Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and over a dozen days passed. The royal researchers worked tirelessly around the clock to study the energy conversion device, and so far, everything was progressing smoothly.
Lila called Ange every few days to discuss the progress of the research, and it was clear that her mood had been consistently wonderful.
Today finally marked the day of Romeo's departure for his journey. Therefore, after finishing work for the day, Ange had Lucario and the others return ahead of time while he brought Inteleon to the royal capital gates to see Romeo off.
By the time he arrived, Romeo, Lila, Edward, and Fiona were already there.
Knowing that Ange was coming to see him off, Romeo had specifically chosen this time to depart.
When Ange arrived, Edward and Lila were giving Romeo various instructions, and Romeo nodded along as he listened.
Upon seeing Ange, he immediately waved excitedly and called out, '"Your Highness, you're here!"'
Edward and Lila also greeted Ange in turn.
Ange walked up to them, exchanged greetings with Lila and Edward, and turned to Romeo, saying, '"Romeo, you're about to set out on a journey. How does it feel? Do you feel any fear or anxiety at all?"'
Romeo wore a confident expression as he replied, '"Not at all. I've made thorough preparations before leaving, so I can face any situation with composure."'
Amused by his overconfident demeanor, Ange chuckled, '"Oh? Really?"'
'"Of course!"' Romeo puffed out his chest.
Ange said, '"No matter what, being out on the road is different from being at home. You still need to be careful with everything."'
Knowing that Ange was looking out for him, Romeo dropped his confident expression and nodded honestly, '"Mhm, I understand."'
After a moment of thought, Ange continued, '"Romeo, during your travels, if you meet like-minded friends, you can travel together with them. Having companions makes the journey much easier and adds plenty of fun."'
Just imagine, if Ash hadn't been accompanied by Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena, his journey would have undoubtedly become quite lonely and uninteresting.
Both Lila and Edward heartily agreed with Ange's words.
'"His Highness makes a great point,"' Lila said. '"Romeo, you used to spend all day cooped up in the lab without many friends. If you can make a few friends along the way, that would be wonderful!"'
Blushing slightly, Romeo complained to Lila, '"Sister, you didn't need to specifically emphasize the part about me having no friends!"'
Covering her mouth, Lila teased, '"Oh, look at you blushing! There are no outsiders here, what's the harm?"'
'"Sister!"' Romeo's face flushed even redder!
Seeing this, Ange and Edward burst out laughing, and even Fiona covered her mouth with a chuckle.
After the laughter died down, Edward's worries resurfaced. '"If you ask me, it's still better to assign a couple of attendants to follow Romeo just in case of any accidents..."'
Before he could finish, Lila interrupted him.
'"Father, Romeo is going out to train and gain experience, not to go sightseeing. Have you ever seen anyone else's child bring attendants on a journey?"'
Edward argued, '"How can that compare? Romeo is a prince..."'
Lila sighed with helplessness, '"If you coddle him like this, when will Romeo ever grow up? With Pokémon by his side, what kind of attendants could Romeo possibly need?"'
'"Exactly, exactly! Father, please stop stirring up trouble!"' Romeo himself opposed his father's idea of assigning attendants.
Speaking of Pokémon, Romeo suddenly took on a mysterious tone and spoke to Ange, '"Your Highness, let me show you my new Pokémon."'
With that, he pulled out a Pokéball.
Romeo had originally only possessed a Slurpuff, so it was clear he had now obtained a second Pokémon.
Ange already had a vague guess regarding Romeo's second Pokémon.
As a red flash of light pulsed past, a brown, dinosaur-like Pokémon appeared beside Romeo.
Just as Ange had predicted, Romeo's new Pokémon was indeed a Kangaskhan.
Thanks to the Kangaskhanite gifted by Ange, it was entirely foreseeable that Romeo's second Pokémon would be a Kangaskhan.
'"Kang~ kang~"' As soon as it emerged, the Kangaskhan greeted everyone in a very friendly manner.
'"Kang~ kang~~"' At the same time, the baby Kangaskhan popped its head out of the pouch, looking full of energy and vitality.
Lila addressed the Kangaskhan, '"Kangaskhan, I'll be leaving Romeo in your care for this journey."'
This Kangaskhan had been carefully selected by the royal family for Romeo and was exceptionally good at taking care of others, which was why Lila had insisted that having Pokémon companions was more than enough.
'"Kang~ kang~"' The Kangaskhan nodded without hesitation, promising that it would take good care of Romeo.
After all, it had plenty of experience raising babies.
As everyone chatted, Fiona chimed in from the side, '"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Your Highness Ange, Prince Romeo, it's time for departure!"'
Reluctantly, Edward offered parting advice, '"Romeo, be careful along the way, and remember to call home often!"'
'"I know!"' Romeo nodded, shouldered his backpack, and released Slurpuff from its Pokéball. Accompanied by his two Pokémon, he took steady steps toward the outer edges of Azoth.
Watching Romeo's receding figure, Edward sentimentally wiped the corner of his eye, '"Romeo has finally grown up..."'
Fiona: ...
Lila: ...
Ange: ...
After seeing Romeo off, Edward and Lila returned to the royal capital under the protection of a squad of guards, while Ange did not rush back with them.
Since he was already outside the city, he decided to stop by and visit Grandma Hada.
Meanwhile, on a towering peak in the northwestern mountains of the Nebel Plateau, a white-furred Pokémon was gazing far into the distance toward the Nebel Plateau.
Caught in the gentle breeze, the Pokémon's snowy white fur drifted softly, making it look like a woodland sprite.
This was an Absol, capable of keenly sensing subtle changes in the sky and earth, thereby predicting impending disasters.
Throughout history, Absol had always been labeled as the "Disaster Pokémon," believed to bring misfortune wherever it went.
It wasn't until recent years, as numerous Pokémon scholars deepened their research and educated the public, that the stigma attached to Absol was finally cleared.
As it turned out, far from being a bearer of doom, Absol was actually an extremely kindhearted Pokémon. Whenever they sensed danger approaching, they would always appear to warn people, which unfortunately led to the misunderstanding that they had caused the disasters in the first place.
After staring in the direction of the Nebel Plateau for a moment, the Absol on the peak leaped gracefully from the ledge, transforming into a streak of light as it dashed toward the plateau.
Earlier that morning, the two Oinkologne, Ceruledge, and Armarouge had headed out early.
They hadn't traveled too far since it was summer, and edible food could be found everywhere in the mountains. Thus, after spending just half a day, they returned with a bountiful harvest.
'"Honk honk~"'
'"Honk honk~"'
Humming a cheerful tune, the two Oinkologne walked side by side in sweet affection all the way back home.
Ceruledge and Armarouge followed closely behind the young couple, chatting and laughing just as amiably.
Suddenly, a white shadow plummeted from the sky, landing squarely in front of them and blocking their path.
Who else could it be but Absol?
'"Abo~ abo~~"'
Absol glared sternly at the four Pokémon, crying out to halt their steps and warning them not to go any further.
The four Pokémon were left utterly bewildered by Absol's sudden interruption.
We're trying to go home, and you're telling us to stop? How are we supposed to get back then?
'"Honk honk~"' The male Oinkologne stepped forward to reason with Absol, urging it to move aside and stop delaying their return home.
'"Abo~ abo~~"'
However, Absol refused to budge an inch. It informed the four Pokémon that a massive disaster was about to strike ahead, urging them to flee immediately and stay away.
The four Pokémon could only laugh at Absol's warning. A disaster on the Nebel Plateau?
Are you kidding me? Do you even know what kind of place this is? It's the dwelling place of the God of Life and the God of Destruction; how could a disaster ever happen here?
Convinced that Absol was simply making a pointless fuss, the four Pokémon grew impatient.
Ceruledge leaped forward into the lead position.
'"Blade~ blade~"' Move aside right now and stop wasting our time, or I won't be polite!
'"Abo~~"' Yet Absol remained rooted to the spot, its gaze fixed firmly on Ceruledge as if it had no intention of backing down unless the four of them turned around.
Absol's stubborn attitude made Ceruledge and the others even more certain that it was just being a nuisance.
Striking a battle stance, Ceruledge spoke sharply, '"Blade~ blade~"' Since you refuse to move, don't blame me for getting rough!
'"Abo~"' Absol shook its head, standing unmovable in their path.
Ceruledge: Fine, then let's settle this with our strength!
Swinging the dual blade-arms attached to its hands, Ceruledge unleashed two arcs of purple flame blades that hurtled straight toward Absol.
This was Ceruledge's signature move, Bitter Blade.
Absol had only intended to advise Ceruledge's group and had no wish to pick a fight. Therefore, the moment the attack closed in, Absol leaped sideways and vanished from its spot, dodging cleanly without launching a counterattack.
Seeing its attack miss, Ceruledge swung its arms once more, unleashing another Bitter Blade.
Absol sidestepped out of harm's way again.
And so, Ceruledge attacked while Absol dodged, leaving the surrounding boulders and trees slashed to pieces in the wake of the attacks.
However, blind evasion could not solve the problem and easily forced Absol into a passive position.
Finally, Ceruledge seized a momentary opening, following up with a swift Bitter Blade that caught Absol before it could dodge, sending it crashing to the ground.
As Absol tried to push itself back up, Ceruledge struck with yet another Bitter Blade, finally dropping Absol to the ground, unable to continue.
'"Blade~ blade~"' Looking down at the fallen Absol, Ceruledge paused for a moment before turning to give a couple of barks at Armarouge.
Armarouge stepped forward upon hearing the call, pulling a few stamina-restoring berries from its side pouch and placing them right in front of Absol.
With that task finished, the four Pokémon strode away.
Shortly after Ceruledge and the others left, Absol slowly regained consciousness. It stared blankly at the berries left before it, then picked them up and swallowed them.
Once its stamina recovered slightly, it glanced in the direction where Ceruledge's group had vanished. Hesitating for a brief second, it finally set its four legs in motion and sped off in pursuit.
Unbothered by the encounter with Absol along the way, Ceruledge and the companions arrived back home and immediately visited Ange's house, handing over the gathered ingredients to Munchlax.
Ange happened to return just then. Seeing the abundant harvest brought back by Ceruledge and the others, he smiled warmly and said, '"You all gathered quite a lot today! Care to stay for lunch?"'
Needing no further persuasion, Ceruledge and the others happily accepted on the spot.
Using the wild greens collected by the group, Ange quickly whipped up a few refreshing cold dishes.
Over lunchtime, while everyone gathered around to eat, Ceruledge and the others casually mentioned running into Absol.
With a surprised look, Ange asked, '"You ran into an Absol?"'
'"Honk~"'
'"Honk~"'
Both Oinkologne nodded simultaneously, recounting the details of the encounter back and forth to Ange before asking, '"Is something wrong?"'
Hearing this, Ange fell into deep thought. Could something actually be happening to the Nebel Plateau? Normally speaking, Absol had no reason to lie.
While Ange and his Pokémon were eating lunch, Absol had finally tracked Ceruledge's trail all the way into the Nebel Plateau.
Spotting Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank grazing, resting, and walking leisurely on the grassy field in the distance, Absol sprinted toward them in a rush.
'"Abo~ abo~~"' A disaster is about to happen here, you need to run for your lives!
It shouted loudly at Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank.
Startled, the Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank gathered around, staring with puzzled expressions at this sudden, unfamiliar Pokémon.
'"Bleat~ bleat~"' Who are you? Where did you come from?
The Gogoat leader asked.
'"Abo~ abo~"' Never mind that! A disaster is coming soon, you need to flee quickly and warn the other Pokémon here to get out too!
An urgent tone laced Absol's cries.
'"Bleat~ bleat~"' A disaster? What disaster?
'"Bleat~"' How could there possibly be a disaster?
...
The Gogoat bickered back and forth in confusion.
Seeing that Gogoat and the others remained indifferent to its warnings, Absol grew increasingly anxious.
It could distinctly sense drastic fluctuations in the atmosphere, signaling that a natural disaster was imminent, yet it couldn't pinpoint the exact nature of the threat.
As Absol continued to frantically urge everyone to evacuate the Nebel Plateau without providing a clear reason, Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank naturally concluded that it was just causing trouble, and their gazes turned unfriendly.
'"Bleat~ bleat~"'
With a sharp cry from the Gogoat leader, Talonflame suddenly plummeted from the sky the very next second, landing right in front of Absol.
Radiating a suppressive aura with a sharp gaze, Talonflame looked down at Absol and demanded:
'"Flame~" So you're the one causing trouble?'