After parking her police motorcycle outside the farm, Officer Jenny entered on foot with her Growlithe, following Lucas. She took in their surroundings and suddenly asked, "This is such a thriving farm. But are you the only one working here, Mr. Lucas?"
It was hard for Jenny to imagine that Lucas alone could manage such a large farm so well. Growlithe tilted its head curiously at Lucas too.
"Besides me, there are a lot of Pokémon helping to run the farm." Lucas shook his head. Noticing Jenny's Growlithe, he remembered he hadn't let his own Growlithe out yet—the one who had just gone through a grueling series of battles against dozens of students' Pokémon. He quickly added, "Oh right, I also have a Growlithe. Maybe they can become friends."
As he spoke, Lucas released his Growlithe, which looked quite different from Jenny's.
Having just experienced a heated battle, Lucas's Growlithe was still full of energy. As soon as it emerged, it dashed over to Jenny's Growlithe, inviting it to play.
Clearly, this Growlithe was outgoing as ever.
Officer Jenny covered her mouth in disbelief. "That's a Growlithe?"
Lucas didn't elaborate much, simply saying, "It's a regional variant. They're rare."
"A regional variant, huh?" Jenny mused, stroking her chin. Seeing her own Growlithe's eager expression, she nodded, "Go ahead and play."
Jenny's Growlithe's eyes lit up. With a happy bark, it ran off with Lucas's Growlithe—likely toward the recently harvested wheat fields to play with the Dachsbun.
Under Lucas's lead, they soon arrived near the rain clouds, just out of reach of the heavy downpour—yet with a perfect view of the Pokémon battling there.
Jenny was stunned by what she saw.
What did she see?
A giant bird, blazing with bright, fierce flames, soared through the sky. The falling rain couldn't touch it, vaporized into steam by the intense heat, then swept away by the bird's wingbeats.
Each time the fiery bird flapped its wings, flames like a sky on fire would rain down upon the powerful figure below.
On the ground, a Swampert, shrouded in flowing water, would punch away the fire that even the rain couldn't extinguish. Missed punches shook the earth, leaving deep craters behind.
With the thick black clouds overhead, the whole scene looked like a mythological battle.
Heavenly flames falling, fists splitting the earth.
And Lucas just called these farm Pokémon sparring with each other"?
Jenny stared, dumbfounded. She was now certain that the massive thunderstorm more than a month ago was also caused by Pokémon from this farm.
But was it really reasonable for such Pokémon to be working on a farm?
A Trainer with such powerful Pokémon was farming instead of challenging gyms or aiming for the championship? Jenny felt more lost about the world than ever.
Lucas then walked over, clapped his hands, and called out, "Alright, take a break! That's enough!"
His appearance instantly ended the battle.
With the fiery bird contending for weather control, the Politoed nearby dispersed the rain clouds, and Moltres' Sunny Day finally shone through, bringing warmth and light.
Swampert stopped attacking, and the fiery bird descended. Just as Lucas said, these were all farm Pokémon; no matter how spectacular their sparring, there was never any real danger.
Jenny watched in silence, pondering who Lucas really was, to have such strong Pokémon.
And that flame-winged bird—because of the earlier mist and rain, she hadn't gotten a good look, assuming it was just a Talonflame from Paldea.
But on closer inspection, it looked nothing like a Talonflame.
As a Paldea native, Jenny had never seen a Pokémon like this. Was it a regional form of Talonflame, like Lucas's different Growlithe?
But its round shape didn't match Talonflame's streamlined body at all.
Never thought I'd see the day—two regional forms of Pokémon in one day! She'd definitely have to mention this at the next Jenny family gathering to make the others jealous.
After ruling out the possibility of wild Pokémon invading, Jenny didn't linger.
Lucas led her to the wheat field, where they found her Growlithe playing with Dachsbun and Lucas's Growlithe. She saluted Lucas, then rode off with Growlithe on her police motorcycle, kicking up a cloud of dust as she sped away.
Watching this breezy figure disappear, Lucas smiled and shook his head. He looked at the thriving berry trees nearby and muttered, "Time to check on the Eldegoss and the others."
By the orderly rows of tall berry trees, the Eldegoss and Dolliv skillfully tended to the crops. Eldegoss, glowing with grass-green energy, pressed themselves gently to the trunks.
They were using their Grass-type abilities to check the trees' health: detecting nutrient shortages, lack of sunlight, or insufficient water.
If needed, they would fertilize, water, or call in Dragonair for Sunny Day.
The Eldegoss always worked diligently, never slacking, determined to produce the best berries.
Dolliv, once shy and timid, had become cheerful after evolving and making friends with the Eldegoss team. Seeing Lucas and the other Pokémon praise its olive oil always made it happy.
For Dolliv, as long as it did its job and saw those smiles, it was satisfied.
When Lucas arrived, he saw the Eldegoss and Dolliv working with big smiles on their faces.
"Don't work too hard, remember to rest!" Lucas called out. He didn't want them to overwork and harm themselves, physically or mentally.
Luckily, all four Pokémon were in great shape, so there wasn't much to worry about.