Naoki was cautious this time. With so many Pokémon on the ranch, he made sure to make the buns as small as possible to stretch the legendary ingredient. The rainbow feathers from Ho-Oh were rge enough that he mao steam over twenty Sacred Buns.

  Though it wasn't enough to feed all the Pokémon on the ranaoki was tent that the rare ingredient was being put to its best use. Still, a nagging thought lingered in his mind—What if Ho-Oh discovers I made steamed buns out of its feathers?

  Given the lore in the Pokémon games, where rainbow feathers could summon Ho-Oh, it seemed likely the Pokémon might sehe presence of its feather. Naoki grew uneasy. 'Would Ho-Oh e to se for using its feather in cooking?'

  But then, as a chef who loved creating magical dishes, Naoki couldn't help himself. The feather had too much potential to ignore. He soled himself, thinking, 'If Ho-Oh does show up as upset, I'll apologize. It's worth the risk.'

  He admired Ho-Oh's unwavering belief in humanity. Despite leavieak City after humans caused destru, Ho-Oh tio bestow rainbow feathers upon those it deemed kied.

  Carrying the pot of Sacred Buns, Naoki made his way to the Pokémon frolig in the snow. His first stop was with the three Eevee brothers—Freon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon—who hese buns the most to recover from the deficies caused by their premature evolutions.

  Freon, being a Fire-type, stood to gain the most from the Sacred Bun's effects. Jolteon and Vaporeon, while not directly being from the fire-enhang properties, would still see a boost to their physical fitness and strength.

  The three eagerly devoured the buns oer another. Jolteon and Vaporeon didn't exhibit any immediate ges, but Freon's rea was dramatic.

  "Buiyi?!" Freon cried out, spinning around nervously as golden-red fmes erupted from its body, spiraling untrolbly into the air.

  Startled, Vaporeon instinctively fired a Water Gun at its brother, dousing the fmes. White steam hissed and rose into the chilly air.

  But before they could rex, another surge of fmes burst forth, even fiercer than before. Vaporeon prepared tain, but Naoki quickly intervened.

  "Wait. Don't worry. This won't harm Freon," Naoki reassured them.

  "Buey?" Vaporeon paused, watg ily as Freon's fmes tie. It was as though a volo had ignited within Freon.

  Freon's body brimmed with power, its fmes crag with iy. Heat and energy swirled in its chest, and its cheeks puffed up with the pressure of the fire within. Finally, uo tain it any longer, Freo out a resounding cry and unleashed a stream of fmes.

  The r fire took the form of a massive, serpentine bze, cutting through the snowy field aing the grouh it. Jolteon and Vaporeon watched in awe.

  "Bu Yi!" Jolteon excimed. "That's incredible!"

  "Buey!" Freon's face glowed with excitement, clearly reveling in its newfound strength.

  Naoki observed the transformation closely. He realized that the Sacred Bun's energy had supercharged Freon's fmes, f its body to adapt and reach a higher level of power. The e-red fur on Freon's coat now had a darker, richer hue, remi of Entei, one of Ho-Oh's three legendary beasts.

  "Well," Naoki said with a satisfied smile, "it seems the Sacred Bun has worked wonders. Their evolutions are now fully optimized."

  He said goodbye to them and turned around to go to the World Tree to feed the buns to the three Pokémon of the hero expedition team.

  Naoki distributed the three Sacred Buns to the Hero Expedition Team. Zapdos was already waiting by the World Tree, but Mew and Baby Bear were o be seen.

  After calling out to them, Mew and Baby Bear appeared, both looking cheerful aed. Eaon received one Sacred Bun, and Naoki cpped his hands in satisfa.

  Ohe buns were handed out, Naoki asked curiously, "Where were you just now? I didn't see you iree."

  "Miu!" Mew giggled mischievously, thes Teleport move.

  In an instant, Naoki found himself in a cozy wooden room filled with toys of all shapes and sizes. The surroundings were warm and inviting, yet distinctly part of the World Tree.

  When Naoki noticed the pyful decor, he immediately realized, "Is this the secret base you built with your Hidden Power?"

  "Miu!" Mew nodded enthusiastically, its tiny face lighting up with pride. Baby Bear chimed in with aed "Teddi~," clearly eager for Naoki's approval.

  Naoki looked around the room, impressed by their work. "You've done a great job here! I'll make two small beds for you ter so you sleep fortably."

  "Miumiu!" Mew twirled iement, and Baby Bear nuzzled against Naoki, clearly delighted by his promise.

  True to his word, Naoki spent the afternoon crafting two small wooden beds from the leftover materials at the ranch. He delivered the beds to the secret base, and Mew and Baby Bear were overjoyed. That night, surrounded by their toys, the two Pokémo soundly in their new beds while Zapdos rested on a branch outside the World Tree.

  The Hero Expedition Team was finally beginning to feel like a fully-fledged group with a base of operations and sistent supplies. Naoki, however, couldn't help but think of another Pokémon that would make a valuable addition to their team—Hoopa, the Mischief Pokémon.

  Hoopa's ability to travel through its rings and create spatial portals would be a game-ger for the Expedition Team. With Hoopa's help, they could instantly reach distant regions like Sinnoh or Kalos.

  But Naoki khat Hoopa was still sealed in the Kalion. Early the m, he gathered the Hero Expeditioo share Hoopa's story.

  "A long time ago," Naoki began, "there was a desert city in the Kalion where a mischievous Pokémon named Hoopa appeared. Hoopa had the power to summon objects and even Pokémon through its rings. It would often bring food and treasures to the city, making it prosperous and admired by its residents."

  The three Pokémon listened ily, their eyes wide with curiosity.

  Naoki tinued, "But one day, the people of the city wao see Hoopa's full strength. They asked it to battle powerful Pokémon, and Hoopa gdly obliged. Using its immense power, Hoopa defeated many Pokémon but caused massive destru in the process."

  He sighed. "The ey was reduced to rubble. In response, a wise human sealed away Hoopa's true power, f it to live in its smaller, less powerful form. The seal also took away its ability to travel freely through its rings."

  The team listened in awe, processing the tale of the mischievous yet misuood Pokémon. Baby Bear tilted its head and asked, "Teddi?" (What is Hoopa like?)

  Naoki smiled and expined, "Hoopa's personality is a lot like yours. It's pyful, curious, and mischievous, but deep down, it's kied. If you ever meet Hoopa on your journey, i to join your Expedition Team. I think it would fit right in."

  Mew looked a little ed. "Miu?" (Hoopa is so powerful; won't it destroy our ranch?)

  Naoki reassured it, "That's why you o help Hoopa uand the meaning of friendship and responsibility. If you do that, Hoopa will likely be able to trol its powers."

  The prerequisite, of course, was that the Hero Expedition Team would meet Hoopa during their journey.

  When Baby Bear heard that Hoopa needed help, it puffed out its chest with determination. "Teddi!" (No problem! We'll do our best to help Hoopa!)

  Helping Pokémon in need was, after all, the very mission of the Hero Expedition Team.

  After bidding farewell to Baby Bear and Mew, Naoki carried a basket of fruit to the Tropious. While Tropious could sustain itself through photosynthesis as a Grass-type Pokémon, it was important to provide it with real food as well. ing its dietary needs would be irresponsible.

  Upon seeing the basket filled with fresh, juicy fruits, Tropious's face lit up with joy. It let out a cheerful cry of gratitude and buried its head into the basket, mung tentedly.

  Naoki chuckled as he watched. "Eat as much as you like! If it's not enough, there's plenty more at the ranch!"

  With the help of the Gogoats, which emitted powerful Grass energy, the ranch's fruit trees bore fruit remarkably fast. It took only three days for bare brao bee den with ripe, plump produbsp;

  Not far away, the Gogoats were happily mung on their grass dumplings. Seeing all the Pokémon with shiny coats ahy physiques filled Naoki with a deep sense of satisfa.

  After Tropious finished every st fruit in the basket, Naoki bent down to pick it up. Just as he was about to leave, Tropious lowered its long ned gently offered the bananas hanging from its .

  "For me?" Naoki asked, surprised.

  Tropious nodded enthusiastically.

  It then proceeded to detach all five bananas from its ned give them to Naoki. Immediately afterward, its Harvest ability triggered, and two more bananas grew iropious happily offered those as well.

  However, with the ability now in cooldown, no additional fruit grew. Naoki marveled at the sight. Even though he'd withis before, it still felt like magic.

  "Pokémon truly are incredible creatures," he muttered to himself, gazing at the basket now filled with the fragrant, golden bananas.

  [Tropious Bananas: Freshly picked from Tropious, these bananas are sweet and satisfying. Perfect for ary creations.]

  "Thank you! I love these," Naoki said, gently patting the Tropious on the head.

  He bid Tropious farewell auro the ranch, his thoughts swirling with ideas.

  "I wonder what kind of dish these bananas will make," Naoki mused as he headed to the kit.

  After a moment of thought, he decided to prepare a simple yet delectable treat: hot fried bananas.

  First, he peeled the bananas and coated them in an egg wash, followed by a yer of breadcrumbs. Then he heated oil in a pan, waiting until the temperature was just right before carefully pg the bananas into the sizzling oil.

  The bananas sizzled and crackled, turning a perfect golden brown as they fried.

  Naoki turned off the stove, carefully picked up the fried bananas with chopsticks, and arrahem ly on a pristine white por pte.

  [Fried Banana (C)]

  Description: A dish made by frying the fruit harvested from a Tropius's neck. The outer yer is perfectly crispy, while the inside remains soft and tehe sweetness of the banana is banced, making it indulge not cloying.

  Effebsp;Accelerates the growth cycle of Tropius's fruit, allowing it to produce ripe bananas at a signifitly faster rate.

  ent: As the saying goes, "You are what you eat!"

  Naoki stared at the description that appeared in his mind. "Did it really accelerate the growth of Tropius's fruit?" he murmured.

  He thought back to the usual growth cycle of Tropius's bananas. Typically, Tropius's fruits ripen twice a year. In the wild, Tropius spreads pollen from its neck flowers during spring and fall, with the bananas reag full ripeness in summer and winter.

  However, this pace was quite slow pared to the produ rates of other Pokémon. At the ranch, Tropius ed rge quantities of berries daily, and its fruit output often couldn't keep up with its needs.

  Naoki wondered aloud, "How do the Tropius ranches in Alo even turn a profit? They 't possibly sell these bananas at exorbitant prices, they?"

  He dismissed the idea quickly. The Pokédex entry for Tropius mentiohat children in the Alion only es bananas as snacks, which meant they were likely affordable.

  "I wonder how much faster the fruit grows after eating this," Naoki mused. "Could it increase the yield from two harvests a year to three? Or even four?"

  Determio find out, Naoki carried the fried bananas to Tropius and offered them as a treat. Tropius's eyes lit up as it happily devoured the dish. Naoki also distributed the remaining fried bananas to the other Pokémon in the ranch.

  ...

  In the heart of winter, few people veo the tryside, especially trainers. The ranch was quiet, with no visitors aside from the occasional stop by Zack.

  Naoki took advantage of this peaceful time. Aside from feeding the Pokémon, there was no pressing work to attend to. He spent his days lounging indoors, enjoying warm tea, petting his furry panions, and occasionally browsing the i.

  Time passed quickly, and soon it was the end of the 199th year of the Alliance dar.

  O day of the year, Rotom Teologies officially uheir highly anticipated Rotom Phohis revolutionary devibined Pokémon encyclopedia capabilities, unicatioures, and advanavigation into a single portable gadget.

  The Rotom Phone caused an immediate global sensation. In just three days, every unit stocked in major stores was sold out. People rushed to get their hands on the eology. Some bought it for work, others for its photography capabilities, and many parents purchased it as a gift for children about to embark on their Pokémon journeys.

  Those who missed out could only look on with envy, flooding Rotom Teologies with requests for more stock.

  Nikar, the CEO of Rotom Teologies, was taken aback by the overwhelming demand. Though he had expected success, the sheer scale of enthusiasm exceeded all predis. To address the she, he held a press ference, promising that the pany would ramp up produ to ensure everyone could access the new device.

  The success of the Rotom Phone sparked a digital revolution. I panies across all regions noticed the device's potential and scrambled to develop apps tailored for it.

  In no time, a wave of software emerged—unication ptforms, dating apps, current affairs forums, video streaming services, live broadcasting apps, and mobile games.

  ...

  Note:

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