In the afternoon, Ange saw that the Nebel Plateau was peaceful and serene, so he asked, "Munchlax, do you want to go out to dig for bamboo shoots?"
Previously, when Oinkologne brought back bamboo shoots from the outside, it was the first time Munchlax and the others had seen them. Therefore, Ange had promised them that he would take them into the wild to dig for bamboo shoots when they had time.
If he did not fulfill his promise soon, spring would be over. Once spring passed, even if there were shoots, they would no longer taste good.
"Marg garg~" Hearing Ange's words, Munchlax jumped to Ange's side excitedly, looking at him with a face full of anticipation.
Ange rubbed its head and said, "Then call everyone over, let's prepare and head out!"
"Marg~"
Munchlax cheered and dashed into the house like a streak of smoke.
Not long after, Diancie, Magearna, Munchlax, Inteleon, Gengar, Metagross, Pawmot, Volcanion, and Passimian holding Komala all gathered in front of the house.
Munchlax and Pawmot also carried small baskets on their backs.
Although they both had a system backpack, the two Pokémon insisted on carrying a basket, feeling that only this gave them the proper feeling of going out for a spring outing.
Diancie brought along Munna, Mareep, and the two Spinarak as well.
Then, Ange called Armarouge, Ceruledge, and the two Oinkologne over.
"Sorry to trouble you to lead the way," Ange said.
Armarouge, Ceruledge, and Oinkologne ran into the mountains all day, so only they knew where the bamboo forests and bamboo shoots were.
"Ahma~"
"Blade~"
"Honk honk~"
The four Pokémon nodded repeatedly.
Because of the matter regarding Xerneas, the four Pokémon had been constantly running back and forth between the Nebel Plateau and the Allearth Forest recently, so they had not gone out today.
"Then let's set out," Ange shouted, raising his right hand.
"Marg~"
"Infern~"
"Gar~"
"Passi~"
...
Hearing this, the Pokémon followed Ange's example, raising their hands and cheering.
Thus, Ange led his large family and set off in a grand manner.
When passing by the grassland, Ange saw Xerneas lying on the grass soaking up the sun. Around it lay Buneary, Pachirisu, Skiddo, Floette, Spritzee, and other Pokémon.
Originally, he wanted to ask Xerneas if it wanted to come along. However, seeing it sleeping so peacefully and quietly with the little ones, a scene as warm and harmonious as a painting, he really could not bear to voice a disturbance.
As for Yveltal, it was sleeping heavily at this moment, so Ange did not disturb it either.
Next time there is an opportunity, we will go together, Ange thought to himself.
Under the guidance of Armarouge, Ceruledge, and Oinkologne, Ange and the others arrived at the intersection of Nebel Lake and the upper reaches of the Nebel River, and then walked all the way upstream along the river.
The Nebel River was the mother river of the nearby mountains, and many Pokémon relied on this river to live. Along the way, Ange and the others saw many, many Pokémon.
There were Paras and Parasect, Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂, Butterfree and Caterpie...
Because it was spring, the surroundings were thriving with life.
It was a rare occasion for the whole family to go out and play, so Munchlax and Pawmot were very happy. They held hands, skipping and bouncing at the very front, humming a song together.
"Marg marg~ Marg marg garg~"
"Paw paw~ Paw paw mot~"
Whenever Magearna saw beautiful wild flowers, it would run over to pick them, and then run to Volcanion's side holding the bouquet. Volcanion, who was allergic to pollen, was so scared that it turned tail and ran.
Magearna chased behind with a laugh, and then accidentally tripped and fell.
At times like this, Volcanion would always run over with a helpless face to pick it up.
Diancie pointed out the scenery along the way to Mareep, trying to arouse its response to the outside world. Although the results were minimal, it still did not tire of it.
The two Spinarak also helped Diancie very eagerly.
Only Munna floated quietly by Diancie's side.
Passimian remained by Ange's side because it was inconvenient while holding Komala.
"Meta~ Meta~"
At this moment, Metagross called out twice to Passimian, and Passimian looked at it, stunned for a moment.
"Meta~ Meta~"
Metagross smiled and used its psychic power to take Komala from Passimian's arms, placing it on top of its own head, and then gave Passimian a push with one hand.
Passimian smiled gratefully at Metagross, then leaped high onto a large tree.
Entering the forest seemed to liberate its nature. It leapt back and forth cheerfully in the jungle, not forgetting to turn back and wave at Munchlax and Pawmot.
Seeing this, Munchlax and Pawmot hurriedly moved their short legs cheerfully to chase behind it.
Ange smiled, patted Metagross, and said, "Teacher Metagross is really gentle."
"Meta~"
Metagross shook its head. It was an elder, so taking care of the younger generation was only natural.
"Then let's keep each other company," Ange said with a smile.
"Meta~"
Metagross nodded, walking side by side with Ange.
In this way, Ange and Metagross trailed far behind at the very end of the group.
Without realizing it, they entered the deep parts of the mountain range. This place was far from human habitation, and the vegetation was deep and dense, so more and rarer Pokémon inhabited it.
For instance, in a pond not far away, Ange saw a Swampert, which was more easily encountered only in the Hoenn region.
On the other side of the woods, he saw a Turtwig and a Budew, which were more easily encountered only in the Sinnoh region.
They all lived freely in these mountains where no one disturbed them.
After walking for a long time, Ange asked Armarouge, Ceruledge, and Oinkologne, "Are we there yet?"
Armarouge and Ceruledge each carried a basket on their backs as well. Along the way, under the guidance of Oinkologne, they picked wild vegetables and gathered mushrooms, so their baskets were already packed full.
"Ahma~ Ahma~" Almost there, almost there, Armarouge said.
Alright then, Ange and the others could only continue to walk deep into the mountain range while enjoying their spring outing.
After walking for who knows how much longer, a lush green bamboo forest finally appeared in their line of sight. When a gust of wind blew past, Ange could hear bursts of rustling sounds from far away.
He could not help but praise, "What a great bamboo forest!"
"Honk honk~"
"Honk honk~"
Seeing the bamboo forest, the two Oinkologne rushed over immediately.
Munchlax, Pawmot, and Passimian, who were walking at the very front, also dashed over.
Bamboo shoots could be seen everywhere in the bamboo forest. As soon as Munchlax and the others arrived there, they put down their baskets and began to consult Oinkologne and the others on how to dig for bamboo shoots.
However, before Munchlax and the others could dig for long, they heard a roar coming from the bamboo forest.
"Garg~"
Immediately after, a tremor came from the ground. Everyone looked towards the sound, only to see a Pangoro looking at them with a face full of rage.
Seeing the bamboo shoots in Munchlax and the others' baskets, Pangoro was furious. It immediately raised its fist and rushed towards Munchlax and the company.
"Marg~"
Seeing this, Munchlax rushed to the front immediately, determined to protect its companions.
Blue light flashed on Munchlax's fist as it used the Brick Break skill to smash towards Pangoro.
Bang~
The fists of the two Pokémon collided, and rolling shockwaves rippled out with them as the center.
Do not look down on Munchlax just because it was not in its final evolved form and its body was not as tall as Pangoro's; it actually held the advantage in terms of strength. After a period of stalemate, Pangoro was knocked flying back.
"Garg~"
Pangoro crashed into a bamboo tree, was bounced back out by the highly flexible bamboo, and finally tumbled to the ground.
After taking a beating, Pangoro became even angrier. It raised its fist again and rushed towards Munchlax.
Munchlax was not one to fear trouble either, raising its fist to meet the attack as well.
"Marg~ Marg~ Marg~"
"Garg~ Garg~"
The fists of the two Pokémon traded back and forth, and it could be said to be a real give-and-take.
Of course, the one suffering the main loss was still Pangoro.
Although Munchlax had not evolved, its level was solidly above level 50. Wild Pokémon rarely had such a high level, and Pangoro was only just past level 40.
Furthermore, Munchlax had perfect individual values, an aspect where Pangoro simply could not compare.
There was one more thing: Munchlax ate the bean paste made by Ange long-term, so its stamina limit was very high, which Pangoro absolutely could not match.
Seeing that Pangoro had already been beaten black and blue by Munchlax, Ange could only advise, "Pangoro, let's talk things over nicely. If it's because we picked your bamboo shoots without permission, we apologize to you."
Other than this reason, Ange could not think of any other reason that could make Pangoro this angry.
Unfortunately, Pangoro was already blinded by rage, and could not listen to Ange's words at all.
Ange had a sudden flash of inspiration and hurriedly said to the female Oinkologne, "Oinkologne, it's up to you!"
"Honk honk~"
Oinkologne nodded, leaped forward, and began to wag its tail gently.
Pink gas floated out from the female Oinkologne's tail, and a sweet scent rippled out with it as the center. The flower-like fragrance caused the Pokémon present to calm down immediately.
Even Ange was no exception.
Gradually, Pangoro calmed down, but the gaze it directed at Ange and the others was full of accusation.
"Garg~ Garg~"
Just as Ange suspected, this bamboo forest was Pangoro's territory. Ange and the others coming over to pick as they pleased without saying a word was stealing, so how could Pangoro not be angry?
After listening to Pangoro's accusation, Ange looked at Armarouge, Ceruledge, and the two Oinkologne, asking, "What happened when you came last time?"
The four Pokémon looked completely blank at this moment. When they came last time, they did not see any other Pokémon here at all.
They always remembered Ange's instructions; they never touched ingredients that had an owner.
"Garg~"
Hearing the conversation between Ange and the four Pokémon, Pangoro's anger instantly flared up again.
Great, so it was you guys last time too, right? No wonder when I came home after visiting relatives, I found that the shoots in the ground were missing quite a bit. It turns out they were all taken by you!
Seeing Pangoro's eyes starting to turn red, the female Oinkologne hurriedly wagged its tail to release the fragrance. Gradually, Pangoro's anger subsided once more.
Ange hurriedly said to Pangoro, "We are really sorry. Picking your bamboo shoots without permission was our fault, and we are willing to compensate you."
"Garg~" How are you going to compensate me?
Seeing Ange's sincere attitude, Pangoro's expression finally softened a lot.
Ange smiled and said, "We picked your food, so of course we have to compensate you with food!"
Saying that, Ange took out the vegetables from his backpack. There were green vegetables, red radishes, white radishes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and so on, piling up on the ground in a short moment.
"What do you think of these?" Ange asked, "These are all grown by our family, and they taste particularly good. You can try some."
Pangoro picked up a carrot suspiciously and stuffed it into its mouth. Immediately, its eyes lit up. It was crunchy and very delicious!
Realizing the benefits of Ange's vegetables, Pangoro was overjoyed. It hurriedly dragged the vegetables to its side, deeply afraid that Ange would regret it.
Ange then asked, "Pangoro, can I use some more vegetables to exchange for some bamboo shoots with you?"
"Garg~" Pangoro nodded repeatedly.
Although it liked to eat bamboo and bamboo shoots, it would occasionally want a change of pace as well.
"That's great then!" Ange immediately took out another pile of vegetables to give to Pangoro.
After getting Pangoro's permission, Munchlax and the others cheered and went to dig for bamboo shoots.
Ange thought for a moment and said to Pangoro, "Let us help you dig a cellar, otherwise these vegetables of yours won't be easy to store."
With a cellar, vegetables like radishes could be stored for a very, very long time.
"Garg~"
Pangoro nodded in agreement. Although it did not know what a cellar was, it understood preserving food. Before winter came, it would also try every possible way to preserve food.
"Then let's get started," Ange said.
Saying that, Ange took Metagross to choose a site.
Because conditions were limited, Ange and the others could only build a simple cellar, but it must have the basic functions of a cellar.
Therefore, the site selection needed to meet certain conditions, such as ventilation, no water accumulation when it rained, solid terrain, and being able to maintain a certain level of dryness while being in the shade.
Under Pangoro's guidance, Ange and the others discovered that Pangoro was not the only one living in the bamboo forest; there were also several Pancham.
Seeing Pangoro, the several Pancham immediately ran over, plunging into its arms one by one, and then climbed all over it.
Do not look at Pangoro's ferocious appearance; it was exceptionally gentle when dealing with Pancham.
It distributed the vegetables obtained from Ange to the Pancham, and the several Pancham immediately began to munch on them blissfully.
After a round of surveying, Ange and Metagross finally selected the location to build the cellar, right on a shaded slope within the bamboo forest.
Because digging was required, Ange intentionally called Pawmot over, as digging holes was what it was best at.
While Ange was digging the dirt with Metagross and Pawmot, Ange also asked Pangoro to go into the forest to chop some thick wood back to serve as pillars to support the cellar.
If there were no supports, the constructed cellar might collapse before long.
While Ange and the others were building the cellar, Munchlax and the others' baskets were filled up as well.
"Gar~" At this time, Gengar flew over.
Ange looked at the time and said, "It is getting late, you should go back to the Royal Capital to open the shop!"
"Gar~"
Gengar nodded, and was then transmitted back home by Ange.
After Gengar left, Ange continued to lead the Pokémon to help Pangoro build the cellar, and before they knew it, the sky darkened.
He smiled wryly and said, "It looks like we'll have to spend the night here tonight!"
Before coming, they did not expect the bamboo forest to have an owner, let alone that they would have to help Pangoro build a cellar.
"Marg~"
Munchlax ran to Ange's side, proposing to go back to make dinner for the Pokémon at home.
Ange rubbed its head and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Marg~" Munchlax nuzzled Ange's palm, indicating it was not hard work.
Next, Ange transmitted Munchlax and Inteleon, the two fellow disciples, back home together.
Looking at this progress, Ange felt that he certainly would not be able to return tonight, and tomorrow Inteleon would have to handle the shop alone.
Sure enough, just as Ange predicted, by the time the cellar was built, the sky had completely darkened.
It was not safe to return in the dark, so Ange intended to borrow a night's stay in Pangoro's bamboo forest.
Pangoro naturally had no objection. After spending time together, it had already concluded that Ange was a good person.
After the cellar was built, Ange and the others helped Pangoro move the vegetables inside, and said to it, "In the future, if you have food, you can store it here. It can be stored for much longer than outside."
In that case, wouldn't it be able to store a lot more food for the winter in the future?
Thinking of this, Pangoro revealed a look of joy, and then gave Ange a fierce hug. Fortunately, Ange's physical constitution was extraordinary, otherwise his bones might have been broken by the hug.
Ange patted Pangoro, indicating for it to release him, and said to it, "However, you have to check this cellar regularly to see if the wooden pillars are still sturdy, if the four walls are still stable, and if there is any accumulated water turning it damp, otherwise it won't be good if problems arise."
"Garg~"
Pangoro nodded, indicating it remembered Ange's words.
After the cellar matter was handled, Ange began to prepare dinner.
He hung up a lamp in the bamboo forest, and then took out cooking utensils, ingredients, and seasonings.
Since they dug quite a lot of shoots today, then let's use the shoots to make a delicious dish!
However, before Ange cooked, an interesting little interlude occurred.
Over on Ange's side, as he hung the electric lamp on a bamboo tree, the bright light immediately attracted some uninvited guests.
It was two Murkrow.
They stood on the branches staring straight down.
Murkrow's habit was exactly like this: liking shiny things, especially gems that sparkled in the dark night.
Therefore, after being attracted over by the lamp light, they locked their eyes onto Diancie.
The pink diamonds on Diancie's body were simply too dazzling in the dark night under the contrast of the lamp light.
After a period of observation, the two Murkrow felt the time was ripe, so they swooped down from the branches, wanting to snatch the diamonds on Diancie's body.
They were just Murkrow, so there was no reason Diancie could not handle them, and thus everyone did not care too much.
However, before Diancie could act, the two Spinarak struck first.
They each used the String Shot skill, spitting out strands of silk that tightly bound the necks and claws of the Murkrow.
"Murk~"
"Murk~"
The two Murkrow immediately struggled with all their might. Their raspy voices echoed in the bamboo forest, sounding quite eerie.
Although Spinarak's level was not considered high, they had at least stayed in Ange's house for so long and were meticulously nurtured by Diancie, so they would not fail to defeat wild Murkrow.
The two Murkrow were bound tightly and could not break free, no matter how much they tried.