Ange and the others cautiously stepped onto the ice, afraid of slipping and falling flat on their faces.
Vul~
At that moment, a soft cry came. A small head quietly peered out from behind an ice rock. It was looking at Ange and the others with curious eyes.
"It's Vulpix!" Ange called out. Moreover, it was the Alolan form, Ice Vulpix.
Vul~
Seemingly startled, the Vulpix quickly withdrew its head behind the ice rock.
"Oh dear~~" Ange scratched the back of his head in embarrassment upon seeing this. He said toward the ice rock, "I'm sorry for startling you, Vulpix."
As Ange's words fell, one small head after another emerged consecutively from behind several ice rocks. They were all Ice Vulpix.
"Everyone, come out."
Lila walked forward and called out toward the ice rocks. The Vulpix then walked out from behind the ice rocks and gathered around her.
She squatted down, stroking the Vulpix, and said to Ange, "These Vulpix have just moved into the Breeding Center, so they are still a bit unaccustomed to humans."
Ange suddenly understood. "I see."
"Does the Prince want to pet them?" Lila asked.
Remembering the previous situation, Ange asked, "Will I scare them?"
"Not now," Lila said with a smile. "Just now, the Prince spoke too suddenly."
Ange slowly walked beside Lila. The Vulpix did not dodge, as expected.
"May I pet you?" Ange squatted down and asked one Vulpix.
Vul~~
The Vulpix narrowed its eyes and nodded.
Ange's face lit up with joy. He reached out and gently rubbed the Vulpix's head twice.
Vul~~
The Vulpix was quite affectionate. It rubbed its head against Ange's palm.
The texture of the Vulpix's fur was very wondrous; it was fluffy, yet ice-cold. It was silky and smooth like satin. It was unlike all the other fluffy Pokémon Ange had touched before.
After petting the Vulpix's head, Ange also stroked its back. It was equally affectionate, letting Ange have his way.
The other Vulpix saw this and gathered around Ange.
Vul~
Vul~
Vul~
...
They surrounded Ange. Some jumped into his arms to snuggle, licking his cheek. Some affectionately rubbed against his arm, licking his palm. Some affectionately rubbed against his leg. Others cried out, asking to be stroked. In short, Ange felt very happy at that moment.
Heaven couldn't be better than this.
"It seems they all quite like the Prince," Lila said, covering her mouth and laughing.
***
After playing with the Vulpix for a while, Ange and the others walked down the mountain. When they reached the edge of the flower field, Ange waved and shouted to Munchlax, "Munchlax, it's time to go home!"
Munch~~
Upon hearing this, Munchlax immediately abandoned its playful companions. It ran over to Ange.
"Did you have fun?" Ange asked, smiling and pinching Munchlax's chubby cheek.
Munch Munch~ It was fun. I liked it.
Munchlax said happily.
"It's getting late. Let's go home," Ange said. "I'll bring you back next time we have time."
Munch~ Munchlax nodded hard.
Just as Ange was about to continue down the mountain, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Munchlax, where is Komala?"
Munchlax looked down at its empty hands. It then realized that Komala was lost at some point. It yelped and jumped up like a dog whose tail was stepped on.
ω) Where is Komala? Where is that big Komala?
"Hurry and look for it," Ange said.
So the group began searching for Komala everywhere.
Lila comforted Ange. "Prince, don't worry. It won't get lost in the Breeding Center."
Ange nodded. "That's true."
Lila thought for a moment. She asked Fiona to find the Breeders working nearby to help search. They knew the Breeding Center best.
A short while later, a Breeder's shout came from the flower field near the waterfall. "Princess, we found it!"
Ange and the others followed the sound. What they saw was a scene of Komala confronting a Pokémon.
"Komala!" Ange called out.
As soon as Komala heard Ange's voice, it immediately hugged its log and rolled to Ange's feet. Ange skillfully bent down and picked it up.
Sylv~
At that moment, the Pokémon confronting Komala suddenly let out a cry of surprise. It stared intently at Ange.
Before Ange could react, the Pokémon had already arrived beside him.
Sylv~ Sylv~~
The Pokémon kept jumping around Ange. It seemed very anxious.
Then, Princess Lila slapped her forehead. "Oh no, I was too busy. I forgot to tell you about Prince Ange, Sylveon."
Ange looked at Lila in confusion.
Lila then solemnly introduced Sylveon to Ange. "Prince, this is Sylveon, the Guardian Deity of the Azoth Kingdom. It was once Queen Anna's Pokémon."
(Note: In this work, the higher a Pokémon's Level, the longer its lifespan. If its Level is high enough, an ordinary Pokémon might have a lifespan as long as a Legendary Pokémon.)
After hearing Lila's introduction, Ange looked at Sylveon in astonishment. "Are you... Anna's Eevee?"
Sylv~ Sylv~~
Sylveon nodded happily, again and again.
However, Sylveon soon became suspicious. Hadn't Prince Ange passed away?
Seeing Sylveon's furrowed brow, Lila explained. "Sylveon, this is what happened..." She told Sylveon Ange's set of fabricated explanations.
Sylveon, of course, did not doubt it. In its heart, Eliphas was an extraordinary being.
Ange said to Sylveon with great emotion, "So you evolved into Sylveon."
Strictly speaking, Ange and Sylveon were not particularly close. Firstly, when Eevee came to Anna, Ange was already on his deathbed. Secondly, Ange's health was poor. Apart from Diancie, who was a Carbink at the time, he did not have many opportunities to interact with other Pokémon.
However, both Ange and Sylveon were very happy to meet an old acquaintance (Pokémon) after five hundred years.
"By the way, Sylveon, why did you get into a conflict with Komala?" Ange asked.
Sylv~ Sylv~
Sylveon explained awkwardly.
It was all a misunderstanding. While taking a walk, it unintentionally felt a strange aura nearby that was enough to alarm it. It thought an ill-intentioned person had secretly sneaked into the Royal Breeding Center. That was why it rushed over to check. It ended up in a standoff with Komala.
Ange tried to use the Eye of Observation to check Sylveon's data. Sure enough, it was impossible to see.
Sylveon had genuinely lived for five hundred years. Unlike the "impostors" Ange and Diancie, who merely slept for five hundred years, its Level was probably unimaginable.
Diancie and Sylveon also knew each other. Now that they saw each other again, they were naturally overjoyed.
Then Ange, Diancie, and Sylveon sat on the grass together and chatted for a long time. They talked about the various events of five hundred years ago. They talked about Anna. They talked about the changes over the past five hundred years. They also talked about their expectations for the future.
Ange learned from Sylveon that Anna had more than one battle partner. Because Anna had personally gone to the battlefield back then, she personally led her Pokémon to suppress the internal rebellion and repel the invasion of neighboring countries. Her military achievements were remarkable. At the time, she even earned the title of "Battle Queen."
Unfortunately, Anna's battle partners passed away one after another within a hundred years after her death. Only Sylveon had steadfastly guarded the Azoth Kingdom, which she painstakingly protected and watched over her descendants.
Furthermore, Ange learned another thing from Sylveon: Eliphas created more than one Magearna back then.
At the time, the Royal Family had a princess and a prince. Eliphas's original plan was to create two identical Magearna and give them to the princess and the prince respectively, to accompany them as they grew up.
However, the creation of Magearna was not as simple as anticipated. Eliphas spent a massive amount of time. He only successfully completed one before Ange passed away.
Eliphas had actually intended to give the first Magearna created to Ange. He wanted Magearna to help care for the critically ill Ange.
However, that Magearna was a bit scatterbrained and could not effectively serve as a caretaker for the sick. So, it eventually became Anna's playmate.
When Eliphas started making the second one, Ange was already at his last breath.
However, Eliphas still persisted and completed the second Magearna after Ange's "death."
Compared to the first Magearna, which was widely known, no third person knew about the second one, apart from Eliphas himself and Anna, who had already ascended the throne.
Sylveon only accidentally found out about it later. By then, both Magearna had already disappeared.
Now, no one knew where those two Magearna were or if they were still alive.
Ange sighed deeply after listening to Sylveon's narration.
***
Seeing that it was getting late, Ange hugged Sylveon. "Sylveon, I'll come see you again when I have time."
Sylv Sylv~~
Sylveon extended its feelers and hugged Ange and Diancie separately.
Ange released Sylveon and stood up. "Well, Sylveon, see you later."
Sylv~
Sylveon waved its feelers in farewell to Ange.
Coming out of the Breeding Center, Ange sighed deeply. Then, he smiled and said to Diancie and Munchlax, "Let's go home!"
Leaving the Royal Capital, Ange put away his food cart and teleported Diancie and Munchlax home ahead of him. He took Komala and went to the Nebel River to find Lapras waiting there. He rode it all the way back to Nebel Plateau.
That evening, after the Cooking Training Room session, Ange, Munchlax, and Komala were soaking in the bathtub together. He leaned against the edge of the tub, lost in thought. His mind was constantly on what Sylveon had told him.
He already knew that his sister, Anna, had gone through many hardships after ascending the throne. He never expected her to have personally gone to the battlefield.
His sister used to be soft and delicate, very fond of smiling and snuggling. He never expected the title passed down to later generations to be "Battle Queen."
He could not imagine how many difficulties Anna had endured to grow into the perfect Queen Anna in the hearts of the citizens...
And Magearna... where were they now? How were they doing?
Munch~~
Munchlax saw Ange frowning. It suddenly scooped up a handful of water and splashed it onto Ange's face. After that, it laughed arrogantly.
Ange's thoughts returned. He pointed at Munchlax. "Oh, you're bold. You dare to trick your master. Unforgivable! Take this!" As he spoke, he also scooped up water and splashed it at Munchlax.
Munch~~
"Hahaha~~"
The master and apprentice began a water fight in the bathroom.
Poor Komala, floating in the bathtub, was tossed back and forth by the ripples they created. It could not get a moment's peaceful sleep.
Suddenly, it raised its log and violently smashed it into the water. Instantly, water splashed everywhere. More than half the water in the bathtub instantly vanished. Komala, which had been floating on the surface, was now sitting shallowly in the water.
Munchlax and Ange exchanged a look. Then they laughed even harder.
Komala: o(▼皿▼メ;)o
A long time later, Diancie's voice came from outside. "How long are you going to bathe?! Are you going to sleep? Are you going to work tomorrow?"
Hearing Diancie's interrogation, Munchlax covered its mouth and snickered, like a little mouse that had stolen cheese.
After the bath, Ange helped the two Pokémon blow-dry their fur. Then, they all went to sleep.
***
The next morning, Ange still took Komala to set up his stall at the Royal Capital, and Romeo came to help him with Slurpuff again.
Ange's business was still booming, keeping him and Romeo constantly busy.
Time flew by in a flash. It had been 10 days since Romeo had first come to help.
During these 10 days, Romeo was indeed tempered. He did not become significantly cheerful or outgoing, but at least he could remain calm when faced with customers' teasing.
Furthermore, his work efficiency had improved. He would not give a customer the wrong item even with his eyes closed.
That morning, Ange finished selling the buns and closed his stall. He began counting his earnings for the day.
He sold 3,079 buns and 4,683 Mantou, earning 61,580p and 46,830p respectively.
The total was 108,410p.
Ange looked at his bank account total: 1,293,714p.
With a bank account, he finally did not have to count cash bill by bill.
Ange's daily income hovered between 90,000p and 100,000p these days.
However, over a million Pokédollar looks like a lot, but it's far from enough to buy a store in the Royal Capital! Ange thought.
Looking at the Happiness Points balance, it was 850,567. That was quite a lot; it was almost a million.
Ange opened the System interface, and a prompt immediately popped up.
[Congratulations, Master, on completing the achievement: Hosted 5,000 Pokémon. Reward: Physique +3.]
Ange smiled. Yay, my Physique increased again!
He looked at his personal data.
Ange
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Physique: 16
Intelligence: 10
Cooking Evaluation: A Novice Apprentice whose food is edible.