When they arrived at a lakeside, Volcanion suddenly stopped.
Angie asked curiously, "Volcanion, what's wrong?"
Volcanion replied, "I want to replenish some water."
Volcanion relies on the high temperatures and water within its body to produce steam, but since it doesn't generate water internally, it often needs to absorb moisture from external sources.
Angie nodded, "Alright, let's take a break here then."
The scenery around the lake was quite beautiful, making it a perfect spot for camping.
With that, Angie guided Espathra and Volcanion to the lakeside. The Doublade and the three Eeveelution quickly followed.
Upon reaching the lake, Volcanion unlatched its twin arms from its back and submerged them into the water, beginning to gulp down lake water with loud gurgles.
"Vaporeon~ Vaporeon~"
Seeing the lake, Vaporeon was delighted. It leaped into the water and began swimming freely.
Angie then took out a picnic blanket and laid it out on the grassy lakeside with the Pokémon, pulling out various desserts from his system backpack.
These treats were made by Magearna, including soft bread rolls, cakes of different flavors, colorful donuts, and beautifully crafted macarons.
Since Magearna had awakened its Aura abilities, some of its desserts had special effects—donuts that quickly restored stamina, macarons that cured status conditions, and cakes that helped Pokémon relax.
Meanwhile, Passimian fetched various berry drinks from its own system backpack, such as rock salt lemon soda, banana-flavored matcha milkshake, and spiky pod fruit tea.
In no time, the picnic blanket was covered with an assortment of food and drinks.
Angie said to Goodra, Goomy, Flareon, and Jolteon, "Everyone, come and try these!"
Flareon and Jolteon cheered and began eating eagerly.
Goodra and Goomy seemed a bit shy, so Angie placed a mood-soothing cake in front of them and said: "Give it a try; it's delicious! I'm sure you'll love it."
Encouraged, Goodra and Goomy each picked up a piece of cake and took small bites. Sure enough, Magearna's culinary skills were outstanding. The flavors won them over instantly, and satisfied expressions spread across their faces.
Seeing this, Angie smiled warmly.
As he watched everyone enjoy the food, he began sharing stories about the origins of the treats.
"Magearna made all of these specially. You probably haven't met Magearna yet, right? It's also one of our companions, though it doesn't travel with me. Once you come home with me, you'll get to meet it."
"We have lots and lots of friends at home. I'll introduce them to you one by one..."
As Angie spoke, he found himself reminiscing about the Nebel Plateau.
Goodra and Goomy perked up their ears, enjoying both the food and Angie's stories.
Just then, Vaporeon and Volcanion returned.
Volcanion quietly lay down beside Angie, who placed a box of donuts in front of it.
Vaporeon squeezed in between Jolteon and Flareon.
"Flareon~"
Flareon looked annoyed.
"Vaporeon~"
Vaporeon grinned and gave Flareon a playful lick.
Flareon: ( ﾟ ω ﾟ )
"Jolteon~"
Jolteon pushed a cup of juice toward Vaporeon.
Vaporeon responded by licking Jolteon affectionately before drinking the juice.
Flareon: ( ▲ ヘ ▲# )
Angie continued sharing stories about the Nebel Plateau when suddenly, one of the Sliggo let out a startled cry.
Angie quickly looked over and saw that, somehow, a Pokémon had appeared atop another Sliggo's head.
Angie recognized this Pokémon—it was Z2, the one he had rescued from Team Flare before.
"Zygarde? What are you doing here?" Angie exclaimed in surprise.
He suddenly realized something, quickly pulling out his phone to check the map.
Then he thought to himself: As expected!
They were currently not far from Terminus Cave, known in the games as Zygarde's habitat.
Although Angie had crossed over into the world of the anime, it seemed that Zygarde resided in Terminus Cave here as well.
Zygarde possessed cells that monitored the entire Kalos region, so it was perfectly natural for it to be here.
Z2 jumped off Sliggo's head, hopping over to Angie cheerfully.
Angie took out a box of macarons and asked, "Want some?"
Z2 hesitated for a moment but then gently nodded.
Seeing this, Angie placed the macarons in front of it and added a cup of berry juice beside them.
Z2 wriggled over to the box and began nibbling on the macarons, occasionally sipping the juice through a straw.
Magearna's desserts and Passimian's berry juice seemed to be exactly to its taste. Despite its small size, Z2 managed to eat an entire large box of macarons and over a dozen pieces of cake with different flavors, along with more than ten cups of juice.
After eating and drinking its fill, Z2 lay down directly on the grass to bask in the sun.
The Zygarde Core could absorb solar energy through the crystal at its center, converting it into energy.
In the blink of an eye, evening arrived. Seeing that it was no longer suitable to continue traveling, Angie said to everyone, "Let's camp here for the night!"
The Pokémon all nodded in agreement.
Angie then started setting up tents with the help of the Pokémon.
By the time the tents were set up, the sky had darkened. Since they had eaten plenty of desserts and juice in the afternoon, Angie didn't rush to prepare dinner.
He spread a blanket in front of the tent and lay down on it with Diancie.
"Feeling the evening breeze like this is quite nice."
Since summer was approaching, the daytime temperatures were high, making the evening breeze feel especially refreshing.
"It sure is!" Diancie agreed.
"Vaporeon~"
"Jolteon~"
"Flareon~"
The three Eeveelution eagerly jumped onto the blanket as well, lying down and gazing up at the sparse stars beginning to dot the sky.
Volcanion chimed in grumpily, "If you all want to feel the breeze, I can blow you all away in one go."
Angie responded dryly, "Volcanion, that's not very endearing."
"Hmph!" Volcanion snorted, raising his head disdainfully. "I don't need anyone to like me!"
Angie continued chatting and joking with the Pokémon casually.
Doublade lay beside him, while Goodra rested in one corner of the blanket with its two Sliggo, quietly listening to Angie talk.
Passimian leaned against Espathra, occasionally chiming in.
Zygarde Core watched Angie interacting harmoniously with the group of Pokémon, its expression unreadable as if deep in thought.
When everyone started feeling hungry, Angie got up to cook.
He set up a table on an open patch of ground and laid out cooking utensils, ingredients, and seasonings.
As time passed, the rich aroma of food filled the air.
Goodra, Sliggo, and the three Eeveelution had never tasted Angie's cooking before. They couldn't help but drool as they watched him prepare the meal.
Diancie smiled and said to them, "You're in for a treat. Angie's cooking is top-notch."
Gulp.
The six Pokémon swallowed their saliva in unison.
Z2 also secretly drooled.
Soon, dish after dish was served.
Vegetarian dishes included: spicy shredded cabbage, tomato baby bok choy, pan-fried tofu, ginger spinach, dry-fried green beans, and smashed cucumbers.
Meat dishes featured: sweet and sour pork, braised pig's trotters, chicken stew with potatoes, and soy-glazed chicken wings.
There was also a mushroom and tofu soup.
The staple was steamed rice.
Because the Pokémon had large appetites, Angie made each dish in generous portions.
Once all the dishes were served, Angie said, "Alright, let's dig in."
Hearing this, the Pokémon cheered excitedly.
When the food finally touched their tongues, the three Eeveelution and Goodra truly understood what Diancie meant when she said Angie was an amazing cook.
It was absolutely delicious.
They had thought that simply spending the day with Angie, without worrying about getting scolded, hit, or turned into stone, and doing whatever they pleased was happiness enough. But they hadn't expected there to be something even more blissful.
They had never tasted anything this delicious before.
Seeing the newly joined Pokémon eat to their hearts' content, Angie felt quite proud.
"Take your time, everyone. There's plenty more."
"Vaporeon~"
"Goodra~"
...
A few Pokémon looked up at Angie, calling out to him before obediently slowing down to savor their food.
Satisfied, Angie nodded approvingly.
At that moment, he noticed Zygarde Core staring unblinkingly at the food and invited, "Zygarde, want to join us?"
Z2 had been waiting for those words. It immediately leaped onto the table, patting its tail as if expecting to be served.
Amused, Angie grabbed a plate, placed it in front of Z2, served some rice, added a few dishes, and even placed a bowl of soup beside it.
"There you go, enjoy."
Z2 dove in, eating heartily.
In the end, the Pokémon devoured every last bit of the food Angie had prepared.
Full and satisfied, they sprawled lazily on the blankets, their faces reflecting pure bliss.
Angie played with the Pokémon for a while before heading into the tent to sleep.
Before entering, he asked Z2, "Want to join me?"
Z2 declined, leaping onto a tree and curling up on a branch with its eyes closed.
Seeing this, Angie didn't insist and went into the tent.
The next morning, when Angie stepped out of the tent, he discovered that Zygarde Core was gone.
"Left, huh..." he sighed.
"Angie, look!" Diancie called out.
Following her voice, Angie saw Diancie holding a green scale about the size of an adult's palm.
Was that... Zygarde's Dragon Scale?
"Where did you get that?" Angie asked.
Diancie pointed to the table. "It was just sitting there."
Taking the scale from Diancie, Angie said, "Looks like Zygarde left it for us."
Diancie remarked, "Maybe it's payment for the meal."
Angie shook his head helplessly. "I never asked for anything."
Diancie laughed, "Pokémon have their own principles, especially Zygarde."
"True!" Angie said, staring at the Dragon Scale for a moment. "Since it left it for us, we'll gratefully accept."
After storing the Dragon Scale in his system backpack, Angie began preparing breakfast.
There was some rice left from the previous night, so he made fried rice.
After enjoying their breakfast, they continued their journey toward Dahara City.
What Angie didn't know was that Z2 was riding on a Salamence, quietly following them from afar.
Having been hurt by Team Flare, Z2 didn't trust humans. But Angie was different—not only had he saved Z2, but he also showed no interest in exploiting its power, even after learning its identity.
So Z2 decided to keep observing this unique human.
About half a day later, Angie and his companions finally arrived at Dahara City, a special city bordering the desert.
Angie had assumed that since the city was near a desert, it wouldn't be very prosperous.
But he was wrong.
Walking down the bustling streets of Dahara City, surrounded by towering skyscrapers and crowded with people, it was clearly a vibrant metropolis.
The only downside was the high temperature.
But that was inevitable—it was summer, and the city was close to the desert.
While passing a building in the city center, Angie finally understood why Dahara City was so prosperous.
Legend has it that a hundred years ago, a Pokémon arrived in what was then just a barren village.
The Pokémon was incredibly powerful, earning the villagers' deep respect. They often offered it food as a tribute.
In return, the Pokémon bestowed great wealth upon the people.
With this newfound wealth, the villagers quickly prospered, and Dahara City grew rapidly.
But human nature is fickle.
Once they became wealthy, they wanted to see the Pokémon in battle. They sought out powerful Pokémon to challenge it, but none could defeat it.
Unsatisfied, they pressured the Pokémon to continue showcasing its strength.
The Pokémon didn't refuse. In fact, it summoned various legendary Pokémon to fight against each other.
Due to the battles of these powerful Pokémon, Dahara City faced a great disaster, and only then did people finally regret their actions.
Unfortunately, regret was useless.
Human hearts can change, and so can Pokémon's.
The once pure-hearted Pokémon had been influenced by human desires, becoming intoxicated with its own power. It grew fond of controlling Legendary Pokémon, making them fight each other, and thus refused to stop the battles to alleviate the disaster.
Until one person appeared. Using the powers of fire, water, and earth, he crafted a bottle that ultimately sealed that Pokémon.
The place where the "Prison Bottle" was made is now known as the Dahara Tower, built in the center of Dahara City.
Today, the Dahara Tower has become a tourist attraction.
The legend is engraved upon the Dahara Tower.
A Prison Bottle? The Dahara Tower?
After reading the story, Angie thought to himself, "Could the Pokémon mentioned here be Hoopa?"
Angie didn't take the story seriously. After reading it, he simply turned around and left.
Because of the intense heat, he had no interest in sightseeing. After resting for a bit in Dahara City, he set out towards the location provided by an online friend.
Not wanting his Pokémon to suffer from the heat, Angie only kept his Espathra, which he was riding, and his Flareon, who wasn't afraid of the heat, along with his Doublade.
Initially, Angie wanted to put Doublade back into its Poké Ball, as Steel-type Pokémon are sensitive to heat.
But Doublade stubbornly refused, insisting on staying by Angie's side. Helpless, Angie let it be.
As soon as they left Dahara City, they entered the desert.
"Doublade~ Doublade~"
Doublade cried out excitedly.
Following its gaze, Angie saw many Hippopotas and Hippowdon resting in the sand.
"Oh, it's just Hippopotas and Hippowdon!" Angie laughed.
"Flareon~ Flareon~"
Flareon tilted its head, looking at Angie and Doublade, confused about why Doublade was so excited to see Hippopotas and Hippowdon.
Angie explained, "Because we have a Hippopotas and a Hippowdon back home. Once you come back with us to the Nebel Plateau, you'll get to meet them."
"Flareon~"
Upon hearing this, Flareon understood and began looking forward to the day he'd return to the Nebel Plateau with Angie.
As they ventured deeper into the desert, Dahara City gradually disappeared from view.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they found themselves deep within the desert.
The daytime heat was unbearable. Angie was so hot he could only keep drinking water.
Doublade, unable to withstand the high temperature, was wrapped in cloth and carried on Angie's back.
Only Espathra and Flareon were unaffected.
Espathra could release psychic energy through the gaps in its feathers, insulating itself from the heat. Thus, it wasn't afraid of the harsh desert environment at all.
Flareon, of course, had no issues. Its internal fire pouch absorbed and stored any heat that approached it.
Angie weakly asked, "Espathra, can you use your psychic power to shield me from the heat too?"
"Espathra~ Espathra~"
Espathra shook its head. It wasn't strong enough to do that.
Angie sighed deeply. He took out his phone to check the location his online friend had sent him, only to find it was still far away.
"Why on earth would a Steel-type Pokémon like Lucario run into the desert?" he complained.
"Espathra~ Espathra~"
Espathra shook its head, indicating it didn't know either.
"If only I had an Ice-type Pokémon to hug right now. I'm not asking for much—a Glaceon or an Alolan Vulpix would do!" Angie, delirious from the heat, started rambling nonsense.
"Flareon~ Flareon~"
Suddenly, Flareon barked in a certain direction.
Following its gaze, Angie saw a patch of green in the distance.
"Could it be an oasis?" Angie exclaimed with delight. "Quick, let's go over and rest!"
He urged Espathra to dash towards the greenery.
However, when they arrived, Angie was disappointed to find that the green patch wasn't an oasis at all—it was just a group of Cacnea lying on the sandy ground.
The commotion caused by Angie and his Pokémon woke the resting Cacnea, all of whom opened their eyes.
The Cacnea had been lying motionless to minimize water loss from their bodies.
Now disturbed by Angie and his Pokémon, how could they not be angry?