Around 2:00 in the afternoon, Angie said to Diancie and the others, "Alright, it's time to send you all home. There's still a lot to do at home, and I truly appreciate your help these past few days."
Diancie readily agreed, "Alright."
"Munchlax~"
Munchlax leaped into Angie's arms, giving its master a reluctant hug.
After teleporting Munchlax and Drizzile home one after another, Angie turned around to the only one left, Diancie, and said, "Diancie, I want your help to test something."
Diancie asked, "What is it? Go ahead."
Angie explained, "I want to see if the Veluza that has been stored in a Poké Ball can be brought back to Nebel Plateau when I send you back."
Diancie nodded, "Alright, I'll give it a try." If it worked, this would be incredibly convenient. It would be as if Angie had a portable Pokémon transfer system.
Angie captured one of the Veluza in a Poké Ball and handed it to Diancie. He then teleported Diancie home.
A while later, Angie brought Diancie back via teleportation.
"How did it go? Was it successful?" Angie asked.
Diancie replied excitedly, "It worked!"
Angie exclaimed, "That's fantastic! Now we can send all the Veluza back home. This way, they won't have to stay cramped in this pond anymore."
Squatting by the edge of the pond, Angie addressed the Veluza leader, "Soon, I'll teleport all of you to my home. There's a large lake there, much bigger than the river you used to live in. You'll be able to swim freely and train as much as you want."
Hearing this, the Veluza leader swam excitedly back and forth in the pond.
Angie continued, "But once you're there, you have to behave and not cause trouble. If there's anything you don't understand, go ask Politoed. It'll guide you."
The Veluza leader nodded earnestly.
"Alright, it's settled then."
Angie proceeded to capture all the Veluza in Poké Balls and handed them over to Diancie.
"Oh, wait!" Angie suddenly remembered something. "Diancie, can you swing by the Poké Mart and get me some Poké Balls? I'm running low."
The system tasks still required Angie to capture several Pokémon. In the past, Angie thought Poké Balls were unnecessary, but now that he needed them, he found himself out of stock.
Although he could buy them from the system store, Angie was running short on Happiness Points. Just yesterday, he had spent over 10,000 Happiness Points on Poké Balls. If this continued, he wouldn't be able to save up any points at all.
In contrast, Angie had plenty of Poké Dollar. Poké Balls at the Poké Mart only cost 500 Poké Dollar each.
Diancie agreed, "Alright, I'll remember that."
At this moment, Arven interjected, "Your Highness, you don't need to buy Poké Balls. There are tons of them at the Research Station No. 1. My Mom and Dad never use them all, so you can take as many as you want!"
Angie looked surprised. "Really?"
Arven nodded, "Yes, really."
Angie asked, "I can use them too?"
Arven answered, "Of course! I heard my parents say that some of those Poké Balls have been sitting there for years. They're just lying around, so why not?"
These Poké Balls were sponsored and didn't cost the researchers anything. However, the sponsorship had been so generous that there was a massive surplus.
Hearing this, Angie turned to Diancie. "If that's the case, we won't need to buy Poké Balls for now."
Angie then teleported Diancie and the Veluza back home.
Afterward, under Arven's guidance, Angie arrived at Research Station No. 1's storage area for Poké Balls.
It was astonishing—an entire warehouse packed full of boxes of Poké Balls. There were not only standard red-and-white Poké Balls but also Great Balls and Ultra Balls, all neatly arranged.
To be safe, Angie went to ask the researchers directly. The two professors assured him that he could use the Poké Balls freely, considering them as a reward for the delicious lunch he had prepared that day.
Along the way, Angie also obtained a map of Area Zero's Pokémon distribution from the professors. Having worked there for many years, the professors were thoroughly familiar with the area's Pokémon populations.
After taking some Poké Balls with him, Angie turned around to Arven, Oinkologne, and Charcadet and said, "Let's continue catching Pokémon!"
"Yeah!"
"Oinkologne~"
"Charcadet~~"
Arven, Oinkologne, and Charcadet cheered enthusiastically and eagerly followed Angie out the door.
With the mission to capture Veluza completed, Angie still had tasks left to capture Smoliv, Nacli, and Capsakid, which were producers of edible oil, rock salt, and spicy powder, respectively.
That afternoon, Angie set his sights on Smoliv or possibly on Dolliv and Arboliva! Ideally, it would be Dolliv and Arboliva because Smoliv's oil wasn't edible.
No, it wasn't exactly inedible—it just might taste bitter and unpleasant. But the oil produced by Dolliv and Arboliva had no such issues: it was fragrant, nutritious, and delicious.
Strolling across the grassy plains, Angie held Komala in his arms while Arven led Oinkologne and Mabosstiff. Two Charcadet rode comfortably on Oinkologne's back, enjoying the leisurely walk.
"Let me take a look—where are the Smoliv hiding?"
Angie pulled out the Pokémon distribution map and quickly located Smoliv, Dolliv, and Arboliva.
"They're on the middle level! Looks like we'll need to head down there and take a look."
Following the map's guidance, Angie found the entrance leading from the upper level to the middle level. At the entrance, the League personnel were stationed. After Angie presented the pass given to him by the professors, the guards immediately let him through.
As Angie and his companions walked across the grassy plains, they noticed the middle level's environment was not much different from the upper level. There were still expanses of lush greenery and lakes formed by waterfalls cascading from above.
Pokémon frolicked in the grass, and others splashed in the lakes. The main difference was that there were significantly more Tera Crystals here, and Angie occasionally caught sight of Terastalized Pokémon.
Terastalized Pokémon appeared to be quite aggressive, so Angie and his group kept a safe distance.
"Let's head this way," Angie said, choosing a direction and addressing his companions.
"Oinkologne~"
"Oinkologne~"
The two Oinkologne, with Charcadet riding on their backs, took the lead. They sniffed around with their noses and occasionally unearthed some special ingredients for Angie.
"Looks like we'll have a feast tonight," Angie said happily.
"Oinkologne~"
"Oinkologne~"
Encouraged by Angie's praise, the two Oinkologne searched with even greater enthusiasm. Their lunch earlier had been unforgettable—Nasir hadn't lied to them!
As Angie and his group strolled along, a flock of brightly feathered, fast-running bird Pokémon came charging toward them. When the flock reached Angie's party, they gradually slowed down.
It was a group of Espartha!
Some of the Espartha even had their babies, Flittle, riding on their backs.
Although Flittle could fly, they were slow and couldn't keep up with their sprinting parents, so they rode along instead.
Seeing the Espartha, Angie's eyes lit up. Could he perhaps catch one as a mount? Thinking about Nasir's Espartha mount, Angie couldn't help feeling a bit envious.
He activated his Eye of Observation skill to analyze the data of all the Espartha before him. If he were to catch one, naturally, he wanted the one with the best stats.
Suddenly, Angie's attention was drawn to one Espartha. Its stats were incredible—its Special Attack IV was perfect, and it was even a Shiny Espartha! However, it had a baby on its back.
After some thought, Angie decided to pass on that one.
A little while later, another Espartha caught Angie's attention. Its stats were even better than the Shiny Espartha with the baby. This one had perfect Speed IVs. Though it wasn't a Shiny Pokemon, it didn't have a baby to care for either.
Without the need to worry about a baby, Angie had no hesitation.
Pointing at the Espartha, he shouted, "Espartha, I'm going to catch you!"
Hearing this, all the Espartha turned their glowing eyes to Angie in unison, sending chills down his spine.
"Oinkologne~"
The Oinkologne hiding behind Arven trembled even more violently.
Their glowing eyes were terrifying!
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
The Crybaby Charcadet climbed from the female Oinkologne's back to the male Oinkologne's and nestling fearfully into the arms of the Goodboy Charcadet, who gently patted its back, whispering comfort.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
Don't worry, I'll protect you!
The group of Espartha gradually formed a circle, enclosing Angie and his companions. The one Angie had pointed out strode confidently into the ring, gracefully stepping forward to meet Angie face-to-face.
"Espartha~"
It accepted Angie's challenge.
Under the Eye of Observation, the Espartha's stats appeared as follows.
...
[ Espartha ]
Type: Psychic
Ability: Speed Boost
Gender: Female
Level: 49
Moves: Lumina Crash, Growl, Drill Peck, Feather Dance, Confusion, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Disarming Voice, Psybeam, Pluck, Uproar, Agility, Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, Roost.
...
[ Individual Value (IVs) ]
HP: 24
Attack: 15
Defense: 23
Special Attack: 22
Special Defense: 19
Speed: 31
...
This Espartha was exceptional—high-level, with impressive overall stats and a versatile moveset. Capturing it, however, might prove challenging.
This time, Angie dared not take it on himself. Patting the belly of the Komala in his arms, he said, "Komala, I'll leave this to you."
"Komala~~"
Komala yawned and rolled lazily out of Angie's arms, landing gently on the ground before slowly approaching the Espartha.
"Let's begin!" Angie declared.
As soon as Angie spoke, the Espartha launched its first attack—Lumina Crush, a signature move of its species. A glowing, multicolored orb of energy formed and shot toward Komala.
Komala, hugging its trusty log, began spinning rapidly, creating a gust of wind that deflected the dazzling orb harmlessly away.
After stopping its high-speed rotation, Komala smacked its lips and let out an enormous yawn.
The Espartha, unaware of what was about to happen, decided to follow up with Psychic, its eyes gleaming as it used its psychic powers to lift Komala into the air.
As the Espartha prepared to fling Komala away, it suddenly faltered and closed its eyes, succumbing to the effects of Komala's Yawn.
Komala, no longer under the psychic hold, dropped to the ground, landing with remarkable grace and rolling a couple of times before coming to a stop, completely unharmed.
Taking advantage of the Espartha's slumber, Komala rolled over to its feet, grabbed one of its legs, and slammed it gently but firmly onto the ground.
Komala had intentionally restrained its strength, knowing that the Espartha couldn't handle a full-power attack.
The move it used was Slam, a powerful Normal-type move.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the ground was smashed into a deep crater, and the Espartha lay motionless inside.
The difference in strength was too great—the Espartha couldn't even endure a single hit from the Komala.
Angie had just taken out a Poké Ball when he noticed the other Espartha turning their heads toward him. Angie's body stiffened. "What? You're not letting me capture it? Then I'll leave, okay?"
Hearing this, the Espartha all turned their heads away again. They then approached the fallen Espartha in the pit, checked on it briefly, and finally, with long strides, dashed off in a cloud of dust.
What a joke! Espartha are honorable Pokémon. We accept defeat with dignity!
Only then did Angie feel reassured enough to toss the Poké Ball. The Espartha in the pit was absorbed into it in a flash of red light.
Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
The Poké Ball shook twice before settling down.
Espartha GET DA☆ZE!
Angie walked into the crater, picked up the Poké Ball, and hugged the Komala. "Komala, thank you so much! You really saved the day!"
The Komala, as unresponsive as ever, merely rolled over in Angie's arms and blew a tiny bubble of snot from its nose.
Angie opened the Poké Ball, releasing the Espartha again. He took out a berry and fed it to her. Before long, the Espartha slowly regained consciousness.
The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was to look at the Komala. Her gaze was filled with shock! She prided herself on her strength; apart from the leader of her group, no one in her tribe could defeat her. Yet she hadn't been able to withstand even one move from this small Pokémon.
At that moment, Angie's voice brought her back to reality.
"Espartha, let's get along well from now on!"
The Espartha turned her head to look at Angie and gave a slight nod.
She wasn't sure if this human could help her grow stronger, but she hoped that one day, she could defeat the Komala.
Little did Angie know that this ambitious Pokémon was expecting him to train her rigorously.
Once the Espartha had regained her energy, Angie asked, "Can I sit on your back?"
He had just captured this Espartha, and from a quick estimate, she was at least two meters tall.
The Espartha nodded and slowly crouched down.
Angie who is excited, called for Arven to climb on.
Once the Espartha stood up, Angie raised his arm and cheered, "Let's go find Smoliv!"
The moment he finished speaking, the Espartha bolted off at full speed. The Oinkologne and Mabosstiff hurriedly galloped after them.
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Angie and Arven's screams echoed through the air.
They clung tightly to the Espartha's neck to avoid being blown off by the rushing wind.
Angie suddenly remembered that the Espartha that was given by Nasir had been trained for riding, but this one hadn't.
"Espartha, slow down! Slow down!" Angie shouted.
The Espartha abruptly slammed on the brakes, nearly flinging Angie and Arven off again.
Gasping for air, Angie spoke to the Gallopana, "Take it easy! Please slow down!"
This speed was way too intense!