Lucas remembered that the Oran berries he'd bought at the market had never had such an effect. Clearly, under Tapu Bulu's cultivation, even Oran berries were enhanced.
He quickly finished the berry, spat out the seed core, and was about to throw it into his portable trash bag when Tapu Bulu suddenly appeared, holding out a hoof, eyes fixed on Lucas.
Somehow, Lucas understood what Tapu Bulu meant and handed over the core. Tapu Bulu stored it between its hooves as if saving it for later.
Tapu Bulu did the same for the others, collecting all the berry seeds before gesturing for Serperior and the Eldegoss to follow.
They exchanged glances, then followed Tapu Bulu to the Oran berry trees. Tapu Bulu pointed at the trees and said, "Moo moo moo!"
Seeing the Eldegoss were still hesitant, Serperior sighed, calmly climbed the tree trunk, found a comfortable spot, and began absorbing the plant energy as Tapu Bulu had instructed.
Tapu Bulu's method was to have them absorb and adapt to the grass energy of plants grown via Grassy Terrain, then try using Grassy Terrain themselves.
With Serperior leading, the Eldegoss nervously followed, copying the process.
Watching them, Lucas stroked his chin and muttered, "Absorbing plant energy helps grass Pokémon grow. Maybe the Eldegoss will even level up."
Higher levels meant a greater chance of learning new moves—Lucas now understood Tapu Bulu's teaching method.
With Tapu Bulu's training in full swing, Lucas turned to Kukui: "Looks like things are fine on my end. Why not head home for now?"
Kukui thought it over and agreed—he hadn't expected things to go so smoothly and could use the extra time at home.
He set off on his Braviary after telling Lucas to call if anything came up, flying off toward Melemele Island.
After waving goodbye, Lucas watched Dragonite and Mimikyu play with Growlithe, then checked on Mudbray's diligent digging, confirming all was well. He then approached the solitary, floating Comfey.
Perhaps because the Eldegoss were busy with Tapu Bulu, Comfey, a native Alolan Pokémon, held a natural awe of the island guardian and waited in place, giving Lucas a chance to approach.
It wasn't that Lucas was always trying to collect different Pokémon—Comfey really was perfect for the ranch.
"Comfey~?"
Wild Comfey was still a little wary. As Lucas approached, it noticed him immediately.
But seeing it was Lucas, Comfey froze, its urge to flee vanishing, puzzling Lucas.
Why wasn't it acting as he expected?
Comfey's green eyes sized Lucas up, then it did something he never expected—
It extended a vine from the tip of its wing-like petal, waved it in front of Lucas, and reached into his pocket for the Tera Orb.
Curious, Lucas didn't stop it.
Comfey coiled the Tera Orb and, instead of running off or breaking it, looked at Lucas with anticipation, waving the orb up and down, as if mimicking his motion of throwing it.
Stunned by Comfey's unique behavior, Lucas hesitated, then asked, "You want to Terastallize like Mimikyu?"
"Comfey~!"
Apparently, Lucas had hit the nail on the head. Comfey spun in place, returned the Tera Orb, and looked at Lucas, its eyes sparkling.
"Uh…" Lucas glanced at the now-depleted Tera Orb, cursing the game designers for requiring it to recharge.
With an apologetic look, Lucas explained that the Tera Orb couldn't be used for now.
"Comfey…"
Comfey lowered its head in disappointment.
Suddenly, Lucas had an idea and blurted out, "But, if you become our partner, you can Terastallize back in Paldea!"
"And you can play with the Eldegoss there, too."
His words were full of temptation, and Comfey totally bought it. Without hesitation, it sold itself, diving into the Poké Ball Lucas offered. Three shakes—caught!
"Huh?"
Holding Comfey's Poké Ball, Lucas wondered if he might have a future in sales.
…
Tapu Bulu's special training lasted four whole days, with Kukui visiting several times.
With everything going smoothly, Lucas and Kukui thanked Tapu Bulu and then hired an experienced climber to explore Mount Lanakila, searching for Alolan Vulpix/Ninetales. Unfortunately, their luck was bad—a rare blizzard struck on the first night, forcing them to retreat.
So, the search for Alolan Vulpix/Ninetales ended there.
Back at the Ruins of Abundance, Lucas quietly watched Serperior and the others train while working with Growlithe.
On the final day, Serperior demonstrated its new moves, and Lucas couldn't hold back any longer.
"What did you even learn?!"