Diancie was the first one to notice Meowstic's presence, she looking curiously toward the flower garden. Angie and his little Snorlax followed her gaze and spotted it too.
"Meowstic? Why are you hiding over there? Is something wrong?" Angie asked in confusion. "Come over here." He motioned for Meowstic to come closer.
At this, Meowstic hesitantly stepped forward.
Angie smiled and asked, "Did you come here looking for me?"
Meowstic hesitated, unsure of how to begin.
Seeing this, Angie stood up, walked over to its side, and took its paw. "If something's up, just tell me. Are you facing any difficulties? Tell me, and if I can help, I will."
Hearing these words, Meowstic gathered the courage to speak.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Angie, I heard you recently opened a new shop in Azoth Kingdom?
Diancie translated Meowstic's words for Angie.
After hearing the translation, Angie looked surprised. "You know about it? Did Fletchinder's mom tell you?"
Meowstic nodded gently.
Angie replied, "Yes, but it hasn't opened for business yet."
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Do you need any staff?
Angie immediately understood. "You...want to apply for a position?"
Meowstic nodded awkwardly.
Meowstic felt quite embarrassed asking this because, back when Diancie's Grand Dining Hall was revealed to be run by humans, it had instinctively left along with everyone else.
Now, looking back, it felt very guilty toward Angie. After all, it had eaten so much of Angie's food.
Meowstic had held onto this guilt ever since, feeling like it had yet to repay Angie. Now, instead, it was asking Angie for help.
With winter approaching fast on the Nebel Plateau, although the climate and environment didn't change drastically, the entire plateau would soon enter a season of food scarcity.
This was typically the toughest time of year for everyone on the plateau.
Thinking of the Dugtrio and the Gardevoir family, who had secured reliable food by working for Angie, Meowstic decided to apply for the job. It wanted to work hard and earn food to help everyone through the harsh season.
Angie now found himself lost in thought.
When he was running a stall, he could manage because he had Raleigh and his Slurpuff helping out, but opening an actual shop was different.
Moreover, Raleigh was a prince and couldn't be expected to stay as a server forever. Plus, he was still young and would eventually need to move on.
So hiring another employee was indeed necessary.
With these thoughts, Angie looked over at Meowstic.
Psychic-type Pokémon made suitable servers, given that their psychic abilities allowed them to handle intricate tasks and even multitask—advantages that other Pokémon typically didn't have.
But…
"My shop is in the Azoth Kingdom, where there are many humans. Are you sure you're okay with that?" Angie asked.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Yes, I can do it! I'm ready!"l
Meowstic had mentally prepared itself before coming. It was determined to overcome any challenges.
Seeing Meowstic's resolve, Angie thought for a moment and said, "Alright, come over tomorrow at sunrise. I'll take you there to help you get accustomed. If you're able to adapt, I'll hire you."
Hearing this, Meowstic's face lit up, and it bowed repeatedly to Angie.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Thank you, Angie. Thank you very much."
"Alright, hurry back now," Angie said, patting Meowstic's head.
"Meowstic~"
Meowstic nodded its head, then trotted off with a spring in its step.
After Meowstic left, Angie and his companions continued watching their show until their backs and shoulders ached. Finally, Angie got up from his chair, stretching and massaging his shoulders, and said to Diancie and the others, "We've been lying around long enough—let's go for a walk to stretch out."
"Munchlax~"
Munchlax jumped up first, running over to Angie and grabbing his hand. Going out with its master was its favorite activity.
Diancie also stood up, saying, "Yes, let's go! I'm getting tired of lying around too."
"Alright, then. Munchlax, you carry Komala," Angie said.
"Munchlax~"
Munchlax replied, taking Komala from Angie's arms.
And so, the four of them set out for a walk together.
As they strolled along the soft grass, Angie noticed a family of Swablu flying overhead. He waved his hand and called out, "Good afternoon, Swablu!"
"Swablu~ Swablu~"
Good afternoon, Angie!
But after saying that, Swablu hurriedly flew away with its parents.
Soon after, Angie noticed Litwick leading a line of Pokémon: Litleo, Pancham, Skitty, Scrafty, Stunky, Spritzee, Zigzagoon, Helioptile, Minccino, and Gulpin.
They noticed Angie too, but only waved and nodded from afar, not stopping to chat like they usually did.
Angie looked puzzled. What's going on with everyone? Why do they all look so hurried?
At this point, Diancie explained the reason.
"Winter is approaching, and everyone's preparing for the difficult days ahead."
"Difficult days in winter?" Angie finally caught on. "Is food really scarce here on Nebel Plateau during the winter?"
The struggle for survival was likely the only thing that could keep the wild Pokémon so busy.
Diancie nodded. "Yes, exactly!" Since Diancie spent each day interacting with Pokémon who came to visit, it knew more about life on the plateau than Angie.
In fact, the Pokémon had been busy storing food for winter for some time.
On the plateau, trees and plants didn't bear fruit as often as cultivated ones; they followed natural cycles, ceasing to produce or even withering when the season changed. At this time, the Pokémon naturally lost most of their food sources.
That's why winter was the hardest time for Pokémon on the plateau.
"Life's really not easy for them," Diancie sighed.
Hearing this, Angie lowered his head in thought. As part of the Nebel Plateau, he wanted to do his part to help everyone. However, directly providing food for all the Pokémon was beyond his current means; he simply didn't have the resources.
Even though he had over a million in savings, it wouldn't last long if he tried to support all the Pokémon on the plateau—it would be gone in no time.
Besides, it wasn't practical.
And happiness points couldn't directly purchase food either (the system shop didn't sell food).
After pondering for a while, he remembered a well-known strategy from his previous life: "Work-for-relief" programs!
He could employ Pokémon to work for him, generating revenue, and in return, he would provide them with food. Wouldn't that be a win-win?
With such a vast area on the Nebel Plateau, surely there was potential to generate some income?
This idea sparked Angie's mind back into action.
Most of the Nebel Plateau consisted of grasslands, unsuitable for large-scale farming. His vegetable garden was already at its limit, and excessive farming would only harm the environment.
However, besides land, the plateau also had large water bodies, and they could be used to generate wealth too!
But… the season wasn't right yet! Angie felt it wasn't time to use the water bodies.
Oh, but he could plant fruit trees!
Angie's eyes suddenly lit up.
He wasn't suggesting turning the plateau into an orchard but rather planting fruit trees along the long shoreline of Nebel Lake.
This way, he wouldn't disrupt the prairie ecosystem and could make efficient use of the land.
Around Nebel Lake, there were already plenty of trees. Instead of letting ordinary trees occupy the land, why not replace them with berry trees?
After all, hadn't the system rewarded him with an expensive set of brew making equipment? Once he learned how to use it, maybe the berry from these trees could come in handy.
At the very least, he could sell the berries, perhaps even to the Azoth Kingdom. Their royal breeders need berries to make Pokémon food!
He refused to believe that the berries produced by the system's berry trees wouldn't outperform those on the market.
Feeling more and more confident, Angie said to Diancie and the others, "Diancie, Munchlax, let's go home."
Diancie was surprised, "But we just got here!"
Angie replied, "Since everyone's busy with their survival, we should lend a hand too!"
Diancie didn't fully understand but knew Angie had an idea in mind, so it nodded.
As for Munchlax, it didn't understand anything; it just grinned happily, trusting whatever Angie said.
So, the family of four leisurely made their way back home. On the way, Angie told Diancie, "Diancie, let's invite Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught over for dinner tonight."
If he planned to enlist the plateau's Pokémon to work, he needed the help of the three guardians, including Delphox.
"Sure," Diancie agreed.
That evening, Angie and Munchlax personally invited Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught over for dinner.
Beforehand, they prepared a table full of delicious dishes, aromatic and visually appealing. When Delphox and the others sat down and saw the spread, they grew even more curious about why Angie had invited them over.
"Come on, Delphox, Greninja, Chesnaught, let's eat while we talk," Angie said warmly.
Delphox and the others exchanged glances, picked up chopsticks, and started eating. Having been around Angie for a while, they knew they didn't need to stand on ceremony with him.
Having come to the dining hall often, the three guardians had even gotten skilled at using chopsticks.
After eating for a bit, Angie finally spoke up, "I invited you here to discuss the upcoming winter and the food situation for everyone on the plateau."
Upon hearing this, the three immediately set down their chopsticks and sighed. This season was always their biggest worry each year, afraid some Pokémon wouldn't store enough food and would go hungry during the winter.
But they were puzzled about why Angie mentioned this.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Angie continued with a smile, "I've thought of a way for everyone to earn food through their labor."
"Delphox~ Delphox~"
Really? Really, Angie?
Delphox stood up excitedly.
The Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau weren't afraid of hard work; they only feared having no opportunity.
Not only were Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught excited, but even Diancie and Munchlax looked at Angie in surprise. Only now did Diancie understand what Angie meant earlier.
Angie nodded, "Yes, I plan to plant berry trees around Nebel Lake and hire everyone to help plant them. In return, I'll provide food as payment. This way, everyone can eat with peace of mind, and I'll also gain something. Would everyone be interested?"
"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"
Absolutely! Of course, we'd be willing!
Chesnaught enthusiastically pounded the table, startling everyone.
"Greninja~ Greninja~~"
Greninja nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Angie said, "That's great. Then, could I ask the three of you to pass on this message to everyone?"
Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught looked at each other, then suddenly stood and bowed deeply to Angie.
"Delphox~ Delphox~"
Angie, thank you for your help. Thank you so much!
Angie quickly stood to help them up. "What are you doing? I'm part of the Nebel Plateau too. You always help each other; why shouldn't I lend a hand? Besides, this benefits us both—I'm not losing out."
At this, Greninja suddenly looked worried.
"What's wrong, Greninja?" Angie asked curiously.
"Greninja~ Greninja~ Greninja~"
Angie, if you plant berry trees on a large scale here, what if someone sees it, gets greedy, and buys the land to take over your orchard?
Hearing this, Delphox and Chesnaught became worried as well, feeling it wasn't safe for Angie.
Diancie chuckled, "You can relax. Angie actually bought the entire Nebel Plateau long ago. Everything he plants here is his legal property, and no one can take it."
The three guardians looked at Angie in surprise.
Angie smiled and nodded at them.
Then, he told them, "There's no need to mention this to everyone. Let them live as usual. If I plan to do anything on the plateau, I'll discuss it with everyone first."
Hearing this, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught felt even more grateful toward Angie. He had effectively given them a security guarantee; now, no one could drive them off the Nebel Plateau.
"Angie…"
"Okay, you guys doesn't need need to be so formal with me."
The three guardians nodded.
"Then, it's decided. Let's continue our meal," Angie said happily.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and it was late at night before Angie and Diancie saw the three Pokémon out the door.