After chatting about Ash for a while, the two began discussing how to practice and cultivate their Aura Power.
Of course, Riley did almost all of the talking while Ange listened; Riley taught while Ange learned.
Ange had awakened his Aura accidentally through the system, and the methods taught by the system mostly involved using Aura to cook, with no other practical applications. As a result, Ange had always had to figure things out on his own.
Riley, on the other hand, was different. He was a natural Aura Guardian with a rich family heritage; nearly every generation of his family had produced Aura Guardians, though now he was the only one left.
Because of this, Riley's family had long since developed the cultivation and application of Aura to the ultimate level, complete with systematic methods.
One could say that when it came to using Aura, Riley was even stronger than Lucario, who possessed Aura Power from birth. Knowing how to use Aura to attack, defend, and investigate were all among Riley's specialties.
During his conversation with Ange, Riley held back almost nothing.
Since they might be the last two Aura Guardians left in the world, Riley hoped that the legacy of the Aura Guardians could continue rather than vanish completely.
This was also why, immediately after discovering that Ange possessed Aura Power, he had chosen to follow along.
As time passed, the sun climbed directly overhead. Ange was so engrossed in learning under Riley's guidance that he benefited immensely.
Just then, Gallade's stomach suddenly rumbled loudly.
Only then did Ange realize it was already midday.
Hearing the commotion, Riley smiled and said, "It's already this time, let's go eat lunch first!"
Aura knowledge was vast and profound, and in just a single morning, Riley could only teach Ange the basics, so there was no need to rush.
Upon hearing this, Ange had a sudden flash of inspiration and said, "How about I treat you to lunch, Mr. Riley? I'll cook it myself!"
Startled for a moment, Riley quickly agreed with a bright smile, "Alright, looks like I'm in for a real treat today!"
Riley wasn't surprised that Ange knew how to cook. After learning yesterday that Ange was a member of the Azoth royal family, he had gone back and looked up Ange's identity information online.
Not only did he learn from the internet that Ange ran an immensely popular restaurant in the Azoth Royal Capital, but he also discovered that Ange had been asleep for five hundred years.
"Let's head out then!" Ange said happily.
With that, Ange made a quick phone call back to Olympia to ask if he could bring a friend back to the Gym.
Naturally, Olympia didn't mind such a small matter and readily agreed.
Bringing Riley back to the Anistar Gym, Ange borrowed the Gym's kitchen and immediately set to work.
Ange carried a wealth of fresh ingredients with him, including pork, beef, and mutton raised on his own property, vegetables and mushrooms he had grown, as well as fish, shrimp, and crabs he farmed.
After he took out the ingredients, Gardevoir and Gallade helped prep and wash the vegetables, Doublade took charge of slicing and seasoning, and Ange simply focused on stir-frying.
Everyone had clear divisions of labor, which made things highly efficient.
As time passed, a rich, savory aroma began drifting out of the kitchen.
Down in the cafeteria, many Gym apprentices were already dining, greedily inhaling the scent lingering in the air.
"What delicious food is Lorele cooking today? Why does it smell so good?"
Lorele was the name of the head chef at the Anistar Gym's cafeteria.
"Yeah, such a unique fragrance, completely different from usual. Did Lorele research a new dish?"
"Let's hurry up and get our food, I can't wait to taste the new dish!"
...
And so, the apprentices ran eagerly to get their meals.
However, when they reached the serving counter, the food inside looked identical to any other day.
Confused, someone asked the cafeteria worker, "Ma'am, why are the dishes still the same today?"
The worker rolled her eyes and replied, "What else would they be? Hoping to eat swan meat?"
The apprentices were left momentarily speechless.
"But..." someone stammered, "we clearly... smelled a different aroma. Wasn't it Mr. Lorele who developed a new dish?"
"Oh~~ you mean that..." Hearing this, the worker unconsciously swallowed her own saliva, maintaining a stern expression as she said, "Don't even think about it. That's Mr. Ange cooking. You expect Mr. Ange to cook for you? Keep dreaming!"
Mr. Ange was an honored guest of the Gym!
"Ah? Why like this?" The apprentices were deeply disappointed.
Just then, Gardevoir and Gallade walked out carrying trays filled with aromatic, mouth-watering dishes.
Scallion-braised beef, braised mutton, sweet and sour pork ribs, roasted pork belly, stir-fried diced chicken with fermented black beans and chili, stir-fried water bamboo with shredded pork, tomato mushroom and tofu soup...
In no time at all, the entire table was packed.
The apprentices could only watch as the rich aroma in the air drilled straight into their noses. Glancing down at their own plain meals, they suddenly lost their appetite.
This was pure torture.
Comparison was the thief of joy; usually, they didn't think their food was bad at all, but today everything felt completely unappealing.
When Olympia arrived at the cafeteria, this was the scene that greeted her: apprentices sighing despondently.
"Gym Leader..." Seeing the Gym Leader arrive, the apprentices looked up with teary eyes, and one of them pointed toward the table in the corner, saying, "We want to eat that too..."
Olympia smiled and said, "I can't make decisions about that."
Then, amidst the envious gazes of the apprentices, she walked straight over to the table and sat down.
Apprentices: Waaah~~~ The Gym Leader is eating all the good food by herself!
Since Ange had invited Riley to lunch, he naturally wouldn't leave out the mistress of the Gym, Ms. Olympia.
Once Olympia sat down, she smilingly greeted Riley, who sat across from her.
"Hello, welcome as a guest to the Anistar Gym. I am the Gym Leader, Olympia."
Riley replied, "You're too kind, Ms. Olympia. It is my honor to visit the Anistar Gym!"
As the two exchanged pleasantries, Ange walked over carrying the final dish.
"All the dishes are ready, dig in!"
Hearing this, Riley remarked, "Fantastic! Waiting was absolute torture!"
He hadn't been particularly hungry at first, but smelling the aroma wafting from those dishes had long since stirred up his appetite.
Prompted by Ange, Riley and Olympia eagerly dug in.
Olympia and Riley's Pokémon were also tended to by Gardevoir and Gallade, eating with immense enthusiasm.
Aside from Lucario, Riley's Pokémon included Absol, Salamence, Metagross, and Ursaring.
Ange asked, "Would the two of you care for a drink to liven things up?"
Riley answered, "Sure!"
Ms. Olympia didn't usually drink alcohol, but seeing Ange and Riley's high spirits, she didn't want to dampen the mood, so she nodded along.
Ange followed up, "What kind of wine would you two like? White wine, red wine, fruit wine? Fruit juice is fine too."
After a moment's thought, Riley replied, "Red wine!"
Ms. Olympia said, "I'll have fruit wine!"
"No problem!" With that, Ange picked up his spatial backpack and made a show of pulling out three bottles of wine (which were actually retrieved from his system backpack).
The red wine intended for Riley possessed a rose-red liquid that shimmered with an alluring luster once poured into the goblet.
The fruit wine for Ms. Olympia featured a golden liquid identical to a Pinap Berry; when poured into the glass, a refreshing fruity fragrance drifted forth.
As for the white liquor Ange drank himself, the moment the cork was popped, a mellow, lingering fragrance filled the air.
"Let's toast!" Ange said.
"Cheers!"
Riley and Ms. Olympia nodded simultaneously.
With that, the three of them raised their glasses—Riley held a goblet, Ms. Olympia held a glass tumbler, and Ange held a small porcelain cup. The three distinct styles of cups looked completely mismatched, yet it did nothing to dampen their spirits.
"Friends visiting from afar, what a joy it is."
"Wonderful wine!" The moment the red wine hit his stomach, Riley let out an exclamation of amazement, his eyes sparkling.
Ms. Olympia also looked surprised; she hadn't expected the wine to taste this exquisite!
Ange smiled, "As long as you both like it!"
Riley asked, "Ange, where did you buy this wine?"
Ms. Olympia looked at Ange with considerable interest as well. Although she didn't usually drink, she felt that savoring a wine of this quality and flavor was an absolute treat on occasion.
Ange replied, "You can't buy this outside; I brew it all myself."
Riley looked astonished, "I never expected not only your culinary skills to be extraordinary, but your winemaking talents to be so exceptional as well!"
Hearing this, Ange hurriedly waved his hands. "I don't know how to make wine; this wasn't brewed by me, but by the Passimian at my place."
Listening to Riley's praise, a hint of pride crept into Ange's tone.
How could Ange not feel happy when his own Pokémon were praised?
Riley and Ms. Olympia grew even more astonished upon hearing this. To think it was brewed by a Pokémon—how incredible!
Ms. Olympia couldn't help remarking, "Pokémon truly are creatures of infinite possibilities!"
"Indeed!" Ange and Riley nodded in agreement.
The three of them exchanged drinks, and by the time lunch concluded, both Ange and Riley felt slightly buzzed.
The fruit wine had the lowest alcohol content, and Ms. Olympia's alcohol tolerance turned out to be unexpectedly high, leaving her looking completely unblushed and calm.
Later, under Olympia's arrangements, Ange and Riley took a brief midday nap in the Gym's guest rooms.
Around 2:00 PM, Ange woke up.
Riley had woken up even earlier than Ange. Ange found him in the Gym's battle field, where he was sparring with Ms. Olympia.
Ms. Olympia was using Espeon, while Riley was using Salamence.
Riley possessed formidable strength, and Ms. Olympia proved no match for him. By the time Ange arrived, Espeon had just been defeated by Salamence's Crunch.
Seeing Ange approach, Riley recalled his Pokémon, while Ms. Olympia handed Espeon over to an apprentice to be taken for treatment.
Both of them greeted Ange warmly.
Shortly after, Riley bid farewell to Ange.
"Leaving already?" Ange asked.
Riley nodded. In truth, Anistar City was never his original destination; if he hadn't crossed paths with Ange, he wouldn't have gotten off the train there at all.
"Let's stay in touch by phone!"
Ange nodded, "Alright, let's keep in touch!"
He still wanted to learn more about Aura from Mr. Riley!
With that thought in mind, Ange said, "Before we part ways, I have a gift for you, Mr. Riley."
"A gift?" Riley asked with a puzzled look, "What is it?"
Ange lowered his head to rummage through his spatial backpack, pulling out two items shortly after.
The first was a large cardboard box. When Ange opened it, it revealed three bottles of red wine in different colors and flavors.
Riley looked pleasantly surprised, "It seems I have no choice but to accept this gift."
Ange smiled, "I knew you'd like it."
Taking the red wine handed over by Ange, Riley pointed to another palm-sized brocade box in Ange's hand and asked, "And what is this?"
Ange smiled as he opened it, leaving Riley instantly dazzled by the contents.
Ms. Olympia let out a soft chuckle upon seeing what was inside.
Neatly resting in the brocade box was a large pink diamond.
"This is far too precious, I can't accept it!" Riley hurriedly waved his hands in refusal.
Ms. Olympia advised, "You might as well accept it. To Ange, this sort of thing is nothing—he has plenty of them."
Riley blinked in confusion, "Are you saying this is fake?"
Ms. Olympia replied, "Not at all, this is a genuine treasure!"
"Then..." Riley was utterly baffled.
If it was real, how could Ange have plenty of them? Did Ange own a diamond mine?
Watching Riley's bewildered expression, Ms. Olympia explained the origin of the diamond.
Upon hearing the explanation, Riley gazed at the pink diamond in astonishment.
He hadn't expected Ange to own a Diancie, which meant that to a certain extent, this diamond was even more precious than ordinary ones.
After all, it was a diamond created by a Mythical Pokémon! One of a kind, with no substitutes anywhere!
Ms. Olympia added, "Not only do you have one, but I have one too! I imagine you and I are probably not the only two people he has given diamonds to!"
With that, she cast a teasing look at Ange.
"Hehe~~" Ange rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Nothing gets past Ms. Olympia after all."
Riley wasn't someone who liked to fuss over formalities. After hearing Ms. Olympia's words, he cheerfully accepted, "Then I won't stand on ceremony! May our friendship be as enduring as a diamond!"
This phrase was a common idiom in the Pokémon world, widely used to describe the preciousness of friendship, and it had a counterpart saying:
"May our friendship be as enduring as a pearl."
"May our friendship be as enduring as a diamond!" Ange nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Riley also pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Ange.
It was a disc.
"This is my gift to you!"
"This is..." Ange recognized it as a Technical Machine disc, though he wasn't sure which move it contained.
Riley introduced it, "This is the TM for the Steel-type move Steel Beam."
Hearing this, Ange looked surprised. Steel Beam was a powerful Steel-type signature move with a base power of 140, with the drawback that the user suffered recoil damage.
His Metagross, Magearna, and Doublade could all learn this move.
Of course, Metagross excelled in physical attack, while Steel Beam was a Special attack move, making it less compatible than it was for Magearna and Doublade.
"Then I'll gladly accept it!" Ange readily took the disc.
Since Riley had accepted his gift so generously, there was certainly no need for him to act overly modest.
After saying their goodbyes, Ange and Ms. Olympia escorted Riley out of the Gym and watched him depart.