Lucas held a cup of hot milk, sitting in the lounge area and staring at the snow falling outside.
"It's snowing again."
Mr. Fujino was sitting nearby drinking tea and reading a newspaper. Hearing Lucas's words, he put down the paper and looked at the fluttering snowflakes outside the door.
"I don't know how long this snow will last. Logically, Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town are places where it rarely snows, while the cities north of Sandgem Town usually get more snow. But this year, the snow in Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town has been heavier, while it stopped in the other cities after just a few days."
Pausing for a moment, Mr. Fujino continued, "I heard from my former colleagues that the only cities where it's still snowing now are our Twinleaf Town and Sandgem Town."
Mrs. Fujino sat to the side knitting sweaters for Mr. Fujino, Lucas, and Shauna, with shares for Gengar and the others included. Hearing her husband's words, she didn't even look up from her needlework and said, "I wonder if it's because of some special situation. I heard people often see the silhouettes of giants on Mt. Coronet; I wonder if it's an influence from there."
Giants?
Regigigas?
The legendary Pokémon said to inhabit Mt. Coronet, capable of pulling entire continents.
Also known as the legendary King of the Toilets.
Excellent base stat distribution met with a garbage Ability.
But Mt. Coronet is quite far from Twinleaf Town.
"When I came back from Mt. Coronet, the snow there wasn't even as heavy as it is here."
Lucas took a sip of hot milk and said, "Forget it, let it snow. There's a saying in my hometown: 'A timely snow promises a good harvest.'"
Lucas leaned back in the rocking chair, swaying gently. "Usually after it snows, the start of the new year will be smooth sailing, with all wishes coming true."
"A timely snow promises a good harvest? Put that way, this snow is actually quite nice."
Mrs. Fujino bit off the thread with her teeth and said with a smile, then beckoned to Gengar.
Gengar left its seat and floated to Mrs. Fujino's side. Mrs. Fujino draped a scarf around Gengar's neck—
After adjusting for a moment, Mrs. Fujino silently draped the scarf over Gengar and then had Gengar spin in a circle for her.
Gengar spun happily. Mrs. Fujino looked at Gengar and its scarf with a satisfied face; the light purple color with a chibi Gengar print matched it perfectly.
"It suits you well, Gengar."
Gengar also really liked the scarf Mrs. Fujino made for it. After spinning a few more times happily, it grinned and thanked Mrs. Fujino.
"Gengar gar!"
Thank you~
Gengar then brought the scarf to show off to Lucas. Lucas praised it with a smile, and Gengar happily put the scarf away.
"Gengar gar—"
—
Another scarf~
Lucas pulled out his phone and started scrolling through short videos. He was engrossed in a video of Elesa's fashion show when he suddenly heard Mrs. Fujino say, "Fortunately, this snow hasn't had much impact on the Pokémon in our Breeding House, but I wonder how the Pokémon in the forest are doing."
Lucas suddenly remembered that he seemed to be a forest ranger for that forest as well.
"Almost forgot I'm still a forest ranger."
Lucas muttered to himself, then put away his phone and stood up. "It seems like it's been a long time since I've been over to the forest. Since there's nothing to do today, I'll take Gengar and the others to the forest for a trip."
Hearing Lucas's words, Gengar turned off the TV and floated by his side.
"I'll leave the Breeding House to you two again."
Lucas said to Mr. and Mrs. Fujino in the lounge. He declined their request to go into the forest with him; after all, though there were no customers in winter, someone still needed to stay and watch the Breeding House.
"Don't worry, Lucas."
Mr. Fujino nodded, telling Lucas not to worry.
Lucas nodded, then took his coat from Gengar, put it on, and headed toward the forest with Gengar, Lilligant, Ninetales, and Dash.
Seeing Lucas's group and the Pokémon heading toward the forest, the Luxray resting in a warm spot immediately followed.
It protested to Lucas, saying it had been bored to death staying in the Breeding House since it started snowing.
In contrast, Gliscor and the others from the Rock Area could fly around and wander. Why, early this morning Gliscor and Staraptor had flown off to who-knows-where to kill time, leaving it lying in the Breeding House with nothing to do.
Lucas laughed heartily at this, then brought Luxray along for a stroll in the forest.
Passing by the Forest Area, he glanced toward the beehive and suddenly thought of a certain tsundere Pokémon, a slight smile curling his lips.
"Vespiquen."
Lucas called out.
Before long, a yellow figure appeared before them.
"Bee?"
What do you want with me?
Vespiquen saw Gengar, Dash, Lilligant, Ninetales, and Luxray standing beside Lucas.
Such a big lineup? Are we going to fight again?
Who are we fighting? Do you need my help?
Vespiquen questioned Lucas with its eyes.
Feeling the emotions Vespiquen was conveying, Lucas couldn't help but laugh.
"We're not going to fight. It's just been a long time since I've strolled through the forest, and I happen to be free today. Plus, it's been many days since the first snow, and I don't know if the forest Pokémon have adapted to this sudden heavy snow, so we're going in to take a look and see if anyone needs help."
Lucas explained, "I just happened to pass by the Forest Area, so I wanted to ask if you'd like to come along."
At this point, Lucas looked sincere: "After all, who knows what might happen inside. If Vespiquen is there, you can protect me, and I won't have to worry so much."
If Cynthia, Nina, Jenny, or Joy were here and heard Lucas say this, they would have given him a massive eye-roll without hesitation.
Protect me, indeed~
It's as if Gengar and the others aren't even there, right?
Hearing Lucas's words, the frequency of Vespiquen's wingbeats became momentarily chaotic before returning to normal. Suppressing its emotions, Vespiquen looked at Lucas suspiciously.
Are Gengar, Lilligant, and the others not enough to protect you?
Fine, since you are so weak...
This Queen will reluctantly stay by your side and protect you.
Vespiquen held its head high, staring at Lucas, and then gave a cool nod.
Seeing this, the corners of Lucas's mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"Then many thanks to Vespiquen."
After saying that, Lucas turned toward the forest. "Everyone, let's set off."
He took the lead and walked inside.
The Pokémon behind him followed with high spirits.
Gengar in particular practically strutted through the air with a swagger that said it didn't give a damn about anyone.
With its mouth twisted in a grin, it gave off the vibe of a local boss entering a village.