It's been a day since Lucas returned from the Great Crater of Paldea.
Oranguru had already prepared a report on the farm's recent status.
The new fruit trees Lucas planned to introduce had arrived and been planted: the familiar trio of Oran, Pecha, and Sitrus Berries. Although common, their effects are versatile. The total number of trees had increased to fifty, enough to count as a small orchard.
Other matters were relatively minor. For example, the chicks in the coop, under Arboliva's loving care, had recovered from their stress and went back to pecking around cheerfully.
In the morning, after finishing most of the chores, Lucas, as usual, carried a milk bucket and milking tools, sat atop Raging Bolt, and lazily made his way over.
The farm's pasture, nourished by the Eldegoss's grassy terrain, was especially lush and nutritious—likely very high in value.
The two Skiddo, once small, were now starting to grow outwards.
Miltank, especially, had completely let loose, surpassing even Moltres in grass-digesting ability due to its herbivore traits. It had become Lucas's most voracious Pokémon.
This also meant Miltank had plenty of milk every day. If not milked on time, it would get engorged, so Lucas had to milk her regularly.
For the past few days, Oranguru had helped with this task, but starting today, Lucas decided to do it himself.
Thinking of this, Lucas looked down at the thick golden fur and the rope fastened to his mount, and the milk bucket swinging with each of Raging Bolt's steps. He hadn't expected Raging Bolt to help carry things.
If Professor Sada, Professor Toru, or Chairwoman Geeta knew Lucas could get a ferocious Paradox Pokémon to do chores, even they would be shocked.
As long as you communicate, Raging Bolt, aside from its typical Dragon-type pride, isn't violent at all, and is quite relaxed—almost lazy.
Just from Lucas's observations yesterday, Raging Bolt especially liked to lie by Thunder Lake, licking its fur in the sun, acting just like a giant feline.
It seemed to love the feeling of sunlight on its body. Perhaps this was linked to its ability, "Protosynthesis."
Lucas remembered that, except for Koraidon and Miraidon, all Paradox Pokémon had the same abilities: ancient ones had Protosynthesis, future ones had Quark Drive.
The former boosts the Pokémon's best stat by 30% in harsh sunlight or when holding Booster Energy; the latter boosts a stat by one stage on Electric Terrain or with Booster Energy.
According to Professor Sada's observations, Raging Bolt had innate special attack talent, as well as the Dragon-type's physical strength and power.
With such qualities, Raging Bolt could easily be a mainstay for an Elite Four trainer.
Because it was more intelligent than other Paradox Pokémon, most farm Pokémon saw Raging Bolt as just a big, new member—no one was afraid of it.
That probably had to do with the farm Pokémon not knowing the Paradox Pokémon from Area Zero were supposed to be scary, and with Raging Bolt's own efforts.
It adapted well to the outside world, even tolerating the Eldegoss and Nacli playing on its back, with an incredibly good temper.
Thinking of this, Lucas stroked the thick yet soft fur of Raging Bolt, murmuring, "If only the other Paradox Pokémon were like you, Professor Sada and Professor Toru's dreams would come true."
Raging Bolt twisted its long neck slightly, recalling the others in its memory. Compared to those violent ones, it really was an outlier.
On the contrary, the little guys on this farm... were quite cute.
Soon, Raging Bolt arrived near the ranch, where the Skiddo and Miltank eagerly gathered around.
Lucas unloaded the tools, first milked the two goats (who didn't produce much), then moved on to Miltank.
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze—
"How's the pressure? Comfortable?"
Lucas watched Miltank, who looked like she was enjoying herself, rhythmically milking her.
"Miltank~"
Under the bright sun, Miltank squinted in contentment at Lucas's question.
"Haha, guess that was a silly question," Lucas laughed, continuing to milk Miltank while the goats watched.
From their reactions, Lucas's milking skills were getting better and better.
Raging Bolt, having lost interest after initial curiosity, had tasted a cup of both Moomoo Milk and goat milk. It had never tasted anything so good.
Now, Raging Bolt was eyeing the lush grass. Lucas said the goats and Miltank ate it to produce milk. Raging Bolt had never eaten grass before—what did it taste like?
Curious, Raging Bolt took a bite—
Ptooey! Ptooey!
What was this sweet and earthy mix?
Just eating this produced such delicious milk?
Raging Bolt was left deeply confused.
After milking, it was lunchtime. Lucas filled the milk buckets, fixed them onto Raging Bolt, said goodbye to Miltank and the goats basking in the sun, and called the sulking Raging Bolt home.
After lunch, Lucas met with Arven, who had contacted him in advance.
Arven was in much better spirits. Upon arrival, he bowed 90 degrees, thanking Lucas: "Brother Lucas, thank you for saving my parents."
"It was nothing," Lucas smiled, ruffling Arven's hair. "As promised, you're fishing with me this afternoon."
Arven was frank this time and didn't protest about being patted on the head, nodding softly: "Okay."
This time, they weren't fishing in the farm creek. Not that Lucas was worried about Magikarps eating everything—that was just a silly rumor. He simply wanted to change the scenery.
Arven didn't care where they fished. Once Lucas finished packing his assorted gear, he was accompanied by Luxray, and called down a Corvisquire from the sky.
Arven noticed this Corvisquire had three claw marks on its chest feathers, likely from another bird Pokémon. Was it caught by Lucas?
He had seen several Corvisquire circling the farm and thought they were wild.
Noticing Arven's curiosity, Lucas explained, "This is Three-Scar, leader of a wild Corvisquire gang. The Corvisquires have a friendly pact with the farm, sending ten birds daily to patrol the skies."
"Plenty of flying Pokémon trying to sneak in for berries or crops are chased off—very reliable."
And the payment for each Corvisquire? Just a few berries a day—super cost-effective!
"Kraa!"
After drinking a can of Moomoo Milk, Three-Scar, sneaking a private job for extra food, flapped its wings, eagerly leading the way.
This time, they went to a river near the Corvisquire territory. Three-Scar said the aquatic resources and size far exceeded the usual creek.
Besides fishing, maybe they'd catch a rare Water-type Pokémon...
Lucas was excited.
Arven let out Mabosstiff, who followed behind like Luxray.
Halfway there, Arven suddenly said, "Brother Lucas, school starts again tomorrow."
Lucas paused. He recalled Geeta mentioning this after the Great Crater trip—oops, he'd forgotten.
Fortunately, Arven didn't notice Lucas's expression and continued, "I heard most teachers are being replaced, and nearly a tenth of the students dropped out. The director and some teachers resigned due to mistakes."
"I wonder what the new director and teachers will be like."
Arven sounded a bit uneasy. After a half-month break, all the familiar faces were changing.
Lucas thought this was normal. Recalling the game's competent staff, he said seriously, "I think they'll be great."
Arven pursed his lips.
Lucas added, "After all, Chairwoman Geeta personally interviewed and screened everyone. You just need to enjoy school life."
"Mm!"
With Lucas's reassurance, Arven's unease faded.
"Kraa!"
Three-Scar, having finished leading them, waved its wings and flew back to the dense forest—its clan's territory. Lucas didn't see any sign of resource shortage, but planned to check the forest himself someday.
But for now, it was time to enjoy a relaxing fishing trip—work started again tomorrow.
Lucas smiled at the shimmering lake in the sunlight—this really was a great spot.
He found a shady place, sat on the soft grass with Arven, while Luxray and Mabosstiff lounged beneath the trees.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the two Pokémon as if time slowed. Lucas savored the peace.
He prepared two rods. His own, a trusty old partner, seemed to be resonating with him lately—maybe someday it would develop a spirit of its own.
Arven's was a kid-sized rod, fine for ponds but a bit small for this lake.
Lucas was ready to haul in big fish, impressing Arven with his skills.
At least, that was the plan—
…
Two hours later, Lucas looked at the stagnant bobber, then at the few pitiful little fish in his bucket, then at Arven's rosy face as he reeled in another big one. Lucas fell silent.
Something's wrong. Wasn't his bond with his old rod supposed to be unbreakable?
Could this be the so-called newbie protection period, letting Arven reel in all the big fish?
Just as Lucas was doubting life, Arven poured salt on the wound.
"Brother Lucas, my bucket's full. Yours is still empty—can I use it?"
Lucas: !!!
Seeing Arven's innocent eyes, Lucas suppressed the urge to suspect him of trolling, drooped his head, and said weakly, "Go ahead..."
"Thanks~"
Arven put the bucket between them, loaded in his latest catch, and skillfully baited his hook again.
If he hadn't been so clueless at first, Lucas would have thought Arven was just faking inexperience.
Is this the hidden talent of a future chef? How enviable.
As Lucas wallowed in self-pity, the grass nearby suddenly rustled.
The intruder didn't bother to hide: a slightly chubby, pink figure crawled out and plopped down beside them.
Lucas & Arven: ?
"A... Slowpoke?"
This Pokémon was all pink, with curled ears and a cream-colored mouth. Its upper jaw showed two tiny teeth, and most notably, its big, round eye sockets and tiny pupils gave it a perpetually dazed look.
Its limbs were short, each paw tipped with a blunt claw—hardly threatening. Its long tail swayed, releasing a sweet aroma.
Arven sniffed the air. "Smells sweet..."
"Slow~"
Slowpoke was completely unfazed, calling in a drawn-out tone, as if Lucas and Arven were just fellow Slowpokes.
It dangled its tail in the water, seemingly fishing, but its expression never changed—always dazed.
Lucas: "..."
This really fit his stereotype of Slowpoke.
Arven couldn't help asking, "Brother Lucas, what's Slowpoke doing? Playing with its tail?"
Arven's question hit the mark. Lucas thought for a moment and said, "It's probably fishing. Don't be fooled by how it looks—Slowpoke is a master angler. The sweet scent you smell comes from its tail, and attracts prey or Pokémon to bite it."
"Some Slowpoke fish to evolve, but I'm not sure about this one."