Time passed swiftly at Nebel Plateau. Thanks to word-of-mouth among the Pokémon, the number of creatures coming to Lucas for breakfast each morning had grown considerably since his true identity had been revealed.
Some Pokémon who had never encountered humans before came just to see what Lucas looked like, only to find themselves unable to leave because of the enticing aroma wafting from his small kitchen.
Lucas noticed that the Pokémon assigned to monitor him changed daily. First it was Talonflame, then Altaria, followed by Victreebel... the rotation continued without fail.
Today was Altaria's turn again.
"Good morning, Altaria," Lucas greeted warmly as he stepped outside to water his flowers.
Altaria was sprawled lazily across the roof of Lucas's house, its head nestled in its cloud-like wings as it basked in the morning sunlight. Its soft, fluffy feathers looked even more inviting after being warmed by the sun, making Lucas wish he could bury his face in them.
It must be incredibly comfortable to sleep on those wings, he thought.
Hearing Lucas's voice, Altaria briefly lifted its head to look at him before slowly tucking it back into its wings.
Lucas wasn't offended by the dismissal. Instead, he asked with a gentle smile, "You arrived quite early this morning. Have you eaten yet? Would you like me to prepare something for you?"
"Taria~"
Altaria raised its head and called out softly. Though Lucas couldn't understand its words, he clearly recognized the refusal.
"Alright then. If you're not hungry, that's fine."
With that, Lucas returned to his building with the watering can.
Several minutes later, a Swablu, Fletchling, and Spritzee flew to the roof carrying a pot of steamed buns suspended from a rope, which they placed before Altaria.
"Taria~ Taria~" Altaria cried out angrily at Swablu upon seeing this, obviously unwilling to accept Lucas's kindness.
"Blu~ Blu~" How can you be so stubborn when he's being so nice!
Swablu felt its mother was being unreasonable. Lucas was clearly kind-hearted, yet its mother insisted he had ulterior motives. Frustrated, Swablu began arguing with its mother.
Seeing that Swablu was losing the argument, Spritzee and Fletchling quickly joined in to support their friend. Altaria became so agitated that it seemed steam might erupt from its ears.
These ungrateful youngsters! it thought.
The four Pokémon eventually parted on unhappy terms, with Swablu flying away alongside Fletchling and Spritzee in evident displeasure.
About an hour later, however, Swablu returned with its friends. The three stood solemnly before Altaria and offered a sincere apology.
After some questioning, Altaria learned that Lucas had persuaded Swablu to reconcile with its mother.
Altaria felt a confusing mix of emotions. It stared at the now-cold steamed buns and fell into deep contemplation.
Throughout its days of surveillance, the human had indeed done nothing to harm any Pokémon. On the contrary, because of his generous feeding, the young Pokémon were growing stronger each day, which greatly reduced the pressure on their parents to provide food.
But how could such a human exist? This behavior contradicted everything Altaria believed about humans.
Although Altaria's children were native to Nebel Plateau, Altaria itself was not. It had wandered to the plateau by accident years ago and had been taken in and protected by Volcanion.
In its youth, Altaria had lived among its own kind. They would migrate with the changing seasons, and while life wasn't always carefree, family members loved and supported each other, making existence happy and fulfilling.
Then came the day it met its Trainer and was captured, separating it from its family forever.
Its Trainer had been extraordinarily strict, harboring ambitions of joining the Elite Four or even becoming Champion. The training regimen was harsh, bordering on cruel.
Altaria, just a Swablu back then, couldn't meet many of the Trainer's expectations and was frequently scolded.
Due to various circumstances, Swablu repeatedly failed in competitions and was eventually abandoned by its Trainer in a fit of rage.
Though years had passed, the memory remained vivid and painful whenever Altaria recalled it.
Looking at the food before it, Altaria's thoughts drifted far away.
Soon, the other Pokémon finished their breakfast and departed from Lucas's building one by one.
Just then, a melodious cry echoed from above as another Altaria appeared in the sky. Looking up, Altaria recognized its mate coming to collect it. A faint smile replaced the melancholy in its eyes.
"Taria~ Taria~" You're here already.
Swablu's father landed gently beside its mother and affectionately nuzzled her neck. Swablu's mother returned the gesture, rubbing her head against his.
Seeing that their children had mostly dispersed, the couple took flight together, leaving Lucas's house behind.
A while later, Lucas emerged to check the situation and sighed deeply when he saw the untouched food.
After returning inside, Lucas began cleaning up with Diancie and Munchlax. That's when he noticed a pile of something in the corner.
"Where did this come from?" Lucas asked, picking up the item.
It was lotus root, still covered in mud—a sure sign of freshness.
Diancie glanced over, thought for a moment, and replied, "I believe Bellsprout brought that. Is something wrong?"
"No, this is wonderful!" Lucas exclaimed.
He'd been eating steamed buns daily and had longed for something fresh. Unfortunately, there was too little lotus root to make even a single stir-fry, especially with Munchlax's enormous appetite.
"Munch~ Munch~" Can I eat it?
Munchlax leaned forward, staring intently at the lotus root in Lucas's hand.
"Of course! It's quite delicious," Lucas replied with a smile. After a moment's thought, he said to Diancie, "Diancie, you and Komala stay here to watch the house. Munchlax and I will find Bellsprout to ask where this lotus root came from. Maybe we can gather more."
The thought of the various delicacies he could prepare with lotus root made Lucas's mouth water.
There was a lake not far from Lucas's house where lotus flowers bloomed abundantly. He had considered harvesting lotus root before, but the lake was too deep, and without a Water-type Pokémon to help, he'd had to abandon the idea.
"Very well, go ahead," Diancie nodded.
"Let's go, Munchlax," Lucas called.
"Munch~" Coming!
Munchlax happily followed behind Lucas.
As Lucas reached the door, he was surprised to see a beautiful Vivillon fluttering among his flower garden. "Vivillon? You evolved?"
Thinking back, he realized it had been some time since he'd seen Spewpa. Apparently, it had evolved without him noticing!
"Vivi~" Yes, I did!
Vivillon nodded joyfully, expressing gratitude to Lucas. If not for his regular feeding, it wouldn't have accumulated enough energy to evolve so quickly.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" Lucas asked.
Vivillon shook its head. Having just completed its evolution, it had come immediately to Lucas, eager to share its joy with him.
"Then let's go inside and have Diancie prepare something for you. You must be hungry after not eating for so long," Lucas said, extending his arm for Vivillon to land on. "I'm heading out with Munchlax for a while, but I'll be back later."
"Vivi~" Thank you!
Vivillon nodded and produced a bright red flower from somewhere, offering it to Lucas.
Lucas accepted the flower and inhaled its fragrance lightly. "It smells wonderful. Thank you—I really like it."-
"Vivi~" I'm so glad!
Vivillon flew excitedly around Lucas twice before heading inside at his encouragement.
"Let's go," Lucas said, placing the flower behind Munchlax's ear.
Munchlax walked alongside him, reaching up to touch the flower delicately.
"Munch~" Do I look pretty?
It asked Lucas shyly.
Though Lucas couldn't understand its words, the Pokémon's expression made its thoughts clear. He chuckled and said, "You're quite vain for a boy. So cute."
Munchlax grinned broadly at the compliment.
As they walked, before Lucas could locate Bellsprout, his system suddenly sent a notification. Opening the interface, a pop-up window appeared:
[Congratulations, Master, for accumulating one hundred Pokémon guests. You have received an achievement reward: Intelligence +1.]
Lucas was astonished—what a pleasant surprise!
This must have happened because Diancie had welcomed Vivillon. Looking again, he confirmed that his Happiness Points balance had indeed increased by 150.
He then checked his personal information:
Lucas
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 4
Intelligence: 3
Cooking Evaluation: A novice who can prepare edible dishes.
I've grown stronger again, Lucas thought happily. Although he wasn't sure exactly how the intelligence increase had enhanced him, he didn't feel noticeably smarter.
Closing the system interface, Lucas looked at Munchlax and asked, "Do you know where Bellsprout lives?"
"Munch~" No idea.
Munchlax shook its head gently.
"Alright, let's find a Pokémon to ask."
"Munch~" Good plan!
Munchlax nodded and immediately began scanning the area for potential help. Suddenly, it spotted a Flabébé and its eyes lit up. Waving enthusiastically, it called out:
"Munch~ Munch~" Hey! Over here!
Flabébé halted in mid-air. It recognized both Munchlax and Lucas, having seen the human before but fleeing out of fear.
This time, though still apprehensive, it didn't fly away. Curiosity had gotten the better of it, as rumors about Lucas had been spreading throughout Nebel Plateau.
Some Pokémon claimed Lucas must be planning something nefarious, while others defended him as a kind-hearted human who made delicious food. Still others remained neutral, withholding judgment. The debate had been ongoing and heated.
Flabébé was curious about the truth of the matter.
So, responding to Munchlax's call, Flabébé slowly descended from the sky.
Seeing that Flabébé didn't immediately flee at the sight of him, Lucas felt encouraged that his relationship with the Pokémon of Nebel Plateau was gradually improving, which brightened his mood further.
"Flabébé, do you know where Bellsprout lives?" Lucas asked, trying to appear as friendly as possible.
After a moment's hesitation, Flabébé gave a slight nod.
"Could you please lead us there? I need Bellsprout's help with something," Lucas continued.
"Flabé~ Flabé~" Alright, follow me.
With that, Flabébé chose a direction and began flying forward. Lucas and Munchlax quickly followed.
Along the way, Lucas attempted to converse with Flabébé, but the tiny Pokémon became extremely nervous whenever it met his gaze, making normal communication impossible. Munchlax, on the other hand, chatted enthusiastically with it.
"Munch~ Munch~" Don't I look handsome?
Munchlax tilted its head to show off the flower behind its ear.
"Flabé~ Flabé~" Hmph, not as beautiful as my flower.
Flabébé proudly shook the fairy flower beneath its body with a smug expression.
"Munch~ Munch~" No way! I'm definitely cuter. My master even said so!
Munchlax retorted immediately.
"Flabé~ Flabé~" Who is your master? What's a master?
Flabébé looked puzzled.
"Munch~ Munch~ Munch~" Lucas is my master, of course! A master is... well, a master!
Munchlax replied confidently, though it didn't truly understand the concept either.
Although Lucas couldn't comprehend their conversation, he couldn't help smiling at their animated expressions.
Under Flabébé's guidance, Lucas and Munchlax passed through some bushes and emerged onto a grassy field. From a distance, Lucas could hear the voices of Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and Victreebel.
Through the foliage, he spotted a Victreebel, a Weepinbell, and three Bellsprout playing on the meadow ahead.
Lucas recognized Victreebel from before—it was Bellsprout's father. Weepinbell was Victreebel's mate and Bellsprout's mother.
As soon as Lucas and Munchlax approached, Victreebel detected their presence.
"Bell~" Who's there? Show yourself!
Since they'd been discovered, Lucas simply walked forward openly.
Upon seeing Lucas, Victreebel jumped to the front, positioning itself protectively before its family, its expression vigilant.
Is this human finally revealing his true intentions? it wondered.
Bellsprout was delighted to see Lucas and attempted to rush toward him but was restrained by its older siblings.
Seeing them poised as if confronting a dangerous enemy, Lucas quickly explained, "Please don't misunderstand. I'm only here to ask Bellsprout for assistance."
The wariness didn't fade from Victreebel's face, though a hint of curiosity appeared.
Recognizing this, Lucas produced the section of lotus root he carried. "I just wanted to ask Bellsprout where this came from."
At that moment, Bellsprout finally broke free from its siblings. It twisted its slender body and tried to hurry toward Lucas but was caught mid-air by its mother's Vine Whip.
Suspended in the air by Weepinbell's vine, Bellsprout waved its leaf-like arms frantically, trying to communicate something that Lucas unfortunately couldn't understand.
Lucas asked, "Weepinbell, Victreebel, would you allow Bellsprout to guide me somewhere? If you're concerned, you're welcome to accompany us."
Victreebel scrutinized Lucas for several seconds, hesitated briefly, and finally nodded. It exchanged a glance with its mate, and Weepinbell gently lowered Bellsprout to the ground.