The transformed Robert No. 2 intrigued the other Pokémon, with Pawmi constantly circling around it as though trying to thoroughly study it, climbing up and down its body. Metagross didn't mind at all, even catching Pawmi when it almost fell.
While Angie cooked, Robert No. 2 would help by holding Komala playing with the two Oinkologne and Pawmi, making Angie feel like Robert No. 2 was the Pokémon's mother.
Time passed quickly, and nearly half a month had gone by. One evening, Angie's aura training mission finally came to an end, so during dinner, he informed the two professors of his departure.
"Professors, I've been in Paldea for quite some time now, so I plan to leave tomorrow."
The two professors were both surprised to hear this.
Professor Sada said, "You're leaving already? Won't you stay a bit longer?" She felt like Angie had only just arrived!
During his time there, they had lived so comfortably with Angie, who would cook them delicious meals every day. In just a short period, each of them had gained several pounds.
Indeed, happy times are fleeting.
Professor Turo also said, "Yes, stay a bit longer. It feels like I can't do without you already."
The other researchers also chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness, stay just a bit longer."
Angie shook his head. "It's already been hard enough for me to be away for this long. I have a shop at home, and the berry trees are still being tended to on the Nebel Plateau. Every task requires someone, and I really can't stay any longer."
Upon hearing this, the professors and researchers stopped trying to persuade him.
"Ah~~ just thinking about not getting to eat Your Highness's cooking anymore makes my heart hurt!" one of the Paldean researchers said.
Another researcher, from the Azoth royal family, proudly said, "When I return to Kalos, I'll go to Your Highness's shop every day."
"Damn, why don't I live in Kalos!" The Paldean researchers looked on with envy.
At that moment, Professor Sada spoke up. "By the way, Angie, may I ask a favor?"
Angie replied, "Please go ahead, Professor."
Professor Sada said, "Could you help us take Arven to Naranja Academy?"
The professors were very busy and didn't have time to care for Arven, so most of the time, Arven had been staying at Naranja Academy.
The reason Arven had stayed in Area Zero for such a long time was thanks to Angie looking after him. Now that Angie was leaving, Arven should return to Naranja Academy.
Naranja Academy was the professors' alma mater, and they had many friends there who could help take care of Arven.
Arven also attended school there.
Upon hearing his mother's words, Arven, who had been eating, lowered his head in sadness. Not only was Angie leaving, but he would also be separated from his parents.
He had been so happy during this time that he almost forgot this precious moment had a time limit.
Angie agreed to the professors' request. "Sure, I need to go to Mesagoza City to catch a flight anyway!"
Professor Turo gratefully said, "Then thank you very much."
Angie waved his hand. "It's no trouble at all."
Feeling down, Arven didn't say a word for the rest of dinner.
The next morning, Angie woke up early, packed his things, and made breakfast for the professors and researchers one last time.
As the professors and researchers ate breakfast, they all sighed and were reluctant to see Angie go.
However, the time for parting always comes.
After breakfast, Angie had Diancie send the two Oinkologne, Komala, and Robert No. 2 back home, leaving only Pawmi, Metagross, and Espathra by his side.
Komala had been accompanying him for so long, it was time for it to return home and rest. Surely, its drinking companion would be eager to reunite with it.
Not long ago, Angie had bought Komala a bottle of fine wine, but it had yet to drink it, unwilling to part with it.
Once everything was ready, Angie and Arven mounted Espathra and headed toward the exit of Area Zero.
This time, Raleigh wasn't leaving. He would stay to continue learning from the two professors. With the Azoth research team around, there was no need for Angie to worry about him.
After passing through the entrance of Area Zero, Angie and Arven arrived in the suburbs of Medali Town.
Before leaving, Angie decided to visit Nasir, who had taken good care of him. It wouldn't be right to leave without saying goodbye.
After leaving Nasir's house, Angie and Arven went straight to Mesagoza City.
Mesagoza City was the largest city in the Paldea region, located in the center of the entire region, not far from Medali Town.
Angie and Arven took the light rail, and in less than two hours, they arrived at their destination.
Exiting the train station, Angie and Arven found themselves in a large square. Everywhere they looked, there were towering buildings, completely different from Azoth City.
Due to historical and cultural reasons, most of the architecture in Azoth City had an old-fashioned style, with very few high-rise buildings.
Pawmi, who was born in the desolate Area Zero, had never seen such a bustling metropolis. It nestled in Angie's hood, resting on his shoulder, its round eyes wide open, taking in everything around it.
Angie asked, "Arven, should we head straight to Naranja Academy?"
"Hmm~" Arven nodded, looking a little downcast.
Noticing this, Angie asked, "Are you missing your mom and dad, or is it me you're going to miss?"
Arven lowered his head and didn't respond. Understanding Arven's feelings, Mabosstiff nudged him gently with its head.
Angie smiled and said, "If you miss your mom and dad, you can visit them more often during the holidays! If you'll miss me, we can always stay in touch on the phone."
As he said this, Angie shook his phone in front of Arven.
"I'll always welcome your calls to discuss cooking!"
Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Arven's face, and he nodded. "Hmm, I understand. Thank you, Brother Angie!"
"Alright, let's go then." Angie patted his back.
The two of them, along with Pawmi and Mabosstiff, made their way to Naranja Academy.
Walking through the streets of Mesagoza City, Pawmi's eyes were almost too small to take in everything.
It was amazed by the cars rushing past it, covering its mouth in awe; it couldn't help but drool at the sight of a child nearby licking a lollipop; it was excited to see the moving figures and Pokémon on the electronic billboards, along with the colorful displays...
Like Pawmi, Angie hadn't seen much of the world either. The towns in the Pokémon world he had visited were limited to Azoth City, Medali Town, and now Mesagoza City, so he, too, was filled with curiosity and excitement along the way.
Noticing Pawmi staring at a fast food restaurant without blinking, Angie asked, "Want to eat?"
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Pawmi's eyes lit up, and it nodded frantically.
Angie then looked at Arven and asked, "Arven, do you want to eat?"
Arven thought for a moment before replying, "I'd like to try it."
"Then let's go eat!" Angie said.
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Pawmi excitedly kicked its legs in Angie's hood.
Angie then led Arven, Pawmi, and Mabostiff into the fast food restaurant, where they ordered a variety of burgers, fries, egg tarts, chicken wings, milk tea, and fizzy drinks, filling the table with a large spread.
He also let Metagross out.
Seeing this, Arven released his Nacli Pokémon as well.
The two of them, along with several Pokémon, gathered around the table. Pawmi excitedly shouted, grabbed a chicken leg, and shoved it into its mouth.
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
It was so good, so good!
Its cheeks puffed out as it ate, and it mumbled with its mouth full.
Then, Pawmi took a bite of a burger, followed by a sip of the soda drink. Its joyous expression made even Angie, who was watching it eat, feel his mood lift.
He picked up a French fry and put it in his mouth, the long-lost taste making him sigh with nostalgia: Occasionally eating this isn't bad.
While Angie was eating, he didn't forget to feed Metagross.
"Do you like it?" He asked Pawmi, looking at it.
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Yes, I like it!
Pawmi pinched a chicken leg with its greasy little paws and said.
"If you like it, next time when you have time, I'll make it for you at home." It's just fried food, it's not hard to make.
When Pawmi heard that, it immediately tried to jump into Angie's arms to act cute. Angie quickly stopped it, "Stop, do you want to rub that greasy paw on me?"
"Pawmi~~"
Pawmi looked at its hand, then smiled foolishly.
Arven, Nacli, and Mabosstiff were also eating with their mouths full of grease.
Angie asked, "Arven, do you like these too?"
Arven nodded, "I've never had this before."
Angie realized that the two professor probably didn't have time to bring Arven here for this kind of food.
"If you like it, eat more, today's on me."
Since it's not something eaten every day, indulging once in a while isn't a big deal.
"Mm~" Arven grinned.
The restaurant was filled with other customers, many of whom were also eating with their Pokémon, but none were as lively as Angie's group.
After leaving the fast-food restaurant, Pawmi, Arven, and Mabosstiff all had round bellies.
"Burp~"
"Burp~"
Arven and Pawmi simultaneously burped, exchanged a glance, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahaha~~"
"Pawmi~~"
Angie was also amused by them, rubbing Pawmi's head before saying, "Alright, let's head to the Naranja Academy now."
"Mm~" Arven nodded.
Though Angie didn't recognize the route to Naranja Academy, Arven was very familiar with it, and soon, the two arrived at the academy's entrance.
Naranja Academy was one of the most famous schools in the Pokémon world, with a long history. Students from all over the world came here to study.
As long as someone had the heart to learn, Naranja Academy welcomed them, and there was no age limit for admission.
At the entrance, many students were coming and going. Some recognized Arven and greeted it very warmly when they saw it.
"Ah! Arven, you're back!"
"Arven, long time no see, did you have a good vacation?"
"Arven, come find me later, I brought something fun from home."
…
While responding to the students, Arven walked with Angie deeper into the academy. They were going to meet the academy's president, Yeci.
Angie's purpose for this visit was to hand over Arven to Geeta.
Geeta was not only the director of Naranja Academy but also the chairwoman of the Paldea Pokémon League, as well as a powerful trainer with Champion-level strength.
Walking into a corridor within a courtyard, Angie heard the sounds of a commotion. Following the noise, he saw two people battling on the grass of the courtyard.
One was a short-haired girl in a school uniform; the other, a young woman in athletic wear and fingerless gloves, with a strong voice.
"It's Senior Aurelia and Teacher Dendra!" Arven said.
The Pokémon commanded by the girl named Aurelia was a Floragato, which moved with great agility, constantly using its skills to disrupt Teacher Dendra's Tauros.
Teacher Dendra's Tauros wasn't an ordinary Tauros but a Tauros from the Paldea region, specifically the Aqua Breed Tauros, with Fighting and Water as its types.
Angie and Arven couldn't help but stop to watch.
The battle outcome was quickly decided. Floragato was no match for Tauros and was knocked to the ground by a double-kick from Tauros.
The surrounding students applauded Teacher Dendra, and Angie and Arven joined in the applause as well.
At that moment, Pawmi, who had been dozing off, suddenly opened its eyes. A faint current of electricity flickered across its body.
Pawmi slowly crawled out from Angie's hood, looking around in confusion. The electricity on its body flickered again.
"Pawmi~~"
Pawmi leapt from Angie's body and quickly ran ahead.
"Pawmi? Where are you going?" Angie asked in confusion.
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Pawmi responded twice, then continued running forward, releasing currents and sensing something as it ran.
"Pawmi! Wait!" Angie quickly followed with Arven.
Pawmi ran all the way to a corner, then turned around and ran in the opposite direction, eventually reaching another patch of grass.
When it reached the edge of a dirt pit in the middle of the grass, Pawmi finally slowed down. It crouched by the edge of the pit and stretched its head to look inside.
"Pawmi?"
Suddenly, a series of electrical sparks shot out from the pit, and a small head popped out—it was another Pawmi!
"Pawmi!"
"Pawmi!"
The Pawmi from the pit crawled out, and it locked eyes with Angie's Pawmi. The two Pokémon excitedly called out and then held hands, spinning around joyfully.
"Pawmi~"
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Angie ran over helplessly and said, "Really, I told you not to run off."
At that moment, a girl appeared out of nowhere and scooped up both Pawmi in her arms.
"Wow~~ How did another Pawmi show up?"
It turned out that the Pawmi Angie's Pawmi found was the girl's Pokémon.
"Nemona!" Arven called out to the girl.
"Arven!" The girl's face lit up with joy. "You're back!"
Arven nodded, "Mm!"
Nemona, holding Angie's Pawmi, looked at Arven and asked, "Is this Pawmi your newly caught Pokémon?"
Arven shook her head, "No, Pawmi is Brother Angie's Pokémon. The one I just caught is Nacli."
With that, Arven took out a Poké Ball and released Nacli.
"Nacli~"
Nacli squinted its eyes and greeted Nemona.
Nemona squatted down, released the two Pawmi from her arms, and smiled at Nacli, saying, "Nacli is really cute too!"
As soon as Angie's Pawmi was freed from Nemona's embrace, it immediately climbed back into Angie's hood, then peeked out from the hood, secretly eyeing Nemona.