Litleo's eyes blinked in fusion, clearly surprised by its sudden recovery.

  The boy holding it had a look of astonishment frozen on his face.

  "Huh? Litleo's wounds… they're healed?!"

  The boy gnced up at the man driving the pickup truck, his expression filled with disbelief.

  That was wheiced the man wasn't traveling alone—his car was filled with Pokémon.

  A group of Eeveelutions crowded the window beside the man, their curious faces pressed against the gss as they observed the boy and Litleo.

  In the back of the truck sat twe Pokémon. The bnized one immediately—it was a Cyclizar, the well-known transportation Pokémon of the Paldea region.

  Sihey were too big to fit in the cab, they had beeed fortably in the back.

  "You're wele," the man's calm voice broke the boy's stunned silence.

  Naoki smiled and g Litleo. "Is it your Pokémon?" he asked casually.

  The boy quickly shook his head. "No, it's not! I just found it in the wild. It was attacked by a Scovilin, so I stepped in to help!"

  "I see," Naoki houghtfully.

  Litleo, realizing it had been saved by this human, nuzzled the boy's cheek gratefully.

  "It seems to like you a lot!" Naoki said with a warm smile.

  The boy couldn't help but smile back. Gently, he patted Litleo's head, feeling a sense of joy as it responded affeately.

  Watg the boy and Litleo i, Naoki couldn't help but think of all the young trainers like Ash in the Pokémon world—kied, brave, and full of potential.

  Without saying anything further, Naoki pressed the accelerator and prepared to leave.

  As the car began to pull away, the boy realized he hadn't thahe ma.

  He ran a few steps after the truck, calling out, "Wait, sir! Thank you so much!"

  But Naoki's voice drifted ba from the driver's seat.

  "o thank me. Just take good care of yourself and Litleo!"

  With that, the pickup truck drove off, leaving the boy and Litleo standing by the roadside.

  The boy watched the truck disappear into the distance before looking down at the Litleo in his arms.

  "Well, you're all better now. It's time for you to head bae," he said gently.

  But Litleo didn't move.

  It remembered the way the boy had saved it from the fierce Scovilin and sought help to heal its injuries. It wasn't ready to leave.

  Litleo looked up at the boy a out a determined cry.

  "Rawr!"

  The boy blinked in surprise as Litleo jumped out of his arms, pawing at the Poké Ball on his belt.

  The red-and-white ball fell to the ground, and Litleo stared at it, then back at the boy with pleading eyes.

  "Rawr!"

  An incredible thought crossed the boy's mind.

  "Wait… do you want to e with me?" he asked, stunned.

  Litleo nodded enthusiastically.

  With trembling hands, the boy picked up the Poké Ball aly tapped it against Litleo.

  The Poké Ball wobbled owice, and then clicked shut.

  The boy stared at it in amazement, barely able to believe what had just happened.

  "Litleo, please take care of me from now on!" he said with a wide smile.

  Ba the Road

  Naoki was in a cheerful mood after helping the young trainer.

  Humming a tune, he drove leisurely along the tryside roads leading back to Kosdaji Town.

  The Rotom Phone in his pocket suddenly rang, interrupting his quiet drive.

  Naoki shifted to steer with one hand while pulling out the phoh the other. The s showed that it was a video call from the Hero Expedition Team.

  "Huh?"

  Answering the call, the s lit up with the familiar faces of Teddiursa and Mew.

  "Teddi!" Teddiursa cried out excitedly.

  "Miu~!"

  As soon as the call ected, Naoki heard Pokémon cries from the other end of the line.

  Before he could say anything, the Rotom Phoransg transtion activated, interpreting the meanings of the two Pokémon's words.

  Teddiursa: "Naoki! We've got new panions ing to live on the World Tree!"

  Mew: "Yes, a lot of new panions this time!"

  "Huh?" Naoki immediately perked up, intrigued. "okémohey?"

  Nearby, a group of Eeveelutions poked their fuzzy heads closer, curious about the versation.

  Teddiursa: "It's Mewtwo!"

  Mew: "And there's Charizard, Golduck, Pikachu, Meowth, and others!"

  "Pfft!" Naoki nearly spit out his water. He stared at the s in disbelief. "What did you just say?!"

  Teddiursa repeated with excitement, "Mewtikachu are going to live with us on the World Tree!"

  The camera oher side shifted, revealing a new angle.

  Standing there, calm and posed, was her thawo.

  Behiwo stood a group of Pokémon—Pikachu, Meowth, Charizard—all with distinct dark markings on their bodies.

  Naoki immediately reized those markings.

  "They're ed Pokémon…" he muttered.

  The iic ses from the movie Mewtwo Strikes Babsp;fshed through his mind.

  If he remembered correctly, that Pikachu was a e of Ash's Pikachu, and that Meowth was a e of Team Rocket's talkih.

  Wait! Weren't Mew and Teddiursa supposed to be traveling in the Hoenn region? How did they end up meetiwo there?

  The Rotom Phone's camera returo foew and Teddiursa.

  Mew floated happily and said, "Mewtwo is bringing Pikachu and the others to the ranch soon!"

  Naoki blihen nodded slowly, trying to process everything. "Alright… I uand. I'll make sure to give them a warm wele."

  In response, Mew let out aed, happy sound: "Miu~!"

  "What about you two?" Naoki asked. "Are you ing back to the ranch with Mewtwo?"

  Mew shook her head. "No! We still have a mission to plete—the one you gave us, Naoki!"

  Naoki immediately uood. "Is it about Jirachi?"

  Mew nodded again. "That's right! We've already heard about Jirachi's location from Pokémo along the way!"

  ", Teddiursa, Zapdos, and I are heading there to find Jirachi and bring it back to the ranaoki, have you figured out a way to help Jirachi yet?"

  Naoki sighed and shook his head. "Not yet. I'll o assess the situation once Jirachi is here and make a pn from there."

  Hearing this, both Mew and Teddiursa nodded in uanding.

  Helping Jirachi riority. First, however, they o locate the elusive Pokémon.

  Jirachi's story was so heartbreaking—a Pokémon that sleeps for a thousand years and wakes up for only seven days. The thought of such loneliness made them determi it back to a safe and loving home.

  After expining their pns to Naoki, the call ended.

  Mew and Teddiursa turo look at Meho stood quietly with its group of ed Pokémon.

  Mewtwo nodded slightly at the two Pokémon.

  After a brief reunion, it was time to part ways again.

  Mewtwo and its panions prepared to fly to the other side of the world, carrying the hopes and dreams of finding a peaceful sanctuary.

  Meanwhile, the Hero Expedition Team—Mew, Teddiursa, and Zapdos—tiheir jourheir eyes filled with determination.

  As they watched Mewtwo and its group fade into the distahey couldn't help but look forward to their meeting.

  ...

  The old pickup truck came to a stop in the pasture.

  The Pokémon, one by one, lined up and jumped out of the truck bed. Naoki waited until they were all safely out before shutting the door behind them.

  To be ho, Naoki couldn't help but feel fused about Mewtwo's decision to settle on the World Tree.

  Although he'd casually mentiohe idea to Teddiursa and Mew in the past, he never expected them to enter Mewtwo so soon. And not only that—they went ahead aended an invitation!

  Now, not only was Mewtwo here, but it had alsht aire group of Pokémon to live on the World Tree.

  Naoki felt a pang of worry. Could Mewtwo and the ed Pokémon ie smoothly with the Pokémon already living oree? Would any flicts arise?

  However, he quickly realized there was no use ihinking it. He resolved to help ease the situation by taking active steps to foster a sense of unity.

  One idea was to have Arboliva and the others anize a wele ceremony for the new arrivals—a gathering that could bring everyoogether ahem bond.

  That evening, after supervising the pletion of stru on the World Tree, Kelly and her Machamp-led stru team returo report their progress to Naoki.

  "Well, everything you requested is finally done," Kelly said with a satisfied grin. "All the facilities you mentioned have been built."

  Naoki raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Already? That's fast!"

  But as he thought about it, he realized it made sense. With the bined effort of Pokémon like Machamps the speed was nothing short of impressive.

  "Great work," Naoki said sincerely, handing over the remaining payment. Though the project had been costly, Naoki k was worth every penny. The dream of creating an expedition guild was now a reality.

  After seeing off Kelly aeam, Naoki asked Indeedee to prepare dinner, while he headed to the World Tree to check out the newly structed facilities.

  Using the World Tree's unique elevator, Naoki asded to the top floor. He stepped into a wooden corridor that glowed faintly with an otherworldly green light.

  The top floor's appearance had pletely transformed.

  In the open grassy area, various wooden buildings were now scattered across the ndscape, each with its own unique design and purpose. The signs on the buildings made their funs clear even at a gnce.

  For instahe Pokémon Item Shop had a sign decorated with cartoonish depis of Moomoo Milk, assorted berries, and various small tools.

  Naoki took a moment to study the items.

  Moomoo Milk—a cssic recovery item for rest Pokémon's energy. Berries—each unique effects, such as status healing or move enha. And other tools like the Everstoo prevent evolution, Fire Stoo unloew potential iain Pokémon, and Miracle Seeds tthen Grass-type moves.

  The thoughtful sign designs ensured Pokémon could instantly reize what the shop offered, even without the need for words.

  Nearby, there were also restaurants, sushi bars, cafés, dormitories, and practice arenas.

  The restaurant's siged food like sandwiches, pancakes, and Pokéblocks.

  The dormitory, with a siguring a simple bed illustration, caught Naoki's curiosity, so he decided to take a closer look.

  Inside, he found something truly remarkable.

  The dormitory wasn't just a generic sleeping area—it had been -designed with the specifieeds of different Pokémon species in mind.

  For small Pokémon like Mino, there were cozy tree holes. Fer Pokémon like Charizard, there were sturdy stoforms to lounge on. For Pokémon like Eevee, there were plush s filled with soft cushions.

  Each habitat was tailored to ensure every Pokémo at home, no matter their size or preferences.

  Naoki couldn't help but smile at the sight. It wasn't just funal; it was heartwarming. The space radiated a sense of care and fort that any Pokémon—or even humans—would find appealing.

  This cozy little , filled with a sense of security and natural charm, looked incredibly inviting!

  If Naoki were a Pokémon, he would absolutely choose one of the tree holes as his home.

  Each tree hole was lined with a soft, furry b, making it feel both safe araordinarily fortable.

  After admiring the dormitory, Naoki stepped outside once more.

  The yout of the area was beautifully desighe buildings were arranged in a circle around an open space, with the ter hosting a Pokémon park. The park featured benches, streetlights, and even a fountain, creating a seremosphere.

  Stohs wove through the area, eg the facilities to the park and tying everything together seamlessly.

  But what caught Naoki's attention most was the headquarters of the expedition guild located at the heart of the area.

  The guild building was grand and spacious, exuding an air of importahe first thing visitors would notice upoering was a rge ission board. Iure, anyone could post a request there to seek help from other Pokémon.

  Of course, Pokémon couldly read…

  But Naoki thought this wouldn't be a problem. With the help of Rotom phoranstions and updates could be made easily.

  As this thought crossed his mind, Naoki began to sider another batch of Rotom phoo support the guild's operations.

  At that moment, the Pokémon already living on this floor started to notice the new buildings and hurried over, curiosity gleaming in their eyes.

  A lively group of Pokémon gathered: Treecko, Tropius, Tatsugiri, Milotic...

  Tropius arrived carrying the three Tatsugiri on its back. The little Tatsugiris immediately noticed the sushi restaurant's sign and froze i featured an image that looked almost identical to their kind!

  "Tatsu?" The Tatsugiri turo Naoki, tilting their head as if asking, What's this pce?

  Naoki chuckled and expined, "That's the sushi restaurant."

  "Tatsu?!"

  Hearing this, the Tatsugiri squealed with joy.

  They bounced happily toward the restaurant, hopping up and down on the ter iement.

  Curious, Naoki followed it inside.

  The restaurant was simple yet well-equipped. There was a kit, a ter for taking orders, and tables and chairs arranged for ers to dine fortably.

  The ingredients for making sushi were ly anized: seaweed, rice, carrots, cucumbers, and more.

  The seaweed for sushi could be sourced from the waters around Dragonite Isnd, located on the lower level of the World Tree. Meanwhile, rice, carrots, and cucumbers could be grown oree itself through careful cultivation.

  Naoki pohe logistics of running the sushi restaurant. The steps would involve hiring Pokémon employees and teag them how to grow crops and process the ingredients. Only then could the restaurant officially open for business.

  But as Naoki thought about it, the challenges seemed daunting.

  Could Pokémon really learn how to grow rice, process it, and es sistent avaibility?

  To keep the sushi restaurant running smoothly, Pokémon would also o learn how to preserve seeds, pnt seedlings, and properly harvest the crops.

  Naoki sighed softly. It wasn't just about pnting crops—there was also the matter of teag Pokémon how to prepare sushi and up afterward.

  Careful, intelligent Pokémon would be o handle sushi preparation, while Water-type Pokémon would be ideal for washing dishes.

  Running the World Tree's facilities truly relied on Pokémon cooperation.

  Yet, Naoki realized that the current number of Pokémon oree wasn't enough to support the full operation of the expedition guild.

  With only this small group of Pokémon, it was nearly impossible to sustaihing.

  Fortunately, the World Tree would soon wele a new group of residents, which would provide some mueeded extra help.

  Charizard, ales, and Rapidash could assist with fire-reted tasks, while Bstoise and Golduck could use their Water Gun to dishes. Venusaur and Skiddo could help cultivate crops and maintain the fields.

  Sandshrew, Bunnelby, and Mudbray could dig and plow the soil effitly.

  Pikachu and Mareep could gee electricity to power the guild's facilities.

  Oh, and there was also a Wigglytuff!

  Naoki suddenly remembered that there was a Wigglytuff amowo's group of Pokémon!

  This sparked a memory of the Mysterious Dungeon: Explorers of Time game, where Wigglytuff became the president of the guild.

  "Maybe I could replicate that idea," Naoki mused. "Wigglytuff could serve as the guild leader here."

  Naoki paused, imagining the se.

  "…It really does feel like I'm pying house in real life."

  Well, Kelly hadn't misuood him after all—he just wao py house with Pokémon.

  While the imagination was certainly beautiful, reality would depend on how things turned out.

  All these ideas would have to wait until Mewtwo and the others arrived.

  With Mewtwo's incredible flying speed, they should reach the ranch by noon tomorrht?

  Before their arrival, however, Naoki still had a few things to prepare.

  The M

  After finishing his chores on the ranaoki drove into town.

  He roamed through the streets, visiting various stores, and didn't finish his shopping until almost noon.

  He had purchased a wide variety of supplies: different crop seeds, fruit tree saplings, pots and pans, bs, mats, quilts, clocks, rge-scale peion equipment, processing maes, and more.

  Kelly had already structed a mill o the barhe harvested crops could be stored. Pokémon simply o pce the harvested wheat into the mill to produce a heap of flour.

  With the flour, they could use the newly purchased oven to bake bread.

  "Hmm… it seems the World Tree needs more 'produ' Pokémon too," Naoki thought to himself.

  Pokémon like Nacli to help with salt, Appletun for baking pies, Miltank for fresh milk, and Sawsbuck to help harvest tea leaves, berries and pnts.

  Oh, and there was Shuckle, also known as the "automatic juicer."

  By feeding berries to Shuckle, it could produce magical juice that helped restore energy and strength.

  Iingly, Shuckle also secreted a sticky, honey-like substahat, when mixed with its juice, made an even more poteorative drink.

  While Naoki was lost in thought, his Rotom phone buzzed.

  Naoki g the s to see a message from Calyrex.

  "Mewtwo and the others have arrived at the ranch."

  Naoki blinked in surprise.

  "They got here so quickly? As expected of Mewtwo."

  Setting aside his thoughts, Naoki loaded the truck with the supplies he'd purchased and started heading back to the ranch.

  Ten mier, Naoki's pickup truck rolled to a stop on the grassy field of the ranch.

  Before he could even step out of the vehicle, he noticed Mewtwo standing calmly nearby.

  Behiwo was a rge group of Pokémon.

  Around them, Naoki's Pokémon—Pawmot, Cyclizar, Koraidon, Gogoat, Garganacl, and Alcremie—had gathered, curiously the newers.

  Meanwhile, the ed Pokémon and those rescued by Mewteared a bit uneasy in the unfamiliar enviro.

  Only Mewtwo remained calm, its expression unreadable.

  As Naoki stepped out of the truck, Mewtwo's pierg eyes shifted toward him.