When the sun finally dipped below the horizon and the party began.
A torch was tossed onto the pre-built bonfire platform, sending a roar of orange flame into the night sky.
The heat and light merged with streetlights and neon signs to chase away the darkness.
Humans and Pokémon alike erupted in cheers, diving into the joy of free-flowing drinks and an all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet.
At that moment, a group wearing striped sailor shirts and black bandanas climbed onto the circular stage in the center of the beach.
Leading them was a woman with voluminous, wavy hair.
She grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd with bold confidence:
"We are the Neo Team Aqua! An organization dedicated to protecting the marine environment! We are your hosts tonight! If any of you share our vision, you are more than welcome to join us! For now, let's enjoy the night together!"
"OHHHH!"
"Team Aqua! Team Aqua!"
"Roar! Roar!"
Driven by a few obvious "shills" in the crowd, more and more tourists joined the chant, shouting the name "Neo Team Aqua" into the sea breeze.
...
In a quiet corner of the beach, Kashiwagi was busy at a grill, glancing toward the stage.
He never expected Team Aqua to resort to recruitment-by-bonfire.
Are they really that short on staff?
The identity of the red-haired woman leading the charge was unmistakable: the anime version of Shelly.
While the games had redesigned her into a dark-skinned beauty with dyed hair, the anime maintained her classic look.
"Eat up! It won't be good once it's cold!"
Kashiwagi called out to Mawile and Deino, then stuffed a grilled mushroom into the mouth of the busy Chansey.
"You too, stop fussing and eat while you cook."
"Lu-lucky~"
The mushroom was so hot Chansey could barely speak, but she refused to spit it out.
The blend of cumin, salt, and mushroom juice was an addictive delight.
Mawile and Deino were equally occupied, one holding a skewer with her "second mouth" and the other gulping down food with reckless abandon.
Kashiwagi stood over the coals, gnawing on a lotus root skewer while he brushed garlic sauce onto a sliced eggplant.
He might only have the "Stir-Fry" chapter of his chef's manual, but BBQ wasn't exactly rocket science.
The fundamental principles of heat and seasoning translated perfectly.
Even if his food didn't literally glow, it was undeniably delicious.
He had left Aggron and the Galarian Corsola to rest.
Aggron had been a total "Model Employee" today—battling a Gym, exploring caves, and mastering a new move.
He looked exhausted, and since he never showed much interest in BBQ anyway, Kashiwagi decided to give him a night off.
After politely declining a third person trying to buy skewers from him, Kashiwagi sat on a small stool and pulled out the black box.
Lyra called it a data recorder.
It reminded him of a "black box" on an airplane, though this didn't look like any standard flight recorder from his world.
Usually, those were bright orange to make them easy to find... So why was this in Granite Cave?
If it weren't for his Lucky Scale, he might have written it off as a coincidence.
But finding it right alongside a Mega Stone felt suspicious.
"Whatever. If something is going to happen, it'll find its way to me eventually."
He tucked the box back into his bag and finished the remaining skewers with his team.
...
In the distance, people and Pokémon were dancing around the fire.
Laughter and snatches of song drifted over on the wind.
Mawile's eyes sparkled, looking like she wanted to join in.
But before Kashiwagi could say a word, she lowered her head and went back to eating, her expression returning to its usual aloofness.
Despite her love for performing and being admired, she still had a fundamental aversion to group social activities.
Her limit for "socializing" was Kashiwagi and her teammates.
"You're so stubborn"
Kashiwagi teased, looking at her cute face under the neon lights.
He reached out to pinch her cheek, but Mawile's eyes widened as she stared at his grease-covered hands.
She shot him a look that clearly said: Don't you dare.
"Fine, no touching."
He pulled back sheepishly.
Deino tried to nuzzle up for affection, but Kashiwagi fended him off with a knee.
If his fur gets greasy, I'm the one who has to wash him.
Mawile at least cleans herself.
Once the meal was over, Kashiwagi washed his hands and helped Chansey scrub the sauce off a sleepy Deino.
After extinguishing the coals and bagging the trash, he stood up.
"Time to look around. Who's coming?"
"Dei... no..." Deino let out a massive yawn and instantly started nodding off.
Mawile caught the yawn and followed suit.
"Just the two of us then,"
Kashiwagi said, looking at Chansey.
She rubbed her hands together and chirped happily,
"Lucky!"
...
The bonfire party stretched for nearly a kilometer along the shore.
The "core" area was dominated by Neo Team Aqua stages, where they used projectors to showcase their ideology and released impressive Pokémon to grab attention.
Some stages even held quiz games with prizes.
Kashiwagi checked them out, but after seeing the prizes were mostly useless knick-knacks, he moved on.
Eventually, he reached the outer perimeter: the Pokémon Trade Meet.
This area was packed. Under the bright streetlights, Trainers from various regions were milling about with their partners, looking for the perfect trade.
Some, who possessed rare or powerful Pokémon, simply occupied a spot and waited for others to approach them.
In reality, very few successful trades seemed to be happening.
It wasn't so much a trade meet as a Boasting Convention.
He saw a Trainer with an Altaria talking non-stop about its virtues; when someone asked to trade, the response was a flat,
"No."
Everyone just wants to show off,
Kashiwagi thought.
Suddenly, a massive crowd at a particular stall caught his eye.
He and Chansey squeezed through the crowd, finding a man in a white lab coat wearing glasses thick as beer bottles.
He was shouting with frantic excitement:
"Just answer five questions correctly and you'll have the chance to win a super rare Pokémon! What are you waiting for!?"
Oh boy,
Kashiwagi thought.
Another one?