Once the room was tidied up, Magearna spoke to Dusknoir.
"Would you like to take the Shuckle out to meet everyone? Everyone should be back by now."
"Sure!" Dusknoir readily agreed.
When Magearna led Dusknoir and the Shuckle out of the staff dormitory, she saw that everyone had indeed returned one after another. Diancie happened to be coming downstairs as well, leading the Passimian she had just settled in. Furthermore, Magearna and Diancie took the opportunity to introduce Dusknoir, the Passimian, and the Shuckle to the group.
Dusknoir truly had a talent for being a social butterfly. Before long, it was hitting it off with the other Pokémon, and it even helped the Passimian and the Shuckle quickly integrate into their new big family.
Soon, Ange and the others finished preparing dinner, and the Pokémon began to eat happily.
"How about it? Do you want some more? Those cold noodles from this afternoon probably didn't fill you up, right?" Ange asked Dusknoir, the Passimian, and the Shuckle.
Looking at the sumptuous dinner, Dusknoir, the Passimian, and the Shuckle couldn't help but swallow their saliva. Ultimately, they couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food and joined everyone for dinner.
When Komala came out for dinner and learned that the Passimian, Dusknoir, and the Shuckle had come to seek refuge with it, it froze on the spot. However, although its expression didn't change much, Ange could tell it was happy. Otherwise, it wouldn't have gone out of its way to bring out its prized fine wine to share a wonderful drink with the Passimian.
Being with Komala made the Passimian much more talkative. It chattered away, drinking and talking with Komala. Of course, it was mostly the Passimian talking while Komala listened.
After dinner, Magearna, Diancie, and Robert 2 were tidying up. Meanwhile, Metagross and Pawmi took the Passimian on a tour of the house. Gengar hadn't returned from work outside yet.
Ange sat on the doorstep with Munchlax and Drizzile, holding Komala in his arms. Not far away, Volcanion lay prone, looking drowsy.
"I wonder how Charcadet and Oinkologne are doing. Did they find Xerneas?" Ange said, staring at the night sky with a worried expression.
"Munch~"
Munchlax patted its master's back, comforting him.
"Driz driz~" It will definitely be fine! Drizzile added.
"I hope so," Ange nodded.
After staring at the night sky for a while, Ange suddenly thought it might be a good time to claim the mission rewards for catching the Passimian. However, when he opened the System, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.
[Temporary Mission] Help the Princess of the Diamond Domain find Xerneas — Completed, rewards pending.
[Capture Mission] Capture Passimian — Completed, rewards pending.
There were two completed missions. Since the temporary mission was finished, did that mean Charcadet and the others had found Xerneas?
That's great! A smile appeared on Ange's face, and he felt a weight lift from his heart. Since they found Xerneas, it meant Charcadet and Oinkologne were safe.
"Munch~"
Seeing the smile on his master's face, Munchlax nuzzled its head into Ange's chest.
"You really are my little bundle of joy," Ange said with a laugh, rubbing its head.
Komala became uncomfortable from Munchlax's nuzzling and rolled out of Ange's arms. Before long, it rolled over to where the Passimian was and was picked up by it.
Seeing Komala leave, Munchlax simply leaned directly into Ange's arms, resting its head on his lap. Ange lightly stroked Munchlax's soft belly while claiming the mission rewards.
[Congratulations, Master, for completing the Temporary Mission: Help the Princess of the Diamond Domain find Xerneas.]
[Rewards obtained: Complete Guide to Desserts, Constitution +3, Individual Values +2.]
Seeing this reward, Ange was overjoyed. Recipes related to desserts were finally unlocked. Magearna would be thrilled.
Ange flipped through the recipes and found that the Complete Guide to Desserts was similar to the Noodles document. It contained both ordinary and high-grade recipes. Generally, the main ingredients for high-grade recipes were necessarily related to Pokémon.
Closing the recipe interface, Ange proceeded to claim the second reward.
[Congratulations, Master, for completing the Capture Mission: Capture Passimian.]
[Rewards obtained: Wine, Fruit Juice Drinks.]
Ange was delighted once again. Although this reward didn't include Constitution or Individual Values, it unlocked two types of recipes at once. Conversely, he wasn't sure if wine and juice counted as "recipes," but he didn't dwell on it. After all, eating and drinking were two sides of the same coin. He opened the recipe interface and scrolled through the two documents.
The Wine document was very rich, recording brewing methods for white wine, red wine, fruit wine, and more. Furthermore, every category of wine fell under the scope of high-grade recipes. Looking at Fruit Juice Drinks, the content was equally extensive, though it contained a mix of ordinary and high-grade recipes.
Closing the recipe interface, Ange looked at his personal information.
Ange Race: Human Gender: Male Age: 16 (+500) Constitution: 54 Intelligence: 22 Culinary Evaluation: A little rookie who just barely qualified.
Through daily persistent exercise, Ange's Constitution had originally increased to 51 points. Now, with the 3 points from the mission reward, it had finally reached 54. This reward was quite generous!
With a Constitution of 54, Ange felt confident that he wouldn't lose even if he got into a scrap with a Passimian. On the other hand, his Intelligence points were related to the strength of his Aura Power. This couldn't be increased through training and only relied on mission rewards.
As for the 2 Individual Value points, Ange added them to Munchlax's Defense without hesitation.
Munchlax (Eviolite) Type: Normal Ability: Thick Fat Gender: Male Level: 51 Moves: Tackle, Lick, Defense Curl, Recycle, Covet, Bite, Stockpile, Swallow, Body Slam, Fling, Amnesia, Take Down, Baby-Doll Eyes, Seed Bomb, Brick Break, Counter, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch. Individual Values HP: 31 Attack: 31 Defense: 23 Special Attack: 31 Special Defense: 31 Speed: 31
Munchlax's level had now crossed the level 50 threshold, making it quite a powerful Pokémon. With the double boost from the food Ange prepared and the Experience Charm, their level progression remained very fast. However, as the Pokémon reached higher levels, Ange noticed that the growth rate for Diancie and Munchlax had recently slowed down.
After sitting at the door with the Pokémon for a while, Ange led them to the Culinary Training Room once Gengar returned from the Royal Capital. When Magearna learned she could use the Culinary Training Room to practice making desserts without consuming any resources, she gave Ange a huge hug in her excitement. Unfortunately, she ended up falling flat on her face from being too agitated.
Then there was the Passimian. This was its first time in the Culinary Training Room, and it was utterly shocked by the powerful functions here. When Ange told it that it could use the Trainer Teaching System to generate step-by-step videos for brewing wine, it hopped and jumped around the room in excitement, only calming down after a long while.
However, once it actually began training, it realized the training room wasn't all fun and games. Because it was a beginner, Diancie's gaze was fixed entirely on it today. Whenever it made the slightest mistake, the pointer in Diancie's hand would smack the table with a loud crack. Every time it sounded, the Passimian's little heart would tremble uncontrollably.
How terrifying! It was so gentle and understanding during the day.
After the culinary training ended, Ange took his three disciples and Pawmi for Aura training. Although Munchlax, Drizzile, and Gengar still hadn't awakened their Aura, training with Ange every day had become a habit. After the Passimian learned that Aura Power could assist in cooking, it felt it would also help with brewing wine, so it spontaneously joined the group.
Elsewhere, Dusknoir and the Shuckle were planning to go to bed. One of the Shuckle was about to turn off the light, but Dusknoir hurriedly stopped it.
"Noir~ Noir~" Don't turn off the light!
Lights were truly wonderful things! They could make the night as bright as day. It hadn't known about lights before, but now that it had experienced them, it loved them. It was afraid of the dark.
The Shuckle were speechless.
"Shu~ Shu~" You're so pathetic. one Shuckle said.
"Shu~ Shu~" Exactly. You're a Ghost-type Pokémon, another Shuckle added.
"Shu~ Shu~" Right. Isn't the dark supposed to be when Ghost Pokémon party? a third Shuckle chimed in.
Dusknoir retorted righteously, "Noir~ Noir~ Noir~" Who says Ghost Pokémon have to like the dark? I like the daytime. I like places that are bright and shiny.
"Shu~ Shu~" Fine, fine. Keep the light on then, the Shuckle said.
With that, they pulled up their blankets and snuggled into their small beds to sleep. Dusknoir also crawled into its covers and closed its eyes happily.
Back with Ange.
They were halfway through their Aura training when Metagross rushed into the Culinary Training Room with Robert 2.
"What's wrong, Metagross?" Ange asked in confusion, seeing Metagross looking so flustered.
"Ange, something happened!" Metagross said through Robert 2. "Quick, come out and see."
Metagross had been teaching students at the Secret Fortress when Honchkrow and the Murkrow suddenly flew in, telling it to find Ange. Honchkrow had tried to find Ange first, but since they were in the training room, they couldn't hear anything outside. Consequently, Honchkrow had turned to find Metagross instead.
"What happened?" Ange asked.
"You'll know once you go out," Metagross said with a grave expression.
While walking out, Ange instructed the Pokémon, "You guys keep training. I'm going out to check." He picked up Komala as he spoke.
The Pokémon nodded and watched Ange leave the training room. When Ange stepped outside, he found Volcanion standing at the door.
"Why are you here too? Weren't you watching the Poké-Soccer match?" Ange asked.
"I heard something happened. I'm coming with you," Volcanion said with a proud look.
"Alright, thank you then!" Ange said with a smile.
"Hmph~" Volcanion snorted coldly and took the lead.
When they got outside, Ange saw Honchkrow and the Murkrow standing in a line on the wall, waiting for him with solemn faces.
"Aunn~~"
Just as Ange was about to ask what happened, a terrifying cry echoed from somewhere in the night. Hearing this sound, even Volcanion's expression turned serious.
"Hon hon~"
"Murk~"
Honchkrow and the Murkrow began to fly around frantically in panic. Ange shouted loudly, "Honchkrow, Murkrow, calm down! What on earth is happening?"
"Hon hon~"
"Murk~"
Honchkrow shrieked and flew into the night, with the Murkrow following close behind. Seeing this, Ange immediately chased after them with Komala, Metagross, and Volcanion. As they ran, Volcanion used fire to create a fireball that hovered in front, allowing Ange to see the path under his feet.
"Volcanion, thanks," Ange said.
"Hmph, I'm doing this for myself," Volcanion said stubbornly. Ange smiled but said nothing.
After following Honchkrow for a while, the birds finally stopped. At the same time, Ange saw a black shadow appear on the grass ahead. In the pitch-black night, a pair of crimson eyes from the shadow looked over coldly and mercilessly. Even before he could see its face, Ange felt a wave of pressure wash over him.
"Aunn~~~" Sensing someone approaching, the shadow let out a cry.
The next second, a pillar of black and red energy shot out from the shadow's direction.
"Hon hon~" Ange, get back!
"Murk~" Get back! Get back!
Honchkrow and the Murkrow screamed in terror. Ange, however, moved nimbly the moment the energy pillar arrived, clutching Komala as he dodged the attack. Having a high Constitution was amazing; Ange felt his reaction speed was much faster than before.
Seeing Ange attacked, Volcanion wasn't about to let it slide. It immediately launched its signature move, Steam Eruption, at the opponent.
Boom!
A pillar of scalding steam carrying a rolling air current slammed into the shadow.
"Aunn~~~" The shadow cried out, its voice sounding slightly weak.
It got burned! Ange keenly noticed the anomaly. Volcanion's signature move had a chance to inflict a burn, and clearly, the shadow's luck was poor.
Just then, the System's notification sounded in Ange's ear.
Huh? Now? He quickly opened the System and saw a new mission on the list.
[Feeding Mission] Use Golden Razz Berry, Golden Nanab Berry, and Golden Pinap Berry to prepare a dish and feed it to Yveltal — Pending.
Seeing this mission, Ange was stunned. So the shadow across from him was... Yveltal? The God of Destruction, Yveltal? So the three golden berries were meant to be used for this?
Berries used to feed a god were indeed precious items. Volcanion was about to follow up with another attack, so Ange hurriedly called out to stop it.
"Volcanion, wait!"
Hearing Ange's words, Volcanion halted its movement.