Gladion had officially come to say farewell; Lucas thought, today there probably wouldn't be any more visitors.
Time sped by. Before Lucas even realized, the orange sun had already almost sunk beneath the sea.
He locked the main doors and placed the keys back in their spot.
Looking out at the stunning sunset, he knew he had to say goodbye to his Alola getaway.
Not far away, Oranguru was counting the Pokémon to make sure nobody accidentally got left behind in Alola during the return to Paldea.
Luxray, Swampert, Dragonite and mother Dragonite, Ogerpon, the Eevee sisters, Spectrier, plus Tapu Fini and Popplio, who would join them at the Farm.
After finishing the count, Oranguru looked at the swing, then gave Lucas a hesitant glance.
Should they really bring that deep-green, shiny Zygarde Core back too?
Reading Oranguru's concerns, Lucas could only shrug.
Truthfully, it wasn't whether he wanted to bring the Zygarde Core along, but that Zygarde Core itself wanted to tag along.
Even if he didn't take it, Lucas would bet money it could sneak aboard the plane after him.
And it wouldn't make any sense to stop Zygarde Core if it wanted to come.
So—just roll with it.
Lucas's only real worry was that, once in Paldea, Zygarde Core might sense the Great Crater of Paldea and decide that all those Paradox Pokémon inside needed a punch for threatening "order and ecological balance"—
White Gundam raining laser fire on Area Zero… Lucas didn't dare imagine it.
Given that, best for Zygarde Core to be somewhere he could keep an eye on it. Besides, it didn't need food—photosynthesis would do.
Lucas recalled his Pokémon into their Poké Balls, then called to the swing, "Changed your mind? I'm leaving!"
"So impatient, you humans..."
Zygarde Core opened its single eye, sighed, and turned from a slumped slime to an elastic, lively one.
A few bounces later, it landed on Lucas's shoulder, nuzzled in for comfort, and went invisible.
If not for the light weight on his shoulder, Lucas might think it was really gone.
Zygarde Core's voice echoed in his mind.
"Just speak to me like this from now on. I'm quite curious about the environment of your region, given what rumors I've heard from that otherworldly Tapu Fini."
"Don't you have Zygarde cells in Paldea?"
Walking towards the airport, Lucas frowned. Judging by the tone, it sounded like there were no Zygarde cells in Paldea at all?
Wasn't Zygarde supposed to monitor the whole planet's balance...?
"You misunderstand. Normally, unless it's an emergency, a single core like myself can't share all the cells' vision."
"And anyway, your Paldea is pretty peaceful so most Zygarde cells are allocated to rougher regions."
"So, Paldea does have a few cells—just very few?" Lucas confirmed.
Zygarde Core nodded invisibly. "Exactly. Never none, just relatively rare."
On and off, Lucas chatted with Zygarde Core and soon finished check-in, boarding his direct flight to Paldea.
Zygarde Core, perhaps unused to human company, kept educating Lucas with what it considered "common sense."
"Take Kalos, for instance. I barely manage it at all; two younger siblings oversee that area."
"But honestly, they're almost too responsible. There aren't enough leftover cells to go around, and since your region is underpopulated, I decided to spend some time there splitting off new cells, just in case."
As it spoke, Zygarde Core caught a piece of mochi Lucas tossed its way (leftover from the flight attendants).
Understanding Zygarde Core's motives, Lucas asked out of curiosity:
"Then what about Alola, like that Resolution Cave, after you leave?"
Even while Zygarde Core was physically present in Alola, it still took time to return to the cave.
Now it would be in Paldea—if the cave were attacked by Ultra Beasts, could it just turn into a Gundam and fly back?
"When the time comes (munch, munch), one of my siblings (munch, munch) will come to oversee Alola's balance and (munch, munch) order."
Lucas: …
How many Zygarde Cores do you guys even have?
Pressed for an exact answer, Zygarde Core deflected, "Not many; and if there's a vacancy, sometimes a cell splits off and becomes a new core."
The flight from Akala Island landed safely at Levincia City Airport. The neon lights sparkled across the sea, welcoming yet another sunset.
Before leaving the airport, Lucas changed into some warm clothes in the changing room.
Compared to Alola, Paldea was in the depths of winter and there was snow falling outside.
It was fine on the climate-controlled plane, but if he walked out in shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers, he'd be an ice pop before reaching the curb.
"So this is where you live?"
Once outside, Zygarde Core examined the modern cityscape of Levincia City with a frown—but showed no intention of causing trouble.
Compared to its younger peers, it simply saw further and remembered more.
As guardian of order and balance, it wouldn't destroy a city just because humans developed it, so long as they didn't go overboard.
Sensing Zygarde Core wasn't fond of highly developed cities, Lucas shook his head:
"No, my home's still a bit of a way from here."
"Good then."
Zygarde Core gave up on the idea of finding a mountain forest to hide in, shaking its body in lazy response to the cold.
"Let's try to return to the Farm before December."
Lucas mumbled, calling out Dragonite once he reached the city's edge.
Unlike Alola, Paldea had more rules about riding Pokémon in urban areas.
It was almost December—the last month of the year. Lucas wanted to reunite with the Farm Pokémon before then.
Not to mention, he was missing home and eager to return.
Dragonite flapped its wings, braving the cold wind, flying toward the distant lights.
The sudden return from tropical climate to frigid winter slowed Dragonite down a little.
When Lucas finally saw the outline of the Farm, the time was exactly 11:50 p.m.
He landed on the snow-dusted ground, exhaling a visible puff, and jumped off Dragonite's back.
From his shadow, Spectrier eagerly emerged, letting out an excited whinny.
Finally home! Beloved black carrots, I'm back!
But before it could make a scene, Lucas smacked it on the head with a "Quick Attack."
"Everyone's asleep, don't be noisy."
"Neigh—!!"
Spectrier shook its head pitifully, wondering why Lucas's Normal-type move could even hit it.
Lucas ignored it, then released Luxray and the others from their Poké Balls.
They were used to going on trips and coming home, so their emotions were stable.
Instead, it was Tapu Fini—worried for Popplio, used to the tropics—who carefully checked out their new environment.
Oranguru added via telepathy, "She noticed we're back."
No sooner had he finished than King Calyrex's form appeared in the snowy distance.
He was wearing a red sleeping cap, matching Cosmog's blue one.
He clearly had been sleeping before—Spectrier must have woken him.
"Welcome back..."
Calyrex greeted them normally, his gaze scanning the group for new members—as he'd grown used to Lucas "picking up" new Pokémon every trip.
First at Popplio, then at Tapu Fini, with a note of surprise.
"Hmm?"
Glancing at Lucas's shoulder, where Zygarde Core had gone invisible.
Caught, Zygarde Core manifested at last.
"So, you're here too, King of Abundance from Galar."
Honestly, Zygarde Core was greatly surprised.
It never expected to meet the legendary Calyrex here.
No, maybe it had been foreshadowed since the moment Lucas brought back Spectrier.
"Protector of order, you…?"
Calyrex hadn't expected Lucas to bring back a Zygarde Core, but compared to the others he knew, this was clearly a different individual.
It was a little like that time with Black Rayquaza.
"I'm just here to expand business."
Zygarde Core replied using its standard phrase.
Calyrex understood and nodded.
"I see. Understood."
Then Calyrex smiled at Lucas.
"No matter what happened during your vacation, take a break first, and we'll talk tomorrow."
"Serperior and Mimikyu just changed your bedsheets this morning."
"Okay."
Lucas nodded, accepting the arrangement.
Going inside, he told Oranguru,
"Let Tapu Fini and Popplio stay in the guest room for now, we'll arrange something at Thunder Lake tomorrow, for Swampert and Milotic too."
The Pokémon acknowledged the instructions and dispersed.
Lucas looked at Zygarde Core. Before he spoke, it had already surveyed the room and found a favored spot.
There, a fireplace glowed with Moltres's "Sacred Fire," scattered with some wool-stuffed mats.
King Calyrex must have worked some magic; as the fiery dogs—Arcanine, Dachsbun, and Houndoom—slept soundly beside the fire, completely unbothered by their arrival.
Finding a mat with a Sunflora design, Zygarde Core let out a contented "poo loo loo" and melted into a pile, like a green slime on the rug.
Clearly, Paldea's harsh winter even affected a legendary Dragon/Ground Pokémon.
Lucas twitched his lips and called Luxray and the Eevee sisters to go rest in his room.
The Larvesta must already be warming the bed, right?
…
League Calendar Year 798, December 1st.
A new month, a new day.
Because of the time difference and good sleep on the plane, Lucas found himself unable to sleep. He asked Oranguru to hit him with a "Hypnosis"—very convenient for a quick jet lag fix.
He'd thought about inviting Comfey over for some soothing fragrance, but she was already asleep, so he left it.
When Lucas next opened his eyes, he could already hear the cries of Corviknight and Corvisquire outside; the window was frosted with ice.
He glanced at his bedside clock: exactly eight in the morning. Perfect timing.
He flipped back the quilt (made from Eldegoss cotton), but the Eevee sisters were gone—only Larvesta serving as a cuddle pillow remained.
Sure enough, they'd rolled over to Luxray's side, kneading his fur half-asleep.
Too bad his Luxray was male.
Catching Luxray's helpless look, Lucas could only shrug.
Clearly, Luxray had been awake for some time but was trapped by the Eevee sisters' antics.
As he lazed in bed, something tugged at his sleeve.
Looking over, he found it was Mimikyu.
With a wide, beaming smile on its stitched-up face, it was obviously happy that Lucas was back.
The seven days apart had felt longer than expected for it. Hearing the noise in his room that morning, Mimikyu rushed over.
"I'm back, Mimikyu."
Smiling, Lucas picked up Mimikyu and exchanged a friendly handshake with the little paw poking from under the doll's disguise.
Mimikyu's tail swayed joyfully, then told Lucas that Serperior was waiting for him downstairs—it would be best if he came quickly.
Apparently, it was something about the Pokémon eggs.
On hearing this, Lucas's last trace of sleep vanished. He didn't even stop to wash up, just pulled on a few clothes and ran downstairs.
As for Pokémon eggs, the only ones on the Farm left to hatch were those left behind by the blond Tauros.
According to the manuals given by Whitney and Hanzawa, now was about the right time—so Lucas had scheduled his vacation accordingly.
He never thought that, right after returning, they'd be showing signs already!
The moment he'd been waiting for—the "blind box" opening—was finally arriving!