Angie's residence is on the second floor, where there are two bathrooms: one for Angie and the other for Diancie.
Angie's bathroom is quite ordinary, just a typical type of bathroom, while Diancie's bathroom is very special.
"Diancie, let me help you take a bath first," Angie said as he led Diancie to her bathroom.
"Okay! Okay!" Diancie happily lay down in the bathtub, waiting for Angie to serve her.
Angie placed the Komala, which he had been holding, on a chair nearby. "Komala, wait for a bit. After I finish bathing Diancie, we'll take a bath together."
Komala seemed to either not understand Angie's words or simply didn't care; it hugged its tree pillow and swayed back and forth on the chair, looking relaxed and carefree, as if it had no worries at all.
Angie walked over to the nearby cabinet, opened it, and pulled out a bag before dragging it to the side of the bathtub.
He opened the bag, and a cascade of pink sand was poured into the bathtub, gradually filling it up and covering Diancie's body.
Diancie, being a Rock-type Pokémon, didn't enjoy bathing in water, so this pink sand served as her special bathing material.
Each grain of sand sparkled like crystal, and as it flowed over Diancie's body, it could wash away all the dirt, making her diamonds even more radiant and hardening the rocks on her body.
This sand can be reused, and only when it completely loses its luster does it need to be replaced.
This was also a new player benefit provided by the system; once the beginner phase ends, if Angie wanted to continue obtaining such resources, he would need to put in his own effort.
As for how to acquire it, the system hadn't disclosed that information to him yet.
"So comfortable~~~" Diancie squinted her eyes and scooped a handful of sand to sprinkle over herself. The sand fell in a gentle cascade, creating a crisp sound as it clinked against itself.
Angie also grabbed a handful of sand and rubbed it over Diancie, carefully cleaning every part of her body.
"Hee hee hee~~~" Diancie couldn't help but let out a cheerful laugh at Angie's actions. "Angie, be gentle; it tickles!"
"Okay, okay!" Angie replied enthusiastically, softening his touch considerably.
"So nice!"
Diancie lay back in the bathtub, completely relaxed as the special sand flowed over her body. After a thorough cleaning, her pink diamonds sparkled brilliantly, reflecting Angie's silhouette clearly.
Once she was almost finished, Angie stood up and said to Diancie, "Alright, you can put the bathing sand back in the bag and tidy up. Komala and I will go take a bath now."
Diancie flipped over in the bathtub, squinting her eyes as she leaned on the edge, her gaze dreamy as she lazily replied, "Got it! I'll clean up later. I still want to wash a bit longer, you little butler!"
Angie poked her forehead with a playful look. "You're the one who should be called a little housekeeper!"
Diancie turned her head away from Angie, burying herself deeper into the bathing sand.
Shaking his head, Angie picked up the swaying Komala from the chair and turned to leave Diancie's bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Once in his own bathroom, Angie set the hot water and then lay back in the bathtub with Komala, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Ah~~~" Angie tilted his head back and exhaled deeply, "This feels great."
The Komala floated on the water's surface, hugging its tree pillow, its little tail swaying back and forth as it swam around. Even with its eyes closed, Angie felt that it was having a great time.
After lying there for a while and feeling the fatigue gradually fade away, Angie slowly sat up and pulled over the Komala, which had already swum to the other end of the bathtub. "Come on, let me give you a scrub."
As he spoke, he squeezed some shampoo onto the Komala and began to rub it on its body, using the delicate kneading technique he had learned to massage the Komala. Before long, a large amount of bubbles enveloped the little Pokémon.
Though the Komala was small, less than half a meter tall, its fur was soft and dense. If not thoroughly scrubbed, it was challenging to get it clean.
Angie also took the time to carefully wash the tree pillow as well.
Probably due to the excessive bubbles, the Komala shivered suddenly and sneezed, causing countless bubbles to burst forth.
Angie got sprayed all over his face.
"You little rascal!"
Angie paused for a moment, then wiped his face and stretched out two fingers to tickle the Komala under its arms.
"Giggle giggle~~~"
At that moment, even if the Komala was typically slow to react to the outside world, it couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Goo goo goo~~~"
Its short little arms and legs began to flail about, splashing water everywhere as the water in the tub swirled chaotically. Its tree pillow bobbed along with the ripples.
After Angie finished tickling it, the Komala floated on the water's surface, puffing out its little belly, while Angie hummed a little tune as he continued to wash himself.
Playing with the Komala for a while helped Angie shake off the frustration he had felt from being disliked by the Pokémon earlier that day.
Once they finished bathing, Angie lifted the Komala out of the tub and used the shower to rinse off the remaining bubbles from their bodies.
After exiting the bathroom, Angie changed into a set of pajamas and wrapped the Komala in a towel, drying its damp fur.
The Komala had its eyes closed, appearing to be in a deep sleep, but its face showed immense satisfaction.
Angie took it to the living room on the second floor, found a hairdryer, and began to dry its fur little by little.
The system really had everything covered; all the household appliances were readily available, and Angie didn't have to worry about a thing.
"How's the temperature? Is it too hot?" Angie asked as he gently stroked the Komala's fur.
"Purr~~"
The Komala lay quietly on Angie's lap, not moving at all. Its little bottom was slightly raised, and its tail quivered gently, looking very comfortable.
Seeing this, Angie smiled and said, "Looks like the temperature is just right!"
Before long, the Komala's fur was completely dried, becoming incredibly fluffy, almost indistinguishable from a plush toy.
"Wow~~~"
Angie couldn't help himself; he buried his face in the Komala's furry belly and gently nudged it a couple of times. "This is too comfortable!"
It was so soothing that Angie felt as if all the grievances he had experienced throughout the day suddenly didn't matter.
The freshly bathed Komala carried the scent of shampoo, mixed with its unique natural aroma of grass and wood. As Angie gently rubbed his face against its belly, a drowsy feeling washed over him.
The Komala, showing its disdain, pushed Angie away with its hands and feet, trying to shove him aside. However, even with his hair in disarray from being poked, Angie didn't care and continued to nuzzle against the Komala.
Komala: =(*)
After a while, Angie reluctantly pulled his face away from the Komala's belly, a satisfied expression on his face. "Ah, thank you, big Komala, for the reward!"
Komala that was annoyed, tapped Angie's face with its little paw, but he didn't feel any pain at all.
Returning the tree pillow to the Komala's embrace, Angie carried it downstairs.
Outside the front door of Angie's house hung a mini house where the Komala usually resided.
It wasn't that Angie didn't let it live inside; it was just that the Komala didn't like the stuffiness of the indoors. It preferred the great outdoors, where it could sleep peacefully, closer to nature.
Gently placing the Komala inside the mini house and covering it with a blanket, Angie spoke softly, "Good night, Komala."
The Komala rolled over, presenting the back of its head to Angie, and soon, the gentle sound of purring filled the air.
Back at home, Angie quietly closed the door and went upstairs, just as Diancie finished her bath and came out of the bathroom.
"Angie, good night."
"Diancie, good night."
Angie gave Diancie a goodnight hug, and then both he and the Pokémon returned to their respective rooms to sleep.
After the lights were turned off, the entire building fell into silence.
"Chirp chirp chirp~~~"
"Coo coo coo~~~"
...
At this time, nocturnal Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau became active.
In the middle of the night, a small figure stumbled and fell at the entrance of Angie's home.
"Coo ring~~~"
The figure weakly called out, then lost consciousness.
That night, Angie, exhausted after a long day, was sound asleep when suddenly a loud ringing echoed through the air. He sat up startled, his heart racing, and exclaimed, "What's going on? What's happening?"
Diancie, who was also awakened by the noise, opened her door at the same time as Angie. They looked at each other, puzzled.
"What's that?" Diancie pondered aloud.
"That… seems to be the bell at the door," Angie replied, thinking.
There was a copper bell hanging outside his house, positioned near the platform where the Komala slept during the day.
Angie had often wondered what the bell was for, but now it became clear.
He and Diancie hurried down the stairs, and upon opening the door, they found the Komala striking the bell with its tree pillow.
"Komala, what on earth are you doing at this hour?" Angie said, clutching his slightly aching head.
Seeing Angie and Diancie come out, the Komala stopped ringing the bell, leaped back to its mini house with its tree pillow, wrapped itself in the blanket, and continued sleeping as if it hadn't just been the one ringing the bell.
Angie: . . .
At that moment, Diancie seemed to notice something. She pointed at a shadow below the stairs and shouted, "Angie, look over there! What is that?"
Following the direction Diancie pointed, Angie glanced toward the light and indeed spotted a round little lump lying there.
A Pokémon?
Angie dashed over quickly, finally getting a clear look at the little creature.
It turned out to be a Gulpin.
Activating his eye of observation, he analyzed it.
...
[ Gulpin ]
Type: Poison
Ability: Gluttony
Gender: Female
Level: 10
Skills: Pound, Yawn, Poison Gas, Sludge, Acid Spray, Smog.
[ Individual Values (IVs) ]
HP: 15
Attack: 5
Physical Defense: 17
Special Attack: 18
Special Defense: 19
Speed: 25
...
Diancie exclaimed, "It's getting hurt!"
Gulpin was covered in wounds, and it was unclear what it had gone through to end up unconscious here.
"Let's bring it inside first," Angie said.
"Okay." Diancie nodded, quickly bending down to pick up Gulpin and heading toward the house.
"I'll go get some medicine to help treat its wounds," Angie added, rushing upstairs.
Before long, Angie came back down with a small medical kit. This had been equipped in the house when the system summoned it, filled with common medicines and medical supplies.
Diancie carefully placed Gulpin on the table, and Angie hurriedly opened the medical kit to clean, disinfect, apply medicine, and bandage Gulpin's wounds.
Just as Angie was finishing up, Gulpin slowly regained consciousness, but upon seeing Angie, it let out a startled cry and leaped off the table.
"Coo ring~~ coo ring~~~"
Gulpin panicked and fled, finally stopping in a corner, its body still trembling.
Because of the sudden movement, its freshly treated wounds burst open again, with streaks of blood seeping through the bandages.
"Gulpin, don't be afraid! We just want to help you; we won't hurt you."
As Angie spoke, he stepped forward, trying to soothe Gulpin's anxiety.
However, as Angie got closer, Gulpin trembled even more violently. It instinctively opened its mouth and shot a stream of purple acid at Angie.
Fortunately, Diancie was quick on her feet, leaping in front of Angie and erecting a light barrier to block Gulpin's attack.
When Gulpin realized what it had done, its face was filled with regret and embarrassment. It didn't truly want to attack Angie; it was just too frightened.
But Angie didn't blame Gulpin.
"Hey, it's okay. Don't be scared. I won't get close, so just calm down."
Realizing that his proximity made Gulpin anxious, Angie gradually backed away.
Once he had retreated to a safe distance, Gulpin finally started to calm down a bit. Angie gently asked, "Would you let Diancie help treat your wounds?"
Gulpin cautiously glanced at Diancie, then lowered its gaze, huddling in the corner and remaining motionless. However, Angie noticed that its body was still quivering slightly.
Exchanging glances with Diancie, they approached Gulpin slowly with the medical kit. Gulpin instinctively shrank back, but it didn't react as strongly as before.
It seemed that it was indeed Angie, the human, that frightened it.
After Diancie carefully treated the wounds, Angie asked, "Gulpin, are you hungry? I can make you something to eat!"
Gulpin didn't respond to Angie's words, but its stomach let out a loud growl.
Angie smiled gently, "Just a moment; it'll be ready soon."
With that, he quickly dashed into the kitchen and began to steam some buns. The ingredients were all ready; the refrigerator still had leftover dough from earlier in the day.
Angie's fridge was a special one given by the system. Any ingredients placed in the fresh-keeping compartment remained exactly as they were when put in, so there was no need to worry about spoilage.
Before long, the fragrant aroma of steamed buns wafted through the kitchen.
"Here comes the food!"
Angie emerged from the kitchen holding a bowl of buns. Gulpin was quite an appetite Pokémon, so he had steamed extra.
After handing the buns to Diancie, Angie signaled to her, and Diancie understood, carefully bringing the buns over to Gulpin.
"Here you go, it's really delicious."