"This is... a Corviknight—!"
Sasha stared in astonishment, hand clapped over her mouth, her gaze darting between the Corviknight and Lucas.
With its jet-black armor—shiny enough to reflect the light—Corviknight looked like an avatar of another color entirely amidst the snow-white world around them.
Black and white—no matter who bumped into whom, both were bound to stand out.
Not to mention, Sasha realized that Lucas had summoned all these Corviknight down from the sky with just a single whistle!
That meant the local rumor was true!
"Over in the neighboring Los Platos Town, there's a farm so grand they use Corviknight just for their deliveries."
She'd heard that rumor more than once, and now she'd witnessed the truth of it with her own eyes.
"So cool!"
Sasha gazed at the Corviknight with envy.
Even though Corviknight weren't afraid of the cold, as bird Pokémon they'd usually migrate before winter to seek out warmer, resource-rich places for their flocks, not returning until spring.
Miss Joy had been right—if there was enough to provide for all these Corviknight even in this icy world, Lucas had to have the means to solve her own farm's crisis.
She watched as the skilled Corviknight grasped baskets of supplies and soared up into the sky, waiting for their cue to leave.
After spacing out for a moment, Sasha found herself working even more briskly, and in no time she and Lucas finished loading supplies into the back of the pickup truck.
With Lucas seated in the passenger seat at her invitation, two Eevee wrapped in scarves leapt up as well, only then did she notice their presence.
"Eevee! They're so cute—and even have different colors!"
Even though she'd grown up on a farm, tougher and more mature than girls her age, Sasha adored cute things like this.
She grew even more envious of Lucas. She'd wanted her own Eevee too, but her dad always dismissed it: "Why raise an Eevee when you could raise Mareep for the farm?"
"They're twin sisters," Lucas explained, seeing Sasha's genuine interest. "The brown one's the elder, the silvery-white one's the younger."
He also stroked the Larvesta nestled in his arms, introducing it as well.
"This is Larvesta. It's real warm to hold."
Twin Eevee sisters—one even a shiny!—plus a Larvesta?
Sasha felt almost clumsy lighting her own fire, sneaking a glance at the wide-eyed bug. She forced a smile, "So it really is a Larvesta—I thought you were just carrying a pillow."
The engine's rumble filled her ears, and for a moment Sasha felt her beloved pickup truck less appealing than ever.
Twin shiny Eevee, an adorable Larvesta... so unfair! So jealous!
Not wanting to let her mind wander further, Sasha stomped on the accelerator and drove toward Sheep Town.
Up above, the Corviknight followed without needing any instruction, their formation painting a bizarre scene against the sky.
People from other farms and farmes stared as they drove past.
Fortunately, Sheep Town wasn't far from Los Platos Town—an hour's drive at most.
Sitting in the passenger seat with little to do but pet the Larvesta and the Eevee twins, Lucas found himself recalling how all this began.
As the weather chilled further and further, Oranguru had suggested early on that they should prepare warm clothing for the Pokémon on the farm who couldn't handle the cold.
Keeping warm usually meant buying sweaters or down jackets.
While Lucas was considering where to get such things, his afternoon tutor, Nurse Joy Rin, mentioned her cousin's town might have supplies he needed.
The only catch: they'd only accept bartering—goods for goods.
Lucas wasn't going to miss this chance, so he got the details.
Sheep Town was largely filled with ranches, the main Pokémon raised there being Mareep.
The main source of income?
Selling Mareep wool.
Lucas had long heard the reputation of Mareep wool—its clothes were not only soft and comfy, but had the magical property of keeping cool in summer and warm in winter.
And as long as Mareep had enough to eat, their hair would continuously grow. Sheared in summer, their fleece would regrow in a week.
Mareep, essentially, was a living wool machine.
Because of their high yield, Mareep wool, while excellent, was never sold at sky-high prices.
Even so, the town's residents lived a worry-free life.
Sasha's family was one such farm.
But disaster had struck.
Just before winter, an accident left Sasha's farm completely stripped of all stockpiled supplies for winter—including Mareep feed.
With the local police investigation, the blame was pinned on wild Pokémon.
But whether or not they could recover the stolen goods, Sasha's family couldn't just watch their Mareep starve.
It was already winter, making it even harder to gather what they needed, and prices had only gone up.
Even with some support from the police and the mayor, it was a drop in the bucket.
With nothing else to try, Sasha's family bartered: "Mareep's pre-winter wool, traded for necessities."
Pre-winter, their wool grew thick for warmth—fluffy and insulating, practically a winter-exclusive super-warm material.
While it would get a better price if they waited another month, they decided that Mareep were the priority—trading the wool now for what they needed.
Those fleeces were exactly what Lucas needed.
Compared to Paldea's rare Wooloo, Mareep's fleece suited Lucas's needs even better.
And right now, his farm had a surplus of supplies—thanks in part to Regice, the living fridge, he'd hoarded plenty out of a deep-rooted fear of running out.
With some farm products thrown in, Lucas thought it fair to trade for the wool.
Having discussed with Oranguru and the Calyrex, Lucas had gone through Joy Rin to contact Miss Joy of Sheep Town, then Sasha's family, and voiced his willingness to barter.
This time, he personally delivered the goods—so he could inspect the wool himself.
Even though Oranguru had vouched for the sample quality, Lucas was only truly satisfied after judging firsthand—he'd even learned from Oranguru how to tell quality wool from the rest.
After an hour's ride, Sheep Town finally appeared to the sleepy Lucas.
"Eevui!"
The twin Eevee perked up too, scrambling onto Lucas's shoulders for a look at the distant town.
It was their first time riding in a vehicle to a new place—everything was exciting!
Los Platos Town wasn't what you'd call small, but compared to it Sheep Town had fewer buildings—Lucas guessed maybe a hundred households, tops.
But it took up a huge area: every farm, with classic Paldea style, was fenced off after the main house.
No lush green grass here anymore—just thick drifts of snow.
As they went by each household, dog Pokémon like Rockruff or Boltund would sometimes race out, bark a little, then scurry back to the warmth.
Lucas figured these dogs were either used as guards or herding.
If the pickup earned some glances, the Corviknight carrying goods overhead drew real attention from locals.
Sasha politely explained to any who asked that the Corviknight were here to deliver bartered goods.
Seeing the adults shocked made Sasha feel even more delighted.
Now she wasn't the only one who'd gotten a surprise—ha!
Sasha's home and farm was on the edge of town. After another drive they finally arrived.
Her parents had been waiting in the cold.
After greetings, their first question was naturally about the Corviknight following behind.
Sasha had to explain all over again.
Finally satisfied, Sasha's father, Zeru, invited Lucas inside for tea; he'd then show him the wool in the warehouse.
Lucas smiled and politely declined, showing off the Larvesta in his arms. "Thank you, but I'm not cold."
Seeing Lucas adamant, Zeru simply said, "Then let's head straight to the warehouse." He quietly instructed his wife to bring tea to the warehouse after unloading the goods from the Corviknight—if the trade went smoothly, they'd be saved for winter, so their hospitality had to be perfect.
With repeated reminders, Zeru led Lucas around the house towards the fenced entrance to the farm.
From what he saw, Lucas reckoned Sasha's family's farm was about the size of Kiawe's farm from the Alola anime.
Even with snow falling, the thickly-fleeced Mareep walked about in the snow, occasionally digging for the grass roots underneath.
They definitely looked hungry.
Noticing Lucas's gaze, Zeru smiled awkwardly and explained, "We had to start rationing Mareep feed recently. Thank goodness you're here—it won't have to come to that anymore."
"It's just a fair trade for everyone," Lucas replied, not acknowledging any "favor".
He needed wool, they needed supplies. It was strictly business.
At that moment, the Eevee sisters noticed something and ran off into the snow. Lucas looked over and saw pink-furred Pokémon among the Mareep—Flaaffy.
Unlike Mareep, Flaaffy had lost much of their wool, with pink skin exposed. And after they evolved further into Ampharos, they'd lose all their wool—only Mega Evolution would bring some back.
Managing these now wool-less Flaaffy and Ampharos was always a headache for farmers. Abandonment wasn't an option—sometimes they found other roles, like generating power for the farm.
Surprised to find so many Flaaffy still there, Lucas remarked on it.
"They're the Mareep Sasha's raised since childhood. She has a bond—leaving them here is no problem," Zeru said.
Eevee playing in the farm was no big deal to him.
The two reached the wool warehouse.
Mareep didn't have much body odor, so their wool didn't carry the usual scent of, say, sheep.
Lucas grabbed a handful, checking the sheen and color under the lights, rubbing it between his fingers to judge its spring and softness.
Larvesta eagerly batted at a clump of wool, full of curiosity.
After putting his modest skills to use, Lucas was satisfied. "Excellent quality," he said.
"That's wonderful to hear!" Zeru replied sincerely.
"By the way, I hope I'm not being nosy, but—about this wool—?"
"Most will be made into clothes to keep Pokémon warm, a little for decoration," Lucas answered without hesitation.
Zeru's eyes brightened. "Have you arranged a factory to process it? If not, I know a few reputable ones—I can share their details."
Lucas was just buying raw wool. Turning it into yarn or fabric required processing, and Zeru, an old hand, wanted to help.
Not to mention, if Lucas was satisfied, he might become a long-term customer.
Lucas gladly accepted Zeru's offer—no point going elsewhere and risking unreliability.
After sampling more batches and confirming the pre-winter wool was all high-quality, Lucas and Zeru made the trade.
Lucas left with enough wool for outfits for every Pokémon on the farm through winter, and Zeru no longer had to worry about feeding his Mareep.
Seeing the Eevee sisters having fun with Mareep and Flaaffy, Lucas called them over, declined Zeru's suggestion to walk him home, and hopped onto the back of Sanmao the Corviknight—flying back to the farm.
Though less comfy than a Dragonite's back, Sanmao had trained up its "Fly" move well—protected by the wind, Lucas at least wouldn't freeze.
With Eevee on his shoulders and Larvesta warm in his arms, the sight of the farm soon came into view.
…
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