With a crisp ding, the oven sigs pletion. Naoki donned heat-insuting gloves, carefully removed the honey bread and freshly baked Poffins, and pced them in a piic basket. Carrying the basket, he headed outside to find the three members of the Great Hero Expedition Team.

  He found them huddled near G's ice celr, whispering among themselves. As Naoki approached, he noticed the remnants of their once-prized secret base, now reduced to rubble—a casualty of Koraidon's powerful punch. Clearly, Mew had discovered the destru but hadn't yet pieced together what had happened.

  Naoki scratched the back of his head awkwardly and expined, "About that… there was a noisy toy ihe base, and G thought it was haunted. So, I asked Koraidon to iigate. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it was your secret base."

  He added quickly, "I'm really sorry, Mew. Don't be too upset—there are plenty of other spots on the ranch where you build a new base!"

  Mew tilted its head, its expression shifting from sado uanding. After hearing the expnation, it houghtfully. The base, after all, had always been temporary. Ohe World Tree grew tall enough, Meo move the base up there anyway. With its s alleviated, Mew turs attention back to Naoki.

  "Mree~" Mew chirped softly, signaling it wasn't upset anymore.

  The aroma wafting from the piic basket quickly caught the attention of the group. Naoki smiled, sensing their curiosity. "How about we talk more on the grass while we eat?"

  "Ursa!"

  "Mew!"

  The expedition team eagerly followed as Naoki spread a piiket on the soft grass. He unpacked the basket, ying out the fragrant honey bread, Poffins, and refreshing drinks. Soon, G, Alcremie, Koraidon, and other Pokémon gathered around, drawn by the irresistible smells.

  As Teddiursa and Mew dug into the treats with enthusiasm, Zapdos hesitated momentarily before l its beak to peck at a Poffins. The Legendary Pokémon's sharp demeanor softened slightly as it sampled the sweet snack.

  Naoki watched the se unfold with quiet satisfa. Seeing the Pokémon enjoy the food he'd prepared brought him immense joy. 'Nothis the sight of happy Pokémon,' he thought.

  Breaking the silenaoki asked, "So, when are you pnning to leave tomorrow?"

  Teddiursa paused mid-bite, then nodded affirmatively. "Ursa!"

  Naoki smiled knowingly. "M, like st time?"

  Teddiursa nodded again.

  Naoki tinued, "Are you pnning to invite more Pokémon friends to live on the ranch?"

  Before Teddiursa could answer, Mew eagerly nodded.

  "Mew!"

  Its enthusiasm was clear—it wanted all its friends to live together, ensuring they'd never have to be apart.

  "I see," Naoki said, a touch of creeping into his voice. "But here's the thing: Flying Pokémon like Zapdos easily get here on their own. But what about bigger Pokémon, like Snorx ron? How will y them to the ranch?"

  At this, both Mew and Teddiursa paused. They set down their Poffins, thoughtful expressions crossing their faces. Naoki's question had clearly struck a chord.

  "Ursa…" Teddiursa murmured, scratg its cheek in ption. It hadn't sidered the challenges of transp rger Pokémon.

  Mew floated is tail twitg as it pohe question. Memories of past enters surfaced—massive Pokémon like Rhydon, with its ironcd hide, or the t Onix, whose body of boulders stretched endlessly. How could such colossal friends possibly traverse the vast o separating the ranch from distant nds?

  Mew and Teddiursa were clearly troubled as they thought about transp rge Pokémon back to the ranch. The idea of a massive Onix or Rhydon being carried by a flying Pokémon seemed impossible. The sheer weight alone would crush the flyer.

  The two Pokémon stared at the uen snacks in front of them, their usual excitement repced by . Even Zapdos, usually posed, paused to sider the dilemma.

  "Chirp!"

  Zapdos finally offered, signaling its willio help.

  But Mew carefully pared the size of Onix to Zapdos in its mind. With a solemn shake of its head, it muttered, "Mew…" There was no way Zapdos could handle such a load.

  Seeing their expressions, Zapdos grew puzzled, unsure of what else could be dohe group pohe problem in silence for some time, eaing up short. Finally, Teddiursa turo Naoki, its eyes shining with hope.

  "Ursa!"

  Surely Naoki, who always had solutions, could figure something out.

  Sitting cross-legged on the grass, Naoki reached out to ruffle Teddiursa's fur reassuringly.

  "I do have an idea," he said, smiling.

  Mew's ears perked up. "Mew?"

  Zapdos, too, turs sharp gaze toward Naoki, curious.

  Naoki leaned forward slightly. "Do you know how humans carry rge Pokémon around?"

  Teddiursa froze, deep in thought. The memory of being carried in a Poké Ball resurfaced, and its eyes lit up.

  "Ursa!"

  "Exactly," Naoki firmed. "The solution is Poké Balls. With a Poké Ball, no matter how big the Pokémon is, it easily be transported back to the ranch. We wouldn't even need Zapdos to carry them—just a simple delivery using a Flying Pokémon like a Tou."

  The idea immediately brightehe mood. Mew and Teddiursa exged excited looks. Their worries melted away, repced by newfound optimism. Even Zapdos seemed relieved.

  Naoki gri their enthusiasm. "Are you sure you want to go with this pn?" he asked.

  He khis approach might be unventional for the wild Pokémon his team would meet. While Naoki used Poké Balls sparingly, he never locked his Pokémon in them. Eaon could e and go as they pleased, and he eve a special Poké Ball stand in the living room fonite, Pawmot, and Dugtrio.

  During the winter, Dragonite would oftereat into its Poké Ball for warmth, emerging again each m. The setup worked well for his Pokémon, but Naoki wondered if wild Pokémon would be fortable with this arra.

  Still, Mew and Teddiursa nodded firmly. Their trust in Naoki was unwavering. They believed he would treat their new friends with the same kindness he showed them.

  "Alright," Naoki said, "I'll hahe preparations."

  With that, Naoki excused himself and hopped onto Koraidon's back, heading toward Kosaji Town. Ohere, he visited the department store and purchased a red shoulder bag identical to the one Dragonite used.

  Naoki carefully packed the newly purchased supplies into the spacious shoulder bag. Utilizing advanced spapression teology simir to that used in trainers' backpacks, the bag erfect for traveling Pokémon. It could hold an impressive amount of items while remaining light and portable.

  After leaving the department store, Naoki stopped by a supply shop to purchase fifty Poké Balls and several essential emergency medies. Oisfied with his shopping, he returo the ranch to prepare the expedition team for their adventure.

  Gatherieddiursa, and Zapdos, Naoki began expining each item:

  "This," he said, holding up the bag, "is a rge-capacity space bag. It store a lot of items, including any fruits or tools you pick up during your travels."

  He then held up a small vial. "These are emergency medies. For example, this one is an antidote. Like the Pecha Berries you know, it cure Pokémon of poisoning. However, unlike berries, medies don't spoil over time, making them more reliable on long journeys."

  Onaoki firmed that Mew and Teddiursa uood how to use the medies, he carefully pced them into the bag.

  , he retrieved fifty bottles of Gogoat milk from his stockpile. "This is Life Gogoat Milk," he said. "It's incredibly potent—capable of healing even severe injuries in Pokémon. If you enter injured Pokémon in the wild, make sure to use this."

  "Ursa!"

  Teddiursa nodded enthusiastically, clearly eager to help.

  Naoki smiled and packed the milk bottles securely into the bag. Then, he brought out several snacks and rations. "These are for you. Not only are they delicious, but they'll also help restore your energy when you're tired."

  Finally, he took out the Poké Balls. Shrunk to the size of marbles, they glimmered in the sunlight as he pced them before the group.

  "Do you know how to use these?" Naoki asked.

  Mew and Teddiursa shook their heads in unison.

  Naoki picked one up and demonstrated. "See this button here? Press it, and the Poké Ball will expand."

  He pressed the button, and the small Poké Ball grew to the size of a fruit. "To open the Poké Ball, press the button again. If you want to capture a Pokémon, aim the button toward its head, and the Poké Ball will activate automatically."

  He tinued, "Once a Pokémon is inside, you shrink the ball again, making it easy to carry. This way, even rge Pokémon be transported without issue."

  Mew and Teddiursa stared at the Poké Balls with wide, curious eyes. Mew floated forward, its tiny paw reag out toward one of the balls.

  To Naoki's mild surprise, Mew pressed the button. A red beam of light shot out, enveloping Mew in its glow. Before anyone could react, Mew disappeared into the Poké Ball.

  Naoki blinked. "What?"

  The ball shook briefly, then fell still. Moments ter, it clicked open, and Meeared, hopping out with a gleeful "Mew!" It had clearly ehe experiend was now brimming with excitement.

  Naoki didn't know whether to ugh h. "Well, at least you've figured it out," he muttered, watg Mew bounce around happily, proud of its newfound knowledge.

  Naoki carefully secured the new shoulder bag around Zapdos' neck. The legendary bird lowered its head slightly, making it easier for Naoki to adjust the strap. Zapdos seemed perfectly tent with its new role, a subtle gleam of pride in its sharp eyes. Helping its friends brought it a quiet sense of joy.

  "All done!" Naoki cpped his hands with satisfa. "You also store your camera in there and take it out when you ."

  Teddiursa immediately perked up at the suggestion. It removed the camera hanging around its neck, hopped onto Zapdos, and carefully pced it in the bag. "Ursa!" it chirped, clearly proud of itself.

  Naoki chuckled. "Looks like you've figured out how to use the shoulder bag. Now you set off on your journey with peaind!"

  Hearing this, Mew and Teddiursa high-fived each other enthusiastically before turning to Zapdos and inviting it to join in. With a loud "Pop!" their high-fives echoed in unison, symbolizing the official formation of the Great Hero Expedition Team.

  Naoki and Dragoood to the side, watg the se unfold. "This is getting more and more formal," Naoki mused to himself, amused by the growing camaraderie of the trio.

  The eup reminded Naoki of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, where Pokémon formed exploration teams to help others and take oing missions. Those teams had their own guilds and even catchy slogans like "Work hard, never give up, and smile along the way."

  A thought struaoki: perhaps he could replicate something simir on the ran the future. When the World Tree reached its full maturity, it could host facilities like a Pokémon tavern, a restaurant, and even the headquarters for the expedition team. Zapdos might be the first member of this team, but Naoki had a feeling many others would follow.

  His mind wandered briefly, imagining Pokémon that might join the expedition: Slowking for its wisdom, uru for its strategic thinking, Happiny as a field medic, Tropius as a provider of fruits, and even Hoopa, wh-based teleportation would make it the perfect transport specialist. The idea of Hoopa summoning legendary Pokémon for a missiht a smile to his face. But that n for the future—right now, his focus was on ensuring the expedition team had everything they needed.

  ---

  The peaceful night passed, and as the first light of dawn broke over the ranch, the Great Hero Expedition Team prepared to set off on their journey.

  This time, instead of transf into a flying Pokémon, Mew and Teddiursa sat fortably on Zapdos' back. The legendary bird seemed more than happy to carry its friends, a red bag filled with supplies hanging securely around its neck.

  Zapdos didn't seem burdened by its new role. On the trary, it looked eager to embark on the adves sharp eyes glinting with anticipation.

  As the sun rose higher, the silhouettes of the expedition team grew smaller, gradually disappearing into the horizon. Standing with the ranon, Naoki waved them off with a heartfelt wish:

  "Go forth and use the Milk of Life to help Pokémon in need!"

  As the light of day spread across the ranaoki's thoughts turo the future. 'What kind of Pokémon would Mew and Teddiursa io the ranext?'