Armarouge lowered its head to examine its hands, and two pieces of golden armor hovering at its sides like armguards.
Somehow, by instinct, Armarouge just knew these armguards could fit together.
It tried, and sure enough, under mental energy that surged thanks to its evolution and a more active brain, the two armguards snapped seamlessly together—becoming a cannon!
A brilliant red glow lit the tip. Intense flames surged, coalescing into a ball so hot, even the air around it wavered.
Within the fireball, you could just make out an odd blue light—a manifestation of psychic power called "Psycho Boost."
Almost without thinking, Armarouge noticed what it had done. Panicked, it quickly shifted the cannon away from Ash and Lucas, trying to "recall" its move.
Before it could abort, Ceruledge—whose eyes shone with a faint look of nostalgia—raised its sword, indicating that Armarouge should go ahead and attack it.
"Hissss...Lohhh!"
Ceruledge had seen Armarouge's moves before; it wasn't just curiosity. It wanted Armarouge to get familiar with its new body as fast as possible—right after evolution was best.
Respectful and admiring, Armarouge didn't doubt Ceruledge, nor worry about accidentally hurting it. Facing Ceruledge, it launched the charged attack.
With a sharp boom, the fireball rocketed out, searing the air as it streaked toward Ceruledge.
But Ceruledge, with the "Flash Fire" ability and a large edge in battle experience, could easily take this, especially since this wasn't Armarouge's signature "Armor Cannon," but a non-signature "Mystical Fire" launched in cannon form.
Nonetheless, Ceruledge chose to face it head-on.
A faint hum filled the air, then the sharp whine of a blade slicing the wind—a trail of violet flames streaked, leaving behind a vivid arc as it sliced Mystical Fire clean in two.
Split apart, the unstable flames detonated in midair, fiery winds and sparks swirling everywhere as Ceruledge calmly sheathed its sword.
Every movement was elegant and unhesitating—a symphony of power and grace.
As a former top trainer, Professor Oak could see Ceruledge's uniqueness, and he couldn't help but sigh—
That kind of serene strength was just what his grandson aimed for, right before switching to research.
If those two grandsons were here, they'd already be pestering Lucas and Ceruledge for a battle.
Amid Ash's "So cool!" exclamations, Armarouge didn't mind at all that Ceruledge so casually dispersed its attack. In fact, it only admired Ceruledge more.
It only now understood how naïve it had been to think that, just by evolving, it could stand shoulder to shoulder with Ceruledge.
It still had a long way to go.
Charcadet's successful evolution into Armarouge was a cause for celebration, and Delia's delicious afternoon tea set the perfect mood.
Some more familiar Pokémon, like Bloodmoon Ursaluna and Arcanine, were called over, and everyone—humans and Pokémon alike—sat down to enjoy.
During it all, Lucas freely shared his knowledge. No point in holding back, since Professor Oak could access most of it anyway.
He gave Ash a brief primer on Armarouge's traits and his own recommended strategies.
Unlike the Fire/Ghost Ceruledge, Armarouge was Fire/Psychic—Ash's very first Psychic-Type Pokémon.
Actually, Armarouge's Psychic-type came from the Auspicious Armor. Once evolved, the armor's essence—as well as Fire energy—became even stronger, letting Armarouge use Psychic moves. It stored vast mental energy.
Armarouge thrived on ranged attacks. Using "cannons" like Mystical Fire not only sped up its moves, but the focus meant big power—"blockbuster" offense, so to speak.
Armarouge lived by a code of chivalry: fair fights, with Ash's Armarouge clearly fitting this mold, always insisting on honorable duels.
In this sense, Armarouge's fighting style suited Ash perfectly.
Except...
Lucas recalled how, in the Diamond & Pearl anime, Torterra—once the shining star due to its speed—turned into dead-weight after evolving, purely because it became slow and heavy.
He felt the need to stress the right tactics for Armarouge, planting a seed of understanding for Ash.
Armarouge's agility fell short of Ceruledge; heck, even Gyarados and Dragonite were faster.
Lucas figured Armarouge's best asset was its firepower.
Since agility wasn't its strong suit, it should work on sharpening its senses and battlefield awareness.
Much like Ceruledge, Armarouge's armor, powered up by Fire and Psychic energies, gave it great defense—letting it block attacks, then launch a devastating counterattack.
That was Lucas's framework—Ash would have to flesh it out himself.
After listening, Ash pulled Armarouge, Charizard, and Typhlosion, excitedly heading to the mountain by Professor Oak's backyard.
Usually, when idle, Ash would go find Tyranitar's mother—herself a late-bloomer who'd conquered Mt. Silver for training tips.
Lucas let Ash go, then headed back to the lab with Professor Oak, Tracey, and the Pokémon, while Delia happily returned home with her basket.
Lucas's main goal in Pallet Town was to get Professor Oak, as the world's authority, to formally announce Ursaluna's evolution method, as well as the existence of Bloodmoon Ursaluna and Hisuian Arcanine.
That way, they'd be entered into the Pokédex and be classified not as "extinct," but as "rare."
This would let Nemona, Arven, and Eri take Ursaluna with them much more easily.
Why didn't Lucas publish it himself?
First, he was lazy—he rarely assigned written homework, mostly sticking to practical tasks or messaging via group chats.
Second, and most importantly:
He wasn't known in academia, had zero research background, and, rather than starting from scratch, it was easier to borrow Professor Oak's credibility.
Third, Lucas never intended to join academia; he knew he wasn't cut out for it.
Lucas was honest and up-front with Professor Oak, holding nothing back.
Professor Oak just chuckled,
"You're an interesting one, just as I thought—not someone chasing empty fame."
Professor Oak turned serious.
Publishing newly evolved forms or "extinct" Pokémon required a huge investment of time and energy.
Data collection was never a quick job, and called for professional knowledge—even with Tracey's help, Professor Oak still felt a bit stretched.
Thankfully, with actual Ursaluna and Hisuian Arcanine available for reference, instead of just imagination or guesswork, many steps could be fast-tracked.
Since research intensity was manageable, Professor Oak decided against asking his eldest grandson to come help.
Other connections could be leveraged—like Professor Rowan, an old friend at Jade University now running an evolution research lab in Sinnoh, could offer additional help via video conference.
…
Lucas spent three days in Pallet Town.
He stayed at Professor Oak's lab, and, unless needed, avoided getting in the way—usually just wandering the backyard with Ash.
Occasionally, he'd watch Ursaluna and Arcanine work with Professor Oak on data collection, or use the video call system to meet Professor Rowan.
At first glance, Professor Rowan made an intimidating impression: stern, formal, unsmiling, and not easily approached.
He had slicked-back gray-white hair and a thick mustache, wore a pristine coat and waistcoat.
But after a while, Lucas found Professor Rowan wasn't actually so strict or unkind—most of that impression came from his aura and style. People's original "bias" did a lot to color their perceptions.
Professor Rowan was actually easy to talk to—he'd even patiently answer what seemed to be "layman" questions.
Most surprising of all: Professor Rowan had a huge sweet tooth—once he started working, he'd unconsciously nibble on sugar endlessly, so much so that his assistant would repeatedly plead with him to cut back to avoid tooth decay.
"Alright, this should be enough data."
Professor Oak finally put down his work with a relieved sigh, even announcing to Bloodmoon Ursaluna and Arcanine—who felt like prisoners granted a reprieve.
"Whoa, finally done—!"
Tracey, dark circles under his eyes, collapsed to the floor.
Who knew how many sketches he'd done over those few days!
Even if he loved art, right now his brain could only think of sleeping.
"Good job, everyone."
Even Professor Rowan's face on the video screen softened a little.
Meanwhile, Lucas, practiced at this, loaded a Pokéball into the lab's transfer machine—sending it to Saffron City's Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy would forward it across regions, all the way to Paldea.
Pokéball transfer tech still had its limits; for cross-region (like Kanto to Paldea), only this relay method worked.
The Pokéball belonged to Arven, and inside was Arven's own Ursaluna—loaned to Lucas for data collection.
After all, that form was now the key for almost all Ursaluna evolutions, while Bloodmoon Ursaluna was just a special case.
When Professors Oak and Rowan heard about this, they couldn't hide their excitement.
As they sorted the data, Professor Oak turned to Lucas—
"So, about that matter, have you thought it over?"
Professor Rowan also looked at Lucas, clearly interested in his answer.
"That matter" wasn't so mysterious.
To add Bloodmoon Ursaluna and Hisuian Arcanine to the Pokédex, supporting academic papers were needed.
Lucas had not only brought Bloodmoon Ursaluna, Hisuian Arcanine, and Arven's Ursaluna but there was another Ursaluna in the lab—one who had evolved thanks to the peat block Lucas provided, directly providing decisive evidence.
With a complete data set and world-renowned professors involved, publication would fly through review, easily appearing on major academic sites and journals.
But a new problem arose.
Academic papers require author attribution.
Professor Oak didn't need the paper to keep his fame. By his suggestion, Lucas would be listed as first author, with Professors Oak and Rowan as second and third authors respectively, and Tracey as fourth.
In short: First author, second author, third, and corresponding—these sorted by contribution. If Lucas were first author, it'd be like the professors gifting him all the resulting prestige.
…
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