The siblings looked at Ange with confusion, while casting wary glances toward Yveltal.
Seeing this, Ange stepped forward and said, "Latias, Latios, you have just recovered from your petrified state, so you must be feeling very bewildered. Let me explain how we found you!"
After exchanging a glance, Latias and Latios nodded hesitantly toward Ange.
They had been petrified by Yveltal, and since Ange had appeared alongside Yveltal, they naturally assumed Ange was in cahoots with Yveltal.
In the eyes of the siblings, Yveltal, as the God of Destruction, was naturally considered "evil."
Consequently, Ange detailed the entire process of how he discovered this place and helped the siblings break their petrification.
Upon learning that countless years had passed since their petrification, Latias and Latios were utterly shocked.
What surprised them even more was that the human before them could simultaneously command both the God of Destruction and the God of Life!
While the siblings were still processing their shock, Ange said to them, "Would you like to go outside and take a look?"
Latias and Latios nodded, eager to find out what the outside world had become.
"Alright, follow me then," Ange smiled and said.
He then led the Eon siblings and a large group of Pokémon in a grand procession out of the Underground Laboratory.
Only Metagross stayed behind, as it needed to continue setting up its laboratory and had no interest in accompanying Latias and Latios to "see the world."
Once outside, the siblings looked down from the sky at the Nebel Plateau, gazing at the lush green grasslands, the azure sky, and the Pokémon living on the plateau. They stood there in a daze.
Only then did they truly feel the passage of time.
As it turned out, everything that person said was true; the village they had saved long ago had vanished into the river of time.
Although the Nebel Plateau had changed drastically compared to the past, the siblings immediately recognized the Nebel Lake as the large lake that once stood in front of their village.
When they fought Yveltal back then, they had even been knocked down into that lake.
Back then, the lake was not called Nebel Lake.
Descending slowly from the sky until they reached Ange's side, the siblings wore somewhat desolate expressions.
With time having flown by, where were they, as a pair of siblings, supposed to go from here?
"What's wrong?" Ange asked when he saw their dejected looks.
"Lati~as! Lati~os!" Latias and Latios expressed their bewilderment to Ange.
Ever since they learned that Ange had helped them break free from their petrified state, the siblings naturally harbored no more vigilance toward him, feeling immensely grateful instead.
Ange patted the tops of the siblings' heads and said, "If you don't mind, you can stay here on the Nebel Plateau and live with us."
"Lati~as?" Really?
The siblings looked at Ange, then glanced back at the crowd of Pokémon following behind him.
"Munch~" Of course! Everyone together is so happy!
Munchlax was the first to welcome the siblings.
"Paw paw~"
"Inteleon~"
"Gar~"
...
Hearing this, the other Pokémon also enthusiastically extended invitations to Latias and Latios.
"Lati~as!"
"Lati~os!"
The siblings looked at everyone with touched expressions. When they had no idea where to go, having a peaceful place to call home provided immense comfort to their souls, giving them a sudden sense of security and clearing away their confusion.
"Speaking of which, Latias, Latios, and I share a somewhat similar fate!" Ange suddenly said with a smile.
Diancie instantly understood what Ange meant and smiled, "Now that you mention it, it really is true."
The siblings looked at Ange and Diancie in confusion.
"Paw paw~ Paw paw~" Pawmot excitedly hopped forward and recounted to Latias and Latios the experience of Ange and Diancie sleeping for five hundred years.
After listening, the siblings looked at Ange and Diancie with a hint of extra closeness.
Their shared experiences created a mutual feeling of deep understanding between them and Ange.
Following that, Ange told the siblings, "Let me show you around and help you get familiar with this place!"
"Lati~as!" The siblings nodded happily. Everything here was different from the past, and they naturally wanted to get well-acquainted with their environment.
Thus, Ange asked the other Pokémon to head home first, while he personally led the siblings on a tour of the Nebel Plateau.
Ange first took them to tour the grassland.
Seeing Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank leisurely playing on the grass not far away, Ange introduced them to the siblings, "Those are also members of our Nebel Plateau family. The milk we drink and the dairy products we eat at home are all provided by them."
Latias and Latios nodded.
Taking the opportunity, Ange also told the siblings about his business in the Royal Capital.
Gogoat and the others spotted Ange at that moment and eagerly swarmed over, affectionately interacting with him.
Ange seized the chance to introduce Latias and Latios to them.
Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank all warmly welcomed the siblings.
Sensing everyone's warmth and kindness, the siblings felt even more at ease.
Next, Ange led the siblings to tour Combee's hive, the orchard, the fishery... Along the way, whenever they met other Pokémon, he introduced the siblings to everyone.
Gradually, everyone learned that new members had joined the Nebel Plateau.
All the Pokémon expressed their welcome to the siblings.
As the siblings felt everyone's goodwill, they also gained a general understanding of the Nebel Plateau.
Once the tour concluded, Ange said to Latias and Latios, "Let's head home!"
The siblings nodded, feeling a tiny sliver of anticipation for the "home" Ange mentioned.
Upon arriving home, Ange, Latias, and Latios saw Diancie, Magearna, Baltoy, and Pawmot sitting by the doorway preparing vegetables.
Looking at the abundant spread placed by the entrance, Ange smiled and said, "To celebrate Latias and Latios joining our big family, we're having a big feast this noon!"
With that, he rolled up his sleeves and headed inside, ready to dive right into cooking.
Hearing this, the most excited one of all was naturally Pawmot.
Baltoy felt a little expectant too, though it refused to show it.
As Ange walked inside, Diancie smiled at the siblings and said, "Thanks to you two, we're in for a real treat today!"
Although Latias and Latios already knew Ange was a chef, they had no idea how incredible his cooking was, so they looked slightly puzzled upon hearing Diancie's words.
"Paw paw~ Paw paw~" At that moment, Pawmot exaggeratedly described Ange's culinary skills to the siblings, leaving them gasping in continuous amazement.
By then, the siblings finally realized that thanks to Ange's superb culinary arts in creating the magical Treehouse Tofu, Xerneas had been able to share its life force with them.
The siblings couldn't quite imagine the deliciousness Pawmot was describing, but they couldn't help starting to look forward to today's lunch.
After Pawmot finished boasting, Diancie asked the siblings, "Would you like to go inside and take a tour?"
Unsurprisingly, the siblings would be living here from now on.
"Lati~as!" The siblings nodded.
Diancie started to get up to lead them inside, but Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon suddenly jumped out from somewhere.
"Vui vui~ Vui vui~" We'll show the way! We'll show the way!
Flareon shouted excitedly.
Diancie smiled and said, "Alright, I'll leave that task to you then!"
"Vui vui~"
"Vui vui~"
"Um~"
The three Eeveelutions nodded repeatedly, then happily led Latias and Latios into the house.
Once inside, the siblings immediately began looking at everything in the house with wide-eyed wonder.
The era they came from was distant and backward, so the things within the siblings' understanding differed greatly from the present day.
Although Ange wasn't entirely certain what era the siblings lived in, based on his conversations with them, he could confirm that it was definitely more than five hundred years ago.
It was even possible that the Azoth Kingdom hadn't even been established back then.
The siblings had never seen so many exquisite items before, and for a moment, their eyes were practically dazzled.
"Lati~as?" What is this?
Latias flew over to a clock hanging on the wall, watching the ticking second hand sweep around inside, its large eyes sparkling brightly.
"Vui vui~ Vui vui~" That's a clock, used for measuring time!
Vaporeon walked underneath it and introduced it, even explaining how a clock worked.
Of course, it only knew the basics, so it couldn't explain in depth.
Even so, Latias and Latios were still full of wonder.
"Lati~as!" Wow, that's amazing!
Latias exclaimed in surprise. So time could be measured like this; back in their day, they could only rely on observing the sun to make rough estimations.
"Vui vui~~ Vui vui~~" What's so amazing about that, there's even cooler stuff! Follow me!
Flareon shouted to Latias and Latios upon hearing that.
Right as its voice trailed off, Robert 2 came walking toward them.
Flareon scampered over to Robert 2, pointed at it with a paw, and asked the siblings, "Do you know what this is?"
"Lati~as?" What is it?
The siblings crowded around Robert 2, their bright eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.
At that moment, Robert 2 spoke up.
"Hello, Latias, Latios, I am Robert 2!"
Latias cried out in shock, "It talked! It talked!"
The curiosity in Latios's eyes grew even stronger as it asked the three Eeveelutions, "Is this some Pokémon we don't recognize?"
"Hmph hmph~~ That's because you don't know!" Flareon puffed out its chest proudly and walked in front of Robert 2. "Robert 2 isn't a Pokémon at all. It's a robot equipped with artificial intelligence. Do you know what artificial intelligence is?"
"No!" Latias and Latios shook their heads in unison.
Hearing this, Flareon became even more smug. "Artificial intelligence, well it's..."
It then began talking eloquently, leaving the siblings completely baffled.
At that moment, Vaporeon raised a paw and gave the back of Flareon's head a fierce smack, then smiled and said to the siblings,
"Don't listen to its bragging, it has no idea what artificial intelligence even means!"
Flareon wanted to retort upon hearing this, but a sharp glare from Vaporeon made it instantly shrink its head and fall silent.
It really only had a superficial understanding of artificial intelligence and was just showing off.
Seeing Flareon's cowardly look, the nearby Jolteon couldn't help laughing out loud.
Embarrassed and enraged, Flareon prepared to leap forward and discipline Jolteon, only to catch another piercing glare from Vaporeon.
(ó﹏ò) Flareon obediently behaved once again.
Seeing this, Latias and Latios joined Jolteon in laughter.
In the kitchen, Ange was busy working alongside his three apprentices, Doublade, Lucario, and Riolu. Hearing the joyful laughter echoing from outside, a smile naturally bloomed across his face.
After showing Latias and Latios around the first floor, the three Eeveelutions took them up to the second floor.
The setup on the second floor of Ange's house was relatively simple; it had almost become Magearna's exclusive domain, filled everywhere with the tools and materials it used to make desserts.
Through the introductions of the three Eeveelutions, the siblings learned about the convenient functions of various home appliances, completely opening their eyes.
"The power of science is truly amazing!" Latios couldn't help praising.
When they reached the third floor, Latias and Latios witnessed even more modern products, leaving the siblings clicking their tongues in wonder.
As time passed, Ange and the others finally finished preparing lunch, and a rich, savory aroma filled the air.
At that moment, Diancie's voice rang out from downstairs.
"Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, hurry and bring Latias and Latios down for lunch!"
"Vui!" Hearing this, Flareon's eyes lit up.
The reason it had been so enthusiastic about guiding Latias and Latios earlier was precisely to seize the opportunity to score a meal at Ange's place.
Hearing Diancie, Flareon trotted away toward the downstairs area right away.
"Time to eat!"
Vaporeon turned to the siblings and said, "Let's head down too!"
Sniffing the aroma in the air, it was almost unable to hold back its drool.
The siblings nodded and quickly followed Vaporeon and Jolteon downstairs.
When they reached the ground floor, they saw that the two tables in the living room were already laden with a wide variety of delicious dishes.
Saliva chicken, twice-cooked pork, boiled fish, steamed pork ribs, spicy shrimp, Dongpo pork, braised fish, Di San Xian, stir-fried fragrant mushrooms, Mapo tofu, dry-fried green beans, stir-fried lotus root slices...
The three Eeveelutions stood upright with their paws resting on the edge of the table, looking at the dazzling array of food!
After placing the final dish on the table and seeing that Latios and Latias had come down, Ange smiled and greeted them,
"Take your seats!"
As his words fell, the Pokémon took their places. The three Eeveelutions didn't need any hosting; they each found a spot and hopped up onto the chairs.
Seeing Latias and Latios standing there blankly, unsure of what to do, Diancie proactively stepped forward to welcome them.