At Andrew's invitation, Ange enjoyed a wonderful dinner at his home.
After dinner, Ange and the others rested for a bit. Andrew said, "Alright, let's go deal with those pesky fellows!"
Ange looked outside at the sky, seeing that it had grown completely dark, and asked, "We're going this late?"
Andrew said angrily, "Those guys only come out when it's dark, and they're so arrogant! If it were daytime, we probably would have caught them long ago!"
"I see. Let's head out now, then," Ange replied.
As the two of them walked to the entrance of Andrew's courtyard, a young villager came running over in a hurry, holding a flashlight.
"An... Grandpa Andrew, th... those guys are here again!"
"They're here again?" Andrew was furious upon hearing this. "Let's go. If we don't teach them a lesson today, they'll really think we're easy to push around."
With that, he grabbed the villager who had just arrived and hurried forward, and Ange quickly followed behind.
Soon, the three of them reached their destination. In a patch of Mental Herb, a villager was directing a Vileplume and some unknown Pokémon in battle.
That Pokémon was hidden among the Mental Herb bushes, darting out from time to time to attack Vileplume, leaving Vileplume completely helpless against it.
Because it was too dark, coupled with the cover of the herb bushes, it was impossible to get a clear look at the true appearance of those Pokémon.
Furthermore, their speed was extremely fast. When someone flashed a flashlight over, they could only catch a glimpse of a fleeting shadow.
Andrew said, "Those guys are as crafty as ever."
Although those Pokémon had come to cause trouble many times, they always came at night, so the villagers still had no idea what they actually looked like.
Andrew introduced the villager in battle to Ange, saying, "That's Xiang. He's the strongest Trainer in our village, but even he has no way to deal with those wretched fellows, which is why we asked for your help!"
Ange nodded and immediately activated his Aura.
Under the perception of his Aura, he sensed that there were a total of four Pokémon hidden in the herb bushes. Strangely enough, their Aura was very unique, and their vibration frequencies were almost identical.
Every living creature's Aura was unique, and Ange had never seen Pokémon with such similar Aura vibrations, let alone four of them.
Could they be quadruplets?
Normally, even among multiples, the Aura should be quite different!
Perhaps afraid of damaging the herb bushes, Xiang and Vileplume were constrained during the battle and remained on the defensive.
Moreover, based on Ange's observation, the four Pokémon hidden in the herb bushes should not be low in level, easily far surpassing Vileplume.
Unfortunately, without being able to see their true appearance, he could not use Eye of Observation.
"Xiang!" Andrew shouted toward Xiang.
"Grandpa Andrew!" Xiang turned his head, but because his attention was distracted, Vileplume was struck by a succession of white light bursts erupting from the herb bushes.
Vileplume let out a miserable cry and collapsed to the ground, unable to continue.
Given the strength of those Pokémon, defeating Vileplume wasn't actually difficult, but for some reason, they hadn't been going all out until now.
"Damn it!" Xiang cursed angrily.
Realizing that it was his distraction that caused Xiang to make a mistake, Andrew hurried forward and said, "Xiang, quickly take Vileplume back to rest. Leave the rest to Ange!"
"Ange is...?" Xiang looked at Ange with confusion.
Andrew quickly explained, "He's the Trainer I invited here today!"
Hearing this, Xiang suddenly understood. He bowed to Ange and said, "Then I'll leave it to you!"
"I'll do my best," Ange replied.
With that, he looked toward the herb patch. Although he couldn't see anything, he could hear a continuous rustling sound coming from within.
Ange pulled out a Poké Ball, and the next second, Aegislash appeared outside.
"Aegislash, Shadow Ball!" Ange pointed in a direction and instructed Aegislash.
With his Aura providing precise positioning, he could accurately gauge the location of those Pokémon.
"Aegis~" Aegislash immediately condensed a black energy sphere and fired it away.
To Ange's surprise, however, the Shadow Ball landed in the herb bushes with no effect whatsoever.
()??? What's going on? Ange was completely baffled.
"Aegislash, continue!" Ange pointed in another direction again.
"Aegis~" Aegislash nodded and condensed another Shadow Ball, tossing it out.
The situation was the same as before; the herb bushes remained quiet, and the Shadow Ball hit nothing.
That's impossible! Ange thought to himself, clearly sensing that a Pokémon was right there.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him. Normal-type Pokémon! It had to be Normal-type Pokémon!
Only Normal-type Pokémon could be completely immune to Shadow Ball attacks.
"Aegislash, Metal Sound!" Ange changed his strategy.
As Ange's voice fell, Aegislash's body shook violently, and a burst of metallic buzzing followed.
The grating sound produced by the metal friction caused Ange and the others to instinctively cover their ears, while also stirring up the Pokémon hidden in the herb bushes.
At that moment, Ange felt as though he faintly heard a squeak.
A cry? A mouse's cry... Could the troublemaking Pokémon be Raticate or Rattata?
If those two types of Pokémon were causing trouble, that would make sense.
Such Pokémon reproduced quickly and loved to settle in places abundant with food, and Herb Village grew a large quantity of herbs, making it precisely an abundant source of food.
The diets of Rattata and Raticate had a very wide range, and the herbs were not only delicious to them, but also rich in nutrients.
Just as Ange was thinking, several streaks of white light darted out from the herb bushes, striking Aegislash in quick succession and sending it flying backward.
Just as Ange had deduced, their levels were not low; even Aegislash had gotten the worst of it.
Aegislash quickly stabilized its body in mid-air, swiftly drew its blade, and slashed out with Night Slash.
"Squeak~~"
A miserable cry echoed, and a figure tumbled into the herb patch, instantly causing the other troublemaking Pokémon to emit panicked cries.
That Pokémon did not stay put after falling; instead, it dragged its injured body and moved quickly.
In Ange's perception, the four Pokémon rapidly gathered together, presumably to check on their companion's injuries.
Ange pointed to the spot where they converged and said, "Aegislash, Night Slash!"
"Aegis~~" Aegislash acknowledged the command. With a flash of sword light, a clean gash was instantly cleaved into the herb patch.
Aegislash's swordsmanship was superb, and it didn't harm the surrounding herb bushes at all.
"Huh?" At that moment, Ange suddenly realized that the four Pokémon had vanished from his perception.
"What's wrong, Ange?" Andrew asked upon hearing no further sound from Ange. "Did you beat them?"
Ange shook his head. "I'm afraid they got away!"
With that, he stepped into the herb patch, arrived at the spot Aegislash had just slashed, and felt around on the ground with his hand.
Soon, he discovered that besides the sword mark, there was also a bottomless tunnel entrance.
So that was it! He stood up and said to Andrew and the others, "They used Dig to escape."
"Dig, of course! No wonder we could never catch those guys!" Xiang realized in sudden enlightenment.
Appearing and escaping from underground was truly impossible to guard against.
"Damn it! So infuriating! Just when are those guys going to plague us?" Andrew stamped his feet in anger.
Ange apologized awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I wasn't able to help everyone catch them."
Andrew said, "It's fine! We'll keep trying tomorrow night! This old man doesn't believe they can turn the place upside down!"
Ange nodded. "I'll think of something when we get back, and we'll definitely catch them tomorrow night!"
"Alright, I trust you!" Andrew stepped forward and patted Ange's shoulder. "Let's head back and get some rest for tonight!"
With that, everyone parted ways. Xiang and his companion returned home, while Ange followed Andrew back to his house.
Early the next morning, Ange woke up to the loud crowing of Dodrio.
As soon as he stepped out of his room, a rich, fragrant aroma hit him.
In the dining room, Andrew was sitting in a chair reading the news, while Aya was wolfing down her breakfast.
Because Aya had to go to school in the morning, she ate earlier than the others.
Seeing Ange, Andrew smiled warmly. "Awake? You're up early. Go wash up and come have breakfast."
Nowadays, young people liked to sleep in, so early risers like Ange were quite rare.
His granddaughter Aya had woken up late today, which was why she was in such a rush.
"Alright~" Ange acknowledged and headed into the washroom.
When he came out, Aya was already gone. Andrew pushed a bowl of milky-white soup toward Ange and said, "Hurry and try my old woman's cooking. This is her specialty."
Hearing this, Ange picked up the bowl and took a sip. The warm broth flowed down his throat, and a rich aroma lingered between his lips and teeth.
"Delicious! This is..."
At that moment, Andrew's wife, Grandma Yulian, walked over, placed a plate of bread in front of Ange, and said with a smile, "It's just ordinary soup. Everyone in Herb Village knows how to make it. We add our village's special herbs to it, which gives it a unique fragrance."
Aside from Mental Herb, Power Herb, and White Herb, Herb Village also cultivated various other kinds of herbs.
Ange suddenly understood. "No wonder!"
Grandma Yulian added, "Try the bread, too. It has herbs mixed into it as well, so it's definitely different from the bread you've eaten before."
Ange nodded, picked up a piece of bread to taste, and was once again amazed by its unique fragrance.
He looked up in surprise and asked, "Grandma Yulian, you're amazing! Both the soup and the bread perfectly blend the flavor of the herbs. How do you do it?"
"It's nothing much, I'm just used to making it," Grandma Yulian laughed. "Though you really know your stuff, Ange. Are you a gourmet critic?"
Ange shook his head. "No, no, no. I'm no gourmet critic, just a cook."
Grandma Yulian understood. "No wonder! A chef. Most people just say my food is delicious without being able to tell why."
Ange hesitated for a moment and asked, "This perfect combination of herbs and food... Grandma Yulian, could you teach me?"
Grandma Yulian replied, "Of course, no problem. How about we cook lunch together at noon?"
She was just a housewife, not a professional chef, and the culinary skills she mastered were figured out through year-after-year and day-after-day of living, so she had no inclination to keep her skills a secret.
On the contrary, she was delighted that her cooking received praise and recognition from Ange.
"Great! Then I'll be in your care!" Ange said happily.
"Looking forward to it!" Grandma Yulian smiled warmly.
At that moment, Andrew said, "Ange, I've got business to attend to after breakfast, so feel free to wander around the village on your own! Just give anyone a holler if you need anything."
Ange nodded. "Sounds good!"
After breakfast, Andrew went out to work. After bidding farewell to Grandma Yulian, Ange headed out with Tsareena and the others.
The scenery of Herb Village was charming, and wandering around was a real treat.
Breathing in the faint fragrance permeating the air, Floette and Flabébé danced joyfully in the air.
"Labe~ Labe~" Teacher, I like it here.
"Hula~ Hula~" Yeah, it smells so good and it's so pretty!
Tsareena looked at the three students with a gentle smile and said, "Once we get back home, we'll plant a patch of herbs too!"
"Hula~" Yay!
"Labe~" Yay!
Floette and Flabébé were overjoyed.
As they walked along, Tsareena suddenly said to Ange, "Actually, I have a way to help you easily catch those Pokémon."
Ange asked in pleasant surprise, "Really? What way?"
Tsareena turned her head away from Ange. "Hmph, I'm not telling you just like that!"
Ange took Tsareena's hand and joked, "Please, Tsareena, as long as you're willing to tell me, I'm willing to offer you my hand in marriage!"
With her hand affectionately held by Ange, Tsareena's whole body stiffened. Combined with Ange's cutesy act, she blushed, her heart pounding, and she stammered:
"Hmph, who wants your hand in marriage!"
Ange feigned disappointment and pulled back his hand. "Huh? You don't want it? What a shame!"
Tsareena let out a soft huff. "Shameless!"
Ange asked with a chuckle, "Then, beautiful Tsareena, what will it take for you to help me?"
Ange's words made Tsareena's cheeks flush slightly, and she stammered, "If you want me to help, sure, but you have to agree to one condition."
Ange gave Tsareena a gentleman's bow. "Please state your terms, beautiful lady."
Tsareena said, "Make me a meal that satisfies me."
Having repeatedly tasted the food Ange cooked over the past few days, Tsareena was already deeply captivated.
Ange smiled. "Just that?"
Tsareena raised her chin. "Hmph, my satisfaction doesn't count if I'm not pleased!"
Ange smiled knowingly. "Then I'll really have to pull out all my best tricks!"
With a soft huff, Tsareena turned and briskly walked forward.
Ange quickly chased after her and asked, "You still haven't told me what your plan is!"
Without turning her head, Tsareena replied over her shoulder, "You'll find out when the time comes!"
Walking along the grassy path, Tsareena suddenly noticed a lot of grass seeds on the weeds by the roadside, so she led Floette and Flabébé over to gather them.
Ange asked in confusion, "Why pick those? Aren't they everywhere?"
Without looking up, Tsareena said, "Never you mind!"
"Alright then!" With that, he squatted down and helped Tsareena gather them together.