Armed with two signed contracts, Lucas left the Akala Pokémon Chef Academy's interview "fully loaded."
But Falinks and Audino did not immediately depart with him. After all, this wasn't some shady operation where Pokémon were lured by the promise of an "interview" and worked for life as unpaid forced labor.
Both Falinks and Audino had friends and teachers at the Academy to bid farewell to, and graduation paperwork to settle before starting their real career.
Sima assured Lucas that the Academy would arrange special Pokémon-only flights in a few days, sending Falinks and Audino directly to Lucas's farm in Paldea.
It all seemed quite professional.
By the time Lucas left, it was still early in the day. He was tired after a busy stretch and had no interest in sightseeing—he just wanted to get back to his villa and relax.
With this, all his business in Alola was nearly concluded, except for the matter of Dragonite's mother.
He had originally planned to ask Tapu Fini to help, but after certain events, he adjusted the plan: he'd wait until his return to Paldea, let Shiny Tapu Fini restore its lost power by communing with the local ocean currents, and then use mist to call the departed.
It was Lucas's fourth day in Alola. Though full of unexpected incidents, he at least could look forward to three leisurely vacation days.
—Hopefully.
…
Evening
In the villa's living room, Lucas lazily sorted souvenir gifts to take back to the farm, sending a medicinal dish—packed by Audino—via Poké Ball to Delibird.
Delibird promptly sent back a stack of scenic photos and a round, lustrous pink pearl.
The pearl immediately attracted Oranguru, with its Psychic abilities. Producing a monocle from who-knows-where, Oranguru scrutinized it professionally.
After a moment, it gave its verdict.
"It's a pearl."
Lucas: "..."
Well, obviously!
With a chuckle, Oranguru explained, "But it's not just any pearl—I sense a significant psychic energy within. It could amplify my powers a bit."
"Oh?" Lucas's interest was piqued. He took the pearl and turned it over in his hands, but—unlike Oranguru—felt no psychic surge. (So Mewtwo and Calyrex were right: absolutely zero psychic talent!)
Oranguru, meanwhile, checked the pearl online.
"From its looks, this is likely a Clamperl pearl—a once-in-a-lifetime gem, produced during its evolution."
Lucas peered at the screen. He vaguely recalled this detail: only when Clamperl evolves does it produce a psychic-boosting pearl. Once evolved into Huntail or Gorebyss, there's no more pearl production—since even their base forms change.
Fun fact: Spoink's pearl, also from Hoenn, actually comes from Clamperl pearls produced post-evolution, and is worth ten times as much as Shellder pearls.
"So Delibird really found something special," Lucas said, delighted, planning to have a skilled craftsman shape the pearl into a piece of jewelry. It'd be the perfect gift for Calyrex, to then pass to Cosmog — far beyond anything he might find shopping in Alola.
Having checked and sorted gifts for his farm Pokémon, Lucas suddenly remembered another loose end: Gladion. With a quick calculation, he figured the Bewear who promised to escort Gladion out of Aether Paradise had likely reunited with its own child by now.
But why no news? Could it be that Faba had gotten the upper hand? Lucas doubted he had the chops for that.
Sure enough, around 9 pm, there was finally some commotion outside.
Lucas was watching a local detective drama with Ogerpon and the Pokémon when Luxray, ears twitching, tensed and fixed his gaze on the main entrance.
BLAM!
A thunderous crash shook the villa—an enormous pink-and-black Bewear smashed through, carrying the front door in its arms.
Anyone less familiar would've panicked, mistaking this for a wild Pokémon attack.
Even Tapu Fini was stunned, quickly pulling Popplio into her arms for protection.
Ready for anything, Lucas just twitched at the corner of his mouth, gaze shifting to the unconscious Gladion dangling from Bewear's armpit—eyes rolled back, clearly traumatized by the trip.
What on earth had he just lived through?
Relieved that he hadn't volunteered to be Bewear's burden, Lucas looked up at Stufful, perching on Bewear's shoulder. Stufful waved excitedly to Popplio, trying to catch her attention even as Tapu Fini hugged her too tight to breathe.
"Guu."
Dumping Gladion unceremoniously on the sofa, Bewear strode over to Lucas, eyes calculating. Lucas suddenly had a bad feeling, especially when Bewear produced a jar of golden honey from… somewhere.
"Guu guu."
"You should become my child, too."
Bewear solemnly smeared honey on her big paw and approached as if performing some ancient adoption ritual.
Ever since recovering her own Stufful baby, Bewear had thought long and hard—since she wanted to thank Lucas, why not simply adopt him and take care of him for life?
Motherly love could be overwhelming, but Bewear's was smothering.
Even Lucas caught on: "Wait a sec… she wants to be my MOM?!"
Luckily, Luxray stepped in, blocking Lucas.
With a soft growl—"Myao!"—Luxray asserted, "Lucas belongs to no one. He is not an object of your one-sided maternal devotion."
Bewear's eyes glinted dangerously at first, gathering a palpable aura—then, as if deflated, her aggression vanished.
Sweeping her gaze around at the Pokémon in the room—including the menacing Swampert, Dragonite, Ogerpon, the Eevee sisters, Milotic, the restless Spectrier in Lucas's shadow, and Luxray, perhaps the biggest threat—Bewear realized that, unlike Stufful, Lucas didn't need protecting.
He was an adult.
Bewear's eyes softened as she nodded gently, memorizing Lucas's scent. Then she scooped up Stufful, who had run over to play with Popplio, tucked her jar of honey away, and—with a mighty roar—battered through the villa's planks and shot off into the night sky, quickly disappearing on the horizon.
It was only then that Gladion "came back to life," still collapsed on the sofa, muttering incoherently.
"It really did... fly."
…
Late at Night — Vacation Villa Near Akala Beach
"Yare yare…" Oranguru handed Gladion a cup of honey water to calm his nerves.
"Thank you," Gladion said, sipping the sweet drink.
Today's adventure was unforgettable: swept into a mystical duel in the morning, flying across the sea with Bewear by afternoon—only tunneling underground was left.
He even saw Bewear overpower Tapu Koko in a strength contest. What was that Bewear!?
The day's shocks didn't end there. In uncovering his father's whereabouts, Gladion and Bewear had reunited Stufful and then gone to confront Lusamine at her office.
He was unprepared for what his mother revealed; her feelings were different than he ever imagined. His teenaged rebelliousness in the past now felt incredibly childish.
Just thinking of how he'd stubbornly refused her explanations over his father and Lillie made him want to go back and punch his younger self.
And then, there was what he learned about his missing father, Mohn.
Glancing at Lucas, who was brushing out Luxray's fur, Gladion hesitated, then decided to speak:
"Mr. Lucas, about my father—"
Lucas paused, "We're not much different in age, don't make me sound old!"
"Oh—um, Brother Lucas, then."
"That's better. So, has Lusamine told you everything?"
"…We had a long talk, yes," Gladion said, his eyes downcast, his voice subdued.
Lucas, who basically already knew his family's whole story, just raised an eyebrow and switched topics:
"So, what's your plan?"
"My mother wants to finish up her work at Aether Foundation over the next few days and then set off for the Crown Tundra, as you suggested."
Gladion's voice paused briefly, then: "I want to go, too."
"Go for it! But it's a tough environment—you need to be strong enough to protect yourself."
Pinning Luxray by the scruff so he could finally comb out a tangle in her tail, Lucas's focus was split only slightly.
After finishing, he gave Luxray's sturdy paw pads a squeeze and looked over at the still-hesitant Gladion.
Gladion straightened, steeling himself, then bowed deeply. "If you have time these next few days, could you help me with some emergency training?"
He considered himself far from a mature trainer yet. To gain the strength to protect his mother—and to pass Butler Hobbes's tests—he needed to get stronger, fast.
"But I plan to relax and explore Alola these next few days—you know I barely had a break up until now," Lucas replied with bland calm.
"…Right, sorry, I was out of line," Gladion visibly wilted.
But Lucas's next words made his spirits soar.
"Still, I could set up a crash course for you in between. But as for sparring partners, you'll need to convince them yourself!"
Lucas's gaze swept around the room, landing on the assembled Pokémon. With a knowing smile: "You get the idea."
"Yes, I'll do my best to win everyone over!" Gladion declared, voice firm.
Lucas waved off his enthusiasm, "Don't be so dramatic. For now, just call out your Pokémon; I'll need to see their condition before making a plan."