As soon as Lucas met up with Arven in the waiting area, Arven dumped all the information he'd gotten from his parents straight onto him.
Terapagos, Area Zero, and a super-concentrated Terastal-energy crystal.
All of it was stuff Lucas was hearing about for the first time. He couldn't help turning his questioning gaze toward Calyrex.
Sensing Lucas's eyes on him, Calyrex looked a bit surprised. He hadn't expected that Lucas, who always seemed to know everything, would encounter something unfamiliar.
"I am unaware."
Still, Calyrex was honest as he shook his head. He had never been to Paldea; how could he know what Terapagos or Area Zero were?
"Anyway, Mom and Dad said, if you need it, Big Bro, they can give you some condensed Tera crystal chunks, but you'll have to go to Area Zero in person to pick them up."
Arven absently stroked the fur of his Mabosstiff lying by his feet as he relayed Sada and Turo's message.
"I'll go when I get the chance. For now, the Tera shards that Penny's out buying should be enough."
Lucas nodded, accepting the offer for the time being, then asked:
"Right, where are Nemona and the others?"
Arven answered immediately, "Nemona went home to ask her sister and dad to help Penny acquire Tera shards. Eri dragged Paul out into the wild to look for Tera crystals—defeating the wild Pokémon guarding them and gathering shards."
"Got it."
Lucas was genuinely pleased. This was almost entirely a student-driven action.
Looked like they'd already formed a firm bond of friendship and were willing to run around for one another.
Just then, Nurse Joy, having finished receiving a few scattered visitors in the Pokémon Center, walked over with her Chansey. Now that she was very familiar with Lucas, she spoke to him without beating around the bush.
"I'm done here. Are you sure you want to go straight into the ward to visit Flareon?"
"To be blunt, because of its flame sac inflammation, Flareon's overall immunity is plummeting. It's really not suitable for exposure to the outside world."
"I'm sure." Lucas gave a small nod, his gaze drifting to Calyrex at his side. "Before we go in, please give us a full disinfection and sterilization. Calyrex can improve Flareon's condition a bit."
"...Calyrex?"
Nurse Joy looked at the Calyrex beside Lucas. Her first reaction was: what a huge head.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Lucas; she just couldn't help doubting. Did Calyrex really have the power to improve Flareon's condition?
Even her own Chansey, a specialist in healing with the Ability Healer, could only barely use Heal Pulse during emergency rescues to slow the rate of deterioration.
Before Lucas or Calyrex could say anything, Arven spoke up first.
He looked Nurse Joy in the eye, his tone firm and decisive.
"Please believe in us, Nurse Joy!"
"Calyrex is the King of Bountiful Harvests from Galar's legends. It can make flowers and plants grow to maturity within a few breaths—of course it can help Flareon improve somewhat!"
"Woof!"
Mabosstiff chimed in on the side as well.
"I cannot cure its disease, but making it feel better and holding on longer... that much, I can do."
Calyrex's voice rang directly in Nurse Joy's mind.
"Telepathy..." She froze for an instant, then said gravely, "I understand. Please, come with me."
The Joy family was an enormous clan with a long lineage, and because of that they possessed many secret, little-known pieces of knowledge.
Telepathy.
Aside from a few exceptionally gifted Psychic-type Pokémon, this was more or less confirmed to be an ability unique to many Legendary Pokémon.
Perhaps a small number of non-Psychic Pokémon could also learn it, but that didn't change how rare Telepathy was, nor its status as one of the signature abilities of Psychic types.
Looking again at Calyrex's presence—that instinctive aura that made you want to trust it—Nurse Joy was willing to take a risk and allow it into her patient's room.
Calyrex smiled. It quite appreciated doctors like Joy, who took responsibility for their patients' lives. That was why it asked for her consent instead of just teleporting straight into the ward.
A short while later.
After undergoing thorough disinfection, Calyrex entered Flareon's sterile ward, with Nurse Joy and Chansey accompanying it.
Lucas and Arven waited outside.
Watching the ward begin to glow with a soft light not long after Calyrex went in, Lucas finally withdrew his gaze and turned his head toward Arven.
He completely trusted Calyrex to handle this.
Even though there'd be no class today, Lucas still had something to ask Arven.
"This Friday the academy's Treasure Hunt will start. Nemona will set off on her journey then, traveling around Paldea to challenge the remaining Gyms. Eri's decided to head out as well."
"For a while after that, it'll be hard to get everyone together. Paul and your other new classmate have just barely entered the basics, so they'll stay in the academy for classes. What about you—have you decided?"
At that, Arven silently stared at Lucas for a moment while watching Calyrex performing "miracles" in front of the shocked Nurse Joy and Chansey, then said with certainty, "You're not thinking that once we all go out, you can slack off, are you."
Lucas: "..."
Why was this kid's intuition getting sharper and sharper?!
Seeing Lucas's guilty expression, Arven knew he'd hit the mark.
He curled his lip and said, "I'm going traveling too. You still haven't fulfilled your promise, remember? You said you'd only take me into the Great Crater of Paldea after I clear all eight Gyms."
Lucas gave a sheepish laugh. "That's because I was worried about your safety. Even if I can protect you, you still need to have some strength of your own, just in case."
Arven understood this perfectly well. He stepped forward and gave Lucas a brief hug, then backed up a few steps.
"Please tell Penny for me that if she ever runs into trouble and needs help, she can come to me anytime. That's what my parents want too."
"Alright."
Lucas nodded lightly, watching Arven leave.
Roughly half an hour later, Nurse Joy and Chansey emerged from the sterile ward with Calyrex.
Nurse Joy's delicate, pretty face still carried a lingering look of shock.
Under Calyrex's power, Flareon—whose stats had only barely been maintained at a low but stable level—had every parameter shooting upward.
From the data, Nurse Joy could even see that the symptoms of Flareon's flame sac inflammation had eased to a certain extent.
The disease hadn't disappeared, but there was no doubt that Calyrex's intervention had bought Flareon—and the still-traveling Penny—precious time.
She now fully believed Calyrex really was a Legendary Pokémon.
Nurse Joy gave Lucas a meaningful look and suddenly felt that all those nights she'd worked overtime preparing lesson plans and selecting textbooks were... kind of foolish.
With Calyrex around, did Lucas even need to study medical techniques?
She'd thought that since Lucas had such a large farm, his Pokémon would inevitably get unwell from time to time. So she'd planned to pour out everything she knew, so that in an emergency he wouldn't be completely helpless.
But as things stood, most issues could be handled by Calyrex. If even Calyrex couldn't treat a disease, then it would be very difficult here at the Pokémon Center as well—let alone expecting Lucas, who wasn't even at entry level yet, to do anything.
All he really needed was the ability to recognize herbs and put together some conservative remedies.
Feeling a chill run down his back under Nurse Joy's gaze, Lucas simply turned to Calyrex and asked about Flareon's condition.
Around eleven that night, Penny contacted Lucas again.
She said the emergency-purchased Tera shards, sent with all possible haste, should arrive at Lucas's farm around midnight.
Lucas had thought nothing more would happen tonight. He had already washed up early and was lying in bed playing with Mimikyu and Cosmog, when he sprang upright in surprise at Penny's procurement and transport speed.
Over the phone, Penny's voice couldn't hide its exhaustion. Lucas wanted to persuade her to rest, but Penny insisted on personally watching the Herba Mystica ripen, so she could finally be at ease.
Until she placed the Herba Mystica in front of Flareon, watched it eat, and saw its condition improve, she simply didn't dare close her eyes.
Given how much time, effort, and money Penny had spent today—pulling strings and running around all day long—Lucas really couldn't say anything. All he could do was get ready to receive the shipment before the truck arrived.
Swampert, Dragonite, Politoed, Oranguru, and Calyrex were all summoned by Lucas to wait at the farm entrance.
He'd called on Pokémon either with great strength and hands for heavy lifting, or Psychic-types like Oranguru and Calyrex who could move things by telekinesis.
Victini and Cosmog, though also Psychic-type?
Best to leave them with the Arboliva Daycare.
At one in the morning, a large truck loaded with goods rumbled up and stopped at the farm's gate. Two people got down from the cab.
One was Penny; the other was the driver.
Lucas immediately stepped forward.
Penny gave a small bow to the driver and said, "Thank you for your hard work, sir."
A flicker of surprise flashed through Lucas's eyes. Penny, who used to struggle even to speak to strangers, was now handling social interaction so smoothly. What exactly had she been through today?
While the driver went to open the cargo hold, Penny turned to Lucas with a hint of guilt.
"I'm really sorry for disturbing you so late, Teacher Lucas."
"It's fine. Saving Flareon comes first. I took Calyrex to the Pokémon Center earlier today—Flareon's condition is a lot more stable now compared to before."
Lucas patted her shoulder, offering comfort.
"Mm..."
Penny pushed her glasses, which had gone slightly smudged from all the rushing around. Head lowered, she forced back her tears and nodded lightly.
Soon, the driver swung open the truck's rear doors, revealing a small mountain of faintly glowing green Tera shards inside.
"All of these are—"
Lucas's eyes showed a trace of astonishment.
"They're Grass-type Tera shards acquired through Uncle and Nemona's connections. I thought, for planting, the Tera energy in Grass shards would probably be more suitable."
Penny explained.
"That does make sense, but..." Lucas nodded slightly. "This quantity... how many did you buy?"
Even a rough glance said there had to be at least a thousand.
"I only kept enough money for Eevee and myself to live on. I exchanged all the remaining savings for Grass-type Tera shards. I think there are about fifteen hundred pieces..."
Worried that buying just five hundred might not be enough, Penny had simply chosen to buy as many as she possibly could.
You could always earn money again, but she absolutely did not want to lose Flareon.
Seeing how determined she was, Lucas no longer tried to talk her out of it. He called Swampert and the others and began moving the Tera shards to the fields.
Under his direction, the Pokémon split the work and moved with astonishing efficiency.
Calyrex and Oranguru used telekinesis to place the shards into the bamboo baskets Lucas usually used to carry his harvest.
Then Swampert, Dragonite, and Politoed—blessed with great strength and stamina—hauled the fully loaded baskets over to the farmland.
Lucas didn't just stand around either. Once everything was running smoothly, he joined the hauling work himself.
With a full basket of shards on his back, he stole a glance from the corner of his eye at Penny. Her basket was only half full, but her long-pale skin—rarely seeing the sun—was flushing crimson from effort as she strained to carry it.
Lucas said nothing. He just silently quickened his pace so they could finish sooner.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the Tera shards were soon piled up near the small plot where the Herba Mystica were planted.
Lucas sent the other Pokémon home to rest, keeping only Calyrex and Penny by his side. He eyed the mountain of Grass shards, and an idea surfaced in his heart.
Each of the five Herba Mystica had its own miraculous effect. Originally, he and Nurse Joy had planned to use the Bitter Herba to boost Flareon's immune system, then carry out other treatments afterward.
But with so many Grass-type shards on hand, maybe they could be a little bolder.
His gaze fell, in turn, on the Herba Mystica with white leaves and the one with red leaves.
Herba Mystica: Salty. Its mellow savory flavor has a startling effect in promoting overall health.
Herba Mystica: Spicy. Known for its supreme spiciness, rumors say that just one bite will explosively boost your metabolism.
If they combined those with the Bitter and Sour Herba, Flareon might recover even faster.
Thinking this, Lucas explained his idea to Calyrex.
After Calyrex nodded and said there was no problem, Lucas pulled Penny a few steps back so they could watch Calyrex work.
Calyrex closed its eyes. Its body was wrapped in a blue telekinetic glow, a powerful aura sweeping out as a strange hum began to vibrate in the air.
In the next instant—
The mountain of Grass-type Tera shards shattered under Calyrex's telekinetic pressure, turning into a cascade of brilliant starlight tinged with faint green, like a river of stars draped over the night sky.
A short distance away, in the grass beyond the farm's wooden fence, two pairs of long rabbit-like ears—one brown, one silver-gray—poked up from the underbrush.
Their owners stared in a daze at the breathtaking sight, eyes full of yearning.
Under Calyrex's control, the Tera energy split evenly into three streams, flowing like rivers into the soil beneath three specially marked plants.
At the same time, Calyrex called upon the power of Bountiful Harvests. Waves of invisible tide swept across the field.
To Lucas and Penny's eyes, the three plants seemed to rebel against the laws of nature, growing and maturing at a speed visible to the naked eye—like they were living through countless years in the span of a single minute.
When the Tera energy drawn from all the shards was finally spent, a strange scent began to spread through the air.
It wasn't exactly a "fragrance." It was more like something coiling around the tip of the nose, stirring the body, sending urgent, primal signals of desire and hunger.
Lucas and Penny understood instantly.
The three Herba Mystica had been successfully force-ripened!
And with them, something else was coming—
The riot of wild Pokémon that had caught the scent.
…