Nebel Plateau is quite far from Azoth, so Ange needed to take an aircraft to Anistar City first, and then depart from Anistar City to Nebel Plateau.
After boarding the aircraft, Passimian looked around at the surrounding passengers and Pokémon with great curiosity.
Ange asked with a smile, "How does it feel to ride an aircraft for the first time?"
Except for the bulkier Volcanion and Espathra, he had Diancie, Passimian, and Doublade all out.
Ange had purchased tickets for both Diancie and Passimian, while Doublade was exempt from a fare due to its small size.
Passimian replied, Passi pass~ The world outside is truly wonderful.
Ange found his seats with the three Pokémon. The seats were connected to each other; Ange sat in the middle, Diancie on the left, and Passimian on the right.
Since Doublade didn't have a ticket, it had no seat and had to stay between Ange and Passimian; sometimes it would fly up and hover above Ange's head.
After sitting down, Ange originally intended to close his eyes for a short nap, but a passenger in the adjacent aisle suddenly spoke up and struck up a conversation with him.
"Young man! Young man! That young man with the Passimian!"
"Sir, are you calling me?" Ange looked at the person who spoke, puzzled. It was a chubby, fair-skinned middle-aged man.
"Yes, that's right!" the man nodded repeatedly.
The man's憨-looking appearance reminded Ange of a Snorlax.
"Is something the matter?" Ange asked.
The man asked mysteriously, "What kind of Pokémon is that next to you? I've never seen it before; it's so cute!"
Hearing someone praise Diancie, a smile appeared on Ange's face. "It's called Diancie, and it is indeed cute."
Diancie, hearing Ange's words, felt slightly shy and quietly pinched Ange's waist.
"So it's called Diancie!" The man looked thoughtful upon hearing this. "This Pokémon must be very rare, right?"
He then asked Ange, "Young man, could you tell me where I can catch a Diancie? I want to catch one too."
Ange looked troubled. "I'm afraid I can't help with that; I don't know where to find a Diancie either."
"How can that be!" The man looked disappointed upon hearing this.
After that, the man started chattering away at Ange.
Ange had originally planned to rest for a while, but with that man interfering, it was impossible.
He had only been willing to chat a couple of times out of courtesy, but he never expected the man to be such a chatterbox. Ange began to feel a bit annoyed and gradually stopped responding.
The man probably realized his behavior was annoying, so he eventually shut his mouth.
As the surroundings quieted down, Ange was finally able to get some proper rest.
About a day later, they arrived safely in Anistar City.
However, the moment Ange left the Anistar City airport, he realized he was being followed.
For Ange, who had mastered Aura Power, it was simple to determine whether someone was following him or just happening to be heading the same way.
After thinking it over, Ange deliberately walked toward a less crowded corner.
Seeing Ange specifically heading for deserted areas, Diancie asked, "What's wrong?"
Ange winked at it, and Diancie instantly understood; it had felt that something was off about that person on the aircraft earlier.
It seemed that was indeed the case!
Before long, they arrived at an open space next to a construction site.
Since it was a holiday, there were no people or Pokémon working at the nearby site.
Seeing Ange stop, those who were following him finally appeared. There were three of them, and the leader was that chubby man from the aircraft.
The man's expression was as friendly as ever. He laughed and said, "Little brother, what a coincidence; we meet again."
Ange smiled. "Is it a coincidence, or doesn't the sir know full well in his heart?"
"Oh my~" The chubby man chuckled. "It seems the little brother sees through everything. Then things are simple; leave that Pokémon called Diancie behind, and we will let you leave safely."
Ange smiled. "What if I'm not willing?"
Upon hearing this, the smile on the chubby man's face vanished instantly, and his tone turned gloomy.
"Then we will have to make you suffer. Don't blame us; blame yourself for not knowing your own strength, flaunting such a rare Pokémon in public."
Ange shook his head helplessly. "It seems the sir is quite confident in himself."
Upon hearing this, the man put away his gloomy expression and spoke gently again. "It's alright. After all, you can't survive in our line of work without some skill."
Ange then said with unexpected seriousness, "I would very much like to witness your skill; please, by all means, battle me."
The man was stunned by Ange's sudden words. "Huh? Oh~~ since you..."
Before the chubby man could finish his sentence, one of his subordinates said, "Boss, why are you rambling with this kid? Don't forget who we are; of course, we should all attack together!"
The chubby man realized he had been played and became furious from embarrassment. "All together, take this kid down."
As he spoke, he released his Pokémon. Ange was very surprised to see it was a Goodra.
As expected of Pokémon poachers; the Pokémon they had weren't bad at all!
Then the man's two accomplices also released their Pokémon. Ange was even more surprised to see they were both Sliggoo, an earlier stage of Goodra's evolution.
Without waiting for Ange's command, Diancie, Passimian, and Doublade stepped forward.
"I wonder if your Diancie can beat my Goodra," the chubby man said confidently. "Looking at your Doublade and Passimian... I'm afraid it's a bit doubtful, hahaha~~"
He laughed triumphantly, clearly having great faith in his Goodra and looking down on Doublade and Passimian.
"Goodra, get to work properly, otherwise..."
Hearing the man's words, Goodra trembled slightly, looking as if it feared something, and then its gaze toward Ange and his party turned firm.
Melon~ Melon~~
"Sliggoo, you too~~" the other two men also said with a grin.
The Sliggoo's reactions were the same as the Goodra's; first, they looked afraid, then they showed their determination to win.
Lume~ Lume~
Lume~ Lume~
They cried out toward Ange's group in unison.
Seeing this scene, Ange couldn't help but frown.
Before Ange could dwell on it, the opponents started their attack.
One of the poachers commanded, "Sliggoo, Rain Dance!"
As his voice fell, dark clouds gathered above their heads, and pouring rain began to fall.
Although Goodra is not a Water-type Pokémon, it likes water and is good at Water-type moves, and the rain allowed them to exert their strength.
Conversely, Diancie disliked water, so its brow was tightly furrowed.
Next, the chubby man commanded, "Goodra, Aqua Tail."
Melon~~ Goodra responded, swinging its thick tail immediately, and a massive water flow transformed into a water pillar, lashing toward Diancie and the others.
Diancie stepped forward, extended its hands, and a transparent light shield appeared in front of it; it used Reflect.
BOOM!!!
Aqua Tail struck the Reflect shield, water splashing everywhere; although the impact was massive, it didn't cause much damage.
At the same time, Doublade and Passimian moved.
Passimian leaped, its outstanding jumping ability allowing it to reach the side of one Sliggoo instantly; it raised its fist and used Brick Break to strike the Sliggoo.
However, the Sliggoo didn't clash head-on with Passimian and hid directly behind the Goodra. Goodra, seeing this, caught Passimian's fist easily with the thick, powerful tentacles on its head.
Goodra gripped Passimian tightly while swinging its tail, intending to use Aqua Tail to knock it down.
Just as the Aqua Tail took shape, a flash of light cut through the air—it was Doublade.
Sacred Sword collided with the Aqua Tail, instantly shattering it into countless water droplets that sprayed in all directions.
Meanwhile, Diancie controlled a colorful beam of light and fired it over.
It was the Fairy-type move Dazzling Gleam, which is super effective against Dragon-type Pokémon.
One of the Sliggoo saw this and leaped, blocking the path in front of Goodra.
BANG~~~
With a loud crash, Diancie's attack landed on the Sliggoo, but to Ange's surprise, although the Sliggoo was covered in wounds, it stubbornly held on.
By rights, a single Sliggoo would have been unable to withstand Diancie's Dazzling Gleam.
Thinking for a moment, Ange understood: it had used the move Endure.
After using this move, no matter how intense the opponent's attack, the user would endure with minimal HP remaining.
Seeing the attack fired by Diancie, the chubby man frowned. "That Diancie is a Fairy-type Pokémon?"
Ange put on a surprised look and said with a chuckle, "Yes, didn't I tell you?"
The chubby man was so angry he gnashed his teeth. He had miscalculated!
A Fairy-type Pokémon was his bane!
On the other side, the other Sliggoo used Life Dew to heal the injured Sliggoo.
Clearly, the poachers had very clear divisions of labor for their Goodra and the two Sliggoo.
One Sliggoo was responsible for Rain Dance and healing.
The other Sliggoo was responsible for acting as a shield.
And Goodra was responsible for attacking.
Through the Eye of Observation, Ange saw that the Sliggoo responsible for Rain Dance had the Hydration ability and was holding a Damp Rock to extend the duration of the rain.
The Sliggoo acting as a meat shield had the Gooey ability, which would lower the opponent's speed when hit by contact moves, and it was holding an Eviolite to increase its defenses.
Goodra's ability was Hydration, which allowed it to cure status conditions in the rain, and it held a Mystic Water to boost the power of Water-type moves.
With this setup, it was no wonder that chubby man was so confident!
Furthermore, the Goodra's level was indeed quite high; otherwise, it wouldn't have evolved.
Pokémon like Dragonite, Tyranitar, Metagross, Salamence, Garchomp, Hydreigon, Goodra, Kommo-o, Dragapult, and Baxcalibur, which are commonly known as pseudo-legendaries, are formally referred to in the Pokémon academic community as "late bloomers."
This means they are usually very powerful, but they require exceptionally high level requirements to reach their final form.
Passimian, having one hand grabbed by Goodra, opened its mouth and spat a green seed at Goodra.
It was using the Grass-type move Seed Bomb.
At that moment, the Sliggoo with the Sap Sipper ability leaped and blocked in front of Goodra.
Pokémon with Sap Sipper not only take no damage when hit by Grass-type moves, but their Attack also rises.
Sure enough, the Sliggoo took no damage and launched a Muddy Water attack at Passimian.
However, Doublade was one step faster; a flash of light cut through the air, and the Sliggoo was sent flying.
The Goodra beside it saw this and seized the opportunity to launch Muddy Water, trying to sneak-attack Doublade.
But Passimian wouldn't let it succeed; it waved its fist, used Brick Break, instantly shattering the muddy water flow and striking Goodra.
Melon~~ Goodra stumbled back.
At this moment, Diancie's Dazzling Gleam roared over again.
The Sliggoo that had used Endure stepped forward again, once again blocking the attack for Goodra, still using Endure.
And the Sliggoo that had just been knocked back by Doublade again used the healing move Life Dew.
Life Dew is an area-of-effect healing move; as the droplets sprinkled over Goodra and the two Sliggoo, their wounds healed rapidly.
Troublesome... Ange couldn't help but think.
Meanwhile, one of the chubby man's lackeys whispered, "Boss, this guy is a tough nut to crack; it seems we can't take him down!"
From the beginning until now, they had been on the defensive; the fact that this was happening meant the opponent's strength was above theirs!
"Should we retreat!" asked the other lackey.
The chubby man looked at the cute Diancie on the opposite side, hesitating for a moment.
It was a Pokémon he had never seen before! If he could get his hands on it, they would be rich!
However, at that moment, Ange, tired of the stalemate, said to Diancie, "Diancie, Play Rough!"
Goodra's strength lay in its Special Defense, while its physical defense was relatively average, so Ange had Diancie switch from the special attack move Dazzling Gleam to the physical move Play Rough.
Diancie heard the command and launched the move, its entire body sparkling with pink light as it charged toward Goodra.
That Sliggoo wanted to continue blocking damage for Goodra, but the agile Passimian jumped to its side, grabbed it, and leaped far away.
BOOM!!!
With a loud crash, Goodra was sent flying, its head tilted as it collapsed, unable to continue.
With Goodra down, the two Sliggoo were nothing to fear.
The one held by Passimian struggled in vain, unable to break free.
And the other one had been rendered unable to battle by Doublade's Sacred Sword.
With all three Pokémon down, the three poachers turned to run.
SWISH!!!
A sound of air being pierced rang out, and a sharp sword light slashed across the ground in front of them, leaving a deep gash.
The three immediately stopped, shivering with fear.
The chubby man smiled and said, "Little brother, let's talk this out. Let's just pretend this never happened, shall we? I have money, I'll give you money!"
Ange shook his head, looking at the chubby man with a half-smile. "Begging for mercy already? I still prefer the way you were acting so arrogant at the beginning."
Upon hearing this, the chubby man's face turned livid.
Just then, Doublade noticed the chubby man was sneakily trying something, so it immediately slashed at his feet.
The chubby man dared not move again.
Ange walked over and looked; it turned out he was reaching for the Poké Balls on his waist.
Clearly, besides the Goodra, the chubby man had other Pokémon.
After a thorough search, Ange found all the Poké Balls on the three men.
Besides Goodra and the two Sliggoo, the three poachers each had one more Pokémon: Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon, respectively.
After the three Pokémon were released and realized their Poké Balls were no longer in the hands of the poachers, they immediately unleashed Water Gun, Thundershock, and Ember on the three poachers.
The three screamed repeatedly as they were attacked.
Clearly, the three poachers hadn't treated their Pokémon well, and now they were facing the backlash.
Judging by the state of the Goodra and the two Sliggoo, their situation was likely the same.
After returning the Goodra and the two Sliggoo to their Poké Balls, Ange called the police.
While waiting for Officer Jenny, he stared at the Poké Balls of the Goodra and the two Sliggoo, lost in thought, then placed all three balls on his belt.
He wouldn't hand over these Pokémon; he'd quietly keep them for himself!
He suddenly thought that in the future, his home would have very important work suited for the Goodra and Sliggoo.
Once he collected the seeds for the Wangwang Valley, he could have the Goodra and Sliggoo help with the planting.
Wangwang Valley required paddy field cultivation, similar to rice farming, and since Goodra and Sliggoo were Pokémon that lived in swamps, having them help plant and manage the valley would be perfect.
He then looked at the three Eevee-lutions sitting and squatting in front of him.
"What do you intend to do?" he asked.
The three Pokémon looked at each other, and finally, Vaporeon stepped forward.
Savo~ Savo~ Can we follow you?
Ange was the benefactor who had rescued them from the poachers. Judging by the attitude Ange had shown toward them, Vaporeon could conclude that this person was not bad, which is why it made that choice.
Ange was stunned, then thought: As expected, I am just too charming!
"Sure, since you're willing, I have no objections."
Eevee-lutions were very rare Pokémon, not to mention Eevee that had already used evolution stones; being chosen by them, Ange felt honored.
Ange then returned them to their Poké Balls, then waited for Officer Jenny while staring blankly.
Not far away, the tied-up chubby man saw Ange distracted, a devious look flashing in his eyes.
He twisted his wrist, aiming an item on it that looked like a watch at Ange.
Although Ange seemed to be distracted, he hadn't let his guard down in the slightest, and Doublade had been watching the three poachers without blinking.
So, the moment the chubby man made a move, Ange and Doublade discovered it simultaneously.
As the chubby man's device shot out an eerie beam, Doublade swiped at it, and Ange dodged to the side.
SWISH~~ The beam missed, hitting a small tree nearby, which instantly turned to stone.
What kind of black technology is this? Ange looked at the gray, hardened tree with lingering fear.
"Still trying to sneak attack?" Ange was very angry. He walked over, grabbed the chubby man by the collar, and gave him a good beating.
"I'll teach you to sneak attack! I'll teach you to sneak attack."
Ange punched him again and again, the agonizing screams of a slaughtered pig echoing through the sky.
Before long, the chubby man had become a black-and-blue pig's head, and even his two lackeys were affected, receiving a beating from Ange as well.