Officer Jenny arrived quickly.
She showed a flash of shock on her face when she saw the three pig-heads.
However, she did not look into it further; Pokémon poachers had no human rights.
After confirming their identities, Officer Jenny handcuffed them and loaded them onto the police car.
"Thank you, Mr. Ange. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to catch these three notorious Pokémon poachers even now," Officer Jenny said gratefully.
It turned out that all three poachers were on the wanted list and could be described as notorious.
Ange waved his hand and said, "It was just a coincidence."
Officer Jenny said, "Mr. Ange is being modest. These three are not ordinary Pokémon poachers. Because they were incredibly strong, the police tried to arrest them many times, but they let them get away! Being able to catch them means Mr. Ange must be a powerful Trainer."
Ange was now too lazy to emphasize to people over and over again that he was not a Trainer, so he said modestly,
"So-so, I suppose!"
Immediately after, he remembered something, so he took out the device the big guy had used to ambush him and handed it to Officer Jenny.
"By the way, Officer Jenny, this is for you!"
Seeing this, anger flashed across Officer Jenny's face.
"This thing again!"
"Do you recognize it, Officer Jenny?" Ange asked.
Officer Jenny let out a deep sigh. "Recognize it? That's an understatement!" She then explained the origin of the device to Ange.
This piece of black technology capable of petrifying living creatures first appeared in the hands of the notorious Pokémon Hunter—Hunter J. It was her sharp tool for capturing and stealing Pokémon.
Later, Hunter J disappeared, and her massive hunter organization disbanded. This black technology was then leaked by internal members of the hunter organization.
Now, every slightly famous Pokémon hunter and poacher had these items in their possession.
Because of this prop, many, many Pokémon had been captured, and the League police had suffered losses many times because of it.
That was why Officer Jenny was gnashing her teeth at the sight of it.
After Officer Jenny saluted Ange, she said, "In any case, thank you very much for your help, Mr. Ange."
After parting ways with Officer Jenny, Ange saw that it was getting late, so he took his Pokémon to find a place to stay.
He didn't stay at the Pokémon Center this time. Instead, he found a luxury hotel to stay in. He wasn't short on money anyway, so there was no need to shortchange himself.
Trainers stayed at the Pokémon Center because League-registered Trainers had discounts or even free benefits. He didn't have that, so he might as well treat himself well.
After choosing the hotel and moving into his room, Ange didn't go out again. He ordered dinner directly to his room.
Because he had added new companions, he ordered a very lavish dinner for the day.
Before dinner was delivered, Ange released the Espathra and Volcanion that had been憋 (cooped up) all day, and also released the Goodra, the two Sliggoo, and the three Eevee.
Since Ange had already treated the injuries of the Goodra and the two Sliggoo earlier, they had long since woken up.
As soon as Volcanion came out, it complained loudly, "Geez, why did you take so long to let me out? I was bored to death!"
The Goodra and the two Sliggoo were already feeling terrified from having a new Trainer, and now that they were startled by Volcanion, they immediately curled up into a ball and shivered.
Ange pulled a straight face and said, "Volcanion, you scared the Goodra and the Sliggoo!"
Volcanion: ...
"Hmph~ fickle human!" It snorted coldly, then huffed and turned around to lie in a corner, silently taking out its phone to watch a soccer match.
Recently, it had become obsessed with a team. The Cinderace in the team had very impressive ball skills; it was able to lead the team to win the championship in every competition, a veritable ace among aces.
Volcanion liked it very much.
Ignoring the sulking Volcanion, Ange spoke to the Goodra and Sliggoo in a gentle tone:
"Don't be afraid. From now on, you are my partners. You don't have to worry about being hit, being scolded, or being hungry or petrified."
Ange had already learned from the three Eevee how the poachers usually treated them.
Beatings, scoldings, and starvation were common. As long as the Pokémon didn't do something exactly as they wished, they would be punished with petrification.
Being petrified was a very terrifying and painful experience, which was why the Goodra and Sliggoo were so scared and tried so desperately to win while fighting against Ange and the others.
Because they had been punished so many times, the Goodra and the two Sliggoo had developed a stress response to humans and found it difficult to trust them again.
Go~ goo~
Sli~ sli~
Sli~ sli~
The personalities of the three Eevee were much bolder. After spending some time with Ange, their anxiety had disappeared, and they were busy helping to comfort the Goodra and the two Sliggoo.
Of course, the reason they were able to recover so quickly was mainly because they hadn't been with the poachers for long, and the trauma they suffered was far less severe than that of the Goodra and the two Sliggoo.
With the comfort of the three Eevee, the emotions of the Goodra and Sliggoo gradually stabilized, though they still showed no signs of wanting to get close to Ange.
Ange wasn't in a hurry. These things couldn't be rushed; let time heal them slowly!
Soon the waiter delivered the food, so Ange said to everyone, "Let's eat."
The food was spread all over the table. Ange sat at the table with Diancie, Passimian, Doublade, Goodra, and the two Sliggoo.
Volcanion and the three Eevee, who found it inconvenient to sit at the table, ate on the floor.
Because the Goodra and Sliggoo were scared, they refused to sit next to Ange and the others, sitting far away across from them instead.
Fortunately, the table at this hotel was large enough, or else Ange suspected they would have curled up into balls and wouldn't even have been able to stretch their limbs.
The Goodra was quite large, standing over 2 meters tall, which counted as a large Pokémon. Seeing it look so timid was truly heartbreaking.
After a busy day, everyone was quite hungry, so they eagerly began to eat, devouring their food.
Only Ange and Diancie looked elegant and composed.
At first, the Goodra and Sliggoo ate very cautiously, not daring to eat this or that. That wary appearance was truly pitiful.
Fortunately, Diancie was very gentle and considerate, passing them food they looked like they wanted to eat from time to time.
After dinner, Ange and the others didn't go out, but lay lazily in the room.
Diancie and Espathra lay on the sofa watching TV. The three Eevee couldn't resist crowding over, and before long, the sound of laughter came from their direction.
Volcanion had no match to watch at the moment, so it lay by the bed with its eyes closed to rest.
The Goodra curled up in a corner, with the two Sliggoo huddled beside it.
Perhaps they were too tired from the day and their minds had been under high tension, but after being full and satisfied, they drifted off to sleep in a daze.
Looking at their peaceful expressions, a smile appeared on Ange's face. He then lay on the bed and picked up his phone to play.
Meanwhile, the Doublade lay silently beside him.
After playing for a while, seeing that it was getting late, Ange turned off the lights and went to sleep with his Pokémon.
The next day, Ange woke up early. There was no helping it; his biological clock had already formed, so he got up to wash up and planned to go out for a jog.
The Doublade had woken up earlier than Ange. It got up with Ange, washed up, and then prepared to follow him out.
Passimian woke up right after; its biological clock had also formed.
Seeing that Ange was going out to exercise, it washed up at lightning speed and then followed Ange out.
By the time Diancie woke up, Ange was already gone, but Ange had left a video message for it. After seeing it, it calmly led the three newly awakened Eevee, the Goodra, and the two Sliggoo to wash up.
After washing up, Diancie asked, "Are you hungry?"
The three Eevee nodded, and the Goodra and the two Sliggoo followed suit.
"Then let's eat breakfast! We won't wait for Ange and the others." Diancie smiled and said to the six Pokémon, then called the hotel to order breakfast.
Seeing this, the Vaporeon asked with confusion, "Sli~ sli~" won't Ange be angry if you take such liberties?
If it were the poachers, if they did this, they would probably not only have no food to eat but also have to endure a beating.
They were absolutely forbidden from making any decisions on their own without the poachers.
The Goodra and the two Sliggoo also looked at Diancie with faces full of confusion.
Diancie smiled when it heard this and said, "Don't worry, he won't. In Ange's eyes, we are all free individuals with the right to decide what we want to do and what we should do. He won't be angry because of this."
Upon hearing this, surprise appeared on the faces of all six Pokémon.
Is there really such a human?
Seeing that the six Pokémon all had stunned expressions, Diancie explained,
"Actually, most Trainers in this world treat their Pokémon like this. Ange is not an exception. You were just unlucky; you encountered scum right from the beginning when you first came into contact with humans."
"Sli?" Scum?
One of the Sliggoo looked confused. It didn't quite understand the term.
Diancie explained, "It means bad people."
"Sli~~" Bad people...
"Sli~" Scum...
The two Sliggoo and the Goodra were thoughtfully murmuring the words "bad people" and "scum."
At this moment, Volcanion walked over, bleary-eyed, and said, "Don't worry, what Diancie says is true. That kid, Ange... he is actually quite nice."
Diancie covered its mouth and chuckled when it heard this. "It's really not easy to hear you praise Ange."
The Espathra, which had also walked to the side, nodded in agreement.
"Hmph~~" Volcanion held its head high, acting proud as if to cover up something, then shouted loudly, "What about breakfast? Has breakfast not arrived yet?"
Diancie laughed even louder when it saw this.
Espathra couldn't help but laugh along too.
Although the three Eevee didn't know what Diancie and Espathra were laughing at, they were infected by the happy atmosphere and burst out laughing as well.
The Goodra and the two Sliggoo looked at Diancie and Espathra, looked at the three Eevee, and then looked at the embarrassed Volcanion. Somehow, their originally anxious hearts suddenly felt at peace.
Perhaps that human named Ange really was a very good person; otherwise, how could Diancie and the others show such beautiful smiles?
It was truly an enviable smile.
The Goodra and Sliggoo felt that they might never be able to smile so brightly again.
By the time the Pokémon were about to finish breakfast, Ange returned drenched in sweat with the Passimian and Doublade.
The Goodra, the two Sliggoo, and the three Eevee hurriedly stopped eating, raised their heads in unison, and nervously looked at Ange, afraid that he would get angry.
Although Diancie and Volcanion had repeatedly told them not to worry, they still couldn't control their anxiety.
"You've had breakfast!" Ange said to everyone with a smile as soon as he entered the door.
Sure enough, just as Diancie said, Ange wasn't angry at all.
Seeing the six of them staring at him, Ange asked with confusion, "What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me?"
The six Pokémon shook their heads in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Ange was amused by them. "Are you rehearsing some kind of program? Do you want to give me a surprise?"
The six Pokémon shook their heads in unison again.
"Hahaha~~~ you guys are just too funny." Ange couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Giggle, giggle~~" Diancie knew the reason, but it didn't say anything, just laughing along with Ange.
A happy and relaxed atmosphere filled the room. The three Eevee took light steps, jumping and hopping to Ange's side, rubbing their heads gently against Ange's thighs to express their closeness.
Sli~ sli~
Sli~ sli~
Sli~ sli~
Ange smiled and said, "Alright, don't rub. I'm all sweaty and dirty. Wait for me to take a bath before I come out to play with you."
Unlike the three Eevee that quickly became close to Ange, the Goodra and the two Sliggoo were a bit at a loss.
They didn't know if they should imitate the three Eevee to curry favor with Ange, but they couldn't help but feel a psychological resistance to truly getting close to him.
For a moment, all three of them were extremely conflicted.
Ange seemed to see what was on the minds of the Goodra and the two Sliggoo, so he smiled and said to them:
"You don't need to struggle with whether to get close to me or keep your distance. Just act according to your own hearts. No one will force you to do anything."
Upon hearing this, the conflicted moods of the Sliggoo and Goodra instantly calmed down, and at the same time, a warm current couldn't help but well up in their hearts.
He is so nice.
"Alright, I'm going to take a bath!"
Saying that, Ange entered the bathroom with the Passimian and the Doublade. Those two guys needed a good wash too.
Soon, the sound of Ange and the two Pokémon chatting, laughing, and splashing water could be heard from the bathroom.
Looking at the bathroom door, the Goodra and Sliggoo were lost in thought for a long time.
After showering and eating breakfast, Ange checked out of the hotel.
However, he didn't set off for Hoopa immediately but took his Pokémon for a stroll around Anistar City.
It was rare to come out once; how could he not relax properly?
Unlike Geosenge Town, Anistar City was a famous big city in the Kalos region, and there were many fun places to go.
This time, Ange not only had Diancie, Passimian, and Doublade by his side but also released Volcanion, Espathra, and the three Eevee.
One person walking down the street with a large group of Pokémon attracted a lot of attention, especially Diancie and Volcanion, the two Pokémon that no one had ever seen before, which received the most attention.
However, everyone was basically looking on in a friendly way, taking a photo at most, and wouldn't rashly come up to disturb them.
Because the Goodra and the two Sliggoo were not accustomed to the crowded environment and didn't want to come out, Ange didn't force them.
Ange and his Pokémon played and strolled until noon, had a great meal at a famous restaurant in Anistar City, and then set off for Hoopa.
Because Hoopa and Anistar City were not far apart, Ange didn't take any special transportation. Instead, he mounted the Espathra and rode leisurely toward Hoopa while enjoying the scenery along the way.
Except for Diancie, Passimian, Goodra, and Sliggoo, who were not convenient to run behind the Espathra, Ange kept Volcanion, Doublade, and the three Eevee out.
Walking on the endless path, Ange admired the scenery along the way.
On both sides of the path were green, flat grasslands, where Pokémon like Scatterbug, Bunnelby, and Dedenne could be seen.
Beyond the grassland was a dense jungle, where Fletchling, Spritzee, and Vivillon frequently flashed across the forest.
Breathing the fresh air of the wilderness, Ange was in a very good mood.
The Doublade floated quietly beside Ange, guarding him closely.
Volcanion followed slowly behind the Espathra with a preoccupied look on its face.
Ange asked it with a smile, "Volcanion, it's rare to come out once, why do you look so listless!"
Volcanion let out a long sigh and said, "It would be great if Magearna were here too. Such a beautiful place, I really want to let it see it too."
Ange: ...
He shouldn't have asked.
"I'll take you two out together next time," Ange said.
"Really?" Volcanion's eyes brightened.
"Really, really!" Ange promised repeatedly, "When have I ever lied to you?"
"That's true." Volcanion said after searching through its memories.
After receiving Ange's promise, Volcanion's mood visibly improved, and its steps became much lighter.
Of course, the happiest ones were the three Eevee.
Ever since they were caught by the poachers, they had never been as happy as they were today.
At first, they walked on both sides of Ange and the Espathra like guards, with their chests puffed out, heads raised, and looking quite spirited, vowing to protect Ange.
But their attention was soon diverted by the Pokémon along the way.
When a Bunnelby poked its head out of a hole, the Flareon discovered it in an instant.
"Sli~ sli~"
It bolted toward the Bunnelby, which was immediately scared back into its hole.
The Flareon ran to the entrance of the hole, curiously poking its head in, wanting to find the Bunnelby, but it didn't expect its two front paws to slip, and it accidentally fell toward the hole.
Fortunately, the Vaporeon and Jolteon arrived in time, each biting the Flareon's small leg and pulling it up.
At this moment, the Bunnelby poked its head out again from another hole nearby and even provocatively stuck its tongue out at the three Eevee.
The three Eevee looked at each other, then cheered and pounced on the Bunnelby.
"Ho bi~~"
The Bunnelby shrieked and pulled its head back into the hole.
Just like that, the three Eevee played a game of catching Bunnelby all the way, with constant laughter and cheering.