"Electric Tera Shard."
Lucas picked up the Tera shard that had dropped where the Tera crystal was, feeling like he'd just cleared a dungeon and Clawitzer—the boss—had dropped a bunch of loot.
Growlithe, exhausted, lay limply in Dragonite's arms, panting with its tongue out, almost too tired to move. After showing off, it had nearly crashed, but luckily Dragonite had caught it.
Clawitzer wasn't so lucky. Watching Lucas leave behind some berries as compensation and emotional damages, Clawitzer silently let two tears roll down.
What had it done wrong? It was just minding its own business in its territory, only to be attacked out of nowhere.
It's just berries! It could go pick some if it wanted!
Staring at Lucas, Dragonite, and Growlithe leaving, Clawitzer paused its chewing, savoring the sweet taste and immediate effect of the berries. It tucked the remaining berries under its claws, not wanting any pesky electric birds to steal them.
Honestly, these berries were tastier than any it had ever picked. Delicious!
…
On the way back, Lucas, for once, didn't recall Growlithe into its Poké Ball. Instead, he carried it in his arms.
He stroked its smooth fur and the cloud-like hair drooping from its face, feeling very satisfied with Growlithe's performance.
Not just for using Wild Charge, but also Growlithe's outstanding battle instincts had impressed him.
No wonder Growlithe would eventually become the iconic police dog Pokémon.
It wasn't blindly obedient, but Growlithe's command-following was top-notch. It was clever, able to seize opportunities at the right moment. That final, decisive Wild Charge to bring down Clawitzer showed it had truly become an excellent Pokémon.
As someone who trained Growlithe for battle, Lucas was happy with its growth. This trial was meant to test Growlithe's battle skills, so Lucas had personally directed it.
Now, it looked ready to evolve into Arcanine.
…
Back at the farm, Moltres—who had been waiting—immediately soared into the sky. When it saw the tired but energized Growlithe, it finally relaxed.
Growlithe had performed well.
"Moltres."
Lucas's voice called out. Moltres met his gaze, seeing the seriousness in Lucas's eyes. Moltres froze for a moment, then understood.
With a loving look at Growlithe, as if wanting to remember its small form forever, Moltres watched it for a long time.
Moltres was deeply moved. Though only two months had passed—a mere nap for a legendary Pokémon—Growlithe had grown from a wobbly pup to such a fine Pokémon.
Yet those two months were the most vibrant in Moltres's long life, coloring its once-monotonous memories.
It was almost time to take Growlithe to its birthplace, to use the power of magma to help Growlithe undergo a special evolution.
News of Growlithe passing its trial spread quickly once it returned.
Soon, Growlithe and its caretaker Moltres were surrounded by farm Pokémon offering congratulations.
A very excited Luxray licked Growlithe's fur in praise, Serperior gave a curt "well done" before leaving, Swampert admired Growlithe's tenacity and invited it to wrestle after evolving.
Ceruledge was already thinking about what tasty food to make for the evolved Arcanine, while Dragonite hugged Growlithe and Moltres together, looking blissful.
Only poor Mimikyu—who had no presence when Lucas wasn't around—was left spinning in place, desperately wanting to congratulate Growlithe too!
…
And so, the next day arrived.
This time Lucas didn't ride Dragonite, but sat on Moltres's back—after all, only Moltres knew the exact location.
Actually sitting on Moltres, Lucas realized its back was surprisingly broad.
He felt the continuous warmth from Moltres's feathers, and the flames that, despite burning brightly, wouldn't even singe his shoelaces. Lucas looked around curiously, feeling like a country bumpkin.
Now he could call himself a man who'd ridden a legendary beast.
At the farm, Lucas had reminded Luxray and the others to only eat food guarded for 24 hours, and that he and Moltres would try to return before the night when the poison-type Pokémon was expected.
Meanwhile, full security was in place—every Pokémon on guard for intruders. If the poison-type Pokémon acted early, they'd catch it immediately!
Last time, it had snuck in by catching them off guard, but with this full alert, any intruder would be noticed at once.
Of course, Lucas also told them to keep up appearances; otherwise, if the culprit noticed the tight security and stayed away, that would be a problem.
"Caw!!"
The time had come. Moltres let out a piercing cry, flapping its flaming wings and scattering sparks.
Too bad it was daytime. If it were night, Moltres's wings would trace a dazzling ribbon of fire across the sky.
Wind roared in Lucas's ears, the clear sky above lifting both his and Moltres's spirits. Soon, the farm was just a tiny black dot below.
As they climbed higher, the rich land of Paldea came into view.
But Lucas and Moltres weren't heading for Paldea—they were flying out over the endless sea.
Moltres flew slower than Dragonite. Setting off at 8 am, by 3 pm, the sea was unfamiliar to Lucas, and the Pokémon species had changed.
All signs showed that Lucas and Moltres had left Paldea's waters, entering a mysterious, unknown sea.
Lucas patted Moltres and asked, "When Luxray and Ceruledge met you, it was on a volcano in Paldea, right? So where are we headed now?"
Moltres's answer reached Lucas's mind via telepathy.
Lucas paused, murmuring, "The volcano where you were born… the place where it all began?"
"There are three islands in these waters?"