The family of four kept walking until they reached the two large trees atop the plateau. This spot was one of the highest points on Nebel Plateau, offering a clear view of most of the surrounding landscape.
From here, they could also clearly see Azoth City in the distance.
"Let's take a break here," Angie suggested, plopping down onto the grass.
Diancie and Munchlax sat down next to Angie, one on his left and the other on his right.
"Angie, are you looking at Azoth City?" Noticing him lost in thought, Diancie suddenly asked.
Angie snapped out of his daze and smiled, replying, "Yeah, I wonder what Azoth City looks like now."
Diancie nodded. "I'm curious too."
Munchlax noticed Angie and Diancie repeatedly mentioning Azoth City, and a look of confusion spread across its face.
Seeing this, Angie rubbed its head and smiled as he explained, "Azoth City is where Diancie and I are from." He pointed toward the city's location in the distance. "See that? That's where it is!"
Munchlax nodded, though it wasn't entirely sure it understood.
"Munch, munch?"
Master, are you homesick?
"Maybe a little," Angie answered (Diancie's translation process is skipped here). Hearing this, Munchlax grew anxious.
"Munch, munch!"
Then, Master, are you going to leave Nebel Plateau? Will you leave me behind?!
"Why would you think that?" Angie was surprised, looking at Munchlax. "Of course not! Nebel Plateau is my home now. I'm staying here, and I won't leave. And I definitely won't leave you behind!"
"Munch, munch~"
Hearing this, Munchlax was overjoyed and immediately leaped into Angie's arms, hugging his waist and nuzzling against him affectionately.
Munchlax had recently leveled up again, so it had grown stronger. Angie almost got the wind knocked out of him from the hug.
He gently patted Munchlax's back, saying, "Munchlax, have you gained some weight lately?"
Munchlax immediately pouted in displeasure, sitting up from Angie's embrace and thumping its chest with its fists in protest.
"Munch, munch!"
This isn't fat! It's muscle!
Angie burst into laughter. He pinched Munchlax's soft belly and teased, "Okay, okay. It's muscle, not fat!"
Since Munchlax's ability was Thick Fat, it was prone to gaining weight. For it, being fat did indeed mean being strong.
After playing around with Munchlax for a while, Diancie asked again, "When are you planning to go to Azoth City?"
Angie thought for a moment. "Tomorrow, I guess. Any day is fine, but the sooner I go, the sooner I'll be back."
Diancie nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."
...
The next morning, after Angie and Munchlax finished preparing breakfast for the Pokémon, they packed up their things, ready to set out for Azoth City.
"Chiru~ Chiru~~"
At that moment, a Swablu, who hadn't yet left, flew over.
"What's the matter, Swablu?" Angie asked curiously.
"Chiru~ chiru~"
Swablu gestured wildly, but Angie couldn't understand a single word. So, he called Diancie over to translate.
"Chiru~ chiru~"
Angie, I heard you need to go to Azoth City for something, is that true?
"Yeah, but how did you know?" Angie asked, intrigued.
"Chiru~~"
Munchlax told me.
"Oh, I see... So why did you come over?" Angie became even more curious.
"Chiru~ chiru~~"
My mom said she can take you there.
Swablu said.
Angie's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Really?" He was a bit surprised, as Swablu's tough and cranky mother offering to help him was quite unexpected.
"Chiru~ chiru~"
Really! Come with me!
Swablu patted Angie with its wing.
"Alright!" Angie said, then ran over to Diancie to let her know.
"Do you need me to come with you?" Diancie asked.
Angie shook his head and said, "No need. Once I get there, I'll summon you directly. You forgot I can summon you guys anytime, anywhere?"
Diancie had indeed forgotten about that. "Alright, I'll be waiting for you."
"Munchlax, Komala, take care of the house!" Angie then called out to Munchlax and Komala.
"Munch~~"
Munchlax waved and wished Angie a safe journey.
Komala, cuddling its log pillow, was fast asleep and didn't react to Angie's words at all.
Swablu led Angie to the edge of Nebel Lake. Angie, puzzled, asked, "Didn't you say your mom would take me? Why are we at the lake? Your mom isn't in the lake, is she?"
"Chiru~ chiru~"
Swablu gestured again, and after a moment, Angie finally understood. It wasn't Swablu's mom who would personally take him; she had asked a friend to do it.
That made more sense. Swablu's mom had always disliked humans, so it was hard to believe she would change overnight and let a human ride on her back!
"Chiru~ chiru~~"
Swablu called out toward the lake, and soon a wave stirred. Angie saw a Lapras slowly emerge from the water and quickly swim to the shore.
"Woo~~"
Once it reached the shore, Lapras greeted Angie warmly.
Unlike most of the Pokémon on Nebel Plateau, this Lapras wasn't afraid of humans at all.
Technically speaking, Lapras couldn't be considered a native Nebel Plateau Pokémon. It lived in the Nebel River, which flowed from the mountains in the northwest of the Nebel Plateau, passed through the plateau, and continued southward. The river was vast, and Lapras spent most of its time migrating rather than staying in one place.
Moreover, Lapras were naturally friendly toward humans and enjoyed carrying them on its back, traveling the world. Naturally, it didn't mind helping Angie.
"Lapras, I'll be counting on you this time."
As Angie spoke, he took a soft steamed bun from his system backpack and handed it to Lapras. His system backpack had a preservation function, so he had prepared a few buns and dumplings, intending to have them for lunch later.
"Woo~~"
Lapras devoured the bun in one bite, closing its eyes in contentment as it chewed.
[ Happiness Points +100 ]
"Woo~~"
After finishing, Lapras let out a cry, signaling to Angie that it was ready to set off.
With a leap, Angie jumped onto Lapras's back and settled in. Then, he turned to Swablu and said, "Swablu, you should head home now. Don't worry about me."
"Chiru~ chiru~~"
Swablu waved its wings to bid farewell to Angie.
"Woo~~"
With a gentle hum, Lapras set off, and Angie immediately noticed the scenery around him quickly receding.
Although Lapras swam incredibly fast—so fast that Swablu was out of sight in the blink of an eye—it moved with such grace that Angie barely felt any jolts or bumps. Truly a master of transporting Pokémon.
Nebel Lake was vast, and Lapras swiftly glided across its calm surface. Angie took the opportunity to admire the various Pokémon inhabiting the area. There were graceful Swanna floating on the water, followed by Duckletts trailing behind, Goldeen and Seaking racing one another, and even a pair of Luvdisc snuggling close to each other.
So many adorable creatures, and Angie couldn't help but feel his heart swell with joy.
Suddenly, he heard a roaring sound of rushing water.
"Is that a waterfall up ahead?"
Angie knew that where Nebel Lake connected with the Nebel River, there was a powerful, fast-flowing waterfall.
Lapras nodded gently.
Angie's face showed alarm. "We're not going to jump off the waterfall, are we?"
"Woo~~"
Lapras chuckled at Angie's worry, its eyes narrowing into crescent shapes as it shook its head, indicating it would not be going over the waterfall.
Even with its expert swimming skills, tackling that towering, swift waterfall was out of the question!
"That's a relief," Angie sighed with relief. "My poor heart couldn't handle that kind of scare."
As they approached the waterfall, Angie noticed Lapras steering toward the side of the falls. Soon, a calmer waterway came into view.
Following this passage, Angie and Lapras smoothly reached the base of the waterfall.
Looking up at the cascade from below, Angie felt the waterfall appeared even more majestic and awe-inspiring.
As Angie turned to admire the grandeur of the waterfall, a flash of red caught his eye amidst the rushing water.
"What's that?"
"Woo~~"
Lapras turned its head toward the waterfall as well, seeming to recognize something. It tried to explain to Angie, but unfortunately, he couldn't understand its language.
Staring intently, Angie noticed more and more flashes of red in the water. He soon realized that they were Magikarp climbing the waterfall.
"Is this the legendary 'leaping over the dragon gate'?"
Lapras nodded gently, confirming Angie's guess.
Every year around this time, Magikarp that had trained their jumping skills for a year would gather at the base of this waterfall. They would use their Jump ability to ascend the waterfall against the current.
If they successfully leaped over this natural barrier, they would evolve into powerful Gyarados and continue upstream, following the Nebel River westward to seek out and challenge stronger opponents.
Those that couldn't make the leap would remain as Magikarp, destined to try again the next year. If they never succeeded, they would spend their lives as Magikarp, reproducing, aging, and dying in the lower river.
Of course, some Magikarp evolved into Gyarados without ever conquering the waterfall. In such cases, they would abandon the challenge and settle peacefully in the lower reaches of the Nebel River.
Gyarados were proud creatures. If they couldn't make the leap as Magikarp, they considered themselves unworthy of the challenge of the "dragon gate."
Seeing Angie deeply absorbed in the scene, Lapras decided to stop and let him watch.
Angie was in awe as he watched one Magikarp after another relentlessly climb the waterfall. Even when they were washed back down, they refused to give up, struggling until they were exhausted and swept to the riverbed, disappearing from sight.
The sheer determination left Angie deeply moved.
This was the power of life!
Magikarp's strength was too weak; it was known as the weakest Pokémon in the world. After watching for quite some time, Angie still hadn't seen a single one succeed in climbing the waterfall.
But the more they failed, the more determined the Magikarp became, relentlessly attempting again and again.
After a while, realizing he couldn't stay any longer, Angie said to Lapras, "Let's go, Lapras," silently offering his blessings to the Magikarp.
Come on, Magikarp!
However, just as he turned away, a mighty roar rang out, loud enough to drown out the sound of the waterfall.
Excited, Angie spun around to see a strong Gyarados at the top of the waterfall, roaring triumphantly, releasing its exhilaration and pride.
Encouraged by that roar, the Magikarp below the waterfall seemed to regain hope, once again throwing themselves fearlessly at the challenge.
Congratulations!
After silently offering his blessings to the Gyarados, Angie patted Lapras on the neck and said, "Let's go."
"Woo~~"
Lapras let out a soft cry, but this time, its voice carried the same excitement it had just witnessed from the Gyarados.
As the waterfall grew more distant, Angie couldn't help but ask, "Lapras, how long does the 'leaping over the dragon gate' usually last?"
"Woo~ Woo~ Woo~"
Lapras called out three times in succession.
"Three days?" Angie asked.
Lapras nodded.
"Then I hope enough Magikarp can make it over the gate in these three days," Angie said sincerely.
"Woo~~"
Lapras responded softly, also offering its blessing.
As they gradually left the boundaries of the Nebel Plateau, the flow of the Nebel River became calmer, and the trees on both banks grew taller and thicker.
Angie could see Mankey and Primeape leaping through the jungle, Sawsbuck drinking from the river, and Azurill and Marill frolicking by the water's edge.
Once they had fully left the Nebel Plateau, Angie noticed that the surrounding vegetation had started to wither, the landscape turning a dull yellow. Even the temperature began to drop.
Only then did Angie realize that it was already late autumn outside the Nebel Plateau.
The Nebel Plateau was so full of life, not only because of its unique geography but also because of a special Pokémon that was said to live there.
Thanks to the influence of that Pokémon, the Nebel Plateau's climate remained springlike year-round.
To affect the climate of an entire region, Angie guessed it was likely a legendary Pokémon, though unfortunately, he hadn't had the chance to see it.
Not long after, the tall walls of the Azoth Kingdom came clearly into view.
Were the walls always this high? Angie tried to recall.
When Lapras swam to the nearest point of the river to Azoth Kingdom, Angie leapt onto the riverbank. "Thank you, Lapras. Please wait for me here," he said as he handed Lapras another soft bun.
"Woo~~"
Lapras nodded while chewing the bun. After finishing, it dove into the water, disappearing, leaving behind only ripples.
Finding a concealed patch of grass, Angie used the summoning function to call Diancie to his side. Diancie must be curious to see how much the Azoth Kingdom had changed by now.
Watching Diancie, who had been far away on the Nebel Plateau, suddenly appear before him, Angie couldn't help but marvel at the system's capabilities. It really was impressive!
"So amazing!" Diancie exclaimed, equally surprised.
"Let's go," Angie said after taking a deep breath, gazing at the imposing walls of Azoth Kingdom, now within reach.