Lucas made his way straight to the living room.
But rather than the sense of urgency he had imagined, the atmosphere in the living room was leisurely and relaxed.
Zygarde Core was sprawled in front of the fireplace, completely blending into the scene, looking just like a college student who refuses to crawl out of bed once winter arrives.
The doors to Tapu Fini and Popplio's rooms were wide open; it seemed they had been invited by Swampert and Dragonite to familiarize themselves with Thunder Lake.
While passing the staircase landing, Lucas nearly stepped on a pair of Tandemaus who were busy dusting with a feather duster.
As for Serperior, she was enjoying herself, leisurely wrapping the Alolan specialty — a Combee Sweet Donut — with her vine whip, dipping it in the nectar on Appletun's back, and then popping it into her mouth.
Indeed, she had not only coated the already-sweet donut in even more honey from Appletun's back, but also added a crispy layer of pastry.
It was hard to imagine a mother — or perhaps an adoptive mother — indulging in something so decadent.
At that moment, Zygarde Core, still lounging in front of the fire like a boss, called out lazily, "Hey, Little Snake, spare me a piece, will you?"
Serperior: "..."
She frowned ever so slightly, but remembering the introduction by Oranguru this morning, she reluctantly handed over a small piece of donut to Zygarde Core.
This guy seemed like a big shot. Once she figured out the details of his background, she could give him a good thrashing with her vines later.
The double layer of sweetness was enough to soothe Serperior's slight irritation from earlier. When Lucas walked over, she even greeted him warmly and subtly caught his finger with the tip of her tail.
"Jalok"
She let Lucas sit on the sofa, and called out softly, concern in her tone.
After all, she had heard from Swampert and Dragonite that Lucas had been through quite a bit during his supposed vacation in Alola.
Considering that point, today she would reluctantly show a little more care for him!
"I'm fine. How have things been here on the farm these last few days?" Lucas smiled, understanding what Serperior was trying to say.
He had gone straight to bed last night after returning and hadn't had the chance to check up on his Pokémon who'd stayed behind at the farm.
Though King Calyrex had been overseeing everything, it was still a bit worrying without Oranguru around.
Serperior thought for a moment and picked out a few important details to relate to Lucas — or more precisely, formed words with her vines to explain:
Gyarados was still guarding the edge of the frozen stream as usual.
Glastrier, with its bad temper, had nearly gotten into a fight with Raging Bolt, only to be subdued by King Calyrex.
The human called Captain had been sending in batches of Paldean ancient coins; Gimmighoul's treasure chest was now almost half full.
In the new orchard, the Applin were nearly carried off by a passing Pelipper, but Corviknight and Corvisquire of the Sky Patrol quickly intervened and drove it away.
Regice had been wandering near the glass greenhouse.
Moltres made a trip home and brought back some local specialties.
And not long after Moltres returned, the Arcanine who'd previously chewed up Lucas's Windproof Arcanine Safe had once more destroyed all his hidden slippers, buried them in the ground.
At first, Lucas found all this amusing, but the more he listened, the more his expression turned strange; by the end, his face was as black as a pot's bottom.
The matters with Gyarados, Raging Bolt, and Glastrier were nothing new.
As for the status of Gimmighoul's ancient coins, Lucas received periodic text updates from Captain while he was in Alola; he knew well enough how many coins there were now.
Currently it stood at 456 coins. That was 543 short of the 999 needed.
Captain was doing quite well alone; at this rate, it should only take a few months to gather all the coins.
Lucas glanced over at Appletun, who was basking in the warmth, eyes drooping.
He'd always been concerned about the Applin in the orchard, which was why he'd established the Sky Patrol.
Strictly speaking, these Pokémon were employees Lucas had hired, not ones he had captured.
He provided shelter and lodging to the Applin, and in return, they cared for the fruit trees and helped ripen the berries.
He offered Corviknight and Corvisquire ample food so they wouldn't need to migrate during winter, and in exchange, they guarded the farm's skies as if it were their own territory.
In retrospect, that had been a wise decision.
As for Regice, Lucas might have a clue, but he'd need to confirm it later. He could check out the specialties Moltres brought back as well.
But the biggest problem, of course——
Lucas clenched his fist, face as dark as soot. No wonder Arcanine wasn't at home; it had realized he was coming back and ran off in advance!
"Just wait till I catch that guy..."
After making this mental note, Lucas looked again at Serperior.
These things were important, but what concerned him most was the Pokémon egg situation.
Yet Serperior didn't seem to be in any hurry, making Lucas uncertain.
So he simply asked outright, preparing to check on the incubator himself.
Serperior, wrapping herself with the woolen scarf Lucas had prepared for her, slithered along after him.
They made their way to the farm's incubation area, a snowy land with little besides some large trees and buildings. There, they happened upon two Sawsbuck taking a stroll.
Frankly, if Serperior hadn't reminded him, Lucas — lost in thought — might have unconsciously overlooked the pair of Pokémon.
Their winter coats were particularly deceptive.
Compared to other seasons, Sawsbuck's winter pelts resembled the snowy surroundings, offering excellent camouflage from predators.
Their antlers resembled white twigs — perfect for hanging tiny red lanterns.
Their bodies were dotted with white spots for concealment, and additional neck fur gave the look of a white scarf; their legs sported white boots.
Although Grass-type Pokémon, Sawsbuck weren't afraid of the cold thanks to their rich, thick coats and ample feed on the farm, unlike Gogoat who needed to huddle up.
As they spotted Lucas, the Sawsbuck bounded over lightly, taking care not to poke him with their antlers as they nuzzled closer.
After a bit of affection and telling them he had business to attend to, Lucas led Serperior toward the hatching house.
Opening the door, Lucas quickly ushered them inside, shutting it tightly behind to keep out the cold that might harm the eggs.
In his and Oranguru's absence, Serperior and Calyrex had taken turns caring for the eggs, so Serperior was very familiar with the place.
She slithered over to an egg, pointed at the incubator with her tail, and called out.
"Ja~lok."
Lucas took a look and saw the egg pulsing with a steady glow.
Having hatched quite a few Pokémon himself and done his research, Lucas recognized what this meant.
Rather than the blinding glare seen during actual hatching, this glow indicated the Pokémon inside the egg was now mature enough to hatch at any moment.
In other words—it could hatch at any time.
Lucas now understood why Serperior wasn't anxious.
It was a situation that could be urgent, but might not be; judging by the frequency of the flashes, hatching would likely occur in the latter half of the night.
Lucas relaxed a bit, weighing whether to wait here or assign a Pokémon to keep watch.
But suddenly, a voice broke in:
"No wonder you've been so eager — a new life about to be born! That certainly is an urgent matter."
At some point, Zygarde Core had silently entered, deactivating its camouflage and gazing at the egg with thoughtful approval.
Strong kids, all of them. Not bad.
"Zygarde!?"
Because Zygarde Core carried no malice, his alarm system hadn't reacted, so Lucas was startled.
A hint of surprise flashed in Serperior's eyes, and she flicked her tail with irritation.
To sneak past her senses... This Pokémon, weak as it appeared, was no simple foe!
"It is I, the silent watcher and pure protector of order — Zygarde," the Core replied in an odd, pompous tone, turning to the thirteen eggs.
"Pluru-luru—"
Looking as if it was straining its little body, a faint green light flashed, and Zygarde Core leapt back, leaving its previous form behind like a snake shedding skin.
"What's this—?"
Both Lucas and Serperior were surprised.
"This is my eye, a cell separated from myself," Zygarde Core answered, then sent the cell scrambling up to a high spot overlooking the thirteen eggs, vanishing into the wall.
It then repeated the process, splitting off another cell, which this time crawled onto Lucas himself.
Once finished, it declared, "I'll have my cells watch over things here. If an egg is about to hatch, the cell will alert you."
Lucas was stunned for a moment before nodding. "Thanks."
"No need. Consider this the least I can do for all the free eating and drinking I've been doing here."
Zygarde Core smiled serenely. Clearly, it had its own code of conduct — far better than that other gluttonous little blonde loli.
Lucas, after a moment's silence: "...Well, thank you?"
So Zygarde Core planned on eating and drinking for free on the farm after all?!
"No need to thank me. As long as you don't mind how much I eat, we're good."
Zygarde Core wagged its tail in satisfaction. Splitting off a cell cost energy; photosynthesis was free but slow, so eating was simply more efficient.
There'd been food aplenty in Alola, but here in Paldea, it'd be hard to even assume its 10% Forme.
If necessary, it could still forcibly summon all its cells worldwide and take on its full 100% Forme.
But unless it came to that, it would refrain.
The farm was more than able to meet its needs for now.
"That's fine," Lucas grinned. Zygarde Core was so tiny; how much could it eat anyway? A handful of jelly beans would probably fill it up. If he could feed Moltres, why worry about a Zygarde Core?
Now that the egg room was under 24/7 surveillance, Lucas finally relaxed. He and Serperior left for the neighboring lake to check on Tapu Fini and Popplio.
Except for the aquaculture zone for food fish, the lake where the aquatic Pokémon played was now dotted with floating ice.
Politoed was leading the Poliwhirls in a chorus, performing atop the ice. The audience: Swampert, Milotic, Dragonite, Dragonair, and the new arrivals, Tapu Fini and Popplio.
Even Gyarados, rarely absent from the creek, had joined Milotic, whom it hadn't seen for a week.
Clearly, this was the farm's welcome party for the new members.
Excited, Popplio leapt onto a block of ice and wowed everyone, blowing a gigantic water balloon with its nose.
The bubble could even hold Politoed inside, floating on the surface.
The other Pokémon watched in amazement, crowding around Popplio with cheers and exclamations.
Seeing this, Lucas smiled at Serperior, "Let's go."
"Ja~lok?" (Aren't we going to say hello?)
Serperior was a bit puzzled.
"Let them mingle. We'll handle other matters first."
Lucas shook his head. He had only wanted to see how the pair were adapting, and clearly they were doing quite well.
There would be plenty of time for building bonds in the days ahead.
In a few days, he could consider taking Tapu Fini to Paldea's sea and have her absorb the currents' energy, restoring the mist that once let Dragonite's leader see the departed.
The day flashed by in busyness, and Lucas only managed to finish all the farm's affairs by sundown.
Tomorrow, two Pokémon chefs would arrive by Pokémon express plane — he'd have to pick them up. Best to get an early night.
But before he could sleep, the Zygarde cell on his body — previously inert all day — abruptly quivered.
He quickly threw on his clothes, called for Oranguru to ready supplies for thirteen newborns, and dashed toward the hatching house as if facing a great enemy.
Sure enough—
In the incubation chamber, the thirteen eggs were now flashing almost continuously.
Oranguru and Calyrex arrived too, and everyone got to work.
Hot water, towels, warm Moomoo Milk — all prepared.
It was time for a serious battle.
Soon, the eggs shone at their brightest and began to hatch, with crowds of Pokémon gathered by the window to watch — including the five Miltank mothers themselves.
The hatching of thirteen eggs kept everyone busy. Yet the truly baffling thing was —
Staring at a row of healthy male Tauros calves, Lucas could hardly keep from breaking down.
Wait a minute — was the hatching chance's coding tampered with or what!?
…