"Naoki?"

  Whea first heard the name, she thought she might have misheard. Was it the same Naoki she knew?

  Leon immediately picked up on her rea. "Yes, Naoki!" he firmed enthusiastically.

  To crify, Leon added, "Besides the King of Bountiful Harvests, he also had another incredibly strong Pokémon—a red one called Koraidon, I think? They both seemed like they were uo the Paldea region."

  Geeta fell silent, her expression unreadable.

  Koraidon was indeed a Pokémon native to the Paldea region. But the King of Bountiful Harvests, Calyrex, wasn't.

  She recalled what Naoki had told her before: Calyrex inally lived in the Tundra of the Gar region, where it was once revered as a king. Over time, however, its existence faded into legend, and it was fotten.

  And now, looking at Leon's ear expression, it seemed he truly didn't realize that Calyrex was a legendary Pokémon from his ion.

  Geeta took a moment tanize her thoughts. The timeline pieced itself together in her mind:

  Last year, Naoki traveled to the Gar region, there, he found the fotten Calyrex, gais trust, and captured it.

  Later, Naoki entered a petition, using Calyrex as part of his team. Leon had also been at that tour. But for reasons unknown, Naoki withdrew midway, leaving Leon fasated by his strength and eager for a rematch.

  Now, it seemed Leon had traveled all the way to Paldea to seek him out.

  However...

  "Naoki isn't a trainer affiliated with the Paldea League," Geeta said frankly. "He doesn't work for us."

  Leon blinked, clearly fused. "Huh?"

  Geeta studied the eic, good-natured young man in front of her and expined, "Naoki currently runs a ran one of Paldea's rural towns. If you want to find him, I give you the exact location."

  Leon's jaw nearly dropped. "A rancher?!"

  Geeta smiled knowingly. She was familiar with this rea. "When I first heard about it, I was just as surprised as you."

  "But ter, I learhat Naoki traveled extensively across variions before returning to Paldea st spring. He ied his te grandfather's rand decided to settle down there with a group of Pokémon."

  Leon's eyes widened in realization. "Ohhh, now that makes sense!"

  He recalled stories of retired champions finding new ways to live quieter lives. His owor, Mustard, had purchased an isnd aablished a dojo. Running a ranch sounded like another u fulfilling choice for someone seeking a ge of pace.

  "Living on a ranch with a group of Pokémon and starting fresh sounds pretty great," Leon admitted. His mind was already made up—he'd visit the ranch himself.

  Geeta could tell exactly what he was thinking from his expression. She chuckled and added, "Naoki's ranch is in Kosaji Town. Once you get there, just ask the locals—they'll know how to direct you. His ranch is quite well-known in the area."

  Leon nodded eagerly, a broad grin spreading across his face. "Got it! Thanks a ton!"

  With that, he stood and headed for the exit, his excitement evident in his stride.

  Leon pulled out a Poké Ball, and with a fsh of white light, his Charizard emerged. Its sharp eyes gleamed uhe lights of the Paldea Alliance headquarters, and its powerful form radiated strength.

  Leorieved a map from his bag, carefully studying it to pinpoint the location of Kosaji Town. However, as Geeta watched from behind, she couldn't help but interject:

  "Mr. Leon, I think you're holding the map upside down."

  "Huh? Oh!" Leon quickly flipped the map the right way, ughing sheepishly. Once he firmed the town's dire, he climbed onto Charizard's bad pointed fidently toward his destination.

  "Let's go, Charizard!"

  "Roar!"

  Charizard let out a anding cry, spreading its wings wide before leaping into the air. The pair asded quickly, vanishing into the night sky.

  Geeta remained iranceway, watg as Leon became a distant spe the sky. A faint smile pyed on her lips as she muttered to herself, "No wo took him so long to get here…"

  ---

  Time passed, and night had once again fallen over Naoki's ranch. Ihe house, all eaceful—except for oless Pokémon. Flutter Mane, fully refreshed from a lo, was brimming with energy.

  Unfortunately for Naoki, this meant another interrupted night of sleep.

  "Flutter Mane…?" Naoki groaned as he groggily opened his eyes, gng at the clo his bedside table. It read 11:00 PM.

  The rest of the Pokémon were still sound asleep. Koraidon snored softly in a er, its chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Pawmot y sprawled out on its back, occasionally smag its lips as though dreaming about food. The sight of them enjoying their slumber only deepened Naoki's exasperation.

  Flutter Mane's bright red eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, watg him ily. Its mind was rag with thoughts: 'If we don't hunt tonight, we'll run out of food. And if there's no food, we'll grow weak. What happens if other Pokémon invade while we're defenseless?'

  "Mrreeam!" Flutter Ma out a soft call, urging Naoki to get up.

  Resigning himself to his fate, Naoki swung his legs over the side of the bed and shuffled into the kit. He opehe refrigerator arieved some food, setting it oable for Flutter Mane.

  "Here. Eat up," he said, rubbing his eyes.

  Flutter Mane eagerly devoured the food, but to Naoki's surprise, it didn't settle down afterward. Instead, it floated around the room restlessly, casting g the door. Its behavior was unusually anxious, even for it.

  Naoki scratched his head in fusion. "What's wrong? Do you want to go outside?"

  Flutter Mane paused, then nodded firmly. Its instincts were screaming at it to leave. Deep down, it believed it o hunt. The thought of relying solely on stored food felt wrong—what if the supplies ran out? What if they were unprepared for danger?

  Naoki quickly realized why Flutter Mane was so restless. The Pokémon's ay was deeply rooted in its instincts, and it couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something had to be done.

  its behavior, Naoki decided to follow it and figure out what it to.

  ---

  The ranch was quiet uhe night sky, with only the faint chirping of crickets breaking the silehe moonlight illumihe ndscape, casting a gentle glow that made it possible to see without any additional light.

  Most of the Pokémon were sound asleep. The Gstrier had settled into its usual resting spot, while Spectrier, ever watchful, remained awake, its luminous mane glowing faintly in the dark. The trio of Gogoats y peacefully on the soft, grassy floor of their shelter, their breaths steady and calm.

  Nearby, the bees had retreated to their hive, lost in dreams of ar and flowers. Butterfree perched serenely on a branch of the World Tree, its wings folded as it dozed.

  Naoki trailed behind Flutter Mane as it glided soundlessly across the ranch, occasionally gng back at him. Its gaze carried a flicker of fusion, w why this human followed so casually instead of moving stealthily like a predator.

  Naoki couldn't help but notice the odd tension in Flutter Mane's movements. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice quiet but firm. "What are you up to?"

  Flutter Mane didn't respond, instead gliding past the boundary of the rand into the nearby forest. Relutly, Naoki followed.

  ---

  The forest was dense and alive with faint sounds—the rustling of leaves, the occasional snap of a twig underfoot, and the distant calls of noal Pokémon. Moonlight barely peed the opy, leaving the shadows thid mysterious.

  Flutter Mane floated effortlessly through the darkness, blending seamlessly with the shadows around it. Occasionally, it gnced back at Naoki, its crimson eyes filled with fusion. 'How does this human mao catuch prey?' it wondered. 'The way he's moving would scare everything off!'

  Naoki, pletely oblivious to Flutter Mahoughts, strolled along at his own pace, brushing aside low-hanging branches as he followed.

  Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a faint rustling iall grass ahead. Flutter Mane's attention soward the sound, its instincts kig in. It crouched low in the air, its body tensing in preparation for a quick strike.

  Naoki watched the shift in Flutter Mane's demeanor and immediately uood what was happening. "Wait—stop!" he called out, his voice urgent.

  Flutter Maated for a split sed, but it was too te. The Pokémon hiding in the grass—a nimble Kricketune—had already been startled by Naoki's shout. With an impressive leap, it vaulted te into the air and vanished into the underbrush, its chirping fading into the distance.

  Flutter Maurned back toward Naoki, its expression fused rather than upset. 'Why would he stop me from hunting?'

  Naoki sighed, realizing that this behavior wasn't random. "You were hunting, weren't you?" he asked gently.

  "Mrream," Flutter Mane replied with a nod, firming his suspi.

  "That expins it," Naoki said, scratg his head. He crouched down to look at Flutter Mane more closely. "But there's no need for you to hunt anymore. I told you, I'll provide food for you. That's what I meant when I said I'd feed you. You don't have to fend for yourself anymore."

  Flutter Mane bliilting its head as if trying to process Naoki's words.

  Naoki didn't say much but led Flutter Mane back to the ranch. Onside the living room, he opehe doors to the pantry and refrigerator, revealing shelves packed with food of all kinds.

  Flutter Mane's crimson eyes widened in shock as it stared at the sheer abundanbsp;

  "Mrream…!"

  'This human must have astonishing hunting abilities!'

  It turo Naoki, admiration practically glowing in its gaze.

  Naoki sighed, ping the bridge of his nose. "...It seems you still don't quite uand what being a trainer and Pokémon really means."

  At that moment, the otion had awakened several Pokémon. One by ohey wandered into the living room, their curious gazes shiftiween Naoki and Flutter Mane.

  Naoki g them before addressing Flutter Mane again. "For Pokémon, a trainer is not just someohey battle with. A trainer bees the most important partner, a loyal friend, and often even family."

  He crouched slightly, leveling his gaze with Flutter Mane's. "When Pokémon live with a traihey don't o fend for themselves anymore. Traiake care of them, preparing meals, nurturing them, and helping them grow stronger."

  Naoki's tone softened as he tinued, his voice filled with warmth. "You've bey Pokémon now, Flutter Mahat means I'll take care of you, just like I take care of everyone else here."

  Flutter Mane blinked, processing his words. It seemed to grasp some of what Naoki said, though much of it remained fn. Over the past few days, Koraidon had tried to expin bits and pieces about this world.

  Flutter Mane now khat humans lived alongside Pokémon, f bonds. But ohing still baffled it—if humans couldn't fight or hunt, how did they gather enough food for themselves, let aloheir Pokémon?

  Naoki could tell from Flutter Mane's expression what it was struggling to prehend.

  "e with me," Naoki said, leading it outside into the cool night air. They stopped he orchards and farmnd.

  "Food doesn't always have to e from hunting," Naoki begauring to the rows of crops and fruit trees. "See these? Food grows here. And as for meat, I buy it in town using money."

  He paused, realizing that this cept might be difficult for Flutter Mao grasp. So, he tinued expining patiently. "To put it simply, I trade. If someone has meat but needs fruit, I exge the fruit I grow here for the meat. It's like bartering, but with money involved."

  Flutter Mailted its head, clearly struggling to follow. The plexity of the expnation made its thoughts spin, and it soon gave up trying to uairely.

  Naoki sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "…You know what? It doesn't matter if you don't get it right now."

  He crouched again, looking into Flutter Mane's eyes. "What's important is this: You're part of my family now. You don't o worry about where your meal will e from. I'll take care of that."

  Naoki smiled warmly, his voice filled with reassurance. "All you o do is sleep well, train, and enjoy pying with Koraidon and the others. That's it. Do you uand?"

  "Mrream…" Flutter Mane blinked slowly, its gaze bnk and unfocused.

  Flutter Mailted its head, still perplexed. 'Are trainer humans who hunt Pokémon specifically? What are they for?'

  The cept was alien to it. Humans seemed like such strange creatures, Flutter Mahought.

  Naoki noticed the lingering fusion in Flutter Mane's expression. Uhe soft glow of the moonlight, he crouched down and tried to expin. "Trainers don't hunt Pokémon. Instead, they love Pokémon and want to live alongside them. That's why they do these things."

  Flutter Mane blirying to grasp the meaning. "Love?" it murmured internally. "Mrre" ."What is love?"

  Naoki, sensing its struggle, tinued, "I don't know if you uand the cept of love, but for us humans, love means being willing to do anything for one another. It's a e—a bond."

  Hearing this, an image surfaced in Flutter Mane's mind: the ghost that had once sacrificed itself to protect Koraidohey first met. That ghost had acted out of love for Koraidon, hadn't it?

  'So… does love mean proteg others?

  For the first time in its life, Flutter Mane began to ponder deeply, a flicker of uanding f in its thoughts.

  Naoki yawned, exhaustion evident in his drooping eyes. "Alright, enough philosophy for one night. Go back to sleep!"

  As he stretched, the other Pokémouro their resting spots. Naoki turo che Flutter Mane, only to see that it showed no sign of wanting to sleep.

  "Fine, we'll work on your sleep schedule ter."

  Mentally making a o buy coffee to create some kind of energy drink to help himself stay awake iure, Naoki addressed Flutter Mah a tired yet firm tone. "Alright, listen. N other Pokémon. If you're hungry, just grab food from the pantry e. If you're unsure about anything, use your eyes and figure it out, okay?"

  As he spoke, Naoki reached out aly patted Flutter Mane on the head. The ethereal Pokémon froze, momentarily startled, but did not resist his touch.

  For a moment, Naoki thought about activating the "Golden Right Hand" ability. He focused, but nothing happened. Flutter Mane remained ued.

  "Well," Naoki muttered under his breath, "as expected, this ability doesn't work on Paradox Pokémon."

  He withdrew his hand, smiled faintly at Flutter Mane, and headed back toward his room. "Good night, Flutter Mane."

  Bathed in moonlight, Flutter Mached him go. The human's silhouette grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared pletely. The ghostly Pokémon whispered softly, "Mrream…"

  ---

  The M

  Life on the ranch returo its usual rhythm.

  The sun shone brightly in the clear sky. After enjoying breakfast, Naoki dove into his chores, tending to the fields and taking stock of supplies. The Pokémon busied themselves with their own activities, from py to rest, filling the ranch with lively energy.

  Meanwhile, iown of Kosaji, Leon and his Charizard finally arrived.

  After days of navigating unfamiliar roads, Leon had been fortunate enough to enter a fleet of Squawkabilly taxis the previous afternoon. The cheerful drivers had offered their guidance, reizing Leon's unfamiliarity with the region.

  When they learned his destination was Kosaji Town, one of the drivers enthusiastically offered to escort him there. Grateful and well aware of his poor sense of dire, Leon readily agreed.

  Thanks to the voy, Leon avoided aours and finally arrived at his destination.

  As they touched down in the quaint, idyllic town, Leon sighed in relief, as did Charizard, who gave an approving growl.

  After nding, Leon said goodbye to the taxi driver, returned Charizard to its Poké Ball, and approached an older man walking along the road. Politely, he asked, "Excuse me, sir, could you tell me how to get to Naoki Ranch?"

  "Naoki Ranch?" The man's face lit up with excitement. "Are you here because of the legend?"

  Leon tilted his head, puzzled. "Legend? What legend?"

  "The legend of the King of Bountiful Harvests, of course!" the man excimed, eager to share the tale.

  "The King of Bountiful Harvests?" Leon echoed, the image of the peculiar-looking Pokémon he had seen during the petition fshing through his mind.

  'Was there really a legend about it? And why did people here seem to revere it so much?'

  The man shook his head in mock disbelief. "You mean you don't know? The King of Bountiful Harvests has bee quite famous around Kosaji Town and the entire Paldea regioly!"

  "Well… I'm from Gar," Leon admitted sheepishly. "I only arrived in Paldea retly."

  "Ah, that expins it," the man said with uanding. "In that case, let me fill you in!"

  He unched into the tale, his voiimated. "Legend has it that long ago, there lived a Pokémon called the King of Bountiful Harvests. It was said to bless the nd, bringing prosperity and abundance wherever it roamed. People revered it and called it a king.

  "But as time passed, humans began tet the king. Without their faith, it lost its e to its beloved steed and wandered alone in the freezing wilderness of the Tundra.

  "Then, one day, Naoki stumbled across records of the King of Bountiful Harvests in an a book. He believed in the king's existeh unwavering faith. It's said that this faith was so powerful, the King of Bountiful Harvests took notibsp;

  "The kiowed its favor upon Naoki's ranch, and when Naoki shared the story with the townsfolk, their belief was rekioo.

  "Not long after, the King of Bountiful Harvests performed a miracle. A mountain forest, scorched and reduced to ash by a wildfire, was restored to life ht! Grass, flowers, trees—all of it returned as if nothing had happened.

  "The Paldea League even built a shrio honor the king on the mountain behind the ranch. It's said that the king now resides there, revealing itself only to those with truly devoted hearts."

  By the end of the tale, Leon's jaw hung slightly open. "That… that's incredible. The King of Bountiful Harvests is that powerful?"

  The man nodded eagerly. "Of course! I thought you came to Naoki's ranch to learn more about the legend."

  "Well… ly," Leon said, scratg his head. "I came here for something else."

  "Ah, I see," the man said with a knowing smile. He gave Leon dires to the ranch before stepping aside.

  Just as Leon turo leave, the man called out, "Wait a moment!"

  Leon stopped and turned around.

  The man ointing toward a small craft store nearby. "If you're ied, you should get a little wooden carving of the King of Bountiful Harvests from that shop. They're said t blessings!"

  Following the man's gesture, Leon looked toward the shop. On one of the shelves sat rows of intricately carved wooden statues. The Pokémoed was unmistakable—it was the same Pokémon he had seen with Naoki during the petition.

  The man smiled warmly. "Buy one. You'll carry the King's blessing with you wherever you go!"