When Meowstic woke up from its nap, it felt that its surroundings were strangely quiet.
Where did everyone go?
"Lopu Lopu~" Big brother Meowstic!
At that moment, Lopunny arrived at the Meowstic's house without it realizing. It poked its head out of the entrance and waved at Meowstic.
"Meow~" Lopunny, what is it? Are you hungry?
Meowstic said this and was about to take a Pokéblock from the can for Lopunny. It had gotten two cans today and had not finished giving them away.
"Lopu Lopu~"
Lopunny waved its hand. Then it quickly ran into the grass hut. It stuffed a Mantou into Meowstic's arms. Before Meowstic could react, it had already disappeared.
Meowstic was stunned, looking at the still-warm Mantou in its hand. Lopunny ran really fast. It did not even have time to ask anything.
Where did this Mantou come from? It remembered that food from Diancie's Grand Cafeteria could not be taken out, save for special circumstances.
***
Right after Lopunny left, Meowstic suddenly saw a large bundle of something thrown in from outside. Following that, an excited and mischievous voice came. It gradually faded away. Meowstic vaguely saw a figure flash outside the door.
"Pan panPan pan~~" Got away! Got away!
Whose voice could this be if not Pancham's?
Meowstic looked at the item on the ground. It was a large bundle of unknown objects wrapped in layers of leaves. It gently peeled back layer after layer of leaves. Inside, it saw 1, 2, 3... a total of 11 Mantou.
Meowstic became even more confused. It walked to the entrance and looked around for a while, but Pancham was nowhere to be seen.
It guessed Pancham ran so fast because it was afraid Meowstic would not accept the Mantou.
But what happened to everyone? Why are there suddenly so many Mantou?
Just as it was about to turn back into the house, it saw Floette flying over from afar, carrying something. It looked very strained. Meowstic quickly ran over and caught Floette.
"Fleur~~" I'm exhausted!
Floette said, wiping the sweat from its brow.
Meowstic looked at the item it was holding. It asked confusedly, "Meow Meow meow Meow~" What else are you carrying?
It cannot be more Mantou, can it?
Floette's item was also tightly wrapped in leaves.
Floette looked confused. Else? What else? I just arrived, didn't I?
Floette quickly stuffed the item into Meowstic's arms. Then it tried to fly away. However, the quick-witted Meowstic pinched the back of its neck.
"Meow Meow~" You are not leaving until you explain.
Meowstic said this. It used its psychic power to peel open the leaves. Sure enough, it saw a Mantou wrapped inside.
"Fleur fleur~~"
Floette struggled hard, but it could not escape Meowstic.
"Meow~" Hurry, where did the Mantou come from?
Floette was taken aback when it heard this.
"Fleur?" You do not know?
Now it was Meowstic's turn to be stunned.
"Meow~" Know what?
"Fleur fleur fleur fleur~"
So, Floette told Meowstic about Ange hiring the plateau Pokémon to plant trees and distributing food to them.
Meowstic was astonished. This happened? Why did I not know?
It turned out everyone thought Meowstic was already an employee of Ange's. It had plenty of food and drink. It did not need to come out and laboriously plant trees. So, they did not specifically notify it.
Ange, on the other hand, thought Delphox and the others would notify all the Pokémon. Thus, he did not specifically mention it to Meowstic.
The Gardevoir couple, who were also Ange's employees, knew because they were neighbors and good friends with Delphox and the other two.
"Meow~" This happened...
After listening to Floette's account, Meowstic was a little lost in thought. It did not expect the boss to solve the problem that had been troubling it so easily.
Thinking of this, infinite admiration and gratitude welled up in its heart for the boss.
Similarly, guessing that everyone came to bring it Mantou to show their gratitude, endless emotion surged in Meowstic's heart.
It patted Floette and said, "Meow Meow meow Meow~" Keep it for yourselves in the future. I am not short on food.
As it spoke, it even taught Floette how to preserve food. Mantou could be preserved for a long time simply by tearing them up and drying them into Mantou jerky.
This was new knowledge that it learned while working at the Munchlax Home.
***
While Meowstic was talking to Floette, Drilbur, Bunnelby, Pachirisu, Deerling... all came one after another. They all brought the Mantou they had saved today.
"Meow~" You all...
Looking at everyone, Meowstic was a little choked up for a moment. It wanted everyone to take the Mantou back, but not a single Pokémon was willing to listen to it. They shoved the Mantou into the house and ran away.
Looking at the room full of Mantou, Meowstic felt a swelling in its heart. It sat down on the pile of grass. It tore the Mantou into strips. Then it strung them onto grass roots and hung them on the roof to dry.
Since everyone refused to take them back, it decided to store them.
While doing this, it suddenly smiled.
It is truly great. It is great that everyone does not have to go hungry! It is great that the boss is on the Nebel Plateau.
***
That night, Ange and his family of four chatted and watched shows as usual after dinner. Ange even taught Munchlax and the others how to play mobile games.
For this, he specifically bought a cell phone for Munchlax and one for Diancie. They were sub-cards bound to Ange's cell phone number. In the future, Munchlax and Diancie could contact Ange anytime through the phone.
As for Komala... it only knew how to sleep. It never made a sound except for snoring. Ange did not buy one for it.
Next, they went to the training room and began their daily training.
Finally, everyone returned to their respective rooms to sleep.
The Nebel Plateau at night was very quiet. At that moment, two uninvited guests quietly arrived there.
"This is the Nebel Plateau?" Daoka looked around. Both he and Isabel wore special devices over their eyes. These allowed them to see in the dark.
"I do not understand why Prince Ange would not stay in the Royal Palace. Why must he live in such a sparsely populated place? What is he trying to achieve?" Isabel said, puzzled.
"The climate here is indeed comfortable. It is much more pleasant than being outside," Daoka said. "He might want to recuperate. After all, he used to be in poor health."
Winter was approaching outside now. The temperature was already dropping rapidly. If one did not wear enough clothes when going out, they would definitely be shivering from the cold. But there was no such feeling at all on the Nebel Plateau.
"Besides, isn't it more convenient for us to act now that he lives here? If he lived in the Royal Palace, we would not have had the chance to attack," Daoka continued.
"That is true. What a foolish noble," Isabel chuckled lightly.
"Let's move quickly. Do not waste time," Daoka urged.
The two then quickly rushed toward Ange's residence.
However, what they did not know was that their every move had already been seen by a Pokémon in the sky that had blended into the night.
It was Honchkrow!
"Hon hon~"
A sharp, sudden bird cry rang out in the night sky. But neither Daoka nor Isabel paid any attention to it.
***
When Daoka and Isabel appeared at the entrance of Ange's house, Politoed, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught also appeared at the same time.
"Ches ches~~" As expected, someone wanted to harm Ange.
Chesnaught said this and was about to step forward. However, Politoed stopped it.
"Poli poli~ ~" Maybe we do not need to intervene.
Politoed signaled Delphox and the others with its eyes to keep watching.
Delphox and the others looked over when they heard this. They saw Komala had already arrived in front of Daoka and Isabel without them noticing.
It kept its eyes tightly closed. It swayed while clutching its log. It did not look threatening at all.
"That is the Komala that handles the money at Prince Ange's shop?" Daoka looked surprised.
Isabel said impatiently, "Do not waste time! Why bother with a little guy like that? Hurry and finish it off!"
Saying this, she commanded the Houndoom next to her, "Houndoom, use Flamethrower!"
"Wuff~"
Houndoom leaped in front of Komala. It roared, opened its mouth, and spat out a column of fire at Komala. However, to the astonishment of the two, Komala dodged the fire column with an extremely subtle movement.
"Impossible!"
Isabel was shocked. She was about to command Houndoom to continue attacking, but she found that Komala had already arrived next to Houndoom without her noticing.
"Be careful!" Daoka's expression suddenly changed. Just as he spoke to warn her, Houndoom was already thrown flying. A sound of hitting the ground and a wail followed immediately.
Komala only extended one hand. It gently grabbed Houndoom's tail. Then Houndoom was slammed heavily.
Komala used the Normal-type move Slam! With just one hit, Houndoom was unable to battle.
Only then did Daoka say, "Be careful! This Komala is not simple! Everyone, attack together."
As he commanded, flashes of red light appeared. Pinsir, Swampert, Glalie, Banette, Sableye, and Manectric appeared one after another. They all attacked Komala simultaneously.
At this moment, Komala had curled up its body while hugging its log. It had used the move Defense Curl.
The next second, its body rolled rapidly. It charged toward Swampert, who was raising its fist to smash it. The move used this time was Rollout.
Boom!
In just one exchange, Swampert flew backward. Komala bounced high and then smashed down hard onto Pinsir.
Pinsir wailed, and it kneeled under the impact.
Sableye and Banette lunged simultaneously. But Komala had already bounced high again, so they ended up pouncing onto Pinsir.
The already unconscious Pinsir's eyes rolled back. It started foaming at the mouth.
Glalie angrily spat out an Ice Beam. It swept across, trying to hit Komala in the air. But Komala's body traced an arc in the air, easily avoiding Glalie's attack.
After landing, Komala smashed a deep crater into the ground. But it kept rolling quickly. Following the crater, the dirt on the ground was plowed up, forming trenches.
Glalie continued to spray the Ice Beam, but it still could not hit the fast-rolling Komala.
Bang~
With a muffled sound, Komala bounced up from the ground and slammed fiercely into Glalie's face.
Glalie wailed and crashed to the ground, unconscious.
Komala turned around. It aimed at Sableye and Banette. The two Pokémon subconsciously retreated, trembling uncontrollably.
Too terrifying! This is not an opponent they can handle!
Isabel and Daoka were also trembling all over. They were roaring inwardly at this moment.
What is going on? No one told them that the Komala that handles the money at Prince Ange's shop was this terrifying!
"Go... quick! The target is tough!"
Daoka felt the urge to retreat, so he spoke to Isabel in a low voice.
Isabel nodded. She waved her hand, signaling Sableye and Banette to take them away.
However, as soon as the two Pokémon moved, Komala flashed its figure and arrived between them. It raised its log high. A faint green glow shimmered on the log.
Bang~
Bang~
Accompanied by two muffled thuds, Sableye and Banette were sent flying by Komala's Wood Hammer. They fell to the ground, out cold.
Daoka and Isabel, who were fleeing, were stopped by the watching Politoed, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught.
Whoosh, whoosh~
With the appearance of two Vine Whips, Daoka and Isabel were tightly tied up, and their bodies involuntarily fell to the ground.
The moment they were captured, only one thought remained in their minds.
It is over! It is completely over!
At this time, Delphox and the others looked at Komala differently. Who would have thought that the most inconspicuous Komala at Ange's house would be so strong?
It must be stronger than any one of them!
Seeing Delphox and the others appear, Komala patted the grass clippings off itself. It rolled back into its small hut. It covered itself with its beloved small blanket. Before long, faint snoring sounds came out.
The four Pokémon looked at each other. They could only resign themselves to cleaning up the battle scene.
They used Vine Whip to tie up Daoka, Isabel, and their Pokémon. Then they piled them all at the bottom of the steps outside Ange's house.
After doing all this, Politoed, Delphox, and Greninja went back to rest. Only Chesnaught was left to guard the prisoners.
***
In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight hit the ground, Ange got up.
He still had to get up early for work today. After all, it was only the second day of his new shop being open. He could not be lazy.
After washing up, Ange walked out of the room.
Just then, Diancie also came out, yawning.
"Ange, there is a new mission. Do you want to accept it?" Diancie asked.
"There is a new mission again? Let me see."
Ange said this and moved his head close to Diancie.
[Recruitment Mission] Recruit a new kitchen helper. Do you want to accept?
[Yes/No]
Looking at the mission acceptance panel, Ange was surprised. He did not expect the System to be so in sync with him. He was just planning to take on a new apprentice. Otherwise, the new shop was too busy!
However, Pokémon with culinary talent were hard to find. He would take his time.
After accepting the mission, Ange said, "Let's go downstairs. Meowstic might already be here."
Meowstic always arrived early.
Downstairs, Ange seemed to hear some noise outside the door so he opened the door and was immediately stunned by the sight.
A pile of people and Pokémon lay sprawled at the bottom of the steps. Meowstic and Chesnaught were sitting on the steps, chatting.