Evening arrived before anyone realized it. In the sky, Vivillon flew home with laughter while Talonflame, Staraptor, and Altaria streaked across the air, letting out cheerful cries.
Chesnaught and Victreebel shouted loudly through the forest, calling for the children to hurry home.
Volcanion was stunned by the scene before its eyes. It widened its eyes and asked the three Pokémon beside it, "Where are they all going?"
Pan pan~ pan pan~ Time to eat, going home to eat!
Pancham shouted while chasing after the main group.
Skii skii~ skii skii~ Wait for me! Wait for me!
Skitty feared that if it ran too slowly, it would miss out on dinner. It anxiously moved its four short legs to chase after Pancham, looking like a running pink mantou.
Only the steady Heliolisk remained in place to answer Volcanion's question.
Helio helio~ Everyone is going back to eat. Ange provides our lunch and dinner.
That good? Volcanion was shocked. No wonder Pancham and Skitty had grown so fat.
In fact, what Volcanion did not know was that while everyone did not eat lunch at Ange's place, Ange gave them Pokémon Food like Pokéblocks and Pokémon Cookies to eat at their own homes.
It actually thought Ange only provided two meals a day!
Even so, Volcanion was surprised enough, because in the past, everyone might not have been able to eat two full meals a day.
Filled with curiosity, Volcanion decided to follow Heliolisk back to take a look.
However, halfway there, its path was blocked by two Pokémon.
Volcanion looked down at the two strange little fellows at its feet. It deliberately put on a stern face and asked, "What do you want?" It usually maintained a pleasant countenance; otherwise, it would not be so loved by everyone.
The ones appearing at Volcanion's feet were Pawmi and the returning Komala.
As it turned out, after Pawmi learned that Ange had been bullied, it realized it couldn't seek revenge on its own. Consequently, it went to wait for Komala's return and intercepted it halfway to tell it about Ange's plight.
Metagross had told Pawmi that Komala was the strongest one in the house!
Although Komala usually stayed out of trouble, it would never allow its caretaker to be bullied. Therefore, it followed Pawmi without hesitation.
Paw~
Upon seeing Volcanion, Pawmi was startled. It immediately dug a hole to hide in, quickly tunneling away before cautiously poking its head out from the ground.
Oh my! Why did no one tell me that Po-whatever-kai was such a giant!
Seeing Pawmi's reaction, a hint of amusement appeared in Volcanion's eyes. It then looked at Komala. Before it could speak, Komala raised its log and smashed it toward the giant.
A verdant light flickered on the log, and Volcanion was sent flying by the unexpected blow.
Stabilizing itself, it looked at Komala in surprise. It had never expected this tiny ball to possess such strength.
Volcanion laughed loudly, "Good, good, good! I've slept for so long, so I'll stretch my muscles with you today!"
Just as its voice fell, Komala had already struck again with Earthquake.
Hiding in the hole, Pawmi's eyes sparkled as it watched Komala, silently cheering for it.
Cool! So cool!
Seeing such a cool Komala, Pawmi resolved to work hard to become stronger. Otherwise, what would it do if Ange was bullied again and it still couldn't win?
On Ange's side.
Because Munchlax and Drizzile were injured, Ange made dinner today with Haunter's help.
Haunter knew Ghost-type and Psychic-type moves. As the time spent learning culinary skills from Ange grew longer, it had gradually begun to use psychic powers in cooking. It could chop vegetables while stir-frying and start the rice while prepping ingredients. Its efficiency was very high.
Despite the delay, dinner was finally ready on time.
While Ange and Haunter were cooking, the unconscious Diancie and the others woke up one after another. However, Ange still did not let Munchlax or Drizzile enter the kitchen, instructing them to rest well instead.
After treatment, the injuries of the three Pokémon were no longer serious.
Diancie even gave Ange a mission.
[Temporary Mission: Gain Volcanion's favor — Incomplete]
Great. A whole series of ingredient missions are still hanging there, and now a temporary mission arrives.
I hope Volcanion isn't a stubborn extremist!
Shaking his head, Ange set the mission aside and got back to work.
Soon the meal was ready. Gardevoir and Meowstic carried the dishes out one by one, and the Pokémon immediately began to feast.
Ange's own dinner was placed on a table. The family sat around it, and the atmosphere was lively.
As Diancie's group recovered and Magearna joined as a new member, everyone stopped worrying about Ange being hit and the Pokémon being injured earlier that afternoon.
"Magea magea~" Did the Prince... make all of these?
Looking at the table full of dishes, Magearna spoke in surprise.
Ange smiled and said, "I wasn't the only one who made dinner today. Haunter helped too."
Haunt~ haunt~
Haunter looked bashful.
Ange then introduced the others to Magearna, "Our Munchlax and Drizzile are also top-tier cooks!"
Hearing this, Magearna immediately said with delight, "Magea magea~" Everyone is so amazing.
Munch~ munch~ Munchlax scratched its head sheepishly.
Driz driz~ Drizzile winked at Magearna and gave a thumbs up.
Driz driz~ Tonight's dinner is exceptionally grand!
Drizzile said to Ange.
Ange explained with a smile, "I put in a bit of extra effort to welcome Magearna to our family! We can start as soon as Komala and Pawmi return."
However, after waiting for a while, Ange still didn't see Komala.
"Strange, Komala is usually back by now. And Pawmi is the most enthusiastic about eating, so why isn't it back either?"
Gurgle~
At that moment, Munchlax and Drizzile's stomachs growled simultaneously.
"I'll go take a look." Seeing that everyone was starving, Ange walked toward the door.
Just as he reached the entrance, he saw Komala and Pawmi returning together.
Importantly, Komala looked very disheveled. Not only was it covered in wounds, but its fur was also matted with grass.
He was just about to ask Pawmi and Komala where they had gone to get into such a state when a voice rang out.
"Human!"
Looking toward the sound, Ange saw Volcanion slowly walking out of the darkness. It also carried some injuries on its body.
Ange picked up Komala and whispered, "Did you get into a fight with Volcanion?" Ange couldn't think of anyone else besides Komala who could injure Volcanion.
However, Komala just snuggled into Ange's arms without giving any response.
Ange looked down at Pawmi, only to see it guiltily turning its head away.
Good grief, you were involved in this, weren't you!
Ange intended to take Komala inside for treatment, but then he remembered Volcanion was also injured. He turned back and asked:
"Do you want to come in and have your wounds treated?"
After the afternoon tour, Volcanion no longer knew what attitude to take toward Ange. It awkwardly turned its head away.
"Hmph! These minor injuries are nothing!"
Ange keenly sensed the change in Volcanion's attitude. He smiled and carried Komala into the house.
Pawmi looked at Volcanion, then at Ange's retreating back, and sprinted after Ange, not forgetting to stick out its tongue and make a face at Volcanion.
Unlike the other Pokémon on the plateau, Pawmi, who was not native to the Nebel Plateau, stood firmly on Ange's side. It didn't care if this Po-whatever-kai was the guardian deity of the plateau.
Ange brought the medicine box from upstairs to treat Komala's wounds. As he worked, he taught Magearna how to use rock salt, which medicines could disinfect or relieve pain, and how to wrap bandages.
After finishing with Komala, Ange handed the medicine box to Magearna, "Magearna, could you go help Volcanion with its injuries? It definitely won't agree if I go."
"Magea magea~" Thank you, Ange.
Magearna took the medicine box happily.
Even though Volcanion had bullied the Prince, the Prince was still so friendly toward it. He was truly too kind.
Ange said, "You don't need to call me Prince anymore. Just call me Ange."
Magearna was stunned for a moment. "Magea~" Is that okay?
Ange nodded, "Of course. Things are different now than they were before. Besides... we're a family now, aren't we?"
A brilliant smile appeared on Magearna's face, and it nodded vigorously:
"Magea~" Mhm!
With that, it jogged toward the door. But after only a few steps, everyone heard a loud clatter. Magearna tripped and fell heavily to the ground, and the medicine box flew out of its hands. Fortunately, Metagross used its psychic powers to catch it just in time.
Ange then remembered that his sister's Magearna was actually quite clumsy and prone to tripping when it ran.
Diancie, Munchlax, Drizzile, Haunter, and Pawmi all cried out and rushed to help Magearna, but Magearna had already stood up quickly.
It patted its steel skirt and smiled at everyone habitually, "Magea magea~" I'm fine, I'm fine!
Seeing that it was truly unhurt, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Taking the medicine box back from Metagross, Magearna headed for the door again.
Ange smiled and said to everyone, "Let's wait for Magearna before we eat, okay?"
Munch~
Driz~
Meta~
Haunt~
The Pokémon all nodded in agreement.
Tonight's grand dinner was made specifically to welcome Magearna's arrival. Naturally, they wouldn't leave the guest of honor behind and start eating on their own.
They were hungry, but they could wait.
Outside.
Seeing Magearna come out, Volcanion said petulantly, "What are you doing out here? Haven't you already forgotten about me?"
"Magea magea~"
Magearna immediately gave Volcanion's leg an affectionate hug.
Volcanion, who had intended not to talk to Magearna for the rest of the day, felt its mental defenses crumble the moment Magearna hugged it.
"Hmph, you only know how to use these little tricks!" Volcanion said in a tsundere tone.
"Magea magea~"
Magearna then hugged Volcanion's pointed chin.
"Hmph..."
Although it had already forgiven Magearna in its heart, it enjoyed Magearna's closeness and liked the feeling of being coaxed by it.
As if competing with that human, Volcanion continued to pretend to ignore Magearna.
How dare you leave me aside and run off with that human without hesitation!
At that moment, Magearna placed the medicine box on the ground and extended its two hands toward Volcanion. Volcanion seemed to realize something; its eyes widened instinctively as it shook its head quickly:
"Wait, don't!"
Just as it spoke, two bouquets of flowers suddenly popped out of Magearna's hands. The fragrance of the blossoms spread across the tip of Volcanion's nose.
"A... a... ACHOO!"
Volcanion couldn't hold it back and let out a massive sneeze. Simultaneously, a large amount of steam gushed from its body, causing the surrounding air to churn with powerful gusts.
Fortunately, Volcanion had hidden in a spacious corner earlier because it didn't want to be watched by other Pokémon. Otherwise, the others might have been blown away.
Meanwhile, Magearna had retracted into a steel ball with no blind spots. The air currents from Volcanion's sneeze couldn't affect it at all.
The energy inside Volcanion's body was very unstable, often releasing powerful air currents and steam. Therefore, it couldn't stay with another Pokémon for long, or it would accidentally injure them.
But Magearna was different. After retracting into a ball, it didn't fear the steam. It was precisely because of this that they had been companions for five hundred years.
Magearna emerged from the ball and looked at Volcanion with a grin. Volcanion looked helpless: "Really, I told you I can't handle those!"
As it turned out, Volcanion was allergic to pollen. It would sneeze as soon as it smelled flowers at close range, but Magearna was the opposite—it loved flowers most of all.
"Magea magea~"
Magearna went back to Volcanion's side and hugged it again.
Volcanion pleaded repeatedly, "Alright, alright, I forgive you, okay!"
"Magea magea~"
Hearing this, Magearna spun around happily in place. Then, it picked up the medicine box again and treated Volcanion's wounds.
Looking at the meticulous Magearna, Volcanion asked, "That human taught you this?" It didn't remember Magearna knowing how to use these things.
"Magea magea~"
Magearna nodded.
After a moment of silence, Volcanion asked again, "What is your relationship with that human? How do you know him?"
"Magea magea~"
So, Magearna told Volcanion about its relationship with Ange.
After listening, Volcanion said disdainfully, "What? So you aren't even that close! He's just the owner's older brother... Hmph! It seems our relationship is still better!"
"Magea magea~"
By then, Magearna had finished treating Volcanion's injuries and patted its leg.
"Magea magea~"
Magearna then leaned in and whispered something into Volcanion's ear. Volcanion suddenly shouted:
"What? You want to live with that human? I don't agree! I absolutely don't agree!"