With his own kitchen assistants now available, Gengar immediately took Riolu to share experiences with his senior disciples.
Soon, the four Pokémon gathered together. Gengar, Inteleon, and Lucario were all busy teaching Riolu how to cultivate Aura according to Ange's methods. Riolu wore an incredibly serious expression on its small face.
Seeing the Pokémon getting along so harmoniously, a satisfied smile appeared on Ange's face. He then turned and headed to Metagross's laboratory.
Metagross's laboratory was usually the quietest place in the house. Whenever everyone passed by, they would subconsciously tread softly, afraid of disturbing Metagross while it was busy with research.
Ange knocked on the door. "Metagross, are you in?"
"Meta~" Metagross's response came from inside shortly after.
"Can I come in?" Ange asked again.
"Meta~" Yes!
Metagross spoke again, and then the door creaked open on its own.
Ange walked into the room to find the curtains drawn shut, leaving the interior very dim. The massive Metagross was resting on a thick, soft cushion, with three supercomputers set up in front of it.
Metagross's psychic power acted like flexible fingers, tapping rapidly on the keyboards. A massive amount of text and patterns that Ange couldn't understand flashed across the screens, making his head spin.
"Meta~ meta~"
Seeing Ange enter, Metagross immediately greeted him proactively.
"Ange, are you here about the food delivery app? I'm almost done with the development, it will take a few more days."
Ange shook his head and said, "I came to find you about something else."
"Meta~" Something else?
Metagross looked puzzled.
Ange nodded, first taking out the item Romeo had entrusted to him and handing it to Metagross.
"This is something Romeo asked me to give to you."
Hearing this, Metagross's eyes lit up, and it immediately used its psychic power to take the item from Ange's hand.
It had just mentioned this matter while chatting with Romeo online a couple of days ago; it didn't expect Romeo to send the item over so quickly.
Just as Metagross intended to study it properly, Ange added, "I have something else for you!"
Metagross was stunned. There was more?
Then, it saw Ange take out a box. When the box opened, it revealed a shimmering Mega Stone inside.
"Meta~" A Mega Stone?
Metagross asked, surprised.
"That's right," Ange nodded, "Lila gave it to me when I went to the Royal Capital today. Now, it's yours."
Metagross looked pleasantly surprised; it hadn't expected to receive its own Mega Stone.
Just as it was about to take it, it heard Ange say, "By the way, let me get you something to mount the Mega Stone on, otherwise, it will be hard for you to hold."
"Meta~" Metagross nodded.
"Let me take a look!" Saying this, Ange opened the System Store.
"Found it!" After searching for a bit, Ange found something suitable for Metagross and purchased it with Happiness Points.
It was a circular button the size of a palm, with a slot in the center perfect for embedding the Mega Stone.
There was a small button on the edge of the disk; pressing it would generate suction, allowing it to adhere firmly to Metagross's metallic skin.
Pressing it again would release the suction, allowing for easy removal.
After embedding the Mega Stone, Ange said to Metagross, "Come on, let me attach it for you."
"Meta~" Metagross nodded and drifted slowly in front of Ange.
Ange pressed the button, and the suction appeared instantly. He placed the button on Metagross's forehead, and it adhered firmly in place.
The color of the button was very similar to Metagross's metallic skin, making it hard to notice unless one looked closely.
After attaching the button, Ange nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad, it fits perfectly."
"Meta~" Metagross didn't feel like anything was attached to its forehead at all.
Ange asked, "Metagross, do you want to try Mega Evolution?"
"Meta~" Metagross nodded, looking expectant.
Seeing this, Ange said, "Alright, let's give it a try."
He pulled the Key Stone pendant from his collar.
Ange gripped the Mega Stone and said, "Metagross, Mega Evolve!"
"Meta~" Metagross responded to Ange.
As the words of the Trainer and Pokémon fell, both the Key Stone and the Mega Stone erupted with brilliant light.
Beams of light emerged from the Key Stone and the Mega Stone respectively, interlacing with each other. Immediately, Metagross was enveloped in intense radiance.
Within the light, Metagross's body began to undergo a massive transformation. When the light dissipated, a brand-new Pokémon appeared before Ange.
This Pokémon possessed a larger frame than Metagross. The original silver cross mark on its face had turned gold, a long white spike had appeared on its chin, and most notably, it boasted four immensely powerful steel claws.
"Meta~"
After Mega Evolving, Metagross roared with excitement, feeling its body surging with power.
Mega Evolution relied on the power of bonds. The bond between Metagross and Ange was absolutely solid, so it didn't feel any discomfort after Mega Evolving.
According to Professor Sycamore's research, if the bond between Trainer and Pokémon is insufficient during Mega Evolution, the Pokémon would be tormented by the surging power, potentially even running wild...
"How do you feel?" Ange asked.
"Meta~ meta~" Metagross flew around in the air excitedly, indicating that it was perfectly fine.
"That's good." Ange let out a sigh of relief.
After Metagross fully adapted to the Mega Evolution, it reverted back to its normal state.
Ange chatted with it for a while longer before leaving.
However, just as he exited the room, a notification sound from the System echoed in his ears. Puzzled, he opened the System, seeing a notification pop up in the task list.
[Congratulations, Host, for completing [Ingredient Cultivation Task 4]: The sticky mushroom has survived. Reward is waiting to be claimed.]
Ange's face beamed with joy. Since this task was completed, did it mean the sticky mushrooms were fully grown?
He thought about it and decided to claim the reward first.
[Congratulations, Host, for receiving: Physique +2, Individual Values +2, Lucky Egg ×1.]
Ange was stunned after seeing the rewards.
Physique and Individual Values were standard rewards, but the Lucky Egg was different. Much like the Exp. Share he had obtained previously, it was an item that could boost the experience gained by a Pokémon.
However, while the Exp. Share worked for all of Ange's Pokémon, the Lucky Egg had to be held by a single Pokémon to take effect for that specific individual.
Ange took the Lucky Egg from the System backpack. It was a palm-sized, oval egg. The shape was somewhat similar to a Chansey's egg, but it wasn't as large or as white.
Who should receive this item?
After much consideration, Ange decided to give it to Komala.
With special food supplements, low-level Pokémon leveled up very easily in Ange's care.
But at Komala's level, it was exceptionally difficult to gain a level. Having this item would surely make things much easier.
After putting away the Lucky Egg, Ange checked his own data.
Ange Race: Human Gender: Male Age: 17 (+500) Physique: 80 Intelligence: 38 Culinary Rating: A young talent with outstanding culinary skills. Title: Hand of God (20% increased chance of special effects when cooking delicious food)
"My Physique has finally broken through the 80 mark!" Ange grinned broadly.
It was another day of being satisfied with his own data.
Finally, Ange added the 2 points of Individual Values to Inteleon. Needless to say, it went to the only stat among its six that wasn't maxed out: Physical Defense.
Inteleon [Type] Water [Ability] Sniper [Gender] Male [Level] 60 [Moves] (Omitted) [Individual Values] HP: 31 Attack: 31 Defense: 26 Special Attack: 31 Special Defense: 31 Speed: 31
After finishing all this, Ange prepared to head downstairs to find Komala and give it the newly acquired Lucky Egg.
When he reached the first floor, he found Gengar and Inteleon were already busy in the kitchen with their assistants, while Munchlax was wearing an apron, clinging to the door frame and peeking inside.
"What's wrong, Munchlax?" Ange asked, puzzled.
"Gung~ gung~" Munchlax spread its hands helplessly.
It turned out that after Gengar got its assistants, it was so happy that it dragged Inteleon and Lucario into the kitchen, claiming that they would take over the work of making lunch today.
Munchlax, who had already changed its clothes and was planning to make lunch, had been unceremoniously pushed out by Gengar.
"Sigh, what a headache these junior brothers and sisters are!"
Ange couldn't help but laugh and say, "Isn't it nice not having to cook? Let's take it easy; we'll leave lunch to them. Come on, follow me to find Komala!"
He patted Munchlax on the shoulder as he spoke.
"Gung~~" Hearing this, Munchlax nimbly took off its apron and followed behind Ange as they walked outside.
Ange and Munchlax didn't see Komala in its small house, so they headed to the winery together.
Sure enough, they found Komala there, drinking and chatting with Infernape.
Additionally, Mew was there as well, holding a glass of juice and "toasting" with Komala and Infernape.
Passimian was mixing drinks behind the bar, Dusknoir was pouring drinks for Infernape and the others, while Sneasel was helping cool down Komala's wine and Mew's juice with icy breath.
As for the Shuckle, they were crawling slowly back and forth under the table.
"Mew~~~" As it sipped the ice-cold juice, Mew couldn't help but close its eyes and shiver.
It was too delicious!
"Hey~ everyone is here!" Seeing the Pokémon, Ange waved and greeted them with a smile.
"Mew~~" Upon seeing Ange, Mew hurriedly flew to his side, clutching its juice.
Ange laughed and scratched Mew's chin, asking, "Do you want to stay for lunch?"
"Mew~ mew~" Mew's answer was, of course, a definite yes; it flew around Ange's head happily.
After playing with Mew for a while, Ange walked up to the table and said to Passimian, "Bring me a beer."
"Passi~~" Passimian nodded with a smile, then took out a glass, placed it in front of Ange, and filled it to the brim.
"Sneasel~ sneasel~" Do you want it chilled?
Sneasel stood on tiptoe, gripping the edge of the table and looking up at Ange.
Ange handed the glass to it and said, "Thanks for the trouble!"
"Sneasel~" Sneasel opened its mouth happily and breathed a puff of cold air at the glass. In an instant, frost and water mist condensed on the outside of the glass.
At this moment, Munchlax also raised the juice that Passimian had just prepared for it, handing it toward Sneasel.
"Gung~ gung~" I want it too! I want it too!
"Sneasel~ sneasel~" Sneasel had a great relationship with Munchlax, so it smiled and puffed a bit of cold air onto its drink as well.
Seeing this, Ange raised his glass to Munchlax and the others, saying, "Come on, let's have a toast."
"Gung~"
"Mew~"
"Goka~"
...
Munchlax, Mew, Infernape, and Komala all raised their glasses (or juice) upon hearing him.
Clink~ The glasses collided with each other, producing a crisp, pleasant sound.
Taking a big gulp of ice-cold beer, Ange felt refreshed and sighed with satisfaction.
"Refreshing!"
"Gung~" Refreshing!
"Mew~" Refreshing!
After drinking their juice, Munchlax and Mew mimicked Ange's expression, shivering in delight.
"Passi~ passi~"
"Goka~ goka~"
"Goka~ goka~"
Passimian, Infernape, and Dusknoir were amused to laughter by the two little guys.
"Shu~ shu~" The Shuckle peeked their heads out from under the table upon hearing the laughter. Although they didn't know what everyone was laughing about, they joined in as well.
For a moment, there was nothing but joy and laughter in front of the bar in the winery.
Ange didn't overindulge; after two glasses of beer, he stopped drinking.
He took out the Lucky Egg and handed it to Komala.
"Komala, here, this is for you. It's something that can help you get stronger."
"Mew~ mew~" What is that?
Mew approached, full of curiosity.
Just like the Exp. Share, the Lucky Egg was an item that didn't exist in this world, so naturally, Mew didn't recognize it.
Ange laughed, "Why are you curious about everything?"
"Mew~ mew~~" I want one too! I want one too!
Mew found it novel, so it hugged Ange's arm and acted spoiled.
Ange grabbed it by the neck and pulled it into his arms, "Alright, this thing is useless for you. Next time I get something good, I'll give it to you!"
Mew was already at max level, so of course, the Lucky Egg was useless for it.
"Mew~ mew~" That's a promise!
Mew curled up in Ange's arms, looking up at him.
"Promise! It's a promise!" Ange nodded repeatedly.
Hearing this, Mew sat obediently in Ange's arms and watched as Komala took the Lucky Egg.
Amazingly, Komala hugged the Lucky Egg, and the egg transformed into a beam of blue light that fused into its body.
Ange was dumbfounded.
Items had that kind of way to be equipped? He thought it would be like Munchlax hiding an Everstone in its fur, or Vileplume wearing a Wide Lens on its eyes!
Ange asked curiously, "Komala, can you still take it off?"
Upon hearing this, Komala reached into its body, and a ball of blue light was pulled out. After a bit of distortion, the light turned back into the shape of a Lucky Egg.
"So amazing!" Ange felt like a country bumpkin.
After studying it for a bit, Komala stored the Lucky Egg back into its body. Seeing this, Ange said, "Gengar and the others should have finished lunch; let's go back for lunch!"
"Mew~"
"Gung~"
Munchlax and Mew cheered in unison.
Immediately, Ange took the few Pokémon and walked home.
Just as they stepped out of the secret fortress, they saw Bellossom, Vileplume, and two Breloom each carrying a basket as they walked toward the house.
According to the previous System notification, the sticky mushrooms were mature. Could it be that the baskets were filled with sticky mushrooms?
Wait, Breloom? Where did the Breloom come from? Did Shroomish evolve?
Thinking of this, Ange quickly led his Pokémon and walked briskly toward Bellossom and the others.
Just one chapter as an appetizer for today; I'll try to write more tomorrow. My computer is broken, so there are no images for this chapter, wuwuwu...