Afterward, Ange and Jeremy helped load crates of berries onto the truck.
At this moment, Ange suddenly remembered that the two Golett were still in their Poké Balls, which he was carrying with him.
He took out the Poké Balls and released both Golett, intending to have them help move the berries.
Darkrai was also with Ange, but it was not convenient to release it.
After the two Golett emerged, they looked at Ange cautiously, afraid that he was still angry with them.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help me move the berries to the truck!" Ange said sternly.
Upon hearing this, the two Golett hurried over and began to work obediently, not daring to say a word.
Jeremy, who was also moving berries, cast a puzzled glance at the two Golett.
Ange was always gentle with Pokémon, and this was the first time he had seen him act so fiercely.
Could it be that the two Golett had committed some grave mistake?
To please Ange, the two Golett worked extremely efficiently, and in no time at all, they had moved all the berries onto the truck.
Once they were finished, they circled around Ange like two little puppies. If it weren't for the fact that they didn't have tails, Ange suspected they would definitely be wagging them hard at him.
In the end, Ange couldn't help but be amused by them.
Having learned what happened, Ange actually knew that the root of everything lay with Darkrai; the two Golett were merely acting on orders.
For the naive and inexperienced Golett, they could not refuse an order from Darkrai.
"Your Highness, I'll be going now!" Jeremy, who had already sat in the truck, poked his head out the window and said to Ange.
"Go ahead!" Ange waved at him.
After Jeremy left, Ange paid Ike for the berries.
After paying, he planned to go and check on Ms. Hadari.
According to the address Ike gave, Ms. Hadari did not live in the Royal Capital, but in the Qingmang Village outside the city.
After bidding farewell to Ike, Ange headed toward the exit of the berry market.
The two Golett gazed at Ange's back, unsure if they should follow.
What should they do? Was Ange abandoning them? The Golett wore mournful expressions.
At that moment, Ange suddenly turned his head and said to them with a straight face, "Why aren't you following? Do I have to invite you?"
Go~
Go~
Hearing this, the two Golett looked at each other, their faces blooming with bright smiles, and then they chased after Ange with happy steps.
After leaving the berry market, Ange took the two Golett onto the cable car out of the city, and before long, they arrived at the city gate.
Qingmang Village was not far from the Royal Capital. Once outside the gate, Ange could see the outline of the village in the distance, so he led the two Golett on foot toward the village.
On the way, the two Golett looked at Ange from time to time, acting like they were thieves.
Ange glanced at them and said coldly, "Speak if you have something to say."
Go~ Go~ Ange, are you still angry?
One of the Golett asked timidly.
Ange replied, "Shouldn't I be angry?"
Seeing Ange's expression, which looked like he was about to get angry, the two Golett became flustered.
Seeing them like this, the anger in Ange's heart dissipated.
Goodness, why was he fussing with two children?
However, some things still needed to be made clear in advance.
"Tell me, since you arrived at the Nebel Plateau, have I treated you well?" Ange asked.
Go~ Yes, good!
Go~ Too good.
The two Golett nodded in unison.
Ange continued, "Although I didn't explicitly say it, I have long since regarded you as members of the Nebel Plateau."
Hearing this, the two Pokémon were filled with emotion.
"But how did you repay me?" Ange's tone suddenly became severe.
Go~~ Go~~ But... but... that was an order from Lord Darkrai.
The Golett were almost crying with anxiety.
Ange continued with a cold face, "Just because Darkrai told you to do it, you did it?"
Go~~ That's Lord Darkrai!
The other Golett said.
"Even Darkrai won't do," Ange said loudly. "You must remember one thing: you can never hurt a companion."
The two Golett nodded repeatedly.
"Next time, if Darkrai tells you to do something, will you still do it?" Ange's tone finally turned gentle.
The two Golett shook their heads repeatedly.
"That's a good child," Ange said, smiling as he patted the heads of both Golett.
Go~ Go~ So, Ange... are you still angry?
The Golett asked the same question they had at the beginning.
Ange smiled and said, "As long as you are obedient, I won't be angry."
Go~ Go~ Obedient, I'm obedient!
Go~ Go~ I'm also obedient, I'm the most obedient.
The two Golett happily jumped up and down on the spot.
Because they had received Ange's forgiveness, the two Pokémon regained their lively personalities, and the atmosphere on the road finally became much more relaxed.
They happily dove into the grass to chase Vivillon, then ran to the hillside to pick wild flowers.
Before they knew it, Ange and his companions arrived at the entrance of Qingmang Village.
There was a group of children playing at the village entrance. They were gathered in a circle, and in the center, two children were commanding a Clauncher and a Bergmite in a battle.
The other children were cheering excitedly for their chosen Pokémon.
Ange walked over and took a look; just then, the Bergmite was knocked down by a Water Gun from the Clauncher.
The children supporting the Clauncher cheered excitedly.
At this time, someone noticed Ange and asked suspiciously, "Big brother, are you also a Trainer? Do you want to battle us?"
Ange shook his head. "I am not a Trainer, nor am I here to battle you. I am here to find someone."
"Find someone?" a child asked. "Who are you looking for?"
Ange replied, "Ms. Hadari. Can any of you show me the way?"
The children looked at each other, and then the tallest and strongest boy stood out and said:
"Big brother, as long as you battle us once and win, I'll take you there."
He was bored of battling the kids in the village every day.
Ange said helplessly, "I already told you, I'm really not a Trainer."
The boy said with disbelief, "Big brother, don't try to hide it. Look, you have two Pokémon with you, and you still say you aren't a Trainer."
He pointed at the Golett with a look that said he had seen through him.
Ange: ...
Suddenly, the boy seemed to think of something and said sneakily:
"Big brother... are you perhaps not capable?"
Ange: (－＂－Angry)
"Fine, fine. Today, brother will bully some children and let you know what true power is. Who's going first?"
The leading strong boy took the lead: "Of course it's me!"
As he spoke, he took out a Poké Ball and released a Hawlucha.
"Oh ho, a Hawlucha. Not bad," Ange said.
Compared to the unevolved Pokémon of the other children, the Hawlucha indeed had an advantage.
The strong boy proudly puffed out his chest. "That's right, Hawlucha is my best partner!"
Hawl~
The Hawlucha immediately puffed out its chest proudly, wearing the exact same expression as the boy.
Ange waved at them. "Come on then!"
The strong boy was stunned. "Big brother, where are your Pokémon?"
Ange flicked his finger dismissively. "I don't need to use Pokémon to deal with children."
The boy became angry upon hearing this. "Big brother, are you looking down on me?"
Ange shook his head. "No, I'm just telling the truth."
The boy became even angrier and immediately commanded the Hawlucha, yelling: "Hawlucha, show him our power!"
Hawl~~
The Hawlucha let out a cry and raised a glowing claw to attack Ange.
It was using the Fighting-type move Karate Chop.
However, Ange tilted his body slightly, dodged the Hawlucha's attack nimbly, and grabbed the Hawlucha by the wrist.
After a shoulder throw, the Hawlucha lay on the ground, motionless.
The children were all dumbfounded.
"Anyone else?" Ange said, hands on his hips.
Having been with Pokémon for so long, Ange had become childish himself.
Heh heh heh~ The feeling of bullying children is great!
"Me, me, me!"
"Me, I'll come, I'll come!"
...
For a time, all the children wanted to duel Ange.
Ten minutes later, the children were all dejected, holding their fainted Pokémon. Ange dealt with each one in less than a minute.
"Come, come~~" Ange took out some Moomoo Milk and fed each child's Pokémon a sip. Before long, they all woke up. "Now, can you take me to see Ms. Hadari?"
"Fine, follow me," the strong boy said as he walked into the village.
"Goodbye, big brother."
Seeing Ange was about to leave, the children waved goodbye.
After entering the village, the villagers looked at Ange's unfamiliar face and asked the strong boy out of curiosity:
"Pingichiro, who is that handsome brother? Is he a relative of yours?"
The strong boy, Pingichiro, replied, "Not at all. He said he's looking for Grandma Hadari, so I'm showing him the way."
"I see, then hurry up!"
Led by Pingichiro, Ange arrived at the far west side of the village. There were no other residents here, just a small courtyard.
There was a flower garden at the entrance of the courtyard, with various flowers in full bloom; it was clear they were meticulously cared for.
Above the flower garden, two Vivillon were dancing: one had the Garden pattern, and the other had the Elegant pattern.
Before they even got close to the courtyard, Pingichiro stopped and pointed at the yard, saying to Ange:
"There~ Big brother, that's Grandma Hadari's house. She doesn't like people getting close to her place, so you go on by yourself from here!"
With that, he ran off with his Hawlucha.
As it turned out, Hadari was an elderly woman with a quite reclusive personality. She didn't like to socialize much; besides a few old friends like Ike, she spent her days living with her Pokémon.
She had neither a partner nor children.
Perhaps some would think she lived a lonely, miserable life, but she didn't feel that way at all. With her Pokémon for company, she felt happy every day.
Besides, she wasn't short on money.
The gate to the courtyard was open, and Ange could hear bursts of laughter coming from inside as he stood outside.
He peered inside and saw an old woman playing in the yard, holding an Oddish and a Vileplume.
As Ange approached the courtyard, the Vivillon in the flower garden flew into the yard and looked at Ange with vigilant eyes.
"Um... Ms. Hadari," Ange called out.
Hadari was startled by Ange's sudden voice, and the smile on her face faded instantly.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Hadari asked with a cold face.
"My name is Ange, and I've come from the Royal Capital," Ange introduced himself, then added, "I wanted to buy some Honey, and Mr. Ike introduced me here."
Upon hearing Ike's name, Hadari's expression relaxed quite a bit.
He couldn't blame her for being vigilant; as an elderly woman living alone, her greatest fear was encountering bad people.
However, with her Pokémon for protection, she wasn't particularly afraid of bad people.
"Honestly, that fellow Ike, doesn't he know I never sell my Honey?" Hadari complained. She glanced at Ange. "Come in."
"Thank you." After thanking her, Ange walked into the yard with the two Golett.
The two Golett immediately started playing with the two Vivillon—they were quite the social butterflies.
After Hadari invited Ange into the house, she said, "Sit."
Ange nodded, sat down at the table, and quietly examined the furnishings in the room.
The room was decorated simply, but the balcony was filled with flower pots containing many flowers and plants Ange didn't recognize.
The vases in the house were also filled with flowers, arranged with great aesthetic sense; it was clear Ms. Hadari was skilled in flower arranging.
Although Ms. Hadari lived alone, the decorations in her house showed that she was someone who loved life deeply and did not just scrape by because she was on her own.
"Would you like something to drink?" Hadari asked.
Ange shook his head. "Please, don't trouble yourself."
Hadari ignored him, poured a cup of flower tea, placed it in front of Ange, and sat opposite him.
She gently stroked the petals of the Vileplume next to her and said, "My Honey is never for sale. Do you know that?"
Ange nodded. "I know. Mr. Ike told me, but I still wanted to try."
"Hmph~" Hadari let out a cold snort. "Stubborn boy."
After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly said, "It's not impossible for me to sell you some Honey..."
Ange's face lit up. "Tell me your requirements."
Hadari said, "My Combee have been losing their appetite lately, so they have been very low-spirited. If you can make them happy, I will sell it to you."
Ange asked, "Do you know the reason?"
Hadari sighed deeply upon hearing this. "They are prone to this every year when spring arrives."
As it turned out, the Combee Hadari raised were only male, with no females and no Vespiquen. Every year when spring came, the male Combee would feel very lonely, losing their appetite and even their mood for gathering nectar and making honey.
"I see..."
Ange was helpless. He couldn't help with that; he couldn't just call his own female Combee over to keep Hadari's Combee company—he wouldn't do that.
But since they had lost their appetite... he should make some food that would stimulate the Combee's appetite!
Ange thought and thought, then decided to try the Honey-Pomelo Tea the System had just rewarded him with.
He just didn't know if Ms. Hadari would be willing to advance him some Honey.
After thinking about it, Ange decided to ask.
"Ms. Hadari, could you advance me some Honey?"
Hadari asked, "Are you trying to use Honey to solve the problem of the Combee's loss of appetite?"
The Combee's usual food was the very Honey they produced themselves.
Ange nodded and said, "That's right. I am a chef, so I wanted to try and find a solution through food."
Since it was for her own Combee, Hadari naturally had no objections. She got up and walked into the warehouse, and before long, she returned holding a small jar.
She placed the jar in front of Ange and said, "There, is this enough?"
"Enough, enough!" Ange nodded repeatedly, then asked, "May I borrow your kitchen as well?"
"Follow me," Ms. Hadari said.
Ange held the jar containing the Honey and followed behind Ms. Hadari.
After Hadari led Ange into the kitchen, she said, "Use whatever you need, just make sure you clean up when you're done."
"Thank you." Ange examined the kitchen; it was kept clean and tidy.
Hadari nodded and turned to leave.
Left alone in the kitchen, Ange set down the jar and began to take out his ingredients one by one.
Except for the Honey, Ange had long since prepared the other materials for making Honey-Pomelo Tea.
Ange first washed the newly purchased Pomelo fruit.
Before Jeremy had transported the Pomelo to Munchlax Home, he had taken a portion and put it into the System backpack.
After washing them, he used a knife to peel the fruit.
During the peeling process, Ange didn't forget to use his Aura to balance the Aura of the Pomelo.
After peeling, he cut the Pomelo fruit into small pieces, trying to cut them as small as possible; otherwise, they would be hard to boil.
Once the Pomelo was cut, he took out a clay pot, added water and rock sugar to it, and turned on the heat!
When the water boiled and the rock sugar had completely dissolved, he added the pieces of Pomelo flesh into the pot.
He used chopsticks to stir gently, and after mixing it well, he brought it to a boil over high heat, then turned it to low heat to simmer.
During this time, Ange stirred to prevent it from sticking to the pot while using Aura to balance the Aura of the ingredients, allowing them to remain peaceful even during high-temperature boiling.
He simmered it for about an hour, until the Pomelo tea became translucent.
During this time, Ange called Inteleon; it looked like he wouldn't be able to return at noon, so he told Inteleon and the others to go home after they finished their work and not to wait for him.
During the simmering time, the faint fragrance of fruit spread out from the kitchen.
Ms. Hadari was originally playing with her Pokémon, but as the sweet, rich fragrance kept drifting into her nostrils, she subconsciously swallowed her saliva.
That boy actually has some skill!
In the kitchen, after the Pomelo tea was cooked, Ange let it cool before adding the Honey and stirring it well.
As the jar containing the Honey was opened, Ange saw the amber-colored honey inside and couldn't help but use a spoon to taste a little.
After tasting it, his eyes lit up. It was indeed a premium ingredient—top-grade Honey! This was the first time he had ever tasted such delicious honey!
The honey he had eaten in his previous life couldn't even compare to this Honey.
After mixing the Honey and Pomelo tea well, the Honey-Pomelo Tea was finished.
Honey-Pomelo Tea could not only be brewed in water as a drink, but it could also be used as jam on bread.
When Ange used his Eye of Observation on the freshly made Honey-Pomelo Tea, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had actually created a Special Grade food!