After bidding farewell to the three young trainers, Naoki returo his ranch with the basket of freshly picked mushrooms. He set aside some of the mushrooms, pnning to cook a hearty dish of chi stewed with mushrooms for dihe rest, he decided, would be dried and stored for use during the snowy winter months.

  Later, as he shared the events of his trip with Calyrex, Naoki reted, “I met anroup of trainers who admire you. They came all the way here just to visit the Shrine of Bountiful Harvests.”

  A soft smile spread across Calyrex’s face at the mention of His followers. Thinking ba the past two years, even He was moved by how much had ged.

  Life now felt almost like a dream.

  Where once He had wahe Tundra alone, burdened by loneliness and fading memory, now He was celebrated and revered. Humans who believed in Him, pursued His legends, arusted Him with their hopes were being born across the nd.

  “I… I feel very happy,” Calyrex said quietly, His voice tinged with emotion.

  Naoki smiled. “There will be Harvest Festival in the ing days. I’m curious to see what it’ll be like.”

  Last year’s festival had already drawn a siderable crowd, but now that Calyrex’s story had spread across the Paldea region, Naoki could only imagine hoeople would gather. He suspected the hillside he shrine would be packed, with tourists jostling flimpse of the divine Pokémon.

  Calyrex nodded. “I am looking forward to it as well.”

  With autumn bringing cooler temperatures, the Pokémon had left the fort of their air-ditioned rooms to py in the pasture. Naoki, after setting aside his mushrooms, stepped outside to pie onions from the farmnd.

  But as he reached the field, he noticed a Flying Taxi approag, its wings fpping steadily as it desded. A familiar squawk annouhe arrival of the Squawkabilly-powered transport.

  “Huh?” Naoki murmured, puzzled. “Who could be visiting now?”

  The taxi nded smoothly on the grass, and a blond man wearing a brown coat stepped out. His demeanor was calm yet meticulous, and his sharp gaze veyed a sense of authority.

  Naoki’s eyes widened slightly. Is that Hassel?

  Hassel, also known as the Dragon Tamer, was one of the Elite Four of the Paldea region. A skilled trainer specializing in Dragon-type Pokémon, he was also the heir to a renowned dragon-tamer lineage and an art teacher at Paldea Academy.

  “Hello, Mr. Naoki,” Hassel greeted with a polite nod. “I’m Hassel. issieeta asked me to deliver a gift to you.”

  “A gift?” Naoki echoed, blinking in surprise. For a moment, he wondered if Geeta had somehow mao collect the 1,000 s he had requested for his Gimmighoul. But this seemed far too soon.

  Politely, Naoki replied, “Hello, Mr. Hassel.”

  Hassel turned back to the taxi and began unloading seven eggs, each with distinct brown patterns. Pg them gently on the grass, he gestured toward them. Naoki stared, fused.

  “…What are these?” he asked.

  “These,” Hassel expined, “are Eevee eggs. issieeta sent them as a gift.”

  Naoki’s mind raced. 'Eevee eggs? How did she know about my dream of building an Eevee sanctuary?'

  Then it hit him. He recalled mentioning the idea to Iono and Grusha oernoon. Word must have reached Geeta, who had acted on it with surprising speed.

  'This is too much…' Naoki thought. It was already generous of Geeta to assist with the s, and now she had sent him seven Eevee eggs. He couldn’t help but wonder what her iions were.

  “I’ve delivered the gift,” Hassel said, dusting off his coat. “I have other matters to attend to at the academy, so I won’t take up any more of your time.”

  Just as he was about to leave, Hassel paused, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the ranch.

  Dragonairs and Dragonites lounged in the pasture, their sleek forms shimmering uhe afternoon sun.

  Hassel froze. 'How this ranch have so many Dragonites?'

  He began ting, his shock growing with eaumber. Owo, three… nine?

  As the young master of a dragon-tamer family, Hassel was aced to seeing rare Pokémon, but the sheer number onites on Naoki's ranch had left him utterly speechless. His thoughts spiraled as he boarded the Flying Taxi.

  'Who exactly is Naoki?'

  Meanwhile, Naoki, still focused on the Eevee eggs, seemed oblivious to Hassel's internal musings. When Hassel mentioned his departure, Naoki politely offered, “Leaving already? Would you like to stay for a cup of tea before heading off?”

  Hassel snapped out of his thoughts, but he shook his head. “Thank you, but I must return to the academy. I have pressing matters to attend to.”

  Naoki nodded uandingly. “Alright. Safe travels, and thank you for delivering these eggs.”

  Hassel gave a polite nod, boarded the Flying Taxi, and soon disappeared into the sky.

  Left aloh the ued bounty of Eevee eggs, Naoki scratched his head, staring at the ly arranged eggs on the grass.

  Just then, Indeedee emerged from the Pokémon Tavern, her arms full of ing supplies. Spotting the eggs, she let out a startled cry, “Ai eh?!”

  Her excmation echoed across the ranch, attrag the attention of nearby Pokémon. Soon, a curious crowd gathered, including Dragonite, Dragonairs, Umbreon, G, and others.

  Naoki chuckled at their puzzled faces. “These eggs were a gift from the gentleman who just left. They’re all Eevee eggs, and we’ll be taking care of them.”

  The Pokémon exged a variety of expressions at this revetion.

  Alcremie and Pawmot tilted their heads in fusion. 'So many Eevee? Does this mean the ranch is going to be overrun with them?'

  The Dragonairs, oher hand, leaned in with great curiosity. They she eggs delicately, their rge witg, and even pressed their ears to the shells, hoping to hear signs of life inside.

  G, however, looked as though the world had ended. Her wide eyes filled with horror as she silently thought, 'Seven more Eevees? That’s seven more rivals for Naoki’s affe! This is a disaster!'

  Umbreon, calm and posed as always, twitched its ears and stepped forward, iing the eggs with quiet i.

  “Alright, let’s move these eggs inside where they’ll be safe,” Naoki announced, snapping the Pokémon out of their thoughts. With everyone’s help, the eggs were gently carried upstairs and pced on the soft bedding in an incubator room.

  Ohe eggs were secure, Naoki stood back, gazing at them in disbelief. While part of him was thrilled at the idea of having so many Eevees, another part of him worried about the challehat y ahead.

  He imagihe se already: seven freshly hatched Eevees cmbering all over him, demanding milk, cuddles, and stant attention.

  “Am I about to bee a full-time Eevee nanny?” he muttered to himself, sighing dramatically.

  But then aruck him. Why not enlist help? His eyes nded on G and Umbreon, who had followed him upstairs and now stood he incubator.

  Naoki cpped his hands together and turo them with a grin. “Alright, you two. From now on, you’re in charge! G, you’ll be the eldest sister. Umbreon, you’re the sed sister. Together, we’ll take care of these little ones!”

  The two Pokémon exged wide-eyed gnces.

  "Bu-yi"?!

  Two Eevee: ==(●●|||)