"In short, you should rest well here for the time being. After all, there aren't any volcanoes nearby for you to quickly recover to your peak. If you fly off while you're still weak, there's a real chance you'll get captured by someone else, you know?"
Moltres was unusually quiet, simply nodding without saying another word as if it had something weighing on its mind.
Lucas crouched down beside Moltres's right wing, carefully lifting a corner of the bandage to examine the healing progress of the wound. He nodded in satisfaction.
Although the orange flames burning on Moltres's wings were still rather dim, the external injuries were recovering quickly—most of the wounds had almost healed.
The only issue was the slow recovery of energy, likely because Moltres hadn't had any nutrients and its body was focusing all its efforts on healing.
But this was an easy problem to solve.
He could find Moltres some items or materials filled with high-quality Fire or Flying-type energy for it to absorb, or use expensive ingredients to prepare medicinal meals to effectively replenish its energy.
Unfortunately, Lucas currently couldn't provide any of these.
Not only did the farm's construction require money, but there were also nine mouths and an egg at home to feed, and his savings had been nearly wiped out by Iono's antics, leaving him only sixty thousand league coins.
He was practically on the brink of bankruptcy.
...
The next day, at the experimental fields in the farm area.
Lucas crouched in the strawberry field, stroking the vibrantly growing green stems and leaves with a smile.
It was the fourth day since planting the strawberries. He wasn't sure how long strawberries took to grow before he transmigrated, but with Eldegoss nurturing them regularly and in the right amounts, it should only take half a month to a month for them to bud, flower, and bear fruit.
In this world, Grass-type Pokémon were truly a massive help to agriculture.
But Eldegoss' energy was limited. Besides the failed potato field, there were still four fields—tomatoes, eggplants, cabbages, and cucumbers—waiting for Eldegoss' attention.
Having just one Pokémon do all the work was simply overworking it. Unfortunately, Gossifleur was still some way from evolving, so Lucas could only try to supplement Eldegoss' nutrition and tell it not to rush the fields so much—letting them grow naturally was fine too.
He left Serperior, Eldegoss, and the two carefree Gossifleur to tend the fields to prevent wild Pokémon from nibbling on the crops, then Lucas moved to the area below where Dragonite and Moltres had battled the day before—the lake area.
Dragonite's Thunder not only struck Moltres but also discharged a lot of electricity into the ground.
Usually, Dragonite and the others restrained their moves' power so as not to drastically alter the environment.
But this big pit had been formed under Lucas's direction.
"Lux~"
Luxray trotted over. On closer look, its fur was still standing on end, with occasional sparks crackling through it.
Lucas didn't pet Luxray as usual, since touching it barehanded in this state could easily give him a nasty shock.
Looking at Luxray, Lucas asked, "How's the residual electricity absorption going?"
Luxray turned to look at the pit, double-checking for any remaining electricity before nodding at Lucas.
"Thank you for your hard work," Lucas nodded slightly, only daring to step into the center of the pit after Luxray's confirmation.
He sniffed the lingering burnt smell in the air, looked around, and began to ponder.
Although called a big pit, it wasn't much bigger than a normal fish pond. Once filled with water, it would be about three meters deep and cover four or five acres.
But for initial fish farming and housing smaller Water-type Pokémon, it was enough.
As for a true lake, he'd expand it slowly as the farm developed, until it deserved the title lake area.
Lucas already had a plan for how to fill the lake with water.
His farm bordered the wilds of South Area 4, and a long walk further led to the South Paldean Sea.
There were lakes quite close to the farm in South Area 4, and Lucas planned to scout the area today. If suitable, he'd have Swampert divert some water over and then refill the channel afterward.
With just over a week until Naranja Academy started, he needed to finish the farm's basic infrastructure in that time.
Lucas took Luxray home and began preparing the items needed for the field trip.
This time, he wasn't just scouting for water—he also planned to return to his old trade of treasure-hunting in the wild.
When he first arrived in this world, he'd earned his initial funds in the wild. Training Luxray and the others to their current level was thanks to the many lucrative opportunities to find valuables in Paldea's wilds.
He replaced his usual canvas satchel with an older, well-worn backpack—the largest he owned since he couldn't afford a spatial backpack.
Lucas was full of confidence, thanks to the faint presence of his system in his mind.
He reminded it mentally, "Remember to alert me if you detect anything good."
[No problem. In return, you must keep your promise!]
Lucas smiled slightly. "Don't forget to maintain your state and keep up with training, right? I gave you my word, so of course I'll do it."
While mentally chatting with the system, Lucas finished sorting his supplies, then called Luxray and headed out.
He didn't leave right away but circled around to the back of the cottage, where a simple shed sheltered the injured Moltres.
Moltres was sitting like a brooding hen, its flaming wings folded in. Underneath it, the Pokémon egg's incubator sat quietly.
Because the scene looked so much like a hen brooding an egg, Lucas couldn't help but laugh.
Moltres: "?"
The resting Moltres glanced at Lucas in confusion—its instincts told it this human was thinking something disrespectful.
Usually hot-tempered, Moltres held back, not because it feared Lucas or the fearsome Luxray who'd dragged it around for a day and a night, but simply because it couldn't be bothered to argue with Lucas.
At least, that's what Moltres kept telling itself.