While Naoki was feeding Glastrier, the icy steed let out a few disgruntled snorts.
As an Ice-type Pokémon, Glastrier had waited all year for winter to return, its beloved season, its frozen kingdom. And now Naoki wanted to take it somewhere without snow or ice?
Naturally, Glastrier was not pleased.
"Graaaas!" it huffed, stamping its hooves.
Naoki gave it a side glance. "…You really don't want to go to the Alola region?"
Another snort. Even firmer. Absolutely not.
"It's not impossible," Naoki said thoughtfully. "But if you stay here, you'll be the only one left at the ranch."
Even Greavard, Slugma, and Snorlax would be coming with him.
As for the hens, Naoki had already moved them to the coop built at the base of the World Tree, entrusting them to Pawmot's parents for the time being.
"Graaa!" Glastrier neighed, seeming almost pleased by the prospect. Peace and quiet at last.
If it stayed, it would rule over the entire ranch alone, undisputed, the frosty king of its domain.
"Alright then," Naoki said, amused. "If that's what you want… I do have one small favor to ask."
Glastrier snorted softly, ears pricking with curiosity.
Naoki looked into its icy-blue eyes. "While we're gone, I'm counting on you to look after the ranch. If any wild Pokémon come seeking help, feel free to share food from the storage barn. But if anyone comes to cause trouble or steal supplies… I trust you'll handle it?"
"Graa!" Glastrier stomped once in agreement. Of course it would. As the sovereign of the ranch, protecting it was an honor.
Naoki smiled.
With that, the list of Pokémon heading to Alola was finalized. Everyone would go, except for Glastrier, who would stay behind to guard the homestead.
That day, Naoki and the Pokémon spent their time packing for the journey.
The next morning, he turned his attention to wrapping up his remaining responsibilities in the Paldea region.
One of those responsibilities was Blueberry Academy's winter term.
Like schools in the real world, Pokémon academies followed a vacation schedule, summer break, winter break, and more.
Today was Naoki's final class of the year at Blueberry Academy. After it ended, the students would begin their winter vacation.
So, bright and early, Naoki arrived on campus.
For his last class, he didn't bring any slides or books. Instead, he stood at the front of the classroom, hands resting lightly on the podium, smiling at the sea of eager young faces before him.
"Today," Naoki began warmly, "is my last class with you—"
Several students gasped, their eyes wide with alarm.
"Huh?!"
Naoki chuckled. "Only for this year," he added.
The tension in the room eased instantly.
"No formal lesson today," he continued. "Instead, I want to talk to you about something important: dreams."
He leaned forward slightly. "I know all of you are Trainers. But life here at the academy is just the beginning. There's a whole world out there. So, what do you dream of becoming someday?"
For a moment, the room went silent.
Then a hand shot up.
Naoki smiled. "Kazumi, go ahead."
The girl stood proudly, eyes sparkling. "I want to become the greatest Pokémon Trainer in the world!"
Naoki nodded with a grin. "That's a wonderful dream! But to achieve that, you'll need to choose a region, collect eight Gym Badges, win the League tournament, then challenge the Elite Four and defeat the Champion. After that, you'll qualify for the World Coronation Series and aim for a spot among the Masters Eight."
He paused. "It's a long journey."
"I'm ready!" Kazumi said, full of determination.
Her passion was contagious.
One by one, more students raised their hands. Some wanted to be top Trainers, others dreamt of becoming Pokémon Breeders. A few aspired to be Pokémon Coordinators, dazzling the world in contests like those hosted by Wallace.
The room filled with excited chatter and bright smiles.
And Naoki, watching them from the front, felt a deep sense of pride.
Some students even said they wanted to be ranchers like Naoki, living peacefully among Pokémon, running a ranch of their own one day.
Looking at the bright faces filled with dreams for the future, Naoki gave a soft smile and nodded. "Alright, everyone. Let's work hard together."
That afternoon, Naoki rode Koraidon back to the ranch.
With things wrapped up at Blueberry Academy, it was now time to give Dragonite Express its winter break.
When the last working Dragonite returned from its delivery flight, Naoki flipped the shop sign to "Temporarily Closed", then turned to the large group of Dragonites gathered on the ranch grounds.
"Alright, everyone. That's it for this year's work. The weather's about to drop. Snow will start falling soon, and the rivers will freeze over. It'll get really cold out there."
He smiled. "So before spring comes again, you can all relax and enjoy a proper vacation on Dragonite Island."
The inner chambers of the World Tree, where Dragonite Island was located, maintained a constant, spring-like temperature all year round, even in the depths of winter. For the Dragonites who worked part-time as delivery Pokémon, it was the perfect place to spend the season.
The Dragonites looked at Naoki with a variety of expressions, some cheerful, some excited, and… some looking oddly downcast?
Naoki blinked. "Wait… are you guys sad you can't keep working?"
His eyelid twitched.
Sighing, Naoki asked them to hold tight, then headed back into the house. A moment later, he returned carrying a stack of neatly packed bonus kits, each one a combo of Poffins and Poke blocks.
"Awooo!"
The moment he stepped outside, every Dragonite's eyes lit up.
Naoki laughed. "I knew you were waiting for this."
He gestured to the bags. "I stayed up late the past few nights to get these ready! Each bag is packed with enough food to last a while. There are Poke blocks, Poffins… everything you like."
The bags were spatial backpacks, capable of holding far more than their size suggested. Naoki had crafted several himself, and also bulk-ordered the Poffins from a popular shopping app. These were the ranch's year-end bonuses, specially prepared for every hardworking Dragonite.
Just as expected, the Dragonites lit up with joy when they saw the food. Some of the more affectionate ones rushed over and gave Naoki a big group hug.
"Whoa—h-hey!" Naoki wheezed. "Okay, okay, I get it! You've all worked hard. Go ahead and take your treats back to Dragonite Island for the winter!"
"Awoo~!"
With cheerful cries, the Dragonites finally let go and gathered their backpacks. Standing on the grass, they waved goodbye to Naoki, then took to the skies, soaring toward the World Tree's entrance.
To them, working for Naoki's ranch was one of the best things in the world.
A few flights each day was all it took to earn a generous supply of Poffins. Better yet, Naoki often gave them holidays. With so many Dragonites rotating shifts, each one only needed to work a few hours per day on average.
Even the ones who occasionally slacked off were never scolded.
Sometimes, while out on deliveries, Dragonites would encounter Pokémon from other courier companies, Wingull, Pelipper, Pidgeot, and more. They'd often fly together for a while and chat during breaks.
When the others learned about the Dragonites' working conditions, the short hours, the pay, the vacation, they could only sigh in envy.
Some Wingull and Pelipper had even asked about the location of Naoki's Ranch, seemingly planning to apply for delivery jobs.
However, they hadn't shown up at the ranch yet… and it was hard to say whether they'd gotten lost or simply given up halfway.
After all, they didn't have Rotom Phones, and getting lost over the open ocean was a real possibility.
But it wasn't just the Dragonites who had something to say about the ranch's winter closure. Across every region, netizens also had strong opinions on Tree House Shop's operating hours.
Although most of them could live with the store opening at 8 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m., their real complaint was:
Why does the entire shop shut down for three whole months in winter?!
The idea of not being able to buy fresh milk and vegetables from Naoki Ranch during those three months left fans devastated.
Some netizens even admitted that their daily dose of wholesomeness came from seeing the cheerful Dragonites working deliveries. Without them, the world just felt a little dimmer.
Now that Dragonite Express had officially gone on a three-month break, the outcry was real.
To make their voices heard, netizens launched online petitions urging Tree House Ranch not to close during the winter. Some pleaded for a shortened break. Others boldly suggested that the shop stay open year-round.
A group of dedicated fans even stormed into Iono's livestream chat, begging her to talk Naoki into reconsidering.
By the time Naoki heard about all this, it was already evening.
After thinking it over, he decided to post a heartfelt announcement on the Tree House Shop's online bulletin board:
[Shopkeeper Announcement]
"Thank you all so much for your love and support. I'm truly grateful. But please understand, our Dragonites have lives of their own, too. In the bitter cold of winter, they'd have to fly deliveries through blizzards, snowstorms, and freezing winds.
As you know, Dragonite is weak to Ice-type attacks. Just imagining them flying through hail makes my heart ache! So, to protect them and let them enjoy a well-earned rest, the shop will be closed during the winter months."
After reading that, Pokémon lovers, especially Dragonite fans, immediately expressed their sympathy and support.
But that wasn't the end of the announcement.
Everyone scrolled down.
"However! Here's some good news. Starting next spring, Tree House Ranch will officially launch three new delivery routes—serving the Kalos, Alola, and Galar regions! Please look forward to it!"
The moment that post went live, netizens from Kalos, Alola, and Galar burst into celebration.
Meanwhile, fans in Kanto and Johto were fuming.
"Why are we being ignored?!"
"Naoki Ranch is discriminating against us!"
As the complaints grew louder, Naoki remained silent… but the internet wasn't.
[Don't you get it? There's a reason your region isn't getting service.]
[I'm from Kalos, and I just saw two weirdos with a Meowth trying to steal a kid's Pikachu in broad daylight. They called themselves Team Rocket. It's terrifying. If they're that bold here, I don't even want to imagine what's happening in Kanto.]
Kanto netizens: "…"
Giovanni: "…"
If things kept going like this, public opinion might actually snowball into a movement… one that pressured the Kanto Pokémon League into launching a full-blown investigation of Team Rocket.
But Team Rocket was currently undergoing a critical transformation into a large, publicly traded company.
Ever since the failure of the Project Tempest, Giovanni had adopted a more low-profile approach. If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before the higher-ups became dissatisfied and sent meddlesome investigators to poke around.
After a moment of thought, Giovanni gave instructions to Matori.
"Tell the operatives to dial it back a bit. No more snatching weak Pokémon. Have them focus on capturing rare and powerful species directly from the wild, and stay away from other trainers' teams."
Matori bowed her head. "Understood."
The next morning, after taking care of all the remaining chores at the ranch, Naoki held Elara in his arms as their family prepared to depart for the Alola region.
Before leaving, Naoki approached Glastrier and spoke softly.
"Glastrier, I'm leaving the ranch in your care while we're away. We should be back in about three months."
Glastrier let out a proud snort. The idea of being the sole Pokémon left in charge of the entire ranch, and ruling as the undisputed king, filled it with joy.
"Ice hiiisss!"
"I've planted plenty of Ice root carrots in the fields, and the Gogoat team helped ripen a large batch just yesterday. There's a full stock in the warehouse, more than enough to last you. But if you run low, just contact me through the Rotom Phone, and I'll send more over or come back myself."
"Ice hiiisss!" Glastrier nodded seriously, accepting the responsibility.
Watching the proud, majestic Pokémon standing tall in the morning frost, Naoki smiled gently and turned to leave, setting out with his family for a winter in sunny Alola.
Except for Koraidon, all the other Pokémon from the ranch were safely stored in Poké Balls. With so many companions, Naoki had to use a fully expanded Space Backpack to carry them all.
This time, he didn't plan on riding Koraidon through the Reverse World like before.
That kind of hyperspeed travel might be too much for little Elara to handle.
For safety and comfort, the family of three opted to travel by plane, smooth, cozy, and fast.
Naoki had already booked a set of first-class seats a few days in advance. Their private cabin came with a soft reclining bed and ample space, enough for the three of them and even Koraidon to rest comfortably during the trip.
The distance between the Paldea and Alola regions wasn't too far. A direct flight would only take about three hours.
At 9:00 a.m., the family boarded the plane with Koraidon quietly walking beside them.
Iono leaned against the window, watching as the lush green hills and orchards of Paldea grew smaller and smaller until the land vanished from view, replaced by the glittering, endless blue of the open ocean.
Above them, the sky was crystal clear. A few Wingull flapped their wings and glided gracefully past the plane.
Iono's eyes sparkled at the stunning view as she exclaimed joyfully,
"Alola, here we come!"