Over on Diancie's side.
After it fell asleep, wisps of pink smoke drifted once again from Munna's body into the darkness.
The smoke gradually filled the entire room, and as they breathed, it was absorbed into the bodies of Diancie, Spinarak, and Mareep.
When Diancie came to its senses, it found itself back in the courtyard from Mareep's dream.
Ito ito~
Ito ito~
The two Spinarak cried out.
Hearing them, Diancie bent down to pick them up. Arriving here once again, it no longer felt the confusion it had experienced the first time.
It walked around the courtyard but did not see Mareep's figure, so Diancie headed toward the small cottage where Mareep lived.
Sure enough, on the grass by the cottage door, it saw Mareep sitting on a stool. In front of Mareep stood an easel, and it held a paintbrush and paints in its hands, clearly painting.
Diancie and Spinarak did not speak to disturb Mareep. Instead, they walked softly to its side and saw a half-finished landscape painting on the easel in front of it.
Mareep was painting very seriously, completely unaware of Ange and Spinarak's arrival.
After an unknown amount of time, Mareep finally finished the painting. It put down the paintbrush and paints, turned its head, and saw Diancie and Spinarak standing behind it.
Reep reep~
Mareep revealed a look of pleasant surprise and dove headfirst into Diancie's embrace.
"Mareep, we're here again!" Diancie said, gently stroking Mareep.
Reep reep~
Mareep was extremely happy, constantly licking Diancie's cheeks with its tongue.
Holding it, Diancie looked at the painting, which depicted a sunrise over a sea of clouds, and asked:
"Is this a new painting technique you learned? I didn't see any paintings with a similar style the last time I came."
"Reep reep~" I learned it from the lessons you and Ange bought for me!
Mareep said happily.
Diancie said in surprise: "You learned it so quickly?"
Reep reep~
Mareep nodded vigorously, then leaped from Diancie's embrace onto the grass and tugged at Diancie's palm with its mouth.
"What's wrong?" Diancie asked.
Reep reep~
Mareep lifted its feet and walked toward the wooden cottage, gesturing for Diancie and Spinarak to follow.
After entering the house, Diancie was surprised to see many giant portraits placed inside the room.
The first painting showed Ange lying on a lounge chair, sitting leisurely by the door, with Munchlax and Pawmot lying on his left and right legs, looking half-asleep.
The second painting depicted Inteleon holding a flower, striking a cool pose.
The third painting showed Gengar looking shy, poking its head out from behind a door frame.
The fourth painting depicted Passimian, Komala, and Infernape tasting wine, with Dusknoir and the Shuckle playing nearby.
The fifth painting showed Metagross teaching Lairon, Drilbur, and the others.
The sixth painting depicted Magearna and Volcanion strolling through a sea of flowers.
The final painting showed Diancie sitting on the steps of the house knitting a sweater, with a drowsy Mareep lying beside it, and the two Spinarak lying obediently on Mareep's back.
Diancie asked in surprise: "Mareep, did you paint all of these?"
Reep reep~
Mareep nodded, then walked in front of those paintings with its head held high and chest puffed out, like a king inspecting its territory.
Such a lively, confident, and cute Mareep was completely different from the Mareep in reality.
Diancie silently admired the several paintings in front of it, its love for them clear beyond words, and it could not help but murmur to itself:
"It would be great if you could paint all of these in reality too."
Mareep's ears twitched, and it lowered its head, who knows what it was thinking.
After spending some time playing with toys inside the house with Mareep, Diancie and Spinarak accompanied it out to the grass to practice moves.
Because they were bored, Diancie and Spinarak simply practiced alongside Mareep.
The night passed in a flash, and morning arrived amid the chirping of Fletchinder and Swablu. Ange opened his eyes fuzzily.
After getting up and finishing washing up, his head finally cleared.
"I have to go to work today, let's do this!"
Ange remembered that he had also promised to help Aria explore the ruins.
However, since he had just returned, resting at home for a couple of days probably would not hurt, right?
Thinking this way, Ange walked out of his room with a light heart, humming a pleasant little tune. As soon as he stepped out, he happened to bump right into Diancie.
"Good morning, Diancie!"
"Good morning, Ange!"
The human and the Pokémon spoke in unison, and then each let out a chuckle.
After laughing, Ange said: "By the way, Diancie, I have something to give you."
"What is it?" Diancie asked in confusion.
"Look!" Ange said as he took out the Mega Pendant he had obtained last night.
"Wow, so beautiful!" Diancie said in pleasant surprise, "Is it for me?"
Ange nodded and said: "That's right, it's for you. You can set your Mega Stone into it."
Diancie nodded and took the Mega Stone out of its backpack.
Ange took the Mega Stone from its hands and pressed it into the frame on the pendant. Unexpectedly, it fit perfectly.
"It's all set, I didn't expect it to fit so well!" Ange said in an astonished tone, "Come, Diancie, let me put it on you."
"Mhm~" Diancie nodded, turning around with its back to Ange.
After Ange finished putting the pendant on Diancie, Diancie touched the Mega Stone on it with great satisfaction and said joyfully:
"Let's go downstairs!"
"Okay."
The human and the Pokémon walked side by side toward the downstairs area.
At this time, Magearna also happened to walk out of its room, and Ange and Diancie smiled and greeted it.
"Good morning, Magearna!"
"Good morning, Magearna!"
Magearna also said with a smile: "Magea magea~" Morning, Ange, Diancie!
At this moment, Magearna keenly noticed that Diancie was different this morning, and then saw the pendant around its neck, so it asked:
"Magea magea~" What is this?
Diancie smiled and linked arms with Magearna, then whispered something in Magearna's ear, and the two Pokémon went downstairs chatting and laughing.
Once downstairs, Ange made some preparations with Inteleon, and then set off for the Royal Capital with the two Meowstic and Ralts.
Early in the morning, customers were already arriving at the Munchlax Home, and the two Meowstic and Ralts quickly stepped forward to greet them.
Seeing the female Meowstic, a customer revealed a surprised look: "Oh, did Espurr evolve?"
"Meow meow~ Meow meow~" The female Meowstic smiled and nodded.
"Then that really is something to celebrate!" The customer expressed their heartfelt congratulations.
Meowstic smiled as it welcomed the customer into the shop, invited him to sit down, and took out the menu to hand to him.
"I came early today, so the doufuhua should be available, right?" The customer asked while looking at the menu.
The doufuhua at Munchlax Home was strictly limited in supply, and those who came late generally could not get any.
"Meow meow~ Meow meow~" Yes, yes.
Meowstic nodded with a smile.
"Then give me one serving of doufuhua, one mantou, and two meat buns." The customer revealed a joyful look upon hearing that.
"Meow meow~" Understood, please wait a moment.
Saying that, Meowstic ran into the kitchen carrying the menu.
Not long after, Meowstic brought up the order the customer had placed. The customer immediately could not wait to pick up the doufuhua he had been longing for and taste it.
The moment he ate the doufuhua, the customer froze, then smiled and asked Meowstic:
"Is the little boss back?"
"Meow meow~ Meow meow~" Meowstic nodded with narrowed eyes.
A look of understanding flashed across the customer's face, "I knew it, I can tell the little boss's craftsmanship the moment I taste it."
The food Ange made was all processed using Aura Power, making it easy to distinguish from the food made by Inteleon.
As more and more customers entered the shop, the news of Ange's return gradually spread. For a time, customers who learned the news ordered a few more portions than usual, making the shop's business a good 10 to 20 percent better than normal.
"Ah~~ The little boss's craftsmanship is still the best!" One of the customers said with a face full of praise after taking a large bite of the meat bun in his hand.
At this time, Ralts used psychokinesis to carry a large platter of buns and mantou past him. The customer smiled and touched Ralts's mushroom head, asking:
"Ralts, Meowstic has already evolved, when are you going to evolve?"
"Bunne bunne~ Bunne bunne~"
Ralts shook its head with a look of blank confusion.
Its cute appearance made everyone laugh, and the customer touched its mushroom head again: "It's okay, Ralts is cute enough without evolving."
"That's right, that's right, Ralts is the cutest!"
"Ralts is the mascot of our Munchlax Home!"
Other customers chimed in to praise Ralts.
Receiving the customers' praise, Ralts worked even harder.
A customer asked with a smile: "Isn't the mascot of our Munchlax Home supposed to be Munchlax?"
Another customer said: "Munchlax doesn't come very often, it only occasionally covers the shift for the little boss."
Yet another customer joked: "If you ask me, the mascot of our Munchlax Home has to be our little boss!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
These words received agreement from everyone. For a time, laughter continuous filled the entire shop, and even the two Meowstic and Ralts laughed along.
When Elite Four Bruno walked into the shop, what he saw was such a lively scene.
Seeing a customer enter the door, Ralts hurriedly went forward to greet him.
"Bunne bunne~ Bunne bunne~"
When walking up to Elite Four Bruno, a trace of fear flashed in Ralts's eyes.
Because the customer in front of it stood a full 2 meters tall. His upper body wore only a blue short vest that exposed his chest, while his lower body wore loose trousers. The muscles bulging all over his body were as hard as rock, giving off an intense sense of pressure just by looking at him.
Elite Four Bruno noticed Ralts's concealed expression, and his gaze could not help but dim slightly.
However, despite being afraid, Ralts still plucked up its courage to lead the customer to a seat and see him settled.
"Bunne bunne~ Bunne bunne~"
Ralts obediently presented the menu.
"Thank you," Elite Four Bruno said in a booming voice.
He flipped through the menu and found that it was all food he did not recognize, so he said to Ralts:
"Please bring me one serving of everything."
"Bunne bunne?" All of it?
Ralts revealed a surprised look.
Elite Four Bruno saw through Ralts's thoughts at a glance, so he revealed a smile and said: "Don't worry, I can finish it."
Ralts could perceive the emotions of others, and Elite Four Bruno's gentle attitude let it understand that the person in front of it was not a bad guy, causing the fear in its eyes to gradually disappear.
"Bunne bunne~ Bunne bunne~"
It nodded, took the menu, and ran swiftly into the kitchen.
Hearing that a customer wanted to order one serving of every food item on the menu, Ange likewise revealed a surprised look, but he still nimbly prepared the food the customer ordered.
Not long after, Ralts used psychokinesis to support a huge pile of food and placed it on Elite Four Bruno's table. The customers in the shop looked on one by one with surprised faces at this exaggerated scene.
However, someone seemed to recognize Bruno's identity.
"That... seems to be Mr. Bruno, the Fighting-type Elite Four from the Kanto region."
"Huh? Has our Munchlax Home become so famous? Even an Elite Four from the Kanto region came here drawn by its reputation?"
"The little boss's cooking is so delicious, shouldn't that be expected?"
"True."
"Don't overthink it, maybe Elite Four Bruno is just passing through here for some business!"
...
Although everyone recognized Bruno's identity, the terrifying sense of pressure all over his body made people afraid to get close, let alone step forward to make conversation.
By this time, Bruno had already grabbed a mantou and stuffed it into his mouth. The soft, fluffy texture of the mantou instantly amazed him.
Eating a mantou in two or three bites, Elite Four Bruno grabbed a bun and stuffed it into his mouth again.
He was amazed once more.
Delicious! Too delicious!
Not only that, the moment he swallowed the food, he felt a surge of energy moving inside his body, which was then quickly absorbed by his physical form.
Although that feeling was faint, he definitely perceived it!
What kind of magical food was this? He really wanted to eat it every day! If he could eat it every day, he firmly believed that his physical fitness would definitely become even stronger, and his fighting techniques would surely advance by leaps and bounds!
Elite Four Bruno had ordered too much food, so Ralts had to make several trips to finish serving all of it.
Yet even so, the table full of food was eaten completely clean by him in a short while.
"Please bring me another identical serving!" Elite Four Bruno said, patting his stomach.
ヽ(°〇°) "Bunne bunne~" More?
Ralts was stunned.
Elite Four Bruno knew his appetite was exaggerated, so he said it once more: "Please bring me another identical serving."
"Bunne bunne~ Bunne bunne~" Hearing this, Ralts hurriedly ran into the kitchen.
When learning that the customer wanted to eat more, Ange was truly shocked.
"He ate that much and still wants more?"
"Bunne bunne~ Bunne bunne~" Ralts nodded repeatedly.
"Alright then." Saying that, Ange and Inteleon started preparing for that customer once again.
Soon, the table in front of Elite Four Bruno was filled to capacity once more.
By the time Elite Four Bruno was close to finishing his meal, the customers in the shop had already left one after another. Because it was almost closing time, Meowstic hung the closed sign on the door.
Gradually becoming less busy, Ange poked his head out from the kitchen, wanting to see exactly who was so capable of eating.
This look brought a sudden shock, wasn't that Elite Four Bruno! No wonder his appetite was so massive!
Watching Elite Four Bruno devouring the food with single-minded focus, a thought suddenly spun in Ange's head, and he hit upon a good idea.
He walked out of the kitchen and came straight over to Elite Four Bruno's side.
"Elite Four Bruno, do you like the food in this shop?"
This was obviously explicit; if he did not like it, could he have finished two whole massive tables of food?
Hearing the words, Elite Four Bruno looked up in surprise: "Are you the cook of this shop?"
Bruno was not surprised that Ange recognized him. He was an Elite Four of the League after all, so it was perfectly normal for someone to recognize him.
Ange nodded and said: "That's right, I am the owner and cook of this shop."
"Owner? Are you Prince Ange?" Elite Four Bruno asked in surprise.
Hearing this, Ange paused: "Elite Four Bruno... knows me."
Bruno nodded: "His Majesty Edward recommended that I come here. I heard about Your Highness from His Majesty."
It turned out that Elite Four Bruno had come to the Azoth Kingdom on official business. During a casual chat with Edward, he learned of the existence of Munchlax Home, which was why he made a special effort to come and see.
He did not expect this to actually be a place that could give him a pleasant surprise.
"So that's how it is!" Ange realized.
Elite Four Bruno said with a face full of praise: "Your Highness's culinary skills are much more formidable than I imagined."
"It is my honor that Elite Four Bruno can like it," Ange said with a smile.
Elite Four Bruno said: "I like it, I like it very much."
Seeing this, Ange extended an invitation to him: "If Elite Four Bruno wants to taste more of the delicacies I make, you can come and sit at my house when you have time."
His reason for inviting Elite Four Bruno was very simple: he wanted to learn a few fighting techniques from Elite Four Bruno.
He possessed such a powerful physique; if he did not utilize it well, wouldn't it be too much of a waste?
If he had not seen Elite Four Bruno, he would not have recalled this matter.
Elite Four Bruno was a presence praised as a human fighting Pokémon, a master of the fighting world. If he did not seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he would truly be letting down Lord Arceus for delivering this opportunity right to his door!
"Your Highness's house?"
Ange's proposal made Elite Four Bruno's heart stir considerably.
Ange said: "That's right, my house is on the Nebel Plateau outside the Royal Capital. Elite Four Bruno can also take the opportunity to look at the scenery there, it definitely will not disappoint you!"
Elite Four Bruno pondered for a moment before accepting Ange's invitation.
"Since that's the case, I will definitely go to trouble you when I have time!"
Hearing this, Ange felt a surge of joy in his heart: "Then I shall await Elite Four Bruno on the Nebel Plateau."
Bruno nodded: "Good!"
"By the way!" Ange said again, "Let's exchange contact information. Elite Four Bruno can call me before coming so I can prepare in advance."
"Alright!"
Saying that, Elite Four Bruno took out his phone and exchanged contact information with Ange.
After Elite Four Bruno finished eating, the two chatted for a while longer, and then Elite Four Bruno departed, while Ange closed the shop and returned to the Nebel Plateau.
Because he had gotten to know Elite Four Bruno, Ange's mood was exceptionally good, and he hummed a little tune all the way home.
By the time he arrived home, Munchlax was already in the kitchen preparing lunch. Ange wanted to go and help, but he was pushed out by his apprentice.
The master had labored for a whole morning, so Munchlax wanted its master to take a good rest.
Having nothing to do, Ange sat at the table thinking about when to go keep his appointment with Aria.
Coincidentally, right at this moment, Aria suddenly called to tell Ange that their agreement had to be postponed for a period of time because she had an urgent matter to handle right now.
Well, this saved him from having to agonize over it, since the ruins were right there and would not run away.