"Voir~ voir~" Can we really just wait and see Kirlia again? Gardevoir asked Olympia with a look of hopeful expectation.
Olympia nodded. *"According to my divination results, yes.
The place where Kirlia is located is somewhere you can never reach by any means. If it wants to return, it must rely solely on its own efforts, and no one else can help it."*
Ange asked in confusion, "A place no one can reach? What kind of place is that?"
Olympia gently shook her head, indicating that she did not know either.
"I see..." Ange lowered his head into deep thought, then looked up after a long moment and said, "Thank you, Ms. Olympia!"
No matter what, as long as Kirlia was still alive, there was hope.
He had both the patience and the time. Regardless of when Kirlia returned, he was willing to wait and could afford to wait.
With that thought in mind, he took Gardevoir and Gallade by the hand and said solemnly, "We will wait together for Kirlia to come back!"
Gardevoir could sense human emotions, and she perceived the intense feelings within Ange's heart. She squeezed his hand tightly and nodded firmly.
Gallade placed his other hand over Ange's and nodded with equal determination.
Having suffered from excessive exhaustion, Olympia looked visibly fatigued. Consequently, Ange decided not to disturb her further, and a gym apprentice led them to accommodations within the Anistar Gym.
Learning that Ange and his group had not yet eaten dinner, the gym apprentice enthusiastically prepared a lavish feast for them and their Pokémon.
After dinner, Ange took his Pokémon back to their room to rest.
Upon entering the room, Doublade skillfully hung itself up on the wall, while Baltoy, feeling bored, began to meditate.
It wanted to become stronger and refused to keep losing face in front of Ange!
Latias and Latios were full of energy and did not want to rest early. With soft cries, they flew out of the window one after the other.
Seeing this, Ange quickly called out, "Don't fly too far away!"
"Lati~as!" Got it!
"Lati~os!" Got it!
The siblings' responses drifted back from the night sky.
Shaking his head helplessly, Ange placed the Komala from his arms onto the bed.
Komala adjusted its posture and continued sleeping soundly while hugging its log.
"You've got it easy, not a single worry in the world."
Ange patted its head, turned around to sit by the window, looked up at the night sky, and let out a deep sigh.
Although Olympia had said Kirlia would definitely return, she had also stated that Kirlia would inevitably have to endure hardship.
Thinking about how he could not help Kirlia at all and could only blindly wait, a sense of helplessness washed over him.
Tonight's weather seemed exceptionally clear. Even though the Anistar Gym was located in the city center, Ange could clearly see the twinkling stars filling the sky.
And so, he simply sat there staring blankly at the night sky.
At that moment, Gardevoir and Gallade walked over and sat down opposite Ange.
They were filled with just as much worry as he was.
Right then, a streak of light suddenly flashed across the sky.
A shooting star! Ange quickly pressed his hands together and made a wish upon the falling star.
He knew acting this way was foolish, but since he could do nothing for Kirlia, he desperately needed a little psychological comfort.
Gardevoir and Gallade looked at Ange in confusion upon seeing this.
"Gal~ gal~" Ange, what are you doing? Gallade asked aloud.
Ange opened his eyes after finishing his wish and replied to Gallade, "I am making a wish on a shooting star. Legend says that if you make a wish on a shooting star, it will come true."
Hearing this, Gardevoir and Gallade brightened up and looked up at the night sky together.
"Gal~ gal~" Is that true? Gallade asked.
Ange gave a wry smile. "It's just a legend."
Even if it was just a legend at that moment, Gardevoir and Gallade were willing to believe it.
Unfortunately, not a single shooting star remained in sight.
The couple exchanged glances, their expressions tinged with disappointment.
Seeing this, Ange said, "Let's wait a bit. Who knows, another shooting star might appear soon!"
"Voir~ voir~"
"Gal~ gal~" Gardevoir and Gallade nodded in agreement.
With that, Ange and the couple watched the night sky together, waiting quietly.
After a long while, a very bright stream of light suddenly appeared in the sky, trailing a long tail across the firmament.
Ange quickly called out, "Here comes a shooting star, make a wish quickly!"
As he spoke, he pressed his hands together once more, wishing upon the shooting star for Kirlia's safety and smooth journey.
Gardevoir and Gallade imitated Ange's gesture, chanting silently in their hearts: We hope Kirlia returns safely!
The shooting star flashed and vanished. After finishing their wishes, Ange and the couple felt a sense of lingering emptiness.
They knew this was only a psychological comfort.
How wonderful it would be if wishes could actually come true!
After continuing to sit quietly for a while longer, Latias and Latios finished playing outside and flew back into the room one after the other.
Realizing it was getting late, Ange told everyone, "Let's go to sleep."
And so, Ange and his Pokémon drifted off into dreamland together.
Perhaps due to letting his mind wander too much, Ange slept very restlessly through the night, continually dreaming of Kirlia, which caused him to wake up early the next morning.
Upon waking, however, he could no longer remember the specifics of his dreams, recalling only that they were all related to Kirlia.
Noticing his Pokémon were still asleep, Ange quietly washed up and decided to go out for a workout.
Since system missions no longer rewarded physical constitution points, Ange had to rely on persistent training if he wanted to keep getting stronger.
Before heading out, Ange asked a waking gym apprentice about a suitable place for morning exercises, and the apprentice recommended the park next to the gym.
Arriving at the park, Ange began running laps around it.
He wore weighted gear because, given his current physical fitness, simple running was no longer enough to make him stronger.
Many people were out early morning exercising in the park, so Ange did not feel lonely.
About an hour later, Ange sat down on a park bench to rest, beads of sweat covering his face.
Wiping away his sweat while watching the elderly people exercising not far away, Ange planned to rest for a moment before returning to the gym.
Just then, two figures jogged past him.
Ange called out in surprise, "Mr. Riley?"
The two jogging figures halted, turned around, and looked at Ange in astonishment. Who else could it be but Riley and his Lucario?
"Ange, what are you doing here?" Riley walked over to Ange with a smile and asked.
Ange replied, "I'm staying temporarily at the Anistar Gym next door, so I came out for morning exercises."
Riley chuckled. "What a coincidence, I'm staying at the nearby Pokémon Center and came out for morning exercises too!"
As it turned out, the Pokémon Center and the Anistar Gym were situated on opposite sides of the park, quite close to each other.
Riley asked, "Are you heading back now?"
Ange nodded. "Yes, I just finished working out."
Riley suggested, "Since that's the case, let's catch up later. How about we meet up right here in the park?"
Ange readily agreed. "Sounds good, see you later then."
After agreeing on the time and place to meet, the two parted ways.
Upon returning to the Anistar Gym, Ange found that his Pokémon were no longer in the room.
He took a quick shower, learned from a gym apprentice that his Pokémon were eating breakfast in the gym cafeteria, and headed over.
When he arrived at the cafeteria, he saw Gardevoir and the others having breakfast together with Olympia.
They were accompanied by Olympia's Pokémon: the male and female Meowstic, Slowking, Sigilyph, Espeon, and Xatu.
Seeing Ange, Olympia smiled and said, "You're back? Come sit and eat with us."
Ange nodded and walked quickly over to the table. Gardevoir pulled out a chair for him, while Gallade helped fetch utensils and breakfast.
Ange was genuinely hungry, so he dug in eagerly.
Olympia asked, "What are your plans for next? Are you returning to Azoth, or..."
Ange answered, "I arranged to meet a friend, and afterwards I plan to visit the Terminus Cave!"
Terminus Cave was Zygarde's habitat, located near Anistar City. When returning from de-icing earlier, Ange and Z2 had parted ways near Terminus Cave.
Given the frequent appearance of tentacle monsters, there was a high probability that something had happened to Z2. Since he was already in Anistar City, he wanted to check Terminus Cave on the way to see if he could find any clues.
"I see..." Olympia nodded. "If there is anything you need my help with, just say the word. Don't hesitate."
Ange said gratefully, "Thank you, Ms. Olympia."
Ange finished his breakfast shortly after, and a Jynx came over to clean up the table.
At that moment, Ange took something out and handed it to Olympia.
It was a bent, silver-white spoon.
This spoon was no ordinary item; it was one of Mew's collectibles.
It originally belonged to a powerful Alakazam. After the Alakazam passed away, Mew took it away as a toy and kept it stored ever since in its den, using it as a cushion to sleep on.
Because it had been steeped in Mew's power for a long time, the spoon had transformed into a potent item that not only amplified the bearer's psychic powers but also aided in meditation.
When Mew came over to eat at Ange's place once, it casually brought the item along as compensation for freeloading meals for so long.
There was a pair of these spoons; Ange had given one to Baltoy, and this was the second one.
Since Olympia had helped him immensely, Ange wanted to gift this spoon to her.
"Ms. Olympia, this is for you!" Ange said.
The moment she saw the spoon, Olympia recognized its special and precious nature.
It wasn't as though Olympia had never seen bent spoon items before—she owned one herself—but it completely paled in comparison to the one in front of her.
The powerful psychic energy radiating from it even resonated with her own psychic powers.
However, Olympia did not immediately accept the spoon. She smiled and asked Ange, "Is this payment for my help?"
Ange immediately realized that if he answered "yes," Olympia definitely wouldn't accept it. Therefore, he replied half-jokingly:
"How could that be? I'm quite stingy; I don't pay people just for helping me. This is a gift. Is there anything wrong with bringing a gift when visiting a friend?"
Amused by Ange's remark, Olympia chuckled. "Nothing wrong at all. Then I will gladly accept it!"
As she spoke, she reached out and took the spoon from Ange's hand.
The instant her fingers touched the spoon, Olympia once again confirmed its extraordinary qualities.
Carefully putting the spoon away, Olympia chatted with Ange for a little longer. Seeing that the time was approaching, Ange prepared to head out to meet Riley.
At that moment, Olympia said, "Ange, why don't you leave Baltoy in my care for a while?"
Ange paused in surprise, quickly guessing Olympia's intent—she wanted to help train Baltoy.
That was precisely what Ange wanted, so he happily replied, "Alright, then I'll leave Baltoy in your capable hands!"
Olympia nodded with a smile.
Then Ange turned to Baltoy and instructed, "Baltoy, train hard under Ms. Olympia's guidance and be on your best behavior, or you'll be in for a rough time later!"
"Bal~ toy~" Baltoy was more than eager to train alongside Olympia!
On one hand, it truly yearned to become stronger and strive to regain its former power as soon as possible.
On the other hand, Ange was always finding fault with it; leaving Ange's side for a few days would let him realize its true value.
Ange: In your dreams! Your value is approximately zero!
And so, Baltoy remained at the Anistar Gym, while Ange went out to the park to meet Mr. Riley.
When Ange arrived at the park, he saw that Riley and Lucario had already arrived. Riley was chatting with a group of elderly people, talking about something that left the seniors smiling and speaking endlessly.
Seeing Ange, Riley smiled apologetically to the seniors, then walked briskly over to Ange with Lucario in tow.
"Have you been waiting long, Mr. Riley?" Ange asked.
Riley shook his head. "I only got here a moment ago. Let's find a place to sit and chat!"
The two of them found a nearby pavilion and sat down.
"Ange, has the Azoth royal family ever produced any Aura Guardians before?" Riley asked after they sat down.
Ange shook his head. "As far as I know, no. My awakening was just an accident."
Riley nodded. "Situations like that have happened before. I actually know someone whose natural Aura potential is very strong, but unfortunately, his Aura never awakened."
Ange said in surprise, "What a coincidence, I know someone like that too."
Riley paused. People with naturally strong Aura were rare; could it be...
At the same time, Ange reached the exact same realization.
Thus, they both spoke the name simultaneously: "Ash!"
Sure enough, the person they were both thinking of was Ash.
"Mr. Riley knows Ash?" Ange asked.
Riley nodded. "That's right. Ash traveled with me for a period of time during his journey through the Sinnoh region."
Riley was the master of Iron Island in the Sinnoh region.
Back when Team Galactic caused chaos on Iron Island by using dark technology to drive the Steel-type Pokémon into a frenzy—even affecting Lucario—it was he and Ash's group who shattered Team Galactic's conspiracy together.
After hearing Riley's account, Ange said, "Ah, I see."
Ange remembered that in the games, Riley was one of the five partner trainers in the Sinnoh region, making his first appearance on Iron Island.
Ash truly lived up to being the protagonist, running into Riley just like the game protagonist did!