The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over Xerneas, coating it in a layer of golden brilliance that added a touch of divinity to its presence.
"Everyone, it is time to return," Xerneas said to Ange and the Pokémon.
"Take care, Xerneas. I hope we meet again someday," Ange said.
"That day will come," Xerneas said with a hint of a smile in its voice, "Though it was only for half a day, I am very happy to have met you all."
Its kind gaze swept over each Pokémon before finally resting on Diancie.
"Diancie, you haven't mastered Fairy Aura yet, have you?"
"Fairy Aura?" Diancie asked in confusion.
"Yes," Xerneas nodded, "Only by mastering Fairy Aura can you truly develop your own potential."
"Then, how can I learn to master it?" Diancie asked.
"Come here," Xerneas said.
Diancie nodded and walked to Xerneas's side.
Xerneas leaned in close, pressing its forehead against Diancie's. Suddenly, the antlers on its head emitted a brilliant, multi-colored light. Immediately afterward, every Pokémon, including Diancie, was enveloped in streaks of radiance.
It was so warm and comfortable!
The Pokémon couldn't help but marvel, and Ange felt the exact same way.
As Diancie was shrouded in the light, Ange clearly felt the Aura radiating from its body become stronger and more active.
After a long while, Xerneas stopped releasing the Fairy Aura. It looked at Diancie and asked, "This is Fairy Aura. Do you understand?"
Diancie seemed to understand yet remained uncertain; it nodded, then shook its head.
Xerneas did not explain further, only saying, "Fairy Aura is the power of life, and that which nurtures life is your very self!"
After speaking, it added, "It is time for me to leave."
Two Charcadet and two Oinkologne ran forward upon hearing this, hugging Xerneas reluctantly.
"Do not be sad, we shall meet again," Xerneas laughed.
The crybaby Charcadet wiped away its tears and nodded vigorously.
Xerneas nodded to Ange and the Pokémon, then turned and leaped away, disappearing into the sunset in the blink of an eye.
"Alright, let's head back."
Once Xerneas's figure had completely vanished, Ange spoke to everyone.
After returning home, Ange remembered the system notification that had sounded while Xerneas was eating, so he opened the system interface.
As expected, a prompt immediately popped up.
[Congratulations to the Master for completing the achievement: Hosting a God. Reward: Secret Fortress Energy System activated. (Note: Through system modification, the Secret Fortress energy has been converted from Magearna's Soul-Heart to Diancie's Holy Diamond.)]
Seeing this reward, Ange froze for a moment. An energy system? What was the use of activating this? His heart was full of curiosity.
"Ange!" Diancie approached him, "I just received a system message. The Secret Fortress's energy system has been activated."
Ange nodded, "It was the reward for hosting Xerneas! What exactly does this energy system do?"
"It has many uses!" Diancie explained.
"First, once the energy system is active, the Secret Fortress can enable Flight Mode, functioning similarly to an aircraft."
Ange exclaimed, "The Secret Fortress is so huge, it can actually fly?"
Diancie nodded, "You forgot, the original name of the Secret Fortress was the Sky Fortress."
"Oh, right~" Ange finally realized, then asked, "Are there other functions?"
"Of course," Diancie nodded, "Secondly, once the Secret Fortress has energy, it can activate Attack Mode."
"Attack Mode?" Ange asked.
"Yes. A single strike from the Secret Fortress can even shoot down a god!" Diancie's tone became involuntarily solemn.
"Shoot down a god?" Ange's mouth hung open. Only after a long time did he speak, "No... No wonder so many people wanted to fight over Magearna to control the Secret Fortress back then."
"Is there anything else?" Ange continued to ask after calming down.
"Then there are the aspects of our daily lives," Diancie replied. After speaking, it asked Ange, "Do you know where the water and electricity we use every day come from? And why Munchlax, Komala, and I don't produce Happiness Points when we eat the food you make?"
"Eh?" Ange was stunned by the question. He answered hesitatingly, "Isn't the water and electricity provided by the system? You're my family, so it's not strange that there are no Happiness Points, right?"
In truth, he had never actually thought about these issues.
Diancie was speechless, "The system couldn't possibly provide these to you for no reason! You have to pay Happiness Points to buy things in the System Store, so why would the system work for you for free?"
"Then why?" Ange's none-too-bright brain was in a daze.
"Because the Happiness Points generated when I, Munchlax, Komala, Drizzile, Gengar, Metagross, Pawmi, and the newly joined Magearna and Volcanion eat are all consumed by our daily living resources," Diancie explained.
"Since this is hidden, the system never explicitly stated it!"
"So that's how it is!" Ange realized suddenly, "In other words, now that the Secret Fortress's energy system is active, all the energy for our lives will be provided by the fortress, and your meals will generate Happiness Points normally, right?"
"Exactly!" Diancie nodded.
From now on, the operation of the home's electrical system, water purification system, waste disposal system, and so on would be powered by the Secret Fortress's energy system. To be precise, it would be provided by the Holy Diamond.
The Secret Fortress's energy system acted as a conversion device.
Since the Holy Diamonds created by other Diancie could support the operation of the Ore Country spread across the world, supplying just Ange's home was, naturally, a piece of cake.
Ange thought for a moment and asked Diancie, "The energy for the Secret Fortress comes from your Holy Diamond. Are you... going to be okay?"
Hearing this, a look of uncertainty appeared on Diancie's face, "I don't know either. How about... we go and try?"
Ange nodded.
It was already evening. After instructing his three apprentices to prepare dinner for the Pokémon, Ange went with Diancie to the fifth floor of the Secret Fortress.
The energy core of the Secret Fortress was located there.
At this time, there were no other Pokémon on the fifth floor, only a few fish in the pond that Ange and the others hadn't had time to eat yet.
Under Diancie's control, a black iron orb suspended above the pool slowly opened, splitting into two halves like a Poké Ball. The space between the two hemispheres was the slot for the Holy Diamond.
"Let's begin," Ange said to Diancie.
"Mhm~" Diancie nodded, feeling a bit nervous.
It stretched both hands forward, aiming at the energy core. Countless pink lights quickly gathered in front of its palms; it was a phenomenon caused by a massive concentration of Fairy-type energy.
Gradually, a huge pink diamond slowly took shape. Seeing this, Ange felt a surge of joy.
It worked!
However, his happiness lasted less than three seconds before the half-formed pink diamond turned back into specks of light and vanished.
Diancie lowered its arms in disappointment, "I... I can't do it."
Seeing this, Ange stepped forward and patted its head, saying, "It's okay. Take your time, there's no rush. We got along just fine before using the energy system anyway."
"If I could master Fairy Aura properly, maybe I could create the Holy Diamond," Diancie said.
"Practice slowly. You'll definitely master it, I believe in you! Let's set the energy matter aside for now and talk about it later," Ange said.
"Mhm~" Diancie nodded softly.
Ange accompanied the despondent Diancie as they left the Secret Fortress.
Because it failed to create the Holy Diamond, Diancie remained depressed for a long time, lacking energy even during dinner.
In the evening, while everyone was practicing their culinary skills, Diancie abandoned its usual strictness and frequently zoned out. Munchlax, Drizzile, and Gengar looked at each other, feeling quite unaccustomed to it.
When Ange took his three apprentices and Pawmi to practice Aura, Diancie just sat there quietly, seemingly brooding over the matter of Fairy Aura.
Ange could faintly see pink light gathering in its palms, flickering on and off.
Over the next period of time, Ange often saw Diancie standing by the edge of the fence in a daze. Sometimes it watched the rising sun, sometimes it watched the frolicking Pokémon, or it would look down at a wild flower just beginning to bud, or stare at a sprout of wild grass just germinating...
It stopped binge-watching the shows it liked and quit the manual dyeing it was halfway through.
Ange knew nothing about how to master Fairy Aura, so he could only silently stay by Diancie's side. Sometimes he sat quietly with it, and sometimes he made delicious food to cheer it up.
Days passed by.
Diancie had been thinking, pondering the words Xerneas said before leaving: That which nurtures life is your very self!
It still couldn't understand the meaning behind those words.
One morning, before Ange set off for Munchlax Home, he said to Diancie, "Diancie, would you like to stroll through the Royal Capital with me this afternoon?"
Diancie froze, "Stroll through the Royal Capital?"
Ange nodded, "Yes, just the two of us!"
"But there's so much to do at home..." Diancie showed hesitation.
"Oh, the house won't fall apart if you leave for half a day! It's settled then. Let's meet at Munchlax Home at noon!"
After speaking, Ange dashed off, leaving Diancie standing there in a daze.
After a long while, a smile appeared on Diancie's face. In fact, it knew Ange's intentions.
It had brooded over Fairy Aura for so long without mastering it, so Ange wanted to take it out for a walk to change its mood.
For some reason, Diancie's heart suddenly felt much lighter.
As soon as it was 10:00 AM, Ange immediately closed the shop. After sending away Drizzile, Meowstic, Espurr, and Ralts, he stood quietly at the entrance of the spatial passage, waiting for Diancie.
Before long, Diancie arrived as scheduled.
"What are we going to do?" Diancie asked.
"First, let's go fill our stomachs!" Ange said.
Diancie asked in confusion, "Then why didn't we eat lunch at home before coming out?"
Ange slapped his forehead helplessly, "How can you be so unromantic?"
"Romantic?" Diancie looked confused again.
"Oh, alright! Just follow me!" Ange said as he took Diancie's hand and led it outside.
Amidst Diancie's complete confusion, Ange brought it to what looked like a very high-end restaurant.
As soon as they entered, a waiter came up and asked, "Do you have a reservation?"
This restaurant was extremely popular in the Royal Capital. Without a reservation, one couldn't eat there at all. Ange had reserved a spot five or six days in advance.
Ange nodded, "Yes." He took out his phone and showed the reservation number to the waiter.
Seeing this, the waiter quickly took out a tablet to check. After confirming Ange's identity, he said:
"Mr. Ange, please follow me!"
Under the waiter's lead, Ange and Diancie sat down at a window seat. Through the window, they could clearly see the scenery in the restaurant's courtyard.
Many different Pokémon were kept in the restaurant's yard, and guests could even go inside to play with them.
The waiter handed the menu to Ange for him to order. Ange's eyes quickly swept over the menu, then he pointed and said:
"First, a Pinap Berry salad, followed by Slowpoke Tail bisque, honey-glazed Kingler meat, and garlic Clawitzer meat. For dessert, a Cherubi pudding, and also a glass of Steenee juice."
After ordering, Ange returned the menu to the waiter. The waiter was about to give the menu to Diancie, but heard Diancie say, "I'll have the same as Ange."
Hearing Diancie speak, a look of surprise appeared on the waiter's face, but his good training kept him calm, and he didn't ask any questions.
"Alright, please wait a moment, the meal will be served shortly."
While waiting, Diancie looked around at the situation. Seeing many people in the restaurant acting elegantly and chatting cheerfully, it whispered to Ange:
"Why did we come here to eat?"
Ange asked, "You eat the food I make every day, don't you want to try a different flavor?"
Diancie shook its head, "No, I think the food made by others isn't as good as yours."
Ange smiled and shook his head, "Since we're already here, don't think about anything else. Just enjoy this meal. The important thing is to enjoy the process."
Soon, the Pinap Berry salad was delivered.
Ange quickly invited Diancie, "Quickly, try their Pinap Berries. They are said to be air-shipped from the Alola region and are very delicious."
Diancie nodded, picked up a fork, and put a piece in its mouth. It then nodded and said, "The texture is indeed different."
"Right? I spent a long time picking this restaurant," Ange laughed. He then held up a jar of yogurt next to it, "Here, it tastes even better dipped in this yogurt. This is yogurt made from Moomoo Milk; the flavor is quite extraordinary."
Diancie followed Ange's example and enjoyed the food, gradually tossing all the extra thoughts out of its head.
After the fruit salad was finished, the Slowpoke Tail bisque arrived.
Slowpoke have dull senses, and their tails don't have many nerves. Therefore, even if they are broken off, they feel no pain, and the tails grow back very quickly.
Not only that, their tails are very delicious and are considered a very high-end ingredient.
Slowpoke tails are hard to buy outside because the yield is very, very low; during the farming process, the health of the Slowpoke must be considered, so their tails can only be collected once in a long while.
This restaurant had a supply of Slowpoke tails because they raised their own Slowpoke. Other restaurants didn't have access to them.
Ange invited Diancie, "Quickly, try it. This is their signature dish. This is the first time I'm eating Slowpoke tail too!"
Diancie nodded, took a spoon, and had a mouthful of soup. Immediately, it and Ange looked at each other at the same time, surprise showing in their eyes.
"It's so fresh!" Diancie marveled.
"Yeah!" Ange said happily, "I knew my choice wouldn't be wrong."
After the Slowpoke Tail bisque, the honey-glazed Kingler meat and garlic Clawitzer meat were served.
Don't be startled by the names of these two dishes; the Kingler and Clawitzer meat referred to here actually meant the meat from their claws.
The claws of these two Pokémon species drop off periodically and then grow back harder and stronger.
Because of the rigorous training they undergo, the meat inside the dropped claws of these two Pokémon is very delicious. Some people specifically farm these two species, collecting the claws when they fall off to sell them on the market.
The claws of these two Pokémon are also hard to buy because they don't drop off constantly, but only after a long period.
"This is also delicious."
Diancie chewed in small bites and pointed at the two plates in front of it.
Ange laughed, "If you like it, eat more. We can order more if it's not enough."
Diancie shook its head, "It's enough."
After finishing the main course, finally came the dessert, Cherubi pudding, and the drink, Steenee juice.
Ange introduced it to Diancie, "This is pudding made from Grass Nanny Milk, topped with cherry fruits produced by Cherubi. Diancie, try it quickly."
Diancie nodded and took a spoonful.
The pudding melted in its mouth. The smooth texture, rich milky aroma, and sweet taste instantly filled Diancie's mouth.
Taking another bite of the cherry fruit on top, it was sweet, sour, and crunchy—top-tier flavor.
"Delicious," Diancie squinted its eyes happily.
However, after putting down the spoon, it added, "But I feel like the goat milk used to make this pudding isn't as good as ours."
Ange smiled and gestured for it not to say that; it would be impolite if the restaurant staff heard.
Diancie laughed and stuck out its tongue.
Ange quickly finished the pudding and then took a big gulp of the Steenee juice.
This Steenee juice was a blend of fruit juice and Steenee's sweat. The taste was very unique.
Steenee's sweat is exceptionally sweet, making it unbearable for humans to drink directly. Therefore, it needs to be diluted with water. Once the sweetness is moderate, it becomes a delicious drink.
Sweets make people feel happy. After drinking the Steenee juice, Ange, like Diancie, had a happy smile on his face.
After finishing lunch, the person and Pokémon rested for a while before leaving the restaurant.
Ange asked with a smile, "How does it feel to eat out once in a while?"
Diancie blinked and said in a good mood, "It feels pretty good."
"Where to next?" Diancie asked.