5:00 PM.
Kashiwagi concluded his training session for Dragon Rush.
He stared at Deino's Poké Ball, his expression a mix of awe and mild disbelief.
Is the gap between Pokémon really this vast?
He had intended for Aggron to learn it first and then act as a mentor for the little dragon.
Instead, Deino had watched the wild Aggron perform the move over and over, and in just a few short hours, he had already reached the stage where he could manifest Dragon energy around his head.
He was a hair's breadth away from a full release.
As a Dragon-type, Deino certainly had a natural affinity for the move, but this was exceptionally fast.
Even Aggron—usually a star pupil—seemed a bit salty about the "transfer student" outshining him.
Kashiwagi felt a twinge of "jealousy??" toward his own Pokémon's talent, but the thought of his little "hand-biter" succeeding quickly turned that envy into pride.
-----
The sun hadn't quite set yet, but the beach was already buzzing.
Stages were being erected, firework launchers were being positioned, and rows of barbecue grills were being lined up.
Fresh ingredients were arriving by the truckload.
Vendors had already claimed their spots, and tourists were gathering in droves, waiting for the festivities to officially begin.
"Hey! I've been watching you for a while! Let's battle!"
"You're on!"
In a gathering of Trainers, such exchanges were constant.
Kashiwagi found himself challenged by a young girl who looked nervous but determined.
Seeing her Combusken, Kashiwagi guessed she was a relatively new Trainer on her journey.
Against someone like her, he didn't want to be a bully by using Aggron.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Deino gathered a ball of indigo fire in his mouth and unleashed it as a roaring energy dragon.
It was a move he'd recently mastered, and this was the perfect time to test it.
"Dodge it!"
the girl shouted.
Combusken narrowly lunged to the side, the flames singeing the air where it had stood.
"Rush in with Double Kick!"
"Com-bus!"
Combusken sprinted toward Deino.
However, as a Fire-type, its heat signature was like a beacon to Deino's heightened senses.
"Dei-no!"
"Earth Power!"
Following Kashiwagi's timely command, Deino slammed his paws into the ground.
A patch of earth directly in front of him glowed with an intense yellow light.
"Get back!"
the girl screamed.
But Combusken's momentum was too high.
It couldn't stop in time, essentially running right into the trap.
BOOM!
A surge of ground energy erupted in a plume of fire and smoke, launching Combusken into the air.
When the smoke cleared, the Pokémon lay on its back, its legs kicking weakly in the air, eyes swirling with fatigue.
"Combusken!"
The girl rushed over to scoop up her partner.
Deino had held back his power, so after a gentle shake from its Trainer, Combusken woke up.
It looked at the girl apologetically.
"Com-bus..."
"It's okay, you did great",
she reassured it.
On the other side, Kashiwagi was suffering the "Licking Penalty" from an ecstatic Deino.
"Alright, alright! I know you're amazing, stop it!"
He picked the little dragon up and walked over to the girl.
"Is Combusken alright?"
"He's fine."
She stood up, brushing some singed feathers.
"Your Deino is incredible. We weren't even close."
"Just a bit more experience, that's all. You'll get there."
They shook hands, concluding the roadside battle.
As the crowd moved to challenge them further, the girl accepted, but Kashiwagi declined.
"Sorry, I need to find a restroom."
...
...
After washing his hands, Kashiwagi looked out at the sea of people on the beach.
With this many attendees, the Pokémon Trade Meet should be huge.
Maybe I'll find a Pokémon I really want... but I don't have any spares to trade. It was a frustrating predicament.
If only...
"If only we could just grab all the Pokémon ourselves."
Wait.
Kashiwagi froze.
That wasn't his inner monologue—it was someone else's voice.
He crept toward a nearby grove of trees and peered through the foliage.
He saw two men wearing striped sailor shirts, ragged shorts, and black bandanas emblazoned with a skull-like logo.
Team Aqua?
He thought they had disbanded.
In the anime, Team Aqua and Team Magma had long since ceased their rivalry after the Groudon and Kyogre incident.
Their leaders had been taken into custody.
Why were they here, and why were they doing the kind of petty thievery usually reserved for Team Rocket?
Kashiwagi sneakily activated his phone's recorder.
As he listened, he realized these weren't actually members of the original organization—
they were small-time crooks using the Team Aqua name.
They had heard rumors that "Team Aqua" was active on Dewford Island and decided to capitalize on the fear.
Their plan was laughably amateur:
a "trade machine" like the ones James used to use, designed to swap empty Poké Balls for the victims' actual Pokémon.
This would only fool a toddler,
Kashiwagi thought.
He sighed and released Chansey.
Pop!
The sound of the Poké Ball opening made the two men whip around.
"Who's there!?"
"Model Citizen"
"..."
"Chansey, use Sing."
Before the crooks could react, Chansey unleashed a soothing, hypnotic melody.
"Laaa-la-la-la-lu-luu-lu~"
The two men collapsed into a deep sleep instantly.
"Planning a heist behind a toilet, no Pokémon of your own for protection, and a brain-dead plan..."
Kashiwagi sighed, picking them up like two scruffy kittens.
"Let's go explain this to Officer Jenny, you 'geniuses.'"
Just as he stepped out from the trees,
two more people in Team Aqua uniforms appeared, these ones accompanied by a pair of Mightyena.
Kashiwagi dropped the two crooks and commanded:
"Telekinesis—"
"Wait! Wait!"
The two new Team Aqua members raised their hands in a panic, but they weren't faster than Chansey.
Their Mightyena were immediately hoisted into the air by psychic force.
"You've got it all wrong! We're here to catch these guys!"
one of them explained quickly, his brow furrowed but his tone polite.
"We saw them dressed like us and came to stop them. We aren't with them!"
Kashiwagi paused, his expression softening slightly.
"So, you're the 'real' ones?"