me."
He approached them, picking up a bewildered Mawile and cradling her in his arms as he slowly explained the reality of Shadow Pokémon.