After dinner, Ange had Diancie arrange a room for Steven. "Rest easy here tonight. We can discuss everything else once the rain stops!" Ange said.
"Thank you very much," Steven replied. He then led Lairon back to his room.
Ange continued his usual routine, spending some leisure time with his Pokémon before training and heading to bed.
The next morning, Steven opened his eyes as bright sunlight poured into the room. Outside on the balcony, Fletchinder, Spritzee, and Swablu stood in a row, peering curiously at the sleeping Steven. When they saw him sit up, they chirped and took flight, disappearing into the azure sky in the blink of an eye.
"Lairon Lairon~" Steven's awakening stirred Lairon, who had been awake for a while but was resting with its eyes closed.
"Good morning, Lairon!" Steven greeted with a smile.
"Lairon Lairon~" Lairon squinted and greeted him back.
Steven pulled back the covers and walked to the balcony. The rain that had fallen all night had stopped, leaving the sky washed a deep blue. The sun shone brightly, feeling warm against his skin, and the air was exceptionally fresh.
"What a magical place," Steven whispered after taking a deep breath. It was, after all, the middle of winter outside the plateau.
After washing up, Steven led Lairon downstairs. As he walked down the steps, he could hear the laughter and chatter of Pokémon from below. Diancie appeared at the foot of the stairs. Seeing Steven and Lairon, it greeted them with a polite smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Steven, Lairon!" Diancie said. Although this Mr. Steven always looked at it with a strange gaze, it was a royal lady educated by the monarchy and would never act rudely.
"Good morning, Diancie," Steven replied with a smile.
"Please, come have some breakfast," Diancie invited.
Steven nodded and followed it down. When he saw the crowd of Pokémon gathered around the tables in the hall, both he and Lairon froze for a moment. The Pokémon had been eating and chatting happily, but the sight of a stranger acted like a pause button. The entire hall fell silent.
Seeing this, Diancie walked over to comfort them. "This is a guest in our home. You don't need to be afraid."
Hearing this, everyone resumed their breakfast, though they no longer laughed as loudly and stole occasional glances at Steven.
Steven sensed the change in atmosphere and whispered to Diancie, "Diancie, these Pokémon are..."
"They live on the Nebel Plateau," Diancie explained. "They help us with work, so they eat here."
"I see," Steven realized.
"Please sit, Mr. Steven," Diancie said, gesturing toward an empty table. It soon served him and Lairon steaming buns, mantou, and congee.
The moment Lairon tasted the Milky Mantou, it immediately felt the food's uniqueness and began eating even more joyfully.
"Where is Mr. Ange? I haven't seen him," Steven asked while eating.
"He went to the Azoth Royal Capital early this morning to open the shop," Diancie answered. "He probably won't be back until noon."
"Isn't Mr. Ange a member of the royalty?" Steven asked, surprised. "Why does he need to do business?"
"Being supported by the royal family certainly provides a life without worries, but a person needs more than just survival to truly live," Diancie replied with a smile. "Ange has other things he wants to do, so of course, he must work hard to earn money."
Steven nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. It seems you understand Mr. Ange very well."
"We have lived together since we were small, after all," Diancie said with a hint of pride.
Steven nodded. He understood that kind of bond; he shared it with his Aggron and Metagross.
After breakfast, Steven asked Diancie, "May I walk around?"
"Of course, Mr. Steven. Please, feel free," Diancie nodded.
"Thank you."
Steven thanked it and led Lairon out of Diancie's Grand Cafeteria. Stepping outside the wall, he saw the Nebel Plateau clearly for the first time. On the empty plains, Pokémon chased and played without a care in the world, while Gogoat grazed peacefully. The distant mountains where he had come from were clearly visible; he had lost his way in those peaks while digging for stones.
As they approached the nearby lake, Azurill and Marill were playing in the water. Upon seeing Steven, they quickly dove into the water and vanished. It seems the Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau are quite shy, Steven concluded.
On the lotus leaves by the shore, Poliwag and Poliwhirl were watching the fish fry. Suddenly, they heard a greeting.
"Good morning, Poliwag, Poliwhirl."
They turned to see the man they had seen at Ange's house that morning. He and Lairon were walking toward the river through a grove of newly sprouted saplings. Poliwag and Poliwhirl waved stiffly in acknowledgment before disappearing into the water. As employees of Ange's household, they represented his face and couldn't be rude to guests.
Steven was amused by their expressions—a mix of avoidance and controlled politeness. He took a serious look at his surroundings. The vibrant fruit trees, the fish fry visible in the lake, and the hardworking Pokémon... it was a wonderful place. He wondered if he would lead such a peaceful life after retiring. Then he chuckled; it was unlikely. He would probably spend his days exploring and digging for stones with his Pokémon.
Suddenly, Steven heard a noise nearby. He walked over with Lairon to find two Pokémon battling on the grass: an Aron and a Drilbur.
Since moving into the dormitory, Aron and Drilbur had decided to work hard for Ange. However, now that the trees were planted, they weren't sure how else to help. They weren't Water-types who could guard the fish farm, they weren't agile like Gardevoir or Meowstic to serve in the cafeteria, and they couldn't produce milk like Gogoat. After much thought, they decided to get stronger so they could protect Ange and the plateau, just like Volcanion.
"Aron, that's not how you use Metal Claw," a voice suddenly rang out.
The two Pokémon stopped their battle. It was Steven. Seeing him made them nervous, but he continued, "Lairon, show Aron how to use Metal Claw."
"Lairon Lairon~"
Lairon stepped forward and raised a front claw high. A silver light glowed on its claws before it swung downward with a heavy blow. With a loud crash, a row of deep furrows appeared in the grass.
Amazing!
Aron and Drilbur looked at Lairon in shock, their faces filled with admiration.
"Aron Aron~"
"Dril Dril~"
The two Pokémon swarmed around Lairon, begging it to teach them how to become stronger.
"Go ahead and teach them, Lairon," Steven said with a smile.
Lairon nodded bashfully. Among its Trainer's Pokémon, it was at the bottom tier of strength; it hadn't expected to be admired like this. The three Pokémon huddled together, and soon the sound of Lairon guiding their battle training filled the air, marked by the serious and determined cries of Aron and Drilbur.
Steven watched them for a while before finding a patch of grass to sit on, quietly enjoying the scenery and the rare moment of peace.
At noon, Ange returned from the Azoth Royal Capital and found Steven returning with Lairon, Aron, and Drilbur.
"What have you been up to?" Ange asked casually.
"Just wandering around," Steven replied. "I ran into these two little guys battling and watched for a bit."
Ange looked at Aron and Drilbur in surprise. "You like battling?"
"Aron Aron~"
"Dril Dril~"
The two little ones nodded repeatedly, gesturing wildly to explain how powerful Lairon was. Lairon looked embarrassed by the praise.
"I see..." Ange mused as an idea formed in his mind.
In the afternoon, Ange finally began working on the tables and stools, calling Robert 1 to help.
"What are you doing, Mr. Ange?" Steven asked when he saw them.
"There are too many Pokémon coming to eat every day, and it gets crowded inside," Ange answered. "I thought I'd make some tables and stools to put outside so everyone can eat here when the weather is clear."
"I see!" Steven understood. Then, he said enthusiastically, "Then... let me help too!"
"Sure, I'd appreciate the help, Mr. Steven," Ange agreed readily. Why turn down an extra pair of hands?
To Ange's surprise, Steven was a master of handiwork. The furniture he crafted was beautiful; one might have thought this League Champion worked part-time as a carpenter! Making furniture from tree stumps didn't require extreme precision—just simple processing to maintain their natural style. Yet, under Steven's hands, the stumps looked much more refined.
Naturally, Robert 1 was the most efficient. As a robot, humans couldn't compete with its speed. However, its work clearly lacked the beauty of Steven's pieces. It felt... devoid of soul? Ange didn't really know what "soul" meant in this context, but comparing Steven's work to the robot's, he felt he understood.
Compared to Steven and Robert 1, Ange felt useless. In the end, he took Munchlax, Diancie, and Sobble to apply tung oil to the finished pieces. The oil would prevent moisture and pests, stopping the wood from rotting.
Crafting furniture was slow work. After a whole afternoon, they had only completed about ten sets. To thank Steven, Ange prepared a grand feast that evening, leading to another night of joy for everyone.
Early the next morning, Ange woke up to find Steven already awake.
"Mr. Steven, why so early today?"
"I plan to leave the Nebel Plateau today," Steven said. "So I thought I'd wake up early to say goodbye."
"I see!" Ange realized. He didn't try to make him stay, simply saying, "Then I wish you a safe journey. I have to go to the capital, so I might not be able to see you off."
"Mr. Ange, you took me in for two days, for which I am deeply grateful," Steven said. "Don't worry about seeing me off. By the way..."
He suddenly pulled something from his backpack and handed it to Ange.
"Take this as a thank you for the meals and lodging."
Ange looked closely. It was a green stone with patterns like the veins of a leaf—a Leaf Stone. A Leaf Stone was an evolution item used to evolve Weepinbell into Victreebel, Eevee into Leafeon, Gloom into Vileplume, Exeggcute into Exeggutor, Nuzleaf into Shiftry, or Pansage into Simisage. The Leaf Stone Victreebel's father had used was one it had found by chance in the woods long ago.
"Then I won't be polite," Ange said, taking the stone. "You're welcome to visit the Nebel Plateau again, or find me in the capital."
"I will if I get the chance!" Steven laughed. Then, he had a flash of inspiration. "Right, let's exchange contact information!"
"Sure!" Ange agreed. They both pulled out their phones and swapped contacts.
After Ange left for the capital, Steven ate breakfast at the shop before leaving. He felt incredibly melancholy at the thought of not being able to eat Ange's food again. Lairon felt the same. The bath sand at Ange's house was so comfortable! As promised, Diancie gave Steven the bath sand Ange had prepared in advance before he left.
However, while Steven was eating breakfast, something surprising happened: a Zigzagoon suddenly evolved into Linoone while eating. The food at Diancie's Grand Cafeteria could promote level growth. Because they had been eating here for quite some time, the Pokémon had accumulated enough experience, and evolutions had become more frequent lately.
The other Pokémon were used to it, but for Steven, it was a novelty. Seeing a Pokémon evolve right before his eyes was a rare occurrence. To congratulate the Zigzagoon on its evolution, Steven gave it a gift: a Silk Scarf. Steven tied the Silk Scarf around Linoone's neck; it was an item that boosted the power of Normal-type moves.