"Yui, be careful on the road. If you run into any trouble, make sure to contact us right away."
It was early the next morning, and Yuli was holding onto Yui's hands, reluctant to let go as she repeated her reminders again and again.
"I know, Yuli-nee. I'll stay in touch often, I promise!"
Yui was feeling a bit emotional too, but she had made her choice to set off on her journey—to begin her very first adventure.
"Rex, thank you for everything. My time at the farm has been truly wonderful."
Karen bowed deeply before Rex as she stood in front of him.
Before he could respond, she turned and jogged toward the road outside. Rex caught a glimpse of her reddened eyes.
He simply stood quietly, watching the two girls walk away with their backpacks. He had already said everything they needed to hear—what came next was their own journey to walk.
"Come on, Yuli, let's head back."
As Yui and Karen's silhouettes vanished into the distance, Rex turned to Yuli.
"You go ahead, Rex. I want to stay here a little longer."
Yuli's voice was soft—her mood clearly low. It was hard to see two close friends leave, and despite understanding, she couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. She just needed a moment alone.
Rex didn't say anything more. He left the space for her and headed toward Moon Jade Lake.
He had a full day's work ahead, especially with the farm now short-staffed, but he still wanted to check in at the lake first.
After all, he figured Skrelp had probably already told Milotic and the others he'd visited yesterday—so today, they should be there waiting.
Sure enough, as Rex arrived at the lakeshore, Milotic was already there with Gyarados and Lapras waiting.
"Long time no see! How have you all been?"
With a leap, Rex landed gracefully on Lapras's back and smiled at the three Pokémon.
Milotic and Gyarados both brought their heads close, clearly happy to see him. Lapras, meanwhile, began singing cheerfully.
Of course, unlike Jigglypuff, Lapras didn't use Sing to knock people out—it simply had a beautiful, melodic voice that made you want to lose yourself in it.
All the noise seemed to catch the attention of Skrelp and Pyukumuku as well, as both of them soon popped up from the lake and hopped onto Lapras's back too.
Then the surface of Moon Jade Lake began to churn as more and more Water-type Pokémon emerged. They surrounded Milotic and her group like a procession.
Rex even spotted a Wartortle among them—something that definitely hadn't been living in the lake. It must have followed them in from the ocean.
Even though Wartortle was one of the rare starter Pokémon, Rex had no intention of capturing it.
After all, he already had Diancie. Unless a Pokémon really resonated with him, he wasn't going to go out of his way to catch more.
"Milotic, you've got quite the entourage these days."
Rex reached out and gently stroked Milotic's head, smiling in admiration.
Milotic closed her eyes in bliss, thoroughly enjoying the affection.
She had never forgotten what brought her to this point—how Rex had raised her, given her the chance to transform from a muddy Feebas into the Pokémon she was today.
Her bond with Rex was unlike any other. Even though she now roamed the ocean freely, she still sought his recognition and care.
Gyarados felt the same. Known for its ferocity, it was astonishingly gentle when around Rex.
Both had known what it was like to be at the bottom of the food chain. They never forgot the one who had pulled them from that life—and that gratitude ran deep.
Lapras, on the other hand, hadn't been through the same struggles. While it admired Rex's strength and accepted him as its trainer, its feelings didn't run as deep as Milotic's or Gyarados's.
Rex didn't linger too long at the lake. Seeing that Milotic and the others were doing well was enough to ease his mind.
"Yuli, feeling better now?"
Back at the house, Rex found Yuli sitting dazed on the sofa. He walked over and gently asked.
"I'm fine now, Rex. Oh, and I picked out a lotus variety."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Yuli gave him a bright smile.
"Oh? Which one?"
Relieved to see her back to normal, Rex asked with genuine interest.
"Victoria water lilies. The surface of their leaves is smooth, light green with a hint of red and ridged. The undersides are a deep purplish red, and the stems stretch two to four meters. What's really amazing is how much weight they can hold—up to 70 kilograms!"
"With such huge leaves, the Poliwag won't need to hop on Lotad's heads anymore—they can just play on the leaves!"
"Plus, the flowers are big, fragrant, and change color when they bloom. It's a really fascinating plant."
Yuli's enthusiasm bubbled over as she listed off the traits of the lotus. Her usual energy had clearly returned.
"Then let's go with Victoria lilies. Do you know where we can get the seeds?"
Rex didn't really care what variety they used—he trusted her choice and readily agreed.
"I already contacted Miss Koko. Her flower shop has seeds in stock. When you go deliver the Gracidea flowers next time, you can pick them up!"
Yuli grinned proudly.
"Oh? Actually, it's about time for another flower delivery anyway. No sense in putting it off—I'll harvest a batch and bring them over to Miss Koko this afternoon."
Rex nodded and made up his mind.
"It's almost noon. Why don't you eat first before you go?"
Yuli glanced at the clock on the wall and quickly stopped him.
"Alright. In that case, I'll cook with you today. My cooking skills have improved a lot!"
Rex grinned as he pulled an apron off the wall and tied it around his waist.
"Sure, sure. I'm looking forward to tasting your 'legendary' cooking then."
Yuli couldn't help but laugh at his exaggerated expression.
The two of them got to work in the kitchen, the sound of their laughter drifting out now and then, washing away any lingering melancholy from the morning's farewells.
After a warm lunch, Rex slung his gear-laden backpack over his shoulder and headed to the terraced gardens.
He greeted Shaymin, the garden's little guardian, and got to work harvesting Gracidea flowers with a pair of shears.
After a while, he'd gathered a sizable amount. With his current strength and stamina, this kind of labor didn't even make him break a sweat.