Lucas looked up to see Nemona, dressed in her energetic Naranja Academy uniform, being led by Luxray toward the house. He was surprised: "Nemona?"
Hearing his voice, Nemona looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Teacher Lucas, long time no see!"
"Long time no see." Lucas waved in greeting, wondering why Nemona had suddenly shown up. "No classes today? What brings you here?"
"I heard you were back in Paldea, Teacher Lucas. I had some questions, so I came to see you!"
Nemona looked a little shy, clearly having something difficult to ask.
Lucas didn't mind helping her out. "Sure, what's up?"
A smile bloomed instantly on Nemona's face. Still in a growth spurt, she radiated youthful energy—it was hard to believe she was a total klutz at sports.
First, Nemona took out a Poké Ball and released her Pawmo, now visibly bigger and changed in appearance.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Your Pawmi evolved?"
Nemona nodded sheepishly. "Hehe, it just evolved a few days ago."
Luxray strolled over to Lucas, lowering its head to observe the determined little Electric-type, as if deep in thought.
After evolving, Pawmo had gained a Fighting type, with a big boost in Attack and Speed.
No sooner had it emerged from its Poké Ball than Pawmo began scanning the area as if looking for Growlithe, its old rival.
Quite the competitive little guy.
Lucas grinned knowingly, turning to Nemona. "Just from its arms, you can tell Pawmo's gotten a lot stronger. You've been training hard, huh?"
"Yes! We've been looking forward to the spring break next month—planning to go challenge some Gyms!" Nemona nodded enthusiastically, then realized she was off topic, and quickly added, "Even though your classes don't start until the day after tomorrow, I just couldn't wait! I wanted to ask you something."
"I want to catch a new Pokémon, but I don't know how."
Nemona looked troubled. She'd tried a few times to catch wild Pokémon but always missed with the Poké Ball, letting the Pokémon escape.
Her family had even prepared her a Pokémon Egg, but Nemona felt her second Pokémon should be one she caught herself to make it more meaningful.
"Er..." Lucas' expression turned odd. He remembered Nemona was notoriously bad at throwing Poké Balls. "So you want me to take you to catch a Pokémon?"
Nemona blinked, then nodded eagerly, looking at Lucas with anticipation.
He stroked his chin, considering. "I need to go out anyway. If we find a suitable Pokémon, you can try catching it. Want to come?"
"Yes!"
Before heading out, Lucas gathered a few Pokémon, and then set off into the wild with Nemona.
Besides his usual supplies, he brought some Pokémon food and empty glass bottles.
If they found a Combee hive, he'd use Pokémon food to trade for honey—he was sure the Vespiquen would love such a deal.
Since their destination was close to the farm, Lucas didn't bring his entire main team. Besides Growlithe and Fidough, he only brought Luxray for protection.
After all, it was best to be cautious with Nemona, who was both a student and a rich heiress.
Nemona kept her Pawmo at her side for easy battling if they found a Pokémon she wanted to catch.
But Pawmo's attention seemed to be on Growlithe, who strutted around like a spoiled brat with a gang, while Fidough trailed behind like a flunky.
Growlithe clearly didn't have time for Pawmo; as a Fire-type, it always radiated warmth, and Fidough had become its shadow, always following its orders on the farm.
Lucas watched the Pokémon as they walked. When he looked at Fidough, he wondered, "Its color looks different—isn't it like a well-baked loaf of bread now?"
Usually, when Fidough showed this sign, evolution was near—the evolved Dachsbun was this shade of brown.
After about half an hour, Lucas and Nemona reached the grasslands, just like when he'd explored with Arven.
Their main goal was to find Combee, but also to let Nemona catch a Pokémon if they came across a good one. Lucas had previously seen Combee in this area.
He instructed, "Nemona, if you see a Pokémon with three faces like honeycombs and a pair of wings, let me know."
Nemona nodded earnestly. "Got it!"
The two began searching the area.
…
After ten minutes, Pawmo, dashing through the grass, seemed to discover something and barked toward a tall patch of grass, alerting Nemona and the others.
Growlithe and Pawmi, hearing Pawmo's call, also sniffed the grass, catching the scent of a strange Pokémon and barking loudly: "Paw! Paw! Pawmo!"
Looking up, Lucas and Nemona saw movement in the grass. Suddenly, a piercing, melodic cry rang out!
Next, a Kricketune with a pair of mustache-like feelers and a bright red body appeared before them.
Lucas' heart skipped a beat.
Thankfully, this Kricketune's eyes weren't glowing red. Otherwise, Lucas would have turned and run.
Luckily, this was just an ordinary.
It had apparently been resting, which explained the quiet. Now, having been disturbed, it immediately marked Lucas, Nemona, and their Pokémon as enemies.
Lucas was about to send out Growlithe, but Nemona looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Teacher Lucas, can I battle it?"
He lowered his hand. "Are you hoping to catch it?"
Nemona shook her head. "I want to battle first, then decide."