On the farm—
The Pokémon had just finished dinner.
The same old Pokémon food had many of them reminiscing about Lucas's carefully prepared meals and special treats.
Gluttonous Moltres was the most affected.
Usually able to eat two or three buckets, it had only been finishing half a bucket per meal lately—enough to make Luxray take notice.
Luxray, seeing something off, called in Comfey, who had Serperior hold down the "I'm fine!"-protesting Moltres with vines and performed an Aromatherapy session.
After Moltres' vigorous denial, Luxray was finally convinced the bird was just missing Lucas and couldn't get used to bland food after all the gourmet meals—hence the smaller appetite.
Relieved, Luxray had Serperior let Moltres go. After all, most Pokémon on the farm had lived in the wild or eaten bland food elsewhere.
A Moltres used to either absorbing magma energy or eating Lucas's cooking was a rare case; not adapting immediately was understandable.
Finally free of those cursed vines, Moltres glared at Serperior. Don't think I didn't notice you secretly growing those vines into Frenzy Plant size while Luxray wasn't looking!
They were even fire-resistant. Moltres tried to burn them off but couldn't, even after increasing its own temperature.
Serperior glared right back. Ever since Lucas caught Moltres, it had gotten a lot bolder. And Serperior hadn't forgotten it was Moltres who leaked the news about its failed Grassy Terrain practice.
As the two locked eyes midair, sparks seemed to fly. Luxray, who had planned to ignore their little antics, finally lost patience and growled a warning.
Don't forget, Lucas should be back in a day or two.
Comfey looked around, at a loss about what to do.
But Luxray's authority worked. The two Pokémon huffed and backed down.
A little bickering was fine, but if Luxray got mad, it'd be time for some electric discipline.
Even if Serperior could resist electricity a bit, it didn't want to be shocked. Moltres, weak to Electric moves, dared not even mention it.
Watching all this, Mimikyu decided it would tattle to Lucas once he returned.
Not out of spite—Serperior's jealous streak and Moltres' stubbornness made it hard for them to reconcile on their own.
As the farm's designated informant, Mimikyu would report anything that threatened peace on the farm, and see it corrected!
Just as Mimikyu was daydreaming about being rewarded with hugs and praise, Luxray—who'd just broken up the conflict—suddenly perked up, sniffing the air.
Its eyes lit up, and with a bark, it ran toward the farm's entrance.
Moltres and Serperior, a beat slower, snapped out of it and followed, one slithering, one taking flight.
Outside the farm, Lucas had just tied the souvenirs to Arcanine, and let Dragonite, Swampert, and even Alcremie each carry a box.
Couldn't always rely on Oranguru—Psychic Pokémon's mental energy isn't infinite; overuse can cause dizziness.
Lucas, holding several boxes in each hand himself, smiled at the Pokémon, "Let's go, we're home!"
As soon as he said it, a black blur leapt at him.
Oranguru froze, thinking it was a wild Pokémon attack and raised its fan, but Lucas quickly stopped it, "Don't attack, it's friendly!"
The black blur, though excited, reined itself in—just nuzzling Lucas's hand.
But the others weren't so restrained.
Serperior's vines whipped out, lightening Lucas's load, and it gave him a look and a huff.
Out in the wild for so long, only coming back now… Still, since he brought gifts, all is forgiven.
Moltres exchanged a look with Lucas, nodded, and went to check on its now much taller child.
Comfey landed right on Lucas's head, shaking out a pleasant fragrance that instantly cured his travel fatigue.
Mimikyu hopped onto his shoulder—even Luxray was briefly stunned.
Mimikyu, when did you get here?
Serperior and Moltres shared a guilty glance. With Mimikyu's knack for going unnoticed, had it witnessed their little spat?
All this Pokémon drama left Oranguru wide-eyed. For all its intelligence, even it couldn't parse such a complicated web of relationships on the spot.
After all these years, Oranguru's knowledge was vast—just like its move pool. It recognized many species.
And Moltres? Of course it remembered—Moltres was a legendary, one of the most mysterious Pokémon.
To think one would live on Lucas's farm… Just what kind of remarkable trainer had it come to serve?
Still, one thing was certain: from what it saw, this farm really was just as idyllic as the info had claimed—its dream job environment.
Oranguru didn't need luxury—comfort was what mattered most.
Lucas's return excited all the Pokémon.
Outside the house, as darkness fell, Luxray used Flash to light the way instead of streetlamps.
Surrounded by happy Pokémon, Lucas looked around and, seeing they were all in good shape, finally felt at ease.
Then, with everyone watching, he introduced the new member:
"You all probably know—now that I'm back, we're getting a new farm member. This is Oranguru, who'll be our farm's chief steward from now on. Get along, everyone!"
He stepped aside, letting Oranguru take the stage.
Sensing everyone's curiosity, and wanting Lucas to understand, Oranguru introduced itself via telepathy: "I am Oranguru, soon to be the farm's steward. I'll do my best to support everyone's work—please take care of me!"