Although Lucas had mentally prepared himself for Bewear's unique personality, actually seeing its stubbornness, as though nothing could get through to it, still left him a little exasperated.
If it weren't for Tapu Koko and Oranguru keeping it company, Bewear's silent but full-speed charge could probably catch anyone off guard in a sneak attack.
And if Bewear actually caught you, communicating would be nearly impossible.
After all, in the anime, Bewear usually did whatever it wanted without caring about anyone else.
For such an obstinate Pokémon with such strength, the only way to communicate was to subdue it first, and then patiently try to guide it.
But how easy was that to actually do?
Didn't you see that even Tapu Koko was almost overwhelmed by Bewear's brute force just now?
You just can't use normal logic to evaluate the power of comedic characters.
Looking at the Bewear in front of him, who could cross regions or even fly across the sea on its own, Lucas organized his thoughts and spoke:
"You're looking for your child, Stufful, right?"
"Guma!"
Having calmed down a little after its overexcitement, Bewear nodded repeatedly, making Oranguru and the Forest Sage feel the pressure.
Heavens, how did its brain manage to break free of the Instruct ability's control!
"Whew–"
Since it was hard to explain how he knew Bewear and Stufful were related, Lucas put on a "so that's how it is" expression before continuing:
"So the Stufful Ms. Wicke rescued really is your child."
Hearing Wicke's name out of the blue, Gladion was stunned for several seconds.
How did the topic suddenly turn to that?
But right after he heard that key name, Gladion's mind started working, recalling some memories from deep inside.
"Oh, is it the one from the Aether Paradise ?" Gladion suddenly realized.
He remembered vaguely hearing Hobbes muttering about it before, and that Lillie had tried to reach out to Stufful, but ultimately failed.
But back then, he rarely stayed at home, so he wasn't involved and didn't have a clear impression.
Lucas nodded at the perfect timing, "Right. From the moment I arrived in Alola until now, it's only halfway through the fourth day."
"So if you were wondering where I could have encountered Stufful and gotten its scent, it could only have been when I toured the Pokémon Sanctuary at Aether Paradise yesterday morning."
Putting on a thoughtful look, Lucas fixed his gaze on Bewear.
"Gugu?"
Hearing news about Stufful, Bewear was first excited, then immediately confused.
What was this Aether Paradise place? It had never heard of it.
Would Stufful be bullied there?
Bewear's thoughts took a weird turn, and soon its emotions became excited again.
"JI!!!"
A shrill, piercing cry echoed once more.
Seeing the situation, Tapu Koko, not understanding much, said nothing. Instead, the Forest Sage was thoughtful, comforting Bewear:
"Yare, Yareyuta…"
The Forest Sage tried its best to explain the existence of Aether Paradise.
Though it had never personally been there, it had some contact with the staff.
In fact, many wild Pokémon, including one of its own shopkeepers, Torkoal, had been rescued by the Aether people.
According to Torkoal, the humans would put them in an environment just as good or even better than outside—always plenty to eat and drink—until their injuries healed, then release them back where they came from.
Some Pokémon got so used to that leisurely life, they didn't want to leave.
Among wild Pokémon, the Aether staff's reputation was on par with Nurse Joy at the various Pokémon Centers.
The Forest Sage believed Stufful had been well cared for.
Most likely Stufful was accidentally hurt, picked up by a passing staffer, and—thinking Stufful had no parents—kept at Aether Paradise, creating this whole mistaken-identity mess.
Bewear and the Forest Sage had a good trading relationship, so after a moment's hesitation Bewear nodded.
"Guwu gu."
It could trust Lucas, but only if Lucas took it to find Stufful.
Oranguru translated Bewear's answer for Lucas.
Lucas finally breathed a sigh of relief. Originally, he planned to personally take Bewear to Aether Paradise to reunite with Stufful.
But checking the time, the interview appointment was about to start.
He'd likely miss it if he went himself.
Looking at Bewear—still intensely watching him, but now freed from the "Instruct" and much calmer—Lucas quickly formed a plan.
He turned to Gladion:
"Gladion, how about you take Bewear to Aether Paradise? You know the way better than anyone."
"Huh, me?"
Gladion pointed to himself, face full of reluctance.
If I could just go back to Aether Paradise whenever I wanted, would I have needed to run away from home?
He'd finally escaped with Silvally and had no desire to walk back into that cage.
Seeing Gladion's reluctance—and understanding why—Lucas had his own thoughts.
He said to Bewear, "If Gladion takes you, can you promise to make sure he leaves Aether Paradise together with you?"
"Gugu."
Bewear nodded solemnly.
If Gladion really helped it find Stufful, then no matter what obstacles appeared, it would get Gladion out again.
If a Bewear capable of flying, swimming, and burrowing promised to get Gladion out, Lucas saw no issues.
Gladion still didn't know how strong Bewear really was, but seeing that it took Tapu Koko and two Oranguru working together to subdue Bewear earlier, Gladion hesitated.
A moment later, clenching his teeth, Gladion finally agreed, "Okay, I'll go!"
Even if Faba noticed and tried to stop him, Bewear could surely get him out.
Though he agreed, Gladion still felt curious about Lucas's visit to Aether Paradise yesterday, but wondered if asking would be rude.
Lucas saw right through him and casually said, "By the way, if I hadn't chatted with Ms. Lusamine, I wouldn't have known you were Mr. Mohn's child."
"JI!!!"
Stunned, Gladion was about to say something when Bewear, unable to wait, scooped him up in a princess-carry.
As he was being carried off, he could only hear Lucas suggest he chat with Lusamine about visiting Mohn together.
Then Bewear sped off, smashing through giant trees with its monstrous strength as it ran from the forest, Gladion's questions lost in the wind, replaced by a stream of panicked cries.
Watching their vanishing figures, Lucas's mouth twitched.
Bewear really couldn't wait even a second.
But now, the timing was right.
Lucas turned to Tapu Koko and the Forest Sage. "Since it's resolved, we have things to do later on Akala Island—so we'll head off now."
With that, Lucas pulled along the still-dazed Oranguru, waved goodbye, and left the forest.
It wasn't until they'd walked away in a daze that Oranguru remembered what it had forgotten.
But seeing Lucas cheerfully walking ahead, like an Arcanine just out for a run, Oranguru wisely played dumb.
Oh well, as long as Lucas put in this much effort for him, that was enough.
As for craft and ingredients, there would be time to mention those later—one day, Lucas would choose his handmade drinks without hesitation!
Oranguru smiled softly, waving his fan as he caught up.
First things first: check whether there were suitable Pokémon chef candidates for the farm.
Before heading to Akala Pokémon Culinary Academy, Lucas and Oranguru returned to their rented villa.
After all, hiring a Pokémon chef wasn't just about Lucas's taste—there were plenty of Pokémon on the farm, and Lucas figured they deserved a say.
While it was impossible for every single Pokémon to taste and vote, the few he kept beside him could at least tag along.
After packing everyone (except Tapu Fini) into Pokéballs, Lucas took Popplio, who insisted on coming, mounted his Spectrier, and set off for the destination.
Knowing her unique status, Tapu Fini chose to remain in the Dive Ball to avoid drawing unnecessary attention in Alola.
The interview was at the eastern side of Akala Island, near the Heahea City at the Hano Grand Resort.
According to Oranguru, the Academy had a partnership with this famous and biggest resort in Alola; many graduate Pokémon chefs were assigned to work here.
Pokémon-made cuisine was a signature of Hano Grand Resort.
On the way, Lucas researched the resort online—discovering rooms were already booked through the end of next year!
In his memory, maybe only Siebold's restaurant had crazier reservations than this. He realized today he might really meet a chef Pokémon that suited him.
While people in Alola were used to riding Pokémon, many passing by on the resort's road still cast envious looks at his Spectrier.
Their own Tauros, Machamp, or Jynx just didn't have the same glamour.
At around 1:30 PM, Spectrier stopped in front of a magnificent building.
There was a large pool outside, built by the resort, where many in swimsuits stared in awe—especially when Spectrier leapt straight into Lucas's shadow, causing a wave of gasps.
Lucas was used to attention, his expression unchanged as he called for Oranguru.
Oranguru, rapidly entering 'work mode', tapped on his tablet to make a phone call. Soon, a tanned woman sprinted out the front door.
She wore light, summery clothes, had brown hair tied in a ponytail, and a bold red highlight on her forehead—somehow resembling a rooster's comb.
Lucas felt she looked oddly familiar but couldn't quite place it.
The woman smiled brightly, running up to Lucas and Oranguru.
"Alola! You must be today's interviewee bosses?"
"Let me introduce myself—I'm Sima. I'll be taking you to the interview today."
She warmly reached a hand to Lucas and Oranguru.
"Alola."
After shaking, Lucas greeted her.
Maybe Lucas's lingering gaze was obvious, so Sima asked curiously, "Is there something on my face?"
"Not at all. You just seem familiar."
Lucas was puzzled, feeling like he was so close to remembering.
"I'd like to say I have a husband, a son, a daughter—but you don't look like someone hitting on me. So tell me: why do I look familiar?"
Sima folded her arms, letting Lucas study her.
A few seconds later, the distinctive red highlight on her forehead finally gave Lucas his clue. His eyes lit up, "Got it! There's a student at the Pokémon School on Melemele Island who uses Turtonator and has the same highlight—you must be related to Kiawe?"
Not sure if Sima knew him, Lucas's voice had a slight hesitation.
But unexpectedly, Sima's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh? You know my son?"
"Well, not that well—"
"That's fine! Come, let me tell you all about my excellent graduate!"
Sima was obviously a passionate person. Upon hearing Lucas knew Kiawe, she got even more enthusiastic and led Lucas and Oranguru inside.
As they walked, she continued, "This is actually just my side gig—our family mainly runs a farm. Since you know Kiawe, you must visit our home sometime. I'll treat you to all-you-can-eat Akala ice cream!"
"Ah, thank you."
Together, Lucas and Oranguru followed her into the lavish lobby, busier and more dazzling than the outside, a little like a mega-spa center from Lucas's pre-travel memories.
Sima said the interview was on the second floor. When they arrived via elevator, an even larger hall greeted them.
And with it, a "scent bomb" made up of all sorts of delicious cooking aromas assaulted Lucas's nose from every direction.
…