"That child doesn't quite like lively occasions," Professor Turo said.
Ange fell into thought for a moment upon hearing this. He then gestured to Munchlax, who was gorging itself not far away. Munchlax froze for a second before grabbing a plate of cake in its left hand and a glass of juice in its right, trotting over to Ange as fast as its short legs could carry it.
Once it reached him, Ange pointed toward Arven and whispered a few words into its ear. Munchlax looked startled at first, but then it nodded confidently to Ange and dashed off toward Arven like a streak of light.
From a distance, the group saw Arven jump in surprise at Munchlax's sudden arrival. Munchlax stuffed the cake and juice into Arven's hands and went back to grab another portion for itself. When it returned, it whispered something unknown to Arven, causing the boy to suddenly burst into laughter. Before long, the two were playing together happily.
Seeing this, smiles finally appeared on the faces of Professor Sada and Professor Turo.
As expected of Munchlax, Ange thought to himself, no one can resist its cuteness!
"Prince Ange, thank you," Professor Sada said gratefully.
Professor Turo added, "Indeed. Ever since we left Paldea, Arven has been quite gloomy. This is the first time he has looked this happy."
"It was nothing," Ange replied with a smile. "However, although you both are busy with work, you should still find time to spend with your child. Children are like Pokémon; without the company of their Trainers (parents), they will feel lonely."
The two professors were taken aback, falling into a contemplative silence.
"Prince Ange is right," Professor Sada said sincerely. "We are usually so busy with work... we really spend very little time with Arven."
"Yes," Professor Turo added, his face clouded with guilt.
Suddenly, someone gasped behind Ange. "Prince Ange? You came to the banquet too!"
Ange turned around to see a burly man holding a Lechonk, looking at him with surprise.
"Mr. Nasir?" Ange was equally surprised.
"Prince Ange, Mr. Nasir, do you two know each other?" Professor Turo asked.
"Mr. Nasir is a customer at my shop," Ange explained with a smile.
Only then did Professor Sada and Professor Turo recall the rumors about Ange; it seemed this Prince had indeed opened an eatery.
"That's right, that's right!" Nasir nodded vigorously. "The buns and mantou at Prince Ange's shop are truly delicious." He wore a look of deep reminiscence.
Lechonk followed Nasir's lead, nodding with an identical expression.
"Your Highness, won't you reconsider accepting my investment?" Nasir proposed once again.
Ange shook his head. "I am sorry, Mr. Nasir."
"What a pity," Nasir said, looking disappointed.
Professor Sada and Professor Turo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Mr. Nasir, you are the same as ever, looking to invest everywhere."
Through the professors' introduction, Ange learned that Mr. Nasir was actually the primary investor for the research collaboration between the professors and the Kingdom of Azoth.
He really is wealthy, Ange marveled internally. Without immense funds, one could not support scientific research of this caliber.
"By the way!" Ange said suddenly. "May I know what project you and Azoth are collaborating on?"
"Of course," Professor Sada nodded with a smile.
Professor Turo followed up. "We are studying the ecology of the Great Crater of Paldea."
The Great Crater of Paldea is located at the center of the Paldea region. It formed over a million years ago, and due to its treacherous terrain, countless explorers failed to enter it for ages. It was only in recent years, as the League developed the Crater and established observation stations within, that people were finally able to enter.
Even so, the League has only developed the exterior; the interior of the Crater remains shrouded in mystery. Furthermore, the Great Crater is currently off-limits to the public, restricted only to authorized researchers. Professor Sada and Professor Turo are the lead scientists presiding over the study of the Crater.
The Terastallizing phenomenon, which recently emerged in the Paldea region, is also a primary subject of their research. The professors came to the Azoth Kingdom specifically to seek further exploration of the Crater through collaboration with the experts of Mystery Science.
As Ange, the two professors, Lila, and Edward conversed about the collaboration, a commotion suddenly broke out nearby.
"What happened?" Ange asked curiously.
"The scheduled battle performance should be starting now," Professor Sada explained.
"A battle performance?" Ange asked.
"Yes," Lila explained. "The professors brought the Terastallizing phenomenon unique to Paldea. We arranged this exhibition so the Trainers of Azoth could witness what Terastallizing is like."
"I see!" Ange realized.
The crowd in the banquet hall began to flow like a tide toward another area.
"Would Your Highness like to come and see?" Professor Sada invited.
"Of course!" Ange agreed readily. He truly wanted to witness Terastallizing with his own eyes.
"Your Majesty, Princess, Mr. Nasir, let us go together then," Professor Turo said, looking at Edward and Lila.
"Naturally," Edward replied. "Let us go."
The group arrived at a battle court prepared by the Royal Family. When they entered, two people were already battling in the arena.
The combatants were a boy and a girl, both looking about fifteen or sixteen years old. The boy was using Fuecoco, one of the Paldea starter Pokémon, while the girl used a Clefairy bred by the Azoth Royal Family.
Lila introduced them to Ange. "The boy using Fuecoco is Grant, a student from Naranja Academy in Paldea. The one using Clefairy is Stella from our Royal Trainer Academy. She is also a candidate for the Royal Guard."
The Azoth Royal Family had its own specialized Trainer Academy, and most graduates went on to hold various positions within the kingdom. After the introduction, Ange nodded and refocused on the match.
"Fuecoco, use Flamethrower!" Grant shouted.
Following his command, Fuecoco opened its mouth and exhaled a pillar of fire toward Clefairy. Clefairy did not dodge; instead, under Stella's command, it used Light Screen. The fire slammed into the shimmering wall, shattering into sparks that flew in all directions. Clefairy took very little damage.
Grant wanted to press the attack, but Stella's reaction speed was faster.
"Clefairy, use Sweet Kiss."
Clefairy placed its finger to its lips and blew a kiss forward. Several purple hearts quickly drifted toward Fuecoco.
"Fuecoco, dodge it!" Grant yelled.
But whether Fuecoco ran left or right, the hearts followed. Finally, unable to control itself, it crashed into one of the hearts. It began to wobble as if drunk, unable to stand straight. Sweet Kiss had successfully confused the opponent.
Cheers erupted from the Azoth side, while Grant's classmates looked a bit grim. Even though it was a friendly exhibition, both Azoth and Naranja Academy had their pride to maintain.
Trapped in confusion, Fuecoco began attacking itself. Before long, it had beaten itself black and blue, ignoring Grant's desperate calls. Stella did not miss this golden opportunity.
"Clefairy, use Water Pulse."
"Cle~~"
Clefairy responded, condensing a sphere of water in its hands and hurling it at Fuecoco. With a cry of pain, Fuecoco was sent flying. A Water-type move against a Fire-type Pokémon—it was super effective!
The Azoth side cheered loudly once more.
"It seems our students from Naranja Academy still have much to learn," Professor Sada praised.
Edward stroked his mustache with a chuckle. "A fluke, purely a fluke!"
Ange: ... Lila: ...
Please, if you're going to say that, don't grin so widely.
Fuecoco finally recovered from its confusion. Grant looked at his scarred Pokémon and knew it was time to reveal his trump card. A purple orb suddenly appeared in his hand. He threw it toward Fuecoco, and a massive amount of unknown energy surged out, surrounding the Pokémon.
Fuecoco's appearance changed drastically. Its body became encased in shimmering, gemstone-like light, and a strange decoration resembling a candelabra appeared atop its head. Gasps of shock filled the Azoth side.
"This is Terastallizing," Professor Turo explained to Ange. "A special phenomenon that boosts a Pokémon's power."
The two professors then explained the mechanics of the phenomenon. Terastallizing requires a special item called a Tera Orb, which stores Tera energy. Once the energy is used, the orb must be recharged using Tera Crystals—special stones that seep out from the ground in Paldea. These crystals are found in great abundance within the Great Crater.
When a Pokémon Terastallizinglizes, its type changes to its Tera Type. The original Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) remains, and moves matching the Tera Type receive an additional boost. If the Tera Type matches one of the Pokémon's original types, the power increase can reach a terrifying two-fold boost.
"Grant is using Tera Fire, which matches Fuecoco's original type," Professor Turo explained. "So, Fuecoco's Fire-type moves will now deal double damage."
Lila and Edward were enlightened. "That is indeed powerful."
"Fuecoco, use Flamethrower!" Grant commanded.
A pillar of fire, much thicker than before, surged toward Clefairy. Despite the weakening effect of Light Screen, the flames completely engulfed Clefairy. When the fire dissipated, Clefairy had fainted.
"Clefairy!" Stella cried out, running onto the field to scoop up her Pokémon with a worried expression.
"Grant wins!" the referee announced.
The Naranja Academy students cheered. The Azoth side couldn't help but grumble internally: What's so great about that? If not for Terastallizing, who knows who would have won!
Several more matches followed. Because the Naranja students had mastered Terastallizing, Azoth lost more than they won. The smile completely vanished from Edward's face, while the professors were beaming.
"How is it?" Professor Sada said with some pride. "Our Paldean Terastallizing is quite something, isn't it?"
"It is indeed impressive," Edward said through gritted teeth.
Soon, new opponents took the field. Naranja Academy sent out Nate, a second-year student, while Azoth sent out Angel, the son of the Minister of Finance. Lila whispered the details of the match into Ange's ear.
As the battle began, Nate sent out a Bellibolt. Angel, on the other hand, sent out... a Beedrill?
Seeing Beedrill, the Naranja students whispered among themselves, seemingly certain that Nate would win.
"Bellibolt, use Thundershock!"
Blue electricity crackled over Bellibolt's body and shot toward Beedrill like a snake. Just as everyone thought Beedrill would be hit, the Pokémon blurred and vanished. When it reappeared, it was already behind Bellibolt.
So fast! Nate gasped and shouted, "Bellibolt, behind you! Dodge it!"
But it was too late.
"Beedrill, use Fury Cutter!" Angel commanded.
Beedrill swung its twin needles, striking Bellibolt repeatedly. Bellibolt cried out as it was sent skidding across the ground. Bellibolt's Electromorphosis ability triggered, entering a Charged state to boost its next Electric move.
As Bellibolt climbed back up, sparks flickered on its skin. "Bellibolt, use Electroweb!" Nate shouted.
Beedrill's strength was its speed, and Electroweb could lower that speed—provided it hit. However, Bellibolt failed to catch Beedrill even after several attempts. Even with the power boost from its ability, a move that doesn't hit is useless.
"Beedrill, Fury Cutter!"
Bellibolt was knocked back once more. The Naranja students frowned, finally realizing this Beedrill was no ordinary opponent. Looking at his battered Pokémon, Nate grit his teeth and decided to use Terastallizing. A purple Tera Orb appeared in his hand.
Energy swirled around Bellibolt as it Terastallizinglized, its body encased in gems and a lightbulb-like crown appearing on its head. Facing the shimmering Bellibolt, Angel spoke meaningfully.
"Don't think you're the only ones with a trump card!"