Lucas hefted the heavy box, looking at the mass of red-and-white Poké Balls inside. He considered whether his farm could handle the increased output.
At this point in the timeline, Ash was near the end of the original series, with roughly the same number of Pokémon as in the original.
Around forty-something.
Among them, the 30 Tauros from the Safari Zone made up the bulk.
Since he'd promised to help Ash train, Lucas obviously wouldn't have trouble feeding 30 Tauros.
In fact, with it being autumn, and winter approaching, much of the pasture would soon go to waste anyway.
Most of the pasture these days was harvested and used to make various feed dishes for Mudsdale and Miltank to try.
Feeding 30 Tauros was no problem at all; in fact, it would help avoid waste.
With Ash and Pikachu still stunned, Oranguru handed them milking outfits at Lucas's signal.
"What are you waiting for? Come outside with me!"
Actually, most of the farm work didn't require Ash at all.
The Miltank and two Gogoat already had good self-management. Oranguru just needed to "start them up" in the morning and they'd finish the semi-automatic milking themselves.
The Corviknight would be given tasks accordingly.
For crops, the experienced Eldegoss and others handled everything; Ash, the rookie, wasn't even needed to help water, as Politoed and Dragonair brought timely rain.
There was little for Ash to do.
Lucas didn't expect Ash to accomplish much anyway.
What he wanted, besides Ash's attitude—and to make it clear that Ash wasn't getting a free ride—was to train with Ash's Pokémon.
When he made the handover with Professor Oak, Lucas confirmed Ash's current Pokémon roster.
Other than Pidgeot (who stayed in the forest near Pallet Town), Butterfree (who eloped for love), Lapras (now a leader of its pod), and the Mr. Mime that actually belonged to Ash's mom Delia, all of Ash's Pokémon were now with Lucas.
Even the borrowed Primeape and the Squirtle from the Squirtle Squad were called in.
At Lucas's request, Ash clumsily opened all the Poké Balls in the box and released his Pokémon onto the farm.
Each Pokémon had different tasks, but all had a few supervisors to direct them.
Most of Ash's Pokémon would work to help Lucas's farm Pokémon, lightening their workload and enjoying a relaxed period.
But the benefits were theirs to fight for.
What they learned from the farm Pokémon depended on their own abilities.
With a plan in mind, Lucas quickly assigned Ash's 44 Pokémon:
"Bulbasaur and Bayleef, work with Eldegoss and Comfey."
"Squirtle, Kingler, and Totodile, go with Swampert and Politoed."
"Primeape and Heracross, help Appletun and Tropius in the orchard. In your spare time, spar with anyone you like."
"Muk, you handle the farm's waste, but try to stay away from the crop fields."
"Phanpy, work the land with Mudsdale."
"Noctowl, you're smart—help distribute and deliver Moomoo and goat milk in the mornings."
"Charizard and Cyndaquil, help Ceruledge with barbecues."
"Pikachu, just stay with Ash. If Luxray and Raging Bolt are willing, you can learn from them."
"The thirty Tauros, live in the pasture—plenty of room to run, but don't cause trouble."
As Lucas spoke, Ash's Pokémon were quickly assigned, until only one was left.
Lucas looked at the blue, sleepy, chubby Snorlax—and hesitated.
According to official data, a Snorlax needs to eat 400 kg of food per day to feel full—a true glutton.
There were energy cubes that could quickly fill Snorlax, but the farm didn't need to go that far.
Feeding Snorlax was no issue.
Though in the games, Larry's team didn't have a Snorlax, Lucas remembered that Larry actually raised one.
Most of Larry's overtime pay went into Snorlax's stomach.
Larry once told Lucas that his Snorlax was traded from another trainer, and shared lots of Snorlax-raising experience.
In short: Eat.
Training Snorlax is every trainer's headache.
Snorlax loves to sleep and eat; it's rarely awake, and will even eat while asleep.
Thus, Snorlax almost never trains.
So, how does Snorlax get stronger?
Still—eat.
It's simple: the more food it eats, the more energy it absorbs, the stronger it gets. Those that eat the most are usually the strongest.
If a Snorlax is disciplined enough to train, even better.
Lucas didn't expect Snorlax to work—just treat it as emptying the stock.
Looking at the drowsy Snorlax, Lucas said, "...For now, Snorlax, eat as much as you want. All the farm's crops and berries are yours!"
Instantly—
Snorlax snapped awake.
Its sleepy eyes flew open, and it stared at Lucas as if seeing its food provider.
"Snor!?"
Really, Godfather!?
Snorlax was moved to tears.
When left in Oak's backyard, the lab couldn't provide enough fresh fruit and crops.
Professor Oak just bought energy food, and a few bags would fill Snorlax up and restore energy.
Oak wasn't mistreating it—just that it never felt satisfying. It missed the joy of eating to fullness and the explosion of flavors.
It just felt empty—truly depressing.
Now—
Lucas was a god in Snorlax's eyes!
"Snor!"
Snorlax moved in for a bear hug.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
Lucas jumped back in fright.
How is this repaying kindness with enmity!?
…
Afternoon, by the Balcony's Flowerpots
"Yes, just like that—use a warm towel to gently and slowly wipe the surface of the Pokémon egg. This not only makes the Pokémon inside feel happy, but most importantly, builds affection, so that when it hatches, it will see you as its closest person."
Lucas patiently taught Ash how to care for a Pokémon egg.
The example, of course, was the farm's Volcarona egg, a gift from Alder.
The Sandslash couple's egg was being cared for by them. If Ash tried, they'd be upset, especially with hatching so soon and both parents tense.
Even though Moltres often helped hatch, the Volcarona egg still had time before hatching, so Lucas let Ash practice on it.
Ash, for once, was serious, following Lucas's instructions step by step.
He'd had eggs before—Phanpy's egg, Larvitar's egg (Togepi's went to Misty).
But Phanpy's egg was mostly cared for by Brock, and Larvitar's egg hatched in a stormy night before he got to try.
So, he really had no experience.
After Ash completed the daily care, Pikachu—watching eagerly—was allowed to try.
Unexpectedly, Pikachu did even better than Ash, leaving him stunned.
Meanwhile, Ash didn't notice his tea-time cookies were mysteriously vanishing one by one.
When he finally noticed, and found his plate empty, he looked at Pikachu in outrage.
"Pikachu, did you steal my cookies?!"
"Pika pi, pika pika?!"
Pikachu was shocked.
Unbelievable!
Could our bond and friendship be shaken by a plate of cookies!?
Pikachu had a temper too. Seeing Ash really suspicious, it puffed its cheeks, and sparks flickered dangerously.
But Ash, the blockhead, didn't notice the danger, still glaring accusingly.
Lucas couldn't stand it.
He didn't mind Ash getting zapped—he even wanted to photograph the moment.
But on the narrow balcony, Pikachu's Thunderbolt would probably hit others, and it was dangerous for the Volcarona egg.
So, at the right moment, Lucas's hand shot out, grabbing the culprit by the scruff.
Caught in the act, Victini—still invisible and grinning—was suddenly hoisted up, dumbfounded.
Lucas, seeing cookie crumbs at Victini's mouth, said sternly, "Apologize, or you'll lose all your snacks for days."
That broke Victini's act; it looked pitifully at Lucas, trying to get by with cuteness.
"Vi-ni—
(You know, I've been away from my mom since I was little—)"
Lucas was unmoved. "Apologize."
"Vi-ni..."
Knowing it couldn't get away with it, Victini drooped and apologized to Ash and Pikachu.
If it kept being stubborn, Lucas might really get angry.
Ash and Pikachu were good-natured and quickly forgave, focusing entirely on Victini.
Pikachu greeted Victini, while Ash's eyes sparkled as he asked, "Brother Lucas, this is—?"
"Victini. It's a mythical Pokémon, I suppose."
Lucas met Ash's gaze, feeling a little guilty.
After all, he'd snatched Victini from Ash—in the original timeline, Victini became Ash's friend.
"Wow! Amazing!"
Ash exclaimed.
For him, both legendary and mythical Pokémon were amazing, rare, and hard to encounter.
Not only was there the Moltres that often napped on the roof, but even mythical Pokémon—Lucas really was an incredible trainer!
Victini, who had been a bit aggrieved, immediately perked up, feeling Ash was "one of us."
So, Victini decided to give Ash, its prospective little brother, a boon—
Victini placed a hand on Ash, a subtle golden glow passing by—Lucas didn't even have time to stop it.
In an instant—
"Ohhh—!"
Ash felt a surge of power.
His body instinctively wanted to release it, and he leaped off the open balcony!
A jump of over ten meters.
For a moment, Ash felt like he had grown wings, flying freely in the air more than twenty meters high.
At the cost, though, of leaving a gaping hole in the balcony floor.
Victini broke into a cold sweat.
Oh no, I'm in trouble again!
Behind, a terrifying pressure came from Lucas, whose kindly smile was now very dangerous.
…
Meanwhile, outside the farming area—
Charizard, tasked by Ceruledge to learn Sunny Day, blocked Moltres, who was returning home after work.
Charizard knew that this farm housed many Pokémon even stronger than Moltres—like Ceruledge.
But Charizard also understood: strength wasn't everything; suitability mattered most.
Moltres was, without a doubt, the perfect teacher.
Meeting Moltres's majestic gaze, Charizard straightened itself.
"Roooar!"
Please battle me! I want to become stronger, to be the world's strongest Charizard!
...