Lucas had previously checked and determined that the two Sawsbuck he brought back from Casseroya Lake were one female and one male. They seemed to have grown up together as childhood friends, with no blood relation.
Moreover, seeing how gently the Sawsbuck were accepting the newly arrived Skiddo, Lucas realized they might be good at taking care of baby Pokémon.
He felt that, among all the single Pokémon on his farm, these two might become a couple in the future. When the time was right, they might even bring him a surprise.
After the Sawsbuck finished licking the Skiddo, as if performing some mysterious ritual, the two Skiddo bleated happily and snuggled up to the large Sawsbuck.
Seeing this, Lucas smiled and didn't disturb the Pokémon as they bonded. Instead, he and Oranguru quickly installed the feed troughs and, after glancing at the Sawsbuck leading the Skiddo to the freshest, tastiest grass, he turned and left.
With two elders to care for the newcomers, Lucas no longer had to worry about the Skiddo fitting in.
But it was precisely the Sawsbuck's sense of responsibility toward their group that had caught Lucas's eye when he'd rescued them from the Lycanroc.
Their kindness toward the Skiddo was only natural.
Lucas muttered, "Next up is arranging a home for the Nacli."
Oranguru, quietly walking beside him, used telepathy to suggest, "We should build a salt house for the Nacli, just like you said, like the one on the Ellie Ranch."
"We definitely need a salt house. I'll contact the Machamp Construction Team later. This building is absolutely necessary for the Nacli's health and for us to collect their rock salt."
Lucas nodded slightly. After seeing the clever design of the salt house at the Ellie Ranch, he'd always planned to build one himself, since he now owned Nacli too.
As Nacli move, their bodies rub against the ground, shedding rock salt onto the path behind them.
Because of this, their bodies naturally wear down, and Nacli have to produce new salt internally to repair themselves. This ties directly into their health and nutrition.
Although it was his first time raising Rock-type Pokémon, Lucas had learned a bit about their diets.
Besides general-purpose Pokémon food, Nacli's favorite food was nutrient-rich soil and various stones with special properties or energy.
Lucas had bought a month's supply of soil from the Ellie Ranch for now.
Ellie had said this soil was from the caves near Zapapico Town, rich in minerals and small stones—perfect for Nacli.
Remembering something, Lucas said to Oranguru, "Let's add this goal to our future plans."
Oranguru nodded, signaling its attention.
Lucas recalled his thoughts and continued, "As for the basic construction you mentioned, I think it's time to make a detailed plan."
"Besides basic roads, electricity, and lighting, we should also rebuild the housing and assign living quarters for each Pokémon based on their needs."
"As for electricity, I have a way to save money. Maybe we can build a storage unit connected to the farm's grid that stores electricity released by Pokémon."
Oranguru paused its fingers on the tablet and frowned. "For power generation... the only Electric-type Pokémon on the farm now is Luxray, right? Won't that be too much for it? Or are you planning to bring in more Electric-types?"
"Not bringing in—it's just a helper who owes me a favor," Lucas shook his head. He wouldn't make Luxray do it. "You know Moltres is my Pokémon, right?"
Oranguru hesitated, then as if noticing something, its pupils contracted.
Could it be...
Lucas explained, "Through Moltres, I met Zapdos. We'll have it generate the power."
"As for food storage during the summer, I might try to find Articuno and—uh, 'invite' it to help us build an icehouse for storing food."
Oranguru: "..."
Only Young Master Lucas could think of such strange uses for legendary Pokémon.
Whether it was Zapdos, which could summon massive lightning storms, or Articuno, which could create unmelting ice even in summer...
Most people would worship these Pokémon, not dare think of using them.
Oranguru was becoming numb to Lucas's antics—unless he brought back another legendary, nothing would surprise it anymore.
Back in the house, Lucas found the living room covered in white salt traces, clearly from the Nacli playing there for a while.
The grains had fallen into the cracks between the wooden floorboards, and would be hard to clean if left too long. The salt house really needed to be built soon.
The salt trail led to the kitchen, where there were also suspicious traces of cream. Clearly, Alcremie was interested in the salt produced by the Nacli and had taken them to try making sweets.
"Guru~"
This time, facing the mess, Oranguru volunteered to clean up. As the butler, it had to keep the house tidy.
Without any helpers, it had to do everything itself.
A purple light flashed in Oranguru's eyes. Psychic energy gathered in its leaf fan, and with a wave, the salt on the floor floated up, forming a small salt tornado that was deposited into a container.
"Wow! Psychic powers are amazing!"
Seeing the floor clean again, Lucas clapped in excitement.
Truly, the convenience and versatility of Psychic powers was off the charts. He wished he could have them himself.
Maybe he should visit Saffron City in Kanto and have Sabrina test his psychic potential someday.
That evening, Lucas called Geeta.
The call lasted about ten minutes. Basically, Lucas was asking if Geeta needed his help with the current cleanup operation. Some groups might resist, and they'd need trainers' strength.
He could even earn a commission from Geeta to fund the farm's future construction. Perfect!
Unfortunately, Geeta had already started gathering information on the troublemakers within Naranja Academy, and said that if the Paldea League couldn't handle these people, she'd have no business being the chairwoman.
Lucas's crucial clues had already done their job, and now he just had to wait. Geeta would soon return Naranja Academy to a clean environment, even if it meant damaging its reputation.
Better a quick cut than letting a tumor fester—maybe Naranja Academy could be reborn from the ashes.
Geeta's decisiveness impressed Lucas. That must be why she could be both the top Champion and the Paldea League Chairwoman.
Since Geeta had it under control, Lucas stopped worrying about the academy's cleanup.
After dinner, Lucas sat in the living room, holding his small Mimikyu, with Serperior curled beside him and Dragonite at his back. He turned on the TV left by the previous owner.
The TV was actually broken, but Lucas thought the living room needed a TV for atmosphere, so he kept it as decoration.
It was an old model, probably with no spare parts available in town.
This changed when Oranguru arrived.
Somehow, Oranguru managed to get it working again, and Lucas was amazed, wondering just how many skills Oranguru had.
The TV's picture quality was poor, but it was still connected and could get most channels. In the evenings, Lucas would sometimes watch TV with his Pokémon and enjoy some leisure.
Tonight, Lucas was focused on a world-class classic movie starring the famous actress Diantha—Kalos Holiday. Diantha's every expression captivated the viewers, and the romantic story had Mimikyu, Dragonite, and Serperior all excited, their heads filled with pink bubbles.
Just then, Serperior's swinging tail accidentally hit the remote, switching the TV to the Pokémon Battle Channel.
The channel was showing a live battle. Serperior wanted to switch back, but Lucas froze when he saw a familiar boy on the screen.
That boy, wearing the League hat—Lucas remembered seeing him from a distance on New Island during the Mewtwo incident. He hadn't spoken with him, but that trainer was Ash.
Back then, Lucas had no time to chat, and after resolving things with Mewtwo, Mewtwo sent Ash and the others back to the port.
Now, looking at Ash's opponent—who looked a lot like Ash himself—he realized it was a Butterfree vs. Squirtle battle. The text at the bottom read: "Indigo League, Round 5, Top 16 to Top 8, Ash vs. Ritchie." Lucas instantly understood.
This was the match where Ash lost in his first League Conference!
"Serperior~"
Serperior tapped Lucas with its vine. Why was he spacing out? It wanted to watch Kalos Holiday.
Just one look at the Butterfree and Squirtle confirmed to Serperior that this was a battle between newbies. It was normal for Lucas to watch videos of Gym Leaders or Champions, but why watch this?
Mimikyu and Dragonite also looked at Lucas in confusion.
By now, Squirtle had lost to Butterfree, and Ash sent out his closest partner—Pikachu.
As Pikachu came out, Lucas's frown slowly relaxed, and he let out a short, sharp breath, as if in realization.
Something had felt off the whole time, but now, seeing Pikachu, the smoke cleared.
Even through the poor TV picture, Lucas could see that Pikachu was in top condition. Nothing seemed strange, but because Lucas clearly remembered the outcome of this match, he felt a sense of incongruity.
In his memory, because of Team Rocket's interference, Ash's Pokémon, including Pikachu, were not in their best state, and Charizard's disobedience led to Ash losing in the Top 16.
But this time, it was different. Pikachu, in top form, swept through Butterfree and Charmander, then faced Ritchie's Pikachu, Sparky.
Ash's Pikachu then displayed power far above Sparky's, achieving a clean sweep and taking Ash into the quarterfinals.
This meant the established future had changed.
Pikachu, for some unknown reason, was stronger than before. Team Rocket's interference didn't matter, and with little loss of stamina, Ash and Pikachu overwhelmed Ritchie.
This could have huge effects on the future. If Ash didn't lose in the Top 16, would he still travel to the Orange Islands?
If not, who would stop the disaster on Asia Island?
The three legendary birds of the Orange Islands were special—their safety affected not just Kanto, but the world's climate. Even if it took time for the effects to reach Paldea, disaster would still come.
Lucas thought of Mewtwo, whom he'd convinced to visit the Orange Islands and philosophize with Slowking, and the traveling Delibird. They would be facing climate change directly.
Mewtwo would probably be fine even if the Orange Islands sank, but Delibird might be in danger.