Different Reasons

"Nurse Joy, please help!" Angie shouted anxiously upon entering the Pokémon Center.

Nurse Joy had been writing at her desk when Angie's sudden outburst startled her.

However, upon seeing the unconscious Bunnelby and the listless Pancham, her expression immediately turned serious.

The nearby Chansey quickly pushed over a cart.

"Nurse Joy, please check what's wrong with my Pancham and Bunnelby! They have high fevers, and Bunnelby has already passed out."

While placing the two Pokémon onto the cart, Angie anxiously explained their conditions to Nurse Joy.

Since it was Pancham's first time at the Pokémon Center, it looked a little scared while sitting on the cart. It stretched out its arms, wanting Angie to take it back.

Angie quickly hugged it and patted its back, saying, "Be good, let's see the doctor first. You'll feel better after the check-up."

"Pancham~"

Pancham gently nodded, seeming comforted.

Nurse Joy said, "I understand the situation. Your Highness, please wait outside while I examine Pancham and Bunnelby."

Angie nodded. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

Watching Nurse Joy and Chansey take Pancham and Bunnelby to the treatment room, Angie found a seat and waited anxiously.

At this moment, Staraptor approached him and gently nuzzled Angie's cheek with its head.

"Staraptor~ Staraptor~"

Don't worry, with Nurse Joy here, everything will be fine.

Having experienced Gardevoir's difficult childbirth before, Staraptor had great confidence in Nurse Joy.

"Yeah, I know." Angie patted Staraptor's neck.

About an hour later, Nurse Joy and Chansey came out of the treatment room. Angie immediately stepped forward and asked, "Nurse Joy, how are they? Are Bunnelby and Pancham okay?"

Nurse Joy smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. Both Bunnelby and Pancham are fine."

Hearing this, Angie and Staraptor breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he asked in confusion, "Why did Pancham and Bunnelby suddenly develop such high fevers?"

Nurse Joy explained, "Both Pokémon have reached the stage where they can evolve, but for some reason, they've been resisting it, which causing their bodies to have stress reactions."

Evolution is a natural instinct for Pokémon. Unless specific evolution conditions are required, most Pokémon that resist evolution will experience physical disorders such as fevers and fainting.

After hearing Nurse Joy's explanation, Angie suddenly understood.

"Your Highness can ask them why they don't want to evolve and address their concerns. If they really don't want to evolve, you can give them an Everstone.

Everstone can suppress a Pokémon's evolutionary factor and preventing their bodies from experiencing such issues," Nurse Joy suggested.

In this situation, Nurse Joy would never force Pokémon to evolve. Evolution is their own choice.

Evolution isn't everything for a Pokémon, especially for Pancham and Bunnelby who are not battle Pokémon.

Even battle Pokémon don't necessarily pursue their final evolution forms. For example, Chansey and Porygon2 can achieve great success without evolving by using Eviolite.

"I understand." Angie nodded.

Nurse Joy added, "After taking medication, their conditions have stabilized, and they can leave anytime.

However, please let them evolve or equip them with Everstone as soon as possible to prevent further stress reactions. These reactions will only get stronger each time, which isn't good for them."

"I understand. Thank you, Nurse Joy." Angie expressed his gratitude once more.

Nurse Joy smiled and left with Chansey.

Once Nurse Joy left, Angie took Staraptor into the treatment room.

When Bunnelby and Pancham saw Angie enter the room, they happily jumped off the bed and rushed into his arms.

Catching them, Angie pretended to be angry and said, "Feeling energetic now? What was with that listless look earlier?"

The two Pokémon knew Angie wasn't really angry, but his words still made them bury their heads into his chest in embarrassment.

Angie continued, "If you two don't want to evolve, you could've just told me. I could've bought you Everstone. Why did you have to endure it secretly and make yourselves sick?

"Am I really that untrustworthy?"

The two Pokémon lowered their heads even further in shame.

"Do you realize your mistake now?" Angie asked sternly.

"Pancham~"

Yes.

"Bunnelby~"

Yes.

The two Pokémon nodded quickly and responded in voices as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"That's good." Angie's expression softened. "Now, can you tell me why you don't want to evolve? What's so bad about it?"

Angie had always believed that evolution was a natural process in a Pokémon's life cycle and supported every Pokémon's evolution.

Seeing the two Pokémon still looking down, Angie pointed at Pancham and said, "You first. You're usually the most confident."

Pancham hesitated but eventually revealed the reason behind its reluctance to evolve.

It turned out that Pancham's parents were both native to the Nebel Plateau. Its mother was a Pangoro, while its father was an Ursaring.

After Pancham was born, the three of them enjoyed a happy life together.

Pancham had thought this peaceful and harmonious time would last forever. However, one day, its father, Ursaring, suddenly announced his desire to venture out into the world.

Pancham and Pangoro didn't understand where this idea came from, but Ursaring was determined, and no one could dissuade him.

On the day of his departure, Pangoro made a sudden decision—she would follow her husband on his journey.

Pancham was shocked. If both of them left, what would happen to it?

It begged to go with them, but both Ursaring and Pangoro refused.

The outside world was full of unknown dangers, and Pancham was still too young to take such risks.

They believed that staying in the Nebel Plateau, where the others could take care of it, would ensure Pancham grew up safe and healthy.

However, in young Pancham's eyes, its parents had abandoned it heartlessly and irresponsibly.

Since then, Pancham had planted a seed in its heart—it didn't want to evolve into a Pangoro like its mother.

After hearing this, Angie sighed. Indeed, those were irresponsible parents.

He thought for a moment and said, "Your mom is your mom, and you are you. How can you be the same? Every Pangoro is different!

"For example, remember that Pangoro we met in the western mountains? It responsibly raised a group of Pancham, even though none of them were its own children."

"Pancham~ Pancham~~"

However, Pancham still shook its head firmly. It didn't want to evolve and felt that it was fine just the way it was now.

Angie sighed helplessly. "Alright, once we're out of the Pokémon Center, I'll take you to buy an Everstone. When you decide you want to evolve, you can remove it anytime."

With that, he turned to Bunnelby. "What about you?"

Bunnelby lowered its head even more and remained silent.

At this moment, Angie noticed Staraptor pecking at him gently. He looked at it curiously.

"Staraptor~ Staraptor~"

Staraptor hopped out of the treatment room and motioned for Angie to follow.

Angie, puzzled, put Pancham and Bunnelby back on the bed and followed Staraptor outside.

After Angie left, Pancham sighed, gently patted Bunnelby on the shoulder, and hugged it.

Outside the treatment room, Angie asked, "What's the matter, Staraptor?"

"Staraptor~ Staraptor~"

Staraptor then explained Bunnelby's reluctance to evolve.

It turned out that Bunnelby wasn't originally from the Nebel Plateau.

A long time ago, it had lived with its clan in the northern mountains.

However, compared to the other Bunnelby in the group, Angie's Bunnelby was the smallest and weakest.

Back then, the clan leader particularly disliked it, thinking it was slow and constantly holding the group back.

Due to the leader's neglect and indulgence, the Bunnelby of the same age in the group treated it as a little lackey, bossing it around every day as they pleased. They would order it to massage their backs or help them find food.

Sometimes, they even went too far by snatching away food that rightfully belonged to Bunnelby.

Bunnelby had never seen its parents since birth and had no other kin to protect it, so it continued to be bullied without resistance.

As time passed, all the other Bunnelby of its age evolved into Diggersby, except for it.

How could it evolve when it could barely get enough to eat every day?

This made the bullying even worse, as they often forced Bunnelby to practice battles with them.

But how could Bunnelby be their match? The so-called battle practice was nothing more than one-sided abuse.

As a result, Bunnelby was often covered in wounds.

Over time, Bunnelby developed a deep resentment toward its evolved form, Diggersby.

Later, it was a family of Victreebel passing by who saw Bunnelby being bullied and stepped in to help, finally rescuing it.

After that, with the persuasion of the Victreebel family, Bunnelby left its group and moved to the Nebel Plateau with them.

Many Pokémon on the plateau knew about Bunnelby's past, so they took great care of it.

Having been nurtured on the Nebel Plateau for a long time, Bunnelby gradually grew stronger.

In truth, the reason Bunnelby was originally so thin and small was because it had too little food in its group. Otherwise, how could it have grown so strong after arriving at the Nebel Plateau?

Hearing Bunnelby's story, Angie couldn't help but feel heartache, letting out a deep sigh.

It seemed that everyone on the Nebel Plateau had their own past.

After understanding the situation, Angie pushed open the door and re-entered the treatment room. He picked up Bunnelby again and gently patted it, saying:

"If you don't evolve, then you don't evolve. Even without evolving, we can still live a wonderful life."

"Bunnelby~"

Bunnelby nodded, its eyes slightly welling up with tears as it silently clutched Angie's shirt.

"Alright, let's go and buy you an Everstone," Angie said in a cheerful tone, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

"Pancham~"

Pancham lightly jumped down from the bed, opened the treatment room door, and walked ahead.

Angie laughed, "Do you know where to buy an Everstone? You're running so fast."

"Pancham~ Pancham~"

Pancham turned back and gave Angie a goofy grin.

After paying the treatment fee, Angie left the Pokémon Center with Bunnelby, Pancham, and Staraptor.

Once Pancham regained its energy, it became lively again, hopping along while holding Bunnelby's hand.

Bunnelby, who had been feeling a little down, was influenced by Pancham's energy and gradually smiled again.

Angie took them to the Pokémon store where he previously bought evolutionary stones for Bellossom and Vileplume, easily finding the section selling Everstone.

Everstone were the cheapest of all held items, costing less than ten thousand Pokédollars each, so Angie bought five or six at once to prepare for anyone else who might not want to evolve in the future.

While taking the Everstone to the cashier, Angie passed by the evolution stone section and spotted a Dusk Stone.

Normally, Dusk Stones were deep purple, but when they were so dark they appeared almost black, it indicated exceptionally high quality.

Sure enough, the price of that Dusk Stone was an astonishing 150,000 Pokédollars—half more expensive than a regular one.

Thinking about how Lampent needed a Dusk Stone to evolve into Chandelure, Angie decided to buy it.

After all, money wasn't an issue for him. When it came to evolutionary stones, which could affect a Pokémon's entire life, it was better to use high-quality ones.

Although there wasn't any concrete research showing that higher-quality evolutionary stones provided benefits, using better items surely wouldn't hurt.

Once they left the Pokémon store, Angie placed two Everstone pendants around Bunnelby and Pancham's necks.

The Everstone in the store were polished and came with various chain options, offering different styles and lengths to choose from.

With the pendants on, the two Pokémon curiously played with their Everstone.

Angie smiled and asked, "How is it? Do you like them?"

Everstone pendants could serve as both held items and decorative accessories.

"Pancham~"

Pancham grinned and nodded, clearly pleased with itself.

"Bunnelby~"

Bunnelby also looked delighted.

"Alright, then let's head home," Angie said.

Angie returned home with a few Pokémon in tow.

As soon as he arrived, he was met with the worried face of Diancie. Despite seeing the lively Bunnelby and Pancham bouncing around, she still asked anxiously, "Are Pancham and Bunnelby really okay? Why did they suddenly fall ill?"

Angie then explained to her how those two had deliberately made themselves sick just to avoid evolving.

After hearing the whole story, Diancie sighed helplessly and said, "You two, please don't do something like this again. If there's ever a problem, just come to me or Angie, okay?"

"Pancham~"

"Bunnelby~"

The two Pokémon nodded obediently.

For some reason, even though Diancie was very gentle, Pancham and Bunnelby always felt an invisible pressure from her, making them far less relaxed compared to when they were around Angie.

"Alright, go and play," Diancie said with a smile.

"Pancham~"

"Bunnelby~"

With a cheer, the two Pokémon dashed off excitedly.

Once outside, Pancham immediately started showing off the Everstone that Angie had bought for it. Although the others didn't quite understand why an Everstone was worth showing off, they still cheered and praised it enthusiastically.

Pancham basked in the compliments, feeling immensely proud.

During dinner, having learned his lesson, Angie took the opportunity to explain today's incident to everyone. He made it clear that if any of them didn't want to evolve, they should feel free to tell him. He would respect their wishes.

Ultimately, the Pokémon who didn't want to evolve were a minority. Apart from Pancham and Bunnelby, no other Pokémon came forward to express a desire to stay the same.

After dinner, as everyone was about to leave, Angie called out to Lampent.

Lampent floated over to him, looking at Angie curiously.

"Look at this," Angie said, taking out a Dusk Stone and showing it to Lampent.

"Lampent~ Lampent~"

Upon seeing the Dusk Stone, Lampent let out a joyful cry and began circling excitedly around Angie's hand.

Angie handed the Dusk Stone to Lampent and said, "Go ahead, take it."

Happily, Lampent reached out and took the Dusk Stone. The moment it touched the stone, a bright evolutionary glow radiated from it.

The light spread from Lampent's hand, enveloping its entire body. Within the glow, Lampent's form began to change rapidly.

Soon, the light faded, revealing a brand-new Pokémon standing before Angie.

This Pokémon had a chandelier-like appearance, with a white body adorned with black stripes, a pair of golden eyes that could captivate anyone, and four arm-like extensions resembling lamp fixtures, each burning with blue-violet flames. A similar flame flickered atop its head.

It was now a Chandelure, the Ghost-type and Fire-type Luring Pokémon.

"Chandelure~ Chandelure~"

Overjoyed with its evolution, Chandelure spun around Angie's head, releasing bursts of blue-violet flames from its arms and head, celebrating like fireworks to express its happiness.

"Congratulations, Chandelure! You've finally reached your final evolutionary form."

"Chandelure~ Chandelure~"

Chandelure continuously expressed its gratitude to Angie, knowing how much effort and money an evolution stone cost.

Angie chuckled and said, "No need to be so formal with me! Now, go and share the good news with your friends!"

"Chandelure~ Chandelure~"

Chandelure nodded enthusiastically and happily floated away.

Later that morning, just as Angie was getting off work from the Mucnhlax Home, his phone suddenly rang.

Taking it out, he saw that it was Astrid calling.

Once he answered, Astrid's voice came through the line.

"Mr. Angie, do you remember our previous agreement?"

Angie replied, "Of course."

Astrid hesitated and said apologetically, "I got caught up with something earlier and couldn't make it. I was wondering if you'd still be willing to fulfill our agreement?"