At noon, just after Ange closed the shop door, he suddenly heard a system notification.
He was about to open the system to check the situation when his phone suddenly rang.
With no other choice, Ange answered the call first, and shortly after, Lila's voice came through from the other end.
"Your Highness, the Milcery that the breeding center has been raising for you are ready. Would you like to come witness the moment they evolve into Alcremie?"
Hearing this, Ange instantly grew interested and instructed right away, "I'm coming right now, wait for me!"
With that, he hung up the phone, gave a few instructions to Inteleon and the others, and hurried toward the royal breeding center.
Right at that moment, Latios and Latias happened to return from outside.
Upon learning that Ange was heading to the royal palace, Latias asked, "Lati~as! Lati~as!" Can we go together?
It wanted to see what the royal palace of this era looked like!
"Of course, no problem," Ange readily agreed.
"Lati~as! Lati~as!" Hearing this, Latias happily did a somersault in the air, then slowly descended beside Ange and cried out twice toward him.
Ange said in surprise, "You want to carry me to the royal palace?"
"Lati~as! Lati~as!" Latias nodded with its eyes narrowed.
Ange said happily, "Then I gladly accept your kind offer!" Saying that, he swung his leg over and mounted Latias's back.
Back in Rota City, he had the experience of riding Latios, and now he had the opportunity to ride Latias as well.
"Lati~as!" After letting out a joyful, prolonged cry, Latias carried Ange and soared into the sky.
Latios followed closely behind.
Under Ange's guidance, it took only a short while for the human and two Pokémon to arrive above the royal palace.
From afar, Ange saw Lila and Fiona waiting for him at the entrance of the royal palace.
Therefore, he called Lila.
"Lila, you and Fiona don't need to wait for me at the palace entrance. Let's meet directly at the entrance of the breeding center!"
Although Lila was a bit confused by the situation, she nodded and agreed.
"Alright, Your Highness, see you at the breeding center entrance."
After hanging up the phone, Ange saw Lila and Fiona turn around and walk back into the royal palace, while he patted Latias's neck and directed it to fly toward the breeding center.
Latios and Latias swiftly shuttled through the skies above the royal palace, taking in the palace architecture, flowers, trees, servants, and guards. They couldn't help but sigh at how wonderful this era was, as people's living conditions were incomparable to those of their own time.
The flying speed of the sibling pair was naturally much faster than Lila and Fiona walking. By the time Ange arrived at the breeding center, Lila and Fiona were still nowhere in sight.
He directed the siblings to descend slowly, and just at that moment, Sylveon darted out from somewhere and flung itself straight into Ange's arms.
"Sylv sylv! Sylv sylv!" Affectionately, Sylveon rubbed its head against Ange's cheek and even reached out its tongue to give a lick.
Happily embracing Sylveon, Ange gently stroked its satin-smooth fur and said, "Sylveon, long time no see!"
"Sylv sylv! Sylv sylv!" Long time no see, you haven't come to visit me at all!
Sylveon said with feigned anger.
Latios and Latias looked at Sylveon with astonishment written all over their faces.
"Lati~as! Lati~as!" It's so strong!
Latios blurted out uncontrollably, a trace of wariness unconsciously coloring its tone.
Fairy-type completely hard-counters Dragon-type, and if a battle were to break out with Sylveon, it was hard to say whether Latias and Latios could win.
Hearing this, Ange subconsciously used the Eye of Observation to check Sylveon. Come to think of it, he hadn't looked at Sylveon's stats yet!
Sylveon Type: Fairy Ability: Pixilate Gender: Female Level: 100 Moves: [Omitted] Individual Values HP: 31 Attack: 31 Defense: 31 Special Attack: 31 Special Defense: 31 Speed: 31
Although he already knew Sylveon was strong, upon seeing its stats, Ange was still surprised.
With stats like these, it was no wonder Sylveon could become the guardian deity of the royal family, and no wonder Latias let out a wary exclamation.
After checking Sylveon's stats, Ange turned his gaze back to Latios and Latias. He hadn't checked the sibling pair's stats either!
Latios Type: Dragon, Psychic Ability: Levitate Gender: Male Level: 100 Moves: [Omitted] Individual Values HP: 31 Attack: 31 Defense: 31 Special Attack: 31 Special Defense: 31 Speed: 31
Latias Type: Dragon, Psychic Ability: Levitate Gender: Female Level: 100 Moves: [Omitted] Individual Values HP: 31 Attack: 31 Defense: 31 Special Attack: 31 Special Defense: 31 Speed: 31
The sibling pair were also both level 100, higher than both Darkrai and Volcanion.
Even though they had been petrified by Yveltal back then, that didn't mean they were weak; it was simply that Yveltal was too strong.
Latios and Latias curiously sized up Sylveon, and Sylveon similarly looked back at the siblings with curious eyes.
"Sylv sylv! Sylv sylv!" Ange, where did they come from?
Sylveon tilted its head, asking Ange with an adorable cry.
Consequently, Ange explained the process of how he met Latias and Latios to Sylveon and enthusiastically introduced the three of them to each other.
Before long, the human and three Pokémon were mingling and playing together warmly.
After playing around for a short while, they saw Lila and Fiona hurrying over.
Upon noticing Latias and Latios, expressions of astonishment involuntarily surfaced on the two girls' faces.
"Your Highness, are these... Latias and Latios?" Lila asked.
Legendary Pokémon like the legendary birds (Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos), the legendary beasts (Suicune, Entei, Raikou), as well as Latias and Latios, had been registered in Pokémon Pokédexes in recent years, so quite a few trainers knew about them.
Ange nodded and said, "That's right, they are new partners who just joined the Nebel Plateau."
Lila and Fiona exchanged glances, the surprise on their faces gradually receding.
Having already learned of the existence of Diancie, Magearna, Darkrai, Mew, Yveltal, and Xerneas, seeing Latias and Latios now meant they had actually begun to grow accustomed to this kind of astonishment.
As expected of His Highness Ange!
"Lati~as!"
"Lati~as!"
Latias and Latios waved and greeted the two warmly.
After a bout of pleasantries, Lila said, "Your Highness, let's go watch the Milcery evolve!"
With a look of eager anticipation, Ange said, "Alright, let's head out quickly!"
Thus, led by Lila and Fiona, Ange and the Pokémon entered the breeding center and spotted the Milcery and the royal breeders raising them gathered on a grassy patch.
At that moment, the Milcery were flying around happily in the air. Since they were about to evolve, how could they not feel happy and excited?
Seeing Ange and Lila approach, the head breeder hurriedly came forward to pay respects.
"Your Highness Lila, Your Highness Ange!"
This leading person was none other than the director of the royal breeding center, as well as the royal chief breeder, who also served as the primary caretaker for the Milcery project.
The royal breeding center's current prosperity was due in no small part to this chief breeder.
Knowing that this batch of Milcery was being raised for His Highness Ange, the breeding center had consistently attached great importance to this project.
"Mr. Fox, thank you for your hard work this time." Ange sincerely expressed his gratitude to the chief breeder before him.
Fox shook his head and said, "Your Highness flatters me, this is merely my duty." He owed his achievements today entirely to the support of the Azoth royal family!
With that, he turned around, gestured to the Milcery behind him, and called out, "Everyone, come over here quickly."
As soon as his voice fell, the Milcery floated over, scrambling and jostling one another.
"Mimi~ mimi~"
"Mami~ mami~"
...
Fox introduced Ange to them, saying, "This is His Highness Ange. After you evolve, you will be going to work at His Highness's place."
Although it was their first meeting, Fox had previously spoken to the Milcery about Ange.
"Mimi~ mimi~"
"Mami~ mami~"
...
The Milcery had different personalities, and their reactions upon meeting Ange varied as well.
Some greeted Ange enthusiastically, some observed Ange with curious eyes, while others shyly hid behind their companions...
Surprised, Ange looked at the Milcery and asked, "So many? Are all these for me?"
Fox nodded and said, "That's correct, they were all specifically raised for Your Highness."
Ange asked, "How many are there in total?"
Fox replied, "A total of 28!"
Hearing this reply, Ange instantly understood something. Looking at Lila and Fox in surprise, he said, "You guys couldn't possibly..."
Guessing what Ange wanted to say, Lila batted her eyelashes playfully and said, "Your Highness guessed right!"
Ange sighed helplessly, "You guys... really..."
Depending on the decorative sweets they held, Milcery would evolve into different forms of Alcremie when spun clockwise or counter-clockwise during the day, at dusk, or at night.
There were seven types of sweets that could trigger Milcery's evolution: Strawberry Sweet, Berry Sweet, Love Sweet, Clover Sweet, Flower Sweet, Ribbon Sweet, and Star Sweet.
Consequently, the number of Alcremie forms reached a staggering 63. Different forms of Alcremie produced creams with different flavors.
And different flavors of cream could create varying taste profiles in the pastries made with them.
Clearly, taking this into consideration, Lila and Fox had directly raised all 63 forms of Alcremie for Ange.
Knowing that Ange was not short on money and could afford to raise 63 Alcremie, Lila and Fox had conceived this idea.
However, while Alcremie was said to have 63 forms, they could actually be broadly categorized into nine types, namely:
Vanilla Cream and Ruby Cream variations evolved by spinning clockwise during the day,
Ruby Mix and Caramel Mix variations evolved by spinning counter-clockwise during the day,
Matcha Cream and Lemon Cream variations evolved by spinning clockwise at night,
Salted Cream and Mint Cream variations evolved by spinning counter-clockwise at night,
And Rainbow Mix evolved by spinning in any direction at dusk.
Among them, the five types that needed to evolve at night and dusk had already completed their evolution yesterday. Today, Lila invited Ange to watch only the four types that needed to evolve during the day.
"Since Your Highness has arrived, let's begin the evolution!" Fox said.
"Mimi~"
"Mami~"
...
The 28 Milcery scheduled for evolution immediately cheered with joy and excitement.
At a clap of Fox's hands, the staff members of the breeding center stepped forward holding individual boxes, and then distributed seven different types of decorative sweets to the Milcery from the boxes.
After receiving their sweets, the Milcery clutched them tightly to their chests, looking at Fox with eager anticipation.
With a smile, Fox announced, "Evolution begins!"
As his voice trailed off, the Milcery spun either counter-clockwise or clockwise, just as they had previously discussed.
1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds...
6 seconds, 7 seconds...
Ange silently counted the duration.
The Milcery spinning counter-clockwise stopped when they reached the 4-second mark.
Meanwhile, the Milcery spinning clockwise only stopped when they reached 6 or 7 seconds.
The duration of the spin was also an important factor influencing their evolution.
Immediately following this, bright lights of evolution successively lit up on their bodies.
"It succeeded!" Ange said excitedly.
Watching 28 Pokémon evolve simultaneously was a magnificent spectacle he was seeing for the first time.
With a smile, Fox told Ange, "Your Highness, our breeding technology is already quite mature, there's no possibility of failure!"
Ange nodded, "That's true."
Amidst the light of evolution, the bodies of the Milcery rapidly grew larger, and their shapes changed drastically from before.
When the evolutionary light faded, 28 Alcremie, varying in color or decorative sweets, appeared before everyone.
"Maho~ maho~"
...
Having successfully evolved, the Alcremie excitedly looked at their companions nearby, then joined hands and began dancing in celebration.
Witnessing this scene, smiles involuntarily bloomed on the faces of Ange, Lila, Fiona, and Fox.
Pokémon truly were such adorable creatures!
Just then, a staff member brought over a box. Fox took the box and opened it to reveal neat rows of Poké Balls lined up inside.
Guessing what was coming, Ange looked at those Poké Balls and asked, "These are..."
As Fox retrieved the Poké Balls and opened them one by one, he answered Ange, "Your Highness, these are the other 35 Alcremie prepared specially for you."
As beams of light flashed, even more Alcremie appeared before Ange: Matcha Cream with Strawberry Sweet, Lemon Cream with Love Sweet, Salted Cream with Berry Sweet, Mint Cream with Clover Sweet, Rainbow Mix with Flower Sweet...
"So many Alcremie!" Ange's eyes practically turned into stars, his collection urge immensely satisfied.
"Maho~ maho~"
...
At Fox's greeting, all 63 Alcremie gathered around Ange, surrounding him in tight circles while looking up at him with sweet smiles.
Because of the sheer number of Alcremie, a rich, sweet fragrance filled the air.
"Alcremie, I'll be counting on you all from now on!" Ange squatted down and said to them.
Alcremie were relatively petite Pokémon, with an average height of only 0.3 meters.
"Maho~ maho~"
"Maho~ maho~"
...
Hearing Ange's words, the Alcremie pressed closer to him, expressing their fondness for him.
Compared to wild Pokémon, Pokémon raised by humans from a young age were exceptionally affectionate toward people.
As the Alcremie chattered away, far from finding it annoying, Ange felt an overwhelming sense of happiness instead.
The world he had traveled to was the world of Pokémon... how wonderful!