Naoki has always been a man of action, and he always follows through on his plans. As soon as he returned to the ranch, he used his hands-on skills to build a simple shrine with the leftover wooden boards and nails he found in the utility room.
He even crafted a large mud figure resembling a rabbit with a crown on its head, which looked somewhat like a cauliflower. After the mud dried, Naoki placed the "mud rabbit" in the shrine and set it behind the shipping box, in a fenced-off area.
To his surprise, it actually looked quite realistic.
"Alright!" Naoki said with satisfaction as he admired his work.
Finally, he made a solemn offering with a few of his Pokémon by his side: "Lord of the Crown Tundra, please bless my ranch with good weather and a bountiful harvest this coming summer!"
Thinking, "It doesn't cost anything to have a little faith," Naoki grabbed two berries and placed them in front of the shrine as offerings.
After doing all this, Naoki began to think about which other legendary Pokémon in the world might be as approachable as the King of Bountiful Harvest.
There was Mewtwo from Kanto, Ho-Oh and Lugia from Johto, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza from Hoenn, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Arceus, and Regigigas from Sinnoh, the Unova trio: Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem, Zygarde, Xerneas, and Yveltal from Kalos, and Lunala, Solgaleo, Necrozma, and the Tapu quartet from Alola. Not to mention the Sword and Shield duo and Eternatus from Galar.
But Naoki knew that these legendary Pokémon didn't rely on human faith and, given their immense power and status, they had no need for believers.
In contrast, the King of Bountiful Harvest seemed more approachable and connected to him.
As a Pokémon fan, who doesn't dream of connecting with a legendary Pokémon? Naoki hoped that the King of Bountiful Harvest could see his efforts and warm up to him.
Perhaps, when Naoki eventually traveled to the Galar region, the King of Bountiful Harvest would appear to his "devout" follower.
It was March 25th, just six days before the start of summer. The changing of seasons is usually the busiest time for a rancher. Since he had some free time, Naoki decided to rest and recharge, conserving his energy for the hard work ahead.
That evening, he went to bed early, falling asleep peacefully with the furry little Pawmi in his arms.
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At the same time, in the distant Galar region, snowflakes were gently falling on the vast snowy plains.
The King of Bountiful Harvest opened its eyes.
It felt a slight increase in the power of faith within itself.
This familiar sensation reminded the King of Bountiful Harvest of the human believer who had suddenly appeared before.
"Let me see what that believer has done this time."
The King of Bountiful Harvest focused.
Peering through the vastness of time and space, it saw its one and only human believer in this world.
In a vision that appeared like a mirage, the King of Bountiful Harvest saw that the human had built a shrine and crafted a statue in its honor. The human, accompanied by several Pokémon, was offering prayers in front of the shrine.
"My King, please bless my ranch with good weather and abundant harvests in the coming summer!"
The sight of the human and the offerings of berries in front of the shrine deeply moved the King of Bountiful Harvest.
It had been a long time since the King of Bountiful Harvest had encountered such devotion from a human.
Even the most devout followers from ages past hadn't shown such dedication.
"This human is truly devout to me!" thought the King of Bountiful Harvest with emotion. In the past, He would have waved His hand without hesitation to fulfill the wishes of this devout believer and his Pokémon—letting their pastures be covered with flowers and green grass, their fields be fertile, and their crops bountiful.
But now…
The small amount of faith He received was too weak, far from enough to support fulfilling the wish of that little believer.
"I'm sorry," the King of Bountiful Harvest thought helplessly, his heart filled with regret. Not only had He lost most of His power due to the waning faith, but even His two beloved steeds had left Him.
If only that believer were in the Galar region, thought the King of Bountiful Harvest. He would ask for help to grow a special kind of carrot to attract the two beloved horses.
Because besides the power of human faith, He had another way to restore His strength—reuniting with the Horses. By merging with them using the reins, His strength would return.
Unfortunately, the King of Bountiful Harvest sensed that the believer was currently somewhere outside the Galar region.
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The next evening, Zack came in his truck to collect the goods as usual. Seeing him arrive, Naoki, who was combing the wool of his Gogoat, quickly stood up and brought over the goat milk to be sold that day.
Zack weighed the goat milk and was about to speak when he noticed a strange-looking shrine behind the shipping box. Changing the subject, he asked, "Huh? What is that?"
Naoki explained, "That's a shrine I made to enshrine a very powerful Pokémon."
Hearing this, Zack's curiosity was piqued. "Oh? What kind of Pokémon is it? Is it the bunny Pokémon with a crown sitting there?"
'A bunny with a crown? What the heck?'
Zack, being from the Paldea region, naturally didn't know the legends of the Galar region. Naoki organized his thoughts and introduced, "It's a Pokémon called the King of Bountiful Harvest."
"The King of Bountiful Harvest?" Zack had never heard of this name.
"Yes," Naoki nodded and continued, "There's a legend about Him in the Galar region. It's said that the King of Bountiful Harvest once ruled Galar in ancient times. People called Him the King of Bountiful Harvests."
"Although He appears petite and delicate, the King of Bountiful Harvest possesses great wisdom and can see through everything in the past, present, and future."
"In addition, He has the power to heal the soul and make plants sprout. It's said that when He raises His right hand, flowers bloom and grass grows lush. If He waves His left hand, the fields become fertile, and the crops grow abundantly."
"For this reason, the King of Bountiful Harvest was also called the King of Plenty by people in the past. He is a Pokémon with a heart full of love."
Zack's eyes widened in shock. "There's such a Pokémon? Wouldn't He be perfect for a farm?"
"Exactly," Naoki agreed. "In ancient times, the King of Bountiful Harvest used His abilities to help the humans of that era, ensuring they had good harvests and didn't starve."
As he said this, Naoki suddenly felt like he had become a missionary for the King of Bountiful Harvest.
After a brief thought, he put this strange idea aside and nodded to Zack. "That's the story."