Four o'clock in the afternoon.
Lucas returned to the farm on time and introduced Gimmighoul, the new member, to Calyrex and Oranguru, who were having tea in the house.
After listening to Gimmighoul's story, Calyrex set down its teacup and praised:
"The fact that you can recognize and correct your mistakes is already very good."
In Calyrex's view, everyone made mistakes—even it, a former king who could faintly glimpse the future and was now a farmer.
Gimmighoul's mistake was nothing unforgivable.
"Ding~"
Standing on the table, hearing Calyrex's telepathy, Gimmighoul hid behind Lucas's hand, nervous. Even though Calyrex's aura was gentle, its keen senses could feel the terrifying power contained within that small body.
Aside from Lucas, Gimmighoul still wasn't very good at dealing with other people or Pokémon.
Lucas threw Calyrex a helpless look. Calyrex didn't mind, only shook its head and asked Oranguru in curiosity:
"Lucas asked you to make a new treasure chest for Gimmighoul to live in. You can do carpentry?"
Oranguru nodded modestly. "I studied a little during my spare time at butler academy."
Calyrex looked at Oranguru in pleasant surprise, its voice full of appreciation.
"If I'd had such an all around butler as you back then, life would have been much more interesting."
Hearing the exchange between the two Pokémon, Lucas smiled, took a sip of his iced milk tea, and let the smooth, cold liquid slide down his throat, washing away the summer heat.
"Perfect."
He sighed contentedly, then used his thumb to rub Gimmighoul's little head.
"You don't like daylight, right? Until Oranguru finishes making your new treasure chest, you can stay in the box Raifort used to store the old coins."
Gimmighoul nodded frantically like a pecking chick. Even if Calyrex meant no harm, just being near it made Gimmighoul feel like its heart was going to leap out of its chest.
If possible, it wanted to hide in its house right now.
Unfortunately, its original treasure chest was long gone.
Seeing how downcast it was, Lucas didn't know how to comfort it. All he could do was wait until Oranguru finished the new chest.
After all, the Gimmighoul species' habit was to put the ancient Paldean coins they collected back into their treasure chests—but according to Gimmighoul, its chest had been lost in Asado Desert and was probably destroyed by now.
A short while later.
Lucas placed the box on the middle shelf of a cabinet. Above it were the new plates and cups he'd bought after Alcremie started systematically studying dessert-making. The patterns and styles were all different, chosen completely according to Alcremie's mood and the type of dessert it was serving that day.
Before leaving, Lucas reminded Gimmighoul:
"Don't knock over those plates and cups. If you make Alcremie mad, I might not be able to hold her back. You don't want to eat a Dazzling Gleam from her, do you?"
As he spoke, Lucas couldn't help remembering the miserable scene from not long ago, when Arcanine had knocked over a brand new set of dishes he'd just brought home.
The floor had been covered in sharp shards, which hadn't been enough to get through Arcanine's thick skin—but Alcremie's furious Dazzling Gleam had nearly blinded the poor dog. Its fur, tough enough to withstand time in magma, had been singed into tangles.
After that, once it had cried its heart out in Moltres's arms, Arcanine started going the long way around whenever it saw Alcremie.
Taking Lucas's words very seriously, Gimmighoul poked its head out of the box, nodded nervously, then shrank back in and lay down properly on its bed of twenty six old Paldean coins—its million coin mattress—and drifted off to sleep, determined to stay still.
Once Gimmighoul was settled, Lucas headed for the farming area with Calyrex, who had been waiting for some time.
Oranguru, meanwhile, went out to look for suitable materials for the new treasure chest.
The bright sunlight outside woke up Cosmog, perched among the flowers on Calyrex's great crown. As they passed the chicken coop on the edge of the fields, they saw not only a flock of growing chicks in the pen outside, but also Arboliva's ever-larger form, standing quietly in the sun and casting a protective shade over them.
In the shadow cast by Arboliva's body, alongside the chicks, Victini was also there.
Now freed, it could appear anywhere on the farm at any time, so Lucas wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Cosmog, on the other hand, called out happily and floated off Calyrex's head into the pen, looking for its little friend to play with.
Unfortunately, Victini, sound asleep, didn't wake no matter how Cosmog called.
Instead, the motionless Arboliva moved its branch-like arms and gently stroked Cosmog's head with its leaves, letting out a kindly cry.
"Arboli?" (Child, do you want to sleep a bit too?)
It had to be said, there seemed to be real magic in Arboliva's motherly tone. Cosmog had just woken up, but suddenly it felt drowsy again.
Yawning, Cosmog floated down beside the sleeping Victini. Before long, it too was sleeping like a baby.
The sight made both Lucas and Calyrex feel amused and a little helpless.
Lucas lifted the camera hanging around his neck and took a picture of them.
With a click, Arboliva—shielding its two children from the blazing sun—was captured in that serene moment.
Incidentally, although this camera model was the same as his previous one, the original had been sent via an ultra long distance transmission to the traveling Delibird in Johto.
Delibird seemed to be near Goldenrod City now, and word from Kanto said that the saplings of the Gold–Silver Berries were almost ready. Once he collected them at Indigo Plateau, he planned to swing by Goldenrod to surprise Delibird.
After taking the photo, Lucas gave Arboliva a trusting look and said quietly:
"I'll leave them with you."
Arboliva nodded gently, not making a sound, so as not to wake the two cute little ones.
Last time Lucas had watched Arboliva train the Rookidee and Corviknight flock, its blisteringly fast Seed Bombs had even impressed Calyrex.
So Calyrex trusted Arboliva completely and believed it could take good care of Cosmog, who spent at least twenty-three of every twenty-four hours asleep.
On the way to the fields, thinking of Arboliva led Lucas to think of the Corviknight flock patrolling the skies above the farm. Calyrex asked curiously:
"The Tinkatink, indispensable for reforging the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield—will they really attack Corviknight?"
Lucas thought for a moment before answering.
"To be precise, they'll attack any Pokémon with a steel body. Pokemon like Kingambit, Copperajah, Magnezone, Bronzong, Revavroom, Orthworm—they're all targets."
"It's just that the story of them using their hammers to knock stones into the sky and shoot down Corviknight is so famous that Corviknight became the poster child."
"Of course, if you let the Tinkaton choose, they'd probably still prioritize Corviknight."
Calyrex nodded in understanding and added:
"In my time, Corviknight feathers were a very important resource. Craftsmen even mixed refined Corviknight feathers into the metal when forging swords and shields."
"Needed for repairs as well?" Lucas asked, thinking.
"A small amount." Calyrex nodded. "But what's more important is having a skilled artisan. Only one is enough, as long as their talent is good."
"Repairing is not as demanding as building from scratch. It doesn't require many craftsmen working together—only an excellent artisan, patient and persistent."
"I see."
Lucas took Calyrex's words to heart and made a mental note to keep an eye out for a particularly gifted Tinkatink later, so he could lure them to the farm and train a true master smith.
When Lucas and Calyrex reached the limited plots of cultivated land, the Pokémon were already waiting.
The grass-type squad able to team up for a composite Grassy Terrain—three Eldegoss, Comfey, plus two young Skiddo who were there to observe and learn—had gathered. Serperior, who couldn't manage Grassy Terrain even with Tapu Bulu's expert tutoring, was also there.
The only two ground-types, Mudsdale—who was getting more and more like its master with every use of High Horsepower and was on track to create pitch-black super-soil one day—and Swampert, its helper, were on site as well.
When they saw Lucas and Calyrex, the Pokémon all called out in welcome.
Lucas greeted them with a smile, while Calyrex's gaze fell on Serperior's intense stare.
It knew that as a fellow grass-type, Serperior was feeling pressured by the difference in their strength.
Thinking of something, Calyrex smiled and sent Serperior a mental message, inviting it to join its sparring session with Luxray.
Possessing overwhelming power, Calyrex didn't mind becoming a sparring partner for his friends' Pokémon. On the contrary, it wished for nothing more than to help them grow stronger.
Serperior gave Calyrex a grateful look and slithered over to Lucas's side, tail tip swaying.
Once everyone was gathered, Lucas looked first to Mudsdale and Swampert, then pointed at the patches of wasteland he'd already marked out.
"You two go ahead and open up the fields first!"
Mudsdale and Swampert nodded in unison. Swampert used Stomping Tantrum to crush the rocks mixed in the soil, and then Mudsdale, its hooves glowing earth yellow, used High Horsepower–like plowing to till the ground and enrich the soil.
With the combined efforts of the two Pokémon, two new plots of farmland were quickly prepared.
With Pokémon around, farming really did become much easier.
Dusty and dirt-streaked, Mudsdale and Swampert backed off. Under Lucas's orders, Comfey led the three Eldegoss and the two Skiddo, who were working hard at using Grassy Terrain, to apply their composite Grassy Terrain to nourish the fields and enhance the nutrients in the soil, so they could grow high-quality crops.
"I can feel a very dense life force. So this is the technique taught by that land guardian, Tapu Bulu? Quite impressive!"
Watching from the side, Calyrex spoke approvingly of the composite Grassy Terrain's effect and craftsmanship.
The fact that it did not simply display its power and bless the fields directly showed that, even with the King of Bountiful Harvests present, Lucas did not intend for Comfey and the Eldegoss to be made obsolete.
The place where Calyrex's power was needed was not here.
But as it observed the grass-types carefully, Calyrex suddenly noticed something and fixed its gaze on the two Skiddo striving in the lush green field to merge their own Grassy Terrain into the composite one.
If it wasn't mistaken—
Originally not intending to intervene, Calyrex sent a mental wave to Lucas, who was staring at them intently.
"If I am not mistaken, they're only one step away from evolution. Do you need my help?"
Lucas froze for a moment and looked over.
"Baa-aa!"
The two Skiddo were shaking their leaflike manes with all their might, hoping to channel their internal grass energy more effectively.
They spent their days peacefully eating grass, but at dawn, when they provided their milk, they wanted to do more for the farm and home that sheltered them.
They wanted to master the essentials of composite Grassy Terrain so they could help relieve the burden on the Sawsbuck brothers and sisters who maintained the pastures.
Seeing them work so hard, what reason did Lucas have to refuse Calyrex?
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Calyrex nodded and floated toward the center of the two nourished plots.
Serperior's tail tip swayed; its eyes never left Calyrex for a second.
Whether it was Calyrex's way of using grass energy or anything else, Serperior wanted to learn it all.
Hovering over the middle of the fields, Calyrex closed its eyes and began to circulate the power of bountiful harvest. A vast yet gentle wave spread out from it.
It was a ripple of pure, life-filled grass-type energy. Even someone at Serperior's level felt its own already-vigorous life force grow stronger.
Comfey and the others suddenly felt a light breeze brush their cheeks, and the grass-type power in their bodies seemed to be sublimated, growing more active and full of life.
They could sense someone was blessing them.
Even as a fairy-type, Comfey, who was deeply connected to plants, clearly felt its life force steadily and firmly rising.
This power could only be…
At the edge of the field, the two Skiddo felt it even more strongly.
Most of that power surged into their bodies, like a key unlocking the energy they had accumulated over the past few months, triggering a leap in their very life-level.
Hum—
With a faint buzz, the two Skiddo froze, and a bright, milky-white glow wrapped around them. Evolution had begun!
Under the shroud of evolution light, their bodies grew bigger and taller. The horns on their heads lengthened, curling into long, curved goat horns.
In an instant, it was like they'd grown up. Their once-innocent eyes turned more determined, and the patch of grass on their backs grew lusher and richer in color, with more layers.
A moment later, the light of evolution faded.
Two transformed Gogoat appeared before Lucas and the other Pokémon. Whether it was due to Calyrex's influence or not, each was nearly two meters tall, significantly larger than their kin, and the surging life force radiating from them made it hard to believe they were freshly evolved.
Even Milo of Galar's Turffield Gym, and the famed Gogoat King of his ranch, would only be about at this level!