The m, after finishing his chores around the ranaoki turned his attention to the giant carrot ripened by his Gogoat.

  Like the giant watermelon that had grown before, this carrot was another colossal crop.

  It was e-red, with a diameter hly oer. The part of the carrot visible above the soil alone was more than two meters tall, making it hard to imagis full size.

  After cirg the field to i it, Naoki gave a and. "Koraidon, you help me pull it out?"

  "Raao!" Koraidon responded enthusiastically, bounding over to the carrot. ing its powerful arms around the massive vegetable, it gave a firm tug. With a single mighty pull, Koraidon uprooted the giant carrot and carried it over to Naoki.

  "Well done!" Naoki praised with a grin.

  As he examihe carrot, details about it surfaced in his mind.

  [Giant Carrot: A unique crop bursting with nutrients. Highly favored by certain Pokémon and ideal for crafting food.]

  If anyone on the ranch loved carrots the most, it would undoubtedly be Calyrex.

  With an idea f in his mind, Naoki quickly came up with a pn. Leaving such a massive carrot to sit unused would be wasteful—it would spoil eventually. Instead, he decided to hollow out the carrot, using its flesh to make carrot puree and carrot cakes. The remaining shell could be repurposed into a whimsical carrot-shaped pyhouse for smaller Pokémon like Eevee to enjoy.

  Without hesitation, Naoki got to work.

  He carefully scooped out the carrot flesh using a spoon and a knife, saving the pieces for ter. Ohe inside was hollowed out, he enlisted Koraidon to load the remaining shell onto his pickup truck.

  Hopping into the driver's seat, Naoki set off for Kelly's workshop.

  Naoki remembered seeing her expertly preserve pumpkins to create nterns that stayed fresh for months. He figured she could use the same method to treat the carrot shell.

  The drive to Kelly's was about ten minutes.

  Pulling up in front of her workshop, Naoki found Kelly busy with carpentry work he door.

  Kelly looked up, surprised to see him. "Naoki? What brings you here today?"

  Naoki and Koraidon unloaded the giant carrot from the truck as Naoki expined his pn. "I was hoping you could help turn this into a carrot house for the Pokémon at my ranch."

  Kelly studied the enormous carrot, nodding in uanding. She wasn't particurly shocked—after all, she'd seen the giant watermelon from Naoki's ranch before.

  Now that she thought about it, these oversized crops were probably the work of Calyrex.

  "No problem," Kelly replied. "It'll take me about three days."

  "Great! I'll e back to pick it up then," Naoki said, nodding. After paying for the service, he was about to leave when he remembered something else he o do— struaterials.

  He had pns to build an expedition guild inside

  the World Tree.

  It was now Mar the 200th year of the Alliance dar. In just four more months, the World Tree would reach its full size.

  Though the tree's growth was ongoing, the ecosystem within it had already stabilized. The vast interior spaces and flourishing enviro made it the perfect pce to establish a base.

  Naoki vividly remembered expl the area with his Pokémon. One space, in particur, stood out—a wide, open field surrounded by forests and kes. It was ideal for building the expedition guild he envisioned.

  However, there was one gring problem.

  Naoki had no experieh stru. Building aire guild, plete with multiple buildings, was far beyond his abilities.

  After a moment of ption, Naoki turned his attention to Kelly.

  Kelly noticed his expression and tilted her head slightly. "What's wrong? Is there something else you need?"

  Naoki nodded, his tone serious. "Yes, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you."

  Surprised by his seriousness, Kelly raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"

  "I need help strug some facilities. But the location isn't the ranch—it's somewhere else," Naoki expined.

  Kelly looked puzzled. "Are you pnning to open a sed ranch?"

  Naoki smiled faintly. "ly. You'll uand once you see it. e with me."

  Ten mier, Kelly found herself standing in the Distortion World. Floating isnds stretched across a vast expanse of fractured sky, and below her y an endless void.

  Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my goodness…" she murmured, her voice trembling. "What is this pce?"

  Naoki, standing beside her, replied calmly, "This is the Distortion Wiratina's domain."

  He gestured toward a nearby sky isnd, where a colossal tree loomed. Giratina was absent from the se, likely off patrolling its territory or, knowing its peculiar habits, sg people on the Pokémon forum through its Rotom Phone.

  "Giratina?!" Kelly excimed, a massive metaphorical excmation mark h over her head. "Are you talking about the legendary Pokémon? The ohat surfs the i using Rotom?"

  "That's right," Naoki firmed with a nod. He didn't linger oopistead direg her attention to the enormous tree in the distance. "Do you see that big tree over there?"

  Kelly turo look and gasped. The tree was unlike anything she'd seen before—massive, otherworldly, and imposing.

  "That's where I'd like you to build the facilities," Naoki tinued. "Think of it like the Pokémon Tavern back at the ranch, but designed for the Pokémon who'll live here."

  He eborated further, "The tree is something I pnted a while back. It's special. Though it looks solid from the outside, it's hollow on the inside. I pn to transform its interior into an ecological haven for the Pokémon from the ranch—a pce they explore and enjoy."

  As Naoki spoke, a shadow passed overhead. Giratiurned, its massive form desding with an aura of authority. Its sheer presence was overwhelming, and its crimson eyes sed the se with calm iy.

  Kelly immediately reized it. "That's… Giratina!" she whispered, her voice shaky.

  The legendary Pokémon nded on the nearby sky isnd, its pierg gaze nding on Naoki and Kelly. There was a moment of silence as it tilted its head, clearly curious about the visitors.

  Naoki stepped forward and addressed Giratina. "This is Kelly, a skilled craftsperson I've hired. She'll be w here for a while, helping to struct the facilities oree."

  Giratina seemed to sider this for a moment. Then, with a slow, deliberate nod of its massive head, it returo its resting p the Flower Sky Isnd, curling up peacefully.

  Naoki smiled at Kelly. "All set. You work here without any worries."

  Kelly: "..."

  She g Naoki, her perception of him shifting dramatically. Who could have imagihat their humble, hardw, and unassuming neighbor was someone so… extraordinary?

  Not only had he befriended Calyrex, but he also had a close retionship with the legendary Giratina and could e and go from its domain as he pleased.

  At that moment, Kelly felt an invisible but insurmountable divide between herself and Naoki—a barrier of sheer awe and mystery.

  Naoki noticed the look in Kelly's eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  Kelly murmured, "I'm just… so shocked."

  After a moment, she posed herself. Looking into Naoki's eyes, she asked, "As always, I'll keep Giratina's presence here a secret, right?"

  Naoki nodded with a grateful smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

  Kelly took a deep breath auro her usual posed demeanor. Shifting her gaze to the t tree in the distance, she asked, "So, what exactly do you want to build there?"

  Naoki led Kelly to the top of the World Tree.

  What greeted them was a vibrant, picturesque ndscape.

  The fertile soil gave rise to lush grass, and a serene ke shimmered amidst the dense woods. Mist hently over the water, giving the area an enting, almost otherworldly feel. Moss-covered trees framed the ke, their branches adorned with green vihat swayed in the soft breeze.

  "This pce is stunning," Kelly murmured, captivated by the view.

  Naoki smiled softly aured toward the greenery beh their feet. "This is the spot. By the way, Kelly, have you ever pyed role-pying games?"

  Kelly blinked in surprise before recalling the medieval fantasy games she'd tried on her Rotom Phone. She nodded. "I've pyed a few. Why do you ask?"

  "In those games, there's usually a guild—a pce where pyers take os and tasks from a bulletin board," Naoki expined. "I want to build something simir here. A guild, plete with facilities like a bar and a bulletin board."

  Kelly tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "So… you're pnning to create a role-pyiing for Pokémon?"

  Naoki tinued, "In addition to the guild, I'd like to add Pokémon taverns, cafés, restaurants, warehouses for berries and supplies, item shops for selling useful tools, hospitals for treating injuries, and, of course, pces for Pokémon to rest and sleep."

  Kelly: "…"

  Was Naoki really pnning to py house with his Pokémon?

  Seeing her expression, Naoki smiled and reassured her, "I know it sounds eborate, but I think it'll be perfect for the Pokémon."

  Kelly sighed softly but nodded. "Alright, no problem."

  She gnced around, memorizing the enviro and yout. "I'll start drafting designs this afternoon. Ohe pns are ready, I'll bring them to your ranch for approval. With so many facilities to struct, this will be a rge project. Are you in a rush to have it pleted?"

  Naoki shook his head. "Not at all."

  The World Tree still had a few months before it would reach its full size, so there was no immediate pressure to finish stru.

  "Got it," Kelly replied, thinking carefully. "I'll have the blueprint ready for you tomorrow. The materials we have on hand won't be enough, so I'll o source additional supplies from elsewhere. Once everything is in pce, we'll begin stru."

  "Sounds good to me," Naoki said, nodding in agreement.

  With their discussion cluded, the two left the Distortion World, and Naoki drove Kelly back to her workshop.

  On his way back to the ranaoki begaally assigning roles to his Pokémon for the expedition guild.

  The Indeedee siblings, who served as caretakers for the ranch, were too busy managing things there to move to the World Tree. That meant Naoki her Pokémon to take on the responsibilities at the guild.

  For the Pokémon tavern, the first didate that came to mind was uru —a highly intelligent Pokémon known for its resourcefulness and ability to use tools like a human. With its clever nature and calm demeanor, uru was the perfect choice to ruavern.

  In the Pokémon ahere is a café deep in the forest ruirely by this Pokémon. It specializes in crafting delicious juice from Berries.

  Inspired by this idea, Naoki began pnning roles for the café aaurant at the World Tree. For the Pokémon café, he decided to enlist Shuckle as the barista. Meanwhile, the Pokémoaurant would be led by Mr. Mime as the chef.

  Naoki fondly remembered Mr. Mime in Ash's house. The Pokemon was incredibly skilled—not only adept at ing but also an expert in preparing a variety of delectable dishes. It was the perfebination of housekeeping and ary talent.

  Naoki had already assigned responsibility for the item shop to Pawmot's parents.

  As for the Pokémon hospital, dedicated to treating the injured, Naoki's mind turo several Pokémon renowned for their medical assistance skills.

  He envisioned sey, Blissey, Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, and fey—all only reized as nurse assistants in the Pokémon world. These Pokémon could often be seen helping Nurse Joy in Pokémoers across variions.

  In addition to these helpers, Naoki thought of Clefable, a Pokémon capable of assisting with simple medical tasks. Clefable's acute hearing, said to be so sharp it could detect the sound of a needle dropping from a kilometer away, made it ideal for responding quickly to patients' needs.

  However, many of the Pokémon Naoki envisioned didn't reside in the Paldea region. To recruit them, he would o veo ions. Unfortunately, leaving the ranch wasn't an option for Naoki at the moment; he didn't want to risk his Pokémon feeling lonely in his absence.

  After some thought, Naoki pulled out his Rotom Phone and forwarded the recruitment tasks to the Hero Expedition Team, who were traveling in distant nds.

  Far Away in the Hoenn Region

  In a sprawling green forest of the Hoenn region, three Pokémon from the Hero Expedition Team were resting in a clearing. They shared ripe Berries with a group of wild Pokémon uhe shade of t trees.

  Suddenly, Rotom's phone buzzed to life and floated into the air.

  "A new ission has been received, Rotom!" Rotom chirped.

  "Mew?" Mew, sitting among the group, blinked curiously at the phone.

  Beside it, Teddiursa and Zapdos turheir attention to the Rotom Phone.

  Rotom quickly anized Naoki's requests on the s before reading the details aloud.

  [ission #3: Recruitment Mission]

  Objective: With the stru of an expedition guild, café, restaurant, and other facilities underway at the World Tree, new Pokémon staff are needed!

  Details: Search for Pokémon with an i in mixing Berry juice, and running a café. Ihem to join the World Tree team.

  ission 4: Recruit Mr. Mime

  issioails: This Pokémon excels in household chores and cooking. It is capable of preparing meals for the Expedition Team at the Pokémoaurant. If you enter a Pokémon with a passion for cooking, i to the World Tree to joieam!

  ission 5: Recruit a Fire-Type Pokémon

  issioails: Cooking and lighting bonfires both require the ability to produce fire. A Fire-type Pokémon is essential for these tasks. If you enter a Fire-type Pokémon during your travels that is ied iling at the World Tree, extend an invitation for them to join the unity!

  ission 6: Recruit Doctor and ype Pokémon

  issioails: The Pokémon Hospital at the World Tree is still in need of a few nurses and doctors. If you e across kied Pokémon such as sey, Happiny, Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, or fey, ihem to join the hospital staff to help care for Pokémon in need!

  ission 7: Recruit Pokémon for Farming, Cultivating, and Watering

  issioails: A flourishing farm is beiablished at the World Tree, and Pokémon with farming skills are needed. If you enter Pokémo at cultivating crops, farming, or watering pnts, ihem to settle at the World Tree.

  Suggested Pokémon:

  For cultivating crops (Grass-type Pokémon): Lilligant, Chikorita, Sunflora, or Roselia.

  For farming (Ground-type Pokémon): Diglett, Dugtrio, Mudsdale, Sandssh, Torterra, or Excadrill.

  For watering (Water-type Pokémon): Squirtle, Poliwag, Froakie, or Marill.

  ...

  Bonus Chapter