Then—
Lucas handed his prepared hand-drawn map to the Boss.
The Boss took a glance, then looked at Lucas in shock.
"Even though it's not the first time, I still can't figure out how you make such detailed maps—even marking the traps and how to trigger them."
"This isn't scientific!"
In truth, the Boss had already excavated an underground tomb under Lucas's guidance once.
He'd been skeptical about trusting his life to Lucas's maps, cautiously exploring step by step.
But every path, trap, and possible guardian Pokémon matched perfectly!
After that, he stopped thinking for himself and just followed the optimal route, successfully bringing back 30 Paldean ancient coins with barely a fight!
Were it not for Lucas saying there would be unavoidable battles this time, he'd have gone ahead solo.
Facing the Boss's outburst, Lucas only smiled, "It's perfectly scientific. Let's not be superstitious."
"It's just a trade secret—not something I can share."
The Boss was no fool and didn't believe Lucas's nonsense, but he didn't press for the truth.
He was just an employee—why care so much? As long as Lucas provided reliable maps and didn't make him mess up ancient tombs and get struck by lightning, it was all good!
The Boss studied the map, trying to memorize it so he wouldn't be lost if he dropped it.
A while later—
Feeling prepared, he grabbed the eager Ash and called to Lucas, "We're heading in!"
Lucas nodded and waved. "Come back early—I'll watch the camp."
"And Ash, don't rush in—listen to the Boss!"
He heard their responses and watched them go, not worried at all.
With the system-provided map—detailed down to every trip hazard—he knew exactly how dangerous the cave was.
He also sent Mimikyu to accompany them, just in case they encountered something truly life-threatening.
As always, while growth was important, Lucas would take responsibility for their safety.
All they needed to do was work for his lazy self.
A true win-win—no, triple win!
"Ding ding~"
Suddenly, Gimmighoul chirped atop Lucas's head.
He picked it up and set it in his palm, amused by its anxious expression. "No rush—even at their fastest, they won't be out until tomorrow morning."
"We'll spend this time nearby, training on wild Pokémon."
"Your stash of 76 Paldean coins is about to grow."
…
Meanwhile—
In Paldea, near Zapapico Town.
In a "wild" mine not yet developed by humans—
Calyrex and its steeds strolled through the pitch-dark tunnels, using psychic power to probe for mineral veins.
In recent days, Calyrex had explored nearly all the mines near Zapapico. Many had good reserves, but most were already claimed.
Since leaving Galar and coming to Paldea with Lucas, Calyrex remained open to new things—even learning to use a "tablet" from Oranguru.
It didn't mind if those veins were mined by others—it could just buy the materials. And as for the ones it found, humans wouldn't reach them for a hundred years.
Though still far from meeting its material needs, it was a big improvement.
Now, it was up to Lucas's progress with the craftsman and finding the "one-eyed giant."
Calyrex planned to finish checking this last mine, then enjoy the Paldean scenery with its steeds on the way back to the farm.
Half an hour later—
Just shy of the deepest part of the mine, where further progress would require digging.
Calyrex was about to turn back when—
"Hm?"
It sensed something and gave a soft exclamation.
The wary Glastrier and Spectrier looked over, snorting.
Had the King discovered something new?
Though Calyrex had retired as the "King of Galar," the legendary steeds still called it "King."
It wasn't about status—they simply saw it as their King.
Calyrex could only accept with a wry smile.
Noticing their curiosity, Calyrex smiled and raised a hand. "Found something interesting."
With a brilliant blue flash, space twisted before Calyrex. Suddenly, a set of battered, mud-stained armor floated out of thin air—retrieved from a hundred meters underground via psychic power.
A kind of "teleportation" technique—easy for Calyrex.
The armor looked golden, with red markings, but was rusted and ancient.
"There seem to be some lingering psychic waves on this armor."
As Galar's former King, Calyrex knew about armor and such, though this type was a first—rather odd, and if anything, reminiscent of Ceruledge's armor, but with a totally different vibe and residual energy.
Very interesting.
"Wasn't this called… a 'souvenir' or something?"
"I'll bring it back for my friend—he might be interested."
Decision made, Calyrex called its steeds and headed for the exit, the armor floating behind like a ghost.
Zapapico wasn't close to Los Platos—a day or two's journey, at least.
….
Back at the ruins—
"Blizzard is almost mastered, but Dazzling Gleam needs more work. I'll look up some training materials."
"You two did great—you're developing good synergy in double battles."
Lucas praised his Ninetales and Abomasnow, who sat obediently before him.
His "hail team" was starting to take shape.
With both Abomasnow and Ninetales, their double hail could outpace a single weather setter, and the Aurora Veil plus Blizzard combo was simple yet devastating—anyone could use it to reach Master Rank.
Ninetales, perhaps a bit bashful, nodded shyly, its voice a little reserved.
No longer a whiny cub, it now acted like a cool beauty.
Lucas felt a twinge—his little darling had grown up.
Abomasnow was simpler—hugging Lucas's leg and offering him berries from its body.
Ultimately, Gimmighoul ate the berries.
The little guy had been working hard, especially after Lucas speculated on the rarity of Gholdengo.
He'd said that perhaps, aside from the difficulty in gathering coins, there were other factors at play.
After all, Gholdengo's evolution method wasn't a secret, and many people were rich enough to buy the coins.
Yet Gholdengo remained extremely rare—almost an urban legend.
Why?
Lucas guessed it might be about Gimmighoul's strength.
Maybe only those strong enough, in good condition, could evolve—just like how some Pokémon needed special criteria to evolve.
Hearing this, Gimmighoul got anxious, skipping naps and sweets, insisting Lucas help it train.
Lucas had never seen a Pokémon so eager, so he obliged.
The price was Gimmighoul clinging to Lucas's head, exhausted to the point it barely had energy to eat berries.
…
As night fell, Lucas stopped training and prepared dinner for Dragonite, Ninetales, Abomasnow, and Gimmighoul using the Boss's camp.
The Boss and Ash were probably gnawing on rations in the tiny ruins. At least Lucas had stashed snacks for Mimikyu in its doll—it wouldn't go hungry.
The next morning, around 10 a.m.—
A dusty Boss, Ash, and Pikachu crawled out of the cave.
Seeing their state, Lucas was again glad he'd let someone else do this work.
He went to greet them, asking curiously, "How'd it go?"
The Boss rubbed his nose and grinned, opening his bag. "Mission accomplished—we found 23 Paldean coins in the ruins!"
Lucas raised an eyebrow—he wasn't surprised. The system told him exactly how many coins were there. If he weren't so lazy, he wouldn't have hired the Boss at all.
"That's a tenth of the set—happy now?"
He took the bag and immediately tossed the excited Gimmighoul inside.
With 99 coins now, maybe he'd finish the set by year's end!
He told the Boss, "I'll wire your payment later."
The Boss laughed, "You're so generous, boss!"
Lucas turned to Ash and Pikachu, teasing, "Was it fun?"
Ash and Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, "Totodile and Phanpy both evolved—now they're Croconaw and Donphan!"
"Brother Lucas, you should've seen it in there—"
Lucas was then subjected to Ash's rambling story, filled with sound effects and excitement, that he barely understood.
When Ash finally quieted down, Lucas handed him clean clothes and told him to wash up at the nearby creek, then turned to the Boss, who was packing up, and said with a smile, "I'll call you when there's a new target."
After all, he needed to be on-site for the system's hints, and drawing up a detailed map also took time.
Ash quickly washed up, said goodbye to the Boss, and Lucas summoned Dragonite to fly them back to Los Platos.
…
An hour later, Dragonite landed at the farm.
Ash happily rushed off to show his new Donphan and Croconaw to his friends.
Lucas, however, was stopped by the rarely-seen Regice and led to the ice cellar.
Of course, Regice wasn't trying to turn him into a human popsicle.
Rather—
The Alolan Sandslash couple's egg was about to hatch.
Honestly, Lucas didn't know much about delivering Ice-type Pokémon. Regice wanted him to mediate between the experienced Abomasnow couple and the nervous Sandslash couple, who hadn't bonded with the Abomasnow duo yet.
It was a wild Pokémon habit—Lucas couldn't force a change. So he followed Regice to the ice cellar.
Once he arrived, both couples visibly relaxed.
They all trusted Lucas—he'd given them a life they could never have imagined.
With Lucas's help, the atmosphere eased.
Following the Abomasnow couple's advice, the Sandslash pair adjusted their environment to make it safe and cozy for the soon-to-hatch egg.
Around 3 p.m., the egg's glow reached its peak, and a new life came into the world.
Above, many Pokémon on the farm seemed to sense it, all turning toward the ice cellar.
As the newborn Sandshrew was about to cry out for the first time, the Pokémon present, overcome with excitement, all barked out in joy.
These cheers completely covered Sandshrew's first cry.
Which left Lucas—who had been recording audio and video—dumbfounded.
Wait.
What did Sandshrew say!?
…
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