Lucas called out, "Serperior."
Serperior nodded, a vine shooting out to snatch a small white tuft from the air and hand it to Lucas.
Lucas carefully pinched the tiny white tuft, feeling its unique fluffy softness, his eyes bright with delight.
Originally, his targets were Pokémon like Smoliv, Skiddo, Capsakid, Toedscool, or Tropius—Grass-types with fixed habitats in Paldea.
He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise—the owner of this mysterious airborne cotton was a perfect fit for the farm.
And it was the signature Pokémon of the highly popular "Milo's Farm" online.
"Pokémon from Galar—rare in Paldea."
Lucas smiled, patted Arven's shoulder to signal him and Mabosstiff to keep up, and led Serperior in the direction the cotton had floated from.
Soon, they entered a wide grassland.
Dense grass up to their calves covered the ground. Occasionally, a few tiny Combee or Yanma skimmed by. In the distance, a red figure, like a musician, let out a sharp cry.
Following Combee might lead to a Vespiquen's hive and sweet honey. On another day, Lucas would have tried to follow, but now he had other priorities. He scanned the grassland and quickly locked onto his targets.
Two tiny Pokémon with five-petaled yellow flowers and five red leafy bracts like hair—Gossifleur—were playing in the sunlight.
Behind them, an Eldegoss with a head full of cotton and a yellow cape watched over the two Gossifleur with a smile.
Arven was about to speak, but Lucas stopped him, signaling with a finger to his lips and a look in his eyes to keep quiet so as not to scare the Pokémon away.
Arven nodded vigorously, grabbing Mabosstiff's tail to keep the excited dog from leaping out after the flying insects. He whispered, "Brother Lucas, what Pokémon are those?"
Arven had never seen these Pokémon before—his curiosity was piqued.
Without looking away, Lucas whispered back, "The two small ones that look like flowers are called Gossifleur. The one watching over them is Eldegoss. They're both from the Galar region."
"They're almost never seen in Paldea—meeting them here is like being blessed by Goddess Luck."
Arven nodded in sudden realization. The Galar region—he'd never been there.
At the mention of "goddess," Serperior immediately tensed, tail tip twitching in annoyance.
Goddess! Where's the goddess? Come out and fight! (▼皿▼#)
While Serperior radiated jealous energy, Arven gasped, "They're flying away!"
A gust of wind rustled the grass, and the two Gossifleur let out happy cries, spinning and singing as they were blown away.
Eldegoss, bigger than the Gossifleur but just as light, floated effortlessly after them.
Arven marveled, "Amazing, how does Eldegoss fly like that?"
As Gossifleur's evolution, Eldegoss didn't grow much heavier. Its head full of light cotton just made it look heavier, but it could still drift on the wind.
Lucas didn't have time to explain. He quickly stood, ignoring his numb legs from crouching, and whispered, "Let's chase them!"
"Uh? Oh!"
Arven snapped out of it and dashed after Lucas and Serperior, with an excited Mabosstiff by his side, ever the protector.
After a chase, Arven doubled over, panting, heart pounding.
Lucas caught his breath and laughed, "You're out of shape—tired after such a short run."
Arven protested, "Brother Lucas, you lost track of Eldegoss, too—why blame me?"
Lucas blushed, retorting, "It's not the same! Who knew there'd be a sudden gust of wind, and they'd fly into the forest? It was out of our control."
Arven finally had a chance to look around. Tall trees and complex terrain made losing track understandable.
Catching his breath, Arven blinked and asked, "So now what—was this a wasted trip?"
Lucas crossed his arms and thought for a while, then sighed, "Let's look around nearby. Now that the wind's stopped, Eldegoss and the others shouldn't have gone far."
"But if we still can't find them in an hour, we'll head back—it'll be dark soon, and it's easy to get lost at night."
Arven nodded, not understanding the dangers of night in the wild.
Lucas didn't split up to search, since anything could happen in the wild. Arven wasn't yet the future upperclassman he'd become—he still lacked experience and knowledge.
As his mentor, Lucas felt it was his responsibility to look after Arven.
It might be less efficient, but at least they'd stay safe.
They searched for over half an hour but still found nothing.
Looking up at the darkening sky, Lucas knew it was time to leave.
Fate just wasn't on their side.
He smiled wryly and turned to Arven, "Let's go—time to head back."
Arven nodded and followed.
"Ser-pe!"
Suddenly, Serperior raised its head, red eyes fixed on the distant forest.
"You sense them?" Lucas stopped and looked at Serperior.
Serperior nodded, staring intently.
Besides those three Grass-types, it also sensed a strange presence—most likely not a companion of Eldegoss and the Gossifleur.