Geng~
Gengar scratched the back of its head shyly upon hearing the praise.
Ange looked at Gengar with his Eye of Observation. Its data was as follows:
Gengar
Type: Ghost, Poison
Ability: Cursed Body
Gender: Female
Level: 40
Moves: Perish Song, Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Lick, Mean Look, Curse, Hex, Sucker Punch, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, Psychic, Phantom Force, Sludge Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Mirror Type
Individual Values
HP: 31
Attack: 25
Defense: 26
Special Attack: 31
Special Defense: 29
Speed: 31
After evolving, Gengar had also learned a new move, Perish Song.
Speaking of which, Drizzile's level had long reached the point where it could evolve. Ange turned his Eye of Observation toward Drizzile.
Drizzile
Type: Water
Ability: Sniper
Gender: Male
Level: 39
Moves: Pound, Growl, Water Gun, Water Pulse, Sucker Punch, Bind, Soak, Liquidation, Water Pledge, Whirlpool, Aqua Ring, Swift, Muddy Water
Individual Values
HP: 20
Attack: 29
Defense: 20
Special Attack: 31
Special Defense: 24
Speed: 31
At level 39, Drizzile was well past the usual level 35 requirement to evolve into Inteleon. For some reason, Ange had yet to see any signs of evolution from his second disciple.
Seeing the envy in Drizzile's eyes as it looked at Gengar, Ange patted it. "You will be able to evolve soon too. There is no need to worry," he assured it.
Pokémon evolution was full of uncertain factors, so Drizzile's situation was actually quite normal. The fact that it had not evolved yet simply meant the timing was not right. Perhaps it would suddenly evolve one day after waking up from a nap. Ange had secretly consulted Nurse Joy, and she also confirmed that Drizzile's condition was within the normal range.
Driz driz~
Feeling its master's concern, Drizzile pushed aside its disappointment and flashed a smile at him.
"Let's head home then," Ange suggested.
Driz driz~
Geng~
The two Pokémon responded in unison. They followed Ange as he bid farewell to Nurse Joy and left the Pokémon Center. Nearby, Aria and Aromatisse were also celebrating their evolution. However, since Ange was not familiar with her, neither side exchanged much conversation.
When they arrived home, everyone was delighted to see that Haunter had evolved into Gengar. Munchlax even pulled Drizzile into the kitchen, claiming it would cook a grand feast to celebrate for their junior sister. Seeing this, Gengar followed its two seniors into the kitchen as well.
Ange was happy to see their close bond, so he did not interfere with lunch and instead walked outside with Diancie and Magearna.
As soon as they stepped out, Ange faintly heard the sounds of playing and laughing. He walked to the perimeter wall and saw Volcanion in the distance. It was chasing a ball alongside Pancham, Litleo, Linoone, Heliolisk, Scrafty, Croconaw, Quilladin, Farfetch'd, Scovillain, Capsakid, and other Pokémon.
The Pokémon seemed to be divided into two teams. Two goals made of wood had been set up on the grass, with nets woven from Spinarak silk hanging behind them.
"Are they playing... Poké-Soccer?" Ange asked in surprise.
Magea magea~
Magearna nodded repeatedly.
"Where did they get the ball?" Ange wondered.
"I bought it!" Diancie replied. It had used its own saved Happiness Points from the System Store to buy a ball as a gift for Volcanion.
Originally, Volcanion had been secretly kicking around a ball made of bundled weeds by itself. Once the other Pokémon discovered it, they immediately clamored to join. When it was first caught kicking the weed ball, Volcanion had felt quite embarrassed. However, under the playful coaxing of the little ones like Pancham, it quickly forgot its shame and had a blast playing with everyone.
Unfortunately, the weed ball could not withstand the kicking and soon fell apart. Diancie thought they looked far too pitiful, so it took the initiative to buy a high-quality ball for them. The ball was quite expensive, and Diancie had spent a significant amount, but ordinary balls simply could not survive the rough play of these Pokémon.
After receiving the ball, Volcanion immediately went wild playing with the group. Watching the Pokémon's constant laughter and seeing Volcanion so happy, Ange smiled. "Not bad. It's quite good," he said.
He then whispered to Diancie, "I'll reimburse the Happiness Points you spent on the ball later."
Diancie gave Ange a playful shove. "Can't I give everyone a gift too?"
"Of course, of course," Ange said with a grin. "I'm in a good mood. Can't I give my little housekeeper a reward?"
Diancie shoved him again, harder this time. "Who are you calling a housekeeper!" Despite the words, its eyes were filled with mirth.
Ange winked at it. "Whoever answers is the one!"
Magearna watched the interaction between Ange and Diancie, covering its mouth to hide a secret laugh. At that moment, Ange noticed Spritzee on the wall watching the soccer match, chirping and cheering for both sides simultaneously. He waved it over.
"Spritzee, could you come here for a second?"
Zee zee~ Ange, you're back!
Spritzee had been so engrossed in the game that it only just noticed him. It flapped its wings and landed on Ange's shoulder.
Zee zee~ Why did you call me?
Ange gave it a gentle stroke. "Could you help me call Minccino over?"
Zee zee~ No problem!
Spritzee nodded and immediately flew off. A short while later, Minccino came racing along the perimeter wall, led by Spritzee.
Min min~ Ange, were you looking for me?
Minccino looked up and asked. Ange took out the Shiny Stone he had bought today. "Minccino, do you want to evolve?" he asked.
Min min~ What will I look like after I evolve? Will I be pretty?
Minccino tilted its head and asked. If it wasn't pretty, it didn't want to evolve. Ange pulled up a photo of Cinccino on his phone to show it. "Here, your evolved form looks like this. Do you like it?"
Watching the Cinccino in the photo, Minccino's eyes lit up. Wow, so beautiful! So beautiful! It immediately jumped and danced around Ange. Min min~ I want to evolve! I want to evolve!
Ange smiled and handed over the Shiny Stone. "Come, just touch this Evolution Stone."
Min min~
Minccino reached out a paw to the Shiny Stone. In an instant, it and the stone erupted in a bright blue-white light. The light from the stone slowly merged into the glow surrounding Minccino, and gradually, the radiance became even more intense.
Bathed in the light of evolution, Minccino's body began to change. When the light finally faded, a new Pokémon with an elegant, lady-like temperament appeared before everyone. It was Cinccino!
Cincin~ Have I evolved?
Cinccino raised its paws to look at itself.
"The evolution was a success," Ange told it.
Cinccino immediately looked up at Ange. Cincin cincin~ Then do I look good? Do I look good?
Ange nodded quickly. "You look great. You're both beautiful and cute."
Cincin~
A radiant smile broke across Cinccino's face. It scurried over to Diancie, pointing at Diancie and then at itself. Diancie understood immediately and smiled, using its diamonds to create a mirror in front of the Pokémon.
Cincin~
Cinccino happily twisted and turned in front of the mirror, showing off its cuteness from every angle. The diamonds created by Diancie were clear and bright, perfectly reflecting Cinccino's appearance. Once it had admired its beauty enough, Cinccino pointed at the diamond mirror again. Diancie nodded with a smile.
"Of course you can have it. It's a gift!"
The mirror would disappear before long anyway.
Cincin~
Cinccino happily hugged the diamond mirror, which was nearly as big as itself, and ran off. Watching Cinccino leave, Ange said to Diancie and Magearna, "I wonder how Munchlax and the others are doing with lunch. Let's go home and check."
What he failed to notice was that as Magearna watched Cinccino walk away, a flash of sadness flickered in its eyes.
Diancie, however, noticed it keenly. Consequently, once they returned home, Diancie and Magearna mysteriously headed up to the third floor while Ange watched in surprise.
By the time Ange had placed lunch on the table and was about to head upstairs to call them, the two Pokémon came down hand-in-hand. However, Magearna now had some different decorations on its body. Pink bows were tied to its head and chest, it wore pink lace bracelets on its wrists, and its silver-white skirt was adorned with pink lace flowers.
Earlier, seeing the vain Cinccino had reminded Magearna of the days it spent with Anna. In the past, Anna would always dress it up with care. Now, its body consisted of nothing but silver-white metal and a few traces of red paint from five hundred years ago that hadn't completely faded. After sensing this, Diancie had taken Magearna to the room to dress it up using items from its own personal collection.
Magea magea~
Magearna hurried toward Ange, and predictably, it fell to the floor with a loud clang. Ange rushed over to help it up. Magearna was quite heavy, weighing nearly two hundred pounds. If it weren't for Ange's current strength, he might not have been able to lift it.
Ange was sensible enough not to mention Magearna's weight, as he knew it was a sensitive topic for the Pokémon. This was a secret his sister had told him as a joke during one of their past chats.
"Magearna, are you okay?" Ange asked.
Magea magea~
Magearna shook its head. Once it was steady, it spun around a few times in front of Ange, its eyes shining brightly as it looked at him.
"You look truly beautiful!" Ange praised, giving it a thumbs-up.
Magea magea~
Receiving Ange's praise, Magearna squinted its eyes happily and ran outside. Just as it reached the door, it predictably tripped again. However, this time it didn't need help; it scrambled up nimbly and disappeared outside. Ange knew it was going to find Volcanion.
After Magearna left, Diancie told Ange about the sadness it had felt earlier. Ange felt very guilty; Diancie had noticed the problem, yet he had missed it.
A short while later, Volcanion and Magearna returned happily. Ange teased Volcanion. "Volcanion, is Poké-Soccer fun?"
Volcanion looked awkward and tilted its head back stubbornly. "Hmph, it's just average. The others wanted to play, so I only joined them reluctantly!"
Ange didn't expose it and instead smiled, inviting everyone to eat lunch. To celebrate Gengar's evolution, Munchlax and Drizzile had indeed put in a great deal of effort. The table was covered in dishes, all focused on the flavors Gengar loved most.
"Magearna!"
After lunch, while everyone else went about their business, Ange called out to Magearna.
Magea magea~
Magearna looked at Ange curiously.
"I have a gift I want to give you," Ange said.
Magea magea~
Magearna looked at Ange with a smile, its face full of anticipation. Ange pulled a set of stickers out of his System Backpack. The patterns on the stickers were identical to the colors Magearna had worn five hundred years ago.
This was a set of high-tech stickers Ange had purchased from the System Store. He had happened across them in the shop only after Diancie told him about Magearna's mood change. According to the System Store description, this was a specialized skin for Magearna. Applying it would not only be comfortable for Magearna but would also provide protection and maintenance, increasing its Defense and Special Defense to a certain extent.
Furthermore, the sticker material was incredibly tough; even an all-out attack from a Legendary Pokémon would not easily damage it. Of course, while this specialized skin was powerful, the price was staggering. Ange had spent almost all the Happiness Points he had earned recently, leaving him with less than ten thousand. Fortunately, he didn't have any need for large expenditures of Happiness Points in the near future.
Magea magea~
Seeing the familiar colors, a look of joy appeared on Magearna's face. Ange explained the effects of the specialized skin and asked, "Shall I help you put them on?"
Magea~
Magearna nodded happily and opened its arms to Ange. Seeing this, Ange pulled up a stool and sat in front of Magearna, applying the stickers bit by bit. Diancie immediately ran over to help as well.
Soon, all the stickers were applied. Magearna looked completely different than before. Its skin had turned gold and its skirt was now red, giving it an air of solemnity and elegance. It looked even more like a princess.
"All done!" Ange said, clapping his hands.
"It looks truly beautiful," Diancie praised with a smile.
Magea magea~
Magearna raised its arms and then its legs, looking at the changes with curiosity.
"Magearna, is anything uncomfortable?" Ange asked.
Magea~ Magearna shook its head. Not only was it not uncomfortable, but it actually felt better than before. These clothes were so special!
"Magearna, do you want to see how you look now?" Diancie asked.
Magea magea~
Magearna nodded repeatedly. Diancie used its diamonds to create a full-length mirror for Magearna. Magearna turned left and right, raising its arms and legs. Looking at the familiar reflection in the mirror, it felt dazed for a moment, as if it had suddenly returned to five hundred years ago.
Magea magea~
Withdrawing its gaze from the mirror, Magearna gave Ange a hug, and then gave Diancie one as well.
It is truly wonderful... to have met you all again.