As Skitty walked back to grab its belongings, it encountered a Buneary.
With a cheerful cry it rushed over, rubbing affectionately against Buneary before proudly boasting about its new position as an employee at Angie's home.
Meanwhile, Helioptile and Minccino walked hand in hand, singing merrily. Suddenly, a Drilbur burst out from beneath them, causing the pair to tumble backward with a resounding thud.
Despite the mishap, Helioptile and Minccino were unfazed, brushing off bits of grass as they stood up.
"Drilbur, Drilbur~"
What happened? You two seem so happy?
Drilbur asked while munching on a sprig of grass it held in its paws.
"Minccino~ Minccino~"
Hah! You don't know yet, do you?
Minccino teased, planting its hands on its hips and strutting about proudly, its slightly rounded belly leading the way.
"Drilbur?"
What?
Helioptile continued chewing, curious but unimpressed.
"Helioptile~ Helioptile~"
Because we're now employees at Angie's home!"
Helioptile declared with a voice full of excitement.
Drilbur froze mid-chew, eyes wide in disbelief, the sprig of grass slipping from its paws to the ground. Before it could confirm what it had heard, Minccino and Helioptile had already walked off, hand in hand, humming a cheerful tune.
For a moment, Drilbur stood dumbfounded. Then, snapping out of its daze, it snatched up the fallen sprig and bolted across the grasslands,l and started yelling.
"Drilbur, Drilbur, Drilbur!"
Oh no, oh no! Big news! Minccino and Helioptile have become Angie's employees!
It didn't take long for the news of Litwick's family joining Angie to spread like wildfire across the Nebel Plateau, stirring envy among the Pokémon community.
When Litwick's group finally finished packing and stepped outside, they found a crowd gathered around their home. The moment the group emerged, the onlookers surged forward, bombarding them with questions.
"Aron~ Aron~"
Pancham, how did you manage to become one of Angie's employees?
Aron asked eagerly.
"Pancham~ Pancham~"
Obviously, it's because I'm awesome!
Pancham replied smugly.
"Drilbur~ Drilbur~"
Skitty, now that you're an employee at Angie's home, will you still play with us?
Buneary inquired, its voice tinged with worry.
Skitty stood tall, patting Buneary reassuringly on the shoulder.
"Skitty~ Skitty~"
Don't worry. I'll have your back from now on.
"Deerling~ Deerling~"
Gulpin, I wish I could work at Angie's home too! Can you tell me how to get in?
Deerling pleaded.
Gulpin looked confused.
"Gulpin~ Gulpin~"
I don't know too!
…
Amid the envious stares of their neighbors, Litwick's group carried their belongings into their new dormitory.
Elsewhere, Gardevoir's family was also preparing to move.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Mom, are we really going to live at Angie's home?
Ralts asked while sitting on a rock and kicking its tiny feet back and forth as it watched its parents pack.
"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~"
That's right. Our new home is beautiful. You're going to love it.
Gardevoir replied, patting Ralts gently on its mushroom-shaped head.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Really? That's amazing!
Ralts exclaimed, hopping off the rock. It spread its arms wide, imitating a Fletchinder in flight as it excitedly ran circles around its parents.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
I'm so happy!
Thud!
Ralts tripped, landing flat on its face.
"Gardevoir~!"
Gardevoir gasped, but Ralts had already swiftly gotten back up.
"Ralts~"
Heh-heh~~
Ralts grinned goofily at his parents, then calmly brushed off the dust and dirt from his body.
At that moment, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught appeared outside the door.
Seeing their good friends, Gardevoir and Gallade quickly invited them inside.
"Delphox~ Delphox~"
I heard you're moving into Angie's home?
Delphox asked.
"Gallade~ Gallade~"
Yes, Angie's home has built a new employee dormitory to make it easier for us to work, so we're moving there to live.
Gallade answered, adding an explanation just in case Delphox didn't understand what an "employee dormitory" was.
After hearing Gallade's explanation, Delphox and the others looked at each other with envy. When would it be their turn to have a steady job with housing included?
"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"
Come, come, I'll help you move!
Chesnaught strode forward and took the items from Gallade's hands.
In fact, Gallade and Gardevoir didn't have much to move; they could easily handle it themselves. Chesnaught's eagerness was just an excuse to get a peek at their new home.
Gallade and Gardevoir, however, were a bit eager to show off their new living arrangements, so they accepted the help from their three neighbors.
Soon, the family of three, along with the three neighbors, arrived at their new home.
Once inside, the three Pokémon looked around, their eyes full of curiosity and envy. Delphox ran its hand over the soft bed, sighing in admiration.
"Delphox~ Delphox~"
This must be so comfortable to sleep on!"
Ralts, hearing this, quickly climbed onto the bed and began bouncing up and down.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Mom, Dad, hee-hee-hee~~~ This is so fun, so fun!
Delphox and the others looked on, filled with envy. Their hearts were full of longing, a feeling perfectly summed up by the saying, "Afraid of your brother suffering, but also jealous when he drives a Range Rover."
As Gardevoir's family and Litwick's family moved in one after the other, a lively atmosphere filled the secret fortress.
Soon, it was time for everyone to plant trees. As they worked, the Pokémon gathered in small groups to chat, with the main topic being the employment of Litwick's family and the employee dormitory.
Sadly, the tree planters were just temporary workers for Angie's home, and couldn't move into the employee dormitory.
Hoping to catch Angie's eye and secure a future of worry-free food and housing, the Pokémon worked even harder than before.
Time flew by, and before long, it was deep winter. The Azoth Kingdom had experienced its second snowfall of the season, and this time, it was even heavier than the last. The entire Azoth City was covered in a thick blanket of snow.
Due to the extreme cold, several stray Pokémon had gathered near Munchlax's house. After breakfast, many customers would take what they hadn't finished and package it up, then send it to these wandering Pokémon.
At ten in the morning, Angie, as usual, closed the door on time. Once all the customers had left, he walked out of the kitchen holding a pot.
Since the customers had done their part to help the stray Pokémon, Angie, as the owner, couldn't sit back and do nothing.
Meowstic and Ralts, noticing this, followed behind him as Angie made his way to a small alley not far away.
As for Komala, it wasn't around—it didn't like the cold of Azoth City, so it had already gone back to the Nebel Plateau.
At the far end of the alley, there were several shabby cardboard boxes, covered in snow. Inside, a few Pokémon huddled together, shivering—two Oddish, two Paras, and two Shroomish.
Angie walked over, knocked on the boxes, and soon, the six Pokémon poked their heads out one by one, looking at Angie in confusion.
Unlike the wild Pokémon in the Nebel Plateau, the stray Pokémon in the city were usually not afraid of humans. Sometimes, they even approached humans to beg for food.
Angie took out several plates and placed them on the ground, then filled them with steaming buns and steamed bread. "Here, eat up."
The Oddish and the others expressed their thanks gratefully to Angie before beginning to eat ravenously. They had been very hungry, and normally, Pokémon like Oddish could get nutrients through photosynthesis in the sunlight, but the current cold weather made it impossible for them to do so.
As the warm food entered their bellies, the Pokémon immediately felt warmth spread through their bodies.
While the Pokémon were eating, Angie bought a small wooden cabin from the system shop. It was only about half the height of a person, but it was enough for the Oddish and the others to take shelter in.
He placed the wooden cabin in the corner of the alley and added a blanket inside. Once the six Pokémon had finished eating, Angie pointed at the cabin and said to them, "You can stay there."
The Pokémon's eyes lit up when they saw the wooden cabin.
"Oddish~ Oddish~"
You're really letting us stay here?
Angie nodded, "Really. I hope you can have a safe and warm winter." Angie offered them his best wishes.
"Oddish~ Oddish~"
"Shroomish~ Shroomish~"
"Paras~ Paras~"
...
The six Pokémon thanked Angie one by one and lined up to enter the wooden cabin.
"Oddish~"
So warm~
"Shroomish~"
Comfortable~ Comfortable~
"Paras~"
Get closer to me, guys.
...
The six Pokémon squinted their eyes and squeezed together, sighing contentedly.
"Well then, goodbye." Angie waved as he said his farewell.
The six Pokémon squeezed together, all poking their heads out of the cabin to say goodbye to Angie, thanking him as well.
As Angie turned to leave, he noticed that only Ralts remained by his side. He asked, "Where's Meowstic?"
"Ralts~"
Ralts shook its head. It had been so focused on the six Pokémon that it hadn't noticed when Meowstic had disappeared.
Angie scanned the alley and, not finding Meowstic, quickly walked out. The snow beneath his feet crunched with each step.
"Meowstic?" Angie called as he stood at the alley entrance.
"Meowstic~"
At that moment, Meowstic hurriedly appeared from a corner not far away, holding something in its arms.
Angie let out a sigh of relief. "Where did you go?" He then looked at what was in its arms and asked, "What are you holding…"
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Meowstic quickly lifted the small creature in its arms, and Angie was stunned to see that it was a tiny Espurr. "Where did you find this?" he exclaimed, taking the Espurr from Meowstic's arms.
The Espurr was icy to the touch and unconscious. Angie immediately placed it inside his coat to warm it up, not even bothering that it was still wet.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Meowstic desperately tried to explain, but although Angie didn't understand, he could guess its meaning.
"You found this Espurr?"
Meowstic nodded vigorously.
Seeing the worried expression on Meowstic's face, Angie reassured it. "Don't worry. I'll take it to the Pokémon Center. With Nurse Joy there, it'll be fine."
Meowstic nodded and indicated that it would go along.
"Then let's go quickly." With that, Angie bent down and picked up Ralts.
They rushed to the Pokémon Center as fast as they could.
What Angie didn't know was that as they left, a shadow appeared on the ceiling of Munchlax's house.
A Haunter floated out.
As usual, it used its psychic abilities to clean up the hall and arrange the furniture neatly, then went to the kitchen to wash up.
After finishing everything, it eagerly approached the trash can, sticking its head in to rummage around. However, after rummaging through it, it found not a single steamed bun or mantou discarded inside.
With a jerk, it pulled its head out of the trash can, looking despondent.
(ó﹏ò)
Feeling dejected, Haunter phased back into the wall and disappeared.
Meanwhile, over with Angie.
Due to the heavy snow, Angie arrived at the Pokémon Center, where the place wasn't crowded.
Seeing Angie, Nurse Joy was surprised. "Your Highness Angie? What brings you here?" She immediately came over to greet him.
Thanks to the royal publicity, almost everyone in Azoth knew who Angie was by now.
Angie quickly took Espurr out of his coat. "Nurse Joy, please take a look at this Espurr."
Nurse Joy's face immediately grew serious. She took Espurr from Angie's hands and called over Chansey. "Don't worry, Your Highness. Leave it to me. Please wait a moment." Then, she hurriedly left with Espurr.
Angie, along with Ralts and Meowstic, found a place to sit in the Pokémon Center lobby.
Ralts, perched on Angie's shoulder, tugged at his hair, frowning with a worried expression.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Angie, it will be okay, right?
Seeing the concerned look on Ralts' face, Angie understood its worry about Espurr. He patted its mushroom head and reassured, "Don't worry, Nurse Joy is very skilled."
He then patted Meowstic, who looked equally worried. "You don't have to worry either."
Meowstic nodded in agreement.
About half an hour later, Nurse Joy returned with Chansey. Angie immediately stood up and asked, "Nurse Joy, how is it?"
Nurse Joy smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, everything's fine. Espurr just fainted from hunger and exposure to the cold. There's no danger now. Just make sure it gets enough nutrition, and it will recover soon."
"That's a relief," Angie sighed in relief. "Can we go see it now?"
Nurse Joy nodded, "Of course, go ahead. It should wake up soon."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy."
"No need to thank me. It's my duty."
Angie, followed by Meowstic and Ralts, gently pushed open the door to the room. Espurr had just opened its eyes and was about to get up, but Meowstic quickly ran over and tucked it back under the blanket, gently covering it again.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
After Meowstic said a few words, Espurr obediently lay down.
"Espurr, you must be hungry, right? Here, have something to eat." Before entering, Angie had bought some Pokémon biscuits from the nearby Pokémon shop, since he hadn't brought any food with him.
Meowstic took the biscuits from Angie and fed them one by one to Espurr. Espurr ate the biscuit slowly, gracefully, and politely, despite its haste.
Since it was still weak, after eating, Espurr fell back into a deep sleep.
Meowstic gently touched Espurr's forehead, then turned to Angie, gesturing and saying:
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Boss, can I take it home?
Angie immediately understood what Meowstic meant.
"Of course. As long as you can take care of it, there's no need to ask my permission," Angie said.
Meowstic gratefully bowed to Angie, then took off its little coat and wrapped Espurr up in it.
"Then let's go home," Angie said.
In the lobby, Angie went to settle the bill with Nurse Joy.
After paying, just as Angie was about to leave, Nurse Joy called out to him.
"Your Highness, wait."
"What is it, Nurse Joy?" Angie turned around in confusion.
Nurse Joy pulled out a bag from under the table. "This is for you." She handed the bag to Angie, revealing it to be filled with Pokémon food.
"This is..." Angie looked at Nurse Joy in surprise.
"It's for Espure," Nurse Joy winked playfully. "You found it, right?"
Angie nodded.
"If you can do something for it, then surely I can help too," Nurse Joy said with a smile.
"Of course."
Angie accepted the bag of Pokémon food, grateful for Nurse Joy's kindness.
"Goodbye, Nurse Joy."
"Goodbye, Your Highness."
With that, Angie left the Pokémon Center and returned to the Nebel Plateau with his three Pokémon.