Pokemon Paldea (Patreon)

Chapter 181: The Orchard Defense Battle!

After spending a warm moment with the Mudsdale and the Sawsbuck, Lucas didn't bother wiping the slobber off his face in front of them—he knew that would only make them sad.

Well, he could just wipe it off later when he got back.

This was their way of showing affection. As long as it wasn't over the top, Lucas was happy to let them express themselves—honestly, he enjoyed it.

Gently stroking the Sawsbuck's branch-like antlers, Lucas admired the delicate pink flowers blooming perfectly. With these flowers, and the flower rings crafted by Comfey, the Sawsbuck had blended into the farm life seamlessly.

"In a little while, when summer arrives, these flowers will fall and be replaced by lush leaves. I've heard they make wonderfully fragrant red tea," Lucas mused aloud, wiping his mouth.

The Sawsbuck gave him a helpless look, as if to say, "You're already thinking about harvesting us before summer's even here?"

Lucas laughed awkwardly, suddenly remembering why he'd come to see Mudsdale and the Sawsbuck in the first place.

He quickly recounted the poisoning incident at the neighboring Jones Farm, emphasizing, "Basically, you all need to be careful of toxins. Always smell the grass before eating to check for anything strange. If anyone gets poisoned, come get me or Comfey immediately."

Mudsdale and the Sawsbuck exchanged glances and nodded.

Seeing they understood, Lucas gave each of them a good rub before leaving, satisfied.

…

The next morning, Lucas was rudely awakened by Serperior's vines, which unceremoniously dangled him upside down until he was awake.

Lucas's brain felt a bit congested from hanging upside down, and he had no idea why Serperior would treat him this way so early in the morning.

He hadn't teased Serperior lately, had he? Well, maybe… Sometimes people act on impulse and forget about it right away.

Feeling a bit nervous, Lucas didn't dare protest.

Fortunately, once Serperior saw Lucas was awake, it let him down and urged, "Serperior~!" ("Get dressed, now!")

Lucas blinked and breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like he wasn't being punished after all.

He quickly swapped out his pajamas for regular clothes, rushed his morning routine under Serperior's stern gaze, and barely got a sip of water before Serperior whisked him outside with its vine.

Lucas was still grumbling about his rude awakening, but when he saw where Serperior brought him, his mood instantly brightened.

Fifteen neatly planted berry trees stood before him, their crowns heavy with lush, ripe fruit: Oran, Pecha, and Sitrus berries, all glistening with morning dew, their fragrance so strong it snapped Lucas's sleepy mind wide awake.

After a long wait, the saplings had finally grown into mature trees, and with the help of a trio of Vespiquen pollinators, they bore a beautiful harvest.

The thrill of achievement never got old. Lucas grinned. "It's harvest time!"

A berry harvest was a big event on the farm. All the available Pokémon gathered in the small orchard, picking fresh berries.

Large baskets were lined up under the trees, steadily filling up thanks to everyone's hard work.

But as with any farm, a major challenge awaited: wild Pokémon invasions.

While the ground was covered by Luxray, Growlithe, and Fidough, the skies were another matter.

Other than the pink Dragonair and Dragonite caring for their leader, two Dragonair soared above, driving away flocks of flying Pokémon drawn by the ripe fruit.

Fletchling, Rookidee, Starly—even a few Murkrow—were all targets for dispersal.

However, hungry as they were, the wild fliers formed a coalition, treating the two Dragonair as boss-level opponents.

The four main flying Pokémon groups quickly formed a temporary alliance, planning to break through the defenders before sorting out who got what.

Against a few lone fliers, the Dragonair had no trouble, but the numbers kept growing, and the sweet scent only attracted more.

The Paldea region was rich in wild Pokémon, and this bounty also brought trouble to any berry farmer—these airborne raiders were a nightmare.

It often took a lot of effort—and the help of trainers and Pokémon—to protect the harvest.

Perhaps because these berry trees were nourished by Grassy Terrain and cultivated with Tapu Bulu's special technique, plus dedicated care from other Pokémon, the berries were especially irresistible to wild Pokémon.

Soon, the wild fliers overwhelmed the Dragonair's defense, snatching berries from the treetops and knocking some to the ground, which made Lucas wince.

"These wild Pokémon are relentless—risking everything for a bite, even defying Dragonair's presence. Time to send in the ace."

Turning to the Moltres beside him, preening its feathers, Lucas said, "Extra food today—drive them all away!"

Moltres paused, looking at Lucas for confirmation.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Deal!"

Moltres's eyes shone. He hadn't expected to get a bonus meal just for showing up early—what luck!

With a piercing cry, Moltres soared into the sky, heading straight for the swarm.

The king has arrived—let the rabble scatter!

While the wild fliers could muster courage against Dragonair, the sheer pressure from Moltres, one of the apex flying Pokémon, was another story.

At the sight of Moltres, the wild Pokémon panicked and fled faster than they had arrived, their fragile alliance crumbling instantly.

Chapter 182: Alcremie's Fruit Cheese Salted Cream Cake

Moltres carefully flapped its wings, making sure no stray sparks fell—if it accidentally set fire to the orchard, it'd never hear the end of it from Luxray and Serperior.

Moltres was baffled—it hadn't even done anything but shout, and the invaders all vanished?

What a disorganized mob.

It shot a worried glance at Lucas. Would Lucas think the job was too easy and back out of his promise for a second helping?

Just thinking about it made Moltres's mood plummet. Even if its protested, it'd have to face a pack of fierce Pokémon first.

What a tough life for a guest.

It barely acknowledged the Dragonair's thanks and landed with a gloomy look.

Lucas, meanwhile, was playing with Serperior's tail tip.

"Hm?"

He hadn't noticed Moltres's mood shift, but before he could ask, Serperior, feeling its territory threatened, wrapped Lucas up with its vines and glared at Moltres—the sneaky bird—before stalking off.

With Growlithe around, Lucas tended to favor Moltres. Serperior couldn't out-compete, but it could remove Lucas from the situation.

Lucas, being dragged away, could only think: What about my opinion?

Watching Lucas being hauled off, Moltres felt even more wronged. Clearly, Lucas was trying to deny the promised reward by staging this whole thing with Serperior.

It'd never suffered such injustice before—all it wanted was an extra helping! What was wrong with that?

Unable to bear it, Moltres decided to stage a hunger protest and went back to its birdhouse to sleep.

…

Lucas, meanwhile, was blocked at the door by Ceruledge and Alcremie before he could go find Moltres.

"Ceru~." "Alcremie~"

Lucas paused, glancing at the clock—it was already ten. Time to prep lunch.

"Fine, let's make lunch first. Moltres has a big heart. He should be fine."

Lucas comforted himself. Despite Moltres's legendary pride, its was more like a Grass-type: easygoing, lazy, a foodie, and very patient with Growlithe.

But Moltres wasn't lacking in determination—it'd even completed a diet challenge during training with Swampert and Politoed.

It probably wouldn't brood over something like this.

Feeling reassured, Lucas took the apron from Ceruledge's sword and entered his domain—the kitchen.

With Ceruledge's help, lunch went smoothly, and in no time a feast was ready. It was only 11:30.

Ceruledge used to help out of guilt, but now it truly enjoyed cooking, and Lucas could sense its genuine happiness.

With time before noon and Moltres's bonus meal ready, Lucas wondered if a mere second helping was reward enough.

Hard work deserved proper recognition.

What else could he offer Moltres?

Lucas's gaze fell on Alcremie, who was observing nearby.

Right! After evolving, Alcremie could now produce not just regular whipped cream but unique flavors matching its appearance.

Lucas's Alcremie had a milky Salted Cream flavor—he'd tried it and thought Moltres would love it.

That's it!

No other Pokémon had tasted this new flavor yet. Offering it as a reward would be perfect.

Plus, with the fresh berries harvested under Moltres's protection, Lucas quickly envisioned a dessert: Fruit Cheese Salted Cream Cake!

He sent Ceruledge to fetch fresh berries and invited Alcremie to help make the cake.

"Alcremie~!"

Alcremie nodded excitedly—its dessert spirit was burning!

They had all the tools and ingredients: eggs, corn oil, milk, flour, mixer, oven…

First, the cake base: mix oil and milk, sift in flour and cornstarch, add egg yolks, blend smooth.

Beat egg whites with sugar and lemon juice to stiff peaks, fold into the yolk mixture, pour into the pan, and bake.

With Alcremie's help, everything went smoothly, and Ceruledge soon returned with a basket of fresh berries.

"Thanks."

Lucas washed the berries and made a bowl of cheese sauce.

Once the cake base was ready, Lucas spread cheese sauce on top, then called Alcremie forward.

"Alcremie~!"

Alcremie eagerly piped its milky Salted Cream whipped cream over the cake, and Lucas smoothed it out.

Finally, he arranged the berries on top.

The special Fruit Cheese Salted Cream Cake for Moltres was done!

Lucas couldn't wait to see Moltres's reaction.

Chapter 183: Moltres and the Visiting Brothers

Under the eaves, a birdhouse much larger than usual—bigger even than the doghouses—sheltered Moltres, over two meters tall, curled up inside.

Though it was daytime, Moltres felt as if it were lost in a midnight depression, doing its best not to set its home on fire.

It wondered when it'd ever escape this feeling of being a guest.

Moltres figured the only thing separating it from the other Pokémon was a Poké Ball. If it were officially caught, would things improve?

But instinct told it as a legendary bird, its shouldn't be bound by a Poké Ball—it should soar freely.

Still, maybe giving up a little freedom in exchange for good food wasn't so bad.

Lost in thought, Moltres pondered this possibility.

…

Meanwhile, Lucas noticed Moltres was missing from lunch. Frowning, he realized something must be wrong.

He called Dragonite over, wiped its mouth, and said, "Take me to the birdhouse."

Lucas thought if Moltres was hiding, the birdhouse would be the first place to check.

He also brought the special Fruit Cheese Salted Cream Cake—everyone saw it, even Serperior, but no one objected. This was Moltres's reward.

Dragonite carried Lucas to the birdhouse. Lucas smiled. "I knew you'd be hiding here."

Moltres pretended to sleep with its eyes closed.

"Drago~?"

Dragonite looked at Lucas, licking its claws.

What now? Moltres seems asleep…

"Silly thing," Lucas patted Dragonite's head. He could tell Moltres was faking—probably brooding over something again.

Lucas was glad he'd borrowed a book on Pokémon psychology. He knew the solution: give Moltres time and space. If it didn't resolve on its own, he'd step in later.

He called out, "Looks like Moltres is still sleeping. I'll leave this Fruit Cheese Salted Cream Cake here as a reward for driving off the wild fliers. When it wakes up, it can have it."

"As for lunch, let Growlithe keep it warm with a Fire move. When Moltres is ready, it can come down to eat."

Dragonite played along: "Drago~"

Lucas and Dragonite left the cake outside and went away. Moltres kept up the act a while longer, but eventually curiosity got the better of it. It peeked out, spotted the cake, and sampled a berry.

Its eyes lit up—the sweet, juicy Pecha, the tart Sitrus, the refreshing Oran, all paired with savory-sweet cream and cheese—perfect!

As it ate, warmth filled Moltres's heart.

So, Lucas hadn't gone back on his word after all.

After a moment of hesitation, Moltres made up its mind.

…

With Moltres's issue settled, Lucas gave it the afternoon to think. If it was still upset by evening, Lucas would step in.

After doing dishes with help from Politoed and its kin, Lucas left Growlithe to keep Moltres's lunch warm, then dragged out a lounge chair to nap.

But just then, Luxray approached, letting Lucas know a visitor had arrived.

Lucas was puzzled: "A visitor? I'm not expecting anyone."

"Lux~" Luxray licked its paw and looked at Dragonite. The visitors were here for Dragonite, not Lucas.

Lucas: "???"

"Drago~?"

Dragonite, wearing a new flower crown from Comfey, looked confused.

…

Outside the farm, a boy of about ten tugged at his older brother's sleeve. "Reggie, are you sure that Dragonite is here? Isn't this just a regular farm?"

The older youth smiled, patting his brother's head. "Didn't we ask that Naranja student, Nemona? The Dragonite belongs to the farm owner."

"Paul, you saw it too. That Luxray—its posture, build, aura—even without emitting any pressure, I, as a Trainer, can tell it's strong!"

Even with his brother's praise, Paul refused to believe that his older brother, who'd earned eight badges in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and made top eight in the League, could be beaten so easily.

A lone Dragonite, without a Trainer, had defeated all six of his brother's Pokémon? That was crazy!

"You stubborn kid… sigh."

Reggie shook his head at Paul's obstinance. Paul had always been stubborn—once he decided on something, nothing could change his mind.

To Paul, Reggie was unbeatable. Losing must have been a fluke.

But Reggie knew his own limits—he relied on strategy and technique, but those meant little against overwhelming strength.

He remembered, before heading to the Battle Frontier in Kanto, he'd come to Paldea for a vacation to relax and recharge. One day, while Paul stayed at the hotel, Reggie wandered the beach—where he saw that Dragonite.