Thanks to Dragonite's improved flying speed, they landed in an uninhabited forest outside Goldenrod City at dawn on the 27th.
After recalling Dragonite for a well-earned rest, Lucas kept Vulpix and Victini with him and followed a road toward the city gates.
Johto, like neighboring Kanto, had a mild climate. It felt like a childhood countryside—nature everywhere, life thriving toward the sun, the scent of grass and earth in the air.
A pure pastoral climate.
But Johto was more humid than Kanto.
Morning dew clung to leaves. The usually late-rising Vulpix and Victini found the sparkling droplets fascinating, scampering along the damp road.
"Kyuu!?"
Suddenly, Vulpix squeaked sharply.
Lucas startled, looked down—only to find Vulpix had gotten its nose too close to the dew. Sensitive to temperature, the little nose touched the chill droplet and it yelped.
Sighing, Lucas scooped it up, dabbed its nose with a wet wipe, then, not wasting the chance, wiped its faintly darkened, pale-blue little paws clean—and kept it from getting back down.
"Vivivi~~!!"
Victini burst into unrestrained laughter at its friend's misfortune.
An Ice-type Vulpix, iced by morning dew—how could that not be funny?
The white fox wouldn't have it. It wriggled in Lucas's arms, baring tiny teeth and tiny paws, ready to duel Victini.
Lucas, used to it, let them be—and glanced around, thoughtful.
Many Johto and Kanto cities were like small towns and villages. Maybe that's why, in the B&W anime, rookie trainer Trip mocked Kanto-born Ash as a country bumpkin.
But that didn't include Goldenrod City.
Goldenrod sat in western Johto—the largest and most prosperous metropolis. Johto's tech and economy clustered there.
It held the Magnet Train station—550+ km/h, running 24/7 between Goldenrod and Saffron, making the pair strategic sister cities.
If his schedule weren't so tight, Lucas would've tried the train and visited Saffron.
Given Ash's current journey had reached the Orange Islands, Sabrina likely no longer turned people into dolls on a whim.
He'd even researched it—ride the train to Saffron, then test for psychic talent at the Gym. Sabrina and her father took on psychic apprentices.
Watching Oranguru's effortless telekinesis made Lucas jealous.
Sadly, Mewtwo had nailed the coffin shut, bluntly stating Lucas had zero psychic potential.
Being a legendary Psychic-type, Mewtwo's word was good enough.
"Yeah, blame Mewtwo."
Face straight, Lucas dumped all the blame on Mewtwo. If not for it, he might've held onto that faint hope and gone to Saffron to try.
Vulpix & Victini: "…"
They didn't know what he was griping about, but they smelled a whiff of "scoundrel energy" off him.
By the time Lucas entered Goldenrod proper, it was morning rush hour.
Bikes zipped along main roads. Office workers in suits hurried with briefcases. Parents and grandparents led kids to school, faces kind and warm.
A child pointed at the Vulpix and Victini and asked excitedly what Pokémon they were. The young mother gently closed the child's pointing hand, shot Lucas an apologetic smile, and softly taught the child not to point at people or Pokémon.
Lucas raised an eyebrow—Johto folks really were wholesome. That was textbook parenting.
If the child had asked to meet them, Lucas—and the two fluffballs—would've gladly obliged.
Thanks to the adorable duo, heads turned constantly. Curious glances, appreciative looks—and, of course, a few malicious ones.
In the shadows, men in black uniforms with a red "R" on their chests lurked in alleys—Team Rocket—fixating on the rare, unidentifiable Vulpix and Victini.
Only when Lucas wound his way to a red-roofed building did those gazes subside a bit—though they left a few lookouts outside before withdrawing.
Noting fewer tails, Lucas arched a brow, hid his reaction, and walked straight into the building marked "Goldenrod Gym."
The bright lobby spread before him—one of Johto's eight Gyms; it had all the expected trappings.
A sweet voice called from the counter.
"Hello, are you here to challenge the Gym? Do you have an appointment?"
Seeing it was the receptionist, Lucas shook his head. "I'm not here to challenge. Can I book a tour of Leader Whitney's Miltank Ranch?"
"Ah, a ranch visitor? Leader Whitney is currently in a Gym battle. Would you like to wait in the lounge or watch the challenge?"
Maybe it was his imagination, but the receptionist seemed noticeably more enthusiastic upon hearing "ranch," her eyes practically sparkling.
To be fair, few Champions/Elites/Gym Leaders were full-time. Most had a "main job," with Gym Leader being the side gig.
Truly full-time Champions/Elites/Leaders were rare—Leon in Galar came to mind.
He'd planned to nap in the lounge—after all, he'd pushed Dragonite to cross half the planet to reach Johto on time.
But Vulpix and Victini clamored to watch, so Lucas followed the receptionist into the battle hall.
From a high platform, he looked down. The fight was at its peak—dust clouds and flashy effects everywhere.
On one side, the pink-haired, pink-eyed beauty was surely Whitney, Goldenrod's Gym Leader, commanding a Miltank.
At her word, Miltank used Defense Curl, then tucked in and started rolling at high speed, kicking up those clouds.
The challenger was a boy of about eleven or twelve—plain-looking, tank top and shorts.
His Pokémon was a long-bodied, dark-blue-furred Fire-type with flames on its head and back: Quilava.
Quilava is Cyndaquil's evolution, one of Johto's starters—alongside Grass-type Chikorita and Water-type Totodile.
Like Paldea's academy letting students pick Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly upon request, Johto also provided starters through labs and licensed breeders.
Starters weren't rare so much as well-rounded and suitable for newbies.
Not every place offered free starter choice—many towns instead matched local specialties (like Azalea's Bug-types—Caterpie, Wurmple, Venonat, etc.).
Since this boy had Quilava, he was probably from near New Bark Town, where Professor Elm could provide Johto starters.
Goldenrod was Johto's recommended third Gym—like Kabu in Galar anchoring the third slot. Beat Goldenrod, and the road eased up.
While Lucas's mind spun through details, the boy and Quilava took their final shot against the ever-faster, near-unstoppable Rollout—one hit would spell doom.
Eyes blazing, fist clenched, the boy recalled every step of their journey and shouted hoarsely, "Quilava, give it everything—Flamethrower!"
He believed in their bond!
"Quila~!"
Quilava snarled, heat surging into a pillar of fire that blasted the speeding Miltank.
Sparks flew. It looked like their "bond" had actually slowed Miltank a little.
"Kyuuu~" "Vini!"
Even Vulpix and Victini were swept up, cheering for the boy.
The field looked like a scene from "They Shouted About Friendship and Bonds and Charged"—but was it?
Though it felt oddly familiar, Lucas narrowed his eyes at Miltank and concluded—
"That Miltank's Ability is Thick Fat."
As his words fell, Miltank's speed abruptly climbed—as if that brief weakness had been an illusion.
Despair flashed in the boy's eyes as Miltank plowed through Flamethrower to smash into Quilava. A fully ramped Rollout erased its scant remaining HP—Even Blaze couldn't save it. Quilava fainted.
Miltank rolled to a stop without a scratch; the Flamethrower hadn't even singed a hair.
The boy learned the cruelty of reality.
In the games, Whitney's first Miltank typically had Scrappy, letting Normal/Fighting moves hit Ghosts.
But from appearance alone, Lucas could tell this one had Thick Fat rather than Scrappy or Sap Sipper.
He looked more closely at the pink-haired girl smiling as she patted Miltank's head. So… all pink hair is black inside?
With the challenge lost, the boy left, vowing to train and return.
The receptionist led Lucas to meet Whitney, fresh off her win.
She was brushing out Miltank's back, where rolling had tangled and dirtied the fur.
Seeing Lucas and his adorable companions—a Vulpix that reminded her of a friend's, though clearly different—Whitney's curiosity showed.
"Miss Tori, is he a challenger too?"
The receptionist—Tori—shook her head. "Nope, Whitney. He's here to tour the ranch."
"Oh~?"
Whitney's eyes lit up.
She liked battling, but Leader pay wasn't great. To fund the training of her many Pokémon, she had to diversify income.
Fortunately, her Miltank ranch was among the largest in Goldenrod. Still, more visitors and more sales were always better.
In her eyes, Lucas, a good-looking peer with two cute Pokémon, transformed into a walking golden goose.
Not that she planned to gouge him—she stood by the top-tier quality of her Moomoo Milk and dairy products in Goldenrod.
Whitney beamed. "Would you like to subscribe to Moomoo Milk, or buy 100% Moomoo-milk cheese or ice cream?"
"If you prepay for a year, we'll toss in an extra half-month of milk!"
"Oh, and your Pokémon are adorable! Did your girlfriend ask you to bring them?"
Her rapid-fire pitch startled Lucas.
Victini and Vulpix were thrilled—who doesn't like being called cute or handsome?
She was one tug away from dragging him straight to the ranch.
Lucas edged back a step. "Uh—the Pokémon are mine. And rather than dairy, I wanted to ask if your ranch sells Miltank?"
"I'm Lucas, from Paldea. I run a farm."
Whitney was about to refuse—she wouldn't just sell precious Miltank to anyone. Selling byproducts was one thing; she wasn't money-mad.
But at "Paldea," she paused, gave him a long look—then gasped, "Are you the one who resolved the Orange Islands crisis—who, with the Ice Elite Lorelei's support, single-handedly calmed the rampaging Fire, Thunder, and Ice titans and averted a world-ending disaster—the trainer of the three Legendary Birds!?"
Lucas was silent for a beat, then nodded. "…That's probably me."
He hadn't expected his name to be this clear in Johto. The Orange Islands incident hadn't exactly gone public.
Still, this made negotiations easier. A Normal specialist whose ace was Miltank, running a Miltank ranch—about as reliable as it gets.
He'd also heard Whitney often trained Rollout with her herd, making their milk richer and sweeter. If he could bring in a few of Whitney's Miltank, they could set the pace—and maybe inspire his own layabout Miltank to exercise.
"It really is you!"
Whitney's eyes sparkled. A trainer stronger than Elites, practically Champion-tier!
She stifled the urge to ask for an autograph, but her hands twisted behind her back in conflict.
Her refusal swerved. "But… we usually don't sell Miltank. I worry buyers won't care for them properly. And… you're not a member of the Goldenrod Miltank Association, are you?"
There it was!
Lucas's eyes lit up. Not a flat no—so there was room to talk.
As for the association, Lucas recalled Hanzawa from Azalea mentioning he was a member.
"I'm already raising a Miltank," Lucas replied quickly. "It was entrusted to me by one of your Association members!"
He pulled out a Poké Ball—and released a Miltank that, at first glance, looked like it might also have Thick Fat.