Once he'd decided to build a glass conservatory with greenhouse functions, Lucas contacted the Machamp Construction Team to ask whether they could construct it to his specs.
For a big client like Lucas, the Machamp team naturally treated this as top priority. Barely an hour later, the foreman drove over from Los Platos Town to go over the greenhouse details with him.
Taking lighting, ventilation, temperature regulation, and some ornamental value into account, they quickly drafted a plan.
Since it was a glasshouse, most materials would of course be light-transmitting glass; on that basis they also needed to consider structural strength—couldn't have the whole thing shattering and collapsing in a typhoon. That would be way too dangerous for the Pokémon living inside.
Fortunately, the foreman proposed a reinforced metal frame paired with highly transparent tempered glass, which let Lucas breathe a sigh of relief.
They'd also install shading equipment for peak summer sunlight control, and temperature-humidity systems to keep the interior springlike even in winter.
As for the foreman's suggestion of an automatic irrigation system, it wasn't necessary. Politoed and the Poliwhirl could handle that.
After the discussion, Lucas glanced at Oranguru for a read on the quoted price. Receiving the "reasonable" signal, he was ready to sign the contract; construction would begin in two days.
Money wasn't a concern either. Beyond the profits from the farm's rising crop yields, various valuable Pokémon byproducts could also be sold.
Lucas left the finances to Oranguru. Though a bit ashamed to admit it, Oranguru's money management and cash-flow stability far outstripped his own.
With procurement and accounting skills rolled into one, hiring such an all-around butler for a single butler's salary felt like a massive win to Lucas.
Not to mention, he didn't even have to pay that salary himself.
With the glasshouse plan settled, Lucas didn't idle. Besides keeping farm operations and buildout on track, he never slacked on Pokémon training.
His six main battlers trained themselves diligently, even doing group drills. Lucas mostly set high-level direction; his main focus stayed on the "second string."
Pokémon he currently deemed to have second-string potential were few: Moltres, Arcanine, and Politoed.
Raging Bolt counted as a half, since Lucas didn't know when it would return to its own era.
Victini? Mostly just there to be adorable. Lucas could see at a glance it had little interest in battling—better to let it be a support unit.
If the chance arose to teach Ceruledge, Arcanine, and Moltres moves like V-create, Fire Blast, Fusion Flare, and Blue Flare, that'd be even better.
He remembered that in the games, Mystery Gift Victini came with the signature moves of Zekrom and Reshiram—Bolt Strike, Fusion Bolt, Blue Flare, Fusion Flare—
Even more outrageous, it also had Kyurem's Glaciate, implying Victini might be able to learn those moves.
However, once those special Victini forgot the distributed moves, they couldn't relearn them. So whether Victini could actually learn the three Tao trio signature moves was still a question mark.
Looking at his sweet, gluttonous Victini, Lucas felt that rather than pinning hopes on those dragon signatures, it was more reliable to have Victini first master its own signature move.
Today's special training targets were Moltres and Arcanine. Though the "mother-and-son" pair hadn't been acting with Lucas for a bit, he'd kept tabs on their progress.
He had a clear grasp of their current strength. If the Moltres that first arrived at the farm faced an Elite Four ace it didn't have type advantage over, it would likely lose—its bottomless stamina wouldn't save it.
Back then, that headstrong Moltres could bully some ordinary Gym Leaders at best.
But now, after being well-fed daily by Lucas and regularly "interrogated" in sparring by Swampert and Luxray's squad, its combat power and experience had improved dramatically.
Under Lucas's command, he figured Moltres could now spar with Larry's Staraptor—and even had a chance to win.
As for Arcanine, it was born overflowing with energy, having demolished who knows how many rooms. So when a slipper went missing, Lucas's first thought wasn't Mew teleporting it away, but Growlithe burying it somewhere.
Perhaps because it once galloped across the ancient Hisui lands, Arcanine's physique was exceptional. Now it had grown huge and powerful—head-on with a car, it could probably dent the other guy.
This Fire/Rock Arcanine had the ability Rock Head. Lucas designed its battle style around its physical toughness.
Flare Blitz, Double-Edge, and Wild Charge give it monstrous close-quarters power; Morning Sun offers some sustain; Extreme Speed lets it maintain a speed edge throughout.
Add a few coverage moves and Arcanine's overall power is undeniably terrifying.
Even Clemont's father Meyer's Mega Ampharos didn't force out Arcanine's strongest form in their battle, which Lucas found regrettable.
Today's training was prepared to address that.
On the farm's open ground, Lucas looked at Moltres and Arcanine. Holding the restless Victini, he said, "Today's training is mainly a fight between you two—see if we can force out Arcanine's mode."
Moltres spread its wings and looked at its big dumb kid, itching for action.
It loved Arcanine dearly, but it wouldn't hold back when beating it—in fact, it enjoyed it a little.
Arcanine, imposing to outsiders, shrank its neck with a bitter expression.
Getting pummeled was one thing, but it hadn't activated that form even once since leaving the volcano—not even when Moltres and the others pulled their punches, squeezing its limits bit by bit.
Ironically, during its battle with Mega Ampharos, as its emotions rose, so did its body temperature; success was near—then Mega Ampharos went down.
Afterward, Lucas analyzed that what Arcanine needed to activate that form might not be being forced to the brink, but the elevation of emotion and energy.
Arcanine moved to one side of the field; Moltres took off, wings wreathed in flame.
To keep things fair for a non-flier, Moltres didn't fly too high—just within Arcanine's jump range.
Without Lucas prompting, the two began their spar with practiced ease.
For Fire-types, opening with Flamethrower is the most romantic greeting.
Two streams of flame crossed in midair—boom—heat waves rippled out. The now-savvy Arcanine cloaked itself in golden lightning-like battle aura and lunged at Moltres!
Moltres didn't coddle its foolish child. A few heavy wingbeats conjured a howling gale—strong winds searingly hot even to Arcanine.
"Vee-vee!"
Victini's eyes sparkled as it watched them brawl. Though it wasn't into battles—there was a caveat:
Victini wasn't interested in battles it had to fight itself. Spectating? It loved.
If you couldn't find it at play, you'd find it wherever sparring was happening.
Win or lose, Victini could taste delicious victory waves from the winner—something the sparce-dueling town of Eindoak could hardly offer outside of the Harvest Festival's battle celebration.
Lucas also watched, but as he took in Arcanine's majestic yet agile movements, his pupils unfocused—daydreaming.
He recalled that flash of crimson when Arcanine, freshly evolved by absorbing magma on Moltres's island, charged down the mountain.
Amid the rock-like dark gray fur, magma-like crimson lines flowed slowly.
If he had to compare, it was like the orange-yellow magma glow in Primal Groudon's body seams.
The hot winds rushing with Arcanine, the lingering sulfur at his nose, the skin feeling scalded just sharing space with it—that all left a deep impression.
But as the turbulent energy within Arcanine settled post-evolution, that form faded like a mirage—perhaps only a hallucination.
He'd tried many methods since, but never drew out that latent possibility again.
He'd asked Moltres too. It said it only wanted to use higher-quality magma energy to replace a Fire Stone so Growlithe would win at the starting line.
Thinking so, Lucas returned to himself, hugging Victini tighter and looking at its excited face.
Would things turn around with Victini's help this time?
He pondered briefly; in the blink of an eye, Moltres and Arcanine had already been clashing for nearly five minutes.
Flare Blitz into Flare Blitz; jagged Stone Edge pillars versus razor Steel Wing.
Moltres was holding back; its deep stamina let it fight at ease.
Arcanine, by contrast, was draining energy and stamina fast—tongue lolling, panting hard, a surge of unwillingness rising.
In front of Moltres, would it never turn the tables?
If Moltres knew what Arcanine was thinking, it would curse this unfilial child. Ignorant of that, Moltres gathered wind between its wings—planning another Heat Wave, quadruple-resisted and nerfed, just to pressure Arcanine.
At that moment, Lucas raised a hand to stop Moltres and stepped onto the field with Victini.
Moltres knew what he wanted. It had to admit: from that small, cute Fire-type, it sensed an energy reserve that made even a legendary bird uneasy.
Moltres hadn't been buffed by Victini yet, but those who had described entering a wondrous state—endless strength and a strange, versatile energy that elevated their own to unleash blows far beyond their current level.
Victini pressed its little hand to Arcanine. A brilliant golden aura rose as its infinite energy poured into Arcanine, elevating emotion, stamina, and power together.
The already-heated battlefield spiked even hotter. Lucas, instantly drenched in sweat, hurriedly retreated with Victini until they were far away, finally exhaling.
Wiping his forehead, he looked at Arcanine—and froze.
Within the black markings of Arcanine's mane and coat, crimson lines shot with a glint of gold began to flow like living magma.
The air around Arcanine shimmered. Feeling inexhaustible power and stamina, Arcanine's eyes lit up; its already-high spirits surged higher.
Moltres stared at its child's strange form, mind blanking for a moment.
Wait—Lucas was actually telling the truth? He wasn't bluffing!?
"Awoo—!"
Arcanine roared, flames ballooning wildly along its body—then compressing just as violently. In mere breaths, it became a small burning sun, radiating terrifying light and heat.
As a Fire-type legend, Moltres could sense the explosive force hidden within Arcanine's flames.
Its expression grew solemn. It too sheathed itself in fire—Flare Blitz versus Flare Blitz.
Arcanine began to run. Wind and drag tore apart around it. As it leapt high, it became a bomb on the verge of detonation, colliding squarely with Moltres!
Boom—!
A thunderous blast. Smoke and shockwaves pounded outward, a pillar of flame visible even from central Los Platos Town.
A silhouette burst from the smoke and plummeted like a cut kite.
Lucas and Victini could clearly see—the one who fell wasn't Arcanine, but Moltres!
Arcanine landed a moment later, steady—while the flowing lines on its body faded.
It felt it: the infinite energy Victini had fed it was spent.
Lying in a crater, aching all over, Moltres wanted to curse that dog.
Lucas paused, then murmured to himself, "A form like flowing magma—Magma Mode."