Chapter 48: The Visitor from the Shadows

"Yes, from now on, this will be our second home!" Andrew said to Munchlax, Diancie, and Komala.

"Munch~ Munch~~" Yay~ Yay~

Munchlax spread its arms and happily ran around the living room, then leaped onto the sofa.

The sofa was quite springy, and Munchlax bounced up and down on it, laughing joyfully.

Andrew said, "Munchlax, if you keep doing that, you might damage the sofa."

Hearing this, Munchlax quickly climbed off the sofa and carefully patted it, making sure not to break it, or else they'd have to buy a new one.

It then hurried over to Andrew and gently took his hand.

Andrew smiled and said, "As long as you don't bounce around like that again, the sofa won't break so easily."

Munchlax sighed in relief and patted its chest proudly, looking adorable. Andrew couldn't resist and pinched its chubby cheeks.

"Let's go check out the first and second floors," Andrew suggested.

The four of them headed downstairs.

When they reached the second floor, Andrew said to Diancie and Munchlax, "Diancie, Munchlax, you two keep exploring. I need to go to the River Nebel to pick up Fletchling's mom; she's waiting for me there."

"Munch~ Munch~~"

Munchlax excitedly gestured to Andrew. After Diancie translated, Andrew realized that Fletchling, Espurr, and Flabébé had all evolved this morning, so Staraptor would now be called Fletchinder's mom.

Andrew looked surprised and said, "Really? What a coincidence."

"Munch~ Munch~ Munch~~" It must be because they ate the breakfast I made that they evolved. I'm so awesome.

Munchlax proudly lifted its head, its nose held high.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Andrew said, patting its head, "Look how proud you are."

"Munch~~" Hehe~~

Munchlax laughed happily.

"You keep exploring here. I need to go now, or Staraptor will be worried." With that, Andrew left the shop with Komala in his arms.

Arriving at the River Nebel, Andrew called out to the nearby woods, "Staraptor!"

"Staar~"

With a gust of wind, Staraptor flew out from the woods.

"Are you hungry?" Andrew asked, taking out the lunch he had prepared for Staraptor. "Go ahead and eat."

"Staar~" Staraptor thanked Andrew as she ate.

"By the way, I have good news for you. Your Fletchling has evolved into Fletchinder!" Andrew shared the news he had just received.

"Staar~!"

Staraptor looked up in surprise.

"It evolved this morning. Eat quickly, and after we're done, we'll head back home. You'll see the evolved Fletchinder when we get there," Andrew said.

Staraptor nodded and soon finished a whole bowl of dumplings and steamed buns.

After eating, as Staraptor was about to carry Andrew and fly back to the Nebel Plateau, Andrew said, "Follow me; I have a quicker way to get you home."

Although Staraptor was curious, she flapped her wings and followed Andrew.

Once in the city, Staraptor and Andrew took a cable car. Since it was her first time on one, Andrew suggested she try it as a new experience.

She nervously sat at Andrew's feet, looking around constantly. Gradually, she became fascinated by the vibrant Azoth Kingdom.

There are so many people here!

The lively atmosphere of Azoth Kingdom and the peaceful Nebel Plateau each had their own charm.

Seeing that almost everyone was getting along well with their Pokémon, Staraptor started to think that humans weren't as frightening as she had heard.

Noticing this, Andrew patted her back and said, "There are bad people in this world, but mostly there are good people, so there's no need to be so afraid of humans.

Of course, if you go out alone and meet strangers, it's still important to be cautious."

Staraptor nodded.

After getting off the cable car, Andrew and the others had to walk a bit to return to the shop.

To get back faster, Andrew decided to take a shortcut through a quieter part of town, leading Komala and Staraptor down a secluded street.

As they walked, a shadow suddenly darted into Andrew's own shadow so quickly that he didn't even catch a glimpse of what it was.

Before Andrew could investigate, he heard hurried footsteps approaching, and soon a man and a woman appeared in front of them.

The man was tall with a fierce expression, accompanied by a Houndoom. The woman was tall, with a cool demeanor and short red hair, looking quite rebellious, accompanied by a Banette.

"Lord Andrew? What are you doing here?" the man asked, surprised to see Andrew.

"You're... Levi, Alva's subordinate, right?" Andrew tried to recall the man's name.

"Yes, that's me. I'm glad you remember me, Your Highness," Levi replied.

"And this is Lord Andrew?" The woman next to Levi looked Andrew up and down.

"And you are?"

The woman's gaze was quite impolite, making Andrew frown slightly.

The woman smiled and introduced herself, "I'm Cherie, Levi's colleague. It's a pleasure to meet you here, Your Highness."

"Did you happen to see a Haunter pass by?" Levi asked.

Andrew shook his head, "No, I haven't seen one. Are you looking for a Haunter? What's going on?"

Levi explained, "We were trying to capture it for Lord Alva, but it seems to have gotten away."

Andrew asked, puzzled, "Alva needs others to capture Pokémon for him?"

Levi and Cherie looked embarrassed.

Andrew said meaningfully, "It's better to capture your own Pokémon yourself."

Levi replied, "I'll make sure to pass that message along to Lord Alva."

"Alright, I won't keep you. I need to head home. Goodbye." With that, Andrew left with Komala and Staraptor.

"Goodbye, Your Highness."

"Goodbye, Your Highness."

Levi and Cherie said as they watched Andrew walk away.

Soon, Andrew and the others arrived home. Staraptor looked at the small building with curiosity. Andrew smiled and explained, "This will be our new home in Azoth Kingdom!"

Staraptor became agitated upon hearing this.

"Staar~ Staraptor~" Mr. Andrew, are you moving away from the Nebel Plateau?

Andrew quickly reassured her, "Don't worry. This is where we'll be doing business in the future. My home will always be in the Nebel Plateau and that will never change."

Even though he didn't understand Pokémon language, Andrew knew what Staraptor was trying to convey.

"Staar~ Staar~" Hearing this, Staraptor sighed in relief. They had grown used to Mr. Andrew being in the Nebel Plateau.

"Come on, let's go inside and have a look. Later, we'll be heading back to the Nebel Plateau from here." Andrew said as he opened the shop door.

"Munch~"

"Andrew, you're back!"

Seeing Andrew enter, Diancie and little Munchlax, who were chatting in the hall, jumped down from their chairs excitedly.

"Starap~~tor~"

Staraptor flapped her wings and greeted the two Pokémon. "We're back," Andrew said with a smile to the two Pokémon.

At this moment, Andrew suddenly looked at his shadow and gently tapped his foot, saying, "It's safe here now. You can come out."

Diancie and the others looked at Andrew's shadow in surprise.

After a few seconds, a Haunter slowly floated out of Andrew's shadow, though it eyed Andrew and the others with some caution.

Seeing this, Andrew spoke in a soothing tone to Haunter, "Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

Haunter stared at Andrew for a moment, and then its gaze softened slightly as if it remembered something.

However, it still didn't approach Andrew immediately but slowly floated towards the wall and vanished into it.

"Wait!" Andrew called out, pulling out a bag of dumplings and steamed buns that Staraptor hadn't finished and offering them. "Here, for you."

After a while, an arm extended from the wall, quickly grabbed the dumplings and steamed buns, and then retracted back into the wall.

"Alright, have you finished your visit? If so, let's go home," Andrew said to Diancie and the others.

"We're done. Let's go back."

So, Andrew and the Pokémon traveled back to the Nebel Plateau through the spatial passage.

Once they were home, after seeing off Staraptor, the family of four gathered around the table. Andrew said, "We should come up with a name for our new restaurant."

"Yes, we need a name," Diancie nodded. "What should we call it?"

"Munch ~ Munchlax ~"

Munchlax excitedly raised its hand.

Andrew smiled and said, "Alright, Munchlax, please tell us."

"Munch~ Munch~"

Munchlax cleared its throat dramatically and wore a very serious expression. Andrew and Diancie exchanged a glance and then suppressed their laughter.

Munchlax was the family's little bundle of joy.

"Munchlax~ lax~~ How about naming it 'Andrew, Diancie, Komala, and Munchlax's Restaurant'?"

Andrew: ...

Diancie: ...

Komala: zzZZ

"Munchlax, that name is too long; people won't remember it," Andrew said.

"Lax~"

Munchlax sat down dejectedly.

But as soon as it sat down, it sprang up again with renewed energy, looking at Andrew with bright eyes.

"Munchlax~!" Master!

Andrew asked with curiosity, "Munchlax, have you come up with another good name?"

"Munch~"

Munchlax looked very pleased.

"Please, Munchlax, go ahead," Andrew said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Munchlax~ Munch~~lax~" How about 'Andrew's Little Nest'?

Andrew was at a loss, thinking that didn't sound like a restaurant name at all.

At this moment, Diancie suggested, "Why not call it 'Munchlax's House'?"

"That name isn't bad," Andrew said thoughtfully.

Munchlax was momentarily stunned and then bashfully covered its face, saying, "Can it really be named after me?" (≧▽≦)

"Don't like it?" Andrew asked with a smile.

"Munchlax... lax..." Likes... likes it.

Munchlax became even more shy.

Andrew pinched its little face and said, "You even know how to be shy now." Then he added, "Since the shop in Azoth Royal City has a name, let's name the home restaurant too." He thought for a few seconds and then said, "How about 'Diancie's Canteen'?"

"Do I get to name it?" Diancie was both happy and a bit shy, but as a royal lady, she maintained a composed demeanor.

"Yes, one name for you and one for Munchlax," Andrew said. "Does everyone agree? If there are no objections, we'll settle on the names: 'Munchlax's House' for the Azoth Royal City shop and 'Diancie's Canteen' for Nebel Plateau."

Diancie and Munchlax exchanged glances and both nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright, I'll go order two signs to hang on the doors of the two shops."

Just as Andrew and the others finished choosing names, Gardevoir and Gallade returned with several large buckets of fresh Gogoat milk, using their psychic powers.

After putting the milk away and coming out of the kitchen, Andrew said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~"

"Gallade~ Gallade~"

Gardevoir and Gallade waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that it wasn't hard work at all.

After the day's work was done, the couple collected their wages and were about to head home when Andrew suddenly called out to them.

"Gardevoir, Gallade, I have a gift for you."

He had promised before that he would give a bonus to this diligent couple.

Gardevoir and Gallade looked back in curiosity.

A gift?

Andrew took out from his system backpack the gift he bought for the couple in Azoth Royal City.

It was a glass tube about the thickness of an adult's arm, filled with a green, viscous liquid.

The couple looked at Andrew with curiosity. Andrew explained, "This is a special nutrient liquid. You apply it to the surface of Pokémon eggs every day. The babies inside will absorb it and be nourished, making them healthier and stronger when they hatch."

The couple's eyes brightened instantly.

However, thinking that no reward comes without effort, they were a bit hesitant about accepting it.

Andrew directly placed the glass tube in Gardevoir's hand and said, "Take it. If you really want to thank me, just keep working hard and doing a good job."

Gardevoir and Gallade were deeply moved.

Andrew smiled and said, "Go home and use it for the eggs. I hope the baby hatch healthily."

"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~"

"Gallade~ Gallade~"

Gardevoir and Gallade happily went home.

After Gardevoir and Gallade left, Andrew called Flamel to help him order two signs and carefully described the requirements for the signs.

In the afternoon, with nothing to do, the family of four moved a few chairs to the porch, enjoying the sunshine and watching a show.

The tablets in the Pokémon world can project images directly into the air, and once projected, it's just like watching TV, making it very comfortable.

Andrew, Diancie, and Munchlax watched and discussed the plot.

At this moment, Meowstic appeared at Andrew's door, hiding behind the flower bed, hesitating about whether to come forward.

(End of Chapter)