After Arven's family reunion, Lucas stopped paying too much attention, having completed the help he agreed to offer.
Every family has its own business. He wasn't about to go play busybody like some elderly community committee member.
Just from observing Arven's energy during classes over the next several days, Lucas figured the outcome must have been pretty decent.
It wasn't long before Professor Sada and Professor Turo came by personally to visit.
Koraidon and Miraidon weren't with them—most likely, they'd been left back at Lighthouse Laboratory.
That was a relief to Lucas. After all, he still wasn't sure exactly how Zygarde Core felt about the Paradox Pokémon.
The deactivated Iron Valiant, stored in the living room, didn't catch its attention. Maybe because Raging Bolt had blended into the farm so well, the Zygarde Core didn't react much, either.
Most of the time, it simply ate and slept, basked in the sun, woke up, and then ate again.
It was practically catching up to the hibernating Ursaluna.
Professor Sada and Professor Turo, aside from thanking Lucas for taking care of Arven during this period, also helped check on the state of the crystalized Terapagos.
Their conclusion: as long as energy remained sufficient, Terapagos could awaken from its dormant state at any time, shed its protective Terastal shell, and return to its original form.
Lucas was pretty excited about that.
The two professors also brought news: after New Year's, the time machine would begin its second operational run, and they'd also start producing Booster Energy.
If any results came out of that, they'd deliver Booster Energy to Lucas right away.
After some further chit-chat, they said goodbye and left before the snow grew too heavy.
Tonight, they'd promised to make Arven his favorite dinner, and both Koraidon and Miraidon were clamoring for sandwiches too.
Just like that, the ordinary days flowed by, one after another.
…
Time blinked by, and the end of the year was already upon them. The New Year loomed close.
Over the past month, nothing big happened at the farm.
Tapu Fini's communication with Paldea's natural world was still ongoing. Judging by its increasingly robust aura and overflowing energy, success wasn't far off.
As for Regice, which had been lingering near the glass greenhouse, Lucas finally found out the reason.
It had noticed some flowers withering inside the greenhouse over time and wanted to use its power to freeze them—preserving the blossoms at their peak beauty.
The intent was good, but Lucas dissuaded Regice after a long talk about the relation between flowers and the natural cycle. Regice relented.
From then on, it would only occasionally show up, standing carefully by the greenhouse so its cold wouldn't affect the glass, fixated on the patch of soil where the wilted flowers rested—quietly hoping new ones would grow.
The thirteen Tauros matured a lot in this period, becoming full of vigor and strength.
With their intense horn-training matches, the Tauros developed frightening power. Once, they even forcefully rammed a Copperajah, weighing nearly 650 kg, right out of the farm's boundaries.
Their energy was becoming so uncontrollable that they were practically turning the ranch area on its head. Even the two Gogoat, the Sawsbuck, and their mothers were having trouble keeping the peace.
So Lucas made a decision.
"If you want to make a mess, go do it in the wild."
Not meaning to set them free (to be precise, more like "free-ranging"), he set a daily scheduled time to open the ranch's gate to the wild—letting them run outside to burn off energy while sending out Houndoom to follow, so they wouldn't get lost.
The Houndoom needed to be level-headed, able to keep order, and not be swept up in the Tauros' excitement.
Rejecting the Arcanine (who'd probably mess around) and Dachsbun (who likely couldn't handle it), only one candidate remained.
Obviously, Houndoom was the perfect fit!
Houndoom, with its fierce presence and experience leading its own pack, was respected (and a bit feared) even by the fearless Tauros.
Exactly what was needed.
Actually, Lucas considered another choice: Zygarde Core. But no matter what, Zygarde Core wouldn't take on its 10% dog form, so Lucas had to let it go.
He gave Houndoom just one job: "Cause as little trouble as possible, don't let them attack any passersby, and come home for dinner on time."
Within a few days, the ranch calmed down quickly, to Lucas's relief.
His only worry now was whether the Tauros would go out and cause even more trouble elsewhere.
Besides the Tauros, everything else was peaceful.
Popplio had completely gotten used to life at Thunder Lake and was getting along with everyone. Tapu Fini would occasionally take it to the Paldean sea—since Popplio, an ocean dweller, ought to spend time in saltwater even if its adaptability meant freshwater was no issue.
Whenever Popplio stayed on the farm, Lucas let it play with the other Pokémon—building snowmen, making ice sculptures, and enjoying all the winter activities.
Before he knew it, December was almost over.
…
League Calendar, Year 798, December 31st.
It was the last day of December—the last day of the year.
Early in the morning, Lucas and Oranguru began preparing for tonight's New Year's Eve festivities.
Without a Lunar New Year in the Pokémon World, tonight and tomorrow were everyone's days for celebrating the arrival of a brand-new year.
Inside the house, Mimikyu was dressed in red, hanging upside-down on the wall, helping Calyrex decorate the living room.
They strung together red pompoms with red string and shaped them together—
A chubby, adorable Pikachu face soon appeared.
Mimikyu no longer felt any hostility toward Pikachu. Usually, those that did so were unloved and jealous of Pikachu getting human affection in the sunlight. But this Mimikyu proudly patted its own red clothing, no trace of shyness, knowing it was loved.
By its Trainer, by friends, by everyone on the farm.
Dragonite, Ogerpon, Tinkatuff, and others were at the door carefully pasting up red strips handwritten by Lucas.
There was no tradition here of posting poetic couplets, but Lucas wanted to keep his own old traditions—they brought comfort, if nothing else.
Oranguru, holding a basket of fresh produce, came to the entrance, still puzzled about why Lucas insisted on posting the "Fu" character upside down.
He and the two Unown—woken up by the commotion—stared at each other in confusion.
A short while later, Lucas returned from the farm's mailbox, arms full of mail, nearly a mountain's worth, back into the house.
Calyrex, tying a ribbon on Cosmog—and dissatisfied with the bow—looked up in curiosity. "What's all this?"
Wiping his sweat, Lucas dropped the messy pile of letters on the table. "Greeting cards and postcards for the New Year. Most arrive a day or two in advance. Sure, there's mobile messaging now, but the old tradition still remains."
Faced with the pile of letters, Lucas looked troubled for once.
Open and read each one, then respond? That could take him until the Year of the Monkey!
With a sigh, Lucas randomly grabbed one and opened it.
The envelope and wax seal bore the Prism Tower's mark—it was obvious who'd sent it.
No surprise: it was a handwritten letter from Clemont.
That slightly neat handwriting was unmistakable.
The letter contained heartfelt greetings and a brief update about his life.
The Rotom Pokédex project was progressing smoothly—maybe it'd be finished next year. If so, Rotom Phones and Rotom Drones were just around the corner.
There were a few photos—Clemont at work, and a family photo. Things looked good.
Lucas tucked that one away and grabbed the next—this one thicker, from Professor Oak in Pallet Town.
It turned out to be co-signed by Oak and Blue, with a photo taken atop Mt. Silver: windswept, snowy, Blue grinning wildly, Red looking calm.
Apparently, Blue had gone to challenge Red again—who knows if Viridian Gym had reopened and closed since.
Messages came from Hanzawa, Terry, Joy Yumi, Hassel—the Four Elites. Then Kofu, Katy, Grusha—the Gym Leaders. Colleagues from the academy, Director Clavell, and even Geeta.
Even though most of these people were acquaintances he saw all the time, the tradition of sending New Year's greetings lived on.
From other regions, friends like Kukui, Alder, Siebold, Wallace, and even the famous superstar Diantha—despite only meeting once—had sent their regards.
Before long, the stack of opened letters to Lucas's right had grown into a small mountain.
He opened a delicate, flower-scented one—this from the Galar region, its sender, Lusamine.
The first thing inside was a group photo.
Lusamine with her Pokémon, Lillie, Gladion with Moonlight Umbreon and Midnight Lycanroc, Silvally free of its mask, Mohn, and—a shiny Nihilego.
Lucas's expression softened as he scanned the letter, the tension fading, a smile appearing.
Just as he'd hoped, things were turning out well.
It seems Lusamine, Gladion, and Lillie had arrived in Galar half a month ago. They spent days finding Freezington in the Crown Tundra, then more days searching out Mohn's house.
Most of the way, Gladion managed their battles for safety against the tundra's dangers.
As expected, when they found Mohn, he had no recollection of them at all.
Hearing he really had a daughter, just as Lucas suggested, Lusamine temporarily fainted from shock.
But as they kept exploring, the truth slowly surfaced.
Lillie was attacked by Nihilego, but this time, instead of Ash from years later, it was Gladion (thanks to Lucas's advice) and Silvally who jumped to protect her.
Silvally broke free of Faba's restraints to guard Lillie, and Lillie recovered the memory: she had not been attacked as a child, but instead had been protected.
With that, her symptoms—her inability to approach Pokémon—were finally solved. That was clear from the group photo.
The photo must've been taken just a few days ago, rush-shipped to Paldea. Considering the timing, Gladion's family was probably still in Galar, and wouldn't return to Alola for a while.
Lucas smiled, content to put their letter away.
But his smile faltered when he saw the address on the next envelope.
After triple-checking the sender and address, his expression turned blank at the reality.
Sender: Lysandre, Lysandre Labs, Lumiose City, Kalos Region.
Letter's first line: "I want to recruit you, please join..."
Lucas: "..."
What the hell!
How did Lysandre even find my home address?!
Forcing down his violent impulse, Lucas still finished reading—just in case.
As expected, it was mostly recruitment nonsense, with long rants about Lysandre's ideals.
Lucas wordlessly crumpled up the letter and envelope, throwing it in the trash with a mutter:
"One of these days I'll barge into your place with my Gundam!"
Besides friends, colleagues, and random weirdos, his students—no matter if traveling abroad or staying in Paldea—had also sent letters.
Nimona, Paul, and Shizuka shared their travels.
Nimona was progressing rapidly through the Battle Frontier, while Paul and Shizuka had collected several badges. Shizuka, following Lucas's advice, had caught a Skarmory as her fourth Pokémon.
Working diligently, Lucas finally reached the last letter.
The unfamiliar handwriting and location made him pause.
"LaRousse City, Hoenn region. Professor Lund?"
…
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