Auron Vale reached out in surprise to steady the small, round body trying to squeeze past him.
"Munchlax, how did you get out here?"
Munchlax turned its head to look at Auron, but its paw was already pointing at Jace Rowan, eyes shining.
"Bika~"
Auron couldn't help a wry smile. "All right, all right—we're definitely bringing you."
Munchlax bobbed its head, instantly content. It stopped pushing forward and stood obediently at Auron's side. Jace, all generosity, waved a hand and grinned.
"Relax. College Entrance Exam's over today—I'm in a good mood. Let Munchlax eat to its heart's content."
"Haha, deal."
Laughing and joking, the group split into two cars and headed for the same hot pot place as last time—the flavor there really was hard to beat.
Inside, it was the same private room, the same setup. The difference was that Hanling Yin's Misdreavus had evolved into a Mismagius. Watching the happy specter drift around Munchlax, Auron asked:
"When did she evolve? Last time you said she didn't want to yet."
Hanling smiled, bright and relieved. "Last night. I had a nightmare—I dreamed I didn't pass the College Entrance Exam—and jolted awake.
"Misdreavus felt how scared I was and hurried over to comfort me. I hugged her and told her the dream, start to finish. Then she went to my cabinet, took out a Dusk Stone, and evolved on her own."
Mismagius must have heard Hanling talking about her. She ducked behind Munchlax, a little shy.
Munchlax, being not exactly tall, didn't manage to hide Mismagius's head.
Auron laughed and gave Mismagius a thumbs-up. "No need to be shy—you did great."
That only made Mismagius more bashful. Munchlax could only lead her a little farther away for now.
As Auron watched the shadowy, bell-shaped figure trailing after Munchlax, lines of data surfaced in his mind's eye.
[Pokémon Data]
Species: Mismagius (♀)
Type: Ghost
Ability: Levitate (Floats in the air, avoiding Ground-type moves)
Potential: Red
Moves (Base): Growl, Confusion, Grudge, Astonish, Confuse Ray, Mean Look, Hex, Psybeam, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, Thunderbolt, Will-O-Wisp, Dark Pulse, Dazzling Gleam, Mystical Fire, Power Gem, Phantom Force, Magical Leaf, Extrasensory, Shadow Sneak, Lucky Chant
Egg Moves: Destiny Bond, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Imprison, Trick Room
Before long, the dishes arrived—plate after plate until the table was a small mountain of meats.
Munchlax's eyes gleamed at the little pot in front of him. He waited patiently for it to boil, then started dropping in all kinds of meat. After last time, he'd learned how to use chopsticks—well, "use" might be generous. He gripped both sticks with his whole palm, nothing like proper technique, but for him it was a big step.
Golbat had found a new favorite, too. Besides its old flame, the hot pot meatballs, it had fallen in love with rice cakes.
Oddly, Golbat tried duck's blood and pig's blood and didn't care for either.
By the time they were done, everyone was in high spirits. Munchlax, wielding chopsticks in one hand and a fork in the other, had feasted himself into bliss and was now sprawled belly-up on a chair, stomach round and taut.
Jace walked over then. Noticing a few plates of meat still on the table in front of Munchlax, he teased:
"Well well, Munchlax, full already? How come there's still some left?"
Munchlax froze. He looked from the meat on the table to his own small belly, then back to the meat again, a flicker of heartbreak in his eyes.
Jace added, all mock regret, "Ahh, didn't finish the meat, huh? And here I thought we'd be carrying you out today."
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Hearing that, Munchlax slowly pushed himself upright. A sharp, cutting pressure spilled off his body, startling Jace.
"Hey, hey, no need for that. If you can't eat any more, it's fine."
Jace stepped back a pace, flustered, trying to explain. He hadn't expected that one offhand, snide remark would draw out such a terrifying edge in Munchlax.
(Can't eat any more?) That only made Munchlax angrier. White light surged from within him, wrapping his whole body.
Auron, who'd been chuckling from his stool, shot to his feet. "Wait—evolving?!"
The evolution light pouring off Munchlax truly shocked him.
Before the exams, Auron had already thought about it. By rights, both Munchlax and Golbat should've had more than enough friendship to evolve long ago. After all, the first face they'd ever seen after hatching was Auron's, and he'd raised them from the very beginning. Their bond should have been more than sufficient. But for some reason, neither had evolved.
He'd asked his dad later and finally got a clear explanation. Ashen Vale had told him that evolution isn't just about meeting the internal conditions; you also need an external trigger.
Feelings as intense as Munchlax's—when he gets properly "stimulated," he'll evolve.
Even with that answer, Auron hadn't lived through it himself yet. Worry lingered.
But as the evolution light blazed from Munchlax, every last worry melted away.
The milky glow drew the attention of everyone in the room—humans and Pokémon alike. Golbat, flustered and anxious, flapped to Munchlax's side to watch over him.
The light faded quickly, unveiling a big, blue-and-white, magnificently round body—Snorlax, fully evolved.
[Pokémon Data]
Species: Snorlax (♂)
Type: Normal
Ability: Thick Fat (The insulating layer of fat halves damage from Fire- and Ice-type moves)
Potential: Gold
Moves (Base): Lick, Tackle, Defense Curl, Covet, Bite, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Mega Punch, Rest, Bulk Up, Sleep Talk, Metronome, Earthquake, Rollout, High Horsepower, Recycle, Covet, Stockpile, Swallow, Fling, Block, Snore, Body Slam, Heavy Slam, Amnesia, Chip Away
Egg Moves: Belch, Curse, Fissure, Counter
Seeing the expanded move list after its evolution, Auron whooped and dove in to hug Snorlax's belly.
But Snorlax's stomach had unbelievable spring to it. Auron almost bounced right off. Luckily, Snorlax wrapped one massive arm around him and tucked Auron against the soft expanse.
Now that Snorlax had evolved, Auron's old dream—sprawling atop that belly for a nap—was completely achievable.
Most Snorlax after evolving stood around 2.3 to 2.78 meters tall. Auron's, however, must have eaten especially well since he was small; he'd shot up to a staggering three meters.
Auron, a little over one-eighty in height, barely reached above Snorlax's gut.
Golbat saw Auron throw himself onto Snorlax and got excited too, swooping down to land on Munchlax's—no, on Snorlax's—broad back. Both wings looped around Snorlax's neck (well, if there was a neck to speak of).
Snorlax worried about Golbat slipping off, so he had no choice but to hold Auron with one arm, and reach the other behind his back to support Golbat.
And only now did Charmander realize what was happening. With a chirp, it barreled toward Snorlax as well.
Snorlax had to let go of Auron, catch Charmander, and set the little lizard belly-down on his stomach, one big hand cupping the tiny backside for balance.
Auron straightened up slowly, grinning uncontrollably at the sight of Snorlax holding one in each hand—Golbat behind, Charmander in front. Exhilaration surged through him.
Snorlax was perfect. The scene from his dreams had come true.
But where there's joy, there's also dread. Off to the side, Jace stood pale as a sheet.
"How much is it going to take to fill him up now…?"
(End of Chapter)