"Houndoom, Altaria, Beedrill, Sceptile, Metagross, Venusaur, Tyranitar, Audino."
In addition to the Mega Stone that Steven had gifted him earlier, Naoki now had nine Mega Evolution Stones in total.
Considering that out of the entire roster of Pokémon, only about 40 to 50 species could Mega Evolve, this was quite the collection.
After returning to the ranch, Naoki laid out all the newly acquired Mega Stones in the center of the living room. A circle of curious Pokémon gathered around, their eyes wide as they inspected the smooth, glowing stones.
"Bamo…"
Pawmot reached out a stubby paw and gently picked one up, studying its shimmering surface with fascination.
"Are these the Mega Stones that let Pokémon evolve into even stronger forms?" Iono asked.
Naoki nodded and explained, "Each Mega Stone corresponds to a specific Pokémon species. But to activate a Mega Evolution, the trainer also needs to carry a Key Stone. When both resonate together, the Pokémon can temporarily evolve into a far more powerful state during battle."
"Not only do they change in appearance," he added, "but their abilities and strength receive a significant boost."
While speaking, Naoki noticed the gleam of excitement in Iono's eyes and immediately guessed what she was thinking.
"It's just a shame," he said with a sigh, "that neither Misdreavus nor Dragonite have corresponding Mega Stones available right now."
"Aww, really?" Iono pouted. "That's disappointing…"
Naoki shrugged, just as puzzled. "No idea why. I don't know how Mega Stones or Key Stones even form, or how they bond with specific Pokémon. It's still a bit of a mystery."
"Well," Iono said with a hopeful smile, "let's save them for Elara when she's older! She might need them more than we do."
They were both past the stage of going out and catching Pokémon just to chase after Mega Evolutions. Now, everything felt more like destiny than pursuit.
Naoki agreed, packing the stones safely away to store them for the future.
Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, the calendar had flipped to the end of April, Year 203 of the Pokémon League.
With summer on the horizon, the air grew warmer each day. The grasses and trees across the ranch flourished, stretching tall and green under the sunlight, and the forests near the back mountain glowed with vibrant shades of jade.
Every evening, the rhythmic buzz of cicadas echoed across the hills, mingling with the hum of Bug-type Pokémon.
Amid this tranquil melody, Elara turned four months old.
Her tiny body was now filled with energy. Naoki and Iono began gently helping her practice rolling over, while also introducing her to the extended ranch family.
In her crib, Elara lay on a fluffy blanket, her round, dark eyes locked on the toy Naoki dangled in front of her.
It was a plastic replica of a pokemon with a long tube attached to the back. When someone blew into it, the toy let out a funny squawk, opening its beak and sticking out a long, floppy tongue.
At the tip of the tongue, a tiny Pikachu stood like a flag on a pole.
"Ka!"
Naoki blew into the toy, and the squawk immediately caught Elara's attention.
"Yiyi! Yaya!"
She flailed her arms, eager to grab it. Naoki moved the toy just slightly above her reach. "Come on, you can do it," he said encouragingly.
He shifted the toy back a little more, placing it just above her head.
Elara reached, missing. She kicked her little legs, waved her arms, and then—flop!—she accidentally rolled over onto her stomach for the first time, landing face-to-face with the toy.
"Yiyi Yaya!"
Giggling, she waved her arms and smacked at the toy, full of delight.
"Nice!" Naoki gave her a thumbs up. "That's Daddy's girl!"
But Elara wasn't paying attention to him anymore. She was too busy playing with the toy on her own.
Eventually, maybe out of boredom or satisfaction, she tossed the toy aside with a soft plop.
"Done already?" Naoki asked with a smile.
"Yah!" came her cheerful babble in response.
Naoki looked around at the watching Pokémon, then turned his gaze back to Elara and said warmly, "This is Ogerpon. She's a dear friend of Daddy's."
"Boni~!" Ogerpon leaped joyfully, waving at Elara with enthusiasm.
Elara looked at Ogerpon and blinked her big eyes. "Eeyah!"
"Boni!" Ogerpon replied cheerfully.
The group of Eeveelutions surrounded Elara with wagging tails and sparkly eyes. One by one, they introduced themselves with little chirps and barks of joy.
Elara wasn't unfamiliar with Eeveelutions. That past winter, she had often napped bundled in blankets beside the Eeveelutions pack, and she'd grown used to their soft warmth and comforting scent.
So, when she saw all the Eeveelutions happily bouncing around her now, she giggled and shouted excitedly, "Eeyah!"
Naoki stood a short distance away, watching the scene unfold with a warm smile.
"She's still a baby," he said to the Pokémon. "The real fun comes later. Once she learns to walk, she'll be able to run around and play with you all properly."
"Agahi!" Koraidon gave a vigorous nod, stomping one paw to emphasize the point.
By then, he was sure he'd get to carry the little one on his back—trotting proudly across the ranch with Elara giggling atop him.
"Boni?" Ogerpon raised her hand like a student in class, tilting her masked head. (Can she play hide-and-seek with me?)
"Of course," Naoki nodded gently, smiling at the hopeful expression on her face.
"Boni!" Ogerpon beamed, spinning once in delight.
"Buyi?" one of the Eeveelutions asked, ears twitching curiously. (When will the little baby grow up?)
"She'll grow up in the blink of an eye," Naoki said gently. "Do you all remember how tiny she was when she was born? Now look—she's already this big. It won't be long before she's running around like Pawmot."
"Buiii…" the Eeveelutions chorused, eyes wide with anticipation.
Not far away, sprawled lazily on a sun-drenched patch of grass, the three Legendary Beasts—Entei, Suicune, and Raikou—lay basking in the light, gazes drifting toward Snorlax Park.
"Elara is growing up so quickly," Entei rumbled, his voice deep and proud.
Suicune nodded, its gaze soft. "Yes, she is."
They remembered the day she was born—so tiny and delicate, a fragile little bundle of life. But now, not even a year later, she had bloomed into a bright, cheerful baby who filled the ranch with laughter.
Watching her surrounded by playful Eeveelutions, all three of the beasts felt something stir in their hearts.
It wasn't a feeling they could name. Even if they could speak every human language, there were no words for it—only the deep, quiet satisfaction that came from watching a young life grow, one day at a time.
Raikou remained silent. His golden eyes, however, reflected something more complex.
Neither he, Entei, nor Suicune had ever shared their lives with a human like this—watching her sleep, eat, laugh, and cry. And it was clear that this kind of life would continue… for a long time.
What would happen when she grew up and no longer needed them?
That thought haunted Raikou. He had already envisioned the day they would part ways.
What was Ho-Oh's true reason for sending them here, to bond with this child? Raikou didn't know. But as he looked at Elara playing joyfully in the field, he sensed the answer would only come in time.
...
That evening, Naoki gently carried a sleeping Elara in his arms and brought her back inside. He passed her to Indeedee.
"Aye-yii!" Indeedee saluted, patting its chest with determination. 'Don't worry! I'll take good care of Elara!"'
"I'm counting on you," Naoki replied with a warm smile.
He glanced into the crib. Elara was snuggled on her side, fast asleep, her tiny arms wrapped around a warm and fluffy Larvesta. Nearby, resting beside her pillow, was the Crescent Feather that Geeta had gifted him—a protective charm said to guard against nightmares.
Naoki let his gaze linger a moment longer before stepping away.
It was time to check on Sylveon's training.
Calling Koraidon, Naoki gave a final wave to Indeedee and stepped through the gate to the World Tree, passing briefly through Giratina's Reverse World.
Eventually, they emerged in the Snowbound Village, a secluded icefield watched over by Articuno. It was here that Sylveon had been undergoing special training.
As Naoki arrived, a fierce blizzard swept across the icy plains. The wind howled like wild spirits, snow slicing through the air like tiny blades.
He narrowed his eyes and saw a faint, glowing silhouette darting through the storm—Sylveon.
The cold wind buffeted its ribbon-like feelers, but Sylveon pressed forward without fear. A soft light shimmered around its body, like a protective aura shielding it from the storm's wrath.
Naoki's eyes widened. That glow… it wasn't just resistance—it was energy.
"Did Sylveon learn a new move?"
He squinted through the snow.
That shimmering aura looked just like Safeguard, a special Normal-type move that strengthened the user while offering subtle protection.
[Safeguard: The user is cloaked in a mystical aura for a period of time, preventing it from suffering status conditions.]
"Did you learn to use Safeguard to resist the blizzard and Ice Beam's freezing effects?" Naoki asked, eyes filled with admiration as he watched Sylveon endure the cold with elegance.
This Sylveon was serious now—truly committed to becoming a hero.
Naoki reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his Arc-Phone, a gift from Arceus itself.
A while back, he had posted a special request to the Pokémon guild that operated beneath the World Tree. The request? To find two special types of seeds—Joy Seeds and Golden Seeds.
These weren't native to this world. They came from a different realm entirely. In game-like terms, they were power-boosting items:
Joy Seeds: Raise a Pokémon's level by 1.
Golden Seeds: Raise it by 5.
Their effect rivaled or even surpassed Rare Candies—almost absurd in scale.
And finally, there had been results.
Naoki tapped the Arc-Phone's glowing screen. A status page opened showing the quest's progress.
[Expedition Guild – Naoki's Request: Search the Mysterious Maze for Joy Seeds and Golden Seeds]
Progress:
✓ Farfetch'd — Complete
✓ Charizard — Complete
✓ Milotic — Complete
Joy Seeds collected: 12
Golden Seeds collected: 2
In addition to the 4 Joy Seeds and 1 Golden Seed that Mew and Teddiursa brought back from a previous maze expedition, Naoki now had a total of 16 Joy Seeds and 3 Golden Seeds.
That meant Sylveon could potentially leap 31 levels in one go!
Of course, the current world didn't operate on the same strict "level" system trainers once relied on—but by any measure, this would drastically strengthen Sylveon's battle capabilities.
That was the reason Naoki had urged Sylveon to undergo this special training first—to ensure these seeds would have the maximum impact.
If Sylveon were at level 69, then this batch of seeds would skyrocket it to level 100, the absolute peak.
At that level, it might just be powerful enough to take down Kyurem in a single, resounding blow—the very dream Sylveon had long yearned for.
But therein lay the dilemma: there was no clear way to see Sylveon's actual power level. Naoki could only make rough estimations based on its performance.
And right now, he was fairly certain Sylveon wasn't yet at 69.
Should he feed the seeds to Sylveon immediately?
He paused, thinking. Best to gauge its strength just a bit more before making that decision.
At that moment, the howling blizzard over the snowfield began to subside. From high above, Articuno soared gracefully across the sky, its body cloaked in glittering frost.
Sylveon's Safeguard finally dissipated. The icy flakes clinging to its fur were shaken off with a single elegant flick of its body. Sylveon stretched, clearly ready to head back to the ranch and enjoy one of Naoki's homemade meals.
But then—it paused.
Its large blue eyes caught sight of a familiar figure standing in the distance.
"Buyee?!"
Sylveon dashed toward the figure in the distance.
"Articuno!" Naoki called out, raising his voice toward the majestic bird soaring above.
Articuno heard his voice and slowly descended, its shimmering wings leaving a trail of ice crystals in the air as it landed gracefully in front of him.
Sylveon ran up, eyes sparkling. "Bui!"
"I came to see you," Naoki said warmly, giving Sylveon a gentle pat on the head. "You've worked hard—thank you."
He turned to face Articuno. "Articuno, would you be willing to have a Pokémon battle with us?"
"Bui?" Sylveon looked up, puzzled.
Articuno shifted its icy gaze to Koraidon, who stood silently beside Naoki.
Naoki blinked, then quickly realized what it was thinking and shook his head. "No, not Koraidon. I want you to battle with Sylveon."
Articuno turned to Sylveon, tilting its head slightly. "Boo?"
Sylveon: "Bui?"
Naoki explained, "Kyurem is an Ice-type Pokémon, and much stronger than Articuno. If we can't even beat Articuno right now, we won't stand a chance when it comes to facing Kyurem."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a container filled with items—the Joy Seeds and Golden Seeds they'd been collecting for weeks.
"This time, I brought all the seeds from home," Naoki said. "We're going to do a strength comparison."
"First, you'll battle Articuno as you are now," he continued, addressing Sylveon. "Then, you'll consume all the seeds, and we'll battle again. That way, we can see just how much you've improved."
The seed-gathering commission was ongoing—Naoki wasn't worried about using them all now. The Pokémon of the World Tree Expedition Guild would surely keep bringing more in the future.
Sylveon thought quietly, the wind ruffling its ribbon-like feelers.
"Bui..."
Kyurem… It was true. Kyurem was a powerful Ice-Dragon Pokémon, far more fearsome than Articuno. If it couldn't defeat Articuno now, what chance would it have in a real confrontation?
With new resolve shining in its eyes, Sylveon lifted its head. "Bui!"
Sensing the Fairy-type's determination, Articuno gave a small nod of acknowledgment.
With a powerful flap of its wings, it shot into the sky. The bitter cold wind howled across the snowy field, and glittering ice crystals swirled through the air.
Then, with a cry, Articuno unleashed a flurry of shimmering snow and razor-sharp shards of ice—its opening move against the determined Sylveon below.
...
Bonus @500
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