In the Naranja Academy library, Lucas focused on picking books about agriculture and livestock. Arven and Nemona followed behind, quietly but intensely discussing what had just happened.
Nemona lifted her chin and puffed out her chest, "Even Arven, who never cares about anything, has been charmed by the trainer's profession! Hmph!"
"What are you so proud about?"
Arven looked a bit dejected, secretly cursing himself for blurting out such a dramatic line in public.
He should have picked a better time to say it at Lucas's farm...
Because they were in the library, their voices were low. Lucas, focused on his book search, didn't notice their whispering. Instead, his gaze fell on a purple-covered book.
"Is this... the Violet Book?"
The book matched Lucas's memory of the Violet Book. The cover had a thin layer of dust, showing it was rarely borrowed.
He flipped through it and found it was almost identical to the version he remembered—until a yellowed, neatly folded piece of paper fell out at the page about the Herba Mystica recipes.
Glancing at the still-bickering Arven and Nemona, Lucas shook his head, bent down, and picked up the paper to read it.
When he saw the contents, his expression froze.
[After reading many books derived from the Scarlet Book, I decided to verify its contents by traveling across Paldea, following reports of giant Pokémon sightings.
After much effort, I didn't find them, but I did discover seeds with unknown genetic sequences.]
[I'm not sure if they're related to the Herba Mystica in the Scarlet Book, but at least this discovery gave me great motivation to keep seeking the truth.]
[I've talked so much about my journey, but what I really want to say is: since there are traces left by the past, perhaps the future is already held in our hands. Your research on the Violet Book will surely progress. Good luck! —Sada (＾ω＾)]
Lucas fell silent for a moment, then turned to Arven and suddenly asked, "Arven, didn't you mention your parents met at a research institute?"
Arven, who was arguing with Nemona about training Pokémon, was caught off guard, but still answered, "Yeah, as far as I know, they met and got to know each other at the institute, and then I was born..."
Nemona leaned over, surprised, "Eh~? Arven, your parents are researchers? I never knew that!"
Arven shook his head, not wanting to continue the topic. "They're not famous researchers or anything."
With Arven's confirmation, Lucas looked at the letter with new understanding.
Although the letter seemed all about research, it was actually filled with unspoken feelings—a girl's subtle thoughts. It seemed the two professors had known each other since their student days.
Putting aside Sada's feelings and why this letter was hidden in the Violet Book, Lucas's memory was jogged—he remembered Sada giving him some packets of unknown seeds when they first met.
Sada had said they were seeds of an unknown plant she'd discovered in her research.
Could those seeds be for the Herba Mystica?
With this in mind, Lucas lost interest in picking more books. He clutched the books he'd chosen and headed to the checkout, telling Arven, "I accept your request. But you still have class this afternoon, right? Come to the farm when you're free, and I'll give you special training."
Arven was stunned, then beamed with joy, nodding vigorously.
Nemona looked at Arven, then at Lucas, feeling a bit jealous.
How could this be? She was clearly the first to discover Teacher Lucas's strength as a trainer and the first to ask for special training!
Lucas added, "Nemona, you can come too if you have time."
After all, teaching one was teaching, teaching two was the same, and they could train with each other to make it easier for him.
Nemona's mood flipped instantly, and she smiled, "Looks like we'll have to make appointments to go together, Arven~"
"If possible, I'd rather go alone..."
Ignoring their muttering behind him, Lucas calmly got in line to borrow the books.
While waiting, Lucas suddenly spotted the red-and-blue hair of the student in front of him, which surprised him.
Looking down, he saw a fluffy brown Eevee backpack.
With such obvious features, Lucas recognized this girl as one of the main characters from the Scarlet and Violet games—Penny.
What a coincidence.
Penny hugged several books, giving off a gloomy aura. She seemed to be in a bad mood, probably having gone through something unpleasant.
Since he didn't know her, Lucas didn't say anything, just glanced at the books in her arms while waiting.
They were mostly academic books he couldn't understand, seemingly about programming. Lucas recalled that Penny would one day become a hacker capable of breaking into the Paldea League's system.
But from her expression, she was probably already being ostracized by classmates.
Lucas frowned. Frankly, he was troubled by how to root out the students who bullied others, since they always did it behind teachers' backs—especially after his speech at the opening ceremony.
Penny finished checking out her books and left with her head down. Lucas handed his books to the librarian while pondering. He realized he'd have to start with a few students from his Battle class—
Eri, Giacomo, and Ortega.
He silently repeated their names, took his neatly packed books from the librarian, said goodbye to Nemona and Arven, and left the academy.
Once home, he planned to take out the seeds Sada had given him and try planting them in suitable soil.
If these were really Herba Mystica seeds with miraculous effects, that would be unbelievable.