Ange placed two cups in front of himself and Komala, then filled them both to the brim.
"Diancie, do you want some?" Ange turned to ask.
Diancie shook her head. "I don't like it."
When she lived in the royal palace, she had encountered alcohol many times, but never developed a taste for it.
Munch~ Munch~~ Master, I want some, I want some!
Munchlax tapped its bowl eagerly with its chopsticks.
But Ange refused. "You're still too young to drink. Maybe in the future."
Munch~ Munch~
Munchlax looked disappointed, then turned its sadness into hunger and began devouring the giant bowl of rice before it. Its bowl was the biggest in the house, they called it a bowl, but it was more like a basin, made for one purpose: to eat heartily.
"Come on, Komala, let's have a toast." Ange raised his cup toward Komala.
Komala lazily lifted its cup and clinked it against his.
Ange blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Komala to actually join in.
Sluurp~~
They both took a sip, and a rich fragrance of alcohol burst across Ange's tongue.
"Great drink!" he exclaimed. As expected of the System's product!
The 1000 Happiness Points had been well spent. He wasn't much of a drinker, nor did he have a refined palate, but even he could tell this was no ordinary liquor.
Ange wasn't good with alcohol, so he stopped after two small cups.
Komala, on the other hand, had a remarkable tolerance. It downed cup after cup as if it were drinking water, not wine.
Just as Ange thought it might finish the whole bottle, Komala stopped halfway through.
When Ange offered to store the bottle for it, Komala refused, it insisted on keeping it itself.
Fine, it was a gift anyway. Since Komala now had its own System Backpack through the shared subsystem, storing it was no problem.
Halfway through dinner, a set of footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
"Who's there?" Diancie craned her neck toward the door.
Ange, who was sitting with his back to it, turned around quickly. He saw three Pokémon walking slowly into the room, gazing around curiously.
The three stood side by side. The one in the middle was fiery red, resembling a witch in a robe, holding a wooden staff in her hand.
To her left stood a tall Pokémon with a pink scarf, or, on a closer look, it was actually a long tongue. Its dark form gave off the air of a silent ninja.
The one on the right was clad in heavy armor, giving firm steps, and with sharp eyes, like those of a battle-hardened general.
Instinctively, Ange activated the Eye of Observation, and their data appeared before him.
Delphox
[Type] Fire, Psychic
[Ability] Blaze
[Gender] Female
[Level] 53
[Moves] Mystical Fire, Switcheroo, Howl, Role Play, Shadow Ball, Scratch, Ember, Tail Whip, Flame Charge, Psybeam, Fire Spin, Light Screen, Psyshock, Flamethrower, Will-O-Wisp, Solar Beam, Agility, Hypnosis
[IVs]
HP: 15
Attack: 3
Defense: 18
Sp. Atk: 29
Sp. Def: 25
Speed: 18
Greninja
[Type] Water, Dark
[Ability] Torrent
[Gender] Male
[Level] 50
[Moves] Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Role Play, Haze, Pound, Water Gun, Growl, Quick Attack, Lick, Water Pulse, Smokescreen, Shadow Sneak, Spikes, Aerial Ace, Extrasensory, Soak, Waterfall, Toxic Spikes
[IVs]
HP: 11
Attack: 24
Defense: 12
Sp. Atk: 28
Sp. Def: 9
Speed: 30
Chesnaught
[Type] Grass, Fighting
[Ability] Overgrow
[Gender] Male
[Level] 51
[Moves] Spiky Shield, Feint, Hammer Arm, Growl, Rollout, Tackle, Vine Whip, Bite, Leech Seed, Pin Missile, Take Down, Seed Bomb, Mud Shot, Bulk Up, Scary Face, Grass Pledge, Helping Hand, Drain Punch, Belly Drum
[IVs]
HP: 20
Attack: 18
Defense: 21
Sp. Atk: 14
Sp. Def: 28
Speed: 14
It was Ange's first time on the Nebel Plateau seeing Pokémon with levels comparable to Diancie's, and there were three of them at once.
Diancie's level had risen slightly during their time together on the plateau, now equal to Delphox's, which allowed Ange to view their data.
He stood up. "May I ask what brings you here?"
The three Pokémon studied him carefully. It was their first time meeting the human who had become the subject of so many rumors across the Nebel Plateau.
Although many Pokémon there had grown used to Ange, with some even coming to his home every morning to eat, others still avoided him, keeping their distance.
The Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught trio before him were among the latter group.
Delphox stepped forward.
Diancie grew tense at their sudden appearance. As soon as Delphox moved, she stepped protectively in front of Ange, Munchlax, and Komala.
"May I ask what brings you here?" Diancie asked again.
Ma-hou~ Ma-hou~We mean no harm. We just wish to ask that human gentleman for help.
Delphox's voice was calm.
Diancie blinked in surprise, then turned to Ange and translated.
"Help?" Ange asked.
Ma-hou~~ Yes, human gentleman.
Delphox nodded.
"If it's something I can help with, I'll gladly do it," Ange said without hesitation.
Delphox's expression brightened.
Ma-hou~ Ma-hou~~~ Thank you, human gentleman.
She waved her wooden staff, and a Gardevoir floated into the room, her face twisted in pain. Most strikingly, her belly was swollen.
Beside her came a Kirlia with eyes full of worry.
"This is…" Ange hurried to her side.
Buri~ Buri~ She's about to give birth, but something's wrong. No matter how hard she tries, she can't deliver. She's in terrible pain.
Chesnaught stepped forward and explained.
Munch~ Munch~
Munchlax rushed over to Gardevoir, staring at her sweat-covered face. It tugged anxiously at Ange's sleeve, its eyes full of worry.
Ange patted its hand gently, signaling not to worry.
Koga~ Koga~
Greninja then stepped forward and gave a brief explanation of what had happened.
While Volcanion, the guardian deity of the Nebel Plateau, was away, it had been Delphox, Chesnaught, and Greninja who took on the duty of protecting the land.
So when Gardevoir went into a difficult labor, Kirlia immediately ran to them for help.
But this kind of problem wasn't something they could solve.
As time went by, Gardevoir's pain grew worse, and the baby in her belly still wouldn't come out. Kirlia and Delphox panicked and ran in circles.
If they delayed any longer, who knew what would happen to Gardevoir? It wasn't impossible that both mother and child could die.
At that moment, one Pokémon suggested they go to Ange for help. Humans had medical techniques Pokémon didn't, so surely they could save Gardevoir.
Only then did Delphox and the others remember there was a human living on the Nebel Plateau.
Because it was a matter of life and death for Gardevoir and her baby, Delphox and the others didn't hesitate. They rushed through the night to Ange's house.
From Greninja's words, Ange gained a deeper understanding of the Nebel Plateau.
The guardian deity of the Nebel Plateau turned out to be Volcanion, one of the Mythical Pokémon.
Volcanion spent almost half the year asleep unless another Pokémon woke it up. That was why Ange had never seen it before.
Because Volcanion was both Fire- and Water-type, it could keep the Nebel Plateau cool in summer and warm in winter.
Since Gardevoir and her baby's lives were at stake, Ange didn't dare to waste time. He immediately said to the Pokémon, "Let's go. I'll take Gardevoir to the Pokémon Center in the royal capital right now."
Then he lifted Gardevoir up in his arms.
"I'll go find Swablu's father to fly you there," said Diancie quickly.
Ma-ho~ Ma-ho~~ We've already prepared for this, follow me.
Delphox spoke and led Ange outside. Gardevoir's condition was urgent; of course, they had made preparations before coming.
When Ange reached the door carrying Gardevoir, he found a large, powerful Honchkrow waiting in front of his house.
Hoo-ah~ Hoo-ah~~
When it saw Ange, Honchkrow hurriedly urged him to put Gardevoir on its back.
Ange didn't hesitate. He climbed onto Honchkrow's back swiftly, then said to Diancie, "Diancie, take care of the house. I'll come back as soon as Gardevoir is safe."
Diancie stepped forward, lifting Komala and handing it to Ange. "Take Komala with you." Otherwise, she couldn't rest easy letting Ange go out at night.
"Alright." Ange felt warmth in his heart as he took Komala and tucked it into his arms.
Since Honchkrow's back wasn't wide enough to carry everyone, there wasn't room for Delphox and the others, so Ange only brought the family member, Kirlia, along.
Watching Ange disappear into the night, Diancie and Munchlax finally withdrew their worried gazes after a long while.
"Let's go inside," Diancie said, reaching out a hand to Munchlax.
Munch~
Munchlax nodded and nervously held her hand.
"Would you three like to come in and sit for a while?" Diancie invited Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught.
The three Pokémon exchanged hesitant glances.
Diancie smiled and said, "It'll take some time before Ange and Gardevoir return. Since you're worried about them, it's not a good time to go back. Why not come in and rest a bit?"
In the end, the three Pokémon were persuaded by Diancie and followed her and Munchlax into the house.
Looking at the half-eaten dinner on the table, Diancie sighed softly. "I wonder if Ange is hungry."
When Munchlax heard that, it immediately began to worry too.
Delphox looked ashamed. Ma-ho~ Ma-ho~ Sorry, we've caused you trouble.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that," Diancie waved her hands quickly. "We're happy to help. Gardevoir and her baby's safety comes first. I'm just worried about Ange, that's all." She hoped they wouldn't treat Ange like an outsider after this.
"By the way, are you hungry? Why don't you sit down and eat? There's plenty of food left," Diancie offered warmly.
The three Pokémon were too embarrassed to eat Ange's food and tried to refuse, but Diancie insisted.
"Come, come, sit down," she said firmly, pulling them to the table and telling Munchlax, "Munchlax, serve our guests some rice."
Munch~ Munch~~
Munchlax immediately understood and cheerfully scooped rice into bowls for the three Pokémon, not giving them a chance to refuse.
In the end, the three Pokémon stiffly took small bites of the food.
Seeing that, Diancie smiled with satisfaction; her little "plan" had worked.
Now that they had eaten under her roof, let's see if they still dared to treat Ange like an outsider!
Meanwhile, Ange sat on Honchkrow's back, hurrying anxiously toward the Azoth Royal Capital, when he suddenly received a system notification.
[Happiness Points:
+100
+100
+100]
He guessed Diancie must have entertained Delphox and the others. Smiling, Ange closed the system interface.
The Azoth Royal Capital was a prosperous city, bright with lights even at night. Following the glow, Honchkrow could easily find its direction.
As a nocturnal Dark-type Pokémon, Honchkrow naturally had excellent night vision and would never get lost in the dark.
Before long, Ange reached the Azoth Royal Capital.
He had never been to the city's Pokémon Center before, so he couldn't immediately guide Honchkrow to land right at the entrance.
However, the Pokémon Center's symbol was clear enough. After circling above the city once, Honchkrow spotted the building easily.
"Honchkrow, over there!" Ange shouted, pointing at the building with the Poké Ball sign on its roof.
Hoo-ah~~
By now, Gardevoir's groans had grown weaker. Honchkrow didn't hesitate and dove straight toward the direction Ange pointed.
Even though it was late at night, there were still plenty of Trainers gathered at the Pokémon Center entrance, so Honchkrow's sudden landing startled many people.
Holding Gardevoir in his arms, Ange quickly jumped off Honchkrow's back and bowed to the crowd. "Sorry, sorry, it's an emergency, please forgive us!"
Some people looked ready to scold him, but after seeing Gardevoir's condition, they realized it was serious and silently swallowed their words.
"Nurse Joy, please help!"
Ange rushed into the Pokémon Center, shouting at the top of his lungs.