"Baa baa baa~" (Come drink some milk~)
For the Skiddos, their nutrient-rich goat milk was their proudest offering. Inviting the Pokémon to drink it was like giving them their most prized gift.
This would let them make friends at lightning speed.
The two Skiddos couldn't help but feel a bit smug inside.
Even though the two Skiddos' faces were full of invitation, the entire room fell silent as if muted by them.
Through the telepathic translation synced from Oranguru, Lucas couldn't help but cover his face, feeling his brain tremble.
The Skiddos were openly inviting the Pokémon to drink their goat milk. Lucas couldn't fathom what kind of bizarre thought process led to such an action.
None of the Pokémon dared to openly drink the Skiddos' milk under so many watchful eyes. But as the Skiddos' expressions grew more and more off, even showing signs of distress, Lucas felt a chill in his heart.
He exchanged pleading looks with Luxray and the others, but they all averted their gazes.
If this continued, the bold Skiddos might end up shutting down from this epic failure, which was something Lucas didn't want to see.
The Pokémon on the farm should be full of vitality, healthy, and happy.
As if resigning himself to fate, Lucas took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and under the admiring gazes of the Pokémon, walked toward the panicking Skiddos.
If I don't go to hell, who will?
…
April 3rd, morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Lucas, who was curled up in a ball under the covers on the bed.
"Guru, guru guru."
Oranguru patiently shook Lucas. Though it was urging him to get up, its tone was very slow and gentle, as if being considerate of something.
Lucas, hiding under the covers, had actually woken up long ago—even when Serperior and the others went out to tend the fields.
It was now 9 AM, and Lucas rarely slept in this late. Though his mind was clear, he kept replaying last night's socially mortifying scene, robbing him of the courage to leave the covers.
Oranguru was a bit helpless. Actually, after the initial burst of laughter, the Pokémon who came to their senses greatly admired Lucas.
They could foresee that if they were ever in the Skiddos' position in the future, Lucas would probably help them out too.
Under Oranguru's guidance, Lucas finally mustered the will to leave the covers. And just as Oranguru said, the Pokémon were especially clingy to him today, as if drawing a sense of security from him.
Lucas had Alcremie on his left shoulder, Mimikyu on his right, and nothing on his head... wait, no Pokémon on top. Comfey had gone off to perform its routine Grassy Terrain.
Led by Oranguru, Lucas reached the door and spotted a row of wooden feeding troughs leaning against the wall.
It had been pitch dark when he returned last night, so he hadn't noticed them.
"Did you make these?"
Lucas examined the finely crafted wooden troughs in surprise. They seemed to be made with joinery techniques to avoid any risk of injuring the Pokémon, without a single nail.
Oranguru nodded. Not only that, but it had designed them to fit perfectly on the pasture fences based on their dimensions.
However, it couldn't have done this alone.
Oranguru's gaze fell on Mimikyu on Lucas's shoulder, and its telepathy rang out: "Thanks to Mimikyu, Ceruledge, and the others for cutting the wood, and Dragonite and the rest for polishing with Air Slash. Otherwise, I couldn't have done it on my own."
"No matter what, thank you for your hard work, Oranguru! And you too, Mimikyu!"
Lucas felt that Oranguru refreshed his perceptions every day. Picking such a butler with maxed-out skills in multiple areas—his luck was truly absurd.
Lucas was about to say, "Let's move the troughs to the pasture area right away, then let the Skiddos still in their Poké Balls get familiar with the environment."
Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Lucas took it out, unlocked the screen, and his eyes lit up upon seeing the new message and photo.
"Oranguru, look!" Lucas handed the phone to Oranguru.
"Guru~?"
Oranguru took the phone curiously, its steady expression freezing for a moment before breaking into a relieved smile.
[To the esteemed Mr. Lucas and Oranguru: After my continuous efforts and explanations, Luxio has forgiven me and agreed to become my partner and return with me to Lumiose City. From now on, every day we'll grow together—not just to become a competent Gym Leader, but I won't neglect my inventions either.]
[Through this lesson, I've deeply understood how important communication is. Luxio and I have decided to create an invention that allows people and Pokémon to understand and communicate with each other. We already have some ideas.]
[Finally, Luxio asked me to say hello to Butler Oranguru on its behalf. Luxio is very grateful for the guidance and food it provided during that time. If we get the chance, we'll definitely visit Paldea—Clemont and Luxio.]
After Clemont's heartfelt words, there was an attached photo.
The background was the Lumiose Gym. Meyer had his arms around Clemont and Bonnie, with Luxio sitting proudly in front of them. Both people and Pokémon wore big smiles, bringing a warm grin to anyone's face.
Lucas and Oranguru exchanged smiles, and Alcremie let out a happy laugh.
In regions and cities they weren't in, the friends they knew were also improving—truly a heartwarming thing.
"These are the Skiddos. They'll be living in the pasture from now on, so everyone, get along harmoniously."
Lucas gently nudged the Skiddos, whose affection for him had maxed out due to last night's events, toward Mudsdale and the Sawbucks.
Seeing these three tall Pokémon, especially the strong-looking Mudsdale, the Skiddos hesitated for a moment. But remembering last night, they boldly approached.
Mudsdale wasn't particularly interested in the newcomers. As long as the Skiddos didn't mess with its beloved mud pits, even adding two more roommates to the spacious pasture was fine.
The Sawbucks, perhaps because they had spent time in herds themselves, could understand the Skiddos' urgent need to integrate into the farm environment. Plus, sharing the Grass-type affinity, the two Sawbucks extended their goodwill—
They lowered their heads and gently licked the Skiddos' faces, just like they used to lick the young Deerlings in their herd.