After the exhirating battle cluded, many guests and trainers excused themselves to ge out of their rain-soaked clothes. The unpnned downpour had disrupted the elegant ambiance of the vil, with water dripping from expensive suits and dresses.

  Naoki stood at the ter of it all, feeling a mix of pride and embarrassment. His Dragonite had performed magnifitly but had been so caught up iensity of the battle that it hadn't trolled the range of its Rain Dance.

  As he surveyed the se of drerainers, Naoki chuckled nervously to himself. 'Guess we overdid it,' he thought.

  Thankfully, the guests, far from being annoyed, were ughing as they retreated inside. For seasorainers, suts were part and parcel of the Pokémon experience.

  Meanwhile, Lahe Kantion's Dragon Master, wasn't in a hurry to dry off. He stayed he battlefield, releasing his injured Pokémon one by one and carefully feeding them the bottles of goat milk Naoki had given him earlier.

  The transformation was almost immediate. After just a few sips, the Pokemon stirred, their eyes fluttering open as the visible wounds on their bodies healed rapidly.

  Lance examihe gss bottle with curiosity. "This is… extraordinary. I've never seen anything quite like it."

  Naoki stepped forward, his hands resting casually in his pockets. "It's a specialty of my ranch," he expined with a smile. "Gogoat milk mixed with natural ingredients. It's great for healing and recovery."

  Laurhe bottle in his hand, noting the pyful design on the bel. Three cartoonish mbs, their heads huddled together, smiled back at him from the transparent gss. The bel was simple but charming, just like the product itself.

  Before Lance could ent further, a loud voiterrupted.

  "Hey, hey, hey! Are you really giving away such a rare treasure to him for free?!"

  Naoki and Lauro see Alder striding toward them, his grin wide and teasing. Behind him were d Nikar, Nemona's father.

  Alder wagged his finger pyfully. "I've spent plenty of money on that goat milk, and you're just handing it out like it's nothing! I feel cheated!"

  Naoki barely had time to respond before Alder's Vola buzzed beside him, chirping pointedly.

  "Alright, alright! I know the goat milk helped you recover too," Alder said, ughing as he patted the Pokémon on the head.

  Nemona came bounding over , her energy uie the rain-soaked field. She ran straight into her father's arms, her excitement bubbling over.

  "Dad! This is Mr. Naoki! I told you all about him! He runs a ranch full ohat deliver goods all over the region!"

  Nikar smiled warmly, patting his daughter's head. "Yes, yes, I remember, sweetheart." His gaze shifted to Naoki, and his demeanor became more formal.

  Clearing his throat, Nikar stepped forward. "Mr. Naoki," he began, "I'm Nikar, the head of Rotom Teology. I've been meaning to ask—did you create the design for the Rotom Phone?"

  Naoki's eyes widened slightly. "I did," he admitted. "Why? Is it feasible to produce with current teology?"

  Nikar hesitated, rubbing his thoughtfully. "It's a brilliant cept, but I'll o sult with my R&D team before I give you a definitive ahe idea has tremendous potential, though."

  Naoki nodded. He wasn't surprised by Nikar's cautious respohat's uandable," he said. "Let me know what your team decides."

  Nikar's expressihtened. "Of course! We'll be in touch to discuss the details further, including your share of the rewards. Thank you for sidering us as your partners."

  With that, Nikar excused himself, leaving the group of traio tiheir versation.

  Alder, always one for lively bauro Naoki with a curious look. "Rotom Phone, huh? What exactly does it do?"

  Naoki expined patiently. "It's not like the Rotom appliances we're familiar with. The Rotom Phone is a handheld device—a unicator, navigator, and anizer all i even ect trainers acrions for online shopping and video unication."

  Nemona's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wait, you mean I could order fresh milk and berries from your rand have them delivered straight to my house?!"

  Naoki ughed, ruffling her hair affeately. "Exactly. And Dragonite would hahe delivery, of course."

  Cy, Lance, and Alder exged skeptical gnces, still struggling to their minds around the futuristicept.

  Alder chuckled. "Well, if anyone pull off a Dragonite delivery service, it's you, Naoki. I've seen it with my own eyes. It's like a floail carriers in the sky."

  Cy folded his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. "A ranch with that many Dragonites… I'd like to see it for myself someday."

  "I'd be happy to host you," Naoki replied with a grin.

  Lance, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.

  "Are you… also from a family on Tamers?" Lance asked, his brow furrowed as he studied Naoki. The question carried genuine curiosity, as he vaguely remembered hearing about a Dragon Tamer lineage in the Paldea region.

  Naoki blinked in surprise before realizing the text. He quickly shook his head. "No, I don't know anything about a Dragon Tamer family. I just happeo meet the Dragonites by ce."

  Lanodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. He uood that not all trainers o e from legacies to achieve greatness.

  Alder, standing nearby, still seemed astonished by the events that had unfolded. He rubbed his thoughtfully before asking, "If I were to order milk from your ranch while I'm in Unova, could your Dragonites deliver it acrions?"

  Naoki hesitated for a moment, carefully sidering the implications. Transp goods acrions could raise issues ional security. Team Psma, for instance, might mistake the hardw Dragonites for oppressed Pokémon in need of "liberation."

  Naoki opted for a tactful respohose are just ideas for now. I don't know if they be implemented on such a scale."

  Alder grinned, g Naoki on the shoulder. "I get it! Even if I don't fully uand the logistics, just let me know if you need anything."

  "Oh, by the way," Alder tinued, "if your Rotom Phones need Rotoms to fun properly, you t on me. I take you to a special pce—there's a whole unity of Rotoms there!"

  Naoki smiled and nodded. "Thank you, that could be very helpful."

  Indeed, if Naoki po equip Pokémon like Giratina with Rotom Phones, he would need Rotoms to activate their full funality. While standard Rotom Phones were already designed as advanced smartphones, introdug a live Rotom into the device would elevate it to a truly intelligent gadget capable of transting Pokémon unication and allowing them to i with the digital world.

  As their versation unfolded, Cy listened ily. His curiosity about Naoki grew, and he had several more questions to ask. However, as the host of the ba, he was obliged to eain uests. With a polite farewell to Alder and Naoki, Cy turned his attention elsewhere.

  Alder, too, was soon approached by several members of the Unova Alliahey were excited to see him and eager to catch up oest happenings. Although Alder initially wao stay with Naoki, he realized it was his responsibility to reect with his region and address lingering s from his absence as Champion. With a smile, he excused himself and joihe group.

  Nemona, meanwhile, was swept away by her father. Before leaving, she turned back to Naoki, her eyes sparkling with determination. "When I'm ba Paldea, I'm ing to your ranch to buy fresh milk aables!"

  Naoki couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, though he suspected her true i y more in battling than in shopping.

  Lance lingered. His eyes drifted toward Naoki's Pokémon as they pyed in the garden—Koraidon, Pawmot, and others moving freely and happily uhe moonlight.

  "They're from the Paldea region, aren't they?" Lance asked, his tone curious.

  Naoki nodded. "That's right."

  "I've never seen Pokémon like them in Kanto or Johto," Lance admitted. "Holy, I had no way of determining their attributes during our battles.

  Naoki gestured towards a few of his Pokémon and began introdug them. "The pink one over there is Pawmot. It's aric-type Pokémon," he said with a touch of pride.

  He tinued, pointing to another Pokémon. "That one, which looks a bit like Misdreavus, is called Flutter Ma's a Ghost- and Fairy-type Pokémon."

  Finally, Naoki gestured toward a particurly muscur and imposing Pokémon. "And this one here is Koraidon. It's a Dragon- and Fighting-type Pokémon. All of these are native to the Paldea region, and they're incredibly rare outside of it."

  Lance's eyes followed Naoki's gestures, lingering on Pawmot and Flutter Mane for a moment before log onto Koraidon. His gaze turned sharp, filled with an almost reverent admiration.

  Naoki raised an eyebrow at Lance's rea. "Something wrong?" he asked.

  Lance's voice was full of awe. "What an incredible Pokémon. It's… perfect."

  Koraidon tilted its head, letting out a fused growl. "Raao?"

  Lauro Naoki, his expression almost glowing with enthusiasm. "You like Dragon-types, don't you?"

  Naoki blihen g Koraidon before nodding. "Yeah, I do."

  Finding a kindred spirit, Lanched into his thoughts on Pokémon. "Dragons are extraordinary beings, full of mystique and power. They're challenging to catd train, but with proper care, they bee truly unstoppable. There's er partner for a traihan a Dragon-type Pokémon!" His tone softened slightly. "But…"

  He hesitated for a moment before tinuing, "Dragon-types are sensitive to the cold. That's one of their few weaknesses. When winter es, I always stay close to my Dragoo keep them warm."

  Naoki didn't know whether to ugh or be impressed. It was clear that Lance was a dedicated dragohusiast. However, he really wants to say, 'You know, Charizard and Aerodactyl aren't teically Dragon-types, right?'

  Then, with genuine curiosity, Lance asked, "Do you stay close to Koraidon and the others to keep warm during the winter?"

  Naoki chuckled at the memory. "ly. At my ranch, we light a big firep the main house during wihe whole pce gets so warm that stig too close to each other would make us sweat buckets."

  Koraidon, as if on cue, let out an amused rumble. Naoki recalled one particurly chaotiter night. "Though there was oime Koraidon climbed into my bed while I was sleeping. It ended with me nearly suffog uhe heat."

  Lance ughed, his earlier embarrassment fading. "Right, I almost fot you run a ranch. I guess it's a different story when you're traveling all the time like I am."

  Naoki nodded a hint of wistfulness in his expression. He'd always admired the idea of traveling the world with Pokémon, living life on the road. "Do you hide in caves on snowy nights?" he asked.

  "All the time," Lance replied, his tone nostalgic. "I've often thought it'd be great to have a kotatsu big enough fon Pokémon. Imagirainers and their Pokémon huddling together under a massive heated table to stay warm… though, now that I think about it, I have no idea how big that kotatsu would have to be."

  Naoki burst out ughing at the mental image. "That sounds amazing."

  Lance was caught off guard by his tone. "Wait a minute… Naoki, have you never experienced something like that before?"

  "No," Naoki replied with a slight shake of his head. "I've been running a ran the Paldea region and haven't had much time to travel."

  Lance looked at Naoki's Pokémon with a thoughtful expression. "You should give it a try. Traveling with Pokémon, experieng the natural enviroogether, keeping each other warm during tough times—it's an incredible feeling."

  Naoki smiled but shook his head again. "I don't think I could. The Pokémon at the ranch would miss me too much."

  He paused, gng at the horizon as he reflected. There was always a trade-off for every decision, and he was tent with the life he had chosen. He couldn't imagine leaving behind the rge family of Pokémon he cared for. Even during short trips away, he found himself yearning to return to the ranch—the fields, the familiar routines, and the Pokémon he had raised with care.

  Every time he leaves for a few days, he finds himself w. He wonders how the fields are doing, if the Pokémon are behaving, or if Teddiursa and Mew have been sending their letters back."

  The se reminded him of something he'd once observed in his previous life: elderly folks from the tryside moving to the city yet always longing to return home. They fretted over their chis, ducks, and even the family dog, afraid they might go unfed.

  Lance's expression softened. "I uand that feeling," he said. "Knowing that there are Pokémon waiting for you bae—it's f, isn't it? Nostalgic, even."

  "Exactly!" Naoki smiled, tilting his head toward the vast night sky. The stars twinkled brightly, and the full moon cast a serene, silvery glow over the manrounds.

  It was a view he cherished. He imagihe Pokémon back at the ranch gazing at the same moon. Perhaps they were thinking of him, just as he was thinking of them.

  As Naoki's thoughts wandered, a middle-aged man approached from the other side of the courtyard. His features were instantly reizable, sparking a moment of surprise in Naoki.

  Professor Oak.

  The name surfaced in his mind instantly. Dressed in a simple round-neck sweater, the renowned Pokémon professor exuded warmth and approachability. His white b coat had bee aside, likely due to the rain earlier, but his reputation needed no such accessory to and respect.

  Laiced him first and greeted him politely. "Professor Oak."

  "Ah, Lance," Professor Oak aowledged with a nod before turning his attention to Naoki. His kind smile brightened. "And you must be the trainer from Paldea. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Professor Oak from Pallet Town."