Skitty ran into Buneary on its way back to pack its things.
"Skii skii, Skii skii, Skii skii~", rubbed against Buneary, and then began to brag about becoming an employee of Ange's home.
Helioptile and Minccino walked hand-in-hand, singing as they went. Then, Bunnelby suddenly burrowed out from under their feet, launching them both into the air and making them land on their rear ends.
Helioptile and Minccino were not angry. They brushed the grass off their bodies and stood up.
"Bunne, Bunne~" What happened? You two look like you are in a great mood.
Bunnelby asked curiously, chewing on a root it held in its arms.
"Min min, Min min~" Hmph. You would not know!
Minccino put its hands on its hips, puffed out its not-so-round belly, and strutted back and forth in front of Bunnelby with an air of superiority.
"Bunne~" Know what?
Bunnelby continued to chew on the root unconcernedly.
"Heli heli, Heli heli~" It is because we became employees of Ange's home!
Helioptile shouted loudly.
Bunnelby stopped chewing the root. The expression on its face froze. It did not even notice the root had fallen to the ground.
Just as it was about to ask if the news was true, it saw that Minccino and Helioptile were already walking away hand-in-hand, humming a little tune.
Bunnelby stood stunned for a while. After grabbing the root that had fallen to the ground, it ran across the grass like a bolt of lightning. As it ran, it shouted, "Bunne, Bunne, Bunne~" This is terrible! This is terrible! Something big has happened! Minccino and Helioptile became employees of Ange's home!
Before long, the news of Litwick and its family being recruited by Ange spread across the plateau as if it had grown wings. Everyone was instantly filled with envy.
As soon as Litwick and the others finished packing, they walked out the door and saw a crowd gathered there. As soon as everyone saw them emerge, they immediately swarmed around, all talking at once, asking questions.
Aron: "Aron, Aron~" Pancham, how did you become an employee of Ange's home?
Pancham: "Pan pan, Pan pan~" Of course, it is because I am awesome!
Drilbur: "Dril, Dril~" Skitty, now that you are an employee of Ange's home, will you still play with us?
Skitty stood up straight and patted Drilbur's shoulder. "Skii skii, Skii skii~" Do not worry. I will watch out for you from now on.
Deerling: "Deer, Deer~" Gulpin, I really want to work for Ange too. Can you tell me how?
Gulpin looked confused. "Pin pin, Pin pin~" I do not know!
...
Finally, under everyone's envious gaze, Litwick and its family carried their luggage and moved into the Employee Dormitories.
It was the same for Gardevoir and her family.
"Ralts, Ralts~" Mommy, Daddy, are we really going to live in Ange's home?
Ralts sat on a rock, watching its parents pack things up. Its two fair, tender little feet swung back and forth.
"Voir voir, Voir voir~" That is right. Our new home is so beautiful. You will love it.
Gardevoir said, stroking Ralts's mushroom-shaped head.
"Ralts, Ralts~" Really? That is great!
Ralts jumped down from the rock. It spread its arms, imitating Fletchinder's flying, and ran around its parents.
"Ralts, Ralts~" I am so happy~
Smack!
Ralts tripped and fell flat on its face.
"Voir~"
Gardevoir exclaimed, but Ralts quickly scrambled back up.
"Ralts~" Hehe~~
Ralts giggled foolishly at its parents. Then, it calmly brushed the dust and dirt off its body.
Just then, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught appeared outside the door.
Seeing their good friends arrive, Gardevoir and Gallade quickly invited them in.
"Del del, Del del~" I heard you are moving into Ange's home?
Delphox asked.
"Gal gal, Gal gal~" Yes. Ange built new Employee Dormitories, and he is letting us move in to make our work easier.
Gallade replied. To prevent Delphox and the others from not knowing what Employee Dormitories were, he gave a detailed explanation.
After hearing Gallade's words, Delphox and the three of them looked envious. When would they be able to get a secure job and be assigned housing!
"Ches ches, Ches ches~" Come on, come on. I will help you move.
Chesnaught took a large stride forward and took the items from Gallade's hands.
Actually, the Gallade family did not have many special things to move. The couple could have managed it entirely on their own. Chesnaught was so enthusiastic because it simply wanted to see Gallade's new home.
Gallade and Gardevoir certainly felt like showing off, so they tacitly accepted the help of the three Guardians.
Soon, the family of three arrived at their new home with their three neighbors.
After entering the room, the three Pokémon looked left and right, their eyes full of wonder and envy. Delphox touched the soft quilt on the bed and could not help but sigh, "Del del, Del del~" This must be so comfortable to sleep on, right?
Hearing this, Ralts nimbly climbed onto the bed and started bouncing and jumping.
"Ralts, Ralts~" Mommy, Daddy, hehehe~~~ Fun, fun!
The three Pokémon, including Delphox, grew even more jealous. Their hearts were full of envy. The sentiment, "afraid your brother is having a hard time, but also afraid your brother is driving a Range Rover," perfectly described their current state of mind.
With the successive move-ins of Gardevoir's family and Litwick's family, a more vibrant atmosphere filled the Secret Fortress.
Soon, it was time for everyone to plant trees together. As the Pokémon worked, they gathered in small groups of two or three to chat. The most discussed topics were Litwick's hiring and the Employee Dormitories.
It was a pity that those who were planting trees were only considered Temporary Workers for Ange's home and could not move into the Employee Dormitories.
Because they hoped to be valued by Ange and thus live a life where they would not have to worry about food or shelter, the Pokémon worked even harder.
Time flew by and in the blink of an eye, it was deep winter. The Azoth Royal Capital welcomed its second snowfall of the season. This snow was even heavier than the last, and now the entire Azoth Royal Capital was covered in heavy snow.
Because of the extremely cold weather, several Stray Pokémon had recently gathered near the Munchlax Home. Because of this, many customers would pack up their leftovers after eating breakfast and give them to these Stray Pokémon.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Ange closed the door on time as usual. After all the guests had left, he walked out of the kitchen holding a pot.
Since the guests had done their part for the Stray Pokémon, he, the boss, could not do nothing.
Meowstic and Ralts saw this and followed him. They walked with Ange to a small alley not far away.
As for Sobble, it was not there. It did not like the cold Azoth Royal Capital, so it had returned to the Nebel Plateau earlier.
In the depths of the alley, there were several tattered cardboard boxes, covered in snow. Several Pokémon were hiding inside, shivering. There were two Oddish, two Paras, and two Shroomish.
Ange walked over and knocked on a cardboard box. Six Pokémon poked their heads out one after another and looked at Ange curiously.
Unlike the Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau, Stray Pokémon in the city were mostly unafraid of humans. Sometimes, they would even actively beg humans for food.
Ange took out a few plates and placed them on the ground. Then, he took out the warm bun and Mantou. "Here, eat quickly."
Oddish and the others gratefully thanked Ange, then began to wolf down the food. They were starving. Normally, Pokémon like Oddish could obtain nutrients by performing photosynthesis in the sun, but the current weather made that impossible for them.
As soon as the warm bun and Mantou entered their stomachs, the Pokémon immediately felt warm all over.
While the Pokémon were eating, Ange bought a small wooden house from the System Store. The wooden house was less than half a person tall, but it was enough to shelter Oddish and the others.
After placing the wooden house in the corner of the alley, Ange put a blanket inside. When the six Pokémon finished eating, Ange pointed to the wooden house and said to them,
"You can live there."
The Pokémon's eyes lit up when they saw the wooden house.
"Oddish, Oddish~" Really for us to live in?
Ange nodded. "Really. I hope you can safely get through this winter." Ange offered them his blessing.
"Oddish, Oddish~"
"Shroom, Shroom~"
"Paras, Paras~"
...
The six Pokémon all thanked Ange, then lined up and squeezed into the wooden house.
"Oddish~" It is so warm~
"Shroom~" Comfortable~ Comfortable~
"Paras~" Snuggle closer to me.
...
The six Pokémon squeezed together with narrowed eyes, letting out comfortable sighs.
"Then goodbye," Ange said, waving farewell to the six Pokémon.
The six Pokémon squeezed together, all poking their heads out of the wooden house. They said goodbye to Ange while thanking him.
Ange turned to leave and realized there was only Ralts left by his feet. He asked, "Where is Meowstic?"
"Ralts~"
Ralts shook its head. Its attention had been entirely on the six Pokémon just now, and it had not noticed when Meowstic disappeared.
Ange scanned the alley. After not finding Meowstic, he quickly walked outside. The snow under his feet crunched.
"Meowstic?" Ange called out from the alley entrance.
"Meow~"
Just then, Meowstic nervously walked out from a corner not far away. It was vaguely holding something in its arms.
Ange was relieved to see it. "Where did you run off to?" Then, he looked at what it was holding and asked, "What are you holding...?"
"Meow~ Meow~"
Meowstic quickly held up the little one in its arms. Only then did Ange clearly see it was a small Espurr. He was shocked. "Where did you get it?" As he spoke, he took Espurr from Meowstic's hands.
Espurr was ice-cold and had lost consciousness. Ange quickly placed it inside his shirt, not caring that it was still damp.
"Meow, Meow~"
Meowstic tried desperately to explain. Although Ange could not understand, he guessed what it meant.
"You found Espurr?"
Meowstic nodded vigorously.
Seeing Meowstic's worried face, Ange said, "Do not worry. I will take it to the Pokémon Center right now. With Nurse Joy's help, it will be fine."
Meowstic nodded and indicated that it wanted to go along.
"Then let us go quickly." Ange then bent down and picked up Ralts.
They rushed to the Pokémon Center as fast as they could.
Unbeknownst to Ange, a shadow appeared on the ceiling of the Munchlax Home right after they left. A Haunter floated out from it.
As usual, it used psychokinesis to clean the lobby, arranging the tables and chairs neatly. Then, it went to the kitchen to wash and scrub.
After doing all this, it walked to the trash can with anticipation. It stuck its head inside and rummaged around, but it did not find a single discarded bun or Mantou inside.
It abruptly pulled its head out of the trash can, its face full of disappointment.
(ó﹏ò)
With a sense of loss, Haunter merged back into the wall and disappeared.
Meanwhile, with Ange.
Due to the heavy snow, the Pokémon Center was not crowded when he arrived.
Seeing Ange, Nurse Joy said in surprise, "Prince Ange? What brings you here?" As she spoke, she walked up to him.
After the Royal Family's massive publicity, there were few people in Azoth who did not know Ange.
Ange quickly held Espurr out from his clothes. "Nurse Joy, please take a look at this Espurr."
Nurse Joy's face immediately became serious. She took Espurr from Ange's hands and summoned a Chansey. "Please leave it to me, Your Highness. Wait for a moment." After speaking, she rushed off with Espurr.
Ange took Ralts and Meowstic and found a place to sit in the Pokémon Center lobby.
Ralts, perched on Ange's shoulder, tugged at Ange's hair, its little face crumpled. "Ralts, Ralts~" Ange, it will be alright, right?
Ange looked at its worried face and knew it was concerned about Espurr. He patted its mushroom-shaped head and said, "Relax. Nurse Joy's medical skills are very good." He also patted the worried Meowstic. "Do not worry."
Meowstic nodded.
About half an hour later, Nurse Joy came out with Chansey. Ange quickly walked up to her and asked, "Nurse Joy, how is it?"
Nurse Joy replied with a smile, "Do not worry. It is fine. Espurr just fainted from hunger and the cold. There is no danger now. With a little more nutrition, it will quickly recover its health."
"That is good." Ange sighed in relief. "Can we go see it?"
Nurse Joy nodded. "Of course, go ahead. It should wake up soon."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy."
"You are welcome. This is my duty."
Ange, Meowstic, and Ralts gently pushed open the ward door. Espurr had just opened its eyes. It was about to get up, but Meowstic quickly ran over, tucked it back into the quilt, and gently re-covered it.
"Meow, Meow~"
After Meowstic spoke to it, Espurr finally lay down obediently.
"Espurr, are you hungry? Here, have something to eat." Before coming in, Ange had gone to the nearby Pokémon Store to buy some Pokémon Cookies. He had not brought any food with him, so he had to buy some.
Meowstic took the cookies Ange bought and fed them to Espurr one by one. Espurr ate in small bites. Although it was eating quickly, its movements were elegant and polite.
Because its body was still very weak, it fell into a deep sleep again after eating.
Meowstic stroked Espurr's forehead. Then, it turned around and gestured to Ange as it spoke.
"Meow, Meow~" Boss, can I take it home?
Ange instantly understood what it meant.
"Of course, you can. As long as you can take good care of it, you do not need to ask for my permission," Ange said.
Meowstic bowed gratefully to Ange. Then, it took off its little cotton jacket and wrapped Espurr inside.
"Then let us go home," Ange said.
In the lobby, Ange first went to settle the bill with Nurse Joy.
After paying, Ange turned to leave when Nurse Joy suddenly called out to him.
"Your Highness, wait a minute."
"What is it, Nurse Joy?" Ange turned around, puzzled.
Nurse Joy took a bag out from under the counter. "This is for you," she said, pushing the bag toward Ange. Inside was a bag full of Pokémon Food.
"This is..." Ange asked, looking at Nurse Joy in surprise.
"It is for Espurr," Nurse Joy said, winking playfully. "You found it, did you not, Your Highness?"
Ange nodded.
"If Your Highness can do something for it, why can't I?" Nurse Joy countered with a smile.
"Of course."
Ange picked up the bag of Pokémon Food and happily accepted Nurse Joy's kindness.
"Goodbye, Nurse Joy," Ange said, waving.
"Goodbye, Your Highness."
He then took the three Pokémon back to the Nebel Plateau.