Pawmi was knocked to the ground by the Flame Wheel, panting and unable to get up for a long time. Its orange fur was singed in several places.
At this point, Arven called out, "That's enough!"
"…We lost." Nemona's fighting spirit faded, her expression briefly dazed. She barely had time to sink into the emotion of losing her first battle before she rushed over and gently picked up Pawmi. "You did great."
Though it was a friendly match, Nemona knew if the fight continued, Pawmi would surely lose.
"Well done. Let's go get a snack," Lucas crouched and patted Growlithe, then walked over to Nemona and praised her, "It's hard to believe this was your first Pokémon battle. Your commands had no fatal errors."
"Teacher Lucas…" Nemona's eyes widened.
"But—" Lucas changed tone, checking Pawmi's injuries and giving advice: "You two have two urgent issues to fix."
"First, Pawmi's Thunder Shock has too long of a windup, and it closes its eyes, making it easy to dodge."
"Second, Pawmi's power is lacking, so Growlithe could withstand its attacks and counterattack."
"You can try to work on these before my classes start."
Lucas's words left Nemona deep in thought. Was the teacher able to see so many problems after just a few rounds?
Lucas smiled, "No need to figure it all out at once. Take Pawmi to the nurse first, then think about it slowly."
His reminder snapped Nemona back to reality. Seeing Pawmi's injuries, she felt very guilty.
After a battle, treating your partner should always come first—other matters can wait!
Nemona bowed gratefully, greeted Arven, and dashed off to the infirmary.
Arven murmured as he watched her go, "Truly someone like the wind…"
"That's just how she is," Lucas smiled, picking up Growlithe as he came over.
"Brother Lucas…" Arven averted his eyes guiltily.
"At school, call me 'Teacher'!" Lucas gave Arven a playful shove, ignoring the resentful look, and asked, "How did it go with your parents?"
"Oh… It was alright, I guess." Arven's drooping mouth curled into a faint smile.
He remembered how, after returning home, Sada and Turo had uncharacteristically slept in his room. On the same bed, they shared their dreams with him and promised to stay in touch, even if their busy jobs kept them away for most of the year.
"Oh?" Lucas watched Arven's face, thoughtful. Looks like things are turning for the better.
Feeling uncomfortable under Lucas's gaze, Arven changed the subject: "By the way, is this Growlithe from that egg?"
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, this little guy took quite some effort. Just hatched three days ago."
"Three days…"
Arven twitched. This Growlithe was that strong after just three days? Good thing Nemona didn't know.
He cautiously held his hand in front of Growlithe's eyes. Seeing it wasn't aggressive, he gently petted it, marveling at its curious feel. "It's a bit different from what I imagined a Growlithe to be."
Lucas smiled mysteriously and reminded him, "Be sure to let your parents know that the egg has hatched, so they don't keep worrying about it."
Arven nodded, "Okay, I'll mention it when they call tonight."
As soon as he finished speaking, Arven realized Lucas had tricked him into talking! Lucas wore a mischievous grin, poked Arven, and teased, "See, you've made up now—no need to hide it from me."
Arven's face flushed bright red. "You tricked me!"
After teasing Arven for a while and watching him storm off, Lucas went to borrow some books on planting and breeding from the library.
According to the faculty meeting, his first class was scheduled for three days later. While most teachers stayed at Naranja Academy even when not teaching, Lucas was not that type.
Lucas, who liked to keep work and life separate, left the academy with his books, then took advantage of Growlithe's energy and had Ceruledge train with it in the wild.
Growlithe's training was simple: basic physical exercises and dodging Ceruledge's restrained sword strikes.
Afterwards, Lucas, holding the tired, panting Growlithe, summoned Dragonite and flew toward Los Platos.
…
The next day after leaving Naranja Academy—
In front of the farming area, the entire farm staff had gathered.
"Alright!"
Lucas lined up five large baskets in front of the test fields and swept his gaze over the 14 main helpers like a reviewing officer.
He sighed with emotion, stretched his arms, and announced, "Today is our farm's harvest day. It's also the day our farm truly becomes self-sufficient!"
The Pokémon cheered excitedly, turning their eyes to the test fields.
There, five plots grew luscious red strawberries, juicy dark green cucumbers, plump cabbages, eggplants, and tomatoes.
Each crop had flourished under the care of Serperior and Eldegoss and the others.
Lucas walked to the strawberry patch, inhaling the strong fruity aroma. He picked a berry and tasted it.
It was the perfect sweet and sour balance, the tender flesh juicy, leaving a hint of sweetness after swallowing.
Lucas's eyes lit up, and he began collecting strawberries from the little test field.
The other Pokémon followed his example.
Serperior used its vines to gently put cucumbers in the baskets, and Swampert and Dragonite carried shiny cabbages.
Every Pokémon's face glowed with joy at the harvest and with anticipation for the promised feast using the fresh crops.
Working together, in just over an hour the five baskets were piled full.
After picking the last eggplant, Lucas placed it in a basket and saw that all the Pokémon were a bit muddy. Smiling, he said, "Everyone, go wash up at Thunder Lake! Leave the cooking to me."
The Pokémon cheered loudly.