Ange noticed Kyogre staring fixedly at everyone eating, realizing it must be craving the food. He walked over to it and asked,
"Hungry? Want to eat?"
"Ugh~~" Kyogre denied it through gritted teeth.
Are you kidding? How could it possibly admit that in front of this human? Wouldn't that be far too humiliating?
At a single glance, Ange recognized that Kyogre was being insincere, so he remarked casually, "I run an establishment, and if someone is willing to pay, it's not entirely out of the question to let them eat their fill. Of course, if they lack money, trading with other items works just as well."
With that, he strolled away leisurely.
Watching Ange's retreating back, Kyogre fell into deep contemplation.
Trade with items? But it genuinely possessed nothing left on its person!
Consequently, Kyogre began racking its brain, trying to figure out how it could manage a hearty meal before departing.
If it failed to seize the opportunity, it might never get the chance to taste such magnificent food ever again.
Right at that moment, it suddenly caught sight of Inteleon passing by not far away, and simultaneously noticed the belt worn around Inteleon's waist.
An inspiration suddenly struck Kyogre, prompting it to call out to Inteleon.
Inteleon~ Inteleon~ Little one over there, come here for a moment.
Inteleon halted its steps and looked at Kyogre with a face full of astonishment as it asked,
Inteleon~ Are you calling me?
Inteleon~ Inteleon~ Of course it's you, hurry over here!
Kyogre urged impatiently.
Inteleon~ Inteleon~ Inteleon~ What do you want?
Inteleon intentionally put on an annoyed expression and asked, because not a single soul on the Nebel Plateau disliked Kyogre less.
In fact, the only reason it had emerged from the house and walked close to Kyogre was because it was acting on Ange's instructions.
Kyogre sized up Inteleon's belt and immediately stated,
Inteleon~ Inteleon~ So that person gave my scale to you!
Upon hearing this, Inteleon hurriedly covered the Sea Incense on its belt and feigned panic as it demanded, "What are you doing? Don't tell me you want it back? No way!"
Kyogre chuckled derisively. "Want it back? Would I ever stoop to such a petty act?"
Inteleon thought to itself: That's hardly certain!
Next, it heard Kyogre say, "You still haven't figured out how to control the power inside my scale, have you?"
Hearing this, a thought flickered in Inteleon's mind, instantly grasping why its master had called it out, so it replied,
"So what if I haven't!"
Kyogre lowered its voice and suggested, "How about we strike a deal?"
Inteleon asked suspiciously, "A deal? What kind of deal?"
Kyogre stated, "You must have experienced the power contained within my scale by now, right?"
Inteleon remained silent upon hearing this, simply staring straight at Kyogre.
Kyogre continued, "Wouldn't you love to master that power quickly?"
Inteleon still didn't make a sound, though the expression on its face shifted slightly.
It was the look of someone tempted.
Observing the change in Inteleon's expression, Kyogre pressed its advantage while the iron was hot.
"I can help you, as long as you agree to one simple request from me."
Little did Kyogre know, all of Inteleon's reactions were purely an act put on for Kyogre's benefit.
One had to admit, Inteleon's acting skills were genuinely superb; if it ever joined the film industry, it would easily secure a Best Actor title.
"What request?" Inteleon asked after a brief silence.
"Get me some food, and don't let that man... Ange find out, and I'll teach you the method to control the scale," Kyogre whispered in a lowered voice.
Hearing that Kyogre wanted to keep it secret from its master, Inteleon feigned hesitation. "This... this wouldn't be good, would it?"
Kyogre argued, "What's wrong with it? With me guiding you, you should consider yourself lucky! If you fail to seize an opportunity like this, you're simply too foolish!"
A look of deeper temptation appeared on Inteleon's face.
Seeing this, Kyogre continued to egg it on.
Finally, Inteleon seemed to reach a firm decision. "Fine, but I have a condition as well."
Kyogre paused in surprise. "Go ahead."
Inteleon pointed out, "If you only teach me once or twice, I might not fully master the power of the scale."
Kyogre asked, "So what do you propose?"
Inteleon feigned a thoughtful posture. "How about this: you stay a few more days, until you completely teach me before leaving. During this time, I'll take full responsibility for all your meals!"
Kyogre's injuries had mostly healed, allowing it to depart at any moment, yet Inteleon wanted to acquire more skills, which was why it made this demand.
Since an opportunity to learn from Kyogre had presented itself, it certainly couldn't let it go to waste.
Hearing this, Kyogre wore a hesitant look. This...
Inteleon pressed on. "You're not in any particular hurry, are you? Since that's the case, why rush off? Aren't the meals at our home delicious? I happen to know how to cook plenty of wonderful dishes. As long as you stay a few more days, I'll cook them for you every single day with different varieties, guaranteeing you a hearty feast."
The two of them had effectively swapped positions now, with Inteleon shifting from defense to offense.
How about... staying a few more days? Under Inteleon's continuous persuasion, Kyogre's resolve began to waver.
The food here was simply too delectable, and it even possessed the effect of enhancing its own abilities.
Imagining the delicacies Inteleon had described, Kyogre couldn't help drifting into a fantasy about just how delicious they might be.
After pondering for a long time, Kyogre ultimately failed to resist the temptation of delicious food. "Fine then, I suppose I'll reluctantly stay a few more days!"
A look of joy surfaced on Inteleon's face. "It's a deal then!" This time it wasn't acting; it was genuinely thrilled.
Kyogre agreed, "It's a deal."
Inteleon instructed, "Wait here, I'll go get your food!"
With that, it dashed into the house in a flash.
Inside the kitchen, Ange had been waiting for Inteleon for a while. Seeing it enter, he smiled and asked, "Negotiated?"
Inteleon~ Inteleon~ Inteleon raised its thumb, proudly indicating that nothing was impossible for it!
"Good work, well done!" Ange smiled as he handed over the prepared meal. "Take this to Kyogre!"
Inteleon~ Inteleon accepted the food and happily left the kitchen.
After Inteleon departed, Ange carried another portion of food up to a guest room on the third floor.
Pushing the door open and stepping inside, he found that Absol had already regained consciousness and was currently lying on the bed, staring blankly out the window.
Its injuries were far too severe; although Xerneas had treated it with Healing Wish and Ange had administered medical care, it would likely remain bedridden for a short period.
Ordinary wounds healed easily, but Absol had suffered damage to its very foundation.
Absol~ Seeing Ange, Absol let out a soft cry carrying a hint of weakness.
Ange walked over to the bedside and asked with a smile, "Hungry? Let's eat something!"
Absol~ Absol looked at Ange with gratitude.
Because Absol had difficulty moving, Ange personally fed it the food piece by piece.
After the meal, Ange gently stroked its head and encouraged it, "Rest easy and recover here at my place. There's no rush to leave until your injuries are fully healed!"
Absol~ Absol nodded and gently rubbed its head against Ange.
Ange remarked, "Thank you very much for coming to warn us this time."
Absol shook its head; in reality, it hadn't been able to help at all.
Emerging from Absol's room, Ange looked down from the third-floor balcony to see that Kyogre had finished its dinner and was currently chatting with Inteleon about something. Inteleon kept nodding and occasionally wore an expression of sudden realization.
Clearly, their tutoring sessions had already begun.
The following morning, Ange woke up early amidst the bustling noise outside the house. Drowsily, he walked over to the balcony, only to see Inteleon practicing moves downstairs under Kyogre's guidance.
It directed its move attacks toward Kyogre, but Kyogre merely flapped its fin gently, kicking up a wave of water that formed a water wall to effortlessly block Inteleon's assault.
Since Kyogre wouldn't be staying here indefinitely, Inteleon seized every moment to learn from it, unwilling to waste even a single minute.
Opportunities must be seized, for they never repeat.
To secure more learning opportunities for Inteleon, Ange kept it from chores all morning, choosing instead to head to the Royal Capital by himself accompanied by Baltoy, Doublade, Lucario, the two Meowstic, and Kirlia.
With extra kitchen help available, Ange remained completely at ease even without Inteleon around.
Time flew by in a blur of several days, during which Inteleon practically clung to Kyogre's side every waking moment.
To be honest, Kyogre found Inteleon slightly annoying; if not for the sake of free meals...
Inteleon certainly knew how to push its luck. Although Kyogre had only promised to help it master the power of the Sea Incense, Inteleon seized the opportunity to consult Kyogre on numerous other subjects.
For instance, methods for controlling Water-type energy, application techniques for various moves, and training regimens for abilities...
While Kyogre's temper wasn't gentle and its heart wasn't particularly kind, it wasn't the type of Pokémon to hoard knowledge jealously. As long as the questions weren't overly troublesome, it generally showed willingness to answer Inteleon.
Moreover, annoying as Inteleon might be, it had certainly pampered Kyogre thoroughly over the past few days. Providing three meals a day with changing varieties of delicious foods greatly satisfied Kyogre's appetite.
It was an experience it had never encountered in all its past years.
To be honest, it didn't feel bad at all.
Inteleon even begged various snacks from Magearna and different wines and beverages from Passimian to treat Kyogre.
Being treated with such meticulous care made Kyogre feel reluctant to refuse Inteleon's endless stream of questions, even when it grew slightly impatient.
On this particular day, just as Ange returned from work in the Royal Capital, he ran straight into Robert 2.
"Ange, come down to the underground laboratory quickly!"
The underground shrine consecrated to Latias and Latios had been officially renamed the underground laboratory by Metagross.
Hearing this, a thought stirred in Ange's heart. "Has the stone door been repaired?"
Robert 2 replied, "Yes! It was fixed early this morning, and we've just been waiting for your return!"
"Alright, I'm heading down right now!" Ange said excitedly.
He sprinted all the way down to the underground laboratory and found that the area in front of the stone door was already crowded with Pokémon.
Yveltal, Xerneas, Volcanion, Diancie, Magearna, Darkrai, Komala, Metagross, Munchlax, Gengar, Inteleon, Passimian, Pawmot, Doublade, and Baltoy were all gathered there.
Seeing Ange return, everyone stepped forward to surround him in the center.
The stone door remained half-closed, waiting precisely for Ange's return before being opened!
"Since it's already fixed, Metagross, go ahead and open it!" Walking up to the stone door, Ange urged impatiently.
Meta~ Metagross nodded, stepped forward, and pressed the switch.
Rumble~~ Accompanied by muffled rumbling sounds, the stone door slowly swung open, completely revealing the interior of the shrine to everyone.
Yveltal took the lead, flying inside to circle above the statues of Latias and Latios before landing lightly on the ground.
At that moment, Ange led everyone right up beside it.
"What's the situation? Are these actual statues, or did Latias and Latios turn into them?"
Yveltal roar~ They were indeed turned to stone by me.
Yveltal replied.
"Yes, I can sense it as well." Xerneas looked up at the statues.
"It seems the stories recorded on the murals are true!" Ange remarked.
Yveltal nodded, faint memories stirring within it.
Hearing this, Xerneas said, "Since that's the case, I shall restore life to them once more!"
Ange raised no objections, as this was a plan he had previously discussed with Xerneas.
Immediately afterward, under everyone's watchful eyes, the antlers atop Xerneas's head bloomed with brilliant seven-colored radiance, which transformed into a beam of light projected onto the statues.
Majestic life force was poured into the two statues along with the beam of light.
As time passed, the petrified exterior on the statues gradually faded, and Latias and Latios regained their colorful bodies.
Having shared its life energy, Xerneas grew somewhat weak, its body swaying unsteadily from side to side.
Seeing this, Yveltal extended a wing for it to lean against.
Munch~ At that moment, Munchlax hurried forward carrying a tray holding Treehouse Tofu, which possessed life-restoring properties.
Knowing that Xerneas intended to resurrect Latias and Latios today, Munchlax had specially prepared the Treehouse Tofu for it.
Xerneas narrowed its eyes and nodded toward Munchlax, then lowered its head to consume the tofu.
With its life force replenished, its condition recovered by more than half, and complete recovery would follow with proper rest.
Just then, Latias and Latios, restored from their petrified state, slowly opened their eyes.
Lati~as!
Lati~os!
Latias and Latios let out soft cries and exchanged glances, their gazes filled with bewilderment and confusion.
They lowered their gaze to look below, only to be startled by the massive, terrifyingly oppressive Yveltal crouching directly in front of them.
Yveltal was still here?
Although countless years had passed, in the eyes of Latias and Latios, the great battle against Yveltal had concluded only moments ago.
During the petrification process, they had possessed no perception of the outside world, naturally making them unaware of the passage of time.
"Latias, Latios, hello, and welcome back!"
Ange spoke up suddenly, causing Latias and Latios to finally notice that other Pokémon and a human were present at the scene.
Lati~as? Who is this human?
The sibling pair grew even more baffled.