Fiery Dance.
The exclusive move of Volcarona.
Even now in the ninth generation, where Pokémon like Iron Moth and Slither Wing have appeared with some similarities to Volcarona, the move Fiery Dance can only be learned by Volcarona and Iron Moth.
In the sea of fire, the dancing Volcarona is truly the second sun.
Volcarona's dance lasted for nearly ten minutes before it finally came to a stop.
After all, it is the ace of a league champion. Once the initial awkwardness passed, its instinctual mastery quickly took over. The wild, chaotic energies became as docile as a tamed house dog—showing their power only at Volcarona's command.
Originally, within two minutes of the energy outburst, Volcarona had already regained control over its energies. But with Calyrex supporting it as a safety net, it chose not to suppress itself, instead dancing freely, venting the frustrations of these past years and finding peace of mind.
When Volcarona stopped its dance, Calyrex withdrew the psychic net that had covered the area, allowing Alder—tears shimmering at the corners of his eyes—to rush over to Volcarona, while it drifted over to Lucas, asking, "So, did you get any good photos?"
"I think so." Lucas grinned, holding up his camera with satisfaction. "I took over a thousand shots. Sorting through them tonight should yield some real treasures."
On the other side—
Alder said nothing as he rushed forward, hugging Volcarona tightly, as if afraid this miracle before him might vanish into a dream.
His hands trembled as he held his partner—the once-mighty man of Unova now seemed fragile, as if he might shatter at a touch.
Noticing Alder instinctively avoided its old injury, Volcarona felt a surge of warmth and let out a happy chirp, gently hugging Alder back with its four little feet, carefully restraining its fire-type energy to avoid burning him.
There they stayed, man and Pokémon, hugging each other like a long-lost treasure finally returned.
Seeing this touching scene, Lucas wisely didn't intrude, instead hugging Victini and covering its little mouth, quietly stepping back with Calyrex to give them space, waiting patiently for them to recover.
At the same time, Lucas glanced at Volcarona's fluffy white fur, thinking to himself—
It can regulate its temperature, it's soft and fluffy, and aside from the fire scales, it would make the perfect winter pillow!
Just imagine—on a cold winter's day, sitting by the fireplace, snuggling a warm, fluffy Arcanine on one side and a Volcarona on the other.
How delightfully lazy.
And with that thought, his mind began to wander.
Oh no, now he wanted to catch a Larvesta or Volcarona to keep at home.
Lucas thought sincerely.
…
Not long after, on the living room sofa—
Alder, a little embarrassed, took a tissue from Lucas and wiped the tears from his reddened eyes. "Sorry, you must think I'm a mess."
Lucas's gaze fell on Volcarona playing with Victini on the carpet, and he smiled gently. "It's fine. Being able to capture Volcarona's rebirth on camera is more than enough for me."
"That won't do!" Alder waved his hand, troubled. "You've helped me and Volcarona so much—it's a debt I can never repay. Take as many photos as you want; Volcarona will even pose for you. But that's nowhere near enough thanks!"
"To be honest… Even while I searched for a cure, my family kept urging me to prepare a resting place for Volcarona in case things went wrong."
"The Celestial Tower, right?" Lucas paused, suddenly understanding.
The image of a storied tower flashed through his mind, and his joy was slightly tempered.
The topic was too heavy.
Alder nodded gently, his voice soft. "Just as nothing stays powerful forever, a Pokémon's life is not eternal. When my old friend was gravely wounded, many felt I was no longer fit to be Unova's Champion. I was lost and pained."
"But now, after all this, to be blessed with the joy of regaining what I lost—I can continue spending time with Volcarona, not just as memories, but as my life. That is an unchanging happiness for me."
"So, please, let me repay you for bringing me this fortune. Even if I can never fully repay you, I want to do my best, so I can feel at peace."
Since Alder was so insistent, Lucas didn't argue further.
Alder happily put his slightly worn backpack on his lap.
Before he could pull out his prepared gifts, Calyrex drifted over.
"I've checked Volcarona's condition," Calyrex said. "The hidden injuries are gone, its energy is stable. Originally, it would've needed gradual recovery through food, but that's slow—I've sealed several orbs of life energy inside it. Once absorbed, it'll be fully healed."
Alder blinked in surprise.
He recalled seeing Calyrex sprinkle droplets on Volcarona earlier, not realizing they contained precious life energy.
Feeling even more grateful, Alder opened his bag.
Calyrex, sitting next to Lucas, noticed the life force inside the bag and realized: was that Alder's gift for Lucas?
Alder took out two "small tokens" from his bag:
A Pokémon egg in an incubator, covered in orange-red and black spots, and a large rectangular portable hard drive.
It looked just like it had been pulled straight out of a PC.
Lucas didn't say anything. He expected the egg, but the hard drive? What could possibly be inside—Unova League secrets?
Alder first pushed the incubator toward Lucas.
"This child is a descendant of the Volcarona that battled your Mega Swampert—its grandchild, perhaps."
Alder looked at Volcarona playing with Victini as he explained softly.
Noticing Alder's gaze, Volcarona fluttered over curiously, its blue compound eyes examining the egg inside.
It could sense the blood connection between itself and the life inside the egg.
"Vi!" Victini flew over, circling the incubator, eyes sparkling.
Great, a new friend for the farm!
If not for a bit of reason, Victini would have run off to the aviary to get Moltres to incubate the egg.
Feigning ignorance, Lucas asked, "So, this is a Larvesta egg?"
Alder nodded.
"In terms of talent, Volcarona's child is not far behind it—just lacking experience and foundation," Alder said, petting Volcarona's fur as it chirped contentedly. "I want this child to be a token of our friendship and my thanks to you."
Like other league champions, Alder enjoyed mentoring the next generation. Even if Lucas was a peer, he wouldn't refuse a Pokémon with as much potential as Volcarona.
Lucas was tempted, but his eyes drifted back to the hard drive.
His gut told him this was Alder's real gift—the Larvesta egg was just the appetizer.
Noticing Lucas's gaze, Alder didn't keep him guessing: "This contains the full blueprints for Blueberry Academy's Terarium."
"Not some vague conceptual plan, but everything from individual components to the complete model, including proposals for maintaining artificial climates. The whole technology."
Alder's words hit Lucas like a nuke.
Did he hear that right?
The complete technology for Blueberry Academy's world-famous Terarium, all in this hard drive?
The shock was so immense Lucas's brain stalled for several seconds.
Calyrex didn't know what an Terarium was, but seeing Lucas's shock, it grew curious.
Lucas recalled seeing news about it on Unova sites—many rich tycoons had offered sky-high prices for the Terarium tech, but Director Cyrano, the eccentric genius behind it, always refused to sell.
There were wild rumors that Director Cyrano had burned out his brain inventing the Terarium, leading to his forgetful, senile state—but that was beside the point.
Terarium technology was something no one had ever gotten their hands on, yet everyone coveted.
And now Alder was gifting it to him?
After several seconds, Lucas finally regained his senses and asked, "Wasn't there a huge price to pay for getting this?"
Alder shook his head with a smile. "Director Cyrano didn't want money. When he learned I'd be giving it to you, he only had one request."
"As long as I became a teacher at Blueberry Academy to teach the students, he'd give me the technology to do with as I wished."
Lucas: "…"
Why did this sound so familiar? Was it just his imagination?
Taking a deep breath, Lucas didn't refuse. He accepted both the Larvesta egg and the priceless hard drive.
He handed the hard drive to Oranguru for safekeeping, then solemnly thanked Alder, "Your gifts will help me a lot."
Alder smiled.
"I'm glad to hear it!"
…
At noon—
Lucas prepared a feast with ingredients Oranguru had readied, treating Alder and Volcarona as a celebration for overcoming their shadows and embracing a new future.
After the meal, Lucas and Alder had a battle judged by Calyrex.
Lucas sent out Luxray; Alder, his now fully recovered Volcarona.
The clash of thunder and flame could be heard for kilometers.
But who won or lost no longer mattered.
After the intense battle, Lucas could sense that the weariness had vanished from Alder, replaced with boldness and vigor.
Alder's spirit was now as strong as before Volcarona's injury.
Seeing the fully restored Alder, Lucas couldn't help but smile.
Before N's contract with Reshiram and Zekrom, Team Plasma was in for a tough time.
After all, the champion they'd tried so hard to break had been reborn.
Alder didn't stay overnight in Paldea. He was eager to return to Unova and share the good news with his family and grandson.
…
In the hills—
The Tinkatink still crept through the grass, avoiding the Salazzle, Salandit, Houndoom, and Poochyena below. The mountain was less dangerous, but not by much.
It no longer clutched its precious Corviknight feather—instead, it had woven a makeshift pouch from broad leaves and carried the feathers inside.
Several days had passed since it entered the hills, after outwitting many wild Pokémon and hearing that thunderous explosion earlier. Now, at last, it saw hope.
It had hidden in the grass for a while after the noise, but soon, the trees thinned, sunlight streamed in, and the mushroom-filled shadows gave way. The Tinkatink finally reached the summit—
The view opened up, blue sky stretching endlessly. Overhead, several Corviknight circled, guarding something.
The Tinkatink knew—it had found the nest of those feather-dropping Corviknight at last!
Now, it could finally collect feathers for its dream hammer and plot its revenge!
…