Route 113.
The Verdant Manor.
A world-renowned Pokémon Aromatherapy Research Institute and Clinic.
Established sixty years ago, this place houses samples of almost every fragrance on the market and boasts the most cutting-edge R&D technology for Pokémon essences.
On typical days, the staff helps traveling Trainers heal their injured Pokémon, and following the tradition of the founder—the original "Aroma Lady"—they also rescue injured wild Pokémon from the surrounding forest.
Naturally, the place is always bustling with visitors.
But today, The Verdant Manor welcomed a rather... unique guest.
"Excuse me! Is anyone here? My Hydreigon caught a cold. Do you have a specialized fragrance spray for Dragon-types?"
Kashiwagi stood at the entrance of the grand garden. Beside him, Blissey was gently holding the "leash" of a Hydreigon whose three heads were drooping low. The dragon was sniffling rhythmically, letting out heavy, nasal huffs every few seconds.
"Hydrei... g-o-n..."
The dragon let out a weak, pathetic whine. The sight of such a fierce-looking apex predator acting like a sick puppy caught the attention of several nearby Grass-type Pokémon, who poked their heads out of the bushes to stare.
"Hap-py~" Blissey patted his heads pityingly, though she also gave him a stern look for refusing to stay in his Poké Ball to rest.
Illness is different from battle injuries; it can't simply be "cured" with moves like Heal Pulse or Soft-Boiled.
However, treatments do exist.
After a quick preliminary check, Hydreigon's condition wasn't critical. He'd already taken some Pokémon cold medicine and his vitals were stabilizing.
Most people find it hard to imagine a high-level Dragon-type catching a common sniffle, but the reality is that as long as they are living creatures, they are susceptible to sickness. Even an Ice-type Snorunt can run a fever.
In this case, Hydreigon had simply been pampered too well by Kashiwagi. Yesterday, after playing in the water, being flash-frozen by Blizzard, and then "thawed" by Flamethrower, he lacked the self-awareness to dry his scales properly.
He felt fine in the morning, but once they took off and flew through the high-altitude air currents, the chill hit him like a Brick Break.
Thankfully, with the right medicine, Pokémon recover at lightning speed.
"Coming~!"
A woman in a white lab coat appeared, a warm, Nurse Joy-like smile on her face. This was Arisa, the granddaughter of the famous Aroma Lady and the current manager of the manor.
She was likely one of Brock's dream girls. She looked about 80% like the photos of the Aroma Lady online.
She spotted the miserable Hydreigon and hurried over.
She paused for a split second, her nose twitching slightly as she caught a scent, before continuing her inspection.
"Oh dear, quite the cold, isn't it? Don't worry, it's nothing too serious. Follow me inside."
"Thank you very much, Miss Arisa," Kashiwagi said politely.
Blissey guided the three-headed dragon along, pulling him like a giant, mopey balloon.
...
Inside the manor, the air was a thick, pleasant cocktail of various botanical scents. Rows of shelves held countless bottles labeled with the names of Grass-type pollens and secretions.
A little further inside, there were numerous potted herbs, all sorts of colors, their complex aromas blending into a wondrous fragrance throughout the hall.
"What a collection," Kashiwagi remarked, his eyes gleaming.
Even Blissey looked impressed.
Arisa smiled. "I smell a hint of 'Awakening Dew' fragrance on you. Are you an enthusiast of handmade essences?"
"Yes, I've admired The Verdant Manor for a long time. I was planning to visit regardless, I just didn't expect my Pokémon to get sick on the way," Kashiwagi explained.
"Please, just call me Kashiwagi."
"Very well, Kashiwagi-kun."
Arisa's gaze toward him warmed significantly.
Soon, they arrived at a blending room. After a thorough check of Hydreigon, Arisa began mixing ingredients by hand—a traditional, "primitive" method that mirrored Kashiwagi's own style.
Kashiwagi instinctively looked away to avoid "stealing" her technique.
"Oh, it's alright! This isn't a secret formula," Arisa laughed.
"My grandmother believed that beneficial fragrances should be shared with the public. Though, due to economic contracts, some recipes are restricted, this one is free to observe."
In minutes, she finished a vial of shimmering, blue-purple liquid.
"This is the health-boosting and cold-dispelling Incense, Dragon-specialized version."
They moved to the aromatherapy room. Hydreigon flopped onto a soft medical bed.
Arisa poured the essence into a gourd-shaped diffuser and tapped the top.
Click.
A blue-purple mist filled the room.
Hydreigon's sniffling stopped almost instantly, replaced by deep, clear breaths. The effect was immediate—far more potent than the pills he'd swallowed earlier.
Blissey checked on the creature's health, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and gently sang a relaxing lullaby.
A moment later,
the three-headed dragon fell soundly asleep.
Seeing this, Kashiwagi and Blissey thanked Arisa again, who nodded and smiled,
"Would you like a tour of the manor while he rests?, I can introduce you to our work here."
"I wouldn't want to be a bother..."
"Not at all! It's quite quiet today."
He was finally able to tour this clinic he had only seen in simulation.
To be honest, many places inside felt strangely familiar; these must have been frequented in background, when the Aroma Lady was gathering materials, and it had been subconsciously imprinted in his memory.
To avoid heading straight to a predetermined spot without Arisa's guidance, Kashiwagi deliberately slowed down.
Arisa introduced him to various products: insect repellents, combat enhancers, beauty serums, and even breeding aids.
One straightforward example is incense, which exists in the game. It can boost the power of moves of specific types and also allow certain Pokémon to breed into "baby Pokémon."
What are baby Pokémon?
They are young Pokémon that cannot directly breed with other Pokémon, such as Munchlax, Pichu, Riolu, and Budew.
They passed a breeding room where a pair of Roselia were tending to an egg, and another where a Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff duo were watching over a bouncing, adorable, pink, balloon-like Igglybuff.
However, Kashiwagi didn't go into the breeding room to disturb them, only glancing at them through the window.\
Then, they reached the material collection room.
Perfume is something that can be used primarily from the pollen, scales, body fluids, and some leaf and twig tissues of Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon.
But, occasionally, there are exceptions.
"A Salazzle!"
Kashiwagi was surprised to see an Alolan native in Hoenn.
The Salazzle, spotting a human male, immediately struck a seductive pose and blew a wink at him, releasing a strange, sweet scent.
"Don't tease the guests," Arisa said, tapping the lizard on the head.
The scent dissipated.
"Salazzle's poisonous gas contains potent pheromones. It's excellent for high-end perfumes and mood-enhancing incense. Very popular with the younger crowd."
"I see..." Kashiwagi noted.
"Actually, it's not just Salazzle," Arisa added, dropping a bombshell.
"Theoretically, any Pokémon that can learn Sweet Scent possesses materials worth collecting for fragrance making."
"Wait, any of them?" Kashiwagi's eyes widened.
He immediately pulled out a notebook.
"What about Mawile? What part of her could be used, and what kind of effect would it have?"
Arisa gave him a sheepish look.
"I'm sorry, I'm actually still researching that. My grandmother proposed that theory just before she passed away, so it hasn't been fully proven yet."
So it was the Aroma Lady's original theory.
"I see."
Kashiwagi sighed and stuffed his notebook back into his pocket.
He'd felt a surge of excitement a second ago; he had only just taught Mawile Sweet Scent yesterday and didn't know how to make the most of it, but it seemed the definitive answer was still out of reach.
Eventually, Arisa led him into the main blending room.
"Would you like to try your hand at a few formulas? I have all the raw materials for the essences I mentioned, and this is our recipe book—feel free to browse through it."
"Whoa."
Kashiwagi looked at the thick volume before him. The familiar handwriting immediately triggered a wave of memories.
If he remembered correctly, this was the Aroma Lady's personal handwritten journal.
He hadn't expected Arisa to not only possess it but to have expanded it so significantly. The slightly faded ink on the earlier pages confirmed it was the exact same book from his "memories."
He had always regretted that in those fragments, the Aroma Lady never flipped past the "Refreshing and Soothing" chapter. It had been stuck on that one page forever.
Now, he could read the whole thing...
Isn't Arisa a little too trusting? he wondered.
"It's okay to look," Arisa said softly, sensing his hesitation. "Everything in there consists of public formulas not restricted by corporate contracts."
"Thank you."
Kashiwagi rolled up his sleeves and flipped through the book until he found the health-enhancing and cold-dispelling Incense.
If he was going to learn new recipes, medical and attribute-boosting ones were the top priority—those were the ones that provided tangible benefits in the field.
Once he confirmed the proportions, it was time for the actual execution.
Kashiwagi began sorting through the raw materials around him. H
e moved with an unsettling level of familiarity, dropping ingredients into beakers and test tubes, stirring with a glass rod, and flicking his wrist to settle the mixtures.
Arisa, who had been watching with a polite smile, slowly went still. Her expression shifted from casual interest to shock, and then to a deep, trembling emotion. Her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked back sudden moisture.
It wasn't that Kashiwagi's technique was impossibly complex or groundbreaking.
It was that, looking at his silhouette from behind, Arisa saw her grandmother.
Despite the differences in clothing, hair, and the vast difference in height, his movements looked like they had been cast from the same mold.
The angle at which he lifted his hand, the exact number of rotations while stirring, the fluid grace of the pour...
Even the way the glass rod accidentally clinked against the rim of the beaker when he finished—a sound that might make a professional scold an amateur for a "clumsy mistake"—sounded like the most beautiful music to Arisa.
That was her childhood.
That was her most precious memory.
In the years since her grandmother passed away, how many times had she been startled awake by the memory of that crisp clink, only to find her pillow soaked with tears?
The woman who used to smile at her so gently, who taught her the art of fragrance, who told her to keep a kind heart and told her which principles were worth standing by... she was gone.
Arisa took a shaky breath, realizing her chest was heaving. Hot tears spilled over, blurring her vision until it felt like she had stepped back in time.
In a sepia-toned memory, her grandmother turned slightly, wearing a benevolent smile.
"Arisa..."
"Grandma, I'm here..." she whispered, trembling.
Suddenly, a much clearer voice rang in her ears.
"Miss Arisa? Miss Arisa!"
"Ah!"
She snapped back to reality. Kashiwagi was looking at her with a face full of concern. She quickly wiped her eyes.
"I'm sorry! I... I suddenly thought of my grandmother. My apologies. Is something wrong? Did you hit a snag with the formula?"
"No snags. I've actually finished. I was hoping you could take a look and tell me if I missed anything."
Kashiwagi subtly moved his gaze away from Arisa's reddened eyes as he handed over the vial.
To be honest, he'd been so focused on the blending that when he heard sobbing behind him, he almost dropped his test tube. He had no clue what was happening.
She thought of her grandmother?
Wait a minute!
Is it because of my habits?
Kashiwagi's body went stiff. Because his "memories" of the past masters were often experienced from a first-person perspective and were largely outside his control, he inevitably picked up some of their muscle memory and quirks.
An ordinary person might not have noticed the nuance, but Arisa was the Aroma Lady's granddaughter!
Of course, there was no need to get too paranoid. No one with a functioning brain would jump to conclusions about ghosts, spirits, or "system cheats."
At most, they'd just think it was an uncanny coincidence.
"Mmm... you did a wonderful job," Arisa said, setting down the test tube.
Her eyes were filled with genuine praise as she looked at Kashiwagi.
"With a bit more practice, I believe the quality will be even higher. How about trying a few more?"
"I'd be honored."
That was exactly what he was hoping for.
Arisa stepped back to give him space.
To her, Kashiwagi seemed shrouded in a hazy filter; the dappled sunlight and swirling aromatic steam transformed him into the silhouette she missed most.
Even though she knew she was just deceiving herself, she desperately wanted to see that image one more time.
However...
While Arisa was lost in a wave of nostalgia, Kashiwagi felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
Arisa's gaze was becoming a little intense—downright terrifying, actually.
It was the kind of stare that made the hair on his arms stand up.
"If Brock were here, he'd probably be over the moon right now..." he muttered under his breath.
...
Around noon, after enjoying a lunch he'd been warmly invited to, Kashiwagi set off once again.
On foot.
Even though Hydreigon was feeling much better, it was safer to let him rest and observe him for a day.
That meant no flying for the time being.
He couldn't help but feel a bit of regret. This "Husky-Dragon" actually had quite a talent for transportation; he could maintain high speeds even while carrying a passenger, and he wasn't nearly as flashy or conspicuous as Steelix.
Before leaving, Kashiwagi took the opportunity to ask where Arisa's grandmother was buried.
As it turned out, the Aroma Lady—who had dedicated her entire life to fragrances and The Verdant Manor—slept in the center of the Great Garden, surrounded by the Grass-type Pokémon she loved so much.
With Arisa's permission, Kashiwagi went to pay his respects.
When you receive a great kindness you can't repay, the least you can do is show gratitude.
In all honesty, every "Blue Talent" simulation subject was a teacher to him. They had taught him skills and knowledge that were worth remembering forever.
He held deep respect for all of them.
"Come back and visit whenever you can!"
Arisa watched Kashiwagi leave with a lingering, wistful look.
If he hadn't only resembled her grandmother while blending fragrances, she might have truly believed the old lady had returned.
Such a coincidence... simply incredible.
"I will!"
Kashiwagi waved back.
Before he left, Arisa had insisted on stuffing a pile of premium essences into his bag. She even gave him a handwritten copy of a fragrance recipe book, making him feel a bit bashful.
He had come for a tour and to treat his Hydreigon. Not only did he end up paying zero in medical fees, but he also got a free restock—and a recipe book!
Even though most of those formulas could probably be found online—as Arisa mentioned she regularly posted fragrance-making videos on her PokéBlog—the real value lay in the experimental notes scribbled in the margins.
With those notes, he could avoid countless detours and wouldn't be fooled by those "clickbait" accounts that couldn't even copy a recipe correctly.
What a shameless man I am, he thought with mock self-disdain.
It wasn't enough that he'd gained immense benefits from the Aroma Lady herself; now he was cleaning out the granddaughter's stash too!
"You absolutely must visit again—!"
Arisa's voice trailed off in the distance.