The direction Lairon was heading was quite unexpected to Kashiwagi.
"Verdant... Nursery?"
He read the sign above the shop, then looked inside at the lush interior, which felt like being surrounded by a miniature forest. It felt more like a specialized botanical market than the typical rugged shops of the Underdome.
Lairon was clearly excited, peeking into the shop and then looking back at Kashiwagi with expectant eyes.
"...You really want to raise plants?" he asked hesitantly. He hadn't expected their casual conversation from before to have stuck so firmly in its mind. Then again, a Steel/Rock-type Pokémon becoming a gardener—it was an interesting contrast.
Seeing that his Trainer wasn't annoyed, Lairon nodded vigorously.
"Alright then."
Kashiwagi led Lairon inside. Shops selling flora weren't actually that rare in Pyrite Town; they catered mostly to the wealthy who used greenery to cultivate their personal refinement or improve the air quality of their estates.
However, keeping plants alive in Pyrite Town was an uphill battle. Rainfall was scarce, the soil was nutrient-deficient, and everything required artificial breeding and constant care. Kashiwagi liked greenery too, but he had zero confidence in keeping a tree alive.
Still, since Lairon was interested, there was no harm in trying.
With the clerk's guidance, Kashiwagi kept asking Lairon which varieties it liked. He soon realized the Pokémon was overwhelmed with choice; it wanted everything, nodding at every plant they passed.
Finding it hard to decide, Kashiwagi finally took charge and picked a sapling that was supposed to grow quite large and could survive in Pyrite's soil, along with a bonsai that was said to bear Berries.
"Let's start with these two. Once we prove we can keep them alive, we'll come back for more. What do you say?"
Lairon was already staring at the purchased sapling and the bonsai, its eyes practically sparkling. "Lairon~"
"Just how much do you love plants!?"
Kashiwagi couldn't help but laugh as he gave his new surface address to the clerk. Though the delivery fee was a bit steep and it wouldn't arrive until tomorrow, it was better than trying to haul a tree back himself. Besides, he didn't even know the first thing about transplanting them!
Exiting the nursery, he asked Lairon if it wanted anything else. The Pokémon shook its head, its mind entirely occupied by its new sapling.
Kashiwagi recalled it and sent out the pink, round Chansey.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. What do you want?"
"Lucky..."
Chansey scanned the surroundings, then stepped forward and tugged at Kashiwagi's pant leg, shaking her head. She didn't want anything. The Underdome was an unpleasant place for her; the overt malice of the people nearby often felt suffocating. She just wanted to leave.
Seeing her low spirits, Kashiwagi initially moved to recall her, but he stopped and put the Poké Ball away. Instead, he leaned down and gently squished her cheeks with both hands.
Chansey's mouth instantly formed an "O" shape, and her small flippers flailed in confusion. "Lu! La! Lucky!"
"Don't panic. I'm right here. No one can hurt you..." Kashiwagi looked Chansey directly in the eyes with a serious expression. "We're just out shopping for things we usually can't get. No one is going to do anything to you."
He spoke slowly, coaxing her out of her shell. Eventually, Chansey calmed down and her expression returned to normal.
Only then did Kashiwagi let go. "So, thought of anything yet? You helped earn this money, so whatever it is, I'll buy it for you!"
"Lucky..."
Chansey looked around hesitantly, thought for a long moment, and then began to gesture wildly with her arms.
At first, the movements were hard to decipher. But as they turned into clear motions of stir-frying and flipping a pan, Kashiwagi finally understood her desire through careful questioning.
She wanted to learn how to cook.
She wanted to see that expression of pure, lingering bliss on Kashiwagi and Lairon's faces again, just like when they ate her fried eggs. Good food made people happy. And seeing the people and Pokémon she cared about smile was Chansey's greatest wish. Whether it was through healing or cooking, she wanted to master the art of bringing joy.
Her dream: To be a Pokémon that could make her companions feel truly happy!
"...You really are something."
Kashiwagi went silent for a moment, then patted her head with a mix of helplessness and deep affection. If he had to describe her personality, "Altruistic" was the perfect fit.
Are all Chansey like this? he wondered. Regardless, her selfless heart truly moved him.
"Lucky~" Chansey smiled shyly.
"Alright, cooking it is."
Kashiwagi decided to take her to the largest department store in the Underdome. They would surely have cookbooks from other regions, high-quality ingredients, and professional kitchenware.
Returning from the shopping trip, Kashiwagi saw the sky was already dimming.
He decided to postpone moving until tomorrow and began organizing his purchases. In this one trip, he had spent nearly two million.
Why so much?
Aside from miscellaneous items, the most expensive purchase was the latest "Easy-Go Traveler's Backpack" from the Devon Corporation. It looked small on the outside but could hold an amount of items far exceeding its external volume.
Seeing this thing, Kashiwagi finally understood how Brock from the anime could always pull out chairs, tables, and a full kitchen set for dinner. It was literal black magic technology! Supposedly, the technology was derived from how Poké Balls worked.
The high-end gear cost him 1.5 million, and the shop owner had looked at him like he'd just robbed the man blind. With a ten-cubic-meter interior capacity, he figured it would be enough for now.
As a side note, he had placed Ken's three Pokémon in temporary boarding. Because they had been subjected to special drugs—which would show up on a medical exam—their resale value was severely diminished. He didn't plan on selling them to the organization, though. He wanted to handle them internally.
As a Squad Leader, he felt he needed to improve the strength of his own unit. He wasn't ready to flee Pyrite Town just yet—defecting right after a promotion was too dangerous. He planned to find reliable people who wouldn't mistreat them and find those three poor Pokémon a better future.
Kashiwagi leaned back against his soft pillow. To his left was Chansey, sleeping like a baby with soft, rhythmic breathing. At his feet was Lairon, who snored so heavily he had practically left a dent in the mattress.
When Lairon evolves into Aggron, this bed is definitely going to collapse under him.
I should cherish this peace while it lasts... He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.
The next morning.
Thump, thump, thump.
Someone was knocking. Kashiwagi, just finished with his morning routine, opened the door. He expected to see Narusu and the others, but it was Frobo, whom he had met just yesterday.
"Morning. Did I wake you?"
"No, I was already up. What's going on?"
"I'm just here on behalf of someone to ask: Do you have any plans to sell Ken's three Pokémon?" Frobo got straight to the point with a bluntness that was almost refreshing.
Kashiwagi paused, then stepped aside. "Want to come in and talk?"
"Sure." Frobo nodded.
Kashiwagi wasn't surprised someone was asking for the Pokémon. The boarding house where he'd left the Mightyena wasn't exactly a high-security vault; the staff there likely sold his information before he'd even walked out the door.
That was just life in Pyrite Town.