Naoki blinked, speechless for a mont. It seed that even w and Victini had caught Teddiursa's "treasure-collecting fever."
He examined their offerings and… sighed.
w's gift was a plastic flower, ordinary to most, but it had a unique charm. Victini's gift, on the other hand, was a toxic mushroom with bright, almost alarmingly vibrant colors.
[Toxic Mushroom: Inedible. A favorite delicacy among Poison-type Pokémon.]
Naoki was speechless.
w tilted its head in confusion, sensing Naoki's hesitation. "w?" Didn't he like it? This flower was special, it would never wilt! That made it magical in w's eyes.
Realizing the genuine thought behind it, Naoki smiled warmly. "Thank you, w. I love it." He took the plastic flower and carefully placed it in a small vase on the shelf.
w bead with joy, spinning midair happily.
Victini, however, held out the toxic mushroom with proud excitent. "Nini!"
Naoki froze. "Wait, don't eat that! That's a poisonous mushroom! You'll faint if you try to cook it!"
"Nini?!" Victini looked shocked. But it looked so beautiful, surely it was delicious?
"The brighter a mushroom's color, the more toxic it is," Naoki explained gently. "And since there are no Poison-type Pokémon living here on the ranch, we really shouldn't use it for food."
Still, it was the thought that counted, and Victini had brought it back with good intentions. Naoki accepted the mushroom and placed it safely out of reach.
Teddiursa wasn't finished yet. He reached into his backpack one final ti… and carefully pulled out a small iron box.
Naoki imdiately noticed the label on the box: "Driftveil Ice Cream."
"What?!"
Teddiursa was visibly excited. It popped open the lid, revealing a cloud-like scoop of snow-white ice cream nestled inside.
This was the special gift they had brought back just for Naoki! Driftveil Ice Cream, a specialty treat from the Unova region's Driftveil City, was said to be a rare delicacy nearly impossible to find outside of Unova.
They had heard about it from so local Pokémon they'd t during their travels!
Naoki quickly pulled up so information on his Rotom Phone.
[Driftveil Ice Cream: A specialty ice cream from Driftveil City in the Unova region. Said to cure any status condition in Pokémon.]
"Huh?" Naoki blinked. "It really has such a miraculous effect?" He was genuinely surprised.
If mory served, this kind of ice cream wasn't easy to co by. Even in Driftveil City, the store only allowed one purchase per custor per day due to high demand.
Clearly, Teddiursa must've gone through a lot of effort to get it!
"I love this gift," Naoki said warmly, reaching out to pat Teddiursa gently on the head.
"Teddi~!" the little bear squealed with joy.
At noon, to celebrate the return of the expedition team, Naoki prepared a hearty and festive lunch for everyone.
After lunch, exhaustion from months of nonstop travel finally caught up to them. Teddiursa, w, and Victini all snuggled together on the sofa and drifted off to sleep, full and content.
Naoki sat nearby, quietly watching the trio snooze. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as his mind wandered back to the first ti he had t Teddiursa.
"Teddiursa has probably changed the most over the years," Naoki murmured thoughtfully.
Iono, standing beside him, looked over in curiosity. "Hmm? It wasn't always like this?"
Naoki chuckled. "Before I t Teddiursa, I'd actually heard about it from other ranchers. Back then, it had a bit of a reputation, it used to use its adorable looks to trick ranchers into giving it free food and would even sneak honey from their collections when no one was looking."
Iono's eyes widened in surprise. She had never heard this story before.
"What happened next?" she asked eagerly.
"Eventually, Teddiursa wandered onto our ranch. After so unexpected events, I decided to take it in. It turns out, Teddiursa has a really good heart. During a local rancher festival, it even apologized to everyone it had tricked in the past."
"Then it t w, and the two of them ford this incredible expedition team. They've been traveling ever since, helping Pokémon in trouble wherever they go."
As he spoke, a fond expression softened Naoki's features.
"The bond between people and Pokémon is truly sothing special," he said quietly.
Iono smiled, her gaze gentle. "That's true. Pokémon are the best companions in the world. Even so of my fans have shared stories about how Pokémon helped them through tough tis."
The couple quietly watched the three sleeping Pokémon on the sofa. Neither spoke, but the sa thought blood in both of their hearts:
We're so lucky to have t them.
After the snowstorm passed, Naoki began preparing for the upcoming New Year festivities.
On a bright and sunny morning, he loaded up his old pickup truck and took Koraidon with him to the town to stock up on supplies.
They picked up vegetables, steak, gifts for the Pokémon, new clothes for him and Iono, and baby items for the little one who would be arriving soon.
Formula, diapers, blankets, a crib, everything a newborn might need.
Since Iono's due date was expected soti between December and January, waiting until then would be too late. Naoki wanted to be ready for anything.
Once they finished shopping, he started heading back ho. Just as he climbed into the driver's seat, his Rotom Phone buzzed in his jacket pocket.
He pulled it out and saw that it was Geeta calling.
He tapped the screen to answer, and Geeta's familiar, composed face appeared.
"Happy New Year, Naoki!" she greeted cheerfully.
Naoki raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Isn't it still a bit early for that?"
"Just a little early blessing," Geeta chuckled. "I have a feeling the Paldea League is going to be swamped soon. You know how hectic things get at this ti of year."
Naoki nodded. "Thanks for thinking of us. You've got your hands full."
"Oh, by the way," Geeta added, "if I rember correctly, your and Iono's baby should be arriving soon, right?"
Naoki blinked. He hadn't expected her to rember so precisely.
Geeta smiled knowingly. "That reward I promised you a while ago? It's ready. But you two don't seem to be lacking anything right now, so I decided to save it for your child as a gift. Sothing to bring them good luck."
"A good luck charm?" That piqued Naoki's curiosity. "What kind?"
Geeta grinned. "It's a secret. You'll find out soon enough."
Before Naoki could ask more, soone off-screen hurried over to Geeta, carrying a stack of docunts.
Geeta turned to speak with her briefly, then returned her attention to Naoki.
"Duty calls. I'll let you go for now. But promise this, once the baby is born, let know right away. I'll drop everything and co visit."
After hanging up the call with Geeta, Naoki set off for ho.
The truck bed was packed with food and everyday essentials. With the New Year approaching fast, Naoki had no plans to leave the ranch again for a while. In this freezing weather, the best place to be was bundled up at ho, enjoying the peace and quiet of winter.
That afternoon, snow began to fall again. As the flakes fluttered down, Naoki called all the Pokémon inside, shut the doors and windows tight, and sealed out the chill.
The Pokémon gathered around and played on the wooden floor, their laughter and calls filling the cozy living room. anwhile, Naoki was in the kitchen, simring a big pot of rich mushroom soup.
Earlier in the fall, he'd foraged a bounty of wild mushrooms from the nearby mountains. After harvesting them, he hung them to dry beneath the eaves, preserving them into fragrant dried mushrooms for the colder months.
By the ti lunch rolled around, Teddiursa, w, and Victini had all bounced back from their nap, brimming with energy once more.
While Naoki busied himself at the stove, the three returned travelers huddled near the fireplace along with Pawmot and the others, regaling everyone with exciting stories of their latest adventures. They told of distant places, wild encounters, and the new friends they'd made.
Naoki, curious as ever, quietly broke into his stash of translator lon seeds and munched a few while eavesdropping from the kitchen.
After all, the Viridian ability could only pick up vague emotional impressions from Pokémon, and it required close contact to work. In comparison, the translator seeds had a much wider range.
"Miu!" w piped up cheerfully. (We t a Pokémon with the most beautiful singing voice! It had been captured by so bad people, but we helped free it. and to thank us, it sang a special song!)
"Teddi!" added Teddiursa, nodding enthusiastically. (Its na was loetta! We invited it to co live at the World Tree, but it politely declined and chose to stay in the forest with a kind human instead.)
loetta? Naoki paused, a little surprised. Could it be that loetta?
If he rembered correctly, back when Team Plasma was causing trouble in the Unova region, Team Rocket, led by Giovanni, was secretly active there as well.
Giovanni had launched sothing called "Operation Tempest." His goal? To use loetta and the mystical Relic Song to unlock the Reveal Glass, a sacred artifact connected to the Forces of Nature, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus.
And yet, he'd been thwarted by none other than the Great Hero Expedition Team.
Naoki grinned to himself. Giovanni had probably lost his temper over that.
Still, what intrigued Naoki even more was imagining Giovanni's face if he ever saw a living, breathing w standing right in front of him.
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