LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 184: Lively Barbecue Party: Munchlax's Aura
Very soon, Angie and the others finished preparing the ingredients, and Diancie called out from the door.
Meowstic, Espurr, Gardevoir, Gallade, and Ralts heard her and followed Diancie into the kitchen. Before long, they emerged carrying plates of freshly chopped ingredients.
There were vegetables and meat, and the table at the entrance was quickly filled to the brim.
Once Angie, Munchlax, and Inteleon—master and apprentices—came out, they immediately began grilling food for everyone. As time passed, plate after plate of grilled delicacies was distributed among the group.
The aroma of barbecue wafted through the plaza as everyone chatted, laughed, and enjoyed the food, creating a lively and heartwarming atmosphere.
For both Yveltal and Xerneas, it was their first time witnessing such a scene.
Watching everyone laugh and talk, they felt an unparalleled sense of peace and tranquility.
Is this what ordinary life is like?
They couldn't help but glance at Angie who is surrounded by the swirling smoke of the barbecue. The reason they could enjoy such a peaceful, lively life was all thanks to this man!
While savoring the delicious barbecue, Yveltal and Xerneas were also served the Tree of Beginning Tofu by Munchlax.
That was their staple food.
No matter how much other food they ate, without the Tree of Beginning Tofu, they wouldn't feel truly satisfied.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
The barbecue is especially tasty, isn't it?
The female Oinkologne, munching happily with juices dripping from her mouth, looked up at Xerneas and asked.
Xerneas nodded. "It is indeed delicious."
The male Oinkologne proudly said.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
That's because Angie's food is the best in the world!
"Munchlax~"
Exactly, exactly!
The female Oinkologne nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, over at Yveltal's side, the scene was equally lively. Honchkrow and the Murkrow flock diligently served Yveltal, bringing plate after plate of food for it to enjoy.
When Honchkrow saw Scrafty, Pancham, and Stunky ignoring Yveltal and feasting on their own, he angrily exclaimed.
"Honchkrow~ Honchkrow~"
As Yveltal's attendants, how can you eat first?
The trio froze mid-bite, with barbecue skewers still in their mouths, wearing bewildered expressions.
Attendants? Who?
Seeing their dumbfounded faces, Honchkrow was so furious he nearly stomped his feet. What useless fellows!
Unfazed, Scrafty and his companions continued eating, while Honchkrow and the Murkrow flock only ate after ensuring Yveltal was well-served.
Once Yveltal was full, a dark energy ring formed around it, and the Murkrow flock excitedly hopped and danced inside the circle.
Scrafty, Pancham, and Stunky were utterly stunned by the sight.
Tonight's barbecue banquet was to celebrate the evolutions of Armarouge, Ceruledge, Delcatty, and Azumarill, so they were naturally the stars of the evening.
Angie had reserved the best parts of the ingredients for them, ensuring they had a feast to remember.
Passimian even brought out his specially prepared fruit juices for everyone, as well as some liquor for Komala and Infernape.
In high spirits tonight, Angie joined Komala, Infernape, and Passimian for a few drinks.
Beer and barbecue make the perfect pairing, so they drank beer—low in alcohol and less likely to get them drunk.
Taking a large gulp of chilled beer, Angie exclaimed with satisfaction, "What a pity Mew went home. It would've loved this lively barbecue party."
Diancie smiled. "There will be more opportunities in the future."
Angie nodded knowingly and grinned. "True enough."
As everyone sang and danced, a sudden exclamation caught their attention.
Following the sound, they saw that the exclamation had come from Meowstic. The reason? The Espurr beside it was now glowing brightly.
"It's the light of evolution," Angie said.
Everyone held their breath and fixed their eyes on Espurr.
The feline Pokémon, wrapped in blue and white light, began to grow taller. Its frame became more slender, with its tail and ears extending longer and longer.
When the light faded, a new Pokémon appeared before them.
It was a bipedal feline Pokémon with mostly white fur. However, its legs, hands, the base of its tail, its neck, and the hair on top of its head were deep blue.
This was the appearance of a female Meowstic.
In contrast, the Meowstic from the Nebel Plateau was male.
The male Meowstic was also a bipedal feline Pokémon, but the majority of its fur was deep blue, with only its hands, feet, tail tip, neck, part of its ears, and the top of its head featuring white fur.
The coloration patterns between male and female Meowstic were completely reversed.
After its evolution, the female Meowstic appeared slightly dazed.
It raised its hands, looking at them from left to right. Only when everyone stepped forward to congratulate it did it realize it had evolved.
Its first action upon realizing was to leap into the male Meowstic's arms, expressing its gratitude and sharing its joy.
If the male Meowstic hadn't rescued it from the snowy wilderness back then, it would likely have frozen to death, let alone lived the dreamlike life it now enjoyed.
Looking at the female Meowstic, Angie raised his glass and said, "Looks like we've got one more thing to celebrate."
Diancie chuckled behind her hand. "Why do I feel like there's a double meaning in what you just said?"
Angie feigned innocence. "Did I?"
In any case, the barbecue party became even livelier due to the female Meowstic's evolution.
The festivities continued with eating, drinking, and merriment until after 10:00 p.m., when people began heading home.
Gengar and Poliwhirl returned around 8:00 p.m., just in time for the party's climax.
After the gathering, most of the Pokémon headed off to rest, while Angie took his apprentices to the training room for their sessions.
The first training session was culinary practice, followed by Aura training.
As always, Munchlax, Inteleon, Gengar, and Passimian had yet to awaken their Aura powers.
When Angie finished meditating, he opened his eyes to find the trio of apprentices, along with Passimian, frowning in frustration. His heart ached for them.
As he gazed at them, an idea suddenly struck him.
"That's it!"
Hearing Angie's exclamation, Munchlax and the others opened their eyes and looked at him with confusion.
Angie beamed and said excitedly, "I've been practicing external Aura manipulation using my Aura gloves. Why don't I let you all experience my Aura directly? Maybe it'll help awaken yours."
"Munchlax~!"
"Inteleon~!"
"Gengar~!"
"Passimian~!"
Munchlax, Inteleon, Gengar, and Passimian's faces lit up with excitement.
Munchlax and Inteleon, in particular, had been training in Aura techniques the longest but hadn't made any progress. It was hard not to feel disheartened.
"Let's do this one at a time," Angie said, motioning for the group to gather around.
Pawmot who is sitting nearby, tried to approach, but Angie shot it a glare.
"You've already awakened your Aura. Why are you coming over? Sit back and focus on your training."
"Pawmot~"
Pawmot slumped back, looking aggrieved.
Angie slipped on his Aura gloves and said, "We'll start with Munchlax."
"Munchlax~"
Munchlax obediently sat down in front of Angie.
Placing his hands on Munchlax's back, Angie focused, and his palms began to emit a radiant blue-and-white glow. Bit by bit, the Aura energy seeped into Munchlax's body.
"How is it, Munchlax? Did you feel my Aura?" Angie asked gently.
"Munchlax~Munchlax~"
Munchlax nodded excitedly.
It felt it—it really felt it!
So this is what Aura feels like!
The warmth of the Aura flowing from its master made it feel incredibly comforted.
Angie continued in a soothing tone, "Don't get too excited. Keep your emotions calm and focus on sensing the Aura carefully."
Munchlax nodded, took a deep breath, and worked on calming its emotions. It then concentrated on feeling the Aura as it coursed through its body.
Time passed, and Angie finally withdrew his hands from Munchlax's back. Munchlax kept its eyes closed, seemingly entering a state of deep focus.
Not wanting to disturb Munchlax, Angie lowered his voice and said to Inteleon, "It's your turn now."
Inteleon nodded eagerly and sat cross-legged in front of Angie.
Using the same method, Angie helped Inteleon sense the Aura. After some time, Inteleon appeared thoughtful but didn't seem to reach the fully immersed state that Munchlax had entered.
Patting Inteleon's shoulder, Angie said, "Take your time to process it. I'll help Gengar next."
One by one, Angie used the same method on Gengar and Passimian. However, their reactions were similar to Inteleon's—they sat cross-legged, visibly trying to grasp the sensation but not fully connecting with it.
As time ticked by, Munchlax remained completely still, while Inteleon, Gengar, and Passimian continued to frown in concentration.
An hour passed in the outside world, which meant ten hours in the training room. Angie and his team stayed later than usual today.
During this time, Volcanion came by out of concern to check on them, and Metagross, after finishing its lessons at the secret fortress, also dropped in. Seeing that everything was fine, Metagross returned to its room to work on its research.
Angie and Pawmot had long since finished their Aura training. Now, the two of them sat side by side on the floor, silently watching Munchlax, Inteleon, Gengar, and Passimian, who were still seated in a row.
Suddenly, Angie noticed something different about Munchlax.
Normally, any creature whose Aura hadn't awakened would have its Aura appear dim in Angie's perception, no matter how strong it was.
But now, Angie could sense Munchlax's Aura as if a flame had been ignited within it. That flame grew brighter and brighter until it outshone even Pawmot's Aura.
Moments later, Munchlax's eyes flew open. With a wide grin, it leaped into Angie's arms, full of joy.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Master, I awakened my Aura! I awakened my Aura!
It wrapped its arms around Angie's neck, nuzzling affectionately.
The difference in perception after awakening its Aura was so stark that Munchlax didn't even need Angie's confirmation to know it had succeeded.
"Good, good!" Angie patted Munchlax's back. "Our Munchlax is amazing. I'm so proud of you."
Hearing Angie's praise, Munchlax's happiness soared. It hugged Angie tighter and rubbed its head against him.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Master, now I can make foods with top-grade quality just like you!
Angie patted its head and said, "Then you must diligently train your Aura in the future. Strive to achieve perfect control over it as soon as possible."
The stronger the ability to control Aura, the higher the chances of creating top-grade cuisine.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax nodded enthusiastically, determined to train hard.
The others, including Inteleon, overheard the conversation between Munchlax and Angie and looked envious.
Their senior had awakened their Aura, while they still had no clue where to start.
Noticing their troubled expressions, Angie laughed and said: "What's with all these long faces? So what if you haven't awakened it yet? It's not like you'll never get the chance! If it doesn't work the first time, try a second time; if it doesn't work the second time, try a third time. Eventually, you'll succeed.
Besides, there's no rule saying chefs must awaken their Aura! There are so many people in the world without awakened Auras—does that mean they can't be chefs?"
Angie's comforting words brought smiles to the faces of Inteleon and the others.
"Alright, that's it for today. Go back and rest up. Without proper rest, you won't have the energy to work tomorrow," Angie said as he pulled Munchlax to its feet.
"Munchlax~"
"Inteleon~"
...
The Pokémon responded in agreement, and even Magearna, who was still practicing, stopped what it was doing.
After leaving the training room, Angie and the Pokémon went to their respective rooms to wash up.
Meanwhile, in the staff dormitory, Xerneas was sitting with the group, watching a soap opera.
The scene was one of those overly dramatic family dramas, with the heroine suffering endless torment. The living room was soon filled with sobbing.
Some of the younger Pokémon, like Buneary, Spritzee, Pachirisu, and Ralts, had tears streaming down their red eyes.
Only Greninja, Delphox, and Chesnaught found the show overly melodramatic and boring.
Just then, Xerneas remarked, "This thing called a TV show is quite fascinating."
Greninja, Delphox, and Chesnaught turned to Xerneas with disbelief.
Wait a minute—Xerneas, you, a Legendary Pokémon, actually enjoy this kind of thing?
At that moment, the divine image of Xerneas shattered into pieces in their minds.
Seeing that it was about time, Delphox stepped forward to turn off the TV and announced to everyone.
"Delphox~"
Alright, it's time to go to bed.
The group reluctantly dispersed to their respective rooms with heavy sighs.
Xerneas also took the elevator back to the first floor of the secret fortress. The bar was silent, clearly indicating that Yveltal was already asleep.
Yveltal typically slept until midnight, after which it would go out to explore the night skies with Murkrow and Honchkrow.
Xerneas walked to its usual spot on the sofa and, glancing at the sleeping Yveltal, softly said, "Goodnight, old friend!"
It then burrowed into its blankets and fell into a deep sleep.
Unbeknownst to Xerneas, after it fell asleep, Yveltal opened its eyes and softly replied.
"Yveltal~"
Goodnight, old friend.
Meanwhile, back in Angie's room, after enjoying a relaxing bath, he sprawled comfortably on his bed.
Before sleeping, he opened the system to claim his daily mission rewards.
There was also something else—if he hadn't misheard the system prompt earlier in the day, he had achieved something new.
Sure enough, as soon as he opened the task menu, the system immediately displayed a notification.
...
[ Congratulations, Master, on completing the achievement: The Second Legendary Pokémon Has Moved Into the Territory. ]
[ Reward: Master Ball ×2 ]
..
Upon seeing the reward, Angie couldn't help but feel utterly disappointed.
Why was the reward just two Master Balls?
Although the Master Ball is indeed rare and has the unique effect of ensuring a 100% capture rate for Pokémon, Angie would have preferred rewards such as individual value points, physical constitution points, or intelligence points.
At least those could make him or his Pokémon stronger.
Oh well, a Master Ball is still a Master Ball!
From what Angie knew, the Master Ball was originally developed by Silph Co.
However, because of its unique effect that guaranteed the capture of any Pokémon, it rendered the challenge of battling and capturing Pokémon meaningless and was considered detrimental to the progress of relationships between humans and Pokémon.
Ultimately, the Master Ball project was halted by the League, and even the manufacturing blueprints and related data were destroyed. As a result, the few Master Balls that had already been produced naturally became rare and irreplaceable items.
As a collectible, the Master Ball was indeed a valuable treasure.
After carefully storing the Master Ball, Angie proceeded to claim the rewards for his daily missions.
...
[ Daily Mission 1 Reward: Mega Pendant x1 ]
...
Huh?
Seeing this reward, he froze for a moment, surprised that a daily mission had actually dropped something useful.
However, when he took out the Mega Pendant, he was immediately disappointed.
The Mega Pendant was designed to embed a Key Stone, so Angie had assumed it would already have a Key Stone. But to his disappointment, it was just an empty pendant.
Sigh…
Oh well, he'd just give it to Diancie tomorrow and let it use the pendant to embed its Mega Stone, which had evolved from a diamond.
Since the Mega Pendant could accommodate a Key Stone, it should be fine to embed a Mega Stone instead, right?
After putting the Mega Pendant away, Angie continued to claim his second daily mission reward.
...
[ Daily Mission 2 Reward: A Super Rod (a fishing rod capable of easily catching Water-type Pokémon) ]
...
Ugh… He had obtained an item that was simultaneously useful and useless.
It was useful because avid anglers would undoubtedly appreciate such an amazing fishing rod.
It was useless because Angie wasn't an angler!
What a headache.
After storing the fishing rod, Angie went on to claim his final daily mission reward.
...
[ Daily Mission 3 Reward: A set of stickers ]
...
Alright, if the first two rewards were minor hits, this last reward was truly mundane.
These stickers were meant to be affixed to Poké Balls, creating special effects when releasing Pokémon. They were specifically designed for use in Pokémon Contests.
The stickers offered five types of effects: Cuteness, Coolness, Toughness, Beauty, and Cleverness.
The Cuteness effect included hearts and stars, the Coolness effect featured Burning and electric sparks, the Toughness effect had Stone and Leaf, the Cleverness effect included musical notes and bubbles, and the Beauty effect displayed flowers and confetti.
Angie's set contained all five types of effects, but the problem was that he wasn't a Coordinator!
After casually tossing the stickers into his backpack, Angie dived into bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.