The Burger Shop
Kashiwagi sat in a corner of the burger shop, finishing off a hamburger that Mawile had taken two bites of before deciding she didn't want it. Outside the window, a parade of pedestrians moved past with various Pokémon in tow, but Kashiwagi's thoughts were still stuck on his conversation from half an hour ago.
"If you find any more rare stones in the future, feel free to bring them here," Lyra had told him.
She had taken him into the adjacent specimen storage room. It wasn't just filled with rare gems and Evolution Stones; it housed various Mega Stones—the keys to Mega Evolution. There were even two Key Stones on display.
Lyra had explained the mechanics of Mega Evolution to him, mentioning that if he ever came across multiple Key Stones, Devon Corporation would be more than happy to take them off his hands.
Multiple Key Stones... He was struggling just to get his hands on one, let alone a collection.
"The Draconid people... what on earth are they planning? They haven't even tried to contact me," Kashiwagi sighed, fiddling with a grey-and-black marble in his hand.
[Aggronite]
This was, without a doubt, the gift Steven had left for him. While it wasn't the Beldum or the Key Stone he had imagined, it was incredibly precious. It saved him the massive effort of scouring the world for one. Besides, Aggron wasn't the only Pokémon on his team capable of Mega Evolution; one stone wouldn't satisfy his long-term needs anyway.
"Whatever, I'll stop overthinking it."
Kashiwagi finished the burger in a few bites. Next to him, Mawile was still loudly slurping a milkshake. "Fries, a chocolate pie, an egg tart, and a full milkshake? You're not going to have room for dinner at this rate."
"Maw-wile~"
Mawile looked entirely unbothered. If she wasn't hungry later, fine. If she was, she'd just pester Chansey for some snacks.
"And no dessert tonight," Kashiwagi added flatly.
Mawile's eyes widened in shock. "Maw?!"
"I'm serious."
"Maw-wile~!" She tugged on his sleeve, looking up at him with an indignant pout. Seeing his resolute expression, she bit down on her straw and puffed out her cheeks in a silent huff. No cake... so annoying.
Kashiwagi kept a straight face. "Eating too much makes you sluggish. You've seen those Pokémon who eat themselves into round balls—it's neither healthy nor aesthetic. However, while we're skipping the sweets, we can still have black tea. How about we go buy some high-quality tea leaves? And we can hit the mall to get you something you like."
Mawile might not be an expert, but she could tell good tea from bad the moment it touched her tongue. The tea Steven had brought before was top-tier; the two cans Kashiwagi had bought since were deemed "unacceptable" due to their lower price point. Now that he had a windfall and was in a major metropolis, he decided to splurge.
Hearing the word "mall," Mawile's anger evaporated instantly, replaced by an expression of excited anticipation.
-----
The Shopping Spree
As the premier metropolis of Western Hoenn, Rustboro City was intimidatingly large. Its main department store stood over twenty stories tall, each floor packed with a dizzying array of goods that left Mawile wide-eyed.
What started as a quick trip turned into a marathon. They wandered until the sky was pitch black and everyone's stomach was growling.
"You really have a lot of stamina for this," Kashiwagi remarked, genuinely impressed by Mawile's shopping endurance.
He hadn't come away empty-handed either. Since Rustboro was the home of Devon Corp, the local tech products were newer, better, and cheaper than anywhere else.
- New Backpack: Twice the internal space of his current one, bought for half the price.
- Super-Compact Tent: Deploys at the touch of a button. All the user has to do is stake down the four corners so it doesn't blow away.
- Devon Scuba Gear: Allows for free movement underwater without bulky oxygen tanks—a must-have for trainers who love Water-types.
- Running Shoes: High-tech footwear that boosts a trainer's "fleeing" speed. Essential for those who like to live dangerously around Beedrill or Ursaring.
By the time he tallied it up, Kashiwagi realized he had easily spent over 2 million PokéDollars.
"Money comes in slow and goes out fast. It's painful," he sighed, checking into a hotel.
While Pokémon Centers offered free lodging, the single rooms in big cities were always booked out, and he wasn't interested in sharing a double room with a stranger. To compete with the free services of Nurse Joy, hotels offered superior facilities and services, making them worth the extra cost.
-----
The Experiment
In the hotel room, Kashiwagi released his Pokémon. Steelix had already been sent back to Pyrite Town; it had insisted on returning to finish the last thirty meters of a tunnel it was digging. It was a Pokémon with a truly "wild" work ethic.
Kashiwagi walked over to Aggron, holding out the Mega Stone. "This belongs to you now."
"Agg?"
Aggron blinked, taking the stone in its claw to examine it. It took a moment for Kashiwagi to explain exactly what this "treasure" was. He looked at Aggron's metallic hide, wondering where to mount the stone. A claw ring? Inset into the tail?
As he pondered, he looked up and realized the Mega Stone had vanished from Aggron's claw.
"Eh? Where did you put it?"
He checked both claws, but the stone was gone. His face paled. "You didn't eat it, did you? I don't think you can digest that... and besides, it's way too expensive to be a snack!"
"Agg-rron~!"
Seeing its trainer in a panic, Aggron let out a smug low growl. With a flick of its claw, the Mega Stone reappeared.
"Where are you hiding it?"
Kashiwagi grabbed the longest horn on Aggron's head. "Tell me, or I'm coming for you with a whetstone in the middle of the night!"
"Agg-rron, agg-rron."
Aggron looked delighted. It wasn't often it got to see its trainer this flustered. Finally, it demonstrated: it tucked the Mega Stone snugly into one of the circular holes on the side of its head.
"...Sticking it in your 'brain' hole. Alright then."
Kashiwagi hadn't expected that. He climbed up to look and saw that the Mega Stone was wedged perfectly into the cavity. He had observed these holes before; they weren't filled with flesh or brain matter, but looked more like miniature mountain tunnels.
"Will that affect your Sandstream or SandTomb?" Kashiwagi asked, slightly worried.
Aggron shook its head and pointed to its mouth, indicating that its primary "output" for sand came from its jaws. The holes on its head were merely auxiliary, helping to increase the volume. It wasn't an issue. In fact, it quite liked the feeling of something plugging the hole.
"What a weird preference..." Kashiwagi muttered. "But we'll have to test it. You use your head in battle a lot; the last thing I want is the Mega Stone flying out in the middle of a fight."
"Aggron~" Aggron nodded in agreement.