I Overpaid Before!

Angie then released the unconscious Darkrai.

Xerneas threw a Healing Pulse at it, and after a short while, Darkrai slowly woke up.

Looking at Angie and the Pokémon surrounding it, Darkrai immediately asked.

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

Where is my Komala?

Angie spoke up, reminding it, "It's not your Komala; you should be Komala's Darkrai. Have you forgotten our agreement before the battle?"

Hearing this, Darkrai's expression darkened.

Angie continued, "Don't think about backing out. You can try to leave my side and see if you can make it."

Darkrai immediately tried to sneak into the darkness.

Darkrai had the ability to blend into shadows and move freely within them.

However, after just a short while in the shadows, it was forced to resurface.

Just as Angie had said, it couldn't move far from Angie.

"How is it? Didn't I tell you?" Angie looked at it with a half-smile.

In the ancient times of the Pokémon world, some Poké Balls did indeed have the ability to restrain Pokémon. For example, the one that kept Loke bound in the old mansion for two hundred years.

But as the relationship between Pokémon and humans evolved, most modern Poké Balls had removed the ability to restrain Pokémon.

Except for Master Balls and some specially developed Poké Balls by those with ulterior motives.

Darkrai couldn't leave because it was bound by the Master Ball.

Realizing it couldn't escape, Darkrai tried to save face and said.

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

I am a Pokémon who keeps its promises. I didn't want to leave anyway!

It suddenly felt that staying with Angie wasn't so bad. As long as it was with Komala, that Komala would still be its!

Angie then spoke again, "Now, tell me, what's going on between you and Komala?"

Darkrai felt there was nothing to hide. It had raised Komala and trained it to become stronger, so what's wrong with taking a little reward from it?

However, after hearing Darkrai's explanation, Angie and the Pokémon were all outraged, struggling to imagine how much pain Komala had endured over the past hundred years, constantly being devoured by Dream Eater.

"No wonder... no wonder..." No wonder the system had to punish Darkrai.

Just like Cresselia, Darkrai had the ability to enter others' dreams. If it wanted to feast on dreams, it only had to sneak into others' dreams and devour their nightmares.

This way, not only could it find food, but it could also prevent others from being troubled by nightmares—two birds with one stone.

Many people suffer from nightmares every day, so Darkrai would never lack food!

But because it was picky, it deliberately used its ability to give Komala nightmares, then devoured them using Dream Eater.

This... was simply despicable!

It seems that punishment is indeed necessary; Darkrai must fully recognize its mistakes.

I'll need to think this over carefully.

"Let's head home," Angie said.

With that, he used the Master Ball to recall Darkrai.

"Munchlax~"

"Pawmot~"

Munchlax and Pawmot happily walked up to Angie, each taking one of his hands and skipping joyfully toward home.

Other Pokémon followed closely behind.

Little Mimi had been found, the longstanding grudge with Komala was resolved, and everyone was in a good mood.

Back at Nebel Plateau, Honchkrow led Murkrow, Little Mimi, and Little Pecky behind Yveltal as they flew back to the secret fortress.

Xerneas, Volcanion, and the others went on to handle their own tasks.

Angie handed Komala in his arms to Passimian, saying, "You all go play."

"Passimian~"

Passimian happily took Komala and went off to the brewery.

At this point, Bruno walked over and asked, "Did you find Murkrow?"

"Yes, it ran outside Nebel Plateau," Angie replied with a smile, not mentioning Darkrai's situation.

"Good, glad it's fine." Bruno sighed in relief.

Angie, knowing Bruno had been helping in the search, said gratefully, "Bruno, thank you."

Bruno slapped Angie's shoulder and laughed heartily, "What's there to thank for? We're friends, aren't we?"

Angie smiled, "Yes, we're friends."

Since Murkrow was fine, Bruno returned to his training, while Angie went to Munchlax's Home.

However, by the time he arrived, it was nearly 10 o'clock, so Inteleon didn't let him enter the kitchen.

Angie watched as Inteleon calmly worked in the kitchen, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

"Keep up the good work. I'm going out to buy some things. When I come back, we'll head home together."

"Inteleon~"

Inteleon gave Angie an 'OK' gesture.

"Alright, I'm heading out," Angie said as he left the kitchen.

What he needed to buy was Pomeg Berry, one of the ingredients for the "Honey Pomeg Tea" he had received last night.

The Pomeg Berry at home was almost gone, and if he didn't buy some more, they would run out soon.

As he passed through the hall, the guests were surprised to see Angie and immediately greeted him warmly.

"Ah, little boss, you're here? I thought something happened since breakfast wasn't made by you today."

Angie smiled and replied, "Nothing serious, just a small issue at home that needed immediate attention."

"That's good, as long as everything's fine."

"I'm a little disappointed we didn't get breakfast made by the little boss today," another guest said.

Angie smiled, "Well, come again tomorrow. I'll definitely be here. Also, isn't the breakfast made by Inteleon at my house good?"

"Hahaha~~ It's delicious, delicious, Inteleon's skills are top-notch," the guest laughed heartily in reply.

Angie said, "Then everyone should take good care of Inteleon."

"Definitely, definitely!" the guests responded, all smiling.

Just then, another guest asked, "Little boss, when will your place offer delivery services? Sometimes I really don't want to go out but want to have a bite of your breakfast. It's such a dilemma."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to say that," another guest agreed.

"Right, Munchlax's Home is great, but there's no delivery service."

"I'd really love to try eating breakfast and noodles from Munchlax's Home at home."

...

Once the customer mentioned the delivery service, many others started to agree with the idea.

Delivery... Angie fell into thought. This could indeed be a good option!

With a delivery service, the shop might not be as crowded every day.

As for the possibility of the shop's business becoming even more booming, Angie wasn't too concerned about that. The business was already doing well enough; if it got any better, he might not be able to keep up with the demand.

"I'll consider the idea of a delivery service," Angie told everyone.

Upon hearing this, the customers were delighted, and the conversation quickly shifted to discussing delivery services from all angles.

After chatting with the customers for a while, Angie went out.

Soon, Angie arrived at the Berry Tree Market.

The Berry Tree Market was a place in Azoth Kingdom's City where Berry tree vendors gathered to sell their produce.

Since his own fruits weren't yet ripe, Angie often came here to make purchases.

Seeing Angie, a vendor at one of the stalls, greeted him warmly.

"Ah, isn't this our Prince Angie? Do you come here to buy berry?"

"Yes, Sister Moria," Angie nodded at the vendor.

"My, my~~~ Our prince still knows how to charm people with his sweet words," Moria beamed with joy after hearing Angie address her as "Sister," "What berry do you want today? My Pinap Berry have been growing nicely, would you like some?"

Moria's family specialized in growing Pinap Berry.

Angie waved his hand. "The ones I bought from you last time aren't finished yet."

Moria was surprised. "Hasn't been finished yet after all this time?"

Angie sighed. "Our family doesn't consume Pinap Berry that much."

Moria suddenly understood, then waved for Angie to come over. "Your Highness, come here for a moment."

Confused, Angie walked over, and Moria stuffed a bag into his arms.

With a wink, Moria whispered into his ear, "Your Highness, take this home and try it."

When Angie opened the bag, he found it was filled with a type of berry called Pomeg Berry.

Moria leaned closer to Angie and whispered quietly, "We planted some Pomeg Berry trees earlier, and now they've finally borne fruit. I'm testing it out. Don't tell that guy, Otto, alright~"

Angie immediately understood, as Otto, who had a stall in the market, was the one who operated the Pomeg Berry business.

"I understand," Angie nodded. He didn't want to get involved in this "business war."

Moria smiled upon hearing this and asked, "Your Highness, what berryfruits would you like to buy?"

Angie replied, "Pomeg Berry."

"Pomeg Berry!" Moria paused for a moment, then added, "Then you should go to Mr. Eck's stall. Don't bother with Otto's place, that guy is too shrewd."

There were two stalls selling Pomeg Berry in the Berry Tree Market. One was run by the Eck family, who had been in business for decades, and the other by the Otto family, who had only been around for a few years.

Moria had grown up in the Berry Tree Market, so she knew everyone's situation very well.

Angie was surprised. "Is there something wrong with Otto's Pomeg Berry?"

He had always bought his Pomeg Berry from Otto's stall.

Moria explained, "It's not that something is wrong with them, but Otto's business strategies are more about advertisements and packaging than improving the fruit's quality. The Eck family has been growing fruits for decades, and their fruits are always top quality."

"However, because Otto is so good at pushing his competitors out, the Eck family's business hasn't been doing well recently. It's a real headache."

Angie suddenly understood. He had chosen Otto's stall after seeing the ads in the market, and had never paid attention to Eck's family.

He hadn't been in the fruit market for long, so he didn't know all the details.

Angie silently kept Moria's words in mind.

"By the way, Sister Moria, do you know where I can find Sweet Honey?" Angie asked.

Sweet Honey was another key ingredient for the Honey Pomeg Tea. While Angie's family already had three bees, it would be a bit much to ask them to produce Sweet Honey right away.

So, Angie decided to buy some first.

However, Sweet Honey, like Chansey Eggs, was a rare and high-quality ingredient that wasn't easy to find.

"Sweet Honey?" Moria gave Angie a surprised look. "That's hard to find, I'm not sure where to get it."

Angie's face fell in disappointment.

However, Moria continued, "When you buy the Pomeg Berry, you can ask Mr. Eck as well. He might know."

Angie: "Thanks for the reminder, Sister Moria."

Moria smiled and waved her hand. "No problem, I'm happy to help His Highness."

After chatting with Moria for a while, Angie walked towards Mr. Eck's stall.

Mr. Eck's stall was quite far from Moria's, and Angie had to walk all the way from the east side of the market to the far west.

Along the way, the stall owners all recognized Angie and greeted him warmly, many of them, like Moria, insisting on giving him some fruits to try.

By the time he reached Mr. Eck's stall, Angie was holding several bags.

As Moria had said, Mr. Eck's stall was indeed a bit quiet, with no customers around.

As the stall owner, Mr. Eck had no choice but to nap in his chair, his arms wrapped around a lazy Meowth.

Meowth's eyes were open, clearly keeping watch over the stall.

Mr. Eck was a man in his seventies, with graying hair, his scalp completely bald, giving him a shiny, polished look.

He was very thin and short, wearing a simple apron, and holding a fan in his hand.

"Boss!" Angie called out to Mr. Eck.

Hearing the voice, Mr. Eck lifted his eyelids and was surprised when he saw Angie.

"Prince Angie?" He clearly knew Angie.

"It's me," Angie said with a smile.

Mr. Eck hurriedly stood up, and the Meowth in his arms jumped lightly onto the stall, sitting by the fruit.

Meowth sat and tilted its head, curiously staring at Angie.

"What brings you here, Your Highness?" Mr. Eck asked.

Angie smiled and replied, "I came here, of course, to buy Pomeg Berry!"

Mr. Eck was somewhat surprised, as his business had been nearly overtaken by Otto's stall lately, and except for some old loyal customers, he hadn't seen any new ones.

"May I take a look at the fruits?" Angie asked again.

"Of course, of course, Your Highness, please!" Mr. Eck quickly gestured for him to go ahead.

Angie nodded and picked up a Pomeg Berry from the stall.

Compared to Otto's Pomeg Berry, Mr. Eck's looked less impressive, and they were also smaller.

But when Angie lightly sniffed the fruit, a rich fragrance of fruit instantly hit his nose.

This was something Otto's Pomeg Berry lacked.

He then asked Mr. Eck, "Can I try one?"

"Sure, sure, Your Highness, feel free to try." Mr. Eck seemed a little nervous being around a royal.

Angie nodded, wiped the skin of the fruit, and took a gentle bite.

In an instant, the rich fragrance and abundant juice flowed in his mouth. Not only that, but Angie could also sense that the energy contained within the fruit was far beyond what Otto's Pomeg Berry could offer.

At that moment, Angie finally realized that the Pomeg Berry he had bought earlier were a bad deal!

Just because something looks good doesn't mean it is.

Big fruits aren't necessarily of higher quality.

Having experienced the benefits of this Pomeg Berry, Angie said, "I'll take all the Pomeg Berry here!"

After all, he could store them in his system bag and use them later.

"All… all of them?" Mr. Eck opened his mouth in disbelief.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Angie asked.

"N-no problem." Mr. Eck quickly shook his head.

In fact, Angie was doing him a huge favor. If Angie hadn't bought all of the fruits, Mr. Eck would have had to take them all back.

"Your Highness, would you like me to deliver the fruits to your place?" Mr. Eck asked.

"No need, I'll have someone transport them," Angie shook his head.

His home wasn't in the royal city, so it was more convenient for him to transport them himself than to have Mr. Eck deliver them.

With that, Angie called Jeremy.

While waiting for Jeremy to arrive, Mr. Eck expressed his gratitude, thanking Angie for buying all his fruits.

Even Meowth mimicked Mr. Eck's movements and bowed to Angie.

Seeing how cute Meowth looked, Angie couldn't help but pet its head and said, "What are you thanking me for? The quality of your fruits is good, it's only natural that I buy more."

Hearing this, Mr. Eck felt a little moved. Besides a few old friends, it had been a long time since anyone had said such words to him.

In fact, his spouse had been urging him to change his orchard business model. Even if he didn't advertise like Otto, he should at least use some technological methods to make the fruits look better.

But Mr. Eck had always insisted that if he followed Otto's approach, the fruit quality would definitely be affected, which he couldn't accept.

However, the recent decline in business had made him start to doubt whether his methods were right.

Now, Angie's words were like a shot of adrenaline, reinforcing his belief that his approach was absolutely correct!

Angie then remembered he hadn't asked about the sweet honey, so he spoke up, "Boss, do you know where I can buy sweet honey?"

Mr. Eck asked, "Your Highness wants to buy sweet honey?"

"Yes!" Angie nodded.

Mr. Eck actually knew where to get sweet honey.

"My old friend Hadaly keeps a few Combee hives. She should have some sweet honey, but she's never sold it before. I don't know if she'd be willing to sell it to Your Highness."

Angie said, "Please give me Hadaly's address, I'll go ask her myself."

Mr. Eck nodded and tore a page from his ledger, writing down Hadaly's address for Angie.

"Thank you, Boss." Angie took the address and thanked Mr. Eck.

Mr. Eck said, "I hope Your Highness can get the sweet honey."

Angie smiled, "Thank you for your kind words."

During their chat, Jeremy finally arrived in a small delivery truck.

"Your Highness!" As soon as he got out of the truck, he waved at Angie with a big smile. When he got closer, he asked, "Are these the fruits you want me to transport?"

Angie nodded, "Yes, that's right."

Jeremy asked again, "Your Highness, do you really only need them delivered to Munchlax's Home? Should I take them all the way to Nebel Plateau?"

Angie shook his head, "No need, just deliver them to Munchlax's Home."

"Alright." Jeremy's expression showed a hint of disappointment, as there was no opportunity for him to show off his skills.