After playing with the Alcremie for a little while, Ange used Poké Balls to recall them one by one, then placed them into the three-layered custom box that originally held their Poké Balls.
When Fox handed the box over to him, he said with a solemn expression, "Your Highness, I'm entrusting the Alcremie to you!"
Ange nodded, returning the solemnity as he assured Fox, "I'll take good care of them."
Fox smiled warmly, saying, "I trust Your Highness's word!"
At that moment, Lila stepped forward and told Ange, "Your Highness, aside from the Alcremie, I've prepared another Pokémon for you that is guaranteed to be a huge help."
"Oh?" Ange looked confused, then asked in surprise, "What Pokémon?"
"Your Highness will see!" Lila feigned mystery and produced another Poké Ball.
As a flash of red light faded, a familiar Pokémon appeared before Ange.
It turned out to be a Slurpuff, the very same species as Romeo's starter Pokémon!
Slurpuff, the Meringue Pokémon, Fairy type, possesses a sense of smell one hundred million times more sensitive than a human's, allowing it to understand its surroundings through subtle scents floating in the air.
Because of this ability, they were typically wonderful assistants for pastry chefs.
Furthermore, they could detect people's physical and mental states through the scents emanating from their bodies, making their application in the medical field highly anticipated!
With Slurpuff's help, the desserts made by Magearna would undoubtedly reach an even higher level of quality.
Ange looked at Lila and said gratefully, "You always think of everything."
Lila smiled and said, "As long as Your Highness doesn't mind me acting on my own!"
"Of course not!" Ange shook his head, then turned to Slurpuff. "Slurpuff, let's work well together from now on!"
Slurpuff tilted its head, sniffing gently as it stepped closer and closer to Ange.
When it reached him, it pressed its nose against his body and kept sniffing around.
"Slurp slurp~ Slurp slurp~" It smells so good!
Ange was startled, raising his arm to sniff himself. "Is there some kind of smell on me?"
No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn't detect any special scent on his own body, let alone a fragrance.
"Slurp slurp~ Slurp slurp~" It's something delicious!
Slurpuff said.
Seeing this, Lila realized the truth. "I understand now. Your Highness just came from the shop, so there must still be food aromas lingering on you. Slurpuff's sense of smell is extremely sharp, so it definitely picked up that scent."
To a human, the food aromas on Ange had long since faded, but to Slurpuff, the lingering scent was still quite obvious.
Ange understood immediately. "So that's how it is!"
He stroked Slurpuff's head and said, "I'll get some delicious food ready for you when we get home!"
Slurpuff's body had a very unique texture, feeling extremely soft to the touch, much like foam that wouldn't stick to your hands, yet with a bit more substance than actual foam.
"Slurp slurp~ Slurp slurp~" Slurpuff hugged Ange's leg happily.
Much like the Alcremie, it had been raised by the royal breeding center and was extremely affectionate toward humans.
After teasing Slurpuff for a bit, Ange quickly grew familiar with it.
Having chatted for a while with Lila and Fox, and spent some time playing with Sylveon, Ange realized it was getting late and prepared to take his leave.
Leaving the breeding center, Ange this time mounted Latios to return home.
Because he had spent some extra time at the royal palace, Munchlax and the others had already prepared lunch and were waiting for him when he arrived back at Nebel Plateau.
Looking around and failing to see Magearna, Ange asked in confusion, "Where's Magearna?"
Diancie replied, "Seeing that you were taking so long, it went to the second-floor kitchen to organize the ingredients!"
Soon after, noticing the box Ange was carrying, Diancie asked curiously, "What's that?"
Ange lifted the box slightly and replied, "It's the Alcremie."
"Oh~" Diancie instantly understood that these were the assistants Ange had prepared for Magearna, and asked no further questions.
Ange continued, "I'll go call Magearna down for lunch. You guys go ahead and eat, I'll be right down!"
Diancie nodded, then led Munchlax and the others to sit around the dining table.
When Ange reached the second floor, he saw Magearna with its head buried inside a kitchen cabinet, searching for something.
Wobbuffet, Gothita, and Farigiraf were also there, helping Magearna tidy up the messy kitchen by sorting and placing kitchenware, bowls, and dishes into their proper places.
Farigiraf was the first to notice Ange's arrival, happily running over to him and affectionately rubbing its head against his neck.
Ange stroked its neck and asked, "Are you guys cleaning up?"
Wobbuffet and Gothita walked over as well, nodding in unison when they heard Ange's question.
Hearing Ange's voice, Magearna hurriedly tried to pull its head out of the cabinet, but due to using too much force, it tumbled backward onto the floor.
"Magea~" Accustomed to falling over, Magearna immediately propped itself up with its arms and climbed back up.
It hurried over to Ange and said with a beaming smile, "Magea magea~" Ange, you're back!
Ange pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the dust from its cheek and said, "Yes, and not only that, I even brought you helpers!"
"Magea~" Helpers?
Magearna quickly realized who Ange was talking about and said excitedly,
"Magea magea~" Let me see, let me see!
"Alright!" Ange laughed, patted its head, and opened the box he was holding.
Seeing the rows of Poké Balls neatly arranged inside, Magearna let out an exclamation.
"Magea~" So many?
Ange nodded and said, "That's right, Alcremie has 63 forms, and they're all right here!"
"Magea magea~" Magearna's face lit up with excitement.
It had originally planned to ask for just a single Alcremie as an assistant, never expecting Ange to give it such a huge surprise.
Alcremie of different forms could produce different flavored creams, so naturally, having as many forms as possible was ideal.
However, Magearna had previously thought that collecting all the Alcremie types would be too difficult, which was why it hadn't brought it up. It never imagined Ange would actually collect every single one.
At Magearna's urging, Ange released the Alcremie one by one.
As flashes of light blinked continuously, the Alcremie appeared outside, and the second floor of Ange's home instantly became lively.
Fortunately, Ange's house was spacious enough that even with all 63 Alcremie out, it didn't feel crowded at all.
"Alcre~ Alcre~"
"Alcre~ Alcre~"
...
Once released, the Alcremie began looking around their new surroundings with curious eyes.
Because of their presence, a sweet fragrance gradually filled the air.
Wobbuffet, Gothita, and Farigiraf sniffed the fragrant air and stared at the Alcremie in surprise, with Wobbuffet even unable to resist pressing its face against one of the Alcremie.
"Alcre~ Alcre~" That Alcremie pushed Wobbuffet away with a look of disdain.
"Wobbuffet~~" Realizing its rudeness, Wobbuffet quickly stepped back a bit and chuckled foolishly.
"Everyone, this is where you'll be working from now on!" Ange introduced to the Alcremie.
"Alcre~ Alcre~"
...
At his words, the Alcremie began exploring the second floor. Some crawled underneath the tables, some climbed onto the stovetops, and others jumped into the sink, each of them having the time of their lives as if they were on an adventure.
Naturally, their "adventures" resulted in plenty of blunders.
For instance, one Alcremie climbed into a cupboard, accidentally knocked over some tableware, and got trapped underneath a large soup bowl until Gothita rescued it.
Another crawled into the sink, accidentally turned on the faucet, and got soaked into a drenched mess.
还有掉进糖罐子的,从桌子上摔下来的,上了竈台又因爲害怕而下不來的...
Watching the antics of the Alcremie, both Ange and Magearna wore warm, fond smiles.
They were simply too adorable!
Once the Alcremie finished their exploration, Ange introduced Magearna, Farigiraf, Wobbuffet, and Gothita to them.
"You'll be colleagues from now on, so make sure to get along well!"
"Alcre~ Alcre~"
"Wobbuffet~"
...
The Pokémon nodded in agreement.
The Alcremie took an immediate liking to Magearna because Magearna spent long hours working with sweets, exuding an aura that the Alcremie naturally adored.
While Magearna, Wobbuffet, Farigiraf, Gothita, and the Alcremie were playing, Ange spoke up again.
"I have one more partner to introduce to everyone!"
As he spoke, he produced another Poké Ball.
Magearna, Wobbuffet, Farigiraf, Gothita, and the Alcremie all turned to look at Ange.
Ange pressed the button on the Poké Ball, and Slurpuff appeared outside.
"Magearna, this is Slurpuff. With it here, making desserts will be even easier for you!"
He explained Slurpuff's special talent to Magearna, and upon hearing it, Magearna's eyes lit up with immense joy.
It hurried over to Slurpuff, took its hands, and said,
"Magea magea~" Hello, Slurpuff! I'm Magearna, please take care of me!
Slurpuff was a bit shy from Magearna's enthusiasm, blushing as it nodded. "Y-you too!"
Once everyone was acquainted, Ange began to ponder how to arrange living spaces for the newly joined Alcremie and Slurpuff.
Seeing Ange frown, Magearna asked, "Magea magea~" What's wrong, Ange?
Ange replied, "I'm trying to figure out where to set up living quarters for Slurpuff and the Alcremie."
Hearing Ange's words, the Alcremie all raised their heads to look at him.
"Alcre~ Alcre~"
One of the Alcremie let out a cheerful cry, then scampered toward the kitchen, with the other Alcremie quickly following suit.
Upon reaching the kitchen, that Alcremie leisurely climbed up the cupboards, opened a cabinet door, and nestled inside.
Following its lead, the other Alcremie looked around the room and found their own spots to tuck themselves away. Some hid inside empty glass jars, some curled up inside empty bowls, and others crawled straight onto the windowsill.
As it turned out, the Alcremie's initial exploration had actually been a search for suitable resting places, and their absolute favorite spot happened to be the kitchen.
They could hide in every nook and cranny of the kitchen.
Ange asked, "Do you all want to live in the kitchen?"
"Alcre~"
"Alcre~"
...
Sixty-three Alcremie popped their heads out from their respective hiding spots and nodded at Ange in unison.
Seeing the Alcremie like this, Ange couldn't help laughing out loud, which reminded him of a certain game.
Whack-a-mole!
Noticing Ange laughing nonstop, the Alcremie looked at him with curious expressions.
Magearna asked, "Magea magea~" What are you laughing at, Ange?
Ange shook his head. "N-nothing, I just think the Alcremie are adorable!"
"Alcre~ Alcre~"
...
Hearing this, the Alcremie flashed sweet, charming smiles at Ange.
Ange thought to himself: They really are overwhelmingly cute!
"Then that just leaves Slurpuff!" Ange said.
Magearna tugged at the corner of Ange's sleeve.
"Magea magea~" Let Slurpuff live with me!
Ange was startled for a moment, then looked at Slurpuff. "Slurpuff, would you like to live with Magearna?"
"Slurp slurp~ Slurp slurp~" Slurpuff nodded eagerly.
Like the Alcremie, it liked Magearna not only because Magearna radiated a comforting aura, but also because it could smell the delicious scent of desserts coming from Magearna.
After a brief moment of thought, Ange said, "Since that's the case, we'll do as you wish!"
Magearna happily took Slurpuff by the hand.
It suddenly occurred to him that all of his chefs seemed to be forming their own little groups.
Inteleon and Gengar each had Lucario and Riolu respectively.
Passimian had Dusknoir and the Shuckles.
Magearna had the Alcremie, Slurpuff, Wobbuffet, Gothita, and Farigiraf.
Even Diancie, who wasn't a chef, had Mareep, Spinarak, and Munna.
It seemed Munchlax was the only one flying solo.
Then Ange thought to himself: It's fine, doesn't Munchlax still have me as its mentor!
Having settled everyone's living arrangements, Ange announced, "Alright, let's hurry downstairs and eat!"
"Magea~"
"Alcre~"
"Wobbuffet~"
...
With that, the group of Pokémon followed Ange downstairs in a bustling procession, chatting and laughing all the way.
As they reached the top of the stairs, Ange happened to see Munchlax walking toward them.
It turned out Diancie had sent Munchlax to check on them when Ange didn't come down.
"Munch~" Munchlax sprinted over to its master like a happy little puppy.
Ange scooped it up and vigorously rubbed its head.
Feeling his master's sudden burst of affection, Munchlax felt a bit confused, but still broke into a bright smile.
Seeing this, Ange couldn't help rubbing its head once more.
Downstairs, Ange glanced toward the doorway, suddenly feeling like something was missing. After a moment of thought, it hit him.
"Where's Kyogre?"
"Inteleon~" It left this morning.
Inteleon replied.
Ange was stunned. It left just like that?
How heartless, leaving without even saying goodbye to him, the host! Especially after he had hosted it for so many days.
Pushed the thought of Kyogre aside, Ange began calling the Alcremie and Slurpuff to come eat lunch.