After changing his shoes and finishing his call with Geeta—
Lucas told Calyrex, who was playing with a just-awake Cosmog, that he was leaving, and then took his Luxray and headed out.
Although Geeta said Larry would pick Alder up from the airport and bring him to the farm, Lucas decided to go into town himself.
Today was September 4th, Sunday.
Not only to save Brother Larry some overtime, but also as the host, Lucas felt he should personally welcome his guest.
On his way out, Lucas ran into Oranguru, who was carrying a watering can shaped like Squirtle, just coming out from the glass greenhouse.
Oranguru waved, "Good morning, young master. Good morning, Luxray."
"Morning, Oranguru."
"Meow~"
Lucas and Luxray nodded in sync.
"Heading out?" Oranguru noticed Lucas was dressed a bit too formally for the relaxed farm life and asked telepathically.
Lucas explained, "A guest is coming later—the trainer of the Volcarona. Please get ready."
"Understood."
Oranguru placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
"Oh, and those supplies should have arrived, right?"
Oranguru recalled, "You mean the Tera Shards? They arrived early this morning. I've counted them. No problem."
"Great, then please have Swampert and the others move the shards to the small field. I'll be bringing Calyrex and our guest later to ripen the last secret seasoning and complete the set."
With Oranguru as an all-purpose butler, Lucas felt much more relaxed and didn't have to run around himself.
Before inviting Alder, Lucas had already ordered the necessary Tera Shards. With the leftovers from Penny, they now had enough to ripen the final sweet-flavored secret seasoning.
Today, the sun that was about to set would blaze anew on the farm.
By the time they picked up Alder from the much-more-worn Larry and returned to the farm, it was already 10 a.m.
…
At the farm gate—
Alder, with his fiery red hair and flamboyant outfit, shielded his eyes from the sun and gazed at the farm in admiration.
"Wow~ So this is what a Paldea farm feels like? It's so different from the ones I remember back home."
He clearly remembered the little, bleak winter ranch from his childhood.
The yellowed grass, the few scrawny cows and sheep huddled together, the shabby cabin with missing roof tiles, and a bucket for catching rainwater.
But this farm—
Uniform, brand-new fences, rich soil, neat stone paths with streetlights for bright nights.
Even a glimpse was enough to make Alder respect Lucas's management. As a guest, he'd be eager to buy from here.
Seeing Alder lost in thought, Lucas called, "Mr. Alder, please come in?"
Alder snapped out of it, remembering his main purpose for coming.
He swallowed nervously and rubbed the worn Pokéball at the front of the string around his neck—a mix of anticipation and nervousness.
Even though Volcarona was much better now, he was still anxious about this final step.
Following Lucas into the bright, lively farm, Alder subconsciously touched his backpack and muttered, "I wonder if he'll like these two gifts."
Lucas originally planned to entertain Alder first, then go ripen the last secret seasoning, grind it into medicine, and witness Volcarona's rebirth.
But Alder clearly couldn't wait. He'd barely eaten on the plane and just wanted to see Volcarona fully healed.
Seeing Alder fidgeting on the sofa, Lucas sighed and asked Oranguru to set out the refreshments, called Calyrex, and led Alder toward the small field.
He didn't forget to bring his tools for grinding medicine and a few auxiliary herbs.
Alder paused, surprised. "I've always meant to ask—Lucas, do you know something about herbs?"
Lucas smiled. "A little. I'm still learning. My medicines aren't anything special."
He wasn't being modest. His medical skills were only a little better than an average trainer who could use potions and bandages.
Alder took it as humility and followed Lucas to the edge of the field.
Seeing the rare plants, Alder's eyes lit up—this was the miracle medicine that saved Volcarona!
Just then—
A lively voice cried out nearby.
"Vini~"
Victini flapped its little wings, flew over, and landed on Lucas's head.
Seeing Victini, Alder laughed and greeted the little Pokémon that had helped Volcarona during recovery, "Long time no see, Victini!"
He raised his hand for a high-five.
"Vini~"
Victini, too lazy to fly, lifted itself with psychic power and high-fived Alder.
After some play, Alder asked his most pressing question.
"Are the plants for the medicine fully mature now?"
"Not yet. See those over there? Next, we'll use those to ripen them."
Lucas pointed to the pile of Tera Shards that Swampert and Politoed had moved over.
He explained the next steps to Alder.
They stepped back, waiting for Calyrex to work its magic.
Just like before, Calyrex would extract a bit of grass-type Tera energy from the shards, inject it into the plant's roots, and accelerate growth with its life force.
This time, Calyrex also used psychic power to seal off the area, preventing the secret seasoning's aroma from leaking out and attracting wild Pokémon.
Alder was shocked by the display. No ordinary grass-type Pokémon should have such powers.
Soon, a pink, cherry-blossom-colored plant was fully grown. Lucas then showed off his open-air medicine grinding skills.
Alder was puzzled. Hadn't Lucas sent him liquid medicine before?
Lucas explained as he worked: "The liquid is made in Shuckle's shell, which takes days. Powdered medicine isn't as effective, but it's good enough."
Soon, Lucas finished the powder, then—with a sleight of hand—produced two slices of bread and some garnish, assembled a Paldea-style sandwich, and sprinkled the powder inside.
Alder: "???"
He'd never seen anything like this!
Lucas was exasperated. "It's called secret seasoning; of course, it can be used as normal seasoning."
"Bring out Volcarona. Let it eat this, then have Calyrex check for any hidden injuries. It should be fully healed."
"Actually, let's move elsewhere—if Volcarona can't control its power, it might burn my fields."
He signaled to Calyrex, who nodded and twisted space with psychic force.
In the blink of an eye, Alder found himself on a clearing scarred by previous battles.
Alder muttered, "Teleport?"
Lucas was surprised that Alder showed no discomfort. Truly, the old are still strong.
Victini, perched on Lucas's head, cheered. It loved being teleported by Calyrex—like a kid on a carnival ride.
Meanwhile, Calyrex subtly glanced at Alder's backpack, sensing a faint life force inside.
Under Lucas's gaze, Alder, with trembling fingers, released Volcarona from its Pokéball.
Volcarona floated in the air, its orange-red wings scattering sparkling scales. Though still a bit weak, it was much better than at death's door.
"You'll recover, I swear. We'll go on adventures like before, camping together when we're tired."
"I won't let these memories become just memories."
Alder took a deep breath, accepted the sandwich from Lucas, and carefully fed it to Volcarona.
As Volcarona swallowed the last bite, a miracle happened.
Like collecting seven Dragon Balls, as soon as Volcarona ate the sandwich with the sweet seasoning, the effects of the other four secret seasonings in its body were activated. The five worked together to eliminate all negative factors!
Under Alder's stunned gaze, Volcarona's once-dull eyes sparkled with life.
Realizing what was happening, Alder's eyes reddened and lips trembled.
"Partner…"
With all negative effects gone, as Lucas expected, Volcarona's long-restrained energy erupted.
This was the power of a true Champion's ace.
At this moment, the sun descended.
The air began to ripple, the heat curling Lucas and Alder's hair.
They stepped back to avoid the scorching waves. Lucas gazed in awe at Volcarona, bathed in fire and golden light.
This was exactly what he wanted to see.
Like the fiercest midday sun, Volcarona became a second sun, its pain a thing of the past. The ancient people of Unova once regarded it as the sun incarnate; now its divine power was fully displayed.
Its three pairs of orange-red wings blazed so brightly that it was hard to keep one's eyes open.
Lucas felt even his breath growing hot.
Then, a blue light shimmered, blocking the heat.
Lucas knew—Calyrex had stepped in.
Grateful, he picked up his camera, determined to capture the most stunning "Reborn Volcarona" photo to shock Perrin on his next visit north.
Shielding Lucas and the dazed Alder from the heat, Calyrex sent a wave of psychic encouragement to Volcarona above.
The message: Go ahead, unleash it. I've got your back.
Volcarona, sensing the powerful psychic energy, danced freely.
Its three pairs of flaming wings moved with unique rhythm, raining scales that became fiery blossoms.
The space around Volcarona became a domain of flame.
This was Fiery Dance—Volcarona's signature move. Surrounded by fire, it was like the king of flames.
As the fire intensified, its destructive power grew.
Victini watched with shining eyes, thrilled.
It was worth skipping Abomasnow's play invitation for this!
…