The Carbink soon ate and drank their fill, and the three of them hopped over to Ange's side to offer their thanks.
"Lord Ange, thank you for your hospitality," Majima said.
"Are the three of you full?" Ange asked with a smile.
"Very full. It was all thanks to meeting Prince Ange, otherwise we would be..." Majima replied.
"I am just glad I could help. Since we were able to meet, it must be fate," Ange said. Though in his mind, he knew it was entirely the System playing matchmaker.
"Lord Ange, we still have very important business to attend to, so we cannot stay long. We hope that when we meet again, we will be able to repay your kindness," Majima said sincerely.
Ange nodded. "Then let us meet again! Take these with you." As he spoke, he took out the few Berries he had left and gifted them all to the three Carbink.
"I hope these help you."
The three Carbink took the bag of Berries and carried it on their backs, their faces full of emotion.
"Lord Ange, you are truly a wonderful person!"
"Goodbye, Lord Ange."
Subsequently, under Ange's watchful gaze, the three Carbink hopped away.
Once the Carbink had left, Ange packed up his things into his System Backpack and spoke to Metagross and the others. "Alright, let's head home too."
Voir voir~
Bu~
The several Pokémon responded cheerfully.
Riding on Talonflame, Ange quickly returned to the Royal Capital. At the city gate, he climbed down from Talonflame's back and took the cable car with his Pokémon to return to Munchlax Home.
Paw paw~
On the way home, Pawmi was extremely happy, swaying its head and singing while sitting in Ange's arms.
Swablu was also in a good mood. Nestled on Ange's shoulder and seeing how happily Pawmi was singing, it began to show off its own voice as well.
Watching her daughter's joyful appearance from beside Ange, Talonflame's eyes couldn't help but narrow into crescent moons.
The people sharing the cable car with Ange all broke into smiles upon hearing the crisp, tender singing of Swablu and Pawmi, as if the day's fatigue had vanished because of the happy song.
After getting off the cable car, Pawmi suddenly spotted a shop on the street selling donuts and immediately became rooted to the spot.
"You want to eat again?" Ange asked helplessly. "Didn't you just finish that egg fried rice not long ago?"
Paw~
Pawmi pinched its own belly, looking aggrieved as it indicated it wasn't full yet.
"You're eating so much this afternoon; are you still going to eat dinner?" Ange asked with a laugh.
Paw~
Pawmi patted its belly confidently, gesturing that no matter how much it ate now, it could still fit dinner in later.
"Fine then, I hope you don't regret it."
With that, Ange walked toward the dessert shop.
Paw~ Pawmi followed excitedly behind Ange.
Talonflame, Swablu, and Metagross followed suit upon seeing this.
Looking through the glass window, Ange asked Pawmi, "Which flavor do you want?"
Pawmi looked left and right, wanting every single one, and felt quite indecisive.
"Hurry up and choose," Ange said. "You can only pick one."
Pawmi instantly looked like a deflated balloon. It pointed to a pink donut and said:
Paw~ I want this one.
"Strawberry flavor, right? Got it!" Ange said, then turned to Talonflame. "You guys pick one too."
The Pokémon happily huddled their heads against the glass window, each selecting a flavor.
Once they finished choosing, Ange thought for a moment and decided to buy extra so that Diancie, Munchlax, Komala, Drizzile, Magearna, and Volcanion could try them back home.
After receiving the donuts, the gluttonous Pawmi did not eat its treat immediately. Instead, it stole a glance at Ange. Seeing that he wasn't paying attention, it took a deep sniff of the donut and then quickly hid it in its System Backpack.
After hiding it, it covered its mouth and chuckled sneakily.
I'm not stupid, Pawmi thought. If it ate too much now, it definitely wouldn't be able to eat dinner at home. It had to hide the donut to eat slowly later.
To a foodie and hoarder like itself, the System Backpack was a godsend.
Metagross saw all of Pawmi's little movements, though it didn't expose the secret.
When Ange looked down and saw Pawmi's hands were already empty, he said in surprise, "Good grief, you finished it that fast?"
Paw~ Pawmi nodded, acting as if nothing had happened.
"What a little glutton," Ange said, shaking his head.
Seeing that Ange hadn't noticed, Pawmi laughed even more happily behind its paws.
Watching Pawmi's joy from the side, Metagross couldn't help but laugh along.
"What are you two laughing at?" Ange asked, puzzled.
Paw~ Nothing.
Meta~ Nothing.
The two Pokémon answered in unison.
"Is that so?" Ange didn't think much of it.
Pawmi and Metagross locked eyes, and suddenly, with a shoo sound, Pawmi jumped onto Metagross's head.
Metagross thought for a moment, then used its psychic powers to split its own donut in half, handing one part to Pawmi.
It assumed Pawmi had been reluctant to eat its own.
Paw~ Pawmi happily took Metagross's donut and began to savor it in small bites.
Seeing this scene, Ange shook his head with a smile.
After paying the bill, Ange was carrying the packaging bags and about to leave when he suddenly heard a burst of silvery laughter nearby.
"Daddy, I want a donut!"
"Okay, okay, Daddy will buy one for you right now."
Ange looked toward the sound and found a family of three buying donuts. The father was leaning over, looking at the glass window with a smile as he asked his daughter which flavor she wanted.
The daughter appeared to be about eight or nine years old, with twin ponytails and a dress, looking very cute.
In her arms, she held a Hoothoot with large, round eyes. The Hoothoot looked at the glass window with the same expression as the little girl.
The girl's mother stood by watching with a smile, her expression very gentle.
It was truly a heartwarming family of three.
Ange didn't think much of it. He turned to leave with his Pokémon, but noticed that Talonflame was staring at the family in total shock.
"Talonflame, what's wrong?" Ange asked, confused.
Talonflame was oblivious to Ange's words, her eyes still fixed unblinkingly on the family.
"Daddy, I want chocolate!" the girl shouted to her father.
The father doted on her, rubbing her head. "Alright, we'll get chocolate."
"Hoothoot wants one too," the girl added.
"I know, I know," the father said dotingly. "Hoothoot gets one, and Mommy gets one too!" As he spoke, he looked at his wife with eyes full of love.
The mother shyly swatted at the father.
Ange followed Talonflame's gaze and had to remark once more on what a warm family they were.
Having finished their purchase, the family of three prepared to leave, and Talonflame instinctively began to follow them.
Seeing this, Ange had no choice but to follow along helplessly with Metagross, Pawmi, and Swablu.
"Talonflame, what is going on with you? Is there something wrong with that family?" Ange asked in a low voice as they walked.
Flame~ Flame~
Talonflame lowered her head and cried out twice in a low tone. After hearing her, Ange looked at the father with a face full of shock.
This man... was the person who had abandoned Talonflame back when she was still a Swablu?
Upon hearing that this man was the trainer who had abandoned its mother, Swablu immediately flew into a rage, wanting to rush over and teach him a lesson. However, Talonflame was quick and snatched the little one back with her beak.
"Swablu, don't cause a scene!" Ange took Swablu from Talonflame and held it in his arms along with Pawmi.
"What do you want to do?" Ange asked Talonflame softly.
Flame~ Talonflame shook her head.
She didn't know. Nearly twenty years had passed, so long that her memories had begun to blur.
If she had reunited with this trainer before meeting Ange, she would have certainly rushed over in anger to give him a harsh lesson.
But after meeting Ange, that anger seemed to have vanished from her heart.
Of course, a sense of lingering resentment remained.
"Then... how about... we follow them for a bit and see?" Ange suggested.
Talonflame thought about it and nodded in agreement.
Thus, Ange led his Pokémon as they followed not too far behind the family. With his excellent hearing, they could clearly hear the family's conversation.
It turned out that Talonflame's former trainer was no longer a trainer at all. He was now just an ordinary worker, employed at the same company as his wife.
He and his wife had actually met through their work.
Learning that her former trainer was no longer a trainer left Talonflame in a daze; it even felt somewhat ridiculous.
Why was she abandoned back then? Because her trainer, after starting his journey, had set his sights on the Elite Four and the Champion. He trained himself every day using methods that bordered on cruel. Ultimately, because she had performed poorly in a match, he had heartlessly discarded her.
Now, he had actually given up his status as a trainer to become an ordinary company clerk.
Seemingly sensing Talonflame's distress, Ange gently stroked her neck, trying to soothe her emotions.
Swablu also flew to its mother's side, nuzzling its head against her cheek.
Blu blu~ Mother, don't be sad.
With the comfort of Ange and Swablu, Talonflame indeed felt a bit better.
Soon, Ange and the others followed the family to a crossroad. While waiting for the cable car, a battle was being broadcast on a large screen ahead—a fierce fight between an Araquanid and a Golisopod that was locked in a stalemate.
The girl watched with great excitement. She pointed at the screen and said to her father, "Daddy, I'm going to train Hoothoot to be that strong too!"
Hoo hoo~
Hoothoot flew out of the girl's arms and landed on its trainer's shoulder, looking longingly at the powerful Araquanid and Golisopod on the screen.
The father rubbed his daughter's head. "Okay, Daddy believes Xiaoya can do it! But if you want a Pokémon to become strong, you must take good care of it. The bond between a trainer and their Pokémon is the greatest power of all!"
"Mhm! Xiaoya loves Hoothoot the most. I'll definitely treat Hoothoot well." As she spoke, the girl hugged Hoothoot and gave it a kiss, and Hoothoot nuzzled its cheek against her in return.
Listening to the dialogue between father and daughter, Talonflame desperately wanted to rush over and question her former trainer.
If this is how you teach your daughter now, then how did you treat me back then?
Soon the green light turned on, and the family of three crossed the road happily. Ange and Talonflame continued to follow behind.
After crossing the street, the family entered a restaurant. Ange looked up and realized it was a Battle Restaurant.
A Battle Restaurant was a place where the shop would set up Pokémon battles. If a customer won, they could receive a corresponding discount or even have the meal for free. If they lost, they had to pay the original price for the meal.
"Let's go in too," Ange said.
Flame~
Talonflame nodded.
Upon entering the restaurant, Ange and his group chose a table adjacent to the family of three and ordered some of the shop's signature dishes.
Pawmi ate continuously, not forgetting to feed Metagross and Swablu.
After feeding Swablu, Pawmi used a fork to bring a piece of beef toward Ange's mouth. Ange took the fork and sent the beef back into Pawmi's mouth. "You ate fried rice and then a donut. I'm surprised you can still eat."
As he spoke, he pinched Pawmi's belly. It was indeed chubby and soft.
Paw~ Paw~ Paw~
Pawmi lay on the table laughing as Ange pinched it.
"Alright, eat for yourself," Ange said, letting go. "Don't worry about me."
Pawmi nodded, took back the fork, and resumed eating. Of course, it didn't forget Swablu and Metagross.
At that moment, Ange suddenly heard the father at the next table say to his daughter with a sigh, "Speaking of which, Daddy did something very terrible a long time ago."
"What was it?" the daughter asked curiously.
The father let out a long sigh. "Back when Daddy was still a trainer, I once treated a Swablu very poorly. In the end, I even abandoned it because I felt it wasn't strong enough."
After hearing this, the daughter's face hardened as she said angrily, "Daddy, that's so mean."
"It is, isn't it?" the father said with a bitter smile. "Daddy thinks it was mean too. I wonder how that Swablu is doing now. Is it living well?"
Hearing this at the next table, Ange gently hugged Talonflame.
Talonflame nuzzled her head against Ange, a single tear sliding from the corner of her eye.
That was the first human she had ever interacted with, the one she had once held beautiful aspirations for.
The little girl at the next table let out a deep sigh. "Even though Daddy was very mean, you're still my Daddy! If it were anyone else, I would definitely, definitely hate that person."
The little girl is quite the hypocrite, Ange thought to himself.
The father said with a smile, "So Xiaoya must not be like Daddy. You have to cherish Hoothoot."
Xiaoya took it as a matter of course. "Naturally! Hoothoot is my best friend. I would never do something as mean as what Daddy did."
Soon, the family finished their meal. A waiter walked over and said, "Hello, guests. This is a Battle Restaurant. If you can defeat our trainer in a Pokémon battle, you will receive a 50% discount on your meal."
"Really?" Xiaoya's father asked in surprise.
The waiter nodded with a smile. "Of course."
The father immediately said happily, "Alright! Then today I'll show off my skills. I was a world-famous trainer back in my day!"
"Daddy's bragging," Xiaoya said immediately.
The father chuckled. "Whether Daddy is bragging or not, you'll find out in a bit."
He then looked at the waiter. "Lead the way."
The waiter nodded. "Please follow me, sir."
The family of three followed the waiter away.
At that moment, Ange looked at Talonflame and asked, "Talonflame, do you want to get your revenge for what happened back then?"