"You're the inspector from the Pokémon Butler Academy?"
At the farm gate, Lucas hesitated, nearly losing his composure at the sight of the small Pokémon before him.
Its fur was mostly indigo, with straight white tufts on its collar, forehead, and tail. Its olive eyes had green irises and blue sclera—very pretty.
It wore a blue top hat and a blue-and-white striped bow tie, and floated above the fence in a perfect butler's pose, bowing politely.
Lucas recognized it as a male Meowstic—female Meowstic looked very different.
"Meowstic~"
Meowstic looked at Lucas in confusion. Was it strange for a top Butler Academy graduate to serve as inspector?
Lucas looked around, but saw no sign of humans. He had to accept that this smartly dressed Meowstic really was the inspector.
No wonder the Butler Academy was so famous—they used Pokémon as inspectors. Impressive.
With a relieved smile, Lucas invited, "Please, come in."
Meowstic nodded, floating along behind Lucas with psychic power.
Lucas turned to speak, but Meowstic conjured glowing blue letters in the air:
["Could you show me around the farm?"]
Lucas was amazed—it had learned human language! Even if not like Meowth, being able to write with psychic power was a feat.
Were all Butler Academy Pokémon this impressive? Lucas grew even more curious about the school.
Still, he answered, "Of course. Follow me."
Lucas led Meowstic to the nearest crop fields, where new crops were growing well. It should make a good impression.
On the way, Lucas noticed Meowstic pulling out what looked like a test paper, full of dense writing. Each time Lucas introduced a crop, Meowstic wrote notes with a conjured pen—just like an examiner grading a test.
Lucas was further impressed by the Academy's rigor.
He tried not to let curiosity distract him. Best to show the farm as it really was—no need for the fake, hurried preparations you'd do for VIPs at a school or office.
If the Butler Academy thought the farm qualified, great—he'd go to Kalos to pick a butler Pokémon. If not, he'd just keep looking. Lucas had an easy attitude.
He showed Meowstic all around: the Mudsdale and Sawsbuck in the pastures, the Dragonair by Thunder Lake watching over the Dragonite leader.
As they passed the berry orchard, they were lucky enough to see Politoed finish a rain dance, and Comfey, Eldegoss, and the newly-trained Dolliv combine their powers to create an incredible grassy terrain.
Even the always-serious Meowstic was stunned by the scene. Then it quickly wrote more notes.
After an hour touring the farm, Lucas and Meowstic stopped in front of a blooming flower field.
Thanks to the care of Comfey and the Grass-types Pokémon, the flowers were at their peak. The air was fragrant and relaxing.
Sunflowers, tulips, asters, lavender—so many kinds of flowers bloomed together. Even Meowstic, usually so stern, was entranced.
Suddenly, came the buzz of many wings. Lucas and Meowstic looked up.
Meowstic spotted a swarm of Combee flying toward the flowers, with a regal Vespiquen at the center.
"Meowstic~"
Meowstic grew serious, thinking these wild Pokémon were invading for the flowers. It stepped in front of Lucas, ready to protect him—part of its duty as an inspector and a butler.
Meowstic used psychic power to spell out, ["Stay behind me."]
Just as Meowstic braced for action, Lucas exclaimed, "Vespiquen! You're finally here!"
Meowstic paused, noticing that Vespiquen carried something, and wasn't hostile—she flew over kindly.
Meowstic realized Lucas knew Vespiquen and the Combee; it relaxed, psychic power settling.
"Bzz bzz bzz~"
Vespiquen, smiling, presented Lucas with a container of her finest honey as a gift, thanking him for inviting them to gather nectar here.
Lucas thanked her, telling Vespiquen to feel free to gather nectar, but to remind the Combee not to trouble the farm Pokémon. He turned to the amazed Meowstic, "That's the end of the tour. Would you like to try some farm-made sweets before you go?"
Meowstic stared at the high-quality honey in Lucas's hands and nodded eagerly.
"Since we just got fresh honey, I made some honey treats and drinks."
…
In the cottage, Lucas set out the desserts:
"This is caramel pudding with honey, honey cake made with our own flour, and honey lemon water—refreshing despite the sweetness."
So many treats. Meowstic's eyes sparkled like stars.