"Do you two know me?" Ange asked with a look of surprise.
"We are currently guests at the Azoth Palace," Professor Sada replied. "We have heard some rumors regarding Your Highness."
"I see," Ange said, breaking into a small laugh.
The rumors about him were likely nothing more than his five-hundred-year slumber or him being Queen Anna's brother. He suddenly realized something; when Lila mentioned previously that the Azoth research team was collaborating with a team from Paldea, she must have been referring to Professor Sada and Professor Turo!
"Will Your Highness also be attending tomorrow's banquet?" Professor Sada asked.
Ange nodded. "Indeed. That is why I came out on such short notice to purchase formal wear."
"What a coincidence," Professor Turo added with a smile. "Our family is here for the same reason."
Professor Sada originally had much more she wanted to discuss with Ange. However, remembering that they would be attending the banquet together meant there would be plenty of opportunities later. After glancing at Diancie, she spoke:
"Your Highness, let us meet at the banquet tomorrow evening then."
"Very well," Ange nodded. "I will see you tomorrow evening. It was a pleasure to meet you both."
"The pleasure was ours, Your Highness," Professor Turo replied.
With that, Ange and the Professors' family went their separate ways.
After returning home, the group took their new clothes back to their respective rooms before beginning their work for the afternoon. He and Diancie went to the riverbank first. Having finished planting the Pecha and Oran Berry trees yesterday, today's task involved the Rawst and Cheri Berry trees.
After distributing the pre-purchased saplings to the Pokémon, Ange planned to take Munchlax and Drizzile back home. Seeing Meowstic helping everyone from a distance, Ange waved his hand and shouted, "Meowstic!!!"
Meowstic turned its head in confusion.
"Can you come over and help with something?" Ange continued to shout.
Meowstic nodded and quickly ran toward Ange. Seeing this, Espurr followed closely behind; it was practically inseparable from Meowstic.
Once the two Pokémon reached his side, Ange said to them, "I am going to build a house for Gogoat and Skiddo. Can I ask for your help?"
"Meow meow~"
"Meow meow~"
The two Pokémon naturally nodded without hesitation.
"Great, let's go then."
Ange led them back to the Secret Fortress. He used the System Backpack to store all the wooden planks from the warehouse and carried them to the two largest trees on the northern side of the grassland. Ange and the Gogoat had already agreed to build the wooden house here.
After taking out the planks and stacking them to the side, Ange sent Drizzile to the vegetable garden to call the Dugtrio brothers over. Building a house required digging a foundation, a task Ange couldn't handle himself. It was better left to professionals like the Dugtrio brothers.
Once the Dugtrio brothers arrived, Ange explained the requirements in detail. "I'll leave it to you then!"
"Dug dug~"
"Dug dug~"
The Dugtrio brothers nodded and dived into the soil according to Ange's instructions. The ground quickly rose up, and before long, the foundation had been excavated.
Ange had Meowstic use its psychic powers to bring over large boulders, which it then used to smash down into the foundation dug by the Dugtrio. This step was to tamp down and solidify the ground. Finally, Ange, Munchlax, and the others carried the planks into the foundation, using hammers and nails to assemble the structure.
Of course, the main force behind the labor was Robert 1.
It wasn't until evening that they managed to finish half of the wooden house; the roof portion had yet to be installed. Fortunately, Meowstic and Espurr had used their psychic powers to assist, otherwise Ange and his group might not have even finished this much.
At dinner time, the other Pokémon sat outside around the table Ange's group had built, their laughter and chatter never-ending. Inside the house, Ange's family of five sat down to eat, equally full of talk and laughter.
While eating, Ange suddenly noticed Munchlax set down its bowl. "Hmm? Munchlax, why are you eating so little?" he asked in confusion. This wasn't even half of its usual portion!
"Munch munch~" I want to lose weight.
Munchlax pinched the fat on its belly, speaking with a bitter face.
"Huh?" Ange was stunned. Was there any need for a Munchlax to lose weight? More importantly, hearing those words come out of Munchlax's mouth was a miracle in itself.
"Munch munch~" I want to wear the same clothes as Teacher, but I don't want Teacher to have to accommodate me.
Munchlax lowered its head, twiddling its two fingers together.
Munchlax might be simple, but it wasn't stupid. It had been very happy at first when Ange bought the matching outfit, but after returning, it slowly realized that its teacher was making concessions for it.
After Diancie helped translate, Ange couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart. While one-sided giving could provide self-satisfaction, a mutual connection of hearts was what made a relationship truly healthy and normal.
Ange helplessly rubbed the top of its head. "You... don't overthink it. I actually like your soft and squishy appearance. So... eat as much as you want. Don't hold back."
There was no such thing as "eating too much being bad" for Munchlax or Snorlax.
"Munch~" Really?
Munchlax looked at Ange in surprise.
"Of course," Ange nodded. "If you really want to lose weight, shall we use another method? Like exercise?"
Munchlax looked even happier upon hearing this.
"Munch munch~" Exercise! Exercise!
Between dieting and exercise, Munchlax naturally chose exercise without a second thought!
Ange pinched its face affectionately. "Then we will set aside some time for exercise from now on."
Exercising more was always a good thing.
With Ange's encouragement, Munchlax picked up its rice bowl again and began to eat heartily. Looking at the satisfied Munchlax, a smile unconsciously appeared on Ange's face. Sensing its teacher was watching, Munchlax held its bowl and looked up at Ange with a silly grin, a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of its mouth.
"You little rascal..."
Ange helplessly removed the grain of rice for Munchlax as it continued to feast.
Early the next morning, Ange woke up earlier than usual and knocked on Munchlax's door.
"Munchlax! Munchlax!"
After calling several times without a response, Ange had no choice but to push the door open. He was immediately met with the sound of loud snoring. Munchlax was lying sprawled out on the floor, clutching a cushion identical to Ange's, with the quilt half on the bed and half on the floor.
Ange walked over, tossed the quilt back onto the bed, and nudged Munchlax. "Munchlax, time to get up!"
"Munch~~~" Munchlax smacked its lips and rolled over forcefully, hugging the pillow even tighter.
Ange shouted, "Breakfast is ready! We have Braised Fish!" Munchlax loved eating fish.
"Munch~~" Fish? Braised Fish? Where is the Braised Fish?
Munchlax sat up flexibly. It didn't even open its eyes, but its hands were already fumbling around in the air.
"Munchlax, didn't you say you were going to exercise and lose weight with me?" Ange asked.
"Munch!" Right, weight loss!
Hearing this, Munchlax's eyes snapped open, and it bounced off the floor like a spring. It clearly took the matter to heart.
After washing up, Ange and Munchlax stepped out of the room together. At that moment, Drizzile had also just woken up, so the morning running team became a trio of master and disciples.
To make the workout more effective, Ange specifically bought weighted equipment for himself and his two disciples. Munchlax carried the heaviest load, Ange was second, and Drizzile was the lightest.
Ange's group weren't the only ones awake in the early morning. Aron, Drilbur, Croconaw, Quilladin, and the two Farfetch'd were up even earlier. They had been practicing battles since before dawn, their shouts echoing across the open grassland!
"Good morning, everyone!" Ange waved and called out to the Pokémon from a distance.
"Aron~"
"Croco croco~"
The Pokémon stopped what they were doing to greet Ange and the others. Seeing Ange's group running, the Pokémon stopped their training and asked to join. Thus, Ange bought more weighted gear for them to wear.
This equipment was quite cheap anyway.
For a period of time following this, Ange would lead Munchlax and Drizzile on a run every morning, accompanied by Aron, Drilbur, and the others.
After returning from a vigorous run and taking a shower, they began another busy day.
The day flashed by. In the evening, Ange descended at the palace gates riding on Honchkrow. He then found a secluded corner to summon Diancie, Munchlax, Drizzile, and Komala to his side. By this time, both Ange and the Pokémon were fully dressed in formal attire.
"Alright, let's go." Ange led the Pokémon toward the palace gates.
Upon seeing Ange, the guards at the palace entrance immediately bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness!"
Ange smiled and nodded to them.
"Your Highness, over here!"
Ange saw Fiona jogging toward them.
"Fiona!" Ange waved at her.
Fiona was also dressed beautifully today. She ran to Ange's side, slightly out of breath. "Your Highness, please follow me."
Ange nodded and followed Fiona toward the banquet hall. Soon, he was led into a room where rows of maids stood, each holding a stack of clothes.
"This is..." Ange asked, looking at Fiona.
"Your formal attire, of course!" Fiona replied.
Ange: ...
It turned out the Royal Family had prepared everything! Then why did he go through the trouble of visiting the clothing store? Furthermore, they had spent a long time getting dressed at home before coming out.
Well, it was all for nothing!
"Quickly, change His Highness into his clothes," Fiona said to the maids.
"Yes!" the maids answered in unison, swarming around Ange and the Pokémon.
It appeared the Royal Family had not only prepared Ange's attire but also portions for the Pokémon. Even Honchkrow was decorated by the maids with some temporary ornaments.
Soon, Ange was dressed in the signature formal wear of the Azoth Royal Family: a white suit with light blue and light gold stripes, a blue bowtie, and white leather shoes. Komala, Munchlax, and Drizzile were dressed almost identically to Ange, while Diancie changed into a blue and white gauze dress with a light blue bow on her head.
Honchkrow had a blue rose pinned to its hat, a blue bowtie around its neck, and two vintage anklets adorned with gems on its right leg. It seemed to love its sparkling appearance.
Just as Ange and the others finished changing, the door opened and Romeo poked his head in. "Your Highness?"
"Romeo?" Ange said happily. "Come in. Were you waiting specifically for me?"
Romeo nodded. "Mhm. I wanted to enter the venue with Your Highness."
Romeo wore a small blue suit with white and light gold stripes and a white bowtie, the exact inverse of Ange's color scheme. The Azoth Royal Family's clothing colors had always been limited to blue, white, and gold.
"Then let's go," Ange said.
"Mhm."
Romeo and the Pokémon followed behind Ange as Fiona led them to the banquet hall.
When they arrived, the hall was already packed with foreign guests, ministers, maids, and waiters. Under the magnificent lights, people were mingling and clinking glasses. Ange scanned the hall and quickly found Alva and Lila chatting with two people. Those two were Professor Sada and Professor Turo, whom Ange had met yesterday.
Ange glanced at Munchlax and saw it was already drooling over the tables full of gourmet food. He patted the back of its head and said to the Pokémon:
"You guys go ahead and enjoy yourselves."
Munchlax and Drizzile cheered instantly upon hearing this.
Ange quickly warned them, "Don't cause trouble and don't wander off."
"Munch~"
"Driz~"
Munchlax and Drizzile quickly agreed.
Ange couldn't help but nag again, "And Munchlax, exercise some restraint when you eat. Don't eat all the food by yourself."
"Munch~~"
Munchlax scratched its head bashfully.
Ange stroked the Komala in Munchlax's arms. "Komala, please keep an eye on those two."
It was unclear if Komala understood, as it merely rolled over in Munchlax's arms. Helpless, Ange made the request to Honchkrow again. Honchkrow nodded confidently, guaranteeing it would complete the mission.
After watching Munchlax and the others leave, Ange saw Lila waving to him, so he walked over with Romeo and Diancie. Professor Sada and Professor Turo were very happy to see him.
"Prince Ange, we meet again," Professor Sada said. "And Diancie as well."
Diancie politely lifted her skirt and performed a bow to the Professors.
"Ms. Sada, Mr. Turo, greetings."
Seeing that Diancie could use Telepathy, the two Professors looked at each other with expressions of surprise.
"Good evening, Ms. Sada, Mr. Turo. It is a pleasure to meet again," Ange greeted them.
Lila asked in surprise, "Professors, you know His Highness?"
"We met by chance in the Royal Capital yesterday," Professor Sada explained.
Edward, standing nearby, laughed loudly. "Then the Professors truly have a connection with our Azoth!"
Ange looked around the Professors and asked curiously, "Did Arven not come?"
Professor Sada smiled and pointed to a child sitting on a chair nearby eating pastries. "He's here! Over there!"
Ange followed her gaze and saw Arven sitting on the chair, looking bored, with a drowsy Mabosstiff lying at his feet.