LaRousse City.
Lucas vaguely remembered this city, but looked it up online to refresh his memory.
LaRousse is a high-tech city in Hoenn, where automatic walkways replace sidewalks and blocky robots, guided by AI, run everything.
There's also a Battle Tower, which holds all kinds of tournaments—Hoenn's Elites and Champion have even held exhibition matches there.
Professor Lund is one of the administrators—a scientist.
But Lucas definitely didn't know him, nor had they ever met.
So why had he sent a letter?
He opened the envelope.
It turned out to be simple. Beyond polite greetings, there was an implicit invitation: as one of LaRousse City's managers, c invited Lucas to attend an exhibition match at the Battle Tower.
Pay for the appearance would be discussed in person. Lucas suspected the match was just a pretext and the real motive wasn't so simple.
But there shouldn't be any big catch.
With plenty of time to reply, Lucas set the letter aside to think about it over the next few days.
That wrapped up all the mail for the day. Sighing at the stack of responses waiting for him tomorrow, Lucas headed off to finish preparing for tonight's festivities.
With seven chefs now at the farm, cuisine was taken care of. All Lucas had to do was fix that special dish he'd been working on all month—his attempt at the legendary Alolan Cream Stew.
Maybe it wasn't 100% authentic, but he thought he'd nailed the flavor—he was sure it'd be a hit.
As dusk fell, the entire farm had transformed into a sea of dazzling lights and decorations—colorful bulbs entwined in the trees, illuminating every corner.
It would be the farm's first New Year's Eve, and everyone was determined to make it unforgettable.
When everything was finally ready, Lucas slipped away, arms filled with parcels to distribute to the Pokémon.
"Bimi?" Victini tilted its head, staring at the rectangular red envelope it received, totally puzzled.
Lucas laughed and explained, "That's a red envelope—a lucky money gift, symbolizing my wishes for your well-being and happiness in the coming year. It's a once-a-year present with money inside. You can spend it as you like, or ask for help buying things, or even go shopping in town yourself."
Calyrex, holding Cosmog, got not just one but two red envelopes. After hearing the explanation, it thoughtfully stuffed its own share into Cosmog's arms, hoping it would bring the little one good fortune and health.
Tapu Fini followed suit, placing the red envelope with Popplio.
In contrast, Moltres and Serperior glared at Arcanine, Appletun, and Tropius's covetous stares, protecting their red envelopes fiercely.
I'm using mine for snacks! / This is Lucas's special gift to me!
So different from Calyrex and Tapu Fini!
From Luxray to the Tauros herd, and even the freeloading Zygarde Core—everyone got a red envelope.
Receiving a present from a human for the first time, Zygarde Core shook its tail, pondering if this was technically bribery.
I'm the guardian of order and balance! If I accept such gifts, am I supposed to turn a blind eye to future problems?
When night fell, the Falinks and Audino had already laid out a feast, filling the long table. The aroma was so overwhelming that even stoic Luxray struggled to keep their composure, drool pooling in their mouths.
Looking at the feast, there was only one word: tempting!
Once everyone was seated and couldn't wait anymore, Lucas cut straight to it: "Let's eat!"
Eyes sparkled as the Pokémon dove in.
Halfway through, a sudden series of bangs erupted overhead.
No, nothing was wrong—Jones Farm next door was setting off fireworks.
Looking farther, the sky above Los Platos was also lit up as short-lived bursts of light soared skyward and exploded.
All the Pokémon, some already stuffed to bursting, crowded to the windows to watch.
Ogerpon, looking at the sky, her starry eyes glistening with memories—she recalled long ago, when she wore a mask and followed a certain person to the Kitakami Mask Festival. The fireworks then were just as dazzling.
The Eevee sisters perched atop Tinkatuff's head, gazing at the sky, their small faces occasionally lit up by the fireworks.
Having lived outside all their lives, this was their first time seeing something so breathtaking.
Behind them, Lucas whipped out his camera, clicking off dozens of photos—some fireworks, some Pokémon.
Carefully selecting the best, he transmitted them via Dark Ball to a Delibird currently traveling in Hoenn.
What he didn't know was that, during transfer, a certain "mysterious" big hand (with three round fingers) intercepted them via a backdoor in the Dark Ball.
Wrapped in a tattered linen cloak, Mewtwo stood atop a city clock tower, quietly viewing the photos. Its eternally stern face finally softened, and looking up at the fireworks—realized it and all the cloned Pokémon it sheltered were watching the same sky as Lucas and his friends.
A hint of a smile appeared. With a thought, the Dark Ball reactivated, sending the photos along to the bored, stargazing Delibird.
…
Nearby the outskirts of Los Platos—
With the sky's fireworks starting to dwindle until midnight, and seeing the Pokémon were still eager, Lucas smiled. "Since you're all full, how about we go outside and set off some fireworks ourselves?"
He'd already bought plenty in advance.
With Calyrex and Oranguru around, there was no worry of mishaps, so Lucas stayed in to tidy up as the Pokémon went outside for their first round of fireworks.
"If we just set them off normally, isn't that a bit... dull?" Moltres complained.
Most Pokémon agreed.
Yes, Lucas had had Oranguru teach them how to light the big show fireworks and how to play with the small ones. But since the supply all came from Los Platos, they soon found themselves repeating the same ordinary patterns.
Tinkatuff, ever the experimenter, suggested:
"Kanu~"
What if we combine fireworks together—maybe something really amazing will happen!
Oranguru was worried, but several fireworks were tied together, their fuses merged, and Arcanine enthusiastically lit up the first one.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The combined fireworks exploded, dazzling everyone with even more beautiful colors than before.
Thrilled, the Pokémon followed Tinkatuff's lead and started combining more.
And then Cosmog, scarf and all, begged to see even bigger fireworks.
Soft-hearted Calyrex, unable to refuse, gave Cosmog to Oliva for safekeeping, then agreed to try making something special, figuring it couldn't be too dangerous.
With Tinkatuff's advice about "chromatic reactions" in its ear, Calyrex used its psychic powers to disassemble the fireworks, re-mixed the gunpowder and other materials with telekinesis, and fused them back together.
Still feeling something was missing, it called Spectrier over for a ride, then injected a bit of special energy into the tube.
Noticing this, Moltres eagerly did the same, beckoning Victini to sneak in some Infinite Energy for extra flash.
Then, Tinkatuff and Moltres dragged over Zygarde Core.
"Inject energy, here?"
Zygarde Core looked dubious, casting a glance upward at the sky lit by past explosions.
Would this really be safe?
Sensing its reluctance, the others looked to Calyrex for a decision.
Silent for a few seconds, Calyrex peeked briefly into the near future with its psychic power.
Hmm—it looked beautiful. Shouldn't be more powerful than its "Astral Barrage" attack, so... probably fine.
Maybe?
Cosmog's pleading gaze was impossible to refuse, so Calyrex nodded, reassuring Zygarde Core it would be fine.
Zygarde Core, trusting (or, at least, resigned), injected a hefty dose of Order Energy.
Soon, an ultra-large firework several times normal size had been created.
The Pokémon gathered round, anticipation shining in their eyes.
Watching quietly, Luxray and Oranguru decided, after a moment's thought, to fetch Lucas outside. Somehow, they sensed something big was about to happen.
The big firework was made of three parts; it would launch in sequence, each charged with energy from Calyrex, Moltres, and Zygarde Core.
Each promised something spectacular.
When Lucas was brought out, he saw Arcanine's excited face lighting a fuse as thick as his wrist; Victini's silhouette darted nearby.
As the fuse sizzled, the Pokémon all looked up, excitement mounting.
First, the leftmost tube fired—set alight, a flash of gold, and the whole farm shook!
BOOM!
A blinding flash erupted at the tube's mouth, and the firework burst upward imbued with Moltres's special energy before exploding—
KABOOM!!!
For a moment, night turned to day over the whole of Los Platos.
Above, countless rainbow-colored embers scattered, faintly forming the outline of a blazing firebird.
"...Sacred Fire?" Lucas muttered, ears ringing, dumbfounded at Moltres. Before he could complain, the next part fired.
Even stronger energy. The firework exploded high overhead in a massive, weirdly green-glowing mushroom cloud, a faint "Z" symbol visible before fading away.
That's Core Enforcer?
The third launch—a dark, dazzling multitude of little spirits and dazzling stars.
Astral Barrage!
Just as Calyrex predicted, it was high enough not to cause ground damage, but... the power—
Lucas's vision blurred from the force; he seriously wondered whether Oranguru's calming words were as reassuring as they sounded.
Meanwhile, at Los Platos's police station—
Officer Jenny, forced to work another New Year's Eve, groaned at her desk. Fireworks exploded outside as she dreamed of next year—no more midnight shifts, and maybe finally finding a husband.
Suddenly, a thundering blast nearly knocked the wind out of her.
She stared up at the sky, at the overwhelming, heart-stopping "fireworks," shocked speechless.
"T-Terrorist attack?!"