Pokemon Paldea [155-157] (Patreon)

Chapter 155: Officer Jenny: Never Thought I’d See the Day

After parking her police motorcycle outside the farm, Officer Jenny entered on foot with her Growlithe, following Lucas. She took in their surroundings and suddenly asked, “This is such a thriving farm. But are you the only one working here, Mr. Lucas?”

It was hard for Jenny to imagine that Lucas alone could manage such a large farm so well. Growlithe tilted its head curiously at Lucas too.

“Besides me, there are a lot of Pokémon helping to run the farm.” Lucas shook his head. Noticing Jenny’s Growlithe, he remembered he hadn’t let his own Growlithe out yet—the one who had just gone through a grueling series of battles against dozens of students' Pokémon. He quickly added, “Oh right, I also have a Growlithe. Maybe they can become friends.”

As he spoke, Lucas released his Growlithe, which looked quite different from Jenny’s.

Having just experienced a heated battle, Lucas’s Growlithe was still full of energy. As soon as it emerged, it dashed over to Jenny’s Growlithe, inviting it to play.

Clearly, this Growlithe was outgoing as ever.

Officer Jenny covered her mouth in disbelief. “That’s a Growlithe?”

Lucas didn’t elaborate much, simply saying, “It’s a regional variant. They’re rare.”

“A regional variant, huh?” Jenny mused, stroking her chin. Seeing her own Growlithe’s eager expression, she nodded, “Go ahead and play.”

Jenny’s Growlithe’s eyes lit up. With a happy bark, it ran off with Lucas’s Growlithe—likely toward the recently harvested wheat fields to play with the Dachsbun.

Under Lucas’s lead, they soon arrived near the rain clouds, just out of reach of the heavy downpour—yet with a perfect view of the Pokémon battling there.

Jenny was stunned by what she saw.

What did she see?

A giant bird, blazing with bright, fierce flames, soared through the sky. The falling rain couldn’t touch it, vaporized into steam by the intense heat, then swept away by the bird’s wingbeats.

Each time the fiery bird flapped its wings, flames like a sky on fire would rain down upon the powerful figure below.

On the ground, a Swampert, shrouded in flowing water, would punch away the fire that even the rain couldn’t extinguish. Missed punches shook the earth, leaving deep craters behind.

With the thick black clouds overhead, the whole scene looked like a mythological battle.

Heavenly flames falling, fists splitting the earth.

And Lucas just called these farm Pokémon sparring with each other"?

Jenny stared, dumbfounded. She was now certain that the massive thunderstorm more than a month ago was also caused by Pokémon from this farm.

But was it really reasonable for such Pokémon to be working on a farm?

A Trainer with such powerful Pokémon was farming instead of challenging gyms or aiming for the championship? Jenny felt more lost about the world than ever.

Lucas then walked over, clapped his hands, and called out, “Alright, take a break! That’s enough!”

His appearance instantly ended the battle.

With the fiery bird contending for weather control, the Politoed nearby dispersed the rain clouds, and Moltres’ Sunny Day finally shone through, bringing warmth and light.

Swampert stopped attacking, and the fiery bird descended. Just as Lucas said, these were all farm Pokémon; no matter how spectacular their sparring, there was never any real danger.

Jenny watched in silence, pondering who Lucas really was, to have such strong Pokémon.

And that flame-winged bird—because of the earlier mist and rain, she hadn’t gotten a good look, assuming it was just a Talonflame from Paldea.

But on closer inspection, it looked nothing like a Talonflame.

As a Paldea native, Jenny had never seen a Pokémon like this. Was it a regional form of Talonflame, like Lucas’s different Growlithe?

But its round shape didn’t match Talonflame’s streamlined body at all.

Never thought I’d see the day—two regional forms of Pokémon in one day! She’d definitely have to mention this at the next Jenny family gathering to make the others jealous.

After ruling out the possibility of wild Pokémon invading, Jenny didn’t linger.

Lucas led her to the wheat field, where they found her Growlithe playing with Dachsbun and Lucas’s Growlithe. She saluted Lucas, then rode off with Growlithe on her police motorcycle, kicking up a cloud of dust as she sped away.

Watching this breezy figure disappear, Lucas smiled and shook his head. He looked at the thriving berry trees nearby and muttered, “Time to check on the Eldegoss and the others.”

By the orderly rows of tall berry trees, the Eldegoss and Dolliv skillfully tended to the crops. Eldegoss, glowing with grass-green energy, pressed themselves gently to the trunks.

They were using their Grass-type abilities to check the trees’ health: detecting nutrient shortages, lack of sunlight, or insufficient water.

If needed, they would fertilize, water, or call in Dragonair for Sunny Day.

The Eldegoss always worked diligently, never slacking, determined to produce the best berries.

Dolliv, once shy and timid, had become cheerful after evolving and making friends with the Eldegoss team. Seeing Lucas and the other Pokémon praise its olive oil always made it happy.

For Dolliv, as long as it did its job and saw those smiles, it was satisfied.

When Lucas arrived, he saw the Eldegoss and Dolliv working with big smiles on their faces.

“Don’t work too hard, remember to rest!” Lucas called out. He didn’t want them to overwork and harm themselves, physically or mentally.

Luckily, all four Pokémon were in great shape, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

Chapter 156: Delibird, Encountering Troublemakers

Lucas keenly noticed the berry trees’ flower buds about to bloom.

It wouldn’t be long before the trees blossomed, and most required Bug-type Pokémon with nectar-collecting habits for pollination.

Beedrill, Butterfree, Vivillon, and Combee were all suitable.

Usually, wild Bug Pokémon nearby would handle pollination, but Lucas’s farm couldn’t allow wild Pokémon to come and go freely. Luxray’s job included driving away wild Pokémon attracted to the crops.

He couldn’t risk them threatening the farm or his Pokémon, so he had to be strict.

But recently, thanks to Nemona’s Teddiursa, Lucas had built a good relationship with a Vespiquen and Combee colony in a nearby grove.

With this friendship, he could now make a deal with Vespiquen.

The berry trees and the flowers in Comfey’s flower fields were about to bloom. Lucas could invite Vespiquen’s colony to collect pollen—deepening their bond, ensuring pollination, and earning extra Combee honey.

It was a win-win.

Lucas decided that after getting the evolution item for Milcery from Katy, he’d visit Vespiquen to discuss the arrangement.

Once all this was settled, Moltres would hopefully have lost enough weight to take Lucas and Growlithe to the volcano for evolution.

…

Kanto Region, Old Coast Pier.

Delibird sighed in relief after seeing the drenched trio and Pikachu dash into the ferry terminal.

But when it realized this was the same dock it had originally landed at, it felt exhausted.

It never imagined humans could be this ridiculous. Had it known they’d end up here, it wouldn’t have spent half a month lost in the wild with them.

The boy in the cap—Ash, if it remembered right—thought their good luck got them through all the dangers. Actually, Delibird had been secretly helping, since it needed them to lead it to the Dragonite leader. That was why it intervened at crucial moments.

Delibird had also kept Team Rocket’s antics at bay—every time Pikachu got captured by their robots, Delibird created an opening for Ash’s group to escape.

Perched on the terminal roof, Delibird listened to the humans’ conversations and pieced together information from Ash’s group.

It glanced out at the pouring rain, the black clouds, and the raging sea—finally understanding the reason.

An invitation from the [“World’s Strongest Pokémon Trainer”]...

Delibird frowned. In its mind, Lucas was the strongest.

It wanted to challenge this so-called strongest, but first, it had to investigate the Dragonite leader and their connection.

Lucas’s notebook had warned: Don’t act rashly out of boredom; keep calm.

Delibird took this advice seriously.

While Delibird pondered, a commotion broke out. Many trainers released their Pokémon, intent on braving the storm to reach New Island.

Officer Jenny’s warnings couldn’t stop these fired-up trainers. Even Ash’s group and Pikachu boarded a wooden boat heading to the island.

Memorizing the island’s direction, Delibird looked at the boat’s passengers, easily spotting Team Rocket’s disguised members.

It muttered inwardly how persistent those three were, but decided not to interfere—after all, Team Rocket would always fail.

Instead, Delibird grew excited at the prospect of challenging the storm.

It loved testing itself against nature.

Staring at the storm—so fierce that it likely contained a hurricane, according to what Dragonite and Dragonair had taught it—Delibird fearlessly dove in.

“Delii~!”

Breaking through the clouds, Delibird soared above the storm, where a clear full moon shone.

Beneath, the storm raged, but above, all was calm and peaceful.

Delibird was mesmerized by the view—until a pink figure darted into sight.

“Delii~?”

Delibird was startled—another Pokémon had conquered the storm and reached above the clouds?

It blinked, trying to see more clearly, but the pink figure vanished like an illusion.

Delibird paused, thinking it must’ve been a trick of the eye. Shaking its head, it prepared to descend.

But as it turned, a pink cat face silently filled its entire view.

“Delii!~?”

Delibird nearly jumped out of its feathers. When had this thing appeared behind it?

“Mew mew mew!~”

Mew, delighted by its prank, giggled innocently—not mocking, just unable to hide its emotions.

Delibird, now calm but a bit embarrassed, mentally scolded itself for being frightened after braving the storm. It scratched its head and asked, “Delii~?” (Who are you? Why are you here?)

“Mew~?” (Who are you? Why are you here?)

Mew tilted its head, deliberately returning the question.

Delibird was baffled by the counter-question.

But its curiosity about this powerful, mysterious Pokémon overcame it. “Delii~!” (I’m Delibird. I crossed the storm below to investigate the island!)

“Mew~?” (Disaster?)

“Mew mew mew~!” (But this storm was created by a Pokémon’s psychic power!)

Chapter 157: Mew: Fun Follows Me

“Delii~?” (Are you kidding me?)

Delibird couldn’t believe it—this Pokémon claimed the storm was artificially created by psychic powers?

Impossible!

Even Dragonite and Dragonair couldn’t affect such a large area.

Seeing Delibird’s disbelief, Mew got anxious and meowed loudly, “Mew mew mew mew~!” (Mew’s not lying! If you don’t believe me, come with me to meet the Pokémon behind this power!)

“Mew mew mew~!” (Wanna bet, Delibird? If I’m right, you have to visit my home!)

Mew?

So that was this Pokémon’s name?

Delibird could sense Mew’s competitive streak, but more importantly, it sensed Mew was very strong.

Lucas’s notebook said to make more friends; maybe bringing Mew along would help it find the Dragonite leader faster.

With that in mind, Delibird nodded. “Delii~!” (Deal!)

“Mew mew~!” (Deal!)

Mew grinned mischievously, excited to meet the source of the familiar psychic power in the storm—and intrigued by Delibird’s own mysterious aura. Since Delibird was also headed for the castle below, Mew had two interesting things to watch!

Delibird was a bit speechless, feeling like it had boarded a pirate ship by accident.

But Mew didn’t give Delibird time to regret. Without any need for contact, Mew’s powerful psychic energy warped space, instantly teleporting both Pokémon to the magnificent castle on New Island.

Sitting atop a fast-spinning windmill, Delibird admitted it was bewildered—one blink, and it was suddenly here.

So this was psychic power...

“Pipipi~”

A voice came from beside it. Delibird glanced over to see a beautiful Pidgey urging it on.

Delibird hesitated, “Delii~?” (Are you Mew?)

“Pipipi~” (Yes, it’s Mew~)

To prove its identity, the Pidgey was enveloped in a gentle aura and transformed back into Mew, then into Pidgey again.

Delibird’s eyes widened in amazement. “Delii~...” (What an incredible power.)

Disguised as Pidgey, Mew flapped its wings and asked, “Pipipi~?” (So, what’s next?)

Mew wanted to see what Delibird would do.

Delibird hesitated. Since there was no rain inside the island, it carefully took out a family photo from its tail—preserved as if freshly printed—and handed it to Mew.

“Delii~.” (I’m looking for a Dragonite like this one in the castle, the one with a black satchel.)

“Pipipi~?” (Who’s this human?)

Mew curiously pointed to Lucas, smiling in the center, holding Delibird.

Delibird answered without hesitation, “Delii~.” (He’s my Trainer, my savior, the most important human to me.)

Mew didn’t quite understand Delibird’s intense feelings, just tilted its head silently.

Delibird knew finding the Dragonite leader in such a big castle wouldn’t be easy.

Seeing Mew had nothing more to say, Delibird, feeling a bit hungry, pulled out a box of Pokéblocks from its tail, planning to eat one.

Now wasn’t the time to waste effort looking for food.

But as Delibird took out a fragrant Pokéblock and prepared to eat it, it felt Mew’s gaze on it.

Delibird guarded its Pokéblock box and quickly shook its head. “Delii~!” (I only have a few, I can’t share!)

Delibird admitted this was selfish; it could share other food, but not the ones Lucas had prepared.

Mew wiped away drool, still curious about the delicious-smelling Pokéblock. After a moment’s thought, Mew decided to play its trump card.

“Pipipi~!” (If Delibird gives Mew one, Mew will take Delibird straight to the orange Pokémon!)

“Delii~...” (Alright...)

Delibird couldn’t resist—Mew had hit its weak spot. Remembering Mew’s teleportation power, Delibird reluctantly handed over the Pokéblock.

Mew, back in its true form, gleefully accepted the treat and spun in the air, savoring it.

It wasn’t that Pokéblocks tasted that amazing—Mew often snuck into human shops for food—but snatching one from Delibird was especially satisfying.

Happy, Mew got to work.

With its mysterious psychic power, Mew used Future Sight to pinpoint the Dragonite’s location.

A flash of light, and before Delibird could swallow its Pokéblock, it found itself in a castle attic.

“Drago~?” (Why are you here? And who’s that?)

Delibird looked over and saw the Dragonite leader, clutching its black satchel, hovering gently in the air, staring at Delibird and Pidgey (Mew) in confusion.

Delibird glanced around. The attic was dim, with only a small oil lamp lighting their spot—the rest was pitch black.

The heavy dust in the air made it clear: the Dragonite leader had been living here?

Did its Trainer really have it stay in a place like this?