"Mogo?"
Cosmog, who wasn't floating but crawling joyfully on the ground, looked up at the frowning Lucas and let out a puzzled cry.
Thinking Cosmog was hungry, Lucas checked to make sure Calyrex wasn't around, then poured out a few star-shaped sugar candies from a jar, feeding them to Cosmog.
Lucas misunderstood, but Cosmog didn't care.
All it knew was—Lucas had brought it something tasty!
At this age, Cosmog's nature was as simple as its ability—its emotions written on its face, without a shred of pretense.
It was hard to imagine that one day this Cosmog would evolve into the majestic Solgaleo or the elegant Lunala.
Watching Cosmog munch happily on the sugar candy in his palm, Lucas's worries faded, replaced by a gentle smile. "Tasty, isn't it? Homemade with the best ingredients."
For a moment, Lucas felt like some doting elder, but still rambled on to Cosmog.
"These candies were specially made for me in Johto, shipped over at great expense. The taste is absolutely authentic."
He bragged, but sugar candy was just a mix of sugar and some other ingredients. Lucas couldn't understand why Cosmog liked these so much more than other sweets made from the same materials.
Was it the star shape?
Cosmog didn't care for Lucas's explanations, just kept snacking as long as Calyrex wasn't watching.
Seeing this, Lucas could only sigh and rub Cosmog's little head. "Yeah, you probably don't understand any of this."
"Mogu mogu~"
Cosmog chirped happily after eating all the candy.
It was clear that it didn't understand a thing.
Watching Cosmog crawl on the carpet, Lucas sighed quietly.
Sigh. Truly a headache.
Of the gifts Alder gave him, the Larvesta egg was a pleasant surprise—but the Terarium technology was a shock.
Last night, Lucas and Oranguru calculated what it would take to recreate Unova's Terarium.
The answer: incalculable.
With Lucas's current resources, he couldn't even replicate a corner of a Terarium region, let alone the whole thing.
Never mind securing a sea area large enough to house it—the daily operating costs alone would be astronomical, not to mention the construction resources needed.
Blueberry Academy's Terarium was funded by Unova's major corporations and the league itself.
Paldea's league might be persuaded, but the main issue was money.
Lucas would rather shelve the hard drive than take investment from companies or groups who would try to control him. He'd build it only when he had the means.
After all, his goal was always to build a happy home for himself and his Pokémon. Everything else came second.
Clearly, building the Terarium would need careful long-term planning.
…
That afternoon—
Lucas was visited by the mayor of Los Platos, Mrs. Aisha.
Sipping tea, she marveled, "The aroma of this tea, the size of this farm… Hard to believe this was all wasteland half a year ago."
She glanced around, noticing some changes but also familiar décor, her eyes full of memories.
Lucas replied modestly, "You flatter me, Mrs. Aisha."
She shook her head. "I remember as a child coming here with my father, the mayor at the time. It used to be so lively. After the original owners passed away, it slowly fell into ruin. To see it revived—they would be so happy."
"Sorry, I'm rambling. Old age brings nostalgia."
She smiled apologetically and produced some documents and a land deed.
"It's fine, I understand."
Lucas listened quietly.
Mrs. Aisha straightened her clothes and stood up, formally announcing, "Paldea League citizen Lucas, according to the league's notice, the area marked here—centered on your farm, including the hill—is now yours for development. You have full rights, but since it's wild land, you must follow the Pokémon and environmental protection laws."
She handed Lucas the documents, stamped with the league's seal.
He nodded. "Of course."
Lucas knew well how seriously wild Pokémon habitats and ecological protection were taken.
Now, he had to consider how to accommodate the wild Pokémon nearby—and check the hill behind the farm.
He remembered the area was full of trees, damp and shady, with many mushrooms—most of them poisonous.
After seeing off Mrs. Aisha, Lucas looked at the documents, his eyes shining. He couldn't resist kissing them.
Now the farm expansion could begin!
With more land, he could build more facilities, a bigger house, bring in more Pokémon, and plant more crops!
He could even build a little amusement park for the Pokémon.
Compared to the Terarium, this was a much more practical upgrade for the farm right now!
After the excitement faded, Lucas remembered, "Darn, I forgot to ask about the land tenure. But since I didn't have to pay for the land, surely there's no 70-year renewal tax, right?"
"Arcanine, never mind—you stay. Luxray, come with me. Let's go check out the hill and pick some mushrooms."
He called the farm patrol, eyeing Arcanine, Dachsbun, and Luxray before settling on Luxray.
Arcanine had a keen nose, useful for identifying mushrooms, but Lucas worried it might go overboard if attacked by wild Pokémon—scorching everything with Flamethrower.
If that happened, he'd end up in handcuffs eating pork cutlet with Officer Jenny that night.
It wasn't about status—he was just a hardworking farmer now.
Arcanine was great, but too destructive. Luxray was safer.
Plus, Luxray could bring rain if needed, unlike Arcanine, who only made things sunnier.
Luxray wagged its star-shaped tail, strutting proudly out of the farm with Lucas, as Arcanine and Dachsbun watched enviously.
It had rained last night, so the "country road" was muddy. Lucas asked Luxray, "How's the special training these past nights? Any breakthroughs?"
Luxray's tail slowed, tip drooping, and it meowed quietly.
"Meowr." (No breakthroughs worth mentioning.)
Even without Calyrex's telepathy, Lucas understood Luxray's meaning through their bond.
He patted Luxray's cheek. "It's fine. At this level, every step forward is tough."
"You saw it in yesterday's match with Volcarona—the weight of time in each move. We've achieved so much already; it's something to be proud of."
"Meow~"
Luxray nodded, thinking of yesterday's battle, purring contentedly.
It had been a while since Luxray enjoyed such a good fight.
Lucas mentioned the so-called "weight of time," which Luxray understood in its own way.
But as a Pokémon that always found shortcuts, Luxray would only consider that as a last resort.
It wasn't impatience—it was just how they always did things: working hard with Lucas and friends, and eventually breaking through any obstacle.
Luxray believed they could do it again.
Lucas ruffled Luxray's mane, and Luxray let him, since no one else was around.
And he wasn't just taking advantage—after petting Luxray, Lucas offered a "bonus."
"When I saw Alder off yesterday, he shared some good news. Want to hear it?"
Luxray pricked up its ears.
Lucas continued as they walked, "Wild Charge used to be your strongest physical Electric move. All our battle strategies revolved around it—it was our ace in the Champion exam, and against Mewtwo in Terastal form."
"But you and I both know Wild Charge's drawbacks. Its recoil limited your output, and now there's a solution."
He paused, as Luxray seemed to guess what was coming.
Wild Charge's recoil was a real problem, especially since Luxray had no recovery moves.
Lucas continued, "Bolt Strike. It's a newly discovered physical Electric move in Unova, similar to Wild Charge but with two key differences."
"One: Bolt Strike has higher base power."
"Two: While it still has recoil, the conditions are much more lenient."
"Unlike Wild Charge, which always causes recoil, Bolt Strike's energy is more stable. You only take recoil if you miss and the electrical flow becomes unstable."
Luxray's eyes lit up.
Bolt Strike! Compared to Wild Charge, it was clearly a better match for it!
Luxray was confident in its electrical control—it could already mitigate some recoil from Wild Charge.
Even if it missed with Bolt Strike, it could avoid the recoil. Not to mention, with its speed and electrical stimulation abilities, Luxray was confident.
Even if Bolt Strike only brought a small power boost, Luxray was excited and looked at Lucas eagerly.
"Meowr?"
Lucas smiled. "I've asked Alder to find the teaching method for Bolt Strike in Unova. He should send it over soon."
Hearing this, Luxray relaxed and rubbed against Lucas, purring affectionately.
If Dragonite and the others saw, they'd be shocked!
Petting Luxray, Lucas's thoughts drifted to another plan.
Besides Bolt Strike, he'd learned from the system that feeding certain Gold and Silver berries could turn a Pokémon into a Partner Pokémon.
But in the original, only Pikachu and Eevee could become Partner Pokémon. Luxray shouldn't be able to.
But that wasn't important. Lucas cared more about the essence—the power of bonds and friendship.
Even without a new form, could Luxray unlock a new power through these berries—the power of bonds and friendship?