Raikou was a vault that simply wouldn't crack.
No matter how hard Kashiwagi prodded, he couldn't force a single word out of that massive jaw. He could only offer the legendary beast a look of profound, lingering disappointment.
"Sigh..."
He let out a heavy, dramatic breath and dejectedly slinked away.
Raikou: "..."
What is this kid acting all tragic for now? He's making me feel actually guilty.
But there were some things Raikou simply would not share, no matter the circumstances. It wasn't like he could explain the complexities of the situation to this kid anyway—human speech wasn't exactly in his moveset.
Besides, the boy had his own goals to achieve. Getting tangled up with those "bad guys" was a recipe for disaster.
Raikou let out another yawn. This hot spring was truly... a trap. The longer he soaked, the sleepier he got.
...
Outside the door, Kashiwagi—who had been shamelessly eavesdropping—sighed for real this time.
He realized that the Legendary Beasts (Ho-Oh's personal guard) were almost always lone wolves. They didn't ask humans for help. If things got truly dire, they'd regroup with their two brothers to face the threat together.
In the anime, they only collaborated with humans if the human initiated it. (Though in the Adventures manga, they were known to go around beating up Gym Leaders just to find "worthy" partners.)
Speaking of brothers, why haven't Suicune or Entei shown up yet? Kashiwagi wondered. Or maybe they're already here, active in other parts of Hoenn, and I just haven't crossed paths with them?
It was highly likely. Kashiwagi was 99% sure Raikou had come to Hoenn specifically to hunt down Team Rocket. After being treated like a battery by their "Crystal System" back in the day, there was no way Raikou wouldn't want some payback. He'd probably just run into a bit of bad luck with their latest "tech" trap.
Thinking about it this way, it suddenly makes a lot more sense.
"Let's go for a walk. I've been in Lavaridge for so long and haven't even seen the sights," Kashiwagi stretched, signaling Blissey to join him.
Lavaridge Town was all about its hot springs and everything associated with them: Sand Baths, Hot Spring Buns, and Moomoo Milk heated in the springs.
And, of course, the famous Lavaridge Town Rice Crackers (Lava Cookies). Kashiwagi bought them in bulk because the hotel's complimentary snacks weren't nearly enough to satisfy Aggron and the others.
Even the "stoic" Raikou had shown a flicker of 'I'd like another one' after eating two, but when he saw Kashiwagi's 'Beg me and I'll give it to you' expression, the cat immediately turned around and hopped back into the pool.
The snack eventually went to Zweilous instead.
To Kashiwagi's surprise, the town was also famous for Traditional Herbal Medicine. Influenced by the healing nature of the springs, there was an entire street dedicated to exotic herbs beyond just Energy Roots and Revival Herbs.
As they walked through the market, Blissey's face scrunched up at the pungent, bitter smells in the air. But once Kashiwagi explained that the scent came from life-saving medicinal plants, her curiosity was piqued.
She was no stranger to ingredients—she used them for her aromatherapy essences—but dried herbs and decoctions were a whole new world.
If they're this popular, they must be effective, right? Blissey thought.
She didn't want to bother Kashiwagi by asking to stop, but her feet kept slowing down. She was the queen of "the lingering glance."
Kashiwagi, playing along, asked, "Should we take a look inside?"
"Happy!"
Blissey nodded enthusiastically. They ended up buying a mountain of strange herbs after Kashiwagi mentioned he could use them to make a nutritious, fragrant porridge.
She couldn't help but be curious.
Herbs could be used to make essences, medicines… and even food?
...
By noon, Kashiwagi had proven his culinary prowess, serving a medicinal porridge so delicious it practically "glowed."
His cooking skills were reaching a point where he could probably open his own restaurant, thanks to all the chef tutorials he'd watched online.
While Raikou stepped out to eat, Kashiwagi tried one last time to get information. He was met with the same silence.
"Sigh... I guess that vault is staying locked," he muttered, turning to his three starters for the afternoon.
"Since you guys are battling today, don't eat too much. We'll have a big feast when we get back!"
"Happy~"
"Pah-ree~"
Blissey and Porygon were perfectly fine with that. One was the most obedient Pokémon on earth, and the other didn't really "eat" in the traditional sense.
Zweilous, however, insisted on a little extra attention. The two-headed dragon had been a bit jealous of the "giant stinky cat" Kashiwagi had been fussing over lately.
Even though Kashiwagi hadn't neglected him, Zweilous wanted to be the center of the world.
Besides, today was his big moment.
Feeling the explosive power coursing through his body, Zweilous was brimming with confidence. He wanted a victory to welcome his "new self." He was one step closer to becoming the Ace!
Zweilous turned to give Aggron a provocative look.
"Zwai!" "Zwai!"
You see this? This killing intent? This battle spirit in my eyes?
Aggron turned his massive head, looking down at the straining dragon necks. "...?"
Slowly, Aggron used a claw to part the messy fur covering Zweilous's eyes. Seeing those two pairs of intense eyes, he let out a soft, amused grunt. "Guh-hou~"
He patted both of Zweilous's heads gently.
Work hard, kid. Like the Trainer says: 'The new wave pushes the old wave.' Keep at it! Aggron radiated the calm, unshakeable energy of a big brother.
In a nearby water tank, Feebas wagged her tail happily. She worshipped Aggron and loved seeing these "mentoring" moments. Aggron didn't forget her, leaning over to give the little fish a tiny pat on the head too.
Life is complete, Feebas thought, feeling so "full" of admiration that even her specialized fish food didn't look as tempting as usual.
Kashiwagi and the other Pokémon laughed and joked, quite happy. Raikou, looking at the people and Pokémon before it, became even more certain that it shouldn't involve them.
After all, it and the other members of Ho-Oh's guard had done so much to protect all of this.
To protect the peace and beauty of the world. To exterminate evil... !
...
A kilometer away, on top of a tall building...
A girl with black hair, dressed in summer gear with a tattered gray cloak over her shoulders and a spiral anklet on her leg, peered through a pair of binoculars. She was focused intently on the distant hot spring hotel.
Behind her, a Whismur was spinning in circles, watched closely by a massive Salamence.
"Kashiwagi... I didn't expect him to be hanging out with Raikou. Interesting, very interesting. The new generation of Dragon Tamers is really stepping up."
The girl turned to the Whismur with a grin. "Did you know, Aster? There's another girl from the Village of Dragons in Unova active in Hoenn right now! She's incredibly strong too... things are looking up."
"Whis-whis~"
Aster stopped spinning and waved a tiny hand.
"You're happy too, right?"
Zinnia pulled the Whismur into a hug. She took the shirt she'd been wearing earlier—the one with the red "R"—threw it on the ground, and stomped on it.
"It would be even better if there weren't so many villains trying to ruin this beautiful world," she whispered, looking up at the clear, blue sky.
No matter the time or place, she truly loved this vast, azure sky.
...
...
The Lavaridge Gym Battle
In the afternoon, Kashiwagi returned to the Lavaridge Gym.
Flannery hadn't stood him up. She was waiting as promised, though her expression suggested her investigation into the secret base hadn't yielded much. Since Raikou had already sniffed it out, the Team Rocket members had likely fled long ago.
However, when he asked if any Team Rocket agents had been left behind, Flannery gave a surprising nod.
"There were some... but they'd already been taken care of."
"Eh?"
"When we entered, everyone was already unconscious on the floor. But according to the injury reports and the marks at the scene, it wasn't Raikou's doing... Ah, sorry, I'm talking too much."
Flannery scratched her head with an awkward laugh. "Don't mind that! Let's focus on our Gym battle! Grandpa—"
"I am here."
Moore stepped out from a side passage, dressed in a traditional kimono.
Moore was the permanent referee of the Lavaridge Gym, but years ago, he sat in the Leader's seat himself, conquering challengers with his legendary, powerhouse Typhlosion. He didn't rush to announce the rules; instead, he caught his granddaughter's eye.
Flannery realized the cue and turned to Kashiwagi. "You've already collected three badges, right? I've looked at your records—the first three Leaders gave you very high praise. They all said you're quite formidable, so I think it's only right to turn up the heat."
"You flatter me. I'm happy to take on whatever level of difficulty you deem appropriate," Kashiwagi replied with a polite nod.
"In that case, let's see if the bond between you and your Pokémon is hot enough to burn!"
Flannery flashed a thumbs-up to Moore. Receiving the signal, the old master raised his dual-colored flags.
"The Lavaridge Gym challenge is about to begin! The combatants are Gym Leader Flannery and the challenger, Kashiwagi. This will be a three-on-three match. Only the challenger is permitted to swap Pokémon. Both sides, prepare!"
Both trainers reached for their Poké Balls.
"Begin!"
The spheres were hurled forward simultaneously.
Pop! Pop!
In a burst of light, a humanoid Pokémon landed in front of Flannery. Its body was covered in flickering embers, its belly was shaped like a massive, flame-patterned egg, and its arms resembled mortar cannons.
"Ma-gmar!" Magmortar let out a low, guttural growl.
Not far away, Zweilous countered with two booming roars of its own.
"Zwai!" "Zwai!"
Both trainers were momentarily surprised. Kashiwagi hadn't expected Flannery to bring out a Magmortar—it seemed her "reserve" roster was deeper than he thought. Flannery, on the other hand, was shocked to see a rare Unovian Pokémon... Wait, is he not from Hoenn? She had assumed he was a Hoenn
The hesitation lasted only a heartbeat.
"Flame Charge!"
"Earth Power!"
Magmortar acted first. Despite its bulk, its reaction time was incredible. Its massive body ignited into a sphere of flame, charging toward Zweilous like a meteor. With every meter it covered, its speed increased, the friction between fire and air creating a low, thundering rumble.
Fortunately, Zweilous was used to this kind of speed. He'd practiced against Gallade, whose attacks were far swifter. All four of Zweilous's eyes locked onto the incoming Magmortar as his front claws slammed into the ground.
CRACK!
The ground fractured in a tree-like pattern, golden energy surging through the fissures. Just as Magmortar was about to make contact, the energy erupted.
BOOM!
A fountain of earthen power exploded from the cracked floor, swallowing Magmortar whole! Fire and yellow light clashed violently, and a massive explosion swept across the field.
As the smoke billowed, Zweilous backed away from the dust, wisps of white steam rising from his fur.
"This Pokémon..."
Moore watched Zweilous with wide eyes. As a former member of the Elite Four and a Gym Leader of several decades, his intuition was razor-sharp.
That move—not a second too early, not a second too late—had intercepted Magmortar perfectly. The sheer predictive capability shown by Zweilous was a testament to his high level of training.
Is this the result of Kashiwagi's mentorship? Moore wondered.
Before he could analyze further, Kashiwagi's second command rang out.
"Draco Meteor!"
What?! Moore thought. He knows Draco Meteor too? Impressive! But is he using it without even confirming the enemy's location in the smoke?
Zweilous gathered a sphere of high-intensity, orange-red energy in his chest. The energy split into two, flowing up his necks and into both mouths. With a synchronized snap of his heads toward the ceiling, he fired!
SHOOOM—
Two energy pulses shrieked into the sky, exploding into countless shimmering meteors that rained down, their long, fiery tails piercing the lingering smoke on the battlefield.
Inside the dust cloud, Magmortar—barely recovering from the Earth Power—looked up to see a rain of destruction falling right on top of him.
"Lava Plume!!" Flannery shouted.
Too late. As Magmortar raised its cannon-arms to blast upward, the first meteor struck, detonating in a burst of indigo dragon-fire. Then came the second, the third—
While the individual power of a scattered Draco Meteor was lower than a concentrated hit, the frequency of the strikes made it impossible for Magmortar to escape.
Dragon-flames rolled across the arena. When they finally dissipated, Magmortar was lying flat on the ground, out cold.
"No way..."
Flannery stared at her fainted Pokémon, unable to hide her shock at the raw power of Kashiwagi's Zweilous.
Moore, who had a better view of the mechanics, realized his granddaughter had made a serious tactical error. This wasn't just a "formidable" challenger.
This was a high-tier trainer who required 100% of her focus just to stand a chance!
"ZWAI—LOUS!!" "ZWAI—LOUS!!"
Zweilous roared at the ceiling.
A sudden sensation washed over him.
He could feel it.
He was almost there.
Just a little bit more!
He glared at Flannery, his battle spirit reaching a fever pitch. His mind was filled with a single, burning desire for the next victory!