Taking care of newborn Pokémon was a serious matter — even the bathwater's temperature had to be just right, too cold or too hot and the babies might catch a chill while being washed free of the egg's sticky fluids.
Pokémon were hardier and more vital than even the fiercest beasts of the wild; most could move freely mere moments after hatching, barring rare weaklings.
At this stage, energy was everything.
Milk was the best energy source, but judging from the five Miltank mothers' "watching-the-show" attitudes outside, Lucas knew he was on his own.
Fortunately, he'd stocked up on plenty of Moomoo Milk. Grabbing two bottles at once, Lucas fed the calves one after another.
It was a long night.
Even with help from Oranguru and Calyrex, later joined by Serperior, Mimikyu, Luxray, Comfey, and Alcremie, Lucas was drenched in sweat by the end.
After dawn, the crowd outside had mostly dispersed, and Lucas gazed at the thirteen Tauros calves sleeping peacefully in their newly-prepared beds with mixed emotions.
He recalled Hanzawa and Whitney both telling him that Tauros and Miltank ratios were about fifty-fifty when hatched. Yet all thirteen were male Tauros!?
Good thing it wasn't thirteen human boys — he couldn't imagine the cost of raising thirteen gluttons.
Even so, the Tauros calves' appetites were astounding, as the pile of empty Moomoo Milk bottles outside attested.
Luckily, he'd been prudent enough to set aside a portion of each batch.
All the Tauros were ordinary-colored, no shinies — which actually relieved Lucas a bit. Early generation Pokémon had unimpressive shiny variants, and Tauros's shiny was, frankly, just green — like it was dipped in bitter melon juice.
As for their Abilities, it'd take time to tell. Lucas tied colored ribbons on each calf's horn, in order of their hatching, to avoid mixing them up.
But it was winter. The timing was a little unfortunate. Had they been born in the wild, survival would've been much harder.
Thank goodness, during their time in the eggs, King Calyrex had blessed each, imbuing them with extra vitality, making them healthier than their peers.
Over the next days, their horns would grow out, and they'd quickly reach the average Tauros size. Soon, the thunder of their hooves would echo across Lucas's expanded pastures.
Lucas yawned. Calyrex noticed and said, "You should get some rest. Oranguru and I can keep watch."
"I'm fine. I still need to pick up our new members in Levincia soon."
Lucas called in Victini, who'd been building snowmen outside.
With Victini's infinite energy boost, all exhaustion and drowsiness faded. Now he just needed a shower and a change of clothes.
He usually wouldn't use this — like a stimulant, albeit harmless — but hadn't expected such a grueling all-nighter.
Taking the clamoring Victini along, Lucas called on Dragonite and soared toward Levincia.
After picking up the Pokémon, he had to hurry to Naranja Academy for class. Eri, Arven, and Penny were already messaging him for updates.
Busy as ever, in a blink, it was afternoon.
Not only did Lucas return to the farm himself, he also brought Arven and the girls.
When Oranguru came to greet them, he gave Lucas's three guests a surprised look.
"They're here as visitors," Lucas explained, helplessly.
Having heard that thirteen Tauros had hatched, the three had insisted he bring them to the farm for a look.
He gave in to their persistence and brought them back.
"I see," Oranguru nodded. He was familiar enough with the trio, his young master's students.
"Master Arven, still hot milk? Lady Penny, hot cola? Miss Eri, veggie juice, right?"
The three were surprised Oranguru remembered their preferences.
Penny timidly raised her hand and said softly, "Wouldn't iced cola be okay? Or at least room temperature...?"
"No," Oranguru replied sternly. "Girls are prone to chills; please drink hot beverages in winter."
Ignoring Penny's pitiful expression, Oranguru turned to prep drinks.
"Stay for dinner tonight — we have two new Pokémon chefs who are extremely skilled."
Lucas smiled, glancing from the disappointed Penny to Arven and Eri.
"Pokémon chefs!?"
Arven's eyes lit up. So Pokémon would cook, just like Oranguru the butler?
His mind whirled. His first guess: fire-type Pokémon, of course—
Eri, browsing her phone, suddenly called out, "Nemona just messaged. They've arrived at the Battle Factory!"
Everyone looked; Eri brought up a photo.
The background was a sprawling factory district. Standing in front were Nemona grinning at the camera, Paul looking indifferent, and Shizuka, caught off guard but still in frame.
"That was fast," Penny adjusted her glasses, marveling at their efficiency.
Today was December 2nd. It hadn't been two weeks since the trio set off for Hoenn, and already they'd reached their first Battle Factory.
Eri recalled that when they'd traveled together challenging Paldea's gyms, they often got lost, slowing their journey. It seemed Paul and Shizuka had kept Nemona's impulsiveness in check.
"Paul and Shizuka have also cleared the first gym," Lucas said, checking his phone. He had updates from all three.
Unlike the anime, the Battle Frontier here wasn't just in Kanto — for business reasons, the Frontier Brains moved around, staying at each location for several months.
This time, they happened to be in Hoenn. In a month or two, they'd head back to Kanto.
These updates usually came courtesy of Paul's brother, Reggie.
Paul and Shizuka's first gym was in Rustboro City, led by Roxanne. The Battle Factory was also near Rustboro, so the timing matched.
But—
Lucas noticed something in Paul's usually reserved and polite language: a spark of rivalry.
Sure enough, Paul had run into Ash again.
The "fated rivalry" of Sinnoh now played out in Hoenn — who knew what new twists would result?
Judging by Paul's message, his fighting spirit had been stoked.
With healthy competition, both trainers would surely improve at an unexpected rate.
They chatted idly about what Pokémon Nemona, Paul, and Shizuka might catch in Hoenn as they made their way to the ranch.
The Tauros calves, having just been fed again, were all sound asleep; from their appetites, though, Lucas could tell they'd be a handful.
He hoped his expanded farmland would be enough for them — if not, perhaps regular, sheepdog-style herding sessions in the wild were in order.
Leaning against the window, Eri whispered, "The newborn Tauros look completely different from what I expected."
No manes yet, only tiny horns; their bodies were much smaller than expected — and nothing like the Paldean variety.
"But they were born in Paldea. Why do they still look like Kanto Tauros?" Arven wondered out loud.
Clearly, he hadn't inherited either Professor Sada or Professor Turo's research talent, Lucas thought helplessly.
Penny hugged her laptop and explained: "Long-term morphological changes and environmental factors during evolution are different matters. Tauros don't evolve, so their appearance is set at birth. Any later changes require long-term adaptation and evolution."
"It's not like Tandemaus evolving into Alolan Raichu just by using a Thunder Stone in Alola. That's a case-by-case thing."
Penny's clear reasoning was impressive — the hallmark of someone trained in the sciences.
"Alright, since they're asleep, let's eat," Lucas announced.
The trio nodded.
After all, newborn Pokémon needed sleep to grow; it was best not to disturb them.
They all returned to Lucas's new house.
In the bright kitchen, several figures were busy at work.
Falinks moved in perfect harmony, producing a seemingly endless supply of fragrant dishes. Their speed and quality were top-notch.
In addition to making a few specialties, Audino also prepared some simple medicinal dishes, as most of the work had been taken over by Falinks anyway.
Today was their first day on the job, and clearly, everyone was putting their best foot forward.
Many Pokémon had crowded outside the kitchen to watch the action.
Even Tinkatuff had returned from the back mountain after hearing the news.
Staring at the delicious dishes, Tinkatuff nearly drooled straight onto the floor.
If only she'd gone to Alola too, instead of making excuses to keep busy forging! She couldn't believe she'd missed out on foreign cuisine just because she didn't pick up the calls from Ogerpon at the end!
Normally, everyone on the farm either ate Pokémon food or the prepared meals Lucas left before he left, but those dishes lacked the flavor of this fresh fare.
The only exception was Alcremie's desserts — those nearly made Tinkatuff chubby.
Arven was stunned by the smooth teamwork of the six Falinks; under their leader's command, the cooking process looked like art!
This was truly Pokémon-level cuisine.
Arven couldn't help imagining: if he'd had a chef Pokémon like this at home during his childhood, along with Mabosstiff—maybe he wouldn't have missed his parents staying away so much.
Eri was also wide-eyed in surprise.
Penny, with her family background, had seen Pokémon chefs before; for example, Uncle Rose had hired a Kanto-style Pokémon chef through his secretary, Oleana, and Penny had tasted his cooking before.
But never had she seen a Pokémon chef turn cooking into such an art.
Lucas caught sight of their reactions. It had to be said — Falinks made cooking a true spectacle; he suspected even Siebold would approve, and even consider adding an open kitchen to his own restaurants.
Soon, the dishes prepared by Audino and Falinks filled the entire dining table.
There were homestyle dishes for everyone, as well as custom creations for specific Pokémon.
For example, Spectrier and Glastrier were blown away by the cooked white and black carrots — why had they ever settled for eating them raw?
Even some crops Lucas had brought from Alola, like the famous Poni radishes, had been incorporated into specialty dishes.
Judging by the trio's satisfied, grease-stained faces, it was obvious how delicious the food was.
Afterward, Audino's slow-simmered medicinal soup was ready too.
Blended with various carefully matched herbs, the soup was deliciously fragrant and rich, with a hint of herbal aroma — nourishing and satisfying.
"Ta bu nai~"
Hearing the voice from above, Eevee girl — in the middle of devouring her meal — looked up to see Audino, wearing an apron, smiling warmly at her.
In its hands was a small bowl of soup.
Audino had overheard that Eevee girl was once frail due to congenital issues, so made a special nourishing soup just for her.