Days passed again in the blink of an eye. Because of word of mouth among the Pokémon, more Pokémon came every morning to eat breakfast at Ange's place, even more than before his identity was exposed.
Some Pokémon who had never seen a human before even came just to take a peek at what one looked like, only to be lured in by the tempting aroma wafting from the store, unable to leave.
Ange also noticed that the Pokémon who came to watch him every day were never the same. The first day it was a Talonflame, the next day an Altaria, the third day a Victreebel… it changed every day.
Today, it was Altaria's turn again.
"Good morning, Altaria." Ange greeted it kindly as he came out to water the flowers.
Altaria lay lazily on the roof, its head buried in its fluffy wings as it basked in the sunlight. Its soft feathers looked even fluffier under the sun, making Ange want to bury his head in them.
It must feel amazing to sleep on something like that.
Hearing Ange's voice, Altaria lifted its head to glance at him, then slowly tucked its head back under its wings.
Ange wasn't upset by its cold attitude. Instead, he smiled and said, "You came early this morning, right? You probably haven't eaten anything yet. How about I make you something?"
"Chii~!"
Altaria lifted its head and called out. Although Ange couldn't understand what it said, he could tell it was refusing.
"Alright, no food then."
He smiled, carried his watering can back inside, and left it at that.
A few minutes later, Swablu, Fletchling, and Spritzee flew up to the roof with a Mantou hanging from a rope, setting it down in front of Altaria.
"Chii~ Chii~~!" Altaria scolded Swablu angrily, clearly refusing Ange's kindness.
"Chiruu~ Chiruu~"
But Swablu was annoyed. Ange was so kind, yet its mother always said he had bad intentions. Upset, it started arguing with her.
Fletchling and Spritzee, seeing Swablu losing the argument, joined in to help. Altaria was so furious that smoke could almost be seen rising from her head.
These little brats really didn't know what was good for them!
In the end, the four Pokémon parted unhappily. Swablu, along with Fletchling and Spritzee, flew away angrily.
But about an hour later, the three of them returned. They stood side by side before Altaria and solemnly apologized.
After asking a few questions, Altaria learned that it was Ange who had persuaded Swablu to make peace with its mother.
For a while, Altaria had mixed feelings. It looked at the now-cold Mantou in front of it and fell into thought.
From the days of observation, that human had indeed done nothing to harm the Pokémon. On the contrary, because of his feeding, the children grew stronger every day, greatly easing the parents' burden of raising them.
But how could there be such a human in this world? He was nothing like the humans it remembered.
Although its children were born and raised on the Nebel Plateau, Altaria itself was not. It had once wandered there by accident and had been taken in and sheltered by Lord Volcanion.
As a child, it had lived with its flock, migrating from place to place with the seasons. Life wasn't exactly easy, but its family cared for one another, helping each other and living happily enough.
That was, until it met its Trainer.
Its Trainer had captured it, separating it from its family. He was a strict man whose goal was to become one of the Elite Four, or even the Champion. Because of that, his training was harsh to the extreme.
Back then, it had been just a little Swablu, too young to meet many of his expectations, and often got scolded.
After repeatedly losing in competitions, its Trainer's patience ran out. Eventually, he abandoned it.
Though many years had passed, the memory was still vivid in its mind.
Looking at the food before it, Altaria's thoughts drifted far away.
Soon, the other Pokémon finished breakfast and left the small house one after another.
Then, a call echoed through the sky. Another Altaria appeared above. When it looked up, it saw that it was its mate, come to fetch it. A faint smile softened its once-melancholy eyes.
"Chii~ Chii~~"
The father Altaria gently landed beside it and nuzzled its neck. Altaria nuzzled it back softly.
After making sure their children had all gone, the two flew away together.
A while later, Ange came out to check. Seeing the food untouched, he sighed deeply.
Back inside, he began cleaning up with Diancie and Munchlax when he noticed a small pile of things in the corner.
"Where did this come from?" he asked, picking it up.
Wasn't this lotus root? It still had some mud on it, clearly fresh.
Diancie looked over, thought for a moment, and replied, "I think Bellsprout brought that over. Why?"
"This is great stuff!" Ange said.
He'd been eating Mantou every day and had long wanted to try something new. But there wasn't enough lotus root for even one dish, especially with a big eater like Munchlax around.
Munch~ Can we eat that?
Munchlax leaned closer, staring intently at the lotus root in Ange's hands.
"Of course, and it's delicious," Ange said with a grin. After a moment of thought, he turned to Diancie. "Diancie, you and Komala stay here and watch the house. Munchlax and I will go ask Bellsprout where it found this. Maybe we can get more."
Just imagining all the dishes he could make with lotus root made Ange's mouth water.
There was actually a lake not far from his house with blooming lotuses. He had wanted to try digging some up before, but the water was too deep, and without a Water-type Pokémon's help, he had to give up.
"Alright, go ahead," Diancie said with a nod.
"Munchlax, let's go," Ange called.
Munch~!
Munchlax followed happily behind him.
At the door, Ange spotted a beautiful Vivillon fluttering among the flowers in the garden. He looked surprised. "Vivillon? You evolved?"
Thinking back, it had been a while since he'd last seen Spewpa, it must have evolved in secret!
Lii~
Vivillon nodded happily and expressed its gratitude. Without Ange's feeding, it wouldn't have gathered enough energy to evolve so quickly.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Ange asked.
Vivillon shook its head. It had come straight here after evolving, eager to share its joy with him.
"Then go inside and have Diancie get you something to eat. You must be hungry," Ange said, extending his arm so Vivillon could perch on it. "Munchlax and I are going out for a bit, so we'll be back later."
Lii~
Vivillon nodded and pulled out a bright red flower from somewhere, offering it to Ange.
Ange took it, held it to his nose, and smiled. "It smells wonderful. Thank you. I love it."
Lii~~
Vivillon instantly brightened and fluttered twice around Ange in delight, then, following his gentle persuasion, flew into the house.
"Let's go," Ange said, tucking the flower into Munchlax's ear.
As they walked, Munchlax reached up and gently touched the blossom on its ear.
Munch~ "Do I look good?" it asked shyly, glancing at Ange.
Ange didn't understand its words, but the smug look on its face said it all. He couldn't help but laugh. "For a boy, you sure like to admire yourself. Cute, though."
Hearing that, Munchlax grinned from ear to ear.
As they walked, still searching for Bellsprout, a chime suddenly rang in Ange's mind. He opened his system interface, and a pop-up immediately appeared.
Congratulations, Host! You have served a total of one hundred Pokémon. Achievement Reward: Intelligence +1.
Ange blinked in surprise. "Oh? A bonus?"
It must've been because Diancie had served Vivillon. Sure enough, when he checked again, his Happiness Points had increased by 150.
He opened his personal stats:
Ange
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 4
Intelligence: 3
Culinary Evaluation: A beginner who can make edible dishes.
"Got stronger again!" Ange cheered inwardly. Although he had no idea what exactly "Intelligence" improved, he certainly didn't feel any smarter.
Closing the interface, Ange turned to Munchlax. "Munchlax, do you know where Bellsprout lives?"
Munch~
Munchlax shook its head.
"Alright, let's find another Pokémon and ask."
Munch~!
Munchlax nodded eagerly and began scanning their surroundings. Suddenly, it spotted a Flabébé floating nearby. Its eyes lit up, and it waved energetically.
Munch~ Munch~~!
Flabébé hovered in midair. It saw Munchlax, and then its eyes fell on Ange.
It had seen him before, but had fled in fear, terrified of the human.
This time, however, though still cautious, it didn't run away. It was too curious. Lately, the entire Nebel Plateau had been buzzing with talk about this human named Ange.
Some said he was secretly plotting something sinister. Others defended him, claiming he was a kind-hearted human capable of making delicious food. And still others stayed neutral, saying nothing. The two sides had been arguing endlessly.
Flabébé was determined to see the truth for itself.
When Munchlax called out again, Flabébé hesitated, then slowly drifted down.
Seeing that it didn't immediately flee, Ange felt his heart warm. Looks like I really am getting through to the Pokémon here, bit by bit.
"Flabébé, do you know where Bellsprout lives?" Ange asked gently, doing his best to appear friendly.
Flabébé paused, then nodded slightly.
"Would you mind taking me there? I need to ask Bellsprout for a favor," Ange continued.
Fula~ Fula~ "Alright, follow me."
Flabébé chose a direction and began to glide ahead. Ange quickly followed, with Munchlax trotting behind.
On the way, Ange tried to make small talk, but Flabébé grew nervous every time their eyes met, making proper conversation impossible. Munchlax, however, had no such problem.
Munch~ Munch~~ "Hey, do I look cute?" Munchlax asked proudly, pointing to the flower on its ear.
Fula~ Fula~ "Hmph, not as pretty as my flower," Flabébé said, swaying proudly atop its Fairy Flower.
Munch~ Munch~~ Munch~~~! "No way! I'm definitely cuter. My master said so himself!"
Fula~ Fula~ "Your master? What's a master?" Flabébé asked, tilting its head.
Munch~ Munch~ Munch~~ "My master's Ange, of course! A master is… well, a master!" Munchlax replied confidently, though it clearly didn't know what the word meant.
Ange couldn't understand their chatter, but seeing their lively expressions made him smile.
Following Flabébé's lead, they passed through a thick bush and emerged into a clearing. From a distance, Ange could hear the playful cries of several Pokémon.
Peeking through the leaves, he saw a Victreebel, a Weepinbell, and three Bellsprout frolicking together.
He recognized Victreebel; it was Bellsprout's father. The Weepinbell must be the mother.
As soon as Ange and Munchlax stepped closer, Victreebel noticed them.
"Vreeeeeh!" Who's there? Show yourself!
Since they'd been spotted, Ange walked out openly.
The moment Victreebel saw him, it leapt forward protectively, shielding its family, its eyes full of wariness.
So, this human's finally showing his true colors?
Bellsprout's eyes lit up when it saw Ange. It tried to run to him, but its siblings quickly held it back.
Seeing their alarmed expressions, Ange hurried to explain. "Don't misunderstand, I just came to ask Bellsprout for some help."
Victreebel's expression didn't soften, though curiosity flickered in its eyes.
Ange took out the lotus root segment he'd been carrying. "I just wanted to ask where this came from."
At that moment, Bellsprout wriggled free from its siblings and tried to run to him, only to be snatched midair by its mother's vine whip.
Dangling in the air, Bellsprout waved its limbs wildly, shouting something incomprehensible. Ange, of course, couldn't understand a word.
"Victreebel, Weepinbell," Ange said politely, "would you allow Bellsprout to show me the way? If you're worried, you can come along too."
Victreebel studied Ange carefully for a few seconds, then finally nodded. It turned to its mate, and Weepinbell gently set Bellsprout back on the ground.