When they returned to the farm, night had fully fallen. Lucas hung up the phone and said to Nemona, who was surrounded by Pokémon on the farm, "Sebastian the butler said he'll come pick you up soon. I just happen to be making honey crisp cake right now. Do you want some?"
"Yes~"
Nemona buried her face completely in the cottony fluff on Eldegoss' head and replied in a muffled voice.
Seeing this, Lucas could only shake his head helplessly. Nemona's love for Pokémon was so strong that even Lucas felt a bit ashamed in comparison.
In just a short while, Growlithe, Fidough, Eldegoss, Poliwag, and Smoliv had all been cuddled by her. Judging by her enthusiasm, it seemed that poor Luxray and the others would soon meet the same fate.
In the kitchen, Ceruledge, wearing a Psyduck apron, had already prepared the ingredients for Lucas.
"Flour, eggs, sugar, lemon... and the honey I brought back. Yup, everything's here."
After checking the ingredients, Lucas began making the honey crisp cake.
With Ceruledge's help, the whole process went smoothly.
He whipped the eggs with sugar and Combee honey, added flour and corn oil, then poured the batter into the paper cupcake molds, giving them a couple of taps to remove air bubbles.
Finally, he placed them into the oven, which was precisely temperature-controlled by Moltres' Sacred Fire, and waited for just over twenty minutes. The honey crisp cakes in their paper cups were ready.
While waiting, Lucas, bored, used the leftover ingredients to make honey caramel pudding.
After he and Ceruledge brought out the steaming plates from the kitchen, they saw Nemona carefully approaching the Moltres lying on the carpet.
Nemona looked excited, muttering to herself, "It's my first time seeing such a fat firebird burning with flames!"
"..."
Ignoring her for now, Lucas and Ceruledge set the plates on the dining table and called all the Pokémon on the farm inside to eat.
Instantly, whether it was the Growlithe and others playing outside or the Moltres lounging on the carpet, they all dashed to the table as if they hadn't eaten for centuries.
Although Moltres was huge, it was very agile, and to Nemona's amazement, it was the first to rush to Lucas, just like a student rushing for lunch at the cafeteria.
Seeing Moltres stretch out its wing to beg, Lucas laughed and scolded, "Just one serving! If you eat more, you really won't be able to fly. This is a special supplement prepared for Comfey!"
With that, Lucas looked at Milcery.
Milcery nodded gently and made a small dollop of fragrant cream, which landed on the honey crisp cake—a combination of sweetness upon sweetness, a true calorie bomb.
Moltres took the tiny cake and pudding and looked troubled.
So little food—barely enough to fill the gap between its teeth.
After Moltres left, Lucas distributed the cakes and puddings to all the Pokémon.
Having done all this, Lucas smiled as he watched the Pokémon eat with joy. He took the portions for Nemona, Pawmo, and Teddiursa and walked over, saying, "Try it! Personally, I'm quite satisfied with the taste."
Nemona nodded vigorously, released Pawmo and Teddiursa (who looked pouty and obviously sulking), and began bonding with them over the cake and pudding she got from Lucas.
A while later—
Teddiursa, after eating the honey crisp cake, looked much happier; at least it was no longer ignoring Nemona.
At this rate, if it stayed at Nemona's house a few more days, it would probably be fully corrupted by the delicious food that money could buy.
After getting in the black luxury car, Nemona suddenly realized she hadn't asked Lucas what species that fat, flaming bird was.
Sitting beside the nonchalant Pawmo and the curious Teddiursa, Nemona asked Sebastian, who was driving, "Uncle Sebastian, do you know what kind of Pokémon is that big bird with flames burning on its head, body, wings, and tail?"
"Is Second Miss recently studying Pokémon legends?" Sebastian kept his eyes on the road, but answered Nemona's question smoothly, "The Pokémon you're describing should be the legendary bird from Kanto—Moltres, I suppose?"
"Have you ever seen Moltres yourself?"
"How could I? It's the symbol or totem of a whole region—hardly something one would see easily, since it's a 'legendary' being, after all."
"Oh."
Nemona lowered her head, looking a bit conflicted.
Was the Pokémon at Teacher Lucas's house really a Moltres?
…
The next day, at Naranja Academy.
For the first class after vacation, Lucas had made thorough preparations. After learning the students' progress from the listless Larry, he rode Dragonite straight to the academy.
He returned the agricultural books he'd borrowed, planning to pick up a few more after class, and headed to the playground. The students, not seen for a week, were all gathered at their usual spots—even the usually arrogant little Ortega looked more agreeable.
Considering Ortega's recent good behavior, Lucas used the parental authority given by Ortega's father to unfreeze Ortega's bank card. As long as he didn't cause any more trouble, this privilege would hardly need to be used again.
The Pokémon Battle class naturally taught how to battle, but basics like type advantages had been covered long ago, so Lucas didn't need to worry about that. What he could focus on was practical battle experience.
He mixed up the students' groups and had them battle each other, watching carefully to spot weaknesses and correct them on the spot.
Doing this also helped Lucas sharpen his own insight, which he found quite beneficial.
After the match between the eager-to-battle Nemona and Ortega's lackey, Arven and Aliquis took the stage.
Aliquis' Sprigatito didn't look close to evolving yet, but Arven had obviously made visible progress over the past week—at least he wasn't making rookie mistakes anymore.
Even though Aliquis tried hard to have Sprigatito outmaneuver Mabosstiff, the level gap was just too big. There was little a trainer could do, so Aliquis could only watch helplessly as Sprigatito was defeated by Mabosstiff's Bite.
Despite a win, Arven didn't look very happy.
Over the past week, Arven had thrown himself into learning about being a trainer, all because of Lucas's words, "so you can help your parents." The deeper he went, the more he realized how unsuited he was to being a trainer.
Like now—even though Mabosstiff's level far exceeded Sprigatito's, Arven still had to work hard for victory.
Arven knew he couldn't keep going like this. As his classmates' Pokémon got stronger, his advantage would shrink.
Soon, he might not even be able to beat his peers. As for his goal—helping out in the most dangerous Paldea Great Crater—that was even more of a pipe dream.
Arven knew only one person could help him change his fate.
After class, under Nemona's curious gaze, Arven caught up to Lucas, who was heading to the library, and said loudly, "Teacher Lucas, please train me to become a strong trainer who can stand with the best!"