The next day.
Lucas sat before a stack of documents, marveling at Oranguru. "You already found all these?"
Oranguru smiled and demurred. "Principal Otto gathered them, I just gave them a rough screening. Basic butler work."
"I can have a look too?" Calyrex floated over, having just dropped Cosmog off at Arboliva's 'kindergarten.'
"Of course." Lucas handed them over.
Paper floated up with psychic power, suspended in mid-air as Calyrex read.
"A chef with four arms—expert in nearly every cuisine: Machamp."
"A Gardevoir who trained at a maid café—signature dish: heart-shaped omelet rice?"
"Culinary magician, master at unlocking the true flavors of ingredients: Delphox."
"A chef who cultivates magical spring onions, loves wok-fried dishes: Farfetch'd."
"A Pokémon nurse trainee, skilled in medicine cuisine as well as any dish: Audino."
Lucas and Calyrex finished reading nearly twenty profiles.
So many chef Pokémon—Lucas still didn't know whom to choose.
Oranguru said these were just for an initial review; later he'd organize interviews. Lucas just had to show up as a "picky diner" and sample their dishes.
Lucas looked forward to that. One couldn't judge a chef from a résumé—you had to taste their food.
After lunch, Lucas opened his laptop as usual to check in with the team leader, tracking their progress.
Even without Ash around, the leader was a seasoned relic explorer; efficiency was not a problem.
Lucas provided the locations, while he brought Paldean ancient coins back to fill Gimmighoul's hoard.
Now, the hoard held 300 coins—almost a third of the grand total.
He'd hoped to finish collecting all 999 by year's end, but at this rate, it might take longer.
After confirming tomorrow's delivery of 20 coins, Lucas almost closed his laptop—then noticed an unread email—from Professor Sada.
He opened it without hesitation.
First, he found several photos of the professors interacting with Koraidon and Miraidon: Koraidon fighting over sandwiches, Miraidon sleeping in a pile of cardboard boxes instead of the comfy bed Professor Turo got for it.
With a smile, Lucas read on.
The main contents, aside from notes on the professors' growing bonds with Koraidon and Miraidon and their impending time machine test, were about a special item called "Booster Energy."
The professors had found that, despite being highly adaptable and environment-altering, Paradox Pokémon still needed energy—just like any other Pokémon.
Koraidon and Miraidon slept often; originally they thought it was just the adjustment phase to Paldea over, but it continued. The professors concluded:
Sleep was their way of conserving their unique, "special energy."
Koraidon and Miraidon's environmental changes consumed this special power, which didn't replenish naturally—only by remaining in suitable environments or eating.
Thus, the professors classified their environment-altering powers as unique Abilities:
"Orichalcum Pulse": Koraidon conjures ancient sunlight, boosting its Attack.
"Hadron Engine": Miraidon spreads futuristic Electric Terrain, upping its Special Attack.
When they activated these abilities, their special energy was drained—and then needed replenishing.
But eating took too long—they hoped to find and "bottle" this energy into items for efficient use.
That vision, the item called "Booster Energy," was in testing now. Although they didn't specify the ingredient, it had nothing to do with Terastal energy, couldn't broadly be called "energy," and needed the time machine to make.
Having finished the mail, Lucas closed his laptop, exhaling deeply.
Once perfected, he'd likely get his hands on some, maybe even restart the Iron Valiant statue in his living room.
His hand brushed a cold hard drive in his drawer, pondering.
All his goals were progressing—except building a habitat like Paldea's Great Crater, which still felt a fantasy, both in funding and manpower.
Blueberry Academy, with the backing of the Unova League, had taken years.
He'd need to accumulate much more first.
With a sigh, Lucas shut the drawer—not much he could do about that now. Much more pressing was the Blueberry Academy team arriving in Paldea tomorrow.
Whoever performed best—emerging star Nemona, Penny, or Arven—meant a bigger bonus for Lucas.
He really needed to drop by the Academy for "live fire" drills to see their progress.
But first, there was something else to do.
Touching the Tera jewel pendant at his chest, Lucas headed to the living room.
There, Eldegoss, Victini, Ogerpon, and Politoed were all gathered intently watching TV.
Instead of the clunky old CRT, Lucas had chosen a big HD set; with clear visuals and booming sound, it was the Pokémon's favorite winter pastime (beyond playtime).
On the screen, Princess Pikachu's adventures with her knight, Spoink, were airing.
Not really Lucas's kind of show, but the Pokémon loved it.
He didn't disrupt them and just waited; finally, the episode ended.
During commercials, he called Victini over. "Victini, could you do today's favor?"
"Vii!" Victini, still in awe from the knight Spoink defeating a three-headed dragon and saving the princess, struck a work-ready pose.
It was a simple job: just like powering Z-Crystals and Tera Orbs, Victini used its endless energy to recharge the Tera Jewel pendant.
Since learning the crystal was actually a slumbering Terapagos, Lucas had asked the system how to wake it.
Not like the Terapagos in Area Zero, this one was in a deeply weakened state—barely able to absorb energy. It would take ages to recover alone.
But lucky Lucas had Victini—the mythical "Victory Star," source of infinite energy—on staff.
Though Victini couldn't power Iron Valiant, it could recharge Z-Crystals, Tera Orbs, and naturally, the pendant.
But there was a catch.
Since the Terapagos in his crystal was weaker than the Area Zero "source," and gravely injured, Victini's energy had to be fed in tiny batches, slowly—to avoid harming it further.
Mini recharge sessions, over and over, could rouse its healing ability and slowly revive it.
Carefully, Victini sent golden energy into the pendant. Sensing "enough for now," it stopped right as the commercials ended and scurried back to watch TV.
Lucas: "..."
Well, everyone has their little joys.
…
At that moment...
On a plane bound for Paldea, students in Blueberry Academy uniforms were talking animatedly—discussing battle orders and tactics.
In their eyes shone determination. After tasting defeat last time, the Blueberry Elite Four and Champion were set to prove their worth.
In contrast, the rear seats were far quieter.
Carmine was napping, while Kieran gazed out the window excited for what was to come.
He had earned his trip to Paldea through fierce competition.
Would Teacher Lucas be surprised to see him now?
Thinking of it, Kieran almost hummed aloud.
Noticing the movement, his teacher, Alder—arms crossed and feigning sleep—raised a brow.
What was this kid grinning about?
Alder, who'd joined Blueberry Academy mid-term, knew the exchange "revenge match" with Naranja Academy had been months in planning. With students fighting for the coveted slots, the whole academy had grown serious.
Watching over the battles, Alder had noticed Kieran—a quiet loner, always in the corner, rarely speaking to anyone but his sister, a bit of a coward.
And it turned out Kieran had discovered a new evolution for the apple worm Applin—he'd investigated himself.
But after one holiday break, Kieran came back totally different: suddenly inviting classmates to battles, rapidly improving, snatching a slot in the exchange, and becoming a Blueberry Elite Four member.
His sister, Carmine, never showy, also won a slot by beating upperclassmen.
Alongside the Blueberry League's Four: Drayton, Amarys, Crispin, and Lacey—the next generation of trainers from Unova.
And Elios, strongest of the soon-to-graduate upperclassmen.
The seven brightest stars of Blueberry Academy.
Maybe they could actually deliver this time?
Alder smirked, pondering—
Just what preparations have you made, Lucas?