The following afternoon, Ange leisurely patrolled his territory and business with Munchlax, Drizzile, and Haunter. While passing through the apple orchard, he suddenly spotted a splash of delicate pink on a branch.
"That is..."
Ange hurriedly ran over to check. He saw clusters of red and white buds dotting the branches and said with delight, "The apple trees are blooming!"
"Munch munch~" I want to see! I want to see!
Munchlax squeezed over impatiently, standing on its tiptoes to peer at the branches. Once it saw the tiny buds, it asked Ange excitedly:
"Munch munch~" Master, are we going to have apples to eat very soon?
"Yes," Ange replied, rubbing its head. "It seems our fertilizer wasn't applied in vain."
The fertilizer recipe rewarded by the System was indeed effective!
"Haunt haunt~" Are apples delicious?
Haunter drifted over and asked curiously. It had never eaten an apple before.
"Munch munch~" They must be incredibly delicious, right, Master?
Munchlax looked at Ange with anticipation. It hadn't eaten one either, but since its Master planted them, they were bound to be good.
"Driz driz~" I know, I know! I've eaten apples!
Drizzile raised its hand and spoke. It was originally Grandfather Siebold's Pokémon, and since Siebold was an excellent chef, there was no way he would let Drizzile go without tasting an apple.
Upon hearing this, Munchlax and Haunter immediately crowded around Drizzile, asking what an apple actually tasted like.
Drizzile described the fruit to its senior and junior with vivid, exaggerated expressions, as if it weren't talking about an apple but some world-shaking delicacy. Its description made Munchlax and Haunter drool, their eyes filling with expectation as they looked at the buds.
Ange didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he tapped Drizzile's forehead. "You're being far too dramatic." He then looked at Haunter and Munchlax. "When the trees bear fruit, I'll make sure you guys are the first to taste them."
"Munch~"
"Haunt~"
Munchlax and Haunter were overjoyed.
Just then, a flock of Vivillon flew through the air. Ange waved to them, and a Vivillon with a Poké Ball Pattern descended from the sky, landing on Ange's arm.
The patterns on different Vivillon varied. According to current observations by Pokémon scholars, there were 20 known patterns.
These were the Garden, Snow, Tundra, Continental, Garden, Elegant, Icy Snow, Modern, Marine, Archipelago, High Plains, Sandstorm, River, Monsoon, Savanna, Sun, Ocean, Jungle, Fancy, and Poké Ball Patterns.
A Vivillon's pattern was primarily influenced by the climate and landscape of its birthplace. For instance, those born in polar regions possessed the Icy Snow Pattern, those in areas with heavy snowfall had the Snow Pattern, and those in places with eternal summer had the Ocean Pattern.
Among the Vivillon on the Nebel Plateau, there were the Garden, Continental, Garden, Elegant, River, Sun, and Poké Ball Patterns.
The Garden Pattern Vivillon were born in places where flowers bloomed, and the western side of the Nebel Plateau had a vast, beautiful flower field that bloomed year-round.
The Continental Pattern Vivillon were born in vast landscapes, and the wide, flat grasslands of the Nebel Plateau naturally met this condition.
The Garden Pattern Vivillon were born in verdant areas, which went without saying, as the Nebel Plateau stayed green throughout the seasons.
The Elegant Pattern Vivillon were born in places with distinct seasons. Although the Nebel Plateau didn't fit this, the nearby Azoth Kingdom did. These Vivillon had accidentally come to the plateau during winter to escape the cold.
The River Pattern Vivillon were born near flowing rivers, and the Nebel River fit the bill.
The Sun Pattern Vivillon were born in areas with ample sunlight, and the Nebel Plateau received plenty of sun.
There was only one Poké Ball Pattern Vivillon on the Nebel Plateau—the one on Ange's arm. It had evolved in Diancie's Grand Cafeteria and was now the leader of the flock.
"Vivill~"
After landing on Ange's arm, Vivillon affectionately reached out and hugged him.
Ange pointed to the buds on the branch and said, "The fruit trees are about to bloom. I'll need you all to put in extra effort from now on!"
"Vivill~"
Vivillon nodded happily, flapped its wings to take off from Ange's arm, and landed on a bud, giving it a gentle kiss.
After the kiss, it quickly ascended into the sky to rejoin its flock. They departed, fluttering their beautiful wings as sparkling scales fell from them, emitting multicolored light.
Ange watched the Vivillon fly away, feeling a bit of regret. While Vivillon had the ability to pollinate, they couldn't produce honey. Most butterfly Pokémon were like that.
After bidding farewell to the Vivillon, Ange took his three apprentices for a walk toward the fishery.
While Ange and the others were walking, a Pokémon soaking in a hot spring on a cliff of the Nebel Plateau rolled over in the water.
This cliff was located on the edge of the plateau, bordering the mountains to the northwest. There were many caves on the cliff walls.
Inside one cave was a hot spring where the Guardian of the Nebel Plateau slept. It was precisely because of this guardian that the plateau remained like eternal spring.
It was the Mythical Pokémon, Volcanion.
Volcanion spent most of the year sleeping, but when spring arrived, it always woke from its slumber.
Normally, the Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau wouldn't approach the cliff where Volcanion slept. Ange had also been told not to go near it, so he had never seen the guardian.
Over time, Ange had almost forgotten the guardian's existence.
After rolling in the water, Volcanion slowly opened its eyes. Sensing the change in climate, it spoke:
"Has spring come again?"
It climbed out of the water and walked slowly to the cave entrance, gazing at the Nebel Plateau from afar.
In the sky, two Altaria and a Swablu streaked past, letting out cheerful cries before disappearing over the horizon.
They didn't notice the awakened Volcanion, but Volcanion saw them.
"It seems everyone had a good winter."
Volcanion could tell the condition of the Altaria and Swablu at a glance. Seeing that everyone was doing well, a smile appeared on its face.
Withdrawing its gaze from the distance, Volcanion walked back into the cave to a corner where another Pokémon was located.
This Pokémon had a silver exterior, looking as if it were made of steel, with a build very similar to a human girl. It was currently sitting on the ground with its eyes closed in sleep.
Volcanion walked to its side and nudged the Pokémon with a front leg.
"Magearna, wake up. Wake up quickly!"
This Pokémon was another Mythical Pokémon, Magearna. It was an artificial Pokémon created by the mysterious scientist Eliphas of the Azoth Kingdom, and it had once been the Pokémon of Ange's sister, Queen Anna.
Before long, Magearna slowly opened its eyes.
"Magea magea~"
Volcanion said to Magearna, "Spring has arrived."
"Magea magea~"
Magearna was overjoyed to hear this. It immediately climbed up Volcanion's neck onto its back and patted its head.
Volcanion said dotingly, "Alright, alright, I'll take you there right now."
It carried Magearna to the cave entrance. Then, the two arms on its back, which had been closed together, opened up. A massive amount of steam erupted from them, and it launched out of the cave like a rocket.
In the blink of an eye, the two Mythical Pokémon arrived at the flower field on the west side of the Nebel Plateau. This was Magearna's favorite place.
Having finished their work for the day, Pancham, Heliolisk, Skitty, Stunky, and Linoone were playing in the flower field.
"Pan pan~"
"Lino lino~"
Pancham and Linoone chased each other through the flowers, having a wonderful time. The wind from their running blew petals into the sky.
Heliolisk sat in a corner of the field while Skitty and Stunky played hide-and-seek around it.
"Helio helio~"
Heliolisk plucked a small flower from its side and waved to Skitty and Stunky. The two Pokémon immediately ran to it.
"Skii skii~" What is it?
"Stun stun~" What is it?
"Helio helio~"
Heliolisk tucked the small flower behind Skitty's ear.
"Skii skii~"
Skitty was delighted, vainly asking Heliolisk if it looked pretty.
"Stun stun~" I want one too! I want one too!
Stunky nudged Heliolisk's belly with its head.
"Helio helio~" Wait a moment.
Heliolisk said with a smile.
Soon, it skillfully wove a flower garland and placed it on Stunky's head.
A smile immediately appeared on Stunky's face. it carefully touched the garland on its head, afraid of accidentally breaking it.
"Skii skii~" Do I look good?
"Stun stun~" Do I look good?
Skitty and Stunky asked each other, then happily dashed through the flower field, their crisp laughter echoing among the blossoms.
Just then, Volcanion descended from the sky with Magearna.
"Pan pan~"
"Lino lino~"
"Skii skii~"
"Helio helio~"
The Pokémon were surprised and delighted to see Volcanion and Magearna. They stopped playing and rushed to the two Mythical Pokémon.
"Oh, so you guys are here too," Volcanion said happily. It felt a sense of warmth seeing these little ones after such a long time.
The Pokémon hopped and jumped around Volcanion. Seeing this, Magearna quickly climbed down from Volcanion's back and gave each of them a hug.
"Magea magea~"
The Pokémon loved Magearna and acted spoiled in its arms.
Volcanion looked at Linoone and Heliolisk with surprise. "You've both evolved?" A smile then crossed its face. "Not bad, not bad at all."
Seeing that Magearna was already playing with the group, Volcanion said, "You guys play here. I'm going to look around elsewhere."
As the Guardian of the Nebel Plateau, it naturally had to check on how everyone had been faring lately.
"Magea magea~"
Magearna nodded.
This time, Volcanion didn't fly. Instead, it walked slowly toward other parts of the plateau.
However, as soon as Volcanion left, Pancham seemed to remember something. It barked anxiously at Magearna.
"Pan pan~"
"Magea magea~"
Magearna looked puzzled, not understanding what was wrong with Pancham.
At this time, Skitty and Heliolisk also seemed to realize something, and they all became anxious and uneasy.
"Skii skii~"
"Helio helio~"
Seeing Magearna's confusion, Pancham and Heliolisk each grabbed one of its hands and ran out of the flower field.
Over at Volcanion's side.
Just as it walked onto the grassland, it saw rows of wooden houses in the distance. Those were the homes of the Gogoat and Skiddo.
"What is that?"
Because it was somewhat far away, it couldn't see clearly what the wooden houses were.
Filled with doubt, Volcanion ran quickly toward the houses. When it arrived, it saw not only the rows of neat, clean wooden houses but also chicken coops, pigpens, cattle sheds, and other facilities nearby.
"What is going on here?"
Volcanion's face showed anger. These were clearly human structures. Had the Nebel Plateau been occupied by humans while it was merely sleeping?
At the thought of the Pokémon suffering and being bullied at the hands of humans, it became enraged. A massive amount of steam billowed from its body, and it flew into the sky with a whoosh.
Looking down at the Nebel Plateau from above, it saw Diancie's Grand Cafeteria where Ange lived, the vast vegetable plots, and the vibrant fruit forest...
In particular, after seeing Buneary herding cattle, Pachirisu herding sheep, Croconaw raising pigs, and Bunnelby and Sawsbuck raising chickens, it became even more convinced of its theory.
Indeed, had the Nebel Plateau been occupied by humans?
Just then, Ange appeared in its line of sight, walking home.
Ange and his three apprentices had just returned from the fishery. He was in a very good mood because the fish in the fishery had finally grown enough to be barely edible.
At the moment, he was carrying a Mandarin Fish. although it wasn't as big as the wild fish in Nebel Lake, it was enough for a taste of something fresh.
Munchlax was also in a good mood because it loved eating fish. Its Master had told it that once the fishery had a bumper harvest, it could have fish every day.
"Munch munch~"
Out of joy, Munchlax skipped along at the front, its arms swinging back and forth as it sang an unknown tune.
BOOM!!!
Suddenly, a massive, dark-red creature descended from the sky, bringing a rolling wave of air that nearly sent the master and apprentices flying.
"Human!" The Pokémon that landed shouted with surging rage, "Are you the one bullying everyone on the Nebel Plateau?"
Ange, who had just climbed up from the ground, was speechless.