When they arrived back at the ranch, Cyclizar and Indeedee came over to take the bamboo basket off Koraidon's back.
"All good, leave this to me!" Naoki waved them off with a grin.
He sat down under the eaves and began sorting the mushrooms by size and type. Not far away, Elara was curled up on Entei's warm fur, sound asleep.
A short distance off, Dragonite lay sprawled beneath a large tree, snoring gently.
Nearby, Garganacl and Alcremie were stretched out on the sunlit grass, quietly enjoying the peaceful afternoon.
By the riverside, Pawmot and Meltan sat on the roof of the chicken coop, watching the hens stroll lazily along the bank.
A group of Eeveelutions romped through the open field, chasing each other with cheerful barks.
The entire ranch was blanketed in a calm, golden glow. The air smelled faintly of earth and leaves, and Naoki felt deeply at peace.
After finishing the sorting, Naoki picked out a portion of the mushrooms for the evening's dinner, some for soup, others to be stir-fried. The rest he placed in a shallow basket and asked Koraidon to help him carry it to the rooftop to dry. These would be stored as preserved mushrooms for the coming winter.
With the chores done and the sun still shining warmly, Naoki couldn't help but lie back on the porch and doze off for a while.
By the time he woke up, it was already 4:50 p.m.
Zack arrived in his big delivery truck to pick up the day's goods. Naoki helped move the produce and items out for loading and sale.
As Zack spotted Elara toddling nearby, his eyes lit up with a warm smile. He crouched down and said in his usual booming voice, "Elara, do you know who your uncle is?"
Startled by the big, loud man suddenly looming in front of her, Elara froze, then quickly turned and scampered back toward Entei, hiding behind his thick mane.
Zach blinked in surprise. "…Huh?"
'Am I really that scary?'
He scratched the back of his head, clearly puzzled. "Kids are always like this," he muttered with a wry chuckle, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a few brightly wrapped candies.
"Here, Uncle brought you a treat! No need to be scared, alright?"
But Elara only peeked out from behind Entei and refused to come closer.
Naoki stepped in and accepted the candies on her behalf with a light laugh. "She's still very little. A bit shy around strangers."
"That's normal. She'll grow out of it soon enough," Zack said with a hearty chuckle as he finished checking the goods. He pulled out his Rotom Phone, tapped a few times, and moments later looked up. "There we go—just transferred today's payment!"
"Perfect. Thanks for the quick run, Zack," Naoki replied warmly.
Zack flashed a grin, then climbed into his truck. He leaned out of the window and waved. "See you next time!"
"Drive safe!"
Vroom!
As the truck pulled away, Elara crawled over to Naoki and reached her little arms up with a soft, "Pah!"
Naoki gently picked her up and carried her back into the house. After entering the cozy living room, he set her down on the plush carpet in front of the fireplace.
"Go play with Cyclizar while Daddy makes dinner. Mommy should be home soon." He gave her a gentle pat on the head.
"Papa~" Elara babbled, then obediently sat with Cyclizar and began playing with the colorful toys that Naoki had picked out for her during their last trip to town.
With a content smile, Naoki headed into the kitchen and rolled up his sleeves.
That morning, he had bought a fresh three-yellow chicken from the village market, perfect for a rich stew. Now was the time to use it.
He washed the chicken, chopped it into neat pieces, and placed it into the clay pot along with the freshly picked mountain mushrooms.
As the pot simmered, the rich scent of chicken and earthy mushrooms began to waft through the house. The gentle bubbling of the stew added to the calm, homey atmosphere.
Just then, Iono walked in through the side door, rubbing her hands together from the breeze outside. Her nose twitched.
"What's that amazing smell?" she asked, peeking toward the kitchen with curiosity.
"Chicken stewed with mountain mushrooms," Naoki called back, grinning. "Last time I made this, even the Koraidon and Dragonite slurped up the entire pot of soup!"
"That good?" Iono's eyes sparkled. "I'm definitely grabbing seconds!"
"You'll have to fight Koraidon for it," Naoki laughed.
The evening air had grown cooler, autumn had arrived in full. The sky outside glowed with a soft amber hue, and the warmth inside the ranch made everything feel like a peaceful dream.
As he stirred the stew, Naoki looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, turning to Iono, he said, "Hey, what do you think about spending winter in the Alola region this year?"
Iono blinked. "Alola?"
"Yeah. Elara will be nearly eleven months old by then. It'll be too chilly here in Paldea, but it's warm year-round in Alola. We could take her to the beach, build sandcastles, maybe even cook on the shore together."
Iono's expression softened, and a gentle smile spread across her face.
"That sounds wonderful."
...
"We're in Dahara City! Meray, Hoopa wants to eat a lot of donuts!"
On a high dune deep within the desert, Meray stood with Hoopa and the Hero Expedition Team, gazing toward the gleaming city that rose like a mirage in the distance.
After a full day and night of travel, they had finally reached their destination.
Hearing Hoopa's excited shout, Meray chuckled softly. "You really love donuts, huh? Alright, when we get to the city, I'll go buy you some from a shop."
"Yay! Meray is the best!" Hoopa twirled in the air, clearly delighted.
The group entered Dahara City without issue. After finding an empty shaded stall near the town square, Meray set the Pokémon down to rest and took out her wallet.
"I'm going to grab some donuts. Wait here for me, okay?"
The Hero Expedition Team—Mew, Victini, Zapdos, Baby Bear, and Hoopa- nodded happily, and Hoopa waved enthusiastically as she left.
But time passed.
The sun drifted a little lower, and Meray still hadn't returned.
Mew and the others began looking around, slightly uneasy.
Noticing their expressions, Hoopa suddenly perked up with an idea.
"Mew, are you hungry? No problem! Hoopa will get you donuts!"
With a determined cry, the golden ring around Hoopa's waist floated up and expanded in mid-air, shining with blue light.
"Hoopa, scoop!"
Hoopa stuck his hand into the ring and triumphantly pulled out a perfectly fresh donut.
Mew, Baby Bear, Zapdos, and Victini all widened their eyes in amazement.
"Miu!" (Wow!)
Hoopa basked in their admiration, puffing up with pride.
"Hoopa can get more!" he said gleefully, reaching in again.
One donut. Then another. Then a third.
But when Hoopa reached in for the fourth one, her smile froze.
Something grabbed his hand from inside the portal.
"Huh?!"
Startled, Hoopa tugged instinctively, and to everyone's astonishment, he pulled out a human boy and a Pikachu.
The boy looked about sixteen or seventeen, dressed only in shorts, with messy hair and a surprised expression.
"Where… where am I?" he asked, glancing around at the desert surroundings.
Then his eyes landed on Mew and Baby Bear.
"Wait a sec—Mew? Teddiursa?! What are you guys doing here?!"
Mew and Baby Bear blinked in surprise.
"Teddi?"
"Miu?"
They stared at him in confusion, then recognition lit up their faces.
"Ah, I get it now!" the boy said with a grin, standing up. "You're traveling around here too, right? Looks like I just kinda popped in to join you!"
Hoopa looked between the familiar faces, puzzled. "You know each other?"
Baby Bear nodded excitedly. "Teddi!" (That's Ash and Pikachu! They're our good friends!)
"Asha… and Pika?" Hoopa repeated, trying to understand.
"It's Ash and Pikachu," Ash corrected with a laugh. "And you are…?"
"Hoopa!" Hoopa declared proudly, then floated closer and peered curiously at Pikachu. "Hoopa's never seen this one before!"
Pikachu blinked. "Pika?"
...
Bonus