"The watermelon is so sweet!"
In the ranch, people gathered here were holding big slices of watermelon, eating to the point that their mouths were full of watermelon juice.
The Pokemon that came to the ranch with people were doing the same.
Keri's Machamp and Conkeldurr stood beside her, happily devouring large pieces of watermelon with both hands.
Other Pokemon like Eevee, Fidough, and Cyclizar started playing and chasing each other on the lawn after finishing their watermelon.
"It's a pity the watermelon is too big to fit into the fridge. In this season, it would be great to have chilled watermelon." Mayor Thomas looked regretful.
"I have an idea!" Upon hearing this, Naoki thought to himself that this was an easy problem to solve.
"Oh?" Mayor Thomas's eyes lit up, and he turned to look over.
Naoki looked around and found the Glaceon, who was staying with Alcremie, and called it over.
After hearing him, Glaceon leaped onto the table.
"Vee!"
A gust of cold air, formed by Ice Type Energy, blew towards the watermelon.
A layer of white frost formed on the watermelon, emitting a chilly aura.
Seeing this, Mayor Thomas burst out laughing:
"I'm getting old, I forgot that Ice Type Pokemon can also help chill watermelon. Thank you very much, Glaceon."
"Vee~"
Glaceon, feeling a bit shy, ran away, jumping to Naoki's side. It wasn't accustomed to so many people, but the familiar presence of Naoki made it feel safe.
"It's shy!" Mrs. Dante smiled kindly, "What a well-behaved Glaceon."
Glaceon felt even more bashful.
Naoki patted its head, "Alright, go play!"
Glaceon then turned and quickly ran off, hiding beside the Dolliv in the sheepfold.
Mayor Thomas shared the chilled watermelon with everyone, while some children in town and their Pokemon partners indulged in the "Lucky Pudding" that Naoki had prepared in advance.
Naoki watched this scene with some emotion, as it was the first time the ranch was so lively.
He looked around, searching the crowd for his Pokemon.
He saw a group of Grass Type Pokemon gathered around Gogoat, admiring it as it released a large amount of Grass Type Energy.
Koraidon, Dragonite, and Cyclizar were together, chatting away as they munched on watermelon.
Alcremie and Nacli were stacked on top of Naclstack, putting on a "brick stacking" performance for the other Pokemon.
Butterfree and Combee were soaking in the watermelon, enjoying the sweet juice.
Miltanks were rolling happily on the grass, chatting with a Dachsbun.
The Pawmo, draped in a Red Cloak, was surrounded by a group of children. It let out a "Pa-moh!" while performing a superhero-style lift-off.
The children gasped in admiration, turning Pawmo into a superhero, looking both cool and impressive.
Naoki was chatting with the townspeople.
The Seed Shop Owner, Elo, approached him, and they started discussing Bell's situation.
Naoki: "Was the method I told you about useful?"
Elo nodded but then showed a troubled expression:
"It was useful. After going home that day, I adopted an Eevee Egg from someone in town and gave it to Bell."
"Initially, Bell was quite resistant, worried that the Pokemon inside the egg would hatch suddenly at night and kill her while she slept."
Naoki: "..." Indeed, the thoughts of someone with a persecution complex can't be understood with normal reasoning.
"What happened afterward?" he asked.
Elo: "Later, after telling her and her mom that the Pokemon inside the egg was just a harmless Eevee, Bell reluctantly accepted it and tried to bond with the egg. This morning, I saw that she had made a warm little nest for the egg using a blanket and a cardboard box."
Naoki imagined the scene: "Isn't that nice?" So far, things seemed to be going smoothly.
Elo nodded: "Yes, I hope Bell can continue to think this way even after the Eevee hatches."
Seeing the troubled faces of Elo and his spouse, Naoki couldn't help but sigh at the parental heart's plight.
As he did not have children and had never been a father, he could only say, "Things will get better."
Soon, Little Green from Light Green Ranch had some agricultural questions to ask Elo, so Elo bid farewell to Naoki and went to answer them.
"Hey, it's really lively!"
At this time, Keri and Allen walked over.
"Yeah!" Naoki quite liked this lively atmosphere. He glanced at Keri, who happened to have something to say to him.
Keri: "About the statue of Calyrex..."
Without a doubt, she sensed a business opportunity.
"No problem." Naoki nodded, since it was all for Calyrex.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll sketch out the rough appearance of Calyrex in a bit, and you can carve based on that."
As for how to sell it, Naoki felt it was not his concern, and he believed Keri would find a way to market it.
Just as she had promoted the ranch facilities before.
It's just the beginning now, but perhaps in the future, he might see the statue of Calyrex in every household, becoming the faith of the farmers in the Paldea Region.
By then, everyone would have a statue of Calyrex at home, and Calyrex, having drawn power from this, would soar directly into the sky.
No matter how powerful this Legendary Pokemon was, it would think fondly of him.
So when he traveled to the Galar Region, Calyrex would come to meet him...
Naoki believed that after today's events, the legend of Calyrex would surely spread among the farmers near Porto Marinada Town.
Everything was ready, just waiting for the eastern wind.
Next, it's just a matter of waiting for the eastern wind to slowly blow Calyrex into the hearts of thousands in the Paldea Region.
————
In the afternoon, the townspeople gradually left.
Naoki initially thought there would be a lot of trash left on the ground, but when he was about to clean up, he found the lawn was not that messy.
He recalled that everyone seemed to have put their trash into the trash bin before leaving.
Sure enough, when he checked outside, he saw the trash can was filled with a heap of watermelon rinds.
Speaking of this trash can, it was thanks to Zack!
On his second day at the ranch, Zack had contacted the town's garbage station and arranged for a trash can to be delivered.
Every morning at six, a dedicated person would come to take away the garbage from the bin, sending it to either the incineration plant or as food for Garbodor.
Since there was no need to clean up the trash, Naoki took this time to start sketching the image of Calyrex.
The image of Calyrex was still quite clear in his memory, and having learned to draw before, he was able to sketch Calyrex's general appearance.
As he was drawing, Dragonite, with a little red satchel, stood by, nodding off while waiting.
Once he finished the drawing, Dragonite snapped awake, took the letter, placed it in the satchel, and then flew off towards Porto Marinada Town.
Naoki looked up at the sky, then slowly exhaled a breath.
He smiled and asked Koraidon and Cyclizar beside him, "Did you have fun today?"
"Kya-kee!"
"Gyaoo!"
The two Pokemon responded in unison.
"As long as you're happy. You don't seem hungry yet, so I'll cook later."
In the afternoon, the Pokemon in the ranch had eaten lots of snacks, nearly emptying his fridge's supplies.
After a busy day, Naoki felt a bit tired and decided to take a good rest first.
Just as he returned to the house, intending to lie down for a nap, the phone suddenly rang.