Volcanion gave Ange no chance to explain, raising its foot to stomp down on him.
Haunter was quick to react. It immediately grabbed Ange's arms with both hands and pulled him into the air, narrowly dodging Volcanion's attack.
"Damned human!"
Failing its first strike, Volcanion prepared to launch a second attack. At that moment, Munchlax and Drizzile acted simultaneously.
"Munch munch~" No one gets to bully my Master!
Crackling electricity flickered on Munchlax's fist. It let out a roar and slammed a punch into Volcanion's thigh.
"Driz driz~"
Drizzile refused to be outdone. It used Water Pulse, condensing a sphere of water in its hands before hurling it with all its might at Volcanion.
Unfortunately, Water-type moves were useless against Volcanion. Its Ability was Water Absorb, which made it immune to Water-type moves and restored its health when hit by one.
"Overconfident fools!"
The dual arms on Volcanion's back opened wide. Two streams of Water Gun blasted out to the left and right, sweeping Drizzile and Munchlax away.
Since its target was Ange, it did not use heavy force against Drizzile and Munchlax.
"Drizzile, Munchlax!" Ange shouted in concern.
"Human, it's your turn!"
Volcanion aimed both arms at Ange, and two pillars of water erupted. Although it hated Ange, it did not intend to take his life, so it only used the basic move Water Gun.
Haunter carried Ange through the air, darting left and right to barely evade Volcanion's assault.
By now, Drizzile and Munchlax had scrambled up from the ground and charged at Volcanion again.
"Drizzile, Munchlax, fall back!"
Ange knew his two apprentices could not possibly win against Volcanion, so he shouted to them at the top of his lungs.
However, Drizzile and Munchlax did not listen to him.
"Munch~" Take this!
Munchlax slammed another punch into Volcanion's body.
"Driz~" And me!
Learning from its previous mistake, Drizzile did not use a Water-type move this time. Instead, it used Swift, which it had recently learned.
Unfortunately, the attacks of the two Pokémon felt like nothing more than a tickle to Volcanion.
"Annoying little pests!"
Volcanion showed a look of annoyance. Two thin streams of water sprayed from its arms once more, knocking Drizzile and Munchlax away again.
At this point, Haunter also joined the fray. Its Shadow Ball slammed into Volcanion's face.
However, just like the attacks from Munchlax and Drizzile, its Shadow Ball did negligible damage to Volcanion.
As Volcanion began charging a move to attack Ange and Haunter, a figure descended from the sky. A heavy punch slammed into its forehead, making it groan in pain.
Before it could react, countless pink diamonds swept in like a storm. The hard, sharp diamonds caused it intense pain all over.
Metagross and Diancie had arrived.
Originally, Ange wanted to summon Komala, but it wasn't home. Ange only had the power to summon Pokémon to his side when they were inside Diancie's Grand Cafeteria.
Therefore, he could only summon Metagross and Diancie.
The attacks from Metagross and Diancie enraged Volcanion, and it let out a furious roar.
"Damn it! You damned human!"
A massive amount of steam suddenly billowed from its body as it aimed its arms at Diancie and Metagross.
Ange's face paled with shock. He shouted to Metagross and Diancie, "It's going to use Steam Burst! Get out of the way!"
However, Diancie did not dodge. Ange was right behind it; how could it possibly move?
Diancie took a step forward and thrust its arms out. Transparent barriers began to stack one after another.
It was Light Screen!
BOOM!!!
With a deafening explosion, a torrential wave of steam erupted. Carrying terrifyingly high temperatures, it swept toward Diancie and Metagross.
Light Screen did indeed resist Volcanion's Steam Burst, but it could not hold out for long.
Crack, crack...
Along with a sharp snapping sound, cracks appeared on the Light Screen and began to spread at an incredible speed.
Crash!
Finally, the first Light Screen shattered, followed immediately by the second, the third...
When the final Light Screen was destroyed, Diancie, Metagross, and even Munchlax and Drizzile standing behind them were all sent flying by the impact.
Munchlax, Drizzile, and Diancie directly lost their ability to battle. Although Metagross was still conscious, it was heavily injured and had fallen into the Burned status.
That was the additional effect of Volcanion's signature move, Steam Burst.
Although Ange and Haunter remained conscious, they had been knocked to the ground by the shockwave from the attack.
"Meta..."
Metagross stepped in front of Ange and Haunter without hesitation. Though it was at the end of its strength, a fierce fighting spirit burned in its eyes.
If you want to harm Ange, you have to go through me!
Even though it didn't speak, Volcanion seemed to see that resolve in its eyes!
Volcanion acknowledged Metagross's strength. Fire began to condense in its mouth, and a thick pillar of flames erupted, radiating terrifying heat as it swept toward Metagross.
Metagross prepared itself to take the blow. Its body glowed with a purple light as it readied a Zen Headbutt to charge into the flames.
"Vivill~"
"Vivill~"
However, at that moment, several cries rang out. Beams of multicolored light descended from the sky, colliding with Volcanion's Flamethrower and intercepting the attack for Metagross.
Ange, Haunter, and Metagross looked up to see the flock of Vivillon flapping their wings rapidly. Those multicolored beams were the Psybeam moves they had released.
"You!"
Seeing the Vivillon stepping in to stop it, Volcanion was both shocked and confused.
The Vivillon were not particularly strong. Even with a numerical advantage, they couldn't defeat a Mythical Pokémon like Volcanion. Consequently, the pillar of fire soon suppressed the collective Psybeam and continued to push toward Ange.
"Poli poli~"
"Poli poli~"
Just then, the Gogoat and Skiddo arrived. They lashed out with Vine Whips, wrapping them around Volcanion's four legs and pulling back with all their might, though it didn't do much.
"Poli poli~"
"Zee~"
"Zee zee~"
"Slurp slurp~"
Another wave of cries sounded. Politoed stood at the front, with Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Marill, and Azurill standing in rows, all firing Water Guns at Volcanion's pillar of fire.
Volcanion was even more stunned.
What was wrong with everyone? It was simply driving away a human who was unwelcome on the Nebel Plateau. Why was everyone stopping it?
Seeing the Pokémon coming one after another to stand against Volcanion for him, Ange's heart was filled with emotion.
Next, Chesnaught arrived with Quilladin, Victreebel, Weepinbell, and Floette.
Delphox arrived with Talonflame, Swablu, Altaria, Honchkrow, and Murkrow.
Greninja arrived with Espathra, Lairon, Drilbur, Farfetch'd, Dolliv, Capsakid, Scovillain, and Garganacl.
Razor Leaf, Fairy Wind, Dragon Pulse, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Energy Ball... a dizzying array of moves surged toward Volcanion's pillar of fire.
They all used their meager strength to resist Volcanion. Volcanion was the Guardian of the Nebel Plateau and had always protected them, so the Pokémon did not actually attack Volcanion. They merely used their moves to intercept Volcanion whenever it attacked Ange.
Everyone! What happened to you all? Volcanion was confused. Is that human so important to you? You're even willing to stand against me for him!
Looking at the determined and unwavering gazes of the numerous Pokémon, Volcanion became lost.
Volcanion ceased its attack. It quietly watched the Pokémon facing it, most of whom were familiar faces.
The Pokémon returned Volcanion's gaze with equal determination, showing no intention of backing down.
"Why... why are you..."
"Magea magea~"
Finally, Magearna arrived with Pancham and the others. On the way, it had listened to Pancham's detailed explanation of Ange's existence and learned how Ange had looked after the Pokémon on the plateau while they were asleep.
Unlike Volcanion, who rejected humans, Magearna—created by humans and once cherished by Anna—had always maintained a heart close to humanity, despite having suffered at their hands and lived through the fires of war.
"Magea magea~"
Magearna stepped forward with its arms spread wide, standing between Volcanion and the other Pokémon to stop the conflict.
The moment Ange saw Magearna, he was struck dumb with shock.
"Magearna?"
Hearing Ange's voice, Magearna also turned its head in shock.
"Magea magea~" Prince... Ange?
"Magearna? Is it really you?" Ange scrambled up from the ground and ran toward Magearna.
On Magearna's silvery body, Ange could still see traces of paint that hadn't fully faded. Those were the colors Eliphas had painted on it to make Magearna look more like a member of the royal family.
Ange was certain; this was the Magearna he knew.
So the missing Magearna had been on the Nebel Plateau all along?
"Magea magea~"
Magearna also ran toward Ange with excitement.
How can the Prince be here? Didn't the Prince die a long time ago?
Just as the human and the Pokémon were about to embrace, Volcanion used its thick leg to block the space between them.
"Magearna, be careful! This is a human; he will hurt you!"
Hearing this, Ange finally understood why Volcanion had attacked him on sight. It turned out that just like the Altaria and Talonflame used to be, it harbored a deep hatred for humans!
Magearna did not listen to Volcanion's warning. It looked up and shook its head at Volcanion, then walked around its leg and hurried to Ange's side.
"Magea magea~"
Ange took Magearna's hands. "Magearna, it really is you? You're Anna's Magearna, right?"
"Magea magea~"
Magearna nodded excitedly.
Meeting an old friend after five hundred years brought a surge of emotion that was hard to describe.
As its emotions fluctuated wildly, the Soul-Heart in Magearna's chest flickered with light.
Looking at Magearna, Ange had a mountain of things to say, but he became worried again when he remembered that Diancie and the others were unconscious and Metagross was burned.
"Magearna, let's go somewhere else to talk, alright? I have so much to tell you," Ange said.
"Magea magea~" Magearna nodded; it felt the same way.
Ange first sent the injured and unconscious Diancie, Munchlax, and Drizzile back home, then said to the other Pokémon:
"Everyone can disperse now. It's over."
The Pokémon looked hesitant, but they obediently scattered.
Afterward, Ange led Haunter, Metagross, and Magearna toward his home, leaving a bewildered Volcanion standing on the spot.
Based on the conversation just now, it roughly understood that the human was an old acquaintance of Magearna. But Magearna hadn't left the Nebel Plateau once in five hundred years, so where did this acquaintance come from?
It couldn't be that they knew each other before coming to the Nebel Plateau five hundred years ago, right? Volcanion shook its head forcefully, tossing the unrealistic thought out of its mind.
How could a human live that long!
Pancham and the others had not left yet.
Pancham patted Volcanion's leg. "Pan pan~" Ange is a good person, Lord Volcanion. Please don't bully him, okay?
"Skii skii~"
"Stun stun~"
Skitty and Stunky joined in, and the group of Pokémon looked up at Volcanion with pleading eyes.
Me bullying him? Weren't you all ganging up to bully me?
"You like him that much?" Volcanion asked.
"Skii skii~"
"Pan pan~"
"Stun stun~"
The Pokémon nodded vigorously.
Volcanion asked again, "More than you like me and Magearna?"
"Pan pan~" It's not the same!
Pancham shook its head in response.
"How is it not the same?" Volcanion was confused.
"Helio helio~"
Heliolisk answered it then. Lord Volcanion provided them with protection and a sense of security, whereas Ange provided them with job opportunities and food, ensuring they were well-fed and living a happy, worry-free life.
After listening to Heliolisk's explanation, Volcanion fell into a silence.
Was that human truly like that?
"Helio helio~" Lord Volcanion, how about I take you to see the current Nebel Plateau? After you see it, you'll understand why everyone likes Ange so much.
"Skii skii~"
"Stun stun~"
"Pan pan~"
Skitty, Stunky, and Pancham nodded in great agreement.
Heliolisk's praise for Ange made Volcanion feel quite annoyed. I'll see for myself what that human is capable of!
"Fine, let's go!"
Volcanion gestured for Heliolisk, Skitty, Stunky, and Pancham to lead the way as it began its tour of the new Nebel Plateau.