Back at the hotel.
Kashiwagi thoroughly cleaned his hands but didn't rush to start crafting. Instead, he picked up the bottle of handcrafted essence he had purchased.
As he suspected, pure essence was expensive, and "handcrafted" essence was even pricier. Even though the shop owner had been kind enough to give him a "newbie discount," the cost still made his wallet ache.
However, for the sake of comparison, this was a necessary expense.
"Hmm... this scent..."
He recalled the fragrance from his dream and used a cotton swab to dab a tiny bit for a taste test. One major advantage of the simulator's dreams was that the details didn't fade upon waking; they remained etched clearly in his mind.
If his memory wasn't failing him, judging by the color, scent, and certain subtle nuances, this store-bought bottle was indeed high quality.
While Kashiwagi didn't think the industry had stagnated for decades, finding such a high-caliber product at a random shop was a bit unexpected.
There goes my chance to show off.
Actually, even if the techniques he learned from the Aroma Lady produced essence so superior it would make a professional gasp in shock, Kashiwagi had no intention of being flashy about it. He preferred to quietly enjoy the gifts of his predecessors; making a scene felt ungrateful.
Besides, those modern instruments might very well be related to the Aroma Lady herself. She had only passed away a couple of years ago, and it was unlikely she had ever stopped her research. Who knew how much effort she had put into making high-quality essence mass-producible and accessible?
Quality was one thing. Another was, as the owner said, the "ancient method" didn't require any machinery. This was exactly why the Aroma Lady could continue her research while traveling.
This was incredibly convenient for Kashiwagi, who was also constantly on the move.
Furthermore, the principles of essence crafting were largely universal. Even though the simulator had only granted him the "Refreshing and De-stressing" chapter, as long as he put in the effort to learn, he could eventually craft essences with other effects. It wasn't like switching to an entirely different field.
"Time to craft!"
Kashiwagi rubbed his hands together like an excited fly. He laid out the raw materials on a white cloth, grinding what needed to be ground and juicing what needed to be juiced. He picked up the various test tubes he'd bought earlier and began the process: mixing by ratio, heating, stirring, filtering, and manual centrifugation...
The entire operation took a full twenty minutes. He successfully harvested one vial of liquid essence.
But...
"I definitely need more practice." Kashiwagi had to admit that watching a memory and actually practicing were two different things. He couldn't replicate the dream version perfectly yet.
In fact, the batch he just made wasn't even as good as the one the shop owner sold him!
"Mawile?"
Mawile stared longingly at the liquid essence, wondering if it could be used as perfume.
"Of course. Essence has so many uses: perfume, aromatherapy, body wash... It's even used in specialized Pokémon breeding," Kashiwagi said with a laugh.
Mawile's eyes lit up. It tugged at its trainer's pant, begging him to make a bottle right now.
"I need to research first. Real perfume needs a lot of additives, not just pure essence," Kashiwagi said, waving it off.
His priority was trying out aromatherapy; it was the simplest application. There are different types, like the dry discs you find in stores that evaporate slowly in a humidifier. Those are easy to store and last for months, though their quality degrades over time.
Liquid aromatherapy is harder to store but has immediate results when diluted in water and sprayed through a professional diffuser.
Kashiwagi had purchased a "Fragrance Machine"—about the size of a palm and shaped a bit like an ancient incense burner. But where an old burner used fire, this one simmered liquid.
He diluted his essence with water and poured it into the machine.
Before long, a gentle mist began to rise from the top of the device.
Mawile froze. Its nose twitched slightly, and its expression shifted into one of serene, cozy bliss. "Mawile~"
"This is nice..."
Kashiwagi flopped onto the sofa, feeling his body practically melt into the cushions. A look of extreme comfort washed over him. "This feels way better than the stuff the hotel provides."
The hotel's aromatherapy just smelled nice; it didn't have this magical, calming effect.
One by one, the other Pokémon gathered around. Even the hardworking Chansey couldn't resist sitting on the sofa, quietly enjoying the scent that relaxed the mind and induced a state of "nothingness."
Kashiwagi glanced toward the bedroom. Galarian Corsola had indeed been lured out as well, floating slowly and clumsily toward the scent.
Just as he was about to go pick the little coral up, a sudden ting sounded beside him. It was a soft sound, like a magnified water droplet hitting a pool.
Turning his head, he saw Chansey. It had transformed from a pink egg into a shimmering blue egg, its entire body encased in psychic energy. Combined with its tranquil face, it looked almost holy.
Did it reach enlightenment?
No. It was CalmMind!
The little thing had just learned a new move.
Kashiwagi was stunned. He hadn't expected a simple aromatherapy session to lead to a move realization. Was this the result of Chansey's accumulated experience finally boiling over?
He looked at his other Pokémon, hoping for more pleasant surprises, but Chansey's breakthrough seemed to be a one-of-a-kind occurrence for the day.
"Sola..."
The cry of the Galarian Corsola snapped Kashiwagi out of his thoughts. It seemed to have realized its trainer was coming to get it, but since he was taking too long, it had voiced a reminder.
"Coming, coming."
Kashiwagi navigated around Aggron—who had flopped straight onto the floor—and carried Corsola over to the sofa.
Galarian Corsola tentatively extended its smoke-like tentacles, sensing the mist in the air. Its expression rareley shifted from its usual depression to one of mild surprise, and the downward curve of its mouth actually tilted up.
Kashiwagi caught the moment perfectly, though he regretted that his phone wasn't nearby to photograph it.
Aromatherapy can actually make a Galarian Corsola smile?
That alone made the effort worth it.
He lay back down on the sofa. Even though it was still early, he couldn't help but yawn. Seeing Mawile completely submerged in the scent, he pulled it into his arms and closed his eyes for a nap.
Wait, if this is a "refreshing" essence, why am I so sleepy?
-----
Kashiwagi woke up around noon and scratched his head, finally realizing the cause of the drowsiness.
"I definitely didn't dilute it enough."
Modern fragrance machines release mist quite rapidly because modern essences are heavily diluted—you need a thick mist for an effect. He had used the dosage habits of the Aroma Lady, making the concentration far too high for a modern machine.
One of the ingredients for the "Refreshing and De-stressing" essence was nectar secreted from a Vileplume's Sleep Powder. It was like indole—concentrated it's overwhelming, but diluted it's a perfume.
Control was everything. He just needed more water.
"Live and learn. But it wasn't a total loss, right?" He turned to a bashful Chansey.
"Lucky~!"
Chansey was also surprised by the sudden mastery of Calm Mind. What made it even more embarrassed was the fact that it had just drifted off to sleep so easily. Having interned at a hospital, it felt it should have noticed the concentration was off and taken corrective measures immediately!