Pawmo was eating happily when it suddenly noticed the surroundings had grown quiet. Curious, it lifted the tablecloth and peeked out.
Paw paw?
Seeing that the banquet hall was now empty, Pawmo hurried to crawl out from under the table.
Paw paw~ Paw paw~
It called out for Ange while clutching a large chicken leg and gnawing on it.
It quickly noticed the crowd gathered on the balcony. It rushed over immediately, struggling to squeeze through the mass of people.
Ange was currently standing at the very front of the crowd. Beside him, Lila looked up at the sky, the colorful fireworks reflecting in its eyes.
It is so beautiful! Lila could not help but say to Ange via telepathy.
"It really is," Ange nodded.
Lila sighed with emotion. I have never seen such beautiful fireworks before.
"Well, you are seeing them now," Ange said with a smile. "In the future, you will see even more beautiful sights that you have never encountered before."
That is true.
A bright smile appeared on Lila's face.
Indeed, it was now free, both physically and spiritually.
At that moment, Pawmo finally squeezed through the crowd to reach Ange's side. It tugged at his trouser leg.
Paw paw~ Paw paw~
Ange looked down and saw it was Pawmo. "Finally willing to come back?" he asked, smiling.
Paw paw~ Paw paw~
Pawmo patted its belly with a satisfied expression.
Ange leaned down to pick it up and squeezed its stomach. "It looks like you certainly ate quite a lot."
Paw paw~
Pawmo looked proud upon hearing that.
Meanwhile, on the roof of the clock tower, Mew sat quietly, admiring the beautiful fireworks in the sky.
However, as the fireworks burst, the flickering light reflected in Mew's eyes, revealing a loneliness that could not be hidden.
Mew mew~
Mew stared at the fireworks for a while. Suddenly, a light flashed across its body, and it transformed into a Murkrow before flying away.
Once the fireworks ended, Ange and the others left one after another under the arrangement of the palace guards.
Before leaving, Ange returned the Hero's Staff to Queen Ilene.
That night, after returning to the Pokémon Center, Ange made a special late-night snack for Lila, considering it had been accompanying him and had not eaten much at the banquet.
Ange had not eaten much himself either, so he sat down with Komala and Metagross to eat a bit with Lila.
Pawmo desperately wanted a bite when it saw the delicious food Ange had prepared. However, it had eaten far too much at the palace and simply could not fit another morsel.
"Pawmo, it is still early," Ange said with a laugh while eating. "Why don't you go out for a walk before coming back? Otherwise, your stomach will be too full, and you might not be able to sleep tonight."
To avoid the suffering of watching Ange and the others eat, Pawmo nodded and agreed.
Just as Pawmo was about to leave, Ange called out to it. "Wait, put this on."
As he spoke, he took out the weighted equipment they usually used for training from his backpack.
Ange and the Pokémon used this equipment every day during their runs, so Pawmo did not object and nimbly put it on.
Ange patted the top of its head. "Just take a slow walk. Do not run. You ate so much; you might feel unwell if you run."
Paw paw~
Pawmo gave a response and headed out the door.
After finishing the late-night snack, Ange checked the time and saw it was still quite early. "I want to go for a walk too and find Pawmo while I am at it," he said to Lila and Metagross. "Do you want to come along?"
I would love to! Lila nodded in agreement.
Meta~ Metagross also indicated it wanted to join.
"Then let's go," Ange said, leading the way out.
Lila followed closely behind. Metagross used its psychic powers to control Komala, placing it on top of its head before following them.
Because the festival was still ongoing, Cameran Palace was just as lively as ever even at night, with lights brightly illuminating every corner.
Ange walked along the road in front of the Pokémon Center with his three Pokémon, searching for any sign of Pawmo as they strolled.
"Where did Pawmo run off to?" Ange looked around, searching for the little one.
As they walked, they reached a large tree by the roadside.
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared on the grass not far away. The shadow of the large tree cast by the streetlights made it difficult to see the figure's face clearly.
The sound of rustling reached them. Sensing an Aura approaching, Ange felt puzzled. "Pawmo?"
With a whistling sound, the dark shadow leaped and nimbly jumped into the tree canopy. As it got closer, Ange realized that it was not Pawmo's Aura.
Ange did not pay it much mind, as there were plenty of Pokémon active at night.
At that moment, a cat-like Pokémon with black fur poked its head out from the leaves. It sized Ange up with a sinister gaze and quickly broke into a malicious grin.
By now, Ange and the others had already passed the large tree. Their backs were turned to the Pokémon, and they were unaware that it had already set its sights on them.
Suddenly, the black cat Pokémon turned into a blur and dashed toward Ange. In an instant, it snatched the backpack from Ange's waist and sprinted away.
Lila and Metagross reacted very quickly. They immediately tried to use their psychic powers to control the Pokémon, but to their surprise, it was completely unaffected by their telekinesis.
As the Pokémon sped away, Ange also managed to see its appearance clearly.
It was cat-like in shape with black fur, white claws, and a red tail and left ear. There was a single golden spot on both its forehead and chest.
It was the Sharp Claw Pokémon, Sneasel, a Dark and Ice type.
Because it possessed the Dark type, the psychic powers of Lila and Metagross were useless against it.
Just as Sneasel was about to escape, a bolt of golden lightning suddenly tore through the darkness and struck it.
Snea snea~
Sneasel let out a miserable cry and tumbled to the ground.
Paw paw~ Paw paw~
Pawmo came running over to Sneasel and began to scold it loudly.
The one who had just attacked and defeated Sneasel was indeed Pawmo.
Snea snea~
Seeing that Pawmo was not to be messed with, Sneasel immediately put on a pitiful act.
It told Pawmo that it had not eaten for several days and was so hungry it had no choice but to steal Ange's things.
Pawmo was quite gullible and sweet. Upon hearing how pathetic Sneasel was, it immediately felt sympathy and even took a piece of cake from its system backpack to give to Sneasel.
Although Pawmo was greedy and protective of its food, it was actually very kind-hearted. It would share its favorite foods with its companions and was very willing to lend a helping hand to the weak.
However, what Pawmo did not see was the hidden, successful smirk that appeared on Sneasel's face after it took the cake.
Suddenly, while Pawmo was not paying attention, Sneasel scrambled up and bolted, not forgetting to take Ange's backpack with it.
But it had only run a few steps before it crashed into the tall frame of Metagross and fell flat on its rear.
Sneasel had managed to run away at first because of its Dark type and the suddenness of the act. Now that Metagross and Lila had reacted, there was no way they would let it escape again.
Ange walked over to Sneasel. "Still trying to run? Where exactly can you go?"
Sensing the powerful auras coming from Metagross and Lila, Sneasel tried to act pitiful again, its eyes shimmering with tears.
Metagross and Lila were not as gullible as Pawmo and directly ignored its act.
Seeing that its usual trick did not work on the two Pokémon, Sneasel turned its tear-filled eyes toward Ange.
Humans should be very sympathetic, right?
However, it had miscalculated.
"I am not falling for that," Ange said with a half-smile.
Seeing that acting pitiful was useless, Sneasel's expression suddenly turned fierce. Its sharp claws shimmered with a cold light. it planned to attack Ange and then break through the encirclement.
Sneasel was very clever. It had seen many combinations of trainers and Pokémon and knew that, compared to Pokémon, human trainers were relatively easier to deal with.
However, Sneasel miscalculated once again. The person in front of it was no ordinary human.
The moment Sneasel's claws swiped forward, Ange dodged with agile grace and then, with lightning speed, grabbed Sneasel's wrist.
Sneasel: (⊙_⊙)?
What just happened?
It tried to pull its wrist away from Ange's grip, only to find that no matter how hard it struggled, the other person's hand held it firmly in place.
Just as Sneasel intended to use its other claw to swipe at Ange, Pawmo pounced over, covered in electricity.
It was extremely angry now. This Sneasel had not only toyed with its feelings but also tried to attack Ange.
This could not be tolerated!
Sneasel was instantly pinned to the ground, met with Pawmo's Thunder Punch to the face.
Sneasel was held down by Pawmo. Although this little fatty's body wasn't large, it was excessively heavy. Sneasel's limbs were pinned down, and it couldn't move a muscle.
It was truly difficult for such a little fatty to possess such high speed.
Sneasel took one punch after another from Pawmo and was soon beaten black and blue.
Seeing that Sneasel had been punished enough, Ange quickly spoke up to stop Pawmo.
"Alright, Pawmo, that is enough."
Paw paw~ Paw paw~
Only then did Pawmo get off Sneasel with a look of displeasure, not forgetting to pick up Ange's backpack.
However, to Ange's surprise, the moment Pawmo walked back to his side, its body began to emit a blue-white light.
The light grew brighter and brighter until it completely enveloped Pawmo.
It was the light of evolution!
Was Pawmo about to evolve?
Ange remembered that in the games, the condition for Pawmo's evolution was to walk with it. Perhaps all the traveling Pawmo had done with him lately had finally reached the required step count?
Inside the light, Pawmo's size increased rapidly. When the light finally dissipated, a brand-new Pokémon appeared before Ange's eyes.
Compared to Pawmo, this Pokémon had slightly darker fur and was even more fluffy. The tuft of hair on its forehead had become larger, and it now had a scarf-like ring of fur around its neck.
This was Pawmot, the final evolution of Pawmo.
Ange's Pawmo had originally been about 50cm tall, but Pawmot stood at just over 90cm—not quite 1 meter. Among three-stage evolution Pokémon, its size was considered relatively small.
More importantly, after evolving, Ange felt that his Pawmot looked even more round and plump. The fur must feel incredible to the touch, right?
He used his Eye of Observation to look at Pawmot.
Pawmot Type: Electric, Fighting Ability: Iron Fist Gender: Male Level: 34 Moves: Revival Blessing, Wild Charge, Scratch, Growl, Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Charge, Nuzzle, Dig, Slam, Bite, Thunder Wave, Thief, Thunder Punch, Angel Kiss, Agility. Individual Values HP: 29 Attack: 31 Defense: 31 Special Attack: 30 Special Defense: 30 Speed: 31
After evolving, Pawmot had learned two new moves.
One was the attacking move, Wild Charge.
Wild Charge was an Electric-type physical move that caused some recoil damage to the user; there wasn't much to say about that.
The other was a very special move, Revival Blessing.
Among currently known Pokémon, only Pawmot and Rabsca could learn this move.
Revival Blessing was a healing move that allowed a Pokémon that had already fainted to recover half of its health.
It was an extremely practical move.
Once the evolution was complete, Pawmot looked over its own body with a curious gaze.
"Pawmot, congratulations on completing your final evolution," Ange said.
Meta~ Meta~
Congratulations~ Congratulations~
Metagross and Lila also offered their congratulations at the right time.
Paw paw~ Paw paw~
Upon hearing this, Pawmot excitedly lunged into Ange's arms. It had evolved again! Being with Ange was truly a blessing!
Ange hugged Pawmot, stroking its fluffy, soft body.
It really did feel as good as he had imagined!
While Ange and the others were celebrating Pawmot's evolution, Sneasel quietly slipped away. Before leaving, it did not forget to take the piece of cake Pawmo had given it.
Ange didn't mind. Let it go; Pawmo had already taught it a lesson.
However, Sneasel did not go far. It climbed into the tree canopy and hid using the leaves, eating the cake Pawmo had given it while secretly observing Ange and his team through the gaps in the foliage.
After a bit of celebration, Ange and the others continued their walk to aid digestion, and Sneasel continued to follow them quietly from behind.
Ange actually used his Aura to sense Sneasel following them, but since Sneasel wasn't doing anything, he didn't interfere.
The dim yellow light of the streetlamps fell upon Ange's group. One person and three Pokémon were laughing and chatting, plus a soundly sleeping Komala—it looked like such a warm scene.
For once, a hint of envy appeared on Sneasel's crafty face.
Actually, a long, long time ago, it had companions too. It lived in the great snowy mountains with them. At that time, they were carefree, playing and frolicking in the snow every day.
Later, their home was taken over by other Pokémon, and they were forced to leave. Along the way, Sneasel became separated from its companions. After a period of wandering, it settled in Cameran Palace.
It lived quite well in Cameran Palace; at the very least, it wouldn't go hungry if it rummaged through the trash cans.
But once it had a moment of peace, it would involuntarily think of its life back home and that group of partners.
Where are they now? Are they doing well?
After following Ange and the others for a while, Sneasel eventually turned and left, disappearing into the dark night.
When their walk ended, Ange saw that it was getting late, so he took the Pokémon back to the Pokémon Center to wash up and sleep.
Early the next morning, Ange took several Pokémon to the bench where he had first met Mew, waiting for its arrival.
To pass the time, Pawmot began practicing its moves.
Ange helped it by holding his phone, and on the other end of the video call was Munchlax, who was currently speaking.