About twenty minutes later, Ange, Ninetales, and Pawmo jumped down from Metagross. Together, they looked up at the retro city entrance and its ancient walls.
The Azoth Royal Capital and Rota City both preserved historical architectural styles to a great extent. However, while the Azoth Royal Capital combined retro aesthetics with a sense of technology, Rota City leaned into a medieval vintage style.
Ange walked into the city with his two Pokémon and was surprised to find the streets bustling with activity. It seemed like an event was being held. After asking around, he discovered that Rota City was currently celebrating a festival.
The legend of the Hero of the Wave had always circulated in Rota City. Rumor had it that hundreds of years ago, a Hero of the Wave named Sir Aaron prevented a war that could have destroyed the kingdom entirely on his own. To commemorate and praise Sir Aaron, Rota City held a celebration every year.
At Cameran Palace in the center of the city, where the Queen resided, a grand Pokémon battle competition was held alongside the festivities. The trainer who achieved final victory would be granted the title of "Hero of the Wave."
Ange knew from Ash that Sir Aaron had successfully ended the war by using the power of the Tree of Beginning. Furthermore, the Tree of Beginning was inextricably linked to Aura.
Ash had also warned Ange never to rush into the Tree of Beginning recklessly. Instead, it was safest to let Mew lead the way.
Mew often transformed into other Pokémon to sneak into Rota City or Cameran Palace to play. Ange's task was to find Mew among the many Pokémon. This might be difficult for others, but it was simple for Ange, who possessed Aura Power. The Hero of the Wave identified Mew through Aura rather than appearance. No matter how much Mew changed its outward form, its internal Aura remained the same. Mew's Aura was vastly different from that of other Pokémon.
The reason Ash told Ange not to enter the Tree of Beginning rashly was that the tree was a unique living organism with a powerful immune system. Once a human entered, the system would treat them as a pest to be eliminated. As long as you existed inside the Tree of Beginning, you could not avoid the immune system's search.
Moreover, three powerful guardians existed within the Tree of Beginning: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. Even if Ange used his strength to defeat these three legendary Pokémon and forcibly interrupted the immune system, it would not help him achieve his goal. Conversely, it would lead to even more terrible consequences. Specifically, it could cause the tree's immune system to collapse, and in severe cases, might even lead to the death of the Tree of Beginning.
In short, entering the Tree of Beginning by force was not an option unless Mew granted permission. Mew and the Tree of Beginning shared a symbiotic relationship; its permission represented the tree's consent. Ash had entered the Tree of Beginning and interacted with Mew before, which was why he knew so much.
Since entering Rota City, Ange kept his Aura perception active at all times, constantly monitoring the Pokémon on the street. Meanwhile, Pawmo and Lila looked around at the scenery of Rota City with curiosity. Because of its unique geographic location, Rota City was not usually this crowded, so Ange and the others had arrived at the perfect time.
As they walked, Pawmo suddenly grabbed Ange's pant leg. Ange looked down and saw it staring at a cotton candy stall with drool practically leaking out.
"You little glutton," Ange said helplessly, "Fine, I'll buy you some."
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo happily hugged Ange's leg and rubbed against it after hearing his words.
Ange walked to the stall and said to the owner, "Boss, please give me three sticks of cotton candy."
"You got it!" the owner said happily, "What shapes would you like?" He pointed to a sign in front of the stall. The sign displayed various shapes and colors available for the cotton candy.
Ange turned to Pawmo, Metagross, and Lila and said, "Choose for yourselves!"
Lila was surprised to see it was included, but it did not make a sound. Instead, it accepted Ange's kindness gracefully. It pointed a claw at a Vulpix shape and chose a red color to match.
Pawmo wanted its own shape, but since it wasn't on the sign, it reluctantly chose a Teddiursa. As for Metagross, it flatly refused. It had no interest in eating cotton candy, so it asked Ange to cancel its portion.
Ange did not force it and told the owner to change the order from three to two. Ange himself had no desire to eat cotton candy either.
While making the cotton candy, the owner asked Ange, "You must be from out of town, young man?"
"You have a good eye, Boss," Ange replied with a smile.
"Of course!" the owner laughed, "You really picked a great time to visit. Rota City is very lively these few days. Make sure you don't forget to check out Cameran Palace later. You might even see Her Majesty the Queen!"
The Queen usually did not appear in public, but she certainly would during the Hero of the Wave festival.
Ange nodded and said, "That's a must-visit."
Soon, the cotton candy was ready. Pawmo couldn't wait to take its stick and started licking it. Lila also used its psychic powers to control and eat its cotton candy.
Leaving the stall, Ange continued to stroll through the streets of Rota City. He even visited some secluded corners and saw many different kinds of Pokémon, but he still didn't see Mew.
Pawmo finished licking its cotton candy very quickly. It shook the stick in its hand and smacked its lips.
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "This isn't nearly as tasty as the desserts Magearna makes!"
Ange smiled upon hearing that. There was no comparison. The cotton candy at a small stall was essentially just sugar spun into threads by a machine; there was almost no technical skill involved, and one ate it mostly for the novelty.
Lila leaned toward Pawmo and asked, "Is the dessert you mentioned from Magearna really that delicious?"
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "Of course."
Pawmo was always one hundred percent confident in its family's food. After staring at Lila for a moment, Pawmo hesitated briefly before pulling out a box of pudding and saying proudly:
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "I'll let you broaden your horizons then."
"Where did you pull that from?" Lila asked in surprise.
Pawmo pawed~ "That's..."
At that point, Pawmo suddenly covered its mouth. Ange had forbidden it from telling others about the spatial backpack.
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "Don't worry about that. Just eat it."
Pawmo laughed it off and opened the pudding box, digging out a spoonful with a small attached spoon to offer to Lila.
Lila hesitated for a second before opening its mouth to swallow the piece of pudding swaying in front of its eyes. The moment the pudding entered its mouth, the soft texture and sweet flavor made it feel as though it were drifting in a sea of desserts. That overwhelming sense of happiness was truly intoxicating.
Lila instantly felt that the unfinished cotton candy was no longer appetizing.
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "Is it good?" Pawmo asked with a smile.
"It's delicious," Lila nodded subconsciously. It then asked curiously, "If you have such delicious pudding, why did you still want cotton candy?"
Pawmo pawed~ "You don't understand."
Pawmo wagged its finger and said mysteriously, "Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ I have to try every single delicious thing at least once."
Lila thought to itself: What a greedy little fellow.
Pawmo pawed~ "Here, for you!"
With that, Pawmo handed the entire box of pudding to Lila.
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "You're so pitiful for never having eaten something this good."
Lila was speechless. It had lived for over two hundred years, yet today it was being pitied by a little youngster. It used its psychic powers to take the pudding and control the spoon, eating it in small, dainty bites.
Well, the pudding really is too good. I suppose I am a pitiful fox with no worldly experience, it admitted.
After wandering through half of Rota City without finding a trace of Mew, Ange said to the three Pokémon, "Let's go see Cameran Palace."
The three Pokémon nodded. Cameran Palace was located in the center of Rota City on much higher ground, so Ange and the others needed to take a cable car to get there.
Once they entered Cameran Palace, Ange found that it was not only crowded but that people were also wearing various exaggerated or strange costumes. After asking a passing trainer, he learned that everyone participating in the festival today needed to change into special clothes to recreate the cultural atmosphere of Rota City from hundreds of years ago.
"Look~ you can borrow costumes for free over at that tower. Go check it out!" the trainer said, pointing to a turret.
"Alright, thanks a lot!" Ange thanked him.
"You're welcome," the trainer replied, waving as he left.
After the stranger left, Ange said to the three Pokémon, "Let's do as the locals do."
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~
Pawmo looked very excited, jumping up and down. What should I dress up as? It followed Ange into the tower with great anticipation.
Inside the tower the trainer had pointed out, Ange found no staff on duty. Instead, rows of clothing racks were neatly arranged with various costumes for anyone to pick freely. There were formal gowns for banquets, uniforms for royal members, armor for knights, and coarse cloth clothes for farmers... there were even outfits specifically for Pokémon.
"Which one should I choose..." Ange murmured, walking between the racks.
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "Ange, wear this one. This one looks good."
At that moment, Pawmo tugged on Ange's pants and pointed to a set of clothes. Ange looked in the direction Pawmo was pointing and saw a prince's uniform. Pawmo knew Ange used to be a prince, which was why it chose that specific outfit.
Ange understood why it had chosen that suit and smiled, rubbing its head. "It seems you've been using the phone quite a bit to know what a prince looks like."
Pawmo pawed~ "Of course!"
Pawmo put its hands on its hips and raised its head proudly. However, Ange shook his head and said, "I think I'll pass on that."
His eyes scanned the room and finally landed on a simple set of farmer's clothes. He walked over and picked them up.
"I'll wear this instead."
Pawmo looked disappointed, but Ange had already taken the clothes into the dressing room. When he came out, he looked completely different. He wore a straw hat, a gray shirt with a dark brown waistcoat on top, and light brown trousers paired with rugged leather boots.
"How do I look?" Ange asked with a smile.
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "Good! Ange looks good!"
Pawmo was a very supportive audience. However, Lila gave a more honest evaluation. "You look nothing like a farmer. Even in those clothes, you don't look the part."
Meta~ Metagross nodded solemnly.
"Really?" Ange walked to the mirror to look at himself. He stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "It really doesn't look like me! But whatever, it doesn't matter."
He then looked at Lila and the others. "Now it's your turn."
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~
Pawmo was very proactive. it dashed to the Pokémon costume area and soon came running back in a new outfit. It had dressed itself as a knight, wearing a helmet on its head, silver armor on its body, and holding a mini spear. Ange saw that its small head was buried so deep in the helmet that it couldn't even see the road, so he walked over and helped adjust it.
Pawmo brandished the mini spear with great flair, shouting spiritedly:
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "I am the brave knight protecting Prince Ange!"
"Hahaha~~"
Meta~ Meta~
Everyone was amused by Pawmo's appearance and burst into laughter.
Next, Ange released Komala. He put lace trim on its log, dressed it in a pink lacy dress, and put lace hair ties on both its ears. It looked quite delicate!
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~
Komala was a boy, and when Pawmo saw this, it rolled on the floor clutching its stomach in laughter. Suddenly, Komala jumped from Ange's arms, rolled over to Pawmo, and raised its log. With a thud, it whacked Pawmo on the forehead.
Pawmo's laughter stopped abruptly. This time, the one laughing was Ange. Happiness didn't disappear; it just transferred.
Pawmo clutched its forehead, looking at Komala with a grievance.
Pawmo pawed~ Pawmo pawed~ "I'm not the one who changed your clothes, why did you hit me!"
Komala didn't care. It rolled back to Ange's feet and climbed up his leg into his arms.
Afterward, Ange dressed Metagross as a scholar, wrapping its four claws in a cape and placing gold-rimmed glasses over its eyes. He then dressed Lila as a queen.
Lila looked in the mirror awkwardly. "Is this appropriate for me?"
In the reflection, it wore a magnificent crown and jewels, and the tails behind it were adorned with silk, looking like a grand dress.
Ange said with a smile, "Don't worry, my taste is never wrong!"
"Alright then." Lila turned its body. Actually, it also felt that it looked quite beautiful.
"Since we're all dressed up, let's head out."
Just as Ange was about to push the door open, someone else entered the tower to change. It was a girl. The girl had blonde hair just like Ange, wore a purple skirt, and was accompanied by a majestic-looking Pokémon.
It was the Disaster Pokémon, Absol.
When the girl saw Ange, she nodded politely as a greeting. As she moved, the sparkling earring on her ear caught Ange's attention.
It was a Key Stone.
Ange quickly nodded in response, feeling quite surprised. He hadn't expected to see a Key Stone in the Kanto region. That meant the Absol was a Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution.