Lucas scooped some water from a nearby vat, tidied up his appearance, checked that the rice in the electric cooker was steaming, and decided to go out to see if Serperior and the others had found Eldegoss and the two Gossifleur.
As soon as he left the kitchen, Lucas bumped into Arven, who looked like his soul was about to leave his body, floating dreamily toward the kitchen.
Arven sniffed the air, breathing in the faintly sweet aroma, muttering, "What is that? It smells so sweet and delicious..."
"We're having vegetable and berry curry rice for lunch today," Lucas stopped Arven from floating into the kitchen, helplessly saying, "Wait until Serperior and Eldegoss are back, then we'll eat. Come on, let's check the fields first."
"Okay~"
Arven reluctantly tore his gaze away and followed Lucas out. They arrived at the five small plots of freshly sown farmland.
All five Pokémon were already gathered on the open ground.
Eldegoss noticed Lucas and Arven coming. Her eyes spun mischievously as she leaped lightly into the air, spinning rapidly. The cotton on her head scattered and floated down onto the freshly sown, watered soil.
Then, a miraculous scene unfolded.
As the cotton merged into the soil, the earth trembled ever so slightly. Within moments, green shoots broke through the soil and stood tall.
Stunned by the seemingly magical sight, Lucas and Arven stood rooted to the spot in amazement.
Lucas realized even more profoundly how wondrous Pokémon's power truly was. With such abilities, in ancient times, Eldegoss would surely have been worshipped as a deity of abundance.
Perhaps for now, Eldegoss could only help seeds sprout, but as her strength grew, she would eventually be able to make plants blossom and bear fruit in days.
If Serperior learned moves like Grassy Terrain, it could even make flowers bloom and wither overnight.
Unfortunately, Serperior could only instantly grow tree-trunk-thick plants for attacks like Frenzy Plant.
After sharing her nutrients, Eldegoss landed back on the ground, panting. Just nourishing a small plot of land made her this tired—it seemed they couldn't rely solely on Pokémon to boost crops.
Lunchtime.
The table left by the elderly couple was already crowded with Lucas and his six main Pokémon, not to mention three new members and the unknown Pokémon to hatch from the future eggs.
He brought the steaming curry to the table and scooped a fragrant spoonful onto the rice plates in front of the six Pokémon and Arven, and the simple, hearty veggie-berry curry was complete.
"Let's eat!"
Starving, Arven got Lucas's reluctant nod, grabbed a spoon in his right hand, and dug in messily, eating with little grace.
Serperior was much more refined, deftly using her vine whip to scoop small bites into her mouth.
Even after a year, Swampert and Dragonite were still clumsy with their spoons. In the end, they followed Arven's lead, picking up their curry plates and eating heartily.
At first, Eldegoss and the Gossifleurs were still a little reserved, but soon, infected by the lively atmosphere, they too buried their heads and nibbled away.
Lucas ate a few bites himself, then scooped more rice and curry for Dragonite and Swampert as they devoured their meals.
Lunch lasted until one in the afternoon. Re-energized, Eldegoss went to share nutrients with the experimental tomato field, only to drift back, weak, amid the worried cries of the Gossifleurs.
Seeing this, Lucas finally put on a serious face, repeatedly warning Eldegoss that she could only use her power to accelerate growth once a day and never deplete the nutrients she needed to grow.
Otherwise, she would eventually harm her roots.
He ordered Eldegoss to rest and put the Gossifleurs in charge of supervising her. Then Lucas called Swampert, Serperior, and Dragonite over. Under Arven's watch, they used their moves to process the wood Dragonite had gathered all morning.
With Leaf Blade to strip the bark, Air Slash to cut, and Water Gun to polish, they soon had boards just the right size for Lucas's needs.
Though a newbie at farming, Lucas was confident in his handiwork.
Following his plans, he assembled the various boards with nails, finally building a miniature, all-natural wooden cabin.
He laid a soft rug inside, and just like that, Eldegoss and the Gossifleurs had a little home of their own.
Lucas had Swampert move the house into the open living room of the villa, inviting Eldegoss and the Gossifleurs to try it out. They were delighted.
Especially the two Gossifleurs. Always drifting about before, though Eldegoss' protection had made their days carefree, now that they truly felt they had a home—a place to belong—they couldn't help but throw themselves into Lucas' arms and cry their hearts out.
From then on, the two Gossifleurs stopped fearing Lucas and Serperior, quickly integrating into the farm within a day.
...
Three days later.
With Eldegoss's help, the crops in the farm area sprouted smoothly, and the Gossifleurs had fully settled in.
Yesterday, Professor Sada and Dr. Toru, who had been out of touch for days, finally called Lucas. After a conversation, Professor Sada personally came to pick up a very reluctant Arven, promising to visit again with gifts to thank Lucas for taking care of him.
Life on the farm returned to peace.
Besides tending the fields, Lucas spent his days thinking about how to plan the ranch and the lake area.
At 3 p.m., Lucas lay on a lounger he'd just bought at the market, sunbathing. Eldegoss and the others quietly photosynthesized beside him, roots in the soil, facing the sun.
Serperior lazily flicked her tail, basking in the sunlight, while Swampert and Dragonite were off who-knows-where.
Just as everything seemed perfect, the air suddenly grew hotter. Serperior's lazy eyes snapped to slits, her body straightening as she stared alertly into the distance.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Serperior?"
Lucas yawned, sleepily following Serperior's gaze, and was instantly wide awake.
"What the hell!?"
He stared in disbelief.
A Luxray, crackling with electricity, was sprinting toward them, followed closely by Ceruledge; if you looked closely, you could see the edge of a Mimikyu doll in Luxray's shadow.
But none of that mattered.
What shocked Lucas was the giant bird in Luxray's mouth: its feathers were scorched black, and its head, wings, and tail blazed with bright orange flames!