Afternoon.
The power of the Mega Swampert awed all the Pokémon on the farm—even if they weren't the main battlers, everyone felt a fresh sense of security.
But for the core team members, the pressure was greater than ever. With Mega Evolution, Swampert had unexpectedly vaulted ahead, dethroning Luxray as the ace of the team.
Although the main Pokémon didn't show it outwardly, each one was proud and determined not to fall behind.
Soon, a wave of training swept across the entire farm, involving even Arcanine, the excited Politoed, and a few other Pokémon interested in battles.
The butler Oranguru, busy tending to the flowers, was invited by Moltres to train together. If anyone was determined to grow stronger, it was Moltres—especially after witnessing Mega Swampert's overwhelming power.
Among the core team, they sparred with each other. The others couldn't withstand even a slightly serious Flamethrower from Moltres, except for the new butler, who could hold its own thanks to its impressive psychic power.
Every time Oranguru waved its fan, a surge of psychic energy would rise up, just barely blocking the slightly restrained Flamethrower from Moltres.
Watching all this activity, Lucas sat beside the resting Luxray, boots and gloves on, holding a sickle before heading to cut grass in the pasture. He asked, "How does it feel to be suddenly surpassed by Swampert?"
Luxray glanced at Lucas, the corners of its mouth curling up. "Luxray~."
To be honest, Luxray felt a mix of surprise, pride for Swampert's growth, and an unfamiliar sense of frustration.
It had always been the guiding light of the team, bearing all the pressure and giving its teammates chances to grow. Now, suddenly surpassed by a single item, it was bound to feel a bit confused.
But it made sense: Swampert could Mega Evolve, Luxray could Terastallize, and Mimikyu could use its Z-move. Strictly speaking, these items were all part of their strengths. Luxray wasn't petty enough to be jealous because Mega Evolution raised Swampert's upper limit.
The future was full of unknowns. Luxray believed that as long as it kept working hard, it could eventually gain power on par with Mega Evolution.
"I see. That's good."
From Luxray's expression, Lucas could tell it had taken things in stride. It seemed he was overthinking, worrying about Luxray's mental state.
Luxray was still as reliable as ever.
"Swampert~"
Swampert, fresh from a drink, trotted over and called out, inviting Luxray to continue training.
Luxray responded, stood up steadily, and walked over to Swampert.
Clearly, their brotherly bond remained strong.
Stretching, Lucas smiled and picked up the sickle, heading for the pasture.
Since no one needed the services of a Pokémon psychologist, it was time for some farm work. There was still plenty of grass waiting to be cut.
The pasture grass grew like chives—cut it once, and in no time it would sprout again. Lucas spent all afternoon hunched over, filling several woven baskets carried by Mudsdale and Sawsbuck.
Halfway through, the considerate Ceruledge seemed to have heard from Luxray that Lucas was cutting grass, so it interrupted its training to help. Wielding its great flaming swords, it mowed vast swaths of grass in no time—far faster than Lucas could ever manage.
Though, it did leave the grass scattered everywhere, making collection a bit tricky.
Seeing Ceruledge so thoughtful, Lucas was moved to tears and silently cursed the trainer who abandoned it. How could anyone abandon such a wonderful Pokémon?
With Ceruledge and Oranguru's versatile psychic power pitching in, they managed to cut a third of the pasture grass. The area suddenly felt much more open.
At this rate, another day's work would finish the job.
But after cutting the grass, a new question arose: what to do with all of it?
It would definitely become food for the Pokémon, but what exactly could be made from it?
The grass seeds Lucas bought were excellent—the grass grew tall and juicy, filling and hydrating at the same time.
There were only a few typical foods made from grass. Lucas remembered a place called Greenfield, where the locals made all kinds of dishes from fresh grass.
Maybe he could try something similar.
Carrying the last few baskets of grass towards the storehouse, Lucas sat atop Mudsdale, eyeing the two Sawsbuck. The pink flowers blooming from their antlers were multiplying. Research showed these flowers, pretty but otherwise useless, actually competed with Sawsbuck for nutrients, sometimes slowing the Pokémon's growth.
But now, the Sawsbuck were much healthier than when he and Dragonite rescued them from Lycanroc—even sharing extra nutrition with the flowers, making them bloom more beautifully than usual.
Tomorrow would be April. In a while, the flowers would wither and fall, and in June—the start of summer—lush leaves would sprout from their antlers. Those leaves could be made into top-grade black tea, which Lucas was looking forward to.
Speaking of tea, Lucas remembered a tea named after a flower crown. The unknown pink flowers on the Sawsbuck's antlers smelled wonderful—maybe they'd make a good flower tea?
He'd check the library at Naranja Academy next time he was there for classes.
The two Sawsbuck, huffing as they carried the grass, hadn't realized that Lucas planned to use not only their summer leaves, but even the flowers they grew in spring.
…
April 1st, Afternoon.
With the last swing of his sickle, Lucas cut down the youngest, juiciest clump of grass, dropping it into the already full basket.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he took a deep, satisfied breath and stretched.
Now that the grass was all cut, he still had time to experiment with making some grass-themed foods. Tomorrow, after class at Naranja Academy and picking new Pokémon at the ranch, he could serve them as a welcome treat.
He strapped the baskets onto Mudsdale's back and patted it. "One last trip—thanks for your help."
"Neigh~"
Mudsdale nodded and headed toward the storehouse.
Not long after, a figure like a baked loaf of bread came running—Dachsbun.
"Dachsbun?"
Lucas was puzzled. Shouldn't Dachsbun be on patrol with Luxray and Arcanine right now? Why come to him?
Dachsbun ran straight over, shaking its head so that the paper in its mouth rustled, catching Lucas's attention.
"This paper's for me?"
Dachsbun nodded emphatically.
Taking the paper, Lucas recognized Oranguru's neat handwriting.
["A guest is visiting; I'm hosting them at home. Please return quickly."]
A guest?
Lucas frowned. No one was scheduled to visit today—and even the uninvited regulars like Nemona and Arven now knew to call before coming. He hadn't gotten any calls.
Or maybe a guest had been brought over by Dragonite, like Reggie and Paul?
No point guessing—he'd just go see for himself.
He patted Dachsbun's head in thanks and watched it trot off to patrol, tail wagging like a propeller, then hurried toward the cottage.
Passing Thunder Lake, he stopped so that Politoed and its group could wash him with Bubble Beam. In the anime, even Dawn's bedhead was tamed by Piplup's Bubble Beam, so cleaning off the day's dust was no problem.
By the time Lucas returned home, he saw Officer Jenny fidgeting in her chair, her gaze drifting to Oranguru, who was refilling her teacup and serving exquisite cake.
Lucas's first thought wasn't "Why is Officer Jenny here?"—but rather, "There shouldn't be any leftover cake in the kitchen. Where did Oranguru get it?"
Glancing into the kitchen, he glimpsed Alcremie's faint form, then recalled the long list of culinary skills in Oranguru's records.
Mystery solved—the cake was freshly made by Oranguru for the guest.
Officer Jenny kept glancing at Oranguru, still amazed. She knew this species was famously clever, but this Oranguru was something else—courteous, brewing fragrant tea, and baking cakes as good as any pâtisserie.
Before she came inside, she'd even seen Oranguru hanging clean laundry outside, and all communication was done via rare telepathy.
Was this some kind of universal butler Pokémon?
Jenny screamed internally, thinking of her own chaotic apartment—piles of trash, clothes and takeout boxes everywhere, and a carefully chosen sofa buried under clothes and stockings.
She never dared host friends at home. If she had a butler like this, her happiness would skyrocket!
Seeing Lucas return and the beautiful cake before her, Jenny couldn't help shedding a tear of envy.
"Guru~"
Oranguru set down another cup of tea and cake for Lucas, then retreated and grabbed a broom to clean upstairs.
"Officer Jenny?"
Noticing Jenny's gaze still following Oranguru's back, Lucas waved a hand in front of her, confused.
Why was she here?
"Oh!"
Jenny snapped back to reality, looking a bit embarrassed. She pulled a colorful drawing from her briefcase and showed it to Lucas.
"Mr. Lucas, can you recognize these buildings?"
Putting aside all distractions, Jenny went straight to business.
Lucas examined the drawing, raised an eyebrow, and returned it, sipping his tea. "These are the buildings of Mesagoza and Naranja Academy. I work there—I couldn't mistake them."
"You're right."
Jenny nodded, studying Lucas.
If she hadn't checked his files for a case, she wouldn't have known that, besides being a farm owner, he was also a battle studies teacher at Naranja Academy.
But considering the insanely strong Pokémon on his farm, it made sense.
There were some classified files even beyond her clearance, but that wasn't the focus now.
Organizing her thoughts, she explained, "About the information you mentioned regarding the abandoned Grafaiai—after it was sent to the Pokémon Management Office, it painted this picture. The buildings depicted are from Mesagoza and Naranja Academy."
"Grafaiai and Smeargle are both talented artists, but they can't paint things they've never seen. This drawing was made on the theme 'the place that impressed you most.'"
Lucas pondered, then asked, "So you think the trainer who abandoned Grafaiai is either from Mesagoza or a student or teacher at Naranja Academy?"
"Not just possible—the person who abandoned Grafaiai is a student at Naranja Academy."
Jenny pulled out a stack of files, highlighting key points for Lucas.
"All the victims who were poisoned by Grafaiai have one thing in common: they either have a student from Naranja Academy in the family, or have hosted someone in an Naranja Academy uniform."
"Mr. Lucas, as a teacher, you must have hosted students at your home before?"
"I have."
Lucas's expression was complicated. Both Arven and Nemona had visited his farm in their school uniforms. Had Grafaiai marked him as a target ever since?
"Grafaiai's motives are twofold: anger at being abandoned, and, unable to take direct revenge, it targeted those close to the abandoner. That makes it highly likely the person who abandoned it is a student at Naranja Academy."
Jenny calmly laid out her findings.
Lucas stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see. So, you want me to help uncover the abandoner, using my position at Naranja Academy?"
"Wouldn't it be faster for you to ask Mesagoza police to handle it?"
Jenny shook her head. "We can't do that. Naranja Academy is a historic institution in Paldea—without decisive evidence, we can't just go in and arrest someone. That's likely why the abandoner feels so secure."
Lucas didn't answer directly, instead asking, "So what do you want me to do? I can't just search every student at the Academy."
"Don't underestimate our information network."
Jenny smiled. She was fully prepared.
She placed another stack of photos and documents on the table.
"These are all the current students who've caught either a Shroodle or a Grafaiai."
Looks like it's time to get moving—the familiar faces from Naranja Academy are about to be drawn in. The Star Team's fate will be changed for good.