At noon, when Angie returned, Steven was indeed already gone.
During lunch, Angie learned about Zigzagoon's evolution. Linoone even proudly showed off the silk scarf Steven had given it.
The scarf suited Linoone perfectly. Regardless of its function, its color matched Linoone beautifully, making it look much cuter. Angie showered Linoone with compliments, causing it to circle around him like an excited puppy.
Afterward, Angie called over the Victreebel family.
He took out the Leaf Stone Steven had given him in the morning and asked Weepinbell, "Weepinbell, I have this Leaf Stone here. Would you like to evolve?"
"Weepinbell, Weepinbell~"
Really? For me?
Weepinbell was incredulous. Leaf Stones were quite rare, and it had always wanted to evolve into a strong Pokémon like its husband. However, Leaf Stones were not easy to come by.
"Of course!" Angie said with a smile. "I have no use for it, so naturally, it's yours!"
"Weepinbell, Weepinbell~"
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Weepinbell extended a vine to accept the Leaf Stone.
The moment it touched the Leaf Stone, a blue-white light of evolution enveloped Weepinbell. The Victreebel and Bellsprout family let out exclamations of surprise.
Within the light, Weepinbell's body grew larger. When the light subsided, a Victreebel, slightly smaller than Bellsprout Papa, stood proudly before them.
"Victreebel~ Victreebel~"
Bellsprout Mama immediately hugged Angie joyfully, sharing the happiness of its evolution and expressing its heartfelt thanks.
"Alright, alright!" Angie patted the sturdy body of the Victreebel, which then reluctantly let him go.
Seeing this, Bellsprout Papa and the three children gathered around its wife, forming a loving family of five.
In the afternoon, Angie resumed working with Robert No. 1 on the tables and chairs, just as he had the day before. Without Steven's help, their efficiency was noticeably lower.
But there was no rush for this project; Angie could take his time.
Near evening, Angie, as usual, prepared dinner with Munchlax and Sobble.
The main dish today was still steamed buns, accompanied by braised fish and tomato egg soup. The Pokémon ate happily.
Half a month flew by. One afternoon, Angie and Robert No. 1 finally completed all the tables and chairs. Angie then set up large umbrellas in the plaza in front of his house, each shading a set of tables and chairs.
The umbrellas protected the furniture from sun and rain.
Angie had ordered these umbrellas from Azoth Kingdom's capital, using League currency because his Happiness Points had been depleted earlier. It was only recently that he managed to save up some again.
Looking at the fruits of their labor over the past two weeks, Angie felt immense pride.
Handicraft Expert title, GET☆DAZE!
After admiring his work for a while, Angie noticed it was still early, and the Pokémon gathering wood hadn't returned yet. So, he took Munchlax and Sobble to the staff dormitory.
At the dormitory, Angie purchased two large televisions from the System Store and began setting them up in the dormitory's lounge.
The staff dormitory had various uniquely designed rooms, but the deepest part housed a large lounge, a place for the Pokémon to relax and have fun.
Since it hadn't been furnished yet, the lounge only had a few sofas and tables.
Previously, Angie learned that Aron and Drilbur loved battles, which inspired him to do something for his Pokémon. He had searched the System Store and found exactly what he needed.
Unfortunately, at that time, his Happiness Points were completely spent, so he couldn't buy anything. Recently, he had managed to recover some points, finally allowing him to act on his plan.
Munchlax and Sobble didn't know what Angie was up to but still eagerly helped out.
By evening, Angie had finished. He looked at the two giant TVs mounted on the lounge wall and nodded in satisfaction.
What Angie had found in the System Store was a set of Pokémon battle technique training discs. He planned to gift them to his Pokémon.
However, using the discs required compatible playback equipment, which was why Angie installed the televisions and the necessary devices in the dormitory.
The televisions and players weren't too expensive, costing just over 10,000 Happiness Points. The pricey part was the set of battle technique discs, which cost a whopping 200,000 Happiness Points!
The set contained over 100 discs, covering a wide range of topics. Angie planned to let his Pokémon watch and study them at their own pace.
To be honest, Angie wasn't very skilled in battling. In his previous life, he had played Pokémon games but wasn't a competitive player; he simply enjoyed the process of raising Pokémon.
So when it came to battles, Angie decided to let the Pokémon watch the discs and explore the techniques on their own. According to the System Shop's description, some of the discs only demonstrated and explained battle techniques, without covering specific move instruction.
If you wanted Pokémon to quickly learn moves, purchasing a Move Tutor Machine would still be the best option. However, there was a small chance that Pokémon could learn moves while studying battle techniques.
As for why Angie installed two TVs, it was because not all Pokémon enjoyed battling. Many of them preferred quiet, peaceful, and harmonious lives. Angie wanted to provide more options for leisure and entertainment so they could relax properly after work.
The televisions in the Pokémon world could directly connect to the internet, enabling Pokémon to watch shows, listen to music, or learn about the outside world. This way, they wouldn't be entirely oblivious to what was happening beyond their surroundings.
With two TVs, Pokémon with differing tastes wouldn't need to argue over what to watch.
Once the TVs and equipment were set up, Angie tested them and found that everything worked perfectly.
"Perfect!" he said with a snap of his fingers.
Before long, the Pokémon returned from their tasks one by one. When they saw the new installations in the lounge, they were incredibly curious. Most of them had no idea what the devices were.
"Spritzee~ Spritzee~"
Angie, what's this?
Spritzee landed on Angie's shoulder and asked.
"Well..."
Even though Angie couldn't understand Spritzee's words, its confused expression gave him a pretty good idea. So Angie explained the purpose of the TVs to all the Pokémon.
"Buneary~ Buneary~"
"Skitty~ Skitty~"
After hearing Angie's explanation, Pokémon like Buneary and Skitty, who enjoyed peaceful lives, and Aron and Drilbur, who loved battles, all jumped up and down with joy.
"Pancham~ Pancham~"
"Skitty~ Skitty~"
Pancham excitedly hugged Angie's leg, while Skitty rubbed its head against his pants.
"Fletchinder~ Fletchinder~"
"Swablu~ Swablu~"
Fletchinder and Swablu perched on Angie's shoulders, eagerly pointing their wings at the TVs, clearly wanting to try them out immediately.
"All right, all right, I'll set it up for you!" Angie said with a helpless smile. "You don't know how to use these yet, do you? Let me teach you." He motioned for the Pokémon to gather closer.
Angie knew he couldn't always be there to turn on the TVs for them, so he needed to teach them how to use the devices.
With a wave of his hand, the Pokémon flocked to him, crowding around the TVs.
"Here, this is the power button... and here, you press this... and then this…"
Angie explained the steps in detail. But for some Pokémon with limited focus, even these simple instructions soon left them dizzy.
Turning on the TV was easy, but switching channels and playing discs? That was a challenge for many.
"Fletchinder~ Fletchinder~"
I can't take it anymore; I'm dizzy!
With a dramatic flop, Fletchinder fell off Angie's shoulder, only to be caught in Chesnaught's large hands.
Nearby, two Watchog sat down on the floor holding hands, looking dazed as if stars were circling their heads.
Angie sighed. "You guys are all hopelessly silly."
"Pancham~"
Pancham scratched the back of its head and chuckled awkwardly.
"Gulpin~"
Gulpin clutched its belly, laughing.
"Skitty~ Skitty~"
Skitty paced around Angie, though it was unclear whether it had actually learned anything.
Sobble crossed its arms with a triumphant smirk.
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
You're all so dumb! I already got it!
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax sat on the floor, clutching its stomach and laughing at everyone else.
At this point, Buneary patted Munchlax's side and asked curiously.
"Buneary~ Buneary~"
Munchlax, did you figure it out?
( ⊙ .⊙)?
Munchlax's laughter abruptly stopped. Oh no, it hadn't learned it either.
Seeing Munchlax's stunned expression, the other Pokémon burst into laughter again.
Still, there were some sharp ones in the group, like Delphox and Greninja.
So, Angie called Delphox and Greninja to the front and taught them step by step how to use the TV and playback equipment.
Both Pokémon were exceptionally intelligent and quickly mastered the process.
"Delphox, Greninja, I'm leaving the responsibility of playing TV programs for everyone to you two," Angie said, patting their shoulders.
"Delphox~"
"Greninja~"
The two Pokémon nodded solemnly.
Angie then turned to the others and said, "Alright, you guys have fun. I need to go back and cook dinner. Remember to come up and eat later."
"Swablu~"
"Fletchinder~"
"Spritzee~"
...
The Pokémon all responded cheerfully.
As soon as Angie left, the Pokémon began happily watching TV. The programs showcased fascinating things they had never seen before, and many Pokémon quickly became captivated. Even the Water-type Pokémon from the fifth floor came running over to join the excitement once they heard the news.
When Angie returned to ground level, ready to head home and cook with Munchlax and Sobble, Diancie suddenly ran toward him in a hurry.
"Angie, Dugtrio just came by. They want you to check the vegetable garden."
"What happened?" Angie asked, puzzled.
"It seems like something has damaged the garden," Diancie explained.
Hearing this, Angie turned to Munchlax and Sobble. "You two go home and start cooking. I'll go check it out."
Munchlax and Sobble nodded and headed home, while Angie and Diancie made their way to the vegetable garden behind the house.
When Angie arrived, the Dugtrio brothers were waiting for him anxiously. The moment they saw Angie, their faces fell with guilt and frustration.
"What's going on here?" Angie asked.
"Dugtrio~"
"Dugtrio~"
Two of the Dugtrio quickly gestured for Angie to look at a nearby patch of green onions. The neatly grown rows had been utterly disrupted—many onions had been uprooted and were lying scattered across the soil. The once-tidy patch was now chaotic, with footprints of varying sizes and depths covering the garden bed.
"Dugtrio~"
"Dugtrio~"
The Dugtrio brothers stared at the once carefully tended vegetable garden, now in shambles, with tears welling up in their eyes.
Angie had entrusted them with the garden, ensuring they had plenty to eat and a comfortable life. Yet, they felt they had let him down by failing to protect it, and their hearts were heavy with guilt.
Noticing their expressions, Angie crouched down and patted their heads. "It's okay. It's just a few green onions. We can plant more. It's no big deal.
"Besides, it's not your fault. You were busy chopping trees this afternoon, so you weren't here. Who could've predicted something like this would happen?"
Hearing Angie's comforting words, the Dugtrio brothers felt a bit better. They immediately began angrily berating the culprit in their Pokémon language, furious at the sheer audacity of someone ruining the garden.
After soothing the brothers, Angie stepped into the onion patch, picking up the uprooted green onions while examining the footprints on the ground.
The footprints were palm-sized and vaguely leaf-shaped. They clearly didn't belong to a human. Judging by their shape, they looked like they came from a bird. Was it an ordinary wild bird, or a Pokémon?
Angie wasn't too familiar with wild birds, but if it were a Pokémon... the prints reminded him of several possibilities.
Psyduck, Farfetch'd, Ducklett, or Quaxly—these duck-like Pokémon all had similar footprints.
Carrying a bundle of green onions out of the garden, Angie turned to the Dugtrio brothers. "Tomorrow, skip chopping trees and hide in the garden. If that troublemaker dares to come back, catch it for me!"
"Dugtrio~!"
"Dugtrio~!"
The Dugtrio brothers nodded vigorously, their eyes burning with determination.
Angie added, "I'll also find a couple of partners to help you keep watch. If that thing shows up again, it won't escape."
After all, the trees by the riverbank were almost cleared, so not many Pokémon needed to remain there anymore.
"Dugtrio~!"
The brothers nodded in agreement again.
Though they were relatively high-level among the Pokémon, their lack of battle experience left them a bit worried about losing a fight. Having reinforcements would definitely help.
When Angie got home, he placed the green onions in the kitchen. Seeing this, Munchlax and Sobble, who were busy cooking, looked confused. The household still had plenty of green onions left—why had their master brought back another bundle?
Angie then explained the situation in the garden to his two disciples.
"Munchlax! Munchlax!"
"Sobble! Sobble!"
As expected, both Munchlax and Sobble were equally furious.
When dinnertime arrived, the Pokémon came in groups to eat. As they enjoyed their meal, a sudden blue-and-white glow began radiating from Totodile's body.
In the glow, Totodile's body grew taller, and its form became more robust.
When the light faded, a brand-new Pokémon stood before everyone.
It was Croconaw!