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Lucas and the others carefully stepped onto the ice, afraid of slipping and falling flat on their faces.
"Vul~pix~"
At that moment, a soft sound reached their ears, and a small head peeked out from behind an ice formation, curiously eyeing Lucas and his companions.
"It's a Vulpix!" Lucas exclaimed, recognizing the Alolan variant with its icy-white fur.
"Vul~pix~"
Startled by the sudden outburst, the Vulpix quickly ducked back behind the ice formation.
"Oops..." Lucas scratched the back of his head apologetically and called out toward the ice formation, "Sorry for scaring you, Vulpix."
As Lucas's voice faded, one by one, small heads began emerging from behind several ice formations—all of them Alolan Vulpix.
"Everyone, come out."
Kimia stepped forward and called to the ice-dwelling Pokémon. Responding to her gentle voice, the Vulpix emerged from their hiding spots and gathered around her.
She crouched down, stroking their cool fur while explaining to Lucas, "These Vulpix have only recently been introduced to the breeding center and are still adjusting to their new environment."
Lucas nodded in understanding. "I see. That makes sense."
"Would Your Highness like to pet them?" Kimia asked.
Recalling what had just happened, Lucas asked hesitantly, "Won't I frighten them again?"
"Not anymore," Kimia replied with a smile. "They were only startled because Your Highness spoke too suddenly before."
Hearing this reassurance, Lucas slowly approached Kimia's side, and true to her word, the Vulpix remained calm.
"May I pet you?" Lucas crouched down and asked one of the Vulpix.
"Vul~pix~"
The Vulpix squinted its eyes and nodded in approval.
Lucas's face brightened with delight as he reached out and gently stroked the Vulpix's head.
"Vul~pix~"
The Vulpix responded affectionately, rubbing its head against Lucas's palm.
The texture of the Vulpix's fur was unlike anything Lucas had ever touched—simultaneously fluffy yet cool, smooth and silky like the finest satin. It was completely different from the warmth of normal Pokémon fur.
After petting its head, Lucas also stroked its back. The Vulpix continued to show its affection, happily allowing Lucas to pet it all over.
Seeing this positive interaction, the other Vulpix gathered around Lucas.
"Vul~pix~"
"Vul~pix~"
"Vul~pix~"
They surrounded him completely—some leaping into his arms to cuddle, licking his cheeks; others affectionately nuzzling against his arms and licking his palms; some rubbing against his legs; and others calling out for their turn to be petted. Lucas felt absolutely blissful in this moment.
Heaven couldn't possibly be better than this.
"It seems they've all taken quite a liking to Your Highness," Kimia observed with a smile, covering her mouth delicately.
After spending some time playing with the Vulpix, Lucas and his companions began their descent down the mountain. When they reached the edge of the flower field, Lucas waved and called out, "Munchlax, it's time to go home!"
"Munch~lax!"
Hearing his master's voice, Munchlax immediately abandoned the playmates he'd been enjoying and rushed to Lucas's side.
"Did you have fun?" Lucas asked with a warm smile, gently pinching Munchlax's chubby cheeks.
"Munch~lax! Munch!" Yes, lots of fun! I like it here!
Munchlax replied happily.
"It's getting late, we should head home," Lucas said. "I'll bring you again another time when I'm free."
"Munch!" Munchlax nodded vigorously.
Just as Lucas was about to continue down the mountain path, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Munchlax, where's Komala?"
Munchlax looked down at his empty arms, only now realizing that Komala was missing. He immediately began jumping up and down in panic, like a Lillipup whose tail had been stepped on.
"Munch! Munch~lax! Munchlax!" Oh no! Where's Komala? Where did Komala go?
"We need to find it quickly," Lucas said with urgency.
The group spread out to search for the missing Pokémon.
Kimia tried to reassure Lucas, "Your Highness, don't worry. It can't have gone far within the breeding grounds."
Lucas nodded. "That's true."
After thinking for a moment, Kimia asked Flamel to locate the nearby breeders and request their assistance in the search, as they knew the layout of the breeding center best.
Before long, a breeder's voice called out from the flower field near the waterfall, "Your Highnesses, we've found it!"
Lucas and the others hurried toward the sound and discovered Komala facing off against another Pokémon.
"Komala!" Lucas called out.
Hearing Lucas's voice, Komala immediately hugged its log and rolled toward him, stopping at his feet. Lucas bent down and expertly scooped it up.
"Syl~veon!"
At that moment, the Pokémon that had been confronting Komala let out a surprised cry and stared at Lucas with unwavering attention.
Before Lucas could react, the Pokémon had already bounded to his side.
"Syl~veon! Syl~veon!"
The Pokémon kept jumping around Lucas, appearing both excited and agitated.
Princess Kimia suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh my, I've been so busy lately that I completely forgot to tell you about Prince Lucas, Sylveon."
Lucas looked at Kimia in confusion.
Kimia then solemnly introduced the Pokémon. "Your Highness, this is Sylveon, the guardian deity of the Azoth Kingdom and Queen Anna's former Pokémon."
(Note: In this world, the higher a Pokémon's level, the longer its lifespan. With a sufficiently high level, even ordinary Pokémon can achieve a lifespan rivaling that of Legendary Pokémon.)
After hearing Kimia's introduction, Lucas looked at Sylveon in astonishment. "Could it be... you are... Anna's Eevee?"
"Syl~veon! Syl~veon!"
Sylveon nodded joyfully.
But soon, Sylveon's expression turned puzzled. Wasn't Prince Lucas supposed to be dead?
Noticing Sylveon's frown, Kimia explained, "Sylveon, the situation is..." She recounted the same story that Lucas had been using to explain his presence.
Sylveon, naturally, accepted the explanation without question. In its mind, NIkola was indeed a remarkable person capable of such feats.
"So you evolved into a Sylveon," Lucas remarked, his face filled with emotion.
Strictly speaking, Lucas and Sylveon hadn't been particularly close. First, Lucas had been on the verge of "dying" when Eevee first came into Anna's life. Second, due to his poor health, apart from Diancie (who was still a Carbink at that time), he hadn't had many opportunities to interact with other Pokémon.
Nevertheless, encountering an old friend after five hundred years filled both Lucas and Sylveon with immense joy.
"By the way, Sylveon, why were you confronting Komala?" Lucas inquired.
"Syl~veon! Veon~"
Sylveon explained sheepishly.
It turned out to be a simple misunderstanding. While taking a stroll, Sylveon had unexpectedly sensed an unusual aura—one powerful enough to trigger its protective instincts. Believing that someone with malicious intent toward the Azoth Kingdom had infiltrated the royal breeding grounds, it had rushed over to investigate, leading to the standoff with Komala.
Lucas attempted to use his Eye of Observation ability to check Sylveon's data but found, as expected, that he couldn't see anything at all.
The Fairy-type Sylveon had genuinely lived through five hundred years, unlike Lucas and Diancie, who had merely slept through that time. Its level was likely beyond imagination.
Diancie and Sylveon recognized each other instantly, and they were overjoyed at their reunion.
Afterward, Lucas, Diancie, and Sylveon sat together on the grass, chatting for hours. They reminisced about events from five centuries past, discussed Anna, reflected on the changes that had occurred over the centuries, and shared their hopes for the future.
From Sylveon, Lucas learned that Anna had possessed more Pokémon than just Eevee. She had personally led her Pokémon into battle, suppressing domestic rebellions and repelling invasions from neighboring kingdoms. Her military achievements were so significant that she became known as the "Battle Queen" during her reign.
Sadly, Anna's battle partners had passed away one by one within a hundred years after her death. Only Sylveon had remained, steadfastly guarding the Azoth Kingdom that Anna had so diligently protected and watching over her descendants throughout the centuries.
Moreover, Lucas also discovered from Sylveon that Nikola had created more than one Magearna.
At that time, the royal family had both a princess and a prince. Nikola's original plan was to create two identical Magearna and give one to each royal child to accompany them as they grew up.
However, creating Magearna proved more complex than anticipated. Nikola invested considerable time and only managed to complete one before Lucas passed away.
Initially, Nikola had intended to give the first Magearna to Lucas, hoping it would help care for the seriously ill prince.
However, that Magearna turned out to have a somewhat ditzy personality and couldn't effectively tend to the sick, so it eventually became Anna's playmate instead.
By the time Nikola began working on the second Magearna, Lucas was already on his deathbed.
Yet, even after Lucas's "death," Nikola persisted in completing the second Magearna.
Unlike the first Magearna, which became widely known, the second one remained a secret shared only between Nikola and Anna, who had by then ascended to the throne. No one else knew of its existence.
Sylveon had only learned about it by chance much later. By that time, both Magearna had vanished.
No one knew where the two Magearna were now or whether they still existed.
After listening to Sylveon's account, Lucas couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Noticing that evening was approaching, Lucas embraced Sylveon. "Sylveon, I'll come visit you again when I have time."
"Syl~veon! Syl~veon!"
Sylveon extended its ribbons, wrapping them gently around Lucas and Diancie in return.
Lucas released Sylveon and stood up. "Well, Sylveon, until next time."
"Syl~veon!"
Sylveon waved its ribbons in farewell as Lucas departed.
After leaving the breeding center, Lucas took a deep breath and then smiled at Diancie and Munchlax. "Let's go home!"
Upon exiting the royal palace grounds, Lucas packed away his food cart and teleported Diancie and Munchlax home first. He then took Komala to the Nebel River, where he found Lapras waiting, and rode back to the Nebel Plateau.
That evening, after finishing his cooking training session, Lucas soaked in the bathtub with Munchlax and Komala. Leaning against the edge of the tub, he found himself lost in thought, constantly reflecting on what Sylveon had told him.
He had already known that his sister Anna had faced numerous challenges after ascending to the throne, but he hadn't realized she had personally led troops into battle.
His sister had once been delicate and gentle, always smiling and occasionally acting spoiled. He never would have imagined she would become known to future generations as the "Battle Queen"...
And the Magearna... Where were they now? How had they fared over the centuries?
"Munch~lax!"
Noticing Lucas's furrowed brow, Munchlax suddenly scooped up a handful of water and splashed it playfully on Lucas's face, then laughed mischievously.
Lucas pointed at Munchlax in mock outrage. "Oh, you're getting bold, daring to tease your master like that. Unforgivable! Take this!" As he spoke, he also scooped up water and splashed it back at Munchlax.
"Munch~lax!"
"Hahaha!"
Master and apprentice soon engaged in a full-blown water fight in the bathroom.
Poor Komala, floating peacefully in the bathtub, was tossed back and forth by the waves they created, unable to enjoy its usual deep sleep.
Suddenly, it raised its log and slammed it forcefully into the water, instantly creating a massive splash that sent water everywhere. More than half the water in the tub was displaced in an instant, and Komala, which had been floating contentedly on the surface, now sat in much shallower water.
Munchlax and Lucas looked at each other, then burst into even louder laughter.
Komala: o(▼_▼メ;)o Not amused
After quite some time, Diancie's voice called from outside the bathroom, "How long are you going to spend in there?! Are you planning to sleep tonight or not?! Don't you have work tomorrow?!"
Hearing Diancie's scolding, Munchlax covered his mouth and giggled like a mischievous child who'd been caught stealing treats.
After their bath, Lucas helped the two Pokémon dry their fur, and then they all went to bed.
The next morning, Lucas once again took Komala to the royal city to set up his stall, and Raleigh brought Slurpuff to assist him as usual.
Lucas's business continued to thrive, keeping both him and Raleigh busy throughout the day.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed since Raleigh had begun helping out.
Raleigh had indeed shown improvement during these ten days. While he hadn't become significantly more outgoing or cheerful, he could at least remain calm and composed when facing customers' occasional teasing.
Moreover, his work efficiency had been refined considerably. He could now serve the correct items to customers even with his eyes closed.
That morning, after finishing the day's sales of buns, Lucas closed his stall and began tallying the day's earnings.
3,079 dumplings sold, earning 61,580 Alliance Coins; 4,683 steamed buns sold, earning 46,830 Alliance Coins.
Total: 108,410 coins.
Lucas then checked his bank account balance: 1,293,714 coins.
Having a bank account meant he finally didn't have to count cash bill by bill anymore.
Lucas's daily income had been consistently around 90,000 to 100,000 coins these past few days.
However, impressive as having more than 1 million coins might seem, it was still far from enough to purchase a shop in the royal city, Lucas reminded himself.
Looking at his Happiness Points balance—850,567—he noted it was quite substantial, almost reaching 1 million.
Lucas opened the system interface, and a notification immediately appeared:
[Congratulations to the host for completing the achievement: Entertaining 5,000 Pokémon. Reward: Constitution +3.]
A smile spread across Lucas's face. Excellent! His constitution had increased again!
He examined his personal stats:
Lucas
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Cooking Evaluation: A novice who can prepare edible dishes.