Incineroar was extremely frustrated. Whenever it tried to attack Mimikyu, it was blocked by Protect, Substitute, or a counterattack—making contact impossible.
Incineroar believed it was stronger than Mimikyu, but only by a little—a gap too small to exploit for an instant KO.
Kukui raised and lowered his right hand (hidden by his sleeve) several times, torn.
Even if Incineroar used its Z-move, the best result would be a trade, and he'd still lose. Using the Z-move would just make the loss look better.
He sighed and raised his hand: "Let's call it here. No need to keep going."
The Curse + Pain Split combo impressed him, but it had flaws; it only worked when strength was close. You could use it to win against stronger foes, but it would be even harder than just overpowering them.
Lucas' creative move combos gave Kukui a lot of inspiration—there were endless mysteries in Pokémon moves yet to be explored. That alone made today's battle worthwhile.
Lucas and Mimikyu paused, blinking. Was that it?
They still had plenty of tricks left. Lucas had even prepared counters for Incineroar's exclusive Z-move.
Geeta applauded and stepped forward, exclaiming, "That was a fantastic battle! Dazzling! It reminds me of when Lucas combined moves to easily defeat my Espathra not long ago."
Kukui's eyes widened, curiously comforted.
So I'm not the only one Lucas' beaten dirty. That's a relief.
"How about it? Naranja Academy's library is great, right?"
Geeta led Kukui and Lucas on a tour of the library, stopping at the front desk.
Kukui nodded vigorously: "It's like a treasure trove of knowledge! Especially this book-surrounded entrance—it feels like being embraced by knowledge itself. So enchanting."
Geeta smiled even more: "I'm glad to hear that. I personally designed and oversaw the renovations. It's only been completed for half a year."
Kukui praised, "That's amazing!"
"Ahem." Having been dragged along all day, Lucas coughed lightly, interrupting their compliments, then looked at Geeta: "Chairwoman, didn't you say you were busy? Maybe today…?"
If they kept chatting, the sun would set.
Geeta gave Lucas a strange look and replied, "It's not every day we get such a distinguished guest from another region. I've had Larry handle the urgent work. The rest can wait until tomorrow, is there a problem?"
"...No problem."
Lucas' eyes widened, inwardly relieved.
Good thing he hadn't accepted Geeta's job offer at the League, or he'd be the one getting overworked today.
Kukui snuck a glance at Lucas; knowing him, he probably wanted to go home. Despite feeling a bit guilty, Kukui was delighted with today's gains.
He'd always said he wanted a Pokémon League in Alola, but Paldea League's mature operations and experience were invaluable.
After chatting for a while, Kukui's vision for the future became clear.
Thinking of this, Kukui spoke up, "It's about time, Chairwoman Geeta. We should get going. Thank you for your hospitality."
Geeta nodded in surprise, "Yes, it's about time. I should return to the office too."
Hearing this, Lucas felt like he'd been granted amnesty. Finally, it was over.
"Well, I'll be going then." Geeta turned and walked toward the Academy gates. After a few steps, she stopped as if remembering something, and looked back at Lucas.
Just as Kukui and Lucas wondered if Geeta had something else to say, she spoke to Lucas: "That previous agreement of ours still stands, right?"
"Huh?" Lucas was startled, then remembered their deal at the League and nodded, "Of course it does."
Geeta nodded slightly and smiled, "In a while, I might have a private commission for you. If you're willing to take it, that would be great. We'll discuss the details and payment later."
Lucas nodded, watching Geeta leave without pause, then turned to Kukui: "Let's go home. After such an intense battle, our Pokémon must be exhausted."
Kukui smiled, "They deserve an extra meal tonight."
…
The next morning, farm area.
Four beautiful arcs of water landed on the soil around the seedlings, as Poliwrath led three Poliwag in watering—a daily task.
Once the soil absorbed the water, while it was still moist, Eldegoss and friends shook their bodies, releasing nutrient-rich cotton seeds onto the soil, quickly turning into pure nutrients for the seedlings through their roots.
This was vital daily crop care, along with checking for pests and weeding.
Once they finished, Serperior, the supervisor, slithered over to confirm the work with its vines.
Kukui squatted nearby—even after seeing this many times, he was still amazed by Lucas' bold approach.
No human workers at all. Except for tasks he did himself, Pokémon handled all the daily care.
But… that problem was still obvious.
Kukui stood up, muttering, "Using Grassy Terrain would make this so much easier—why doesn't that Serperior use it?"
Having Eldegoss scatter seeds everywhere was tiring and inefficient. Surely Serperior didn't just not know Grassy Terrain?
"What are you thinking?"
Lucas, walking silently with a fishing rod and bucket, suddenly appeared behind the focused Kukui.
"I was thinking why Serperior doesn't use Grassy Terrain—when did you get here!?"
Kukui was almost startled out of his skin.
Lucas put down the fishing rod and bucket full of river fish, smiling, "So that's why you've been staring at Serperior lately—you were pondering this."
"The reason is simple. I've taken Serperior to learn Grassy Terrain several times, but whether it's Paldea's Grass Gym Leader or other experts, no one could teach it."
"As for the Eldegoss, I just haven't had time to take them to learn it yet."
Kukui was stunned, then smiled, finally blurting out something he'd been thinking for a long time: "Want to take Serperior and Eldegoss to learn it?"
"Huh?"
"I know someone who's a real expert on Grassy Terrain. Want to take them to learn?"
"Where to?"
"To Alola!"