The morning's market stall ended quickly.
"Little Boss, we'll see you tomorrow on Tourist Street!"
"See you then."
"See you tomorrow, Little Boss."
"Be sure to come and support the shop!"
...
Ange packed up his things and said goodbye to the departing customers.
After the customers left, Ange smiled. He asked Romeo and Slurpuff, "How was it, Romeo? Are you tired?"
Romeo wiped the sweat from his forehead and a bright smile appeared on his face. "Not tired!"
Ange looked at him with kindness. He pulled something out from under the counter for Romeo. They were three glass jars the size of basketballs.
"Here, I made something good. I'm sharing some with you."
Romeo stared at the contents of the glass jars. He said in surprise, "Your Highness, is this Asire Seaweed?"
Ange was surprised. "You still recognize it even when it's cooked? You're much better than me. I had no idea what it was the first time I saw it."
Romeo scratched his head sheepishly. "I only read about it in books. This is my first time seeing it in real life, too."
Ange placed the three glass jars on the stove. He introduced them to Romeo. "This is my Spicy Asire Seaweed. It tastes extremely delicious with anything you eat it with. One jar for you, one for Lila, and one for Fiona."
This Spicy Asire Seaweed was Ange's improved recipe. He modeled it after his mother's recipe from his past life. Not only did it taste excellent and go wonderfully with rice, but it could also be preserved for a long time. These full jars would last Romeo and the others for a long time.
The Pokémon gave Ange too much Asire Seaweed before, and he could not eat it all. So he stored all of it in his System Backpack.
Now, all the Asire Seaweed in the Nebel Lake was too old. The wild rice shoots were too old as well. The Pokémon could not pick them anymore.
So last night, after thinking about it, he turned all his leftover Asire Seaweed into Spicy Asire Seaweed. When everyone helped him plant the fruit trees, he would give these to the Pokémon to eat with Mantou.
Romeo picked up one of the glass jars. After opening the lid, a rich and strong aroma instantly filled the air.
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "It smells so good!"
"Slurp slurp~ Slurp slurp~"
Slurpuff could not help but come closer.
Ange said, "You can try some first."
After hearing this, Romeo eagerly pinched a strand of Asire Seaweed from the glass jar and put it into his mouth.
His eyes instantly lit up.
Just one strand of Asire Seaweed filled Romeo's mouth with a rich, spicy flavor. The deliciousness of the chili, the richness of the fermented black beans, and the aroma from the mixture of various spices... Especially noticeable were the crisp texture and unique fresh flavor of the Asire Seaweed. The rich and diverse flavors stimulated his taste buds.
It was superb.
"Slurp slurp ~ Slurp slurp~"
The intense aroma made Slurpuff drool. It kept tugging at Romeo's clothes. It wanted him to give it a taste, too.
Romeo quickly pinched a strand and put it into Slurpuff's mouth. Slurpuff was instantly captivated by the unique flavor.
Ange saw that both of them still looked like they wanted more, so he quickly said, "Alright, alright. You can slowly enjoy it when you get back."
Romeo awkwardly put the lid back on the glass jar.
At this moment, the Royal Guards appeared outside. They had come to pick up Romeo.
Ange patted Romeo's shoulder. He said, "You and Slurpuff should go back now. Don't keep the guards waiting."
"Okay~~"
Romeo nodded. He put all three glass jars into his spatial backpack. Then he left with Slurpuff, taking light steps. He could not wait to go back and try eating the Spicy Asire Seaweed with his lunch.
***
As soon as Romeo left, Meowstic, who had finished clearing the tables and chairs, returned to the car.
Ange then asked, "How did it feel interacting with humans?"
"Meow Meow ~ Meow meow~" I think I can definitely do it.
Meowstic said confidently.
Ange smiled at it. He said, "Congratulations, Meowstic, you are hired."
"Meow Meow~" Thank you, thank you, Mr. Ange. I will work hard.
Meowstic jumped with joy.
"Alright, let's go home," Ange said.
Ange then drove Komala and Meowstic back to the Munchlax Home. As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw Fiona leading a group of people hammering and fixing things at the shop entrance.
It turned out that the sign Ange had asked Fiona to customize had arrived.
The sign for the Munchlax Home was a wooden sign that was deliberately made to look old. The words "Munchlax Home" were written in the middle. On the left was a simple drawing of steaming buns and Mantou. On the right was a smiling Munchlax wearing a chef's hat and uniform, holding a rice ladle.
The sign matched the shop's decoration style very well.
The sign was almost completely installed by then.
Fiona saw Ange return, so she quickly bowed to him. "Your Highness."
Ange thanked her. "Thank you, Fiona. I appreciate it."
Fiona shook her head. "You are too kind, Your Highness. This is what I should do."
"Then I'll leave this place to you. As for the other sign, I'll take it with me," Ange said.
The other sign Ange mentioned was naturally the sign for Diancie's Grand Cafeteria.
The sign for Diancie's Grand Cafeteria was generally similar to the Munchlax Home sign. But it was not made to look old. The sign was new and shiny.
On the left of the sign was a drawing of Diancie wearing an apron. The words "Diancie's Grand Cafeteria" were in the middle. On the right was a simple drawing of Ange, Komala, and Munchlax hugging each other.
***
Back home on the Nebel Plateau, Ange gave Meowstic its internship wages: a jar of Pokéblock. It left happily.
Ange himself then installed the sign with Munchlax.
On its way home, Meowstic encountered a Skitty carrying a shriveled Berry in its mouth and a Scrafty carrying a pile of grass roots. So, it waved to the two Pokémon.
"Meow meow~."
The two Pokémon walked towards it curiously.
"Skii skii~" What is it, big brother Meowstic?
Skitty put down the Berry and asked curiously.
"Scraf Scraf~" Little brother Meowstic, do you want to eat my grass roots?
Scrafty pulled out a grass root from its chest and offered it to Meowstic.
Meowstic shook its head.
"Meow meow~ Meow Meow meow~" Open your mouths.
Skitty and Scrafty looked at each other in confusion. But they still opened their mouths obediently.
Meowstic saw this and opened the jar of Pokéblock. It took out two Pokéblocks and quickly put them into Skitty and Scrafty's mouths.
The Pokéblocks melted in their mouths. The two Pokémon instantly felt full. Their bodies felt warm, and they no longer felt hungry.
"Skii skii~~" Big brother Meowstic, what did you feed us?
Skitty looked curious.
"Scraf Scraf~"
Scrafty also looked at Meowstic with bright eyes.
Meowstic looked proud when it heard this. Then it gently opened its palm revealing the sparkling Pokéblock in its palm.
"Meow Meow~~~" I'm going to work for Mr. Ange from now on. This is the wage Mr. Ange gave me!
"Skii skii~~?" Really? Really? Big brother Meowstic, you are so amazing!
Skitty immediately jumped with joy.
Gardevoir's family and the Dugtrio brothers working for Ange had always been objects of envy for everyone.
"Skii skii~~" Does that mean you won't go hungry anymore?
"Scraf~ Scraf~" That's great. I want to work for Ange, too. But I don't know how to do anything...
Scrafty was extremely envious.
Meowstic patted the two Pokémon. "Meow~ Meow Meow meow~" Don't worry. I won't let you go hungry either.
Saying this, it took out the jar of Pokéblock again. It counted out a few Pokéblocks and put them into Scrafty's hand. It instructed it:
"Meow meow~~" Take this back and share it with Litwick and the others.
"Scraf~~" Little brother Meowstic...
Scrafty looked at Meowstic with emotion. Tears welled up in its eyes.
"Meow meow Meow meow~" Big brother Meowstic, if you share your food with us, what about you?
Skitty asked worriedly.
"Meow meow~~" Look, there's still a lot left, isn't there? I can't finish it alone.
Meowstic shook the jar, which still had more than half the Pokéblocks left.
"Meow meow~" Besides, I'll go back to work for Mr. Ange tomorrow. I'll get paid again. You don't have to worry about me.
"Skii skii~~" Thank you, big brother Meowstic.
Skitty finally relaxed when it heard this. It smiled sweetly at Meowstic.
"Meow meow~" Alright, go home quickly. I'm going home, too.
Before leaving, Skitty stubbornly gave its shriveled Berry to Meowstic.
The three Pokémon then went their separate ways.
On its way home, Meowstic met Bunnelby. Or rather, it intentionally ran into it. It also gave Bunnelby a Pokéblock.
After that, it encountered Sentret, Floette, Audino, Drilbur, Pachirisu, Aron, Deerling, and more. By the time it got home, only one Pokéblock was left in its jar.
The Pokémon Meowstic gave the Pokéblocks to were all the young ones on the plateau without parental care.
Meowstic's home was a small hut built of dead wood and leaves. It pushed the door open. It sat down on a pile of dry grass. It poured out the last Pokéblock.
It stared at the last one for a while. A happy smile appeared on Meowstic's face. Then it stuck out its tongue and lightly licked it.
It finished the Pokéblock bit by bit. It tightly held the shriveled Berry Skitty gave it. It lay down on the dry grass and fell soundly asleep.
A slight smile still hung on the corner of its mouth.
It was exhausted after working for half a day.
***
In the afternoon, Ange and Munchlax were at home. They disinfected and sterilized the Grass Nanny Milk that Gardevoir and the others had squeezed that day. Then they stored it in the refrigerator.
At this moment, Diancie poked its head into the kitchen. "Ange, Lapras is leaving the Nebel Plateau today. Do you want to go and see it off?"
"Huh? Is it leaving today?" Ange stopped what he was doing.
He had heard Lapras itself say that it would migrate north along the Nebel River before winter came to the Nebel Plateau. It would not return until late spring or early summer of next year.
He did not expect the day of migration to be today.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ange said. He took off his apron. He did not forget to ask Munchlax, "Munchlax, are you coming?"
"Munch Munch~" Yes! Yes!
Munchlax answered while clumsily taking off its apron.
The family of four then rushed to the edge of the Nebel Lake.
Many Pokémon had already gathered there to see Lapras off.
"Laa~~"
Lapras looked up at the sky and cried out when it saw Ange appear. The long, elegant sound echoed over the lake.
"Laa~~"
"Laa~~"
"Laa~~"
...
Then, a succession of Lapras cries rang out. Lapras was part of a group. It was not migrating alone.
Ange came to Lapras's side. He stood on his tiptoes and gave it a big hug.
"Lapras, thank you for your help during all this time."
"Laa~~" Ange, we will meet again next year.
Lapras rubbed Ange's cheek gently.
In fact, if it had not been waiting for Ange, it would have already left with its group.
"Munch Munch~~" See you next year. Be sure to come and visit me.
Munchlax also stood on its tiptoes. It gently patted Lapras's neck. Tears were already welling up in its eyes.
"Laa~~"
Lapras nodded. It lowered its head and kissed Munchlax's forehead.
It ate the Mantou and buns Munchlax made every day so this kiss was its thanks.
"Laa~"
"Laa~~"
"Laa~~~"
...
At this moment, the calls of Lapras' companions came from afar again. They were urging Lapras to hurry.
The time to leave had arrived!
"Laa~~" Everyone, I'm leaving.
The breeze blew over. It created ripples on the lake. It also stirred the emotions of Ange and the Pokémon.
Life has reunions and separations. Ange and his family were experiencing a necessary separation.
"Ria~~"
"Kirl~"
"Woop~~"
...
As Lapras swam away, the Pokémon on the shore waved goodbye to it.
"Lapras, see you next year!" Ange waved hard. He shouted loudly.
"Laa~~"
Lapras looked back frequently. It let out a reluctant low cry.
Then, one Lapras after another emerged from the water. They gathered around Lapras and swam upriver of the Nebel River, singing together.
Goldeen, Seaking, Magikarp, Poliwag, Staryu, Totodile, Feebas... Water-type Pokémon gathered on both sides of the Lapras group. They leaped out of the water from time to time. They were protecting the Lapras on their journey forward. They wished them a smooth trip and only stopped when they reached the exit of the Nebel Lake.
Ange felt a sense of loss as he watched the Lapras group disappear.
Diancie said softly at this moment, "You will meet again next year."
Komala, who had been sound asleep, also made an exception and gently patted Ange. Although it still kept its eyes closed.
Ange's mood immediately brightened a lot. "Yes, we will see each other again next year!"