The evolution of the Gogoat instantly drew all the other Pokémon's attention.
The Eldegoss stopped maintaining Grassy Terrain. Before they could even savor the extra surging stamina and vitality in their bodies, they were already hopping over to the newly evolved Gogoat, circling around them and crying out in amazement.
The Skiddo that had already been a bit bigger than them before had now become even taller than Luxray!
The Eldegoss were consumed with envy.
Seeing that both Gogoat had finished evolving, Calyrex quietly stopped channeling its power of abundance and, like Lucas, walked up to the two Gogoat who were looking at him with gratitude. He patiently asked them how they were feeling.
A moment later, after listening to both of their answers, a look of joy surfaced on Lucas's face.
After evolving, the two Gogoat felt an immense, ceaseless stream of life energy flowing through their bodies. Even their affinity for the omnipresent Grass-type energy in nature had surged dramatically.
They had even learned a number of new moves:
"Bulk Up," "Double-Edge," "Horn Leech," "Earthquake," "Synthesis," and "Energy Ball."
With such a spread of powerful, versatile moves, the power-up the two Gogoat received was practically exponential.
Even if Lucas still wasn't about to rely on them for farm security, a rise in strength was always a welcome surprise.
While stroking the horns of the Gogoat—said to be able to synchronize with their Trainer's feelings—Lucas turned his head to look at Calyrex's indifferent face, his own expression full of amazement.
So this was the power of a Legendary Pokémon. Just a casual display could bring such a massive change not only to the Gogoat, but to all the Grass-type Pokémon on the farm.
A short while later—
Under Lucas's gaze, a composite Grassy Terrain was once again spread over the land, this time cast by a team of six: Florges leading the charge, joined by the two newly arrived Gogoat and several other Pokémon.
Under the blanket of soft green light, the soil in the two fields visibly improved at a speed discernible to the naked eye. Just staring at it, you could sense the overflowing vitality seeping within.
Once the composite Grassy Terrain finished nourishing the fields, Serperior slithered forward, extending two green vines from its neckline deep into the soil. It closed its regal rose-red eyes and carefully felt out the nutrients in the dirt.
Before long, Serperior opened its eyes with a startled look, retracted the vines, and called out to Lucas and Calyrex.
"Jya-gon!"
Perhaps the addition of new members had pushed the nourishing power of the composite Grassy Terrain to a new level.
This time, the soil's nutrient density was better than any previous attempt. Serperior even had a hunch that if they used this soil to force-grow the roots for Frenzy Plant, then not just the hardness, but also the quality and striking power of the roots would see a major leap.
In Lucas's main team, Serperior was top-tier in both fine control over its own power and in sensory ability.
Lucas had absolute faith in its conclusions.
With a pleased expression, he shot Calyrex a look that clearly meant "this should about do it," and Calyrex nodded back in acknowledgment.
Calyrex slowly closed its eyes. An invisible psychic wave spread outward in an instant, enveloping the entire farm.
This psychic wave was extremely subtle. Aside from a handful of mainstays like Luxray and Oranguru—who also specialized in psychic training—no one noticed a thing. Not even the Moltres, who was grooming its feathers and wondering when it should go home to soak in a magma hot spring again, nor the lazily sunbathing Raging Bolt noticed it.
In the ice cellar, Glastrier was lying on the ground, looking rather depressed. It felt like it must be ill.
Take a look at its neighbors in the ice cellar:
Regice, standing there like a wooden post, lost in who-knew-what kind of thoughts.
The two Sandslash, whose wariness was through the roof—they guarded their place like it was a vault, even leaving a Pokémon behind on watch when they went out to eat, as if thieves were everywhere.
Glastrier felt that if this went on much longer, it was going to get sick from sheer boredom.
Just as Glastrier was silently wallowing in gloom, slipping into "sad playlist mode" in broad daylight, an invisible psychic wave poured into its mind, instantly lifting its spirits.
The fields are done. If we attempt a little modification, we should be able to plant Iceroot Carrot!
Glastrier sprang to its feet, trotted excitedly to the cellar exit, and then bounded toward the source of the psychic wave like a giddy, foolish deer.
…
Elsewhere—
Shadow Rider Spectrier, who had been dueling with Mimikyu and Ceruledge from inside the house's shadows, also sensed Calyrex's psychic wave. After saying a temporary goodbye to the two, it hurried straight toward Calyrex's location, despite not being very fond of daylight.
By the time the two steeds arrived, Lucas had already directed the other Pokémon in planting all the carrot seeds he'd hauled back from Freezington.
Calyrex was even trying, for once, not to use psychic power. Instead, it imitated Lucas—holding a bag of seeds, bending down, and sprinkling a suitable amount into each small pit.
"Rain Dance."
At Lucas's call, Swampert—who wasn't exactly the best at precision control—summoned a rain cloud that was on the generous side, providing enough water to soak the soil in the two new fields so plants could grow.
"Ssshhhee~"
Glastrier and Spectrier had just arrived and saw this scene. Their already heightened excitement became obvious, their emotions visibly spiking.
It had only been a week, but they missed the Iceroot Carrot and Shaderoot Carrot dearly, as if suffering through years in just a few days. The bitter days were finally coming to an end!
Now that both beloved steeds had arrived, Calyrex floated gracefully onto Glastrier's back. The instant it grasped the Reins of Unity, Calyrex's vast psychic power poured into Glastrier through the reins, amplifying its Ice-type energy tremendously.
Seeing Calyrex and Glastrier enter a true rider-and-steed unity, Lucas's breathing unconsciously grew a bit heavier and more hurried.
Nervously, he watched as Calyrex raised its right hand and began pouring Ice-type power into the field, causing the vibrant soil to become coated in a thick layer of frost at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This was the optimal solution that he, Oranguru, and Calyrex had discussed and agreed upon beforehand.
Normally, there's almost no way a field saturated with Ice-type energy could allow radishes that prefer 5°C to 25°C to grow properly.
By the same logic, ordinary crops couldn't possibly germinate and mature normally under the influence of Ghost-type energy, which instinctively absorbs and erodes life force.
And yet, in the Crown Tundra's Snowslide Slope ravine and the old cemeteries, the fields there could grow Iceroot Carrot and Shaderoot Carrot.
The most baffling point, after discussion between the three, finally had an answer.
If Ice-type energy and Ghost-type energy determine what direction the carrots' growth takes, then the land soaked in Calyrex's power of abundance is the incubator that lets these special carrots grow at all.
Because the Crown Tundra's fields had once been blessed by Calyrex's Harvest King power, even fields with normally incompatible energies—like the old graveyard and the snowy ravine—could still grow their specific crops.
Once the entire field was covered with a thick frost, Calyrex stopped, not wanting the seeds to freeze solid, and bestowed a blessing of abundance upon the land.
Then it switched mounts to Spectrier and repeated the process, only this time it amplified Spectrier's ghostly aura with its psychic power instead of Ice-type energy.
After finishing everything, Calyrex let out a small breath of relief.
Lucas stared intently at the two fields: one exuding curls of cold mist, the other wafting wisps of purple fog similar to what swirled beneath Spectrier's hooves. He waited quietly for Calyrex to carry out the final step of verification.
The green bud atop Calyrex's head began to shine with blue light. A surging tide of energy washed over the two plots, rapidly accelerating growth and flooding the crops with nutrients needed for instant maturation.
Moments later, plump Iceroot Carrot and Shaderoot Carrot broke through the soil, completely filling the fields. Glastrier and Spectrier were practically drooling.
It was the first time the Eldegoss had ever seen Calyrex force-grow crops. Their eyes were wide; it felt like their worldview had been completely shattered.
If Calyrex really wanted to, didn't that mean they'd be instantly out of a job?
With Calyrex's permission, Glastrier and Spectrier neighed joyfully and each dove into the field matching their own type, indulging in their favorite food.
From now on, these two plots would be dedicated exclusively to their beloved carrots.
With this major task completed and Glastrier and Spectrier's moods effectively stabilized, Lucas and Calyrex then went to pick up Victini and Cosmog from the Arboliva Daycare and headed straight home.
As soon as he opened the door, Lucas ran into Luxray waiting for him, an envelope clamped in its mouth.
He took the thick envelope from Luxray. Under the curious gaze of Calyrex and Luxray, he glanced at the sender and the address.
The moment he saw "Alder" and "Pokémon Advanced Medical Research Institute," delight flashed across his face.
"They finally wrote back!"
Calyrex blinked but said nothing, merely watching in silence with Luxray as Lucas opened the envelope and read through the papers inside.
Only after he'd finished reading did Calyrex ask curiously, "What is it?"
Lucas let out a long breath, unable to hide the joy in his expression. "Remember the Herba Mystica I told you about? I used Sister Shuckle's special ability to combine it with mild medicinal herbs and managed to create a few test potions."
"These are the lab's analysis results and feedback from the people who used them."
Lucas briefly summarized the contents of the reply.
He had sent two samples: one fermented by Sister Shuckle and one by Little Brother Shuckle.
As expected, once the results were quantified, there was a full twofold difference between the two.
In other words, Sister Shuckle could draw out the Sour Herba Mystica's potential to a far greater extent.
Faced with such a crushing disparity, it was fortunate that Lucas had already helped Little Brother Shuckle find its own area of expertise. Even if he told it the truth, he was confident it wouldn't be too hurt.
While these potions couldn't quite match Sacred Ash—the Kanto League's treasured relic—they still counted among the very best panaceas in the world.
Lucas set aside the detailed data report, planning to bring it to Nurse Joy in Los Platos's Pokémon Center the next day when he went to learn more medical knowledge from her.
He completely ignored the pages where the research institute was frantically asking what on earth these miraculous base ingredients were that could make such potent medicine.
Instead, he showed Calyrex Alder's personal letter.
Having confirmed the potion's outstanding effectiveness, Alder—who finally felt he'd grabbed onto a "single stalk of life-saving straw"—didn't hesitate to give the Sour Herba Mystica potion to his Volcarona.
The result was heartening. Sour Herba Mystica had the mysterious effect of relieving fatigue and restoring stamina. After Sister Shuckle's fermentation further amplified its effect, Volcarona—who had previously been unable even to leave its medical pod—could now fly around and stay active for a while.
Its injuries hadn't truly healed yet, but the stamina it had lost was indeed being replenished.
It wasn't hard to imagine—
After drinking the other four Herba Mystica-based potions one by one, this Volcarona, which already had one foot in the grave, would be dragged back by Lucas and the Shuckle siblings from the hands of the Grim Rea—no, not the Grim Reaper. In this world, that meant being stolen back from Yveltal or Giratina.
Alder's letter was packed with sincere, heartfelt gratitude. After skimming it, Calyrex couldn't help but praise, "This man must care about his partner very deeply."
"Well, it is his first partner. That kind of bond can't be replaced."
Lucas set the letter aside and stroked Luxray's fur, nodding in agreement.
Luxray's ears twitched, a satisfied purr rumbling from its chest. Its tail stood high and curled slightly at the tip, broadcasting its excellent mood.
After happily petting the cat for a while, the time was edging toward dinner. Alcremie had already finished her dessert practice, freed up the kitchen, and was standing atop Ceruledge—who had long been waiting at the doorway—urging Lucas to start cooking.
Before heading out, Lucas wanted to confirm something with Calyrex.
"About that patch of land—did you figure anything out?"
Calyrex knew exactly which field he meant. It nodded slightly. "I have a rough idea. If I intervene, it would consume a huge amount of energy, but I could force it to mature within a day."
At that, Lucas's eyes lit up.
As expected of the King of Bountiful Harvests—even the Herba Mystica could be accelerated by its power.
Overjoyed, Lucas waved a hand. "Energy's not an issue. We've got Victini."
He pointed to the side, where Victini—just woken by the irresistible smell of Alcremie's test desserts—was wobbling through the air toward the kitchen.
"I know." Calyrex understood what he meant, but shook its head again. "The mysterious plant I've never seen before is indeed wondrous. But I have a feeling—if I simply flood it with my power of abundance, then yes, it will mature earlier… but I cannot guarantee that it will reach its optimal effect."
"I fear we still need another type of energy—something I haven't encountered."
At that, Lucas frowned slightly, sinking into thought.
"Another kind of energy…"
Beyond life energy, what else would Herba Mystica need?
Whatever it was had to be something unusual—at least something Calyrex had never seen. Maybe it was unique to Paldea.
And considering that Herba Mystica had never appeared in any region other than Paldea, Lucas felt he might have snagged a clue.
"Could it be… Terastal energy?"
…
League Calendar, Year 798, August 13th.
After making sure the Corviknight squad had successfully shipped every customer's Moomoo Milk and dairy products, Lucas rode Dragonite and headed to Naranja Academy early.
Besides the fact that the day's lesson was somewhat special and required advance prep, he also met with Geeta once more and heard some good news from her.
The Indigo League had notified her that the saplings for the Gold-Silver berry trees were ready and asked when they should come collect them.
The Indigo side could have delivered them straight to Paldea, but Lucas wanted to choose in person, picking saplings with the strongest life force.
As he was leaving, Geeta, as if suddenly remembering something, smiled and asked, "Confident about today's matches?"
Lucas scratched his chin, looking a bit unsure. "That depends on my luck."
Geeta wasn't surprised he didn't give his usual firm answer of "I'll win."
After all, today's Naranja Academy event tested not only a Trainer's fundamentals, but also their luck.
The faculty-versus-Gym Leaders event Geeta and Director Clavell had organized for the Naranja students would have teachers battle Paldea's eight Gym Leaders in front of the entire student body.
The Academy boasted a powerful staff: not only was there a Champion-level Trainer like Lucas, but also Hassel, a current Elite Four member, and even Tyme, the former Montenevera Gym Leader.
Even with that star power, today's results were still anyone's guess.
If everyone could use their own teams, Lucas was pretty sure he could chop his way from one end of Paldea to the other without stopping.
But the whole point of this event was to "spark an interest in battling among ordinary Naranja students."
To preserve both fun and unpredictability, both sides would use Pokémon provided by the Academy—chosen completely at random.
You had no idea whether you'd pull a Magikarp or a Caterpie, nor what held item you'd draw. With that much RNG, not even Lucas could talk big about a guaranteed win.
If he pulled a Kricketune while Iono drew a Corviknight, Staraptor, Gyarados, or even Salamence, and his item turned out to be something useless like a pretty feather, he honestly didn't know how many brain cells he'd have to burn for a win.
Watching Lucas's departing back, Geeta considered asking her secretary to reschedule that afternoon's meetings so she could watch the matches herself.
It was sure to be entertaining.
Leaving the Chairman's office, Lucas walked straight toward the school grounds.
It wasn't even nine in the morning yet, but the courtyard was already packed.
From a distance, he could see Giacomo—the still-reigning Student Council President—leading the other council members in maintaining order.
After all, many of Paldea's Gym Leaders were celebrities in their own right.
Whether it was the famed artist Brassius, the Cortondo bakery's stylish owner Katy, the world-famous rapper Ryme, or the founder of a globally known cosmetics brand, Tulip; or even former pro snowboarder Grusha—every one of them boasted sky-high popularity.
Using the Gym Leaders' other identities to pull in students who didn't care about battles… Geeta and Clavell had truly outdone themselves.
Lucas's arrival was like dropping a bomb into an already-energetic crowd.
If you had to pick one person in today's battles who'd outshine even an Elite Four member and art teacher like Hassel, it would definitely be Lucas, this Champion-level Trainer.
In the crowd, Iono—the least known among the Gym Leaders, probably only barely outpacing Larry's "ordinary salaryman" persona—spotted him, her eyes sparkling. She darted up to him with a single stride and, baring her trademark shark-like teeth toward her viewers, shouted on-stream:
"Today is Iono's revenge match, my highlight moment! Get ready to be absolutely wrecked, Mr. New Champ!"
Iono kept her energetic streamer style on full blast. Lucas's gaze slid to the Poké Ball in her hand, labeled with a small tag, and one eyebrow rose.
Looked like she'd drawn a pretty good card. What kind of Pokémon would it be?
He didn't panic at all. Instead, he smiled faintly. "Is it not possible that matchups will be randomized today, with no say from you?"
"Or… are you confident you can beat one-in-eight odds and end up across from me?"
"Ugk…"
Like he'd poked her right where it hurt, Iono's body jerked.
Lucas just chuckled, patted her shoulder, and went right past her toward the center of the courtyard.
Two tables had been set up there, each piled with Poké Balls and folded slips of paper, with Clavell personally presiding.
Seeing Lucas arrive, Clavell gave him a friendly smile and stepped aside, inviting him to draw.
"Left side is the Poké Balls, contents unknown. Once you've drawn one, you'll have half a day to bond with it, get to know its traits and its moves."
"Right side's the slips of paper. Each has the name of a held item written on it. After you draw one, you can claim it from Logistics. I assure you, the quality is guaranteed."
Lucas nodded slightly and, without overthinking, picked out one red-and-white Poké Ball that "felt right" from among the dozens, then pulled a slip of paper at random.
He didn't open either right away.
Instead, he chatted briefly with each of the Gym Leaders who came over to greet him—as though they'd all pre-arranged to do it—before slipping off toward the Logistics office.
On the way, he passed by Nemona and the others engaged in their own battles.
Since teacher-vs-Gym Leader battles would happen in the afternoon, the morning was reserved for free student battles.
After spectating for a while with a smile, Lucas headed to Logistics, passed the slip of paper to the staff there, and claimed his drawn item.
What he got was a purple, irregularly shaped stone.
According to the label on the slip, the item was called an "Eviolite."
He remembered what it did—it boosted the Defense and Special Defense of Pokémon that could still evolve; that is, Pokémon that hadn't reached their final form.
Mega Evolutions were not included.
"No matter how I look at it… this is kind of a rough draw."
Lucas muttered under his breath.
If the holder still had an evolution left, Eviolite was decent. But if it didn't, the stone might as well be a random rock off the road.
Even if a not-yet-fully-evolved Pokémon used it, it would still be at a disadvantage versus many fully evolved Pokémon. Not to mention that not every Pokémon wanted Eviolite as its item.
In short, if the Eviolite didn't synergize with whatever Pokémon he'd drawn, it was going to be dead weight—tactically useless.
Finding a secluded corner, Lucas finally held up the Poké Ball and pressed the button.
A red beam shot out and coalesced into a rather round figure.
The moment he saw the Pokémon, Lucas's eyes went wide.
"You have got to be kidding me…"
It had a round, pink, egglike body; hair-like appendages on either side of its head; a pouch on its belly that held a white egg; and short arms, legs, and tail that radiated a thoroughly harmless aura.
This Pokémon's name was Chansey. Lucas had just seen one yesterday during a lesson with Nurse Joy.
As soon as it emerged, Chansey seemed to know its job. It wasn't even slightly fazed by the unfamiliar surroundings or unfamiliar human; it cheerfully waved at Lucas.
"Chansey!" ("Hiii there~!")
Lucas pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly and sighed. "Today really is… Chansey indeed."
He brought Chansey to the battle hall Nemona and the others normally used, planning to test its move pool.
The test subject was Dragonite.
…
After a while—
"Charm, Protect, Copycat, Sweet Kiss, Defense Curl, Minimize, Heal Bell, Soft-Boiled, Thunder Punch, Toxic, Egg Bomb, Rock Slide, Light Screen, Seismic Toss…"
"I don't think its ability is Natural Cure or Serene Grace, so that leaves… probably Serene Grace."
Looking at the sheet of paper in his hand, covered in cramped writing, then at Dragonite—who looked like it had just eaten something foul—Lucas sucked in a breath.
Whose lieutenant was this, and how had they infiltrated upright, respectable Naranja Academy?
Just from the breadth of that move pool alone, he was already spooked.
Meanwhile, Chansey only tilted its head innocently and chirped "Chansey Chansey" in that sweet nurse-like voice, like a Pokémon incapable of harming a fly.
Lucas suddenly felt very sorry for whichever Gym Leader had to face him that afternoon.
…
Time flew by.
Lucas had quickly built a basic rapport with Chansey. While it wasn't on the level of Dragonite and the others, Chansey at least trusted Lucas's judgment and wouldn't refuse commands.
By 3 p.m., students were filing into the stands in an orderly manner, the event ready to begin.
No sooner had Lucas returned to the field than he was ambushed by Nemona's group.
Nemona was the first to speak, practically vibrating. "We'll be cheering you on, Teacher!"
Arven, Penny, and Eri each offered their own looks of encouragement and trust.
Even Paul, who usually wasn't much for words, managed a sentence.
"I believe you'll win no matter what Pokémon you use, Teacher."
Buoyed by his adorable students' support, how could Lucas not respond?
Before heading to the prep area, he patted each of their shoulders and flashed a confident grin. "I'm only going to teach this once. Watch carefully and learn well."