The newly acquired nd was divided into two maiions: a ft, grassy expanse and a small mountainous area.

  The ft ground, covered in lush green grass, seemed ideal frazing Pokémon. Naoki could already envision sheep-like Pokémon roaming freely here.

  Curious about the terrain, Naoki climbed the small hill to survey the nd. From the hilltop, he could see the distant forested back mountain and even catch a glimpse of the Shrine peeking through the trees. The view was breathtaking.

  "I could pnt apple trees here," Naoki mused aloud. He imagihe hill transformed into an orchard resembling the picturesque Apple Hill in Kitakami Township. The thought filled him with excitement.

  Living on the nd were various Pokémon, including a family of Hoppip. These Pokémon had small, round, pink bodies with delicate green leaves sprouting from their heads. Their bright yellow eyes shoh a lively curiosity. Their little arms and legs waved gently as they floated effortlessly through the air, their pink tails swishing like pyful kittens.

  When the wind picked up, the Hoppip were carried aloft, rising into the sky and drifting wherever the breeze took them. They twirled in the air like leaves caught in a gentle whirlwind.

  "Just like the Pokédex says, Hoppip are incredibly lightweight," Naoki murmured, watg them float away.

  It was said that Hoppip hadn't inally been native to the Paldea region. Long ago, a strong sea wind had carried a few Hoppip across the o to these shores. Sihen, their popution had taken root in Paldea, thriving in the region's gentle breezes.

  Besides the Hoppip, the area was also home to other Pokémon, such as Fbébé and Floette. These Pokémon lived in a field bursting with wildflowers. The Fbébé g to tiny blossoms, their diminutive forms even smaller than the palm of Naoki's hand. They flitted between the flowers, their delicate wings sparkling in the sunlight.

  For some reason, these Pokémon reminded Naoki of Thumbelina from Andersen's fairy tale—a small yet vibrant presehat brought life to the world around them.

  His arrival startled the Fbébé and Floette, who quickly hid behind their flowers, peeking out cautiously.

  Whenever Naoki made eye tact with them, the Pokémon would retreat, as though they could avoid being seeirely by simply dug down. Their shy antics were so endearing that Naoki couldn't help but ugh softly.

  Not wanting to disturb the peaceful Pokémon further, Naoki turned and headed back to the ranch, feeling a renewed sense of responsibility for the nd and its inhabitants.

  The m, Naoki met with Kelly and pced an order for a wooden feo enclose the new property. He also asked her to help struct a bridge over the river to ect the two ses of the ranch.

  Kelly, having no pressing projects, agreed readily. She loaded her truck with supplies—wood, stone, a—and offered Naoki a ride back to the ranch.

  In the back of the truck sat her team, ready to get to work. The tools ked softly against the materials as the truck rumbled along the road.

  Naoki, seated in the passenger seat, asked curiously, "Do you need a lise to drive a truck like this?"

  "Of course," Kelly replied with a smile. "You need a lise to drive any kind of vehicle. Why, are you thinking of getting one?"

  Naoki nodded. "The ranch is bigger now, and I've been thinking about getting a vehicle to haul goods."

  Kelly thought for a moment. "In that case, you don't need a rge truck like mine. A pickup truck would be perfect. It's great for transp things like fruit, crops, or supplies. They're not too expensive, either."

  She added with a grin, "Plus, if you ever want to take your Pokémon on a trip, you load them into the bad hit the road. It's ve."

  Naoki chuckled, picturing himself driving a pickup truck loaded with Pokémon. The idea had a certain rustic charm.

  While he had initially sidered enlisting Revavroom as a makeshift tractor, the logistid ethical s had made the idea feel impractical. For noickup truck seemed like a more straightforward solution.

  Naoki expressed his doubts about obtaining a driver's lise, voig his uainty about where to start.

  Kelly answered patiently, her tone reassuring. "You don't o go all the way to the Pokémon League headquarters for something like this. There's a Vehicle Ma Office right in Kosaji Town where you take the drivi. It's much simpler than the breeder's lise exam. If you pass, they'll issue your certificate right there."

  "That's a relief," Naoki said, exhaling deeply. He felt thankful that he didn't o attend a driving school. With experience from his previous life, where he had already passed a drivi and learned how to drive, he figured the process should be straightforward.

  Kelly g the road ahead, her expression softening with nostalgia. "This world be uable sometimes."

  "Huh?" Naoki raised a curious eyebrow.

  Kelly smiled wistfully. "I was just thinking about when I first learo drive. Back then, I dreamed of traveling the world with my Pokémon. But life had other pns. I never left this pd ended up w as a carpenter instead."

  "Traveling the world sounds amazing," Naoki said, imagining himself in Kelly's shoes. "Do you ever think about going on that journey now?"

  Kelly sighed. "I'd love to, but I 't leave the Pokémon here. Not just the o my shop, but all the wild Pokémon in the forest too. If I'm not around to care for them when they get hurt, who will? Sometimes pns don't keep up with life's twists and turns."

  Naoki nodded, uanding her se. The thought of leaving the Pokémon on his ranch to fend for themselves felt impossible to him. Their well-being was his responsibility.

  "What about you?" Kelly asked, turnitention back to Naoki. "Do you think you'll ever leave?"

  Naoki shook his head, smiling faintly. The ranch was his home, and the Pokémon were his family. He couldn't imagine leaving them behind.

  Kelly seemed amused by his respohere aren't many young people like you these days. Most kids dream of being great Pokémon Trainers, leaving their hometowns to travel and chase advehe s left behind, untended. When folks like Mr. Elif grow old, who's going to farm it?"

  Naoki pondered her words. "I suppose that's why the Paldea Alliance supports agriculture and animal husbandry sly," he said after a pause. "But at the same time, who could bme the kids? It's the dream, isn't it? To bee a Pokémon Master, to travel ahe world."

  He thought of iic trainers like Ash, Misty, and Brodividuals whose stories inspired tless others to embark on their own journeys.

  Naoki grinned. "But who's to say they won't e back? After all, everyone grows up eventually. Ohey're ready to settle down, maybe they'll return to their hometowns with their Pokémon and pick up where their families left off."

  Kelly blihen chuckled softly, her expression softening. "You might be right."

  By the time they arrived at the ranch, the versation had left both of them in high spirits.

  Kelly parked the trud directed her team to unload the materials—wood, t, and steel. They began by surveying the creek that flowed through the ranbsp;

  The river meandered gently from the back mountain, its source likely tied to Casseroya Lake and Gseado Mountain. It wound its way through the ranch before eventually emptying into the sea.

  After some sideration, Kelly selected an ideal spot for the bridge. Her experieeam of builders, assisted by Machokes, got to work immediately. They began strug the bridge's foundation, p crete and reinf it with steel beams. Their skill and efficy were evident in every movement.

  While the builders worked on the bridge, Kelly and Naoki crossed the river to ihe new plot of nd.

  The sprawling wilderness was untamed, and the dense vegetation gave it a rugged charm. Looking over the vast expanse, Kelly let out a low whistle. "It'll take a lot of effort to turn this into something usable."

  Naoki houghtfully. "Not all of it o be farmnd. I'll cultivate a small portion for crops and fruit trees. The rest be used as grazing nd for the Pokémon. I'll pnt grass seeds to make it more hospitable."

  Naoki envisioned adding new Pokémon to the ranch, such as Wooloo, Tropius, and Grumpig, alongside pnting rows of apple saplings for future harvests.

  "Fence everything off?" Kelly asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Naoki nodded. "That way, I clearly defihe ranch's boundaries and feel more at ease."

  Though Naoki could build the fences himself, he faced a signifit problem—there wasn't enough wood avaible on the ranch. Cutting down trees from the nearby mountains was out of the question, as it would viote the Forest Prote Act. The sequences of being caught by a forest ranger would include a hefty fine. More importantly, those trees were home to tless Pokémon, and Naoki couldn't bring himself to disrupt their habitats.

  With this in mind, the easiest solution was to hire someoo build the fences.

  "Got it!" Kelly said with a smile, quickly calg in her head. "For such a rge area, the wood we currently have in the workshop won't be enough. I'll o order a fresh batch. bined with the bridge stru, it'll take about two weeks to finish everything."

  Naoki had no pints. "That's fine. Same arras as before?"

  "Sure thing."

  With everything sorted, Naoki could only atiently.

  Given the expenses from purchasing the nd, Naoki decided to hold off on buying the Wooloo, Tropius, and apple saplings. His savings had taken a hit, and he ime to recover financially before expanding further.

  The stru work was bor-intensive and time-ing. Building a bridge and installing fences couldn't be pleted in just a few days. Kelly made daily trips to the ranch, w until dark before heading home to rest a the process.

  Meanwhile, Naoki kept busy with life on the ranbsp;

  When not w, he rexed by watg TV with Calyrex, prepared fruit ptters for Farfetch'd, pyed with his Pokémon, and even weled aspiring trainers from Paldea Academy to test their skills.

  These enthusiastic trainers brought Pokémon like Eevee, Meowth, Fidough, and Caterpie to participate in trials such as the Grass Trial, Lightning Trial, and Storm Trial. The results were often one-sided. Despite their best efforts, the novice trainers found their Pokémoed in a single move, leaving them wide-eyed with shod awe as they marveled at the ranon's strength.

  During this time, Naoki also began researg major corporations in the Paldea region. His primary goal was to find information on the Nemona family's situation, driven by his promise to Calyrex about acquiring a phone for it. To stay informed, he even subscribed to the town's daily m neer.

  Amid these tranquil days, time flew by, and soon it was the end of Mar the Alliance dar year 199.

  One crisp m, Ivan, the town's cheerful postman, arrived at the ranch to deliver the day's neer.

  "Thanks for your hard work, Ivan!" Naoki greeted warmly as he accepted the paper.

  Ivaated, a look of mild frustration on his face, as though he wao say something but didn't know how.

  Naoki tilted his head curiously. "Is something wrong? You seem like you have something to say."

  Ivan finally spoke up, his toinged with urgency. "The horse rag event is ing up soon! Don't fet your promise!"

  Naoki blinked, suddenly recalling their versation from st year. Back then, Ivan had helped him locate the Indeedee siblings, and iurn, Naoki had promised to assist Ivan in rec the money he'd lost at the previous horse rag event.

  Naoki grinned fidently. "Don't worry!"

  Seeing Naoki's fidence, Ivahed a sigh of relief and eagerly asked, "Whion are you riding for the race? A Rapidash? Maybe a Mudsdale?"

  Naoki's grin widened into a mysterious smile. "her."

  Curious, Ivan followed Naoki to the ranch's stables, where two imposing figures stood tall: a Gstrier and a Spectrier.

  Both Pokémon gnced zily at the new human visitor, their pierg gazes carrying an air of superiority. A chill of unease ran down Ivan's spine as he instinctively felt their power and majesty.

  "okémohese?" Ivan stammered, his eyes wide with shock.

  Naoki couldn't help but smirk. "Prepare yourself. The one on the left is Gstrier, the Ice Rider Pokémon, and the one on the right is Spectrier, the Shadow Rider Pokémon. Both are legendary steeds, panions of Calyrex, the King of Bountiful Harvests."

  "Nani?!" Ivan excimed, nearly stumbling backward in disbelief.

  "Calyrex's trusted steeds?!"

  Although Ivan had entered Calyrex at the ranch before, out of respect for the King of Bountiful Harvests, her he nor the townsfolk had ever revealed its preseo outsiders. Everyone revered the Pokémon's desire for pead privacy.

  Naoki shook his head with a chuckle. "Calm down."

  Ivan took a deep breath, though his heart was still rag. He realized that, sidering Calyrex resided on the ranch, it wasn't far-fetched for its legendary steeds to be here as well. He quickly regained his posure and asked, "Are you really pnning to race with these two?"

  Naoki shrugged casually. "Why not?"

  "Of course! That'll be amazing!" Ivan excimed, his excitement overflowing. He grabbed Naoki's hand in a firm grip. "Naoki, I'm entrusting my life and fortuo you! Win big for me!"

  Naoki: "..."

  Overjoyed, Ivan skipped out of the ranch, leaving Naoki shaking his head in amused exasperatiourning to the living room, Naoki settled on the sofa, opehe m paper, and began reading.

  Rotom Teologies: A Dominant For Paldea

  From what Naoki had gathered, the Nemona family, based in Paldea, owned a huge business in the Paldea region

  Rotom Teologies specialized in developing devices enhanced by Rotom's unique abilities. Innovations such as Rotom Wash (a washing mae Rotom) and Rotom Frost (a refrigerator Rotom) had revolutionized domestic life. The foundation of this teology reportedly dated back to the a Hisui region, where humans first learo ie Rotom with appliances.

  Modern advas had further refihese iions, leading to widespread adoption. Rotom-powered devices were exported not only throughout Paldea but also to distant regions like Gar, Unova, and Kalos. Rotom Teologies had firmly established itself as a leader in the industry.

  The Nemona family's wealth and influence were undeniable, making them one of the wealthiest families in Paldea. Nemona herself was every bit the rich heiress.

  Rotom Teologies also extes reamunication infrastructure. Videophones used by the Paldea Alliance bore the pany's logo, showg its monopoly over key sectors.

  As a rancher in the tryside, Naoki realized his ces of directly engaging with such a massive corporation were slim. Even iing in su enterprise seemed out of reach.

  More importantly, he wasn't ied in founding his own smartphone pany. Such a venture would demand signifit resources and time—time that he'd rather spend on his Pokémon and ranch.

  His thoughts shifted to the region's teologidscape. Based on his research, Paldea's tech capabilities were already advanced enough to support smartphones, yet the industry had oddly skewed toward Rotom-based appliahe cept of Rotom-powered mobile devices was within reach; it just needed a final push.

  But how could he approa Teologies? Through Geeta's reendation? Or perhaps seek help from Professor Sada and Arven?

  Naoki circled Rotom Teologies' name in the neer with a pen and added a question mark beside it, p his steps.

  While deep in thought, Naoki was startled by a knock at the door. The Indeedee siblings had already goo check, and one of them soon announced,

  "Ai-ye". "There's someoo see you."

  Curious, Naoki put down the neer and stepped outside. Standing at the entrao the ranch was a tall, weathered man with dark skin, fiery red hair, and a strikingly strong build. His regur yet andiures were framed by thick eyebrows and sharp eyes.

  Naoki's heart skipped a beat as he reized the visitor.

  Alder, the former Champion of Unova.