In the stream.
Kashiwagi was relentlessly splashing water onto Aggron and Deino. The two of them would lower their heads to take a deep breath of water, then tilt them back and blast it out like geysers.
Getting a face full of water, Kashiwagi wiped his eyes, deeply regretting that he hadn't bought a water gun.
Then, the game changed.
Aggron used Surf to kick up a massive wake in the creek. Kashiwagi and Deino sat on a wooden plank, enjoying the thrill of the rushing current. If the water hadn't been so shallow, he would have called Steelix over for some high-altitude diving.
Meanwhile, on the bank, Mawile had been studying for half an hour.
Having completely failed to figure out how to make artisanal ice cream, Mawile gave up. It ran over to borrow Steelix's body to use as a water slide—and surprisingly, the giant steel snake actually agreed.
Seeing Chansey still pitiably at the researching ice cream making, Kashiwagi sighed and climbed ashore. He took the small bucket from Chansey and poured in Moomoo Milk, heavy cream, sugar, and Berry puree, then sealed it tight with a lid.
"Mawile! Lend me an Ice Punch!"
He grabbed an ice pick and signaled Mawile to freeze a section of the stream. He didn't freeze the small bucket directly because the material couldn't handle the sudden thermal shock; if he tried, it would crack without hesitation.
"Maw?"
Curiously, Mawile plunged its fist into the stream, creating a massive block of ice. Kashiwagi hauled it onto the bank and started chipping away—shing, shing, shing!
Once he had a pile of ice shavings, he dumped them along with some salt into a larger outer bucket, then nestled the small bucket inside.
"Now we just have to keep spinning it. It won't take long." He patted Chansey on the head, and the latter enthusiastically began rotating the inner bucket.
Mawile, intrigued by the mechanics, squatted down nearby to watch.
Just as Kashiwagi said, it wasn't long before the ice cream was finished. The two Pokémon looked at the smooth, creamy texture inside the bucket, their eyes sparkling with wonder.
"Hah, looks like that shopkeeper didn't sell me a dud after all!" Kashiwagi peeked in, satisfied to see very few ice crystals.
He had tried making it with diluted Moomoo Milk before, but the result was more like a slushie than ice cream. Using pure, fresh Moomoo Milk and adding cream made it a success on the first try. Clearly, the ingredients made all the difference.
Kashiwagi brought over small bowls, dishing out portions for Chansey and Mawile. "Eat up. It should taste just like the stuff you buy outside. Guys! Ice cream's ready!"
He called out to Aggron and the others, then went to the tent to wake up Galarian Corsola. "Time for snacks."
Galarian Corsola: "..."
If this isn't good, you're paying me back for my nap.
It floated up slowly, drifting toward the exit at a snail's pace. Worried the ice cream would melt into soup by the time it arrived, Kashiwagi just shoved the bowl into the tent for it to enjoy in peace.
Everyone ate with gusto—including Deino.
Though eating it was a "painful" experience—it would take a bite, tilt its head back, and go "Aaaah!" from the brain freeze—it stubbornly finished the whole thing. The key was that if you didn't let it eat, it would get upset; and if everyone else had some but it didn't, it would get even more agitated.
Kashiwagi didn't quite understand the psychology of this young dragon.
"Speaking of which, you've already reached Level 35..." Kashiwagi glanced at his Pokédex. Deino had joined the family two months ago. Between the frequent battles, the "Glowing Dishes" it had eaten, and even a level-up reward from The Simulator, it had grown fast.
Deino hadn't let him down. Despite being a species that usually took a long time to mature, its progress was keeping pace with—or even exceeding—the others. It truly lived up to its excellent traits. Unfortunately, there was still a very long road ahead before evolution.
He looked at his other Pokémon:
----
Aggron: Level 68. He had boosted it to Level 60 in one go previously, and it had worked its way up from there (including three levels from a Rancher's Simulator reward).
Steelix: Level 64.
Mawile: Level 56.
Chansey: Level 51. After multiple level-up rewards, it had finally broken into this major tier. This meant all future "[Lv. 50 Limited]" rewards would go to Deino and Galarian Corsola. Truly a cause for celebration.
Galarian Corsola: Despite only coming out for a few hours of training or battling a day, it had actually reached Level 37—up two levels from when it arrived. Heaven knows how fast it would grow if it actually stopped slacking off.
----
Perhaps they had been too loud while playing in the water. Or perhaps the sheer size of Steelix and Aggron was too conspicuous.
The guide had mentioned that wild Pokémon often came to the stream to drink, and if you were lucky, you might spot rare Psychic-types like Ralts. However, Kashiwagi had been here for hours and hadn't seen so much as a Wurmple, let alone a Ralts. It was frustrating.
"Whatever, if I don't run into them, I don't run into them." He dusted off his pants and decided to start collecting dry firewood for the night.
Even though campfires were smoky, a camping trip felt incomplete without one. Fortunately, the riverbank was covered in stones and was far enough from the trees that he didn't have to worry about accidentally starting a forest fire.
"Who wants to come gather wood with me?"
Kashiwagi called out, and Aggron and Deino responded instantly. "Alright, just the two of you. Chansey, Mawile, keep an eye on the camp. Steelix! Come down and take a rest!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs for a bit before leading Aggron and Deino into the forest.
Despite it being summer, there were plenty of fallen branches. He gathered a large bundle just by walking around. Deino was getting anxious because it couldn't carry anything in its mouth—lest it get the wood wet with drool—so Kashiwagi simply bundled the wood and strapped it to Deino's back.
"Dei-noo? Dei-noo?" The little black-furred dragon wobbled around excitedly.
"Easy, it's gonna fall!" Kashiwagi held it steady. He didn't want to tie the wood a second time. "Be a good boy~ take this back to camp, let Chansey unbind it for you, then bring the rope back."
"Dei-noo!" Deino nodded and dashed off toward the camp with joy.
Kashiwagi watched its receding figure until he heard Aggron's low growl. "Roar!"
"Found something?"
He walked over and saw a large, fallen tree covered in moss. The giant monster was trying to lift it, seemingly intending to carry the whole thing back to camp.
"Not that one, not that one. It's too damp." Kashiwagi stopped him quickly. Damp wood would create massive clouds of choking smoke.
"Gron..." Aggron lowered the tree, sounding disappointed.
While the tree couldn't go, the mushrooms growing on it were fair game. Kashiwagi took a photo and searched them on his phone, confirming they were edible before starting to pick them.
"We can have mushroom soup tonight. It'll be super fresh! Real mountain delicacies!" Kashiwagi said with a smile. Hearing "mountain," Aggron's eyes immediately lit up.
Just then—
BOOM!!
A violent explosion erupted nearby. The blue-green flash was unmistakably Deino's attack.
Kashiwagi dropped the mushrooms and sprinted toward the sound. He feared a trainer had seen Deino and tried to catch it, but when he arrived, he saw:
A police sidecar motorcycle, a Growlithe crouched and growling, and a beautiful blue-haired woman in a blue police uniform.
Who could it be but Officer Jenny?
Deino's nose was twitching, seemingly trying to pin down Growlithe's location. Sensing Kashiwagi's scent, it let out a delighted cry. "Dei-noo!"
"Is this your Pokémon?" Officer Jenny's sharp gaze swept over.
"Uh, yes." Kashiwagi shielded Deino and asked, "I'm a trainer. May I ask what happened?"
"Please show your Trainer ID or Pokédex." Officer Jenny seemed to relax slightly upon hearing Kashiwagi's self-introduction.
Once she confirmed Kashiwagi's identity and saw the "Rookie Trainer" status on his profile, her expression softened completely. "That campsite by the stream and those Pokémon... they're yours?"
"Yeah..."
"Someone reported that 'extremely dangerous and giant Pokémon' were spotted by the creek, so I came to investigate," Jenny explained. After discovering Steelix had a trainer, she had headed into the woods and followed Deino when she spotted it.
Who would have guessed Deino's guard was so high? Sensing a stranger tailing it, it had launched an attack without a second thought.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Officer Jenny!"
Kashiwagi apologized immediately. "It probably... has some lingering trauma. A friend and I rescued it from a group of poachers. At the time, many of its companions were being taken away. So, when it realized a stranger was following it..."
"I see."
Hearing this, Officer Jenny's expression turned remarkably gentle. She even knelt down in front of Deino and lightly patted its head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories."
Growlithe followed suit with a soft bark. "Woof-woof!"
"...Dei-noo~"
Deino seemed to realize the source of the unfamiliar scent wasn't a threat. With its trainer by its side, it gave a soft, gentle response.