Morning.
Kashiwagi woke up to a chorus of "Maw-wile, Maw-wile" and "Dei-no, Dei-no."
"You guys are up early," he muttered, bleary-eyed. He squinted to see Mawile and Deino romping around inside the tent, chasing each other in a game of playful shoves and affectionate nips.
It was actually quite adorable.
Noticing he was awake, Deino immediately lunged forward to playfully gnaw on his hand, while Mawile wore a look of immense relief, as if saying, Finally, you're up!
"Mawile~" "Deino!"
"Good morning."
Kashiwagi wiggled out of his sleeping bag and unzipped the tent. The sudden glare of sunlight forced him to shield his eyes. A half-second later, the world came into focus: Chansey was already busy prepping breakfast ingredients.
Aggron was lugging a wooden log around, seemingly lost in thought, while Steelix remained curled in a giant ball, still fast asleep.
Since the two behemoths had slept outside the tent, even if nocturnal Pokémon had been active during the night, most of the campsite remained perfectly intact. They didn't even need to use Repel.
"Morning, everyone!"
His yawn triggered a wave of cheerful responses from his team.
After a quick wash and helping Chansey finish breakfast, they ate and rested for half an hour before starting their basic morning exercise. However, considering they had a journey ahead of them, they didn't overexert themselves—just enough to work up a light sweat.
Steelix was then sent back to Pyrite Town as planned to continue its promising career in "land reclamation."
"Today's goal is to reach the Treecko Forest by noon and Rinshin Town by sunset. It's not a long road, we can make it even at a leisurely pace."
Kashiwagi checked the map on his phone, seeking a second opinion from today's travel companion, Aggron. The latter just gave an indifferent shrug.
The Treecko Forest, a famous spot in the anime for obtaining a Hoenn starter, was originally tucked away in a secluded part of Petalburg Woods. But after the old Giant Tree withered, the Treecko worked together to cultivate a new one. This led to herb gatherers discovering their habitat, and news quickly spread.
Consequently, poachers swarmed the area to capture the Treecko en masse. Their peaceful life was shattered, and the new towering tree they had worked so hard to grow was nearly burned down. Fortunately, with the help of various Trainers, the poachers were frequently apprehended, and the tree was saved.
To better protect the environment and the wild Pokémon, the League had since merged that area with the Pokémon Reserve to the north, strictly forbidding anyone from catching Pokémon there.
While Kashiwagi wasn't particularly interested in Sceptile, hearing such news still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Poachers really are a cancer on society.
"Tone down that aura of yours. Try to look a bit more... dim-witted? You know?" Kashiwagi patted Aggron's shoulder.
While the primary reason they hadn't seen a single wild Pokémon since camping yesterday was Steelix, Aggron wasn't exactly innocent. This guy's presence was far too fierce. Just standing there, it radiated an "I'll crush you" energy. The weak wild Pokémon on the outskirts of Petalburg Woods wouldn't dare approach; they were brave if they didn't bolt the moment they caught a glimpse of it.
It was more effective than a Max Repel.
Kashiwagi didn't want to become a "Wild Pokémon Repellent." Even if he wasn't going to play with them, being able to watch them live their quiet lives from a distance was one of the joys of traveling.
"Gron?"
Aggron tilted its head in confusion. Look dim-witted? How?
"Just use that face you have when you're watering flowers and planting trees", Kashiwagi suggested, mimicking the expression with a few gestures.
"..."
Aggron pondered for a moment. It turned toward a lush tree nearby and extended a claw to gently stroke a leaf. Its aura shifted instantly.
If before it looked like a battle-hardened general fresh off a blood-soaked field, it now looked like a simple, honest farmer facing the soil. It looked at the forest with the same joy a farmer feels looking at a bumper crop.
"Dumb and happy. Perfect! Kid, you've got a real talent for this!"
Kashiwagi was genuinely surprised that Aggron got it so quickly. He'd only mentioned it in passing and hadn't expected the titan to mask its aura so effectively on the first try.
"Guh-ron~"
The giant monster scratched its head sheepishly, the last traces of its predatory ferocity completely gone.
-----
It must be said that masking one's aura is a double-edged sword.
On one hand, it did bring more wild Pokémon around them. On the other hand, it made some of those Pokémon incredibly bold.
"Corner it! Don't let it get away!"
"Mawile!"
"Guh-ron!"
Amidst a series of shouts, a panicked figure fled wildly, pursued by a trio of large, medium, and small pursuers.
You might think they were chasing a Pokémon they wanted to catch.
You would be wrong.
This was a simple act of cold-blooded revenge.
Kashiwagi and Aggron had gone through a lot of trouble to trick a none-too-bright Weedle into revealing the location of a Beedrill nest to get some honey. They had planned to follow an online recipe to mix it with fruit and make artisanal honey.
Instead, a Nuzleaf had suddenly jumped out of nowhere and completely ruined the batch out of pure spite.
The sugar-loving Mawile had snapped instantly. Kashiwagi and Aggron's fury followed suit.
The three began a coordinated pincer movement. The "Giant Monster" stopped pretending, letting out a roar that cleared the area, sending the spectating wild Pokémon scurrying in fear.
"Now! Rock Tomb!"
Seeing the target dive toward a hole under a curved trunk, Aggron snatched up a moss-covered boulder from the roadside and hurled it.
Thump!
The mossy rock landed right in front of the curved trunk, cutting off the Nuzleaf's escape route.
The Nuzleaf slammed into the rock and stumbled out, seeing stars. Before it could find another path, Mawile had already closed the distance. Its chilling, soul-piercing gaze magnified in the Nuzleaf's vision as a fist shimmering in freezing frost slammed downward.
BOOM!
A cloud of dust billowed into the air.
"Nuz-leaf!" the Pokémon shrieked in pain.
When the dust settled, the Nuzleaf was lying on the ground, twitching twice before going still.
Kashiwagi walked up and chucked a dry branch at it. "Stop playing dead! I didn't even hit you yet!"
Clack!
The branch snapped against it. The Nuzleaf bolted upright, scrambled up a tree, and vanished into the canopy. It didn't forget to look back once; seeing that Aggron and Mawile weren't chasing, it sped up even more.
"Mawile!"
Mawile glared resentfully at the ice-covered ground, somewhat regretting that the punch hadn't actually connected.
"Alright, alright. That's enough of a lesson."
Kashiwagi comforted it. Mawile had a terrifying obsession with sweets; if its treats were ruined, it became like May when her food was stolen—a literal demon.
"And it wasn't a total loss." He picked up an orange-red leaf from the ground and gave it a sniff. It had fallen off the Nuzleaf during the scuffle. "A Power Herb. This might actually be worth some money."
In the anime, many consumable items from the games were prized as collectibles because of their unique properties. The better the quality, the higher the price.
"Mawile?" Mawile leaned in curiously, asking how much it could sell for.
"Maybe... ten thousand PokéDollars?"
Kashiwagi threw out a random number; he'd have to get it appraised to be sure. What really caught his attention, however, was Aggron—who seemed to be intently studying that moss-covered rock.