During lunch, Ange announced the news that he was going to the Kanto region to find the Tree of Beginning.
Everyone knew that Ange was going to Kanto to help Xerneas, so they did not object.
"Inteleon, while I'm away, the Munchlax Home needs you to support it alone. It will be hard work, but I will definitely return as soon as possible," Ange said to his second disciple.
Inteleon gave Ange an OK gesture, indicating that it had no problem. Furthermore, it spoke:
Intele~ Intele~ Master, take your time. There is no need to rush.
Ange nodded with relief upon hearing this.
Meowstic had already told him about Inteleon's active performance at the Munchlax Home.
Ange naturally felt proud that his disciple could stand on its own.
The boy in my house has finally grown up!
At that moment, Diancie asked, "Who do you plan to take to the Kanto region?"
Ange thought for a moment. "I'll take Komala, Metagross, and Pawmo."
The others all had jobs and it was inconvenient for them to follow him. Besides, he could summon them from home at any time, so there was no need to take everyone.
Meta~ I have no problem.
Paw paw~ I want to go, I want to go!
Hearing Ange call their names, Pawmo and Metagross responded one after another. Conversely, only Komala continued to eat its meal quietly.
Duki~ duki~ Why don't you take Volcanion along?
Magearna suddenly suggested. As it spoke, it looked at Volcanion and asked:
Duki~ duki~ Volcanion, you don't have a problem with that, right?
Volcanion, who was buried in its food, raised its head and said with a tsundere expression, "If it is Magearna's request, I naturally have no problem."
However, Ange shook his head and said, "Volcanion should stay at home. The climate of the Nebel Plateau is like spring all year round because of you. If you leave and the plateau's climate changes, it wouldn't be good."
Duki~ That's true.
Magearna nodded.
If the climate changed, the Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau might not be able to adapt.
Volcanion let out a cold snort, pretending to look disdainful. "Hmph, I didn't want to go anyway!"
Nevertheless, Magearna spoke up for Volcanion with a smile:
Duki~ duki~ Ange, if you have a need, you can summon it at any time.
Hmph~ Volcanion snorted coldly again, which served as a default agreement to Magearna's words.
In the afternoon, Ange began to pack the things needed for the trip. In addition to a change of clothes, items like cookware and various ingredients were essential.
This way, if he needed to cook for himself during the journey, he wouldn't have to worry at all.
Diancie helped Ange prepare while saying, "If anything happens, you must summon me there immediately."
Ange smiled and said, "I know, I definitely will."
In the evening, after Ange collected the rewards for his daily missions, he was about to tuck himself into bed when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
He got out of bed and opened the door to find Munchlax standing there in pajamas, clutching a pillow.
Munch~ munch~ Master, can I sleep with you tonight?
Munchlax said sheepishly. Its master was leaving early tomorrow morning and it didn't know how long it would be before he returned, so it was very reluctant to let him go.
Ange smiled. "Of course, come in quickly."
He stepped aside to let Munchlax into the room.
Munch~ munch~
Munchlax walked with brisk steps to Ange's bedside. It then lifted the quilt, rolled inside, and patted the spot next to it with a grin:
Munch~ munch~ Master, come over here quickly.
Ange walked over with a smile and lay down next to Munchlax. After covering them with the quilt, he said to it, "Goodnight, Munchlax."
Munch~ Goodnight, Master.
Subsequently, the master and disciple entered dreamland one after another.
The next morning, Ange woke up early. He first went to the Royal Capital with Inteleon and the others, and then boarded a flying craft in the Royal Capital bound for the Kanto region.
About two days later, Ange stepped off the craft with Pawmo and set foot in one of the metropolises of the Pokémon world—Saffron City.
Saffron City was the largest and most prosperous city in the Kanto region, located at the central intersection of Cerulean City, Celadon City, Vermilion City, and Lavender Town.
This place was very special because it rarely possessed two Gyms.
One was the Psychic Gym, whose leader was the famous and powerful psychic, Sabrina.
The other was the Fighting Gym, whose leader was the martial artist Kiyo.
However, only one Gym was officially recognized by the League, and that was Sabrina's Psychic Gym.
Back then, when Kiyo competed with Sabrina for the official Gym status, he lost to her. Consequently, he entered Mt. Mortar near Saffron City to train.
He still accepted challenges from challengers. Furthermore, after a challenger won, they could even receive a Tyrogue as a gift from him.
The prerequisite was that you could find him inside Mt. Mortar.
Aside from that, the headquarters of the Pokémon world's major corporation—Silph Co.—was also located here.
Silph Co. was the leader in manufacturing technology in the Pokémon world.
Now, Ange needed to take the Magnet Train from Saffron City to Pewter City, and then travel from Pewter City to Rota.
Rota was located near Pewter City.
"Let me see where we need to go to catch the Magnet Train!" Ange said while checking his phone navigation.
Pawmo grabbed Ange's pant leg with its small hand, looking at the prosperous Saffron City with both unease and curiosity. This city was completely different from the Azoth Royal Capital.
Komala and Metagross had been withdrawn into their Poké Balls by Ange.
To relieve its tension, Pawmo took out a piece of cake and began to eat. Its system backpack was filled with many of Magearna's previous trial products.
Since Magearna became a pastry chef, Pawmo was undoubtedly the happiest one in the house.
Soon, Ange found the route. Just as he intended to go catch the train, a voice calling him suddenly came from behind.
"Ange!"
Ange looked back and saw Steven looking at him with an amazed expression.
"Steven?" Ange also looked surprised.
"It really is you!" Steven ran to Ange's side excitedly. "Why are you in Kanto?"
Ange replied, "I have some business to take care of and happened to pass through Saffron City. What about you? Why are you in the Kanto region as well?"
Steven smiled. "I came to talk about some business cooperation with Silph."
"So that's how it is."
Ange realized. The person in front of him was not only the Champion of the Hoenn League but also the heir to Devon Corp., one of the world's leading companies.
Steven poked his head out to look behind Ange. "Where is Diancie? Isn't Diancie with you?"
Ange shook his head. "Diancie is at home."
Steven looked disappointed upon hearing this. "That really is a pity."
Ange didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Do you like Diancie that much?"
Steven said as a matter of course, "Naturally. Stones are a man's romance."
"Oh, right!" Suddenly, Ange seemed to remember something. He slapped his forehead and said to Steven, "Since that's the case, let me give you a gift!"
As he spoke, he pretended to rummage through his backpack. After a short while, he pulled out a brocade box and handed it to Steven.
"This is..." Steven took the box in confusion.
Ange said mysteriously, "You'll know once you open it."
With a curious heart, Steven opened the box. Inside lay a massive pink diamond. Its dazzling and eye-catching brilliance almost blinded his eyes.
"This is..." He hurriedly tried to hand the box back. "This is too precious; I can't accept it."
A diamond of this caliber was a rarity, especially since it was pink.
Ange winked and smiled. "You really don't want it? It was made by Diancie."
Ever since Diancie became able to create Holy Diamonds, the diamonds it produced could exist forever.
To be honest, if Ange wanted money now, he could become wealthy instantly just by selling one diamond.
However, he did not do so. He still felt more at peace using money earned through honest sweat.
Furthermore, once a large number of pink diamonds entered the market, diamonds would become worthless.
Therefore, Ange had never thought about relying on selling diamonds to make money.
Despite this, there was no problem with giving it as a gift to a friend.
Friendship is a diamond, after all!
Hearing Ange's words, Steven suddenly gripped the box containing the diamond tightly, his face showing a look of reluctance to let go.
Ange patted his shoulder and said, "Rest assured and accept it. With Diancie around, I can have as many of these diamonds as I want."
"Alright then! I won't be polite." With that, Steven solemnly tucked the diamond into his backpack.
Steven thought for a moment and said, "No, having accepted such a precious item from you, I would feel truly uneasy if I didn't give you something in return."
Ange waved his hand and said, "I told you, this is nothing to me. You don't need to..."
"Oh! Don't be so quick to refuse!" Steven grabbed Ange's hand. "Come with me!"
Ange was pulled along by him, walking quickly in a certain direction.
Paw paw~
Pawmo hurriedly ran after Ange.
Under Steven's leadership, Ange arrived at a botanical garden hidden in the center of Saffron City.
Inside the botanical garden, the trees were lush and green. In Saffron City, which was full of skyscrapers, it felt like a paradise. Even just standing at the entrance, Ange felt a breath of fresh air hitting him.
"This place is..." Ange asked in confusion.
Steven introduced, "This is a botanical garden established by my family in Saffron City. Many Grass-type Pokémon are raised inside."
He stepped inside, and Ange followed closely behind.
Just as they entered the botanical garden, Ange saw a group of Jumpluff flying toward them.
Seeing Ange and the others, the Jumpluff specifically circled once above their heads.
Crossing the grass at the entrance, Ange and Steven walked into a corridor lined with many potted plants. Just as Ange approached a pot, a head suddenly pulled itself up from the soil, giving Ange a fright.
He looked closely and realized that what was planted in some of the pots were not plants at all, but Oddish.
"Hahaha~~" Ange's reaction amused Steven beside him.
Odd odd~
As Steven's laughter rang out, one Oddish after another pulled their heads out of the flower pots, looking at Ange and Steven with curious eyes.
The Oddish here were clearly well-bred; each one grew quite sturdily, and the leaves on their heads were green and thick.
Passing through the potted plant corridor, Ange saw Fomantis and Lurantis, which were only found in the Alola region.
Steven explained, "In addition to breeding a large number of Kanto region Grass-type Pokémon, this botanical garden has also specially introduced some Grass-type Pokémon from other regions."
Ange nodded upon hearing this.
Not far from the Lurantis and Fomantis, a cherry blossom tree was in full bloom. Under the tree lay a Bayleef taking a nap.
In order not to disturb the Bayleef, Ange and Steven instinctively lightened their footsteps.
Along the way, Ange also saw a Venusaur leading a group of Ivysaur and Bulbasaur.
The Bulbasaur were round and plump, and they would even trip while walking. The way they rolled around on the grass was incredibly cute.
After walking a bit further, Ange finally saw the "return gift" Steven had mentioned.
It turned out to be a Tropius.
Tropius, the Fruit Pokémon, was a Grass and Flying-type. Fruits similar to bananas grew around its neck. They tasted sweet and delicious and were very popular.
In places with warm climates, there were even specialized ranches for breeding Tropius, such as the Alola region.
Steven waved to a staff member in the botanical garden. The staff member quickly walked over, and after Steven whispered a few words to him, the man ran off to withdraw the Tropius into a Poké Ball.
When he returned, he handed the Poké Ball to Steven, who then gave it to Ange.
Ange said, "You're really giving it to me?"
Steven nodded and said, "You're a chef. Tropius should be useful to you, right?"
Ange nodded. If he had a Tropius, Magearna would be able to use the fruit from its neck to make even more delicious desserts.
The Complete Guide to Handicrafts unlocked by the system contained high-level recipes that used the fruit from a Tropius's neck.
"Then take it." Steven directly stuffed the Poké Ball into Ange's hand.
"Then I won't be polite." Ange stopped being formal and generously accepted the Tropius.
Ange released the Tropius. "Tropius, please take care of me from now on!"
Miu~ Tropius squinted its eyes and nodded toward Ange.
Because he had to rush to Pewter City, Ange bid farewell to Steven after leaving the botanical garden.
"You're leaving already?" Steven looked reluctant; he had been hoping to take the opportunity to taste Ange's cooking.
Ange said helplessly, "I have urgent business to attend to and cannot delay."
"Alright! Then let's meet again when we have the chance," Steven said with a smile.
Ange nodded. "When you go to Kalos again, I will definitely treat you to a big meal!"
Steven said with anticipation, "Then it's a deal. I will definitely go."
"It's a deal!"
After parting ways with Steven, Ange took the Magnet Train to Pewter City.
The Magnet Train was very fast. Although Pewter City was some distance from Saffron City, Ange still arrived at his destination in less than an hour.
Once in Pewter City, the first thing Ange did was go to the Pokémon Center to transfer Tropius back home.
He was going to find the Tree of Beginning, and it was not very convenient to bring Tropius along the way.
Of course, Ange didn't have a transfer device at home, so he called Jeremy and asked him to go to the Azoth Kingdom's Pokémon Center to receive it, and then send Tropius to the Nebel Plateau.
After sending Tropius away, Ange finally set out from Pewter City for Rota.
Rota was located in the mountains north of Pewter City and Mt. Moon. Like the Azoth Kingdom, it maintained the form of an autonomous kingdom. The Royal Capital was Cameran Palace, located in the center of Rota.