Clemont—of course, Lucas was familiar with that name.
After all, this wasn't just the Electric-type Gym Leader of Lumiose City; in the anime, Clemont was also Ash's travel companion in Kalos.
No wonder Lucas found the story about Luxio oddly familiar—now it all made sense.
It turned out Luxio was Clemont's very first Pokémon, whom he met as a student!
Oranguru, helping Lucas push the swing with psychic power, paused and asked, "Did you remember something?"
"I did!"
Lucas nodded firmly, stood up gripping the swing's chain, and prepared to search for Luxio.
Whether because Luxio had, by chance, gifted Swampert the legendary Swampertite, or simply to help fix a small regret, Lucas felt compelled to give Luxio a hand.
"Young Master Lucas, please wait," Oranguru suddenly blocked his path, meeting his gaze wisely. "This is just my opinion, but Luxio and that person should talk things through themselves. We shouldn't force an unprepared Luxio to meet an unprepared trainer."
Oranguru's words were spot-on. Lucas, who knew Clemont had always felt guilty over Luxio, realized he'd been a bit rash.
"You're right," Lucas admitted after a moment, turning to Otto and Marusill as they ran over with a stack of paperwork. "My job is to tell Clemont that Luxio is still waiting for him—and let them resolve things on their own."
Oranguru nodded approvingly; no wonder it had been so impressed by Lucas—he had his own ideas but listened to advice, wise and calm.
Serving such a master was its good fortune.
Oranguru's gaze made Lucas feel slightly uneasy for some reason.
Otto was right: all the paperwork had been handled, and Lucas and Oranguru only had to sign and stamp the prepared documents.
Once Marusill confirmed everything was in order, Otto congratulated Oranguru, "Be happy in your new home and chase your dreams!"
Then Otto turned to Lucas, grasping his hands and choking up, "Please treat Oranguru well. He's your personal butler now."
"I will, don't worry," Lucas promised.
Fearing he might start sobbing, Otto quickly gave some last advice and left with Marusill.
When Lucas and Oranguru left the Pokémon Butler Academy, many students and graduates came to the gate to see Oranguru off. To them, Oranguru was a wise senior always willing to teach.
Now that it was leaving, they felt both sad and happy for it—a mix of emotions.
After leaving the academy and walking through the streets, Oranguru, feeling a pang of anxiety at leaving behind everything familiar, looked up and asked, "Are we heading to Lumiose City now, to find Clemont?"
Lucas nodded, then shook his head. "We are, but not just yet."
Spotting an open area, Lucas stopped, followed by Oranguru.
After making sure no one was around, Lucas said, "Let's go to Brackish Town first. Alcremie wants to try the chocolate cream cake there. Then we'll head to Lumiose. Plus, as a new team member, you should meet everyone."
With that, Lucas tossed four Poké Balls, releasing Swampert, Dragonite, Arcanine, and Alcremie before Oranguru.
Brackish Town was just a typical small town in Kalos—no famous people or legendary tales. Its only claim to fame was an unnamed dessert shop's chocolate cream cake, said to be world-class in flavor, texture, and ingredients.
Thanks to this, Brackish Town enjoyed extra visitors and a growing economy, making it less ordinary.
Landing outside Brackish Town on Dragonite, Lucas promised the persistent Dragonite it would get its share of cake, then recalled it and released Alcremie and Oranguru.
Oranguru had handed Lucas its own Poké Ball; at the academy, butler Pokémon were officially caught by the principal and entrusted with their own Poké Balls to prevent theft. Now, with Lucas as its employer, the Ball was naturally his.
Alcremie, excited to be out, bounced up and down, sensing the cake was near.
Oranguru calmly surveyed the unfamiliar area, soon spotting a stone-paved road leading into town. As a butler, it used telepathy to point Lucas the way: "Young master, we can enter there."
Lucas nodded. "Let's go."
"Alcremie~"
As Lucas started walking, Alcremie looked to Oranguru, pleading for attention. Oranguru, charmed, used its psychic power to lift the little one into the air. Alcremie beamed—it hadn't floated like this since evolving. Thanks to Grandpa Oranguru, it could enjoy that feeling again.
Lucas smiled wryly, thinking Oranguru was already acting like a doting grandparent.
Shortly after Lucas's group left, two heads popped out of the bushes nearby. One belonged to a blonde girl in a helmet, her long ponytail poking out from the back. The other was a Pokémon with red eyes full of determination: Lucario.
"Heave-ho!"
With strong legs, the girl leapt out, wearing a red-and-white sports skirt and rare roller skates. She carried a well-wrapped box—clearly some dessert. Her face radiated youthful energy as she said, "Did you see that, Lucario? That Pokémon looks pretty strong!"
"For my first battle in my '100 Victories Challenge,' I'll choose them!"
Lucario, though resigned, couldn't stop his eager trainer. His senses told him that fan-waving Pokémon was trouble—not someone they could beat just yet.
"Hehehe, lucky! Not only did we get the chocolate cream cake, but we also ran into a super strong Pokémon!"
With practiced skill, the girl rolled toward Brackish Town, Lucario following.
At the dessert shop, an apologetic staff member held a "Sold Out" sign and told the crowd, "Sorry, we're all out of sweets for today due to the huge turnout."
"Alcremie~!" Alcremie's face fell, stunned and devastated. Not only was the chocolate cream cake sold out, but so were all other sweets! Heartbroken, Alcremie looked as if it had lost its dearest treasure.
Lucas and Oranguru: "..."
What a little drama queen.
Lucas signaled Oranguru to cheer up Alcremie, then pondered their situation. He'd checked guides in advance—this time of day, they should've easily gotten cake. But life throws you curveballs.
They'd just have to queue up again tomorrow. Luckily, he'd planned for a buffer day.
Just as Lucas was about to suggest finding a hotel and lining up early the next day, a strange scraping sound came from behind.
A panicked girl shouted, "Ahhh! I can't stop!"