When Naoki received the bouquet of flowers from his Pokémon, his face lit up with surprise and delight.

  “For me?” he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

  “Pon!”

  “Pawmot!”

  “Awoo!”

  The Pokémon nodded eagerly, their faces glowing with happy, expet smiles.

  Naoki stared at the bouquet in his hands. Never in his life had he imagined he’d be on the receiving end. To him, bouquets were gifts reserved firlfriends, wives, mothers, or teachers. But here he was, holding a beautiful arra from the Pokémon he had raised and cared for.

  Deeply moved, Naoki reached out and patted eaon on the head, hugging them one by oheir thoughtfulness filled him with warmth, and for a moment, he felt like the luckiest man alive.

  “You’re all amazing!” he said with genuine affe, his voice brimming with gratitude. The Pokémon beamed at the praise, their tails wagging and their eyes sparkling.

  As Naoki made his way back to the living room, his steps were lighter, and a cheerful tune escaped his lips. He held the bouquet close, determio pce it in the most promi spot in the house. Though flowers may wither, the bond he shared with his Pokémon was eternal.

  However, as Naoki’s gaze swept over the bouquet, a curious string of information surfaced in his mind.

  [Gracidea: A rare and precious flower. When given to a Pokémon, it alter its form. Humans often gift it in bouquets to express gratitude on signifit occasions like birthdays or anniversaries.]

  “Gracidea?” Naoki murmured, his brow furrowing slightly.

  Wasn’t that Shaymin’s favorite flower? His mind raced with memories of the mythical Pokémon of the Sinnion. Shaymin, known for its unique ability to purify the atmosphere and transform barren nds into lush flower beds, okémon steeped in legends of gratitude and renewal.

  Naoki recalled the Sinnion’s lore: Shaymin was said to appear during celebrations marking the ge of seasons, filling the earth with blossoms as a symbol of gratitude to the heavens. Among all flowers, Shaymin favored the Gracidea, whiabled it to shift from its Land Forme to its Sky Forme.

  A thought struaoki like lightning. If Shaymin migrated when the Gracidea bloomed, what if he pnted a field of these flowers on his ranch? Would it attract a wild Shaymin?

  His heart raced with excitement, but a gside reminded him of the current season. Autumn had paihe ndscape golden, and winter’s icy grip was just around the er. It wasn’t the right time to sow Gracidea seeds. He’d have to wait for spring and summer, the seasons when the flowers thrived.

  Smiling to himself, Naoki made a mental o prepare for spring. For now, he had other matters to attend to.

  Heading upstairs, Naoki powered on his puter and logged into the Pokémon forums. Opening a private chat with Raifort, he eagerly shared the news of Gholdengo’s evolution.

  Raifort’s response came quickly.

  “gratutions, Naoki! I’d love to see Gholdengo with my own eyes someday. Right now, I’m iigating the location of the shrines where the Treasures of Ruin are sealed. Let’s colborate agaihe opportunity arises.”

  Naoki replied with a simple, “Sounds good!” before logging off.

  Then, he called the owner of the antique shop iown and told him the news.

  As promised, Naoki arranged fholdengo to meet the antique shop owner during his afternoon trip to town froceries.

  The moment Gholdeered the antique shop, the shopkeeper’s eyes widened with awe. He paced around Gholdengo, his excitement palpable.

  “It’s incredible... This is Gholdengo!” the shopkeeper excimed, his voice almost trembling.

  He circled the Pokémon, marveling at its golden, radiant body. “This golden sheen, this brilliant glow, this powerful stance—what an absolutely perfeon!”

  He paused dramatically, his eyes gleaming. “My life is plete now that I’ve seen Gholdengo!”

  Naoki couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Isn’t that a bit over the top?”

  “Not at all!” The shopkeeper’s tone was firm, his admiration unwavering. “It’s been a millennium sihe st sighting of Gholdengo, the richest Pokémon. For most, it’s just a legend passed down through stories. People say it’s the ultimate treasure for any explorer—a Pokémon that grant unlimited wealth.”

  Naoki nodded slightly. “That’s true. Gholdengo really does have the ability to create gold s.”

  After fulfilling his promise, Naoki bid the shopkeeper farewell auro the ranch with Gholdengo.

  Back at the ranaoki felt a sense of aplishment. With Gholdengo’s situation resolved, everything seemed peaceful. But then he remembered something critical.

  “Oh no! I almost fot!” Naoki excimed. He gnced upstairs, where seven Eevee eggs rested in their incubators. “The Eevee eggs—it's almost time for them to hatch!”

  From that moment, Naoki kept a close watch over the eggs, eager to witheir hatg.

  ...

  Time flew by, and soon it was the afternoon of August 15th, Year 199 of the Alliance dar. Naoki was i, carefully stirring a pot of chi soup, when suddenly Umbreon came bounding dowairs, excitement radiating from every step.

  “Umbree!” Umbreon barked, its tail wagging furiously.

  Naoki chuckled at Umbreon’s frantic but amusing dash but quickly realized what it meant. His heart skipped a beat. “Are the eggs hatg?”

  “Umbree!” Umbreon nodded enthusiastically.

  Naoki wasted no time. “Indeedee, watch the soup for me!” he called out, before darting upstairs with Umbreon leading the way.

  When Naoki ehe room, the first baby Eevee had already hatched.

  Its big, shiny dark eyes blinked curiously, while its velvety light-colored fur and soft pink paw pads made it look utterly adorable. A small piece of eggshell still rested on its head as it clumsily tried to free itself from the rest of the egg.

  The newly hatched Eevee was irresistibly cute, and Naoki felt his heart melt at the sight.

  He quickly approached, guiding G and Umbreon—who had been vigintly watg over the eggs—closer to the newborn.

  The little Eevee soon male free from the eggshell, then sat on the soft bedding, gazing at Naoki and the two older Eeveelutions with wide, bright eyes.

  “The tail has a jagged edge—this one’s a male,” Naoki noted immediately, reizing its gender from the shape of its tail.

  G, seeing the tiny Eevee, instantly fot any reservations it might have had a out a delighted, “Bu-yi!”

  Umbreon, curious as ever, stepped forward quietly. It she newborn Eevee gently, its witg as it took in the baby’s st.

  Naoki crouched down with a warm smile. “Hello, Eevee!” he greeted.

  The little Eevee looked between Naoki and the two older Pokémon. After a moment of hesitation, it attempted to respond with a high-pitched, “Eevee... Eevee!”

  At that moment, Indeedee—the elder caretaker—ehe room carrying a small bottle of milk, specially prepared for the newly hatched Pokémon. Indeedee had been trained for moments like this and hahe situation expertly.

  Naoki stepped aside, allowing Indeedee to gently feed the little Eevee. As the newborn suckled, Naoki turo G and Umbreon. “This is your little brother from now on!” he announced pyfully.

  However, as soon as he finished speaking, the other six eggs began to crack. Oer another, more baby Eevees emerged, each with bits of eggshell still ging to their heads. They blinked up at the world, their tiny forms radiating curiosity and wonder.

  Naoki quickly realized the scale of the situation. Indeedee alone couldn’t mao care for all of them. He called out to younger Indeedee, "bring a few more bottles of milk—quickly!”

  Soon enough, Indeedee sibling arrived, carrying additional bottles. The st of milk seemed to energize the baby Eevees, who had used up most of their energy hatg. They wobbled toward the bottles, their tiny cries filling the room.

  “Eevee! Eee!” Their voices were sweet and soft, yet brimming with life.

  Several of the baby Eevees scrambled onto Naoki’s legs, eagerly pawing at him as if seeking his help. He found himself juggling bottles while trying to calm them down.

  “Wow,” Naoki muttered with a wry smile. “I’m not even married, and I’m already a stay-at-home dad.”

  He eventually settled on the carpet, cross-legged, with all seven baby Eevees led in his p. As he held them, he carefully attached the pre-prepared nipples to the bottles so they could feed.

  Though he was a bit overwhelmed, Naoki couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of joy. Looking at the tiny, furry Pokémon snuggled against him, their eyes shining with trust, Naoki felt his heart swell with happiness.

  “This,” he thought with a smile, “this must be what it feels like to be a dad.”

  ...

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