Naoki wished he could sew clothes himself for Cyclizar, but unfortunately, tailoring was not a skill he had mastered. With just a few days left until Cyclizar's birthday, he looked down at the large ball of wool in his arms—almost bigger than he was—and felt a bit troubled.
After a moment of thought, he decided to store the wool back at the ranch before returning to town to find someone who could help make the clothes.
The Gogoat he was riding wasn't as fast as Koraidon, but it was certainly more stable. By three in the afternoon, Naoki returned to the ranch. He hopped off Gogoat, which made its way back to the pen on its own.
The ranch was just as lively as when he had left. Dragonairs playing in the grass, Combee and Butterfree fluttered amongst the flowers, while Pawmot snoozed on the roof of the chicken coop.
Seeing this, Naoki smiled softly. He patted Koraidon's head as it ran over to greet him, and then glanced at Cyclizar, still curled up and sleeping not far away.
This was typical Pokémon behavior. Whenever they were injured, they would sleep or rest, allowing their bodies to recover naturally.
Koraidon opened its mouth, as if to say something, but Naoki quickly made a "shh" sound.
Koraidon closed its mouth immediately, its eyes looking a bit disappointed.
"Let's head inside first," Naoki whispered, leading Koraidon back to the house. He placed the wool on the sofa and turned to Koraidon. "Are you afraid of the cold?"
Koraidon nodded eagerly, "Ah gah!"
"Huh?" Naoki raised his eyebrows, surprised.
He had never noticed Koraidon showing signs of being cold before. According to everything he knew, a powerful Dragon-type like Koraidon, with its thick scales and resilient body, shouldn't be affected by the cold.
Perhaps it was just part of the nature of Dragon-type Pokémon, Naoki thought. After all, they were notoriously weak to Ice-type moves, and those natural weaknesses ran deep.
"Alright then, I'll make sure to have a warm winter outfit made for you from this wool," Naoki said, smiling.
He didn't want only Cyclizar to have a cozy outfit—he had to be fair to all his Pokémon. Like raising children, it wasn't good to show favoritism.
Koraidon's eyes lit up with joy, "Ah gah~" it cheered.
Naoki chuckled, giving Koraidon's head a gentle pat. Koraidon had the temperament of a big, affectionate dog, and it always warmed Naoki's heart.
The trip to town had taken nearly two hours, and Naoki realized he was feeling a bit thirsty. He decided to pour himself a glass of water. But just as he was about to take a sip, there was a knock at the door.
"Is anyone home?" a familiar voice called.
Naoki's eyes lit up with recognition. He hurried to the door, and just as he had expected, it was Mrs. Dantes from town standing there with a package in her hands.
Under the soft autumn sun, Mrs. Dantes, with her white hair and kind smile, greeted him warmly. "Good afternoon, Naoki. I made some pumpkin cookies, but I accidentally made too many! Wright and I can't finish them, so I thought I'd bring some over for you."
Naoki smiled at the sight of the bag of cookies, unable to refuse her kind gesture. "Come on in and have a seat," he said, welcoming her inside.
As they settled in the living room, Brother Indeedee quietly brought over a fragrant cup of black tea for Mrs. Dantes to enjoy.
Mrs. Dantes looked around the house, noticing how lively and warm it felt. Though not extravagant, the house was filled with the vibrant energy of life and Pokémon.
"This place is wonderful! It's even more prosperous than when your grandfather ran the ranch," she said happily.
"Really? Was the ranch in rough shape back then?" Naoki asked. He only had vague memories of those days.
Mrs. Dantes nodded as she reminisced. "Oh yes, things were much different. There weren't any big houses here, just a few run-down wooden shacks. Your grandfather worked tirelessly, never giving up. He put everything he had into running the ranch."
"There used to be so many ranches here," Mrs. Dantes reminisced. "Your grandfather's ranch always won first place in the crop evaluation competition every year!"
"It must've been so lively back then," Naoki said, trying to imagine the scene.
"Oh yes!" Mrs. Dantes' eyes sparkled with nostalgia. "Kosaji Town was a famous agricultural hub in all of the Paldea region!"
But her expression grew somber. "It's a shame there are fewer and fewer people farming now. Young folks either head to the big cities to pursue careers or become Pokémon trainers."
"Times are changing," Naoki said with a sigh. He thought about how, in another ten years, the world would probably look completely different. From the era when "travel was slow and letters were far away" to a time when the internet connects the whole world.
Mrs. Dantes chuckled softly, though her voice carried a touch of melancholy. "We're getting old! If your grandfather could see how responsible you've become, he'd be very proud."
Naoki felt a little awkward at that, thinking, 'If Grandpa were still around, he might have been furious with the old me.'
Mrs. Dantes stood up, preparing to leave. "It's getting late. I should head home," she said kindly. But just as she turned, her eyes landed on the large ball of wool sitting in the corner of the room.
"Goodness! What's this? Have you started raising Wooloo on your ranch?" she asked, her face full of surprise.
"Oh, right!" Naoki had almost forgotten about the wool, and Mrs. Dantes' question jogged his memory. "No, no Wooloo here. Cyclizar's birthday is coming up, and I'm planning to make a warm coat for it using this wool."
He chuckled, "There aren't any Cyclizar clothes for sale in town—just bike seats."
"A birthday present? Cyclizar is going to love that," Mrs. Dantes said, pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know you had such talents!"
Naoki blinked, a little caught off guard, before realizing what she meant. He quickly shook his head with a smile. "Oh no, I don't. I was actually planning on going into town to find someone who could help me make it."
Understanding now, Mrs. Dantes' eyes lit up. "Well, in that case, leave it to me! I have a loom at home, and I still enjoy making clothes now and then!"
"Huh?" Naoki blinked in surprise, not expecting the offer.
Mrs. Dantes straightened up with pride. "When I was younger, I was one of the most popular tailors in town! But, of course, as time went on and more clothing factories appeared, handmade clothes became less common."
Naoki considered it for a moment, his heart warmed by her generosity. He smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you so much for your help."
"Don't worry, this is what I'm best at," Mrs. Dantes said enthusiastically.
The wool was far too bulky for her to carry alone, so Naoki asked Dragonite to help. Dragonite, being his usual cheerful self, was more than happy to assist. He gleefully took the wool from Naoki and followed Mrs. Dantes back to the town, clearly excited to be part of the mission.
...
By five o'clock in the evening, Zack arrived right on time to collect the ranch's goods. After loading up the buckets of Moo Moo Milk into his truck, he wiped the sweat from his brow and asked, "Thanksgiving is next month. Have you started prepping your pumpkin cookies yet?"
"Pumpkin cookies?" Naoki was puzzled.
He knew about Thanksgiving thanks to Zack explaining it before. The festival, celebrated on the last day of autumn, involved people gathering to give thanks to the King of Bountiful Harvests. But pumpkin cookies?
Seeing Naoki's confusion, Zack raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You really don't know?"
Naoki shrugged. "What do you mean?"
Zack thought for a moment and muttered, "Right, you left Kosaji Town when you were still pretty young. Guess it makes sense you wouldn't know about this."
"Let me explain it!" Zack said, his face lighting up. "It's an old tradition here in town. On the last day of autumn, to celebrate the harvest, the townsfolk exchange small cookies made from their crops with each other."
"At night, the kids and their Pokémon go from door to door, trading cookies with the people who live there."
Now Naoki understood why Thanksgiving was so important in Kosaji Town. Everyone honored the King of Bountiful Harvests on that day.
"Got it," Naoki nodded. "I'll whip some up later." He remembered the pumpkin cookies Mrs. Dantes had given him earlier. Dragonite had already polished them off.
"That's the spirit!" Zack laughed. "Just wanted to give you a heads-up so you're not caught off guard when the kids show up asking for cookies. Wouldn't want you unprepared!"
Naoki grinned and asked, "So... can I just take the cookies from one kid and give them to the next one that shows up?"
Zack looked stunned. "Uh… that's never really been done before."
Naoki chuckled. "Just kidding. I'm not planning on doing that."
Zack let out a sigh of relief. He knew Naoki wasn't the type to pull something like that.
After loading up the goods, Zack drove off, leaving the ranch behind.
With the evening settling in, Naoki wandered over to the pumpkin patch and picked a large, golden pumpkin. Sister, Indeedee, had already started preparing dinner back at the house.
Naoki gave the pumpkin a good wash and carried it over to the little "cream workshop" he had set up for Alcremie. Though called a workshop, it was really just a cozy space for making cakes, snacks, and desserts.
Alcremie spotted Naoki and immediately rushed over, noticing he was about to make some delicious desserts.
But its tiny body and small steps made it hard to keep up, so it could only call out to Naoki.
"Mree!" it cried.
Naoki stopped and watched as a small, determined Alcremie dashed across the sofa toward him. He bent down, and Alcremie hopped onto the big pumpkin he was carrying.
"Mree!" It wanted to help make desserts too!
Seeing Alcremie's eager expression, Naoki smiled. "You and Naclstack have been running around all day. Aren't you tired?"
"Mree~" Alcremie shook its head, swaying its little body happily. A faint, sweet scent wafted through the air around it.
"But you know," Naoki said thoughtfully, "other Alcremie tend to be pretty shy. They hide when they see anyone but their trainer. Why are you so brave?"
Not only did this Alcremie hang out with a much larger Naclstack every day, but it also wasn't afraid to share the sofa with Koraidon.
"Mree!" Alcremie puffed out its chest proudly. It was a brave Alcremie!
"Do you know what happens to brave Pokémon?" Naoki teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Mree?" Alcremie's curiosity was piqued.
"Well," Naoki began, "brave Pokémon like you have two paths. The first kind, like you, are cheerful and friendly. They make friends with everyone because they're not scared of anything."
Alcremie listened intently, then beamed. "Mree~" That's it!
"Hold on, there's more," Naoki continued, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "But sometimes, they're so small, and they smell so sweet, like delicious cream... That scent might attract certain Pokémon who love sweets. And, well, they might eat them up in one big gulp."
At first, Alcremie was nodding along, but gradually, its eyes widened as the words sunk in. Its confident expression slowly melted into one of worry.
Alcremie blinked nervously. (﹏)
"I'm just about to start making those pumpkin cookies," Naoki said, noticing Alcremie's face.
"Why don't you sit over here for a bit?"
They had arrived at the small cream workshop, where Naoki gently placed Alcremie on the windowsill and began working on the pumpkin cookies.
By this time, Alcremie had realized that Naoki was just trying to tease it.
"Mree! Mree!" It cried indignantly. Bad Naoki!
Naoki, unfazed, began cutting the pumpkin into pieces, steaming it in the microwave, and mashing it into a smooth paste.
Without looking up, he spoke in a serious tone while continuing his work. "I'm not trying to scare you. It's true, you know. You're covered in sweet, creamy goodness. Wild Pokémon, the ones without trainers, might just gobble you up right away."
Hearing this, Alcremie began to feel that Naoki was right and started to get scared again.
Naoki, noticing its worry, gently reassured it, "Don't be afraid. The Naclstack Pokémon will protect you! When they evolve, they'll become tall, mighty Garganacl. With five of them together, no ordinary Pokémon can take them on."
Indeedee, who had been standing just outside the door to see if Naoki needed any help, had a rather complicated expression.
'Is this kind of comforting really effective?'
Surprisingly, for Alcremie, it worked perfectly.
Feeling comforted, Alcremie relaxed, sitting quietly in the cream workshop for a while. Seeing that Naoki didn't need any further help, it quietly excused itself.
It headed downstairs, dashed through the living room, and ran all the way outside to the underground cave built with salt rocks.
Down in the cave, five Naclstack Pokémon were still full of energy, walking around after a full day of play. Seeing them, Alcremie let out a long sigh of relief.
The Naclstack Pokémon were slightly puzzled to see Alcremie suddenly show up underground.
Alcremie, now feeling more serious, asked them, "Mree?" (Are we best friends?)
The Naclstack Pokémon nodded enthusiastically. 'No doubt about it—they were the best of friends on the ranch.'
With a determined look, Alcremie continued, "Mree?" (What if I'm ever in danger? Will you protect me?)
"Stack!" (Of course!)
Alcremie brightened and added, "Mree!" (Then you better work hard and evolve into Garganacl! Naoki says Garganacl is a super strong Pokémon!)
The Naclstack Pokémon all agreed wholeheartedly. Evolving was something they wanted too—but they knew evolution wasn't entirely under their control.
After leaving the underground cave, Alcremie still felt a little worried.
It thought carefully for a moment and came to a resolution. Besides relying on its friends for protection, it had to become stronger on its own.
"Mree!" (It's decided!)
Suddenly, Alcremie's heart was filled with fighting spirit.
It needed to train too!
Just like Dragonite, it wanted to become the most powerful Alcremie in the world!
...
[ Extra chapter ]