The next day.
The direct Paldea–Alola flight Geeta booked would start boarding at 5:00 PM and depart on time at 5:30.
That left Lucas and Kukui just over half a day to prepare.
"I'll go buy enough Pokémon food and Pokéblocks!"
Kukui mounted his Braviary, tipping his hat as he made a cool farewell to Lucas—only for Lucas' reply to nearly make him fall off Braviary's back.
Lucas grinned, "Be careful not to get stranded again!"
Kukui couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "The weather's great today, that won't happen!"
Lucas looked up at the sky, nodding thoughtfully.
Indeed, the weather was great. Most of Paldea was under clear blue skies—no sign of storms or rain.
Once Kukui flew off on Braviary, Lucas stretched, shielding his eyes from the dazzling sun. He muttered, "Guess I should get my own preparations done."
The farm had fewer livestock and aquatic Pokémon than usual, so arranging things wasn't hard.
Lucas had also finished selecting the Pokémon he'd take to Alola.
Ordinary rookie Trainers are limited to six Pokéballs, since they might not be able to care for more. Six is just right.
But as a Champion-level Trainer, Lucas didn't have an upper limit. Still, he couldn't take all the farm Pokémon, so he had to choose.
First was Dragonite—for mobility, Dragonite would always be his first pick.
Called over, Dragonite was excited, snorting and flexing its arms.
Then came the main stars of this trip, the three Eldegoss and Serperior, who were to learn Grassy Terrain.
The Eldegoss bounced about, obviously looking forward to the outing, while Serperior was less enthusiastic, having failed to master Grassy Terrain after many tries.
The sixth pick was Mimikyu. Although there were plenty of Mimikyu in Paldea, Alola was its original home, so Lucas wanted to show it the sights.
Seventh was Mudbray. Calm and steady unless it found mud to play in, maybe it'd get along with Tapu Bulu and even learn the essence of plowing moves.
Finally, since the ever-noisy system insisted he focus on strength when traveling, his last pick was Growlithe.
So, that was the team. Smoliv would stay behind—having been training with the Eldegoss, taking care of the farm wouldn't be an issue.
As for farm safety, even with Lucas gone for a week, Luxray, Ceruledge, and Swampert could guard the place. As for Moltres—well, it could barely fly, so at best, he hoped it wouldn't eat all the supplies in seven days.
"Luxray, Ceruledge, and Swampert, I'm leaving the house to you. Protect everyone on the farm, and always put their safety first."
Lucas summoned the three Pokémon who looked a bit down at being left behind. After all, this might be their first time separated from him for so long.
He patted each on the head. Though the three males were embarrassed, they didn't dodge.
Poliwhirl, with the Poliwag, Milcery, Fidough, and Smoliv, all gathered around too. They were also not used to Lucas leaving so suddenly, so he comforted them one by one, promising souvenirs from Alola.
Though it was a time-consuming and energy-draining task to reassure them all, Lucas enjoyed it.
Unconsciously, he'd formed so many bonds on this farm, and he relished it.
Moltres, waiting ages for Lucas' instructions, kept shifting its gaze between him and the air. Even though it wasn't in a Pokéball, it was still part of the farm—so Lucas wasn't going to say anything to it?
Moltres's gaze was so obvious that Lucas couldn't ignore it. He chuckled, "You too, Moltres. I'm counting on you to keep the farm safe."
Moltres puffed out its chest, declaring that no matter what monsters came, it would burn them all to ashes!
Lucas sweatdropped, "Let's not go burning people. If it's a human, just catch them and hand them over to Officer Jenny…"
He didn't want to get a call from Officer Jenny while he was in Alola.
…
Soon, Kukui returned fully loaded. Enough Pokémon food and Pokéblocks for two weeks for the whole farm were air-dropped in.
Kukui explained that it was always better to be over-prepared; just enough for a week was too risky.
Lucas agreed.
Time flew by. When it came for them to leave, Lucas once again reminded Luxray and the others where the food was stored. Under the watchful eyes of the farm Pokémon, he mounted Dragonite and headed out with Kukui (who rode Braviary) to Mesagoza.
Once Lucas' figure disappeared, the Pokémon stayed where they were for half an hour before slowly going about their activities.
Luxray increased patrols, Swampert stationed itself in Thunder Lake to guard the pond and pasture, Ceruledge silently protected the young Pokémon at play.
Even Moltres flew up to the roof, resting with eyes closed as it watched over the farm from the best vantage point.
With this lineup, not even Hunter J would stand a chance.
…
Late at night, Lucas sat by the airplane window on the direct Paldea–Alola flight, bored, gazing at the cloudless night sky.
The cabin lights were off; the surroundings were dim, lit only by the faint starlight.
Strangely, it was his first time flying in the Pokémon world. Maybe he was worried Rayquaza would shoot down the plane, or just not used to being without his Pokémon—either way, he found himself unable to sleep.
Most of the passengers were already asleep, even Kukui beside him was drooling, sleeping soundly.
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