Pokemon Paldea [232-233] (Patreon)

Chapter 232: Indigo League

Lucas had previously checked and determined that the two Sawsbuck he brought back from Casseroya Lake were one female and one male. They seemed to have grown up together as childhood friends, with no blood relation.

Moreover, seeing how gently the Sawsbuck were accepting the newly arrived Skiddo, Lucas realized they might be good at taking care of baby Pokémon.

He felt that, among all the single Pokémon on his farm, these two might become a couple in the future. When the time was right, they might even bring him a surprise.

After the Sawsbuck finished licking the Skiddo, as if performing some mysterious ritual, the two Skiddo bleated happily and snuggled up to the large Sawsbuck.

Seeing this, Lucas smiled and didn't disturb the Pokémon as they bonded. Instead, he and Oranguru quickly installed the feed troughs and, after glancing at the Sawsbuck leading the Skiddo to the freshest, tastiest grass, he turned and left.

With two elders to care for the newcomers, Lucas no longer had to worry about the Skiddo fitting in.

But it was precisely the Sawsbuck's sense of responsibility toward their group that had caught Lucas's eye when he'd rescued them from the Lycanroc.

Their kindness toward the Skiddo was only natural.

Lucas muttered, "Next up is arranging a home for the Nacli."

Oranguru, quietly walking beside him, used telepathy to suggest, "We should build a salt house for the Nacli, just like you said, like the one on the Ellie Ranch."

"We definitely need a salt house. I'll contact the Machamp Construction Team later. This building is absolutely necessary for the Nacli's health and for us to collect their rock salt."

Lucas nodded slightly. After seeing the clever design of the salt house at the Ellie Ranch, he'd always planned to build one himself, since he now owned Nacli too.

As Nacli move, their bodies rub against the ground, shedding rock salt onto the path behind them.

Because of this, their bodies naturally wear down, and Nacli have to produce new salt internally to repair themselves. This ties directly into their health and nutrition.

Although it was his first time raising Rock-type Pokémon, Lucas had learned a bit about their diets.

Besides general-purpose Pokémon food, Nacli's favorite food was nutrient-rich soil and various stones with special properties or energy.

Lucas had bought a month's supply of soil from the Ellie Ranch for now.

Ellie had said this soil was from the caves near Zapapico Town, rich in minerals and small stones—perfect for Nacli.

Remembering something, Lucas said to Oranguru, "Let's add this goal to our future plans."

Oranguru nodded, signaling its attention.

Lucas recalled his thoughts and continued, "As for the basic construction you mentioned, I think it's time to make a detailed plan."

"Besides basic roads, electricity, and lighting, we should also rebuild the housing and assign living quarters for each Pokémon based on their needs."

"As for electricity, I have a way to save money. Maybe we can build a storage unit connected to the farm's grid that stores electricity released by Pokémon."

Oranguru paused its fingers on the tablet and frowned. "For power generation... the only Electric-type Pokémon on the farm now is Luxray, right? Won't that be too much for it? Or are you planning to bring in more Electric-types?"

"Not bringing in—it's just a helper who owes me a favor," Lucas shook his head. He wouldn't make Luxray do it. "You know Moltres is my Pokémon, right?"

Oranguru hesitated, then as if noticing something, its pupils contracted.

Could it be...

Lucas explained, "Through Moltres, I met Zapdos. We'll have it generate the power."

"As for food storage during the summer, I might try to find Articuno and—uh, 'invite' it to help us build an icehouse for storing food."

Oranguru: "..."

Only Young Master Lucas could think of such strange uses for legendary Pokémon.

Whether it was Zapdos, which could summon massive lightning storms, or Articuno, which could create unmelting ice even in summer...

Most people would worship these Pokémon, not dare think of using them.

Oranguru was becoming numb to Lucas's antics—unless he brought back another legendary, nothing would surprise it anymore.

Back in the house, Lucas found the living room covered in white salt traces, clearly from the Nacli playing there for a while.

The grains had fallen into the cracks between the wooden floorboards, and would be hard to clean if left too long. The salt house really needed to be built soon.

The salt trail led to the kitchen, where there were also suspicious traces of cream. Clearly, Alcremie was interested in the salt produced by the Nacli and had taken them to try making sweets.

"Guru~"

This time, facing the mess, Oranguru volunteered to clean up. As the butler, it had to keep the house tidy.

Without any helpers, it had to do everything itself.

A purple light flashed in Oranguru's eyes. Psychic energy gathered in its leaf fan, and with a wave, the salt on the floor floated up, forming a small salt tornado that was deposited into a container.

"Wow! Psychic powers are amazing!"

Seeing the floor clean again, Lucas clapped in excitement.

Truly, the convenience and versatility of Psychic powers was off the charts. He wished he could have them himself.

Maybe he should visit Saffron City in Kanto and have Sabrina test his psychic potential someday.

That evening, Lucas called Geeta.

The call lasted about ten minutes. Basically, Lucas was asking if Geeta needed his help with the current cleanup operation. Some groups might resist, and they'd need trainers' strength.

He could even earn a commission from Geeta to fund the farm's future construction. Perfect!

Unfortunately, Geeta had already started gathering information on the troublemakers within Naranja Academy, and said that if the Paldea League couldn't handle these people, she'd have no business being the chairwoman.

Lucas's crucial clues had already done their job, and now he just had to wait. Geeta would soon return Naranja Academy to a clean environment, even if it meant damaging its reputation.

Better a quick cut than letting a tumor fester—maybe Naranja Academy could be reborn from the ashes.

Geeta's decisiveness impressed Lucas. That must be why she could be both the top Champion and the Paldea League Chairwoman.

Since Geeta had it under control, Lucas stopped worrying about the academy's cleanup.

After dinner, Lucas sat in the living room, holding his small Mimikyu, with Serperior curled beside him and Dragonite at his back. He turned on the TV left by the previous owner.

The TV was actually broken, but Lucas thought the living room needed a TV for atmosphere, so he kept it as decoration.

It was an old model, probably with no spare parts available in town.

This changed when Oranguru arrived.

Somehow, Oranguru managed to get it working again, and Lucas was amazed, wondering just how many skills Oranguru had.

The TV's picture quality was poor, but it was still connected and could get most channels. In the evenings, Lucas would sometimes watch TV with his Pokémon and enjoy some leisure.

Tonight, Lucas was focused on a world-class classic movie starring the famous actress Diantha—Kalos Holiday. Diantha's every expression captivated the viewers, and the romantic story had Mimikyu, Dragonite, and Serperior all excited, their heads filled with pink bubbles.

Just then, Serperior's swinging tail accidentally hit the remote, switching the TV to the Pokémon Battle Channel.

The channel was showing a live battle. Serperior wanted to switch back, but Lucas froze when he saw a familiar boy on the screen.

That boy, wearing the League hat—Lucas remembered seeing him from a distance on New Island during the Mewtwo incident. He hadn't spoken with him, but that trainer was Ash.

Back then, Lucas had no time to chat, and after resolving things with Mewtwo, Mewtwo sent Ash and the others back to the port.

Now, looking at Ash's opponent—who looked a lot like Ash himself—he realized it was a Butterfree vs. Squirtle battle. The text at the bottom read: "Indigo League, Round 5, Top 16 to Top 8, Ash vs. Ritchie." Lucas instantly understood.

This was the match where Ash lost in his first League Conference!

"Serperior~"

Serperior tapped Lucas with its vine. Why was he spacing out? It wanted to watch Kalos Holiday.

Just one look at the Butterfree and Squirtle confirmed to Serperior that this was a battle between newbies. It was normal for Lucas to watch videos of Gym Leaders or Champions, but why watch this?

Mimikyu and Dragonite also looked at Lucas in confusion.

By now, Squirtle had lost to Butterfree, and Ash sent out his closest partner—Pikachu.

As Pikachu came out, Lucas's frown slowly relaxed, and he let out a short, sharp breath, as if in realization.

Something had felt off the whole time, but now, seeing Pikachu, the smoke cleared.

Even through the poor TV picture, Lucas could see that Pikachu was in top condition. Nothing seemed strange, but because Lucas clearly remembered the outcome of this match, he felt a sense of incongruity.

In his memory, because of Team Rocket's interference, Ash's Pokémon, including Pikachu, were not in their best state, and Charizard's disobedience led to Ash losing in the Top 16.

But this time, it was different. Pikachu, in top form, swept through Butterfree and Charmander, then faced Ritchie's Pikachu, Sparky.

Ash's Pikachu then displayed power far above Sparky's, achieving a clean sweep and taking Ash into the quarterfinals.

This meant the established future had changed.

Pikachu, for some unknown reason, was stronger than before. Team Rocket's interference didn't matter, and with little loss of stamina, Ash and Pikachu overwhelmed Ritchie.

This could have huge effects on the future. If Ash didn't lose in the Top 16, would he still travel to the Orange Islands?

If not, who would stop the disaster on Asia Island?

The three legendary birds of the Orange Islands were special—their safety affected not just Kanto, but the world's climate. Even if it took time for the effects to reach Paldea, disaster would still come.

Lucas thought of Mewtwo, whom he'd convinced to visit the Orange Islands and philosophize with Slowking, and the traveling Delibird. They would be facing climate change directly.

Mewtwo would probably be fine even if the Orange Islands sank, but Delibird might be in danger.

Chapter 233: Penny

Starting April 2nd, students and teachers at Naranja Academy noticed a change in atmosphere.

Not only did Paldea League staff frequently appear on campus, but Geeta, rarely seen at the academy, was now present all day, only leaving late at night.

Some students or teachers were occasionally called out for interviews—but never seen again. After a while, the school committee would announce their expulsion or resignation.

For a while, everyone at the Academy was on edge.

But secrets can't stay hidden forever, especially since Geeta made no attempt at secrecy.

Her goal was to expose all darkness to the light and cut it out with swift action.

Even if Naranja Academy's reputation suffered, it was better to prevent lingering problems from exploding at a future, unpredictable time—a little pain now to avoid greater pain later.

April 5th, Friday.

Naranja Academy, Class 1-D, window seat.

A girl with red and blue hair hugged her cute Eevee backpack, eyes behind round glasses fixed on several girls with whom she had bad memories as they were called away. Seeing the obvious panic and doubt on their faces, Penny felt complicated emotions.

On the one hand, she was glad those who had bullied her, even played pranks on her several times, were being removed.

On the other, she was a bit lost. Once those girls were gone, news of her bullying would come out, and her father and sister far away in the Crown Tundra would know—no, her uncle would know first.

Her uncle was the League Chairman in Galar. If he learned she'd been treated this way in Paldea, it could spark other issues.

Despite some unpleasant experiences, Penny thought life at Naranja Academy suited her. She could pursue her hobbies and play with Eevee and friends in a beautiful environment.

If possible, Penny didn't want things to get so complicated.

But the Academy's actions were anything but subtle. Other students might be in the dark, but she understood perfectly.

By hacking the Paldea League's system, Penny learned they were carrying out an operation called "Extermination Plan."

In short: Remove anything that polluted the pure academic atmosphere of Naranja Academy.

The scale far exceeded Penny's expectations. Though Geeta was listed as the initiator, Penny found another name in the attachments—Lucas.

He had joined as a battle instructor three months ago at the opening ceremony after the winter break. Seemed normal enough.

Digging deeper, Penny found records in the League: Lucas had swept through the Gyms, defeated the Elite Four, and finally beat top Champion Geeta—thus certified as a Champion-level trainer.

Seeing this, Penny was startled—not by his strength (she was from a prominent family herself, with a father who was a former champion and an uncle who was League Chairman), but by the fact that Lucas, one of the top trainers in Paldea, was hiding his identity to work as a regular teacher.

Becoming a new Elite Four member or taking a League position would be the obvious path. If it were her, she'd probably be lazy and choose the easy life too.

Penny looked out the window at the schoolyard, where Lucas was patiently teaching Ortega and his Dachsbun the move Crunch.

Soon, Nemona, the Miss Questions, came over to pester him about Goomy care, while Eri and Aliquis also eagerly soaked up his knowledge.

Watching them, Penny felt a sudden envy. They looked so happy together.

But her interest in Lucas wasn't because he was a Champion-level trainer or a teacher. It was because the "Extermination Plan" was his idea.

Lucas was the cause of the Academy's changes. If anyone could intercept the news of her bullying and keep it from reaching her family, it was him.

Without exposing her hacking skills, this was her only option.

Watching the students gather to end class, Penny made up her mind.

…

In the schoolyard, Lucas gathered the students for a brief summary.

"Everyone did well today. Especially Ortega—your Dachsbun is much improved since last class. I can see you've been training hard together. Well done."

"After class, I'll unfreeze your bank card. But don't slack off with your pocket money, or you know what'll happen."

Lucas teased Ortega, and the students chuckled.

Ortega looked away, blushing, muttering that it wasn't needed.

The once-proud young master was opening up, which pleased Lucas—it meant the director and Ortega's father's request was progressing well.

"That's all for today. Take good care of your Pokémon, and see you next week."

"Oh, Eri, stay a moment. I have something to ask you."

Eri was momentarily confused—why was Lucas asking for her?

Nemona looked jealous, "A special lesson with Teacher Lucas? So lucky! I want extra training too!"

"What a battle maniac..." Arven shuddered, remembering how Nemona had battled her for hours the other day.

Her Pokémon and she had collapsed into bed, and he later heard Nemona continued training until the supervising teacher begged her to rest.

Best to sneak away today—if Nemona caught him, she'd be in trouble.

But before Arven could escape, Nemona stopped him.

Lucas took Eri to a bench by the grass. Hearing Arven's cry behind, he smirked; good thing Nemona was still satisfied with battling classmates, or things would get wild once she reached Champion level.

Sitting at a safe distance, Eri looked at Lucas, wondering if this was a lecture.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Eri, you're in the same class as Giacomo, right?"

"Ah, yes," Eri nodded, surprised Lucas asked about Giacomo.

"Do you know what Giacomo's been up to? Arven said he seemed off—listless and skipping class."

As student council president, Giacomo had greeted Lucas when he first arrived, and Lucas had a good impression of him.

Now that Giacomo seemed troubled, Lucas could only ask Eri.

Eri thought for a moment. "I'm not sure of the details, just that he's been busy with student council stuff. I heard the new school rules he proposed were opposed."

As expected...

Lucas nodded. "Thanks, Eri. If you or your Annihilape ever have training questions, call me anytime."

Eri nodded, then left.

After sending her off, Lucas sat in thought.

From the moment he arrived, he'd noticed the academy's changed atmosphere. Many students and teachers had disappeared. Geeta's operation was progressing smoothly.

Within two weeks, most bullied students should return to normal life—except Giacomo.

In his memory, Giacomo wasn't bullied but was isolated due to his conservative rules. Under pressure, he resigned and Nemona took over as council president—but that was still some time away. Until then, Giacomo would be lonely.

So, even if the academy expelled bullies and negligent teachers, Giacomo's situation wouldn't improve.

He'd have to think carefully about that.

Sighing, Lucas headed to the library to borrow books, hoping to avoid getting intellectually outmatched by Oranguru.

Just then, a soft, timid voice sounded behind him: "Um... can we talk?"

An unfamiliar, shy voice?

Lucas turned and saw a girl with distinctive red-and-blue hair, pale skin, and large round glasses, wearing the standard school uniform with an Eevee backpack.

It was Penny, the Eevee fan and hacker from the main Scarlet/Violet cast.

"Um, well..."

Penny twisted her hands nervously. Not used to talking to people, she lost her words.

Lucas hadn't expected her to approach him, but seeing her shy look, he suggested kindly, "Let's talk in the library. It'll be quieter, and I need to find some books."

"Okay."

Penny nodded softly.

She followed Lucas obediently while he picked out books, then they found a quiet spot to sit. Only then did her social anxiety ease a little.

Farming, brewing, animal husbandry... Penny silently noted his book choices. Was he running a farm?

"So, Penny, what did you want to talk about?"

Noticing she was distracted, Lucas waved a hand in front of her.

"Ah, sorry."

Penny snapped back, her pale cheeks flushing.

After a deep breath and some inner encouragement, she said, "I want to ask you for a favor."

"A favor? What do you need?"

Lucas was puzzled—they'd never spoken before.

She couldn't have hacked the league and found his records, right?

Penny took a deep breath. "I want you to suppress the news about my bullying. I'm from Galar, and my father and uncle have influence there. I'm afraid this will affect relations between Paldea and Galar."

Lucas was surprised, then asked, "Why are you sure I can help?"

Penny replied boldly, "Because you're one of Paldea's few Champion-level trainers. You can talk directly to Chairwoman Geeta."

"You know quite a bit."

Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn't ask how she knew so much, which relieved Penny.

He studied her. He knew Penny was from Galar, but not who her father and uncle were—he hadn't played the DLC, only the main game.

Her being bullied could really affect relations between two regions—could she be related to undefeated Champion Leon?

He was intrigued. "I can ask the Chairwoman to keep it quiet, but you'll have to tell me who your father and uncle are, or else I can't explain."

Penny nodded. "My father is Poeny the former Steel-type Champion of Galar. My uncle is Rose, President of the Galar League."