Royal Pokémon Nursery

After leaving the Royal Hospital, Kimia noticed it was still early, so she suggested to Angie, "Your Highness Angie, would you like to take a look at the Royal Pokémon Nursery?"

"We can go?" Angie's eyes lit up.

"Of course, as a member of the royal family, you can visit the Royal Pokémon Nursery whenever you like," Kimia replied.

"Then let's go!" Angie said eagerly.

"Alright, let's go." Kimia walked ahead to lead the way.

"Wait a moment!" Angie suddenly seemed to remember something. With a quick wave of his hand, Diancie and his Munchlax appeared by his side.

Since he wouldn't be going home immediately, he thought it'd be a good idea to summon them here, so he wouldn't get complaints from Munchlax about coming back too late.

"Munchlax~"

Muchlax was thrilled to see Angie and was about to jump into his arms, but then it spotted Kimia and Flamel nearby. It immediately hid behind Angie in fear.

Angie hugged Munchlax and introduced it, "Don't be afraid; that's Princess Kimia over there, and that's Flamel. I've told you about them before, remember?"

"Munch… Munchlax…"

Munchlax greeted them softly.

Diancie, however, was much bolder. "Good afternoon, Your Highness. We meet again, and good afternoon to you as well, Flamel."

Kimia greeted Diancie warmly. "Good afternoon, Diancie. I'm glad to see you again too."

"Good afternoon, Diancie," Flamel, who was more reserved, said simply.

Then, Kimia looked at Munchlax and said, "Munchlax, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kimia."

Munchlax shrank back and hid behind Angie again.

Angie patted Munchlax on the head and explained to Kimia, "Munchlax hasn't met many people before, so it's not quite used to it."

Kimia nodded in understanding.

"Here, Munchlax, take Komala to hug. There's nothing to be afraid of; I'm right here with you." Angie handed Komala, who was nestled in his arms, over to Munchlax.

"Munchlax~"

Munchlax nodded, taking Komala into its arms.

"Alright, let's head off."

"Munchlax~"

As they were about to leave, Munchlax tugged at Angie's sleeve.

"What's wrong?" Angie asked, looking down.

"Mucnhlax… Munchlax…"

Without hesitation, Munchlax slipped its hand into Angie's palm.

"Oh, you…" Angie shook his head in mild exasperation but gently took its hand.

As they walked, Angie and Kimia chatted along the way.

"Your summoning ability, Your Highness Angie, is always surprising, no matter how many times I see it," Kimia praised, referring to Angie's earlier summoning of Diancie and Munchlax.

Angie brushed it off. "I only discovered this ability after I woke up. It's not as impressive as you think—it only lets me summon Diancie, Komala, and Munchlax."

Kimia nodded thoughtfully. "Many unique phenomena associated with Pokémon seem to connect with the bond between Trainers and their Pokémon. For example, there's Mega Evolution, which is very popular right now. Your ability may be similar."

"Maybe," Angie answered vaguely.

Kimia then asked, "Did you catch Munchlax after you woke up, Your Highness?"

Angie shook his head. "No, Munchlax is actually my apprentice. It's been learning cooking from me, and its steamed buns and dumplings taste just as good as mine."

Kimia looked surprised but not overly so. The relationship between humans and Pokémon was complex and went beyond just Trainers and battle partners.

Proud of the compliment, Munchlax began to walk with a bit of a swagger, completely forgetting how timid it had been moments before.

Diancie gave it a light knock, hinting not to let pride get to its head and embarrass itself.

But Munchlax, unable to grasp this subtle hint, stared at Diancie, looking betrayed:

(｀)=3 "Why'd you hit me?"

Angie chuckled, saying to Diancie, "Don't be so hard on it."

Diancie sighed: Fine, fine! You're the kind parent, I'm the mean one! Who am I even doing this for? Really!

Angie stealthily made a heart gesture to Diancie, who finally calmed down, turning away to hide the uncontrollable smile at the corners of her mouth.

Angie knew that Diancie had been specially chosen by his parents to look after him and had received rigorous royal etiquette and protocol training before coming to him. As a result, she cared more about maintaining composure than most Pokémon.

Since it was all for his sake, Angie respected Diancie's occasional strictness.

At the same time, though, he loved Munchlax's innocent and carefree spirit and didn't want it to change for anyone.

Before long, Angie and his companions arrived at the Royal Pokémon Nursery.

Standing at the entrance, Angie was stunned.

"This is the Royal Pokémon Nursery? It's incredibly lavish!"

In front of him was a massive nursery, built on an entire mountain and carefully designed to simulate various ecosystems. The mountains, water, and even the unique climate, distinct from the outside world, were all created with significant wealth.

"That's right. From now on, you're free to come and go as you please and to choose any Pokémon you like from here," Kimia said.

Angie didn't feel a strong desire to capture Pokémon. Sure, he liked them, but just being able to see, pet, and play with them was enough; owning them didn't really matter to him.

"Let's go," Kimia said, heading toward the nursery gate.

The nursery had dedicated guards and caretakers to look after the Pokémon.

When the guards saw Princess Kimia, they immediately bowed and greeted her, "Your Highness."

Kimia nodded and introduced Angie to them, "This is His Highness, Angie."

"Your Highness Angie!" The guards promptly greeted him with respect, sneaking curious glances at Queen Anna's twin brother.

Because Queen Anna was so famous, people instinctively associated Angie with her, often calling him "Queen Anna's twin brother."

As the guards opened the gates, Kimia led Angie inside. They were greeted by a lush green meadow, where a group of Snubbull were gathered in a circle.

"What are they doing?" Angie asked.

"Let's get closer and see," Kimia replied with a smile.

As they approached, they heard snarling sounds coming from the center of the circle. Angie peered in and saw two muscular Granbull fighting.

Or rather, they were dueling.

A nearby caretaker explained that the two male Granbull had once been close friends but had fallen out over the same female Granbull, leading to a fierce rivalry and this duel.

Unbelievable! Pokémon relationships could be so dramatic? Angie walked away, slightly bewildered.

Aside from the Snubbull and Granbull on the meadow, Eevee and its evolutions were also frolicking about, with the Fairy-type Sylveon being the most common evolution.

According to Princess Kimia, Snubbull and Granbull were the Pokémon most commonly used by the royal guards, all raised by the royal nursery.

Crossing the meadow, Angie and the others arrived at a small bridge over a clear river, where Azurill, Marill, and Azumarill resided.

Playfully, Munchlax leaned over the bridge's railing, trying to reach an Azurill in the water. But the mischievous Azurill responded by spouting a stream of water at Munchlax, drenching it completely before swimming away, laughing loudly at its soaked playmate.

Seeing this, Diancie pulled Munchlax up, taking out a soft pink handkerchief to wipe its face while scolding, "See what happens when you go looking for trouble."

Munchlax obediently let Diancie wipe its face, then lifted up the soggy Komala it had been carrying, signaling for Diancie to wipe it, too.

Komala was sound asleep and hadn't reacted at all, even after being drenched.

Crossing the bridge, Angie and his companions walked up a winding mountain path spiraling around the mountainside from the base to the summit.

Along the path, they could see the dense forest, where Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir roamed.

Kimia's shiny Gardevoir had been born here, so its family lived in this forest. She released Gardevoir, letting it reunite with its family.

Before long, laughter and joyful sounds echoed through the trees from the Gardevoir family.

As they continued forward, Angie saw a Hatterene and a Grimmsnarl courting, while Hatenna, Hattrem, Impidimp, and Morgrem frolicked in the bushes.

Beyond the forest, they arrived at a hillside flower field. Hovering above it were Flabébé, Floette, Cottonee, Whimsicott, and Swirlix, while Florges and Slurpuff strolled among the flowers.

Flamel's Florges was originally from this beautiful flower field, so she released it to reunite with its family.

In the deeper part of the flower bushes, Angie could faintly hear a series of banging sounds. Soon, a Tinkatuff came out crying, carrying a broken hammer.

Trailing behind was a Mawile, approaching with a fierce look, step by step, as Tinkatuff's cries grew louder.

Angie looked at Kimia. "Shouldn't we intervene?"

Kimia chuckled and shook her head, "No need; it's probably Tinkatuff trying to pick on Mawile and failing, so it's getting a taste of its own medicine."

Apparently, it had started the trouble!

The flower field was full of activity, and Munchlax couldn't resist, dashing over to join the Pokémon in their games.

"Munchlax, we're moving on!" Angie waved and called out.

"Munchlax~~~!"

Got it!

Munchlax responded loudly.

Angie turned to Kimia, "Let's leave it to play here and keep going."

The group continued forward until, in the distance, Angie saw waterfalls cascading down.

These waterfalls, though not as grand as those at Nebel Lake, were artificial—quite awe-inspiring when viewed with that in mind.

These waterfalls served as the primary water source for the entire nursery.

As they passed a pool beneath the falls, Angie saw Popplio, Brionne, and Primarina playing within.

The Azoth royal family specialized in raising Fairy-type Pokémon, so most of the Pokémon in this nursery were Fairy-types.

Sure enough, from above the waterfalls came a group of Swablu and Altaria flying down.

In fact, Altaria and Swablu had only recently started being raised here, as neither of them are naturally Fairy-type.

However, with the rise of Mega Evolution, the discovery of Mega Altaria's Fairy-type abilities became well-known. This led the Azoth royal nursery to start introducing Swablu and Altaria into their care.

Now, the royal breeders are actively studying the latent Fairy traits within Swablu and Altaria's genes.

"Swablu~ Swablu~"

"Altaria~ Altaria~"

Swablu and Altaria flew overhead in graceful, cloud-like formations, their presence both elegant and beautiful.

"Spritzee~ Spritzee~"

"Aromatisse~ Aromatisse~"

Just as Swablu and Altaria departed, a group of Spritzee and Aromatisse drifted over.

Kimia waved to the Spritzee and Aromatisse as they fluttered by, and several Aromatisse responded, flying closer.

Kimia extended her arms, and the Spritzee, familiar with her, perched on her shoulders and arms. It was clear they shared a close bond.

She smiled and said to Angie, "Whenever I'm exhausted from work, I come here for a walk and see these Pokémon. It instantly rejuvenates me, lifting my spirits and melting away my fatigue."

The Spritzee affectionately nuzzled Kimia with their wings.

"I get it! I totally understand!" Angie chuckled, thinking of how he always wanted to hug his Munchlax or Komala whenever he was tired.

Raising her arm, Kimia encouraged the Spritzee, who took flight, chirping as they ascended to the sky.

The group continued toward the mountain peak, when, all of a sudden, several Carbink appeared along the path, hiding in bushes and behind trees, curiously observing them.

"Could they be...watching Diancie?" Angie asked.

"It's very likely!" Kimia nodded, "Diancie is the legendary princess of the Diamond Domain and the leader of the Carbink."

"Come over!" Diancie waved to the Carbink, feeling nostalgic, as she herself was once a Carbink.

Sure enough, hearing Diancie's call, the Carbink gathered around, chatting excitedly with her.

Unfortunately, Diancie was the only one who could understand them.

Before long, Diancie rejoined the group, and the Carbink retreated back into the bushes and trees.

"What did they say to you?" Angie asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing much. They just came to pay their respects," Diancie replied.

"Oh-ho, looks like our Diancie is quite the celebrity!" Angie teased.

"Oh, hush," Diancie retorted, giving Angie a playful slap.

Soon, they reached the mountaintop, only to find it barren, with ice blocks scattered everywhere.