When they arrived at a lake, Volcanion suddenly came to a halt.
"Volcanion, what's wrong?" Ange asked, puzzled.
"I need to replenish my water," Volcanion replied.
Volcanion generated steam using the high heat and water within its body, but it did not produce water itself, so it needed to absorb it from external sources frequently.
"Alright, let's take a break here then," Ange nodded.
The scenery around the lake was quite nice, making it a perfect spot for camping.
Ange guided Espathra and Volcanion to the lakeshore. Doublade and the three Eevee followed closely behind.
At the water's edge, Volcanion uncoupled the arms on its back, plunged them into the lake, and began to guzzle the water.
Pin pin~ Pin pin~
Seeing the lake, Vaporeon was thrilled, leaped into the water, and began to swim freely.
Ange took out a picnic blanket, spread it on the grass with his Pokémon, and pulled various desserts from the system backpack.
These had all been made by Magearna. There were fluffy bread rolls, cakes of all flavors, colorful donuts, and exquisite-looking macarons.
Because Magearna had awakened its Aura, some of the desserts it made had special effects.
For instance, there were donuts that quickly restored stamina, macarons that cured status conditions, and cakes that helped Pokémon relax.
Passimian took bottles of different fruit juices from its own system backpack, such as rock salt lemonade soda, banana-抹茶 milkshake, and a punchy berry tea.
Before long, the picnic blanket was covered with all kinds of food and drinks.
"Everyone, go ahead and taste these," Ange said to Goodra, Sliggoo, Flareon, and Jolteon.
Flareon and Jolteon cheered and started eating immediately.
Goodra and Sliggoo were a bit shy. Seeing this, Ange placed a cake that could soothe emotions in front of them and said, "Go on, try it! It's delicious, and I'm sure you'll like it."
Goodra and Sliggoo picked up a piece of cake each and began to nibble on them.
As expected, Magearna's craftsmanship was exceptional; Goodra and Sliggoo were instantly won over, their faces softening into expressions of pure enjoyment.
Ange smiled at the sight.
He watched everyone enjoy the food while he began to explain its origin.
"Magearna made all of these especially for you. You probably don't know Magearna yet, do you? It's our partner, too, though it's not with me right now. Once you come home with me, you'll be able to meet it. We have so many partners at home; I'll introduce you to them one by one when we get there..."
As he talked, Ange couldn't help but start sharing stories about the Nebel Plateau.
Goodra and Sliggoo perked up their ears, listening quietly while savoring their treats.
Vaporeon and Volcanion returned then.
Volcanion walked slowly to Ange's side and lay down silently. Ange placed a box of donuts in front of it.
Vaporeon squeezed between Jolteon and Flareon.
Flar flar~ Flareon looked disgusted.
Vap vap~ Vaporeon giggled and licked Flareon.
Flareon: (ω)
Jol jol~ Jolteon pushed a glass of fruit juice toward Vaporeon.
Vaporeon licked Jolteon in response, then lowered its head to drink the juice.
Flareon: (▼ヘ▼#)
Ange continued telling everyone about the Nebel Plateau when suddenly, one of the Sliggoo let out a cry of alarm.
Ange quickly looked over and saw a Pokémon appearing on top of the other Sliggoo's head.
Ange recognized this Pokémon; it was Z2, which he had previously saved from Team Flare.
"Zygarde? What are you doing here?" Ange asked in surprise.
Then, a thought occurred to him. He quickly pulled out his phone to check the map and realized:
Of course!
They were not far from Terminus Cave, and in the game, Terminus Cave was where Zygarde lived.
Ange had transmigrated into the anime world, but it seemed Zygarde lived in Terminus Cave in the anime as well.
Zygarde possessed cells that monitored the entire Kalos region, so it was perfectly normal for it to know he was here.
Z2 hopped down from Sliggoo's head and bounded over to Ange's side.
Ange retrieved a box of macarons and asked, "Would you like some?"
Z2 hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod.
Ange placed the macarons in front of it and set a glass of juice nearby.
Z2 shimmied over to the box and began to eat, occasionally taking a sip from the straw.
Magearna's desserts and Passimian's juice seemed to be to its liking. Despite being such a small creature, it polished off an entire box of macarons and over a dozen cakes of various flavors, along with a dozen glasses of juice.
Once full, Z2 lay down on the grass to bask in the sun.
The Zygarde Core could absorb solar energy through the crystal in the center of its body to gain power.
As evening approached, Ange decided it wasn't the right time to keep traveling. "Let's stay here tonight!"
The Pokémon agreed with nods.
Ange began setting up the tents with his Pokémon.
By the time the tents were up, it was nearly dark. Since they had eaten plenty of desserts and drinks in the afternoon, Ange wasn't in a hurry to cook dinner.
He laid a blanket out in front of the tent and lay down with Diancie.
"It feels quite nice to catch the evening breeze like this."
Summer was beginning, and the daytime temperatures were high, so the evening breeze felt remarkably refreshing.
"It certainly does," Diancie agreed.
Vap vap~ Flar flar~ Jol jol~
The three Eevee jumped onto the blanket, lying down and looking up at the stars beginning to twinkle in the sky.
Volcanion chimed in, dampening the mood. "If you want to feel the breeze, I could blow you all away in one breath."
Ange was speechless. "Volcanion, that's not a very likable thing to say."
"Hmph~" Volcanion tilted its head disdainfully. "I don't need anyone to like me!"
Ange continued to chat and joke with the Pokémon.
Doublade lay next to Ange, and Goodra with the two Sliggoo rested in a corner of the blanket, all listening quietly.
Passimian leaned against Espathra, interjecting occasionally.
The Zygarde Core watched Ange and the group of Pokémon interacting harmoniously, lost in thought.
When they began to get hungry, Ange started to cook.
He set up a table in a nearby clearing and brought out his cookware, ingredients, and seasonings.
Soon, a rich aroma began to permeate the air.
Goodra, Sliggoo, and the three Eevee, who had never tasted Ange's cooking before, stared at him, drooling.
Diancie smiled at them. "You're in for a treat. Ange's cooking is top-tier."
Slurp. The six Pokémon swallowed in unison.
Z2 was also secretly drooling.
Dishes were brought to the table one by one.
The vegetable dishes included: hot and sour shredded cabbage, tomato and baby bok choy, pan-fried tofu, spinach with ginger sauce, dry-fried green beans, and smashed cucumbers.
The meat dishes included: guobaorou (sweet and sour pork), red-braised pig trotters, potato-braised chicken, and sauce-flavored chicken wings.
They also had a soup: mushroom and tofu soup.
The staple food was rice.
Since the Pokémon had large appetites, Ange prepared generous portions of every dish.
When everything was set, Ange said, "Alright, let's dig in."
The Pokémon erupted in cheers.
Upon tasting the food, the three Eevee and Goodra finally understood what Diancie meant when she said Ange's skills were exceptional.
It was truly delicious.
They had originally thought that just not getting hit, not getting scolded, not being turned into stone, and doing as they pleased during their day with Ange was enough happiness. They never expected to encounter something even better.
They had never eaten such delicacies before.
Seeing the new Pokémon eating with such satisfaction, Ange felt quite proud.
"Take your time eating, everyone. There's plenty more; I've got you covered."
Vap vap~ Mellon~
...
The Pokémon called out to Ange in response before obediently slowing down their pace.
Ange nodded in satisfaction.
He noticed the Zygarde Core watching them intently and extended an invitation: "Zygarde, would you like to join us for a bite?"
Z2 had been waiting for those words. It jumped onto the table and tapped its tail, waiting to be served.
Ange took a plate, put some rice on it, added some side dishes, and didn't forget to include a small bowl of soup.
"There you go. Eat up."
Z2 immediately began to eat with gusto.
In the end, every dish was completely devoured.
Stuffed and content, they all sprawled out on the blanket with expressions of pure bliss.
After playing a bit longer, Ange retired to the tent to sleep.
Before going inside, he asked Z2, "Do you want to come in with us?"
Z2 declined the invitation, leaped into a tree, and curled up on a branch to close its eyes.
Ange didn't press the matter and headed inside the tent.
The next morning, Ange stepped out to find that the Zygarde Core had vanished.
"It left..." he sighed.
"Ange, look!" Diancie called out.
Ange followed her gaze and saw Diancie holding a green scale about the size of an adult's palm.
That was... a Zygarde dragon scale?
"Where did you get that?" Ange asked.
Diancie pointed to the table. "It was left right there."
Ange took the scale from Diancie. "It seems Zygarde left it behind."
"It ate your food, so this might be how it paid for the meal," Diancie suggested.
Ange shook his head helplessly. "Nobody asked it to pay."
Diancie laughed. "Pokémon have their own principles, especially Zygarde."
"That's true!" Ange stared at the dragon scale for a moment. "Since it gave it to us, let's not be pretentious. We'll accept it!"
After putting the dragon scale into his system backpack, Ange began to prepare breakfast.
Since there was leftover rice from last night, he made fried rice.
After a hearty breakfast, they set off toward Desert City once more.
However, Ange was unaware that Z2 was riding on the back of a Salamence, trailing them from a distance.
Z2, having been harmed by Team Flare, did not trust humans. Yet, it had encountered someone special like Ange, who not only saved it but, upon discovering its identity, did not covet its power.
Thus, Z2 decided to observe this special human carefully.
About half a day later, they arrived at the special city adjacent to the desert—Desert City!
Ange had expected Desert City, given its proximity to the desert, not to be a bustling metropolis.
He was wrong.
Walking down the main street, high-rise buildings stood everywhere, and the crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder. It was a thriving, bustling city.
The temperature was a bit high, but that was expected given the summer season and the nearby desert.
While passing a building in the city center, Ange finally understood why Desert City was so prosperous.
Legend had it that one hundred years ago, a Pokémon arrived in Desert City back when it was merely a desolate village.
That Pokémon was incredibly powerful, so the people treated it with great respect and often offered it food.
To repay them, it brought them great wealth.
With that wealth, the people became prosperous, and the city developed.
However, human hearts are fickle.
Once they became wealthy, they wanted to see that Pokémon fight. They sought out various powerful Pokémon to challenge it, but every challenger was defeated.
The people were unsatisfied, so they made the Pokémon continue to demonstrate its power.
The Pokémon did not refuse. It summoned various legendary Pokémon to fight one another.
These battles brought a massive disaster upon Desert City, and only then did the people finally regret their actions.
But regret was useless.
Human hearts change, and so do the hearts of Pokémon.
The once-pure Pokémon, influenced by the people, had become intoxicated by its own power. It grew to love controlling legendary Pokémon and watching them fight, so it refused to stop the battles to resolve the catastrophe.
It wasn't until a person appeared who used the powers of fire, water, and earth to create a vessel that the Pokémon was finally sealed away.
The place where this "Prison Bottle" was crafted was atop the Pillar of Punishment in the heart of Desert City.
The Pillar of Punishment had now become a tourist attraction.
The story was engraved directly onto the pillar.
Prison Bottle? Pillar of Punishment?
After reading the story, Ange thought: Could the Pokémon mentioned here be Hoopa?
He didn't take the story on the pillar too seriously and turned to leave.
Because of the heat, he had no interest in sightseeing. After resting in Desert City, he set off for the location provided by his online contact.
To spare his Pokémon from the heat, he left everyone but his mount, Espathra, the heat-resistant Flareon, and his Doublade.
Ange had wanted to put Doublade in its Poké Ball, as Steel-type Pokémon were also sensitive to heat, but it had stubbornly insisted on staying by his side, so Ange let it be.
Shortly after leaving Desert City, they entered the desert.
Clang~ Clang~
Doublade cried out excitedly.
Ange followed its gaze and saw many Hippopotas and Hippowdon inhabiting the sand.
"So, they're Hippopotas and Hippowdon!" Ange laughed.
Flar flar~ Flar flar~
Flareon looked up at Ange and Doublade, confused as to why Doublade was so excited.
"We have a Hippopotas and a Hippowdon at home," Ange explained. "Once you come back with us, you'll be able to meet them."
Flar flar~~ Flareon seemed to understand, and it began to look forward to the day they would return to the Nebel Plateau with Ange.
As they ventured deeper into the desert, the silhouette of Desert City gradually faded.
They traveled for a long time, heading deep into the desert interior.
The desert temperature was extremely high during the day; Ange had to keep drinking water.
Because Doublade couldn't handle the heat, Ange had wrapped it in cloth and carried it on his back.
Only Espathra and Flareon were unaffected.
Espathra could release psychic energy through its feathers, insulating itself from the heat, so it wasn't bothered by the desert environment.
As for Flareon, it possessed internal flame sacs; any heat that approached it was simply absorbed and stored.
"Espathra," Ange asked, feeling limp, "can you use your psychic powers to insulate me from the heat too?"
Es~ Es~
Espathra shook its head; it wasn't strong enough to do that.
Ange let out a deep sigh. He checked the location his contact had sent and realized it was still a long way off.
"Why would Lucario, a Steel-type Pokémon, run into the desert of all places!" he couldn't help but complain.
Es~ Es~ Espathra shook its head, signaling it didn't know either.
"If only I had an Ice-type Pokémon I could hug right now. I'm not even asking for much, Glaceon or Alolan Vulpix would be fine!" Ange's brain was starting to scramble from the heat, and he began to talk nonsense.
Flar flar~ Flar flar~~
Suddenly, Flareon began to bark toward a certain direction.
Ange followed its gaze and saw a patch of green in the distance.
"Could it be an oasis?" Ange looked pleasantly surprised. "Quick, let's go over there and take a break!"
He guided Espathra toward the greenery.
However, upon arrival, he was disappointed to find that it wasn't an oasis, but a cluster of Cacnea lounging in the sand.
The commotion Ange and his team caused startled the resting Cacnea, and they all opened their eyes.
The Cacnea had been lying motionless in the sand specifically to minimize the evaporation of moisture from their bodies.
Having been disturbed, they were not happy.