Pokemon Paldea [285-286] (Patreon)

Chapter 285: Infinite Energy Training Plan—Arcanine's Magma Mode!

Once he'd decided to build a glass conservatory with greenhouse functions, Lucas contacted the Machamp Construction Team to ask whether they could construct it to his specs.

For a big client like Lucas, the Machamp team naturally treated this as top priority. Barely an hour later, the foreman drove over from Los Platos Town to go over the greenhouse details with him.

Taking lighting, ventilation, temperature regulation, and some ornamental value into account, they quickly drafted a plan.

Since it was a glasshouse, most materials would of course be light-transmitting glass; on that basis they also needed to consider structural strength—couldn't have the whole thing shattering and collapsing in a typhoon. That would be way too dangerous for the Pokémon living inside.

Fortunately, the foreman proposed a reinforced metal frame paired with highly transparent tempered glass, which let Lucas breathe a sigh of relief.

They'd also install shading equipment for peak summer sunlight control, and temperature-humidity systems to keep the interior springlike even in winter.

As for the foreman's suggestion of an automatic irrigation system, it wasn't necessary. Politoed and the Poliwhirl could handle that.

After the discussion, Lucas glanced at Oranguru for a read on the quoted price. Receiving the "reasonable" signal, he was ready to sign the contract; construction would begin in two days.

Money wasn't a concern either. Beyond the profits from the farm's rising crop yields, various valuable Pokémon byproducts could also be sold.

Lucas left the finances to Oranguru. Though a bit ashamed to admit it, Oranguru's money management and cash-flow stability far outstripped his own.

With procurement and accounting skills rolled into one, hiring such an all-around butler for a single butler's salary felt like a massive win to Lucas.

Not to mention, he didn't even have to pay that salary himself.

With the glasshouse plan settled, Lucas didn't idle. Besides keeping farm operations and buildout on track, he never slacked on Pokémon training.

His six main battlers trained themselves diligently, even doing group drills. Lucas mostly set high-level direction; his main focus stayed on the "second string."

Pokémon he currently deemed to have second-string potential were few: Moltres, Arcanine, and Politoed.

Raging Bolt counted as a half, since Lucas didn't know when it would return to its own era.

Victini? Mostly just there to be adorable. Lucas could see at a glance it had little interest in battling—better to let it be a support unit.

If the chance arose to teach Ceruledge, Arcanine, and Moltres moves like V-create, Fire Blast, Fusion Flare, and Blue Flare, that'd be even better.
He remembered that in the games, Mystery Gift Victini came with the signature moves of Zekrom and Reshiram—Bolt Strike, Fusion Bolt, Blue Flare, Fusion Flare—

Even more outrageous, it also had Kyurem's Glaciate, implying Victini might be able to learn those moves.

However, once those special Victini forgot the distributed moves, they couldn't relearn them. So whether Victini could actually learn the three Tao trio signature moves was still a question mark.

Looking at his sweet, gluttonous Victini, Lucas felt that rather than pinning hopes on those dragon signatures, it was more reliable to have Victini first master its own signature move.

Today's special training targets were Moltres and Arcanine. Though the "mother-and-son" pair hadn't been acting with Lucas for a bit, he'd kept tabs on their progress.

He had a clear grasp of their current strength. If the Moltres that first arrived at the farm faced an Elite Four ace it didn't have type advantage over, it would likely lose—its bottomless stamina wouldn't save it.

Back then, that headstrong Moltres could bully some ordinary Gym Leaders at best.

But now, after being well-fed daily by Lucas and regularly "interrogated" in sparring by Swampert and Luxray's squad, its combat power and experience had improved dramatically.

Under Lucas's command, he figured Moltres could now spar with Larry's Staraptor—and even had a chance to win.

As for Arcanine, it was born overflowing with energy, having demolished who knows how many rooms. So when a slipper went missing, Lucas's first thought wasn't Mew teleporting it away, but Growlithe burying it somewhere.

Perhaps because it once galloped across the ancient Hisui lands, Arcanine's physique was exceptional. Now it had grown huge and powerful—head-on with a car, it could probably dent the other guy.

This Fire/Rock Arcanine had the ability Rock Head. Lucas designed its battle style around its physical toughness.

Flare Blitz, Double-Edge, and Wild Charge give it monstrous close-quarters power; Morning Sun offers some sustain; Extreme Speed lets it maintain a speed edge throughout.

Add a few coverage moves and Arcanine's overall power is undeniably terrifying.

Even Clemont's father Meyer's Mega Ampharos didn't force out Arcanine's strongest form in their battle, which Lucas found regrettable.

Today's training was prepared to address that.

On the farm's open ground, Lucas looked at Moltres and Arcanine. Holding the restless Victini, he said, "Today's training is mainly a fight between you two—see if we can force out Arcanine's mode."

Moltres spread its wings and looked at its big dumb kid, itching for action.

It loved Arcanine dearly, but it wouldn't hold back when beating it—in fact, it enjoyed it a little.

Arcanine, imposing to outsiders, shrank its neck with a bitter expression.

Getting pummeled was one thing, but it hadn't activated that form even once since leaving the volcano—not even when Moltres and the others pulled their punches, squeezing its limits bit by bit.

Ironically, during its battle with Mega Ampharos, as its emotions rose, so did its body temperature; success was near—then Mega Ampharos went down.

Afterward, Lucas analyzed that what Arcanine needed to activate that form might not be being forced to the brink, but the elevation of emotion and energy.

Arcanine moved to one side of the field; Moltres took off, wings wreathed in flame.

To keep things fair for a non-flier, Moltres didn't fly too high—just within Arcanine's jump range.

Without Lucas prompting, the two began their spar with practiced ease.

For Fire-types, opening with Flamethrower is the most romantic greeting.

Two streams of flame crossed in midair—boom—heat waves rippled out. The now-savvy Arcanine cloaked itself in golden lightning-like battle aura and lunged at Moltres!

Moltres didn't coddle its foolish child. A few heavy wingbeats conjured a howling gale—strong winds searingly hot even to Arcanine.

"Vee-vee!"

Victini's eyes sparkled as it watched them brawl. Though it wasn't into battles—there was a caveat:
Victini wasn't interested in battles it had to fight itself. Spectating? It loved.

If you couldn't find it at play, you'd find it wherever sparring was happening.

Win or lose, Victini could taste delicious victory waves from the winner—something the sparce-dueling town of Eindoak could hardly offer outside of the Harvest Festival's battle celebration.

Lucas also watched, but as he took in Arcanine's majestic yet agile movements, his pupils unfocused—daydreaming.

He recalled that flash of crimson when Arcanine, freshly evolved by absorbing magma on Moltres's island, charged down the mountain.

Amid the rock-like dark gray fur, magma-like crimson lines flowed slowly.

If he had to compare, it was like the orange-yellow magma glow in Primal Groudon's body seams.

The hot winds rushing with Arcanine, the lingering sulfur at his nose, the skin feeling scalded just sharing space with it—that all left a deep impression.

But as the turbulent energy within Arcanine settled post-evolution, that form faded like a mirage—perhaps only a hallucination.

He'd tried many methods since, but never drew out that latent possibility again.

He'd asked Moltres too. It said it only wanted to use higher-quality magma energy to replace a Fire Stone so Growlithe would win at the starting line.

Thinking so, Lucas returned to himself, hugging Victini tighter and looking at its excited face.

Would things turn around with Victini's help this time?
He pondered briefly; in the blink of an eye, Moltres and Arcanine had already been clashing for nearly five minutes.

Flare Blitz into Flare Blitz; jagged Stone Edge pillars versus razor Steel Wing.

Moltres was holding back; its deep stamina let it fight at ease.

Arcanine, by contrast, was draining energy and stamina fast—tongue lolling, panting hard, a surge of unwillingness rising.

In front of Moltres, would it never turn the tables?

If Moltres knew what Arcanine was thinking, it would curse this unfilial child. Ignorant of that, Moltres gathered wind between its wings—planning another Heat Wave, quadruple-resisted and nerfed, just to pressure Arcanine.

At that moment, Lucas raised a hand to stop Moltres and stepped onto the field with Victini.

Moltres knew what he wanted. It had to admit: from that small, cute Fire-type, it sensed an energy reserve that made even a legendary bird uneasy.

Moltres hadn't been buffed by Victini yet, but those who had described entering a wondrous state—endless strength and a strange, versatile energy that elevated their own to unleash blows far beyond their current level.

Victini pressed its little hand to Arcanine. A brilliant golden aura rose as its infinite energy poured into Arcanine, elevating emotion, stamina, and power together.

The already-heated battlefield spiked even hotter. Lucas, instantly drenched in sweat, hurriedly retreated with Victini until they were far away, finally exhaling.

Wiping his forehead, he looked at Arcanine—and froze.

Within the black markings of Arcanine's mane and coat, crimson lines shot with a glint of gold began to flow like living magma.

The air around Arcanine shimmered. Feeling inexhaustible power and stamina, Arcanine's eyes lit up; its already-high spirits surged higher.

Moltres stared at its child's strange form, mind blanking for a moment.

Wait—Lucas was actually telling the truth? He wasn't bluffing!?
"Awoo—!"

Arcanine roared, flames ballooning wildly along its body—then compressing just as violently. In mere breaths, it became a small burning sun, radiating terrifying light and heat.

As a Fire-type legend, Moltres could sense the explosive force hidden within Arcanine's flames.

Its expression grew solemn. It too sheathed itself in fire—Flare Blitz versus Flare Blitz.

Arcanine began to run. Wind and drag tore apart around it. As it leapt high, it became a bomb on the verge of detonation, colliding squarely with Moltres!

Boom—!
A thunderous blast. Smoke and shockwaves pounded outward, a pillar of flame visible even from central Los Platos Town.

A silhouette burst from the smoke and plummeted like a cut kite.

Lucas and Victini could clearly see—the one who fell wasn't Arcanine, but Moltres!
Arcanine landed a moment later, steady—while the flowing lines on its body faded.

It felt it: the infinite energy Victini had fed it was spent.

Lying in a crater, aching all over, Moltres wanted to curse that dog.

Lucas paused, then murmured to himself, "A form like flowing magma—Magma Mode."

Chapter 286: Catch Zapdos to Generate Power! Treasure Eatery's Cuisine, Preparations for Johto!

Afterward, with Victini's help, Lucas ran several more tests.

Unfortunately, due to the influence of infinite energy, Arcanine in Magma Mode could even suppress Moltres briefly, so there wasn't much reference for exact power scaling.

But thanks to Victini, Lucas roughly identified the necessary conditions for Arcanine to trigger Magma Mode:

Elevated body temperature.

Surging energy.

Heightened emotion.

Short list, harder in practice—thresholds still unknown. Lucas planned targeted training around these three to help Arcanine activate this rare special ability on its own.

As for Arcanine making Moltres look a bit miserable and the ensuing mother-and-son melodramas—that wasn't Lucas's concern.

With Victini on board, farm operations and Pokémon training efficiency skyrocketed.

Tired from maintaining Grassy Terrain, Rain Dance, or Sunny Day?

Victini charges you up—go again!

Depleted energy and stamina from sparring?

Victini charges you up—fight a few more rounds!
Before long, Victini became the farm's team darling. To entice it to help, everyone snuck it treats.

Berries, leftover snacks; Ceruledge even set up a secret grill to barbecue just for Victini so it could swing its sword a few more times.

Lucas also formed a clearer understanding of Victini's powers and summed up a few points:

Victini's energy really might be infinite. From tiny Nymble that tire after a few ripenings to powerhouses like Luxray and Swampert with already-large reserves, Victini could "top them off" without breaking a sweat.

Victini has two main "charging" modes: a golden aura surge for one-off super-empowerments—like letting Vulpix one-shot the Shadow Triad or Arcanine trigger Magma Mode and down Moltres. The second is straightforward refueling of stamina and energy.

Perhaps as a constraint set by Arceus, while Victini's energy is infinite, too many buffs/charges in a row visibly exhaust its mind, making it hard to continue. In the movie, Damon knew this and used a sealing pillar to forcibly siphon its power—causing Victini great pain but enough energy to make the mountain-sized Sword of the Vale castle fly.

Conclusion: Victini's role is clear—logistics and support.

As expected of a function-focused Mythical, Victini's power delighted Lucas—but outside of battles, he put it to work on farming.

Under its empowerment, the combined Grassy Terrain from Comfey and friends saw earthshaking improvements; even Herba Mystica showed dramatic changes under the terrain, let alone ordinary crops.

…

June 15, Agricultural Zone.

In a special field, Comfey and Eldegoss had just ended a combined Grassy Terrain. The bright green motes faded, revealing the crops beneath.

A lush network of vines covered the plot—long, flexible tendrils with curling grips, tender green leaves and side shoots, pale yellow buds just peeking out.

Yes—watermelons, the indispensable summer heat-buster.

On his first day back from Unova, Lucas bought watermelon seeds at Los Platos's market and sowed them. Normally it takes months, but in under a week, they were about to bloom.

At this rate, by mid-July at the latest, he and the Pokémon would be eating their own watermelons.

Besides watermelon, he planted peaches, blueberries, cherries, and Armenian cucumbers—summer essentials.

He chose an expensive watermelon cultivar reputed to produce huge, sweet fruits.

Granny Touko suggested a newly developed seedless variety, but Lucas declined—"A watermelon without seeds has no soul."

As he left the seed shop, Granny Touko reminded him that her son would be back sometime in July or August. If Lucas had questions about Arcanine, it'd be best to talk then.

Back home from the fields, Lucas looked at the electronic ledger Oranguru provided—eyes wide with shock.

"Rock salt from Nacli, cotton from Eldegoss-line, plus the last month's berries and crops—altogether nearly 300,000 Poké Dollars?"

Good grief—seeds and saplings cost barely 10–20k, and most Pokémon food was farm-produced—basically free.

With Victini now on the farm, output would soar again; income would climb even higher.

Why be a wage slave? Come to the Pokémon world and run a farm!

With his wallet fat again, Lucas didn't sit on it. After holding some as emergency reserves, he placed new orders with the Machamp team—like sun and rain shelters for the ranch area.

A smaller portion went to the town appliance store to install air conditioners in every room and the living room before summer.

By the hottest months, he and the Pokémon could lounge indoors with AC, eating chilled watermelon and peaches, making desserts and drinks—what a life!

For that chill lifestyle, electricity is essential. Even with Victini charging Luxray and Raging Bolt, it was about time—Lucas would bring Zapdos to the farm to generate power.

No freeloading. We never lose!

He assigned Moltres to capture Zapdos for power duty. With its current strength, that Zapdos—on par with Moltres's former self—stood no chance.

He even sent Mimikyu along. If Articuno happened to be back on its island, they'd tie it up too—have it help Vulpix and the others build a few near-unmeltable icehouses above and an underground ice cellar. Then wine and dine them before sending them back.

As for Lucas, he rode Dragonite to Porto Marinada to make his final prep for Johto.

From Geeta, who planned to promote Terastallization across Paldea, he learned that the Treasure Eatery's Head Chef had developed an astounding special dish—its primary ingredient: Tera Shards!

Lucas knew what that meant. Collect fifty shards of the same type and give them to the Chef.

No comment on what dish that crystal makes, but the dish's effect varies with shard type.

He'd tested it: Dragonite's Tera type was Dragon. If he collected fifty Fairy shards and had the Chef cook the dish for Dragonite…

Dragonite's Tera type would become Fairy!

Unlike the raw power of Mega, the spectacle of Dynamax, and the one-shot nature of Z-Moves, Terastallization is a tactics system full of possibilities. Different Tera types paired with different Pokémon can create huge tactical value.

With a Johto trip coming to teach Dragonite Extreme Speed, Lucas had to seize the chance to change its Tera type.
How strong would Tera Normal Extreme Speed make Dragonite? Lucas couldn't wait.

Step one: buy enough Normal-type Tera Shards at Porto Marinada's auction market, then go to Medali's Treasure Eatery for the Tera dish.

At Porto Marinada, to buy more efficiently, Lucas contacted Terry from the Auction Management Committee—the man he'd saved in Asado Desert.

Upon hearing Lucas's request, Terry thought, then smiled: "For Normal-type Tera Shards, I can keep it to 3,000 per shard with fees included. Will that do?"

"No problem. I'll leave it to you."

Lucas nodded. He'd done his homework—and had once collected and sold Tera Shards himself.

Other trainers' stall prices for Normal shards bottomed out just over 3,000, but those were ones and twos. Buying fifty that way was a pain—better to pay a bit extra and have Terry source them at once.

By the way, prices vary by type—a big gap between expensive Dragon/Ghost/Psychic shards and cheaper Bug/Normal shards.

"Please wait; I'll prepare them now."

Adjusting his glasses, Terry bowed slightly and left.

In under half an hour, he returned with a heavy briefcase. He set it gently down, deftly opened the fine lock with gloved hands, revealing—

A pile of gorgeous crystals gleaming under the light.

"These shards vary in shape and size, but the Tera energy within is top grade. Please rest easy."

Even unprompted, Terry explained carefully.

Lucas nodded, confirmed the count, and swiped 150,000 Poké Dollars.

Pricey for changing a Tera type, but given the hidden power and tactical value, totally worth it.

With payment made and goods received, he had no reason to linger. He could browse stalls another time—right now he wanted to change Dragonite's Tera type ASAP.

As he lifted the case, Terry suddenly said, "Mr. Lucas, do you remember the question you asked me when you rescued me in the desert?"

Lucas paused, memories surfacing.

He remembered asking:
"Why were you traveling alone in the desert, collapsing deep inside?"

"Even when I deflected then, you didn't press me—you gave me water and food and brought me back to Porto Marinada."

Terry's expression was complicated. Since being saved, he'd debated telling Lucas. Now he'd decided.

Out of gratitude and a sober view of his own strength, he wanted to share the news.

"I used to be a traveling merchant hauling a huge pack of goods across Paldea. I dug up some intel."

"Deep in Asado Desert are two huge, peculiar Pokémon. In their lairs are treasures of great rarity."

"Plants with miraculous effects, and an item that could evolve a Pokémon confirmed as nonevolving."

"I'm ashamed—I planned to prepare better and try again. But after you saved me, as time passed, I let it go. I've settled down in Porto Marinada with a wife and child; I no longer have the courage to adventure."

He handed Lucas an old map.

"This is the specific route I drew. If you need it, you can take a look. That's all I have to say."

Lucas unfolded the map. Besides detailed Asado Desert markings, a route was traced in pen.

He thought he knew what Terry meant. Two huge peculiar Pokémon—surely Paradox Pokémon, Iron Treads and Great Tusk.

The special plants were likely Herba Mystica. But what item could evolve a Pokémon deemed nonevolving?

He admitted Terry had piqued his curiosity and sparked a desire to explore Asado Desert.

But not now.

Rolling up the map, Lucas met Terry's calm gaze and nodded. "If I get the chance, I'll go."

Terry didn't stop him further.

Lucas took the case, rode Dragonite, and reached Medali's Treasure Eatery before dinner. Under Larry's baffled look, he set the case before the Head Chef and ordered the "Special Hidden Dish."

Moments later, Dragonite ate the Tera dish. A peculiar glow blossomed around it. Patting its belly, then looking at its claws, it felt… different somehow.

Impatient, Lucas dragged Larry—who was about to enjoy a rare quiet shift—into the Eatery's battle court for a Tera test battle. They fought to their hearts' content.