The private beach in front of the resort.
Perhaps because non-guests were barred from entering, the area felt remarkably serene. The only sound was the rhythmic hush-hush of the tide.
Wait, wasn't this where May met Drew? Kashiwagi glanced around, his memory of the specific anime episode a bit fuzzy.
"What a wide-open space! It's perfect for practicing Contest appeals!"
Dawn stood nearby, her arms wide as if embracing the sun and the sea. Bold, confident, and eternally optimistic, she was a true bundle of energy.
Though, she could be a bit airheaded at times.
For instance, the sea breeze felt so good that she'd almost forgotten why they were here in the first place. It was up to Piplup to snap her back to reality.
"Pip-lup! Pip-lup-lup!"
Piplup tugged at the hem of Dawn's shirt, casting frequent, yearning glances at Mawile. The constant staring was starting to make Mawile knit her brow in annoyance.
"Ma-wile!"
Mawile looked at her trainer again, clearly asking for a tactical intervention.
Kashiwagi, however, seemed amused.
"Why are you looking at me? Just tell him directly you're not interested and to stop bugging you. Or tell him you just want to be friends. Or give him a 'Good Penguin Card'—tell him he's a great guy, but you're just not a match."
He chuckled.
"Or simpler yet, just clobber him like you do the others on our team—wait, since when did you become so polite?"
He distinctly remembered that Mawile's emotional expression used to be swift and decisive. When the Deino pack was still at the ranch, she hadn't hesitated to show her fierce disapproval.
Mawile rolled her eyes at him.
Why? Obviously, so she wouldn't cause him trouble! If she beat up Piplup, Kashiwagi would just scold her for starting a fight.
Hmph! Typical Kashiwagi!
Of course, the fact that she didn't quite understand what was wrong with Piplup was part of the problem.
Was he being hostile? Not really; he actually looked a bit like those humans who worshipped her. He wasn't exactly being "annoying" either—he hadn't even approached her yet.
But even if there was no hostility, this sense of awkwardness was suffocating. What frustrated her most was that she hadn't understood a single word her trainer just said. Was this really that complicated?
Unfamiliar with the concept of "love at first sight," Mawile decided to keep observing for now.
Meanwhile, eager to show off his ultimate skills in front of his goddess, Piplup finally managed to wake Dawn from her seaside reverie.
"Sorry, I got lost in the moment," she said sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it. I'm enjoying this cool breeze too. Hoenn's climate is much more comfortable than I expected," Kashiwagi waved it off.
He'd expected Slateport to be scorching in the summer, but the weather was actually quite pleasant.
Looking back toward the mainland, the towering Mt. Chimney was clearly visible, its majestic plumes of white smoke billowing into the sky.
Training began. Dawn patted her cheeks to focus her spirit.
"Status: perfect! Piplup, are you ready?"
"Pip-lup-lup!"
Piplup, having waited for this moment his whole life (or at least the last hour), puffed out his chest. He kept sneaking side-eyes at Mawile.
Seeing her settling down to watch his performance, his chest puffed out even further, nearly causing him to lose his balance and topple backward.
Thankfully, he stuck the landing. Seeing him fully prepared, Dawn finally gave the first command.
"Piplup! Use Bubble Beam toward the sky!"
"Pip-lup!"
Piplup tilted his head back, his beak glowing with a brilliant blue light. Countless bubbles the size of fists surged toward the heavens, refracting the sunlight into a dazzling display of colors. Even for a common move, Piplup's execution carried a certain inexplicable chemical magic.
"Ice Beam!" Dawn snapped her fingers.
Ice-blue lightning crackled from Piplup's beak, sweeping across the floating bubbles! However, instead of shattering them, the energy caused the bubbles to shudder and solidify into glowing blue spheres, raining down fine, pale-blue ice crystals.
By the time the Ice Beam finished, every bubble glowed with an ethereal light, covered in a thin layer of frost that made them look as pure and brilliant as diamonds.
Furthermore, the floating orbs reflected the beautiful sea, glowing in sync with the rising and falling tides.
The sheer beauty of the scene drew genuine gasps of admiration from Kashiwagi and Mawile. But the routine wasn't over.
Dawn called out confidently, "Piplup! Final move! Peck!"
In an instant, Piplup began to spin in place. His beak lengthened into a gleaming white drill, and he leapt into the air, soaring toward the frost-covered bubbles.
Pop-pop-pop-pop—
The bubbles shattered one by one, turning into a rain of sparkling motes that fell like a meteor shower.
It was breathtaking. Kashiwagi strained his ears and realized that Piplup was actually popping them in a specific musical scale—Do-Re-Mi—though the roar of the ocean waves muffled the sound.
"And... finish!~"
Dawn and Piplup bowed in unison to their two spectators.
Even without music, the performance was masterful. The transitions between the three moves were seamless, each one building on the last. It was a perfect synthesis.
Kashiwagi applauded loudly, his mind racing with ideas. "That was incredible, Miss Dawn. Truly breathtaking."
He sighed in admiration. "Thank you for showing me that. You really are a Coordinator who has competed all over the world."
"Oh, stop! You're exaggerating!~" Dawn waved her hands modestly, but her mouth curled into a natural, unstoppable smile.
"Pip-lup!"
Piplup looked soulfully at Mawile, dropping to one knee and raising his flippers as if to say, "That performance was for you, my goddess."
"Ma-wile~"
Mawile didn't catch the romantic subtext, but she couldn't help but offer her sincere praise. It really was a beautiful show.
Receiving her compliment was like being struck by Cupid's arrow. Piplup's heart-eyes doubled in size, and he tipped over backward in a dazed stupor.
"Pip-lup..." He felt like he was forgetting how to breathe.
Kashiwagi couldn't help but comment, "What a lovable idiot. Too bad he's fallen for a girl who doesn't have a romantic bone in her body."
"Looks like Piplup's newly sprouted love is about to wither before it even blooms," Dawn sighed, though she looked like she was quite used to this by now.
"Why? Does he fall in love often?" Kashiwagi asked with a laugh.
"Using the word 'often'... might not be accurate enough," Dawn gave a vague answer before turning the question back on him. "What about your performance? Let me see!"
"I'd love to show you, but I've only just finished the design. I haven't actually practiced it yet." Kashiwagi looked at Mawile. "If you don't mind, would you give us some pointers?"
"It would be my pleasure!" Dawn replied without hesitation.