The back mountain in autumn looked quite different from its spring and summer form.

  The leaves orees had started to turn yellow, no lohe vibrant green they had once been.

  Wheumn breeze blew, the dense bushes overhead would rustle, and yellow leaves would swirl in the wind befently falling to the ground.

  A few wild Spinarak were hanging upside down from the treetops, spinning their silk threads. When Naoki passed beh them, the startled Pokémon quickly retreated into the bushes, cautiously watg their surroundings.

  Naoki wasn't too ed.

  He hopped off his trusty Gogoat and walked over te, old tree, where he carefully picked a few mushrooms growing from the dead branches and leaves.

  That's the beauty of autumn, Naoki thought.

  During this harvest season, various types of wild mushrooms sprouted in the back mountain.

  Whether stored as dried mushrooms or used to make a savory soup, they were always a delightful ingredient to have.

  In just an hour, Naoki had gathered half a basket of wild mushrooms.

  There were some he reized, like pori, terelles, Cvariaceae mushrooms, morels, Boletus auripes, and green mushrooms.

  Of course, there were some mushrooms he didn't reize.

  But thanks to his ability he was able to identify the names and properties of the fungi.

  Some of them were highly toxic.

  Initially, Naoki sidered tossing away the poisonous mushrooms to avoid any potential danger.

  But after reading the information provided by his cheat he ged his mind.

  [Red Mushroom: Special ingredient. Highly toxic mushroom. Pokémon will bee poisoned if they eat it. May produexpected effects when used in cooking.]

  "Huh?" Naoki was surprised. "Special ingredient? Does that mean a... poisonous ingredient?"

  This was the first time he'd entered su unusual ingredient.

  The mention of "ued effects" piqued his curiosity.

  What if, I brought it bad experimented with it?

  Even if it's poisonous, the Pokémon just wo it, right?

  Based on his previous experiences in cooking, Naoki suspected that these poisonous mushrooms might be useful in making dishes that enhance poison-type Pokémon.

  "Alright, let's give it a try!"

  He carefully separated the poisonous mushrooms from the others, packed them safely, and put them away.

  After that, Naoki rode Gogoat around the back mountain for a while longer, finally finding the ginger he had been looking for near a damp riverbank.

  The ginger had a very sharp, spicy st. Except for a few specifion, most wouldn't have muterest in it.

  As a result, the ginger patch was still almost untouched.

  Naoki dug out the ginger roots, pced them in the basket on Gogoat's back, and the off back to the ranch.

  For now, he set the wild mushrooms and athered items aside. The most important thing reparing the ginger for tea.

  Naoki opehe kit cupboard and checked. There was still some sugar left—perfeaking tea. It was a leftover from when he and Alcremie had made desserts together.

  It was just enough, which meant he wouldn't o go into town to buy more.

  As the autumn wind howled gently outside, Naoki and his Pokémon gathered iheir cozy home, preparing to make warm, f brown sugar giea.

  While Naoki prepared the ingredients, a group of Pokémon pyed happily in the living room.

  Naoki could see the Pokémon pying as soon as he gnced up.

  The sounds of the TV, along with the joyful cries of the Pokémon, filled the house, making it feel alive and bustling.

  From time to time, a few Pokémon raised their heads to look over at Naoki, curious about what he was doing.

  Naoki smiled gently at them, theuro his cooking.

  Making brown sugar giea wasn't plicated.

  First, he peeled and sliced the ginger. He then poured water into a pot and brought it to a boil h heat. After that, he added brown sugar and two red dates, lowered the heat, a simmer for twenty minutes. Finally, he added the chopped ginger a cook for another five minutes.

  The result was a beautifully goldehe sweet and spicy aroma filled the air, rising from the pot in warm clouds of steam.

  Naoki took a sip to taste it, and the moment he swallowed, he felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his body from the i.

  "Magic," he murmured.

  He gnced down, and information about the tea appeared before him:

  [Brown Sugar Giea (A): This drink, made with brown sugar and ginger, incorporates the creator's emotions, signifitly enhang its effects.

  Cooking effect: Warmth level 3. When Pokémon drink it, the cold within their bodies is driven away, leaving them physically aionally forted. For a period of time, the efficy of practig moves will be improved. Duration: 12 hours.

  Evaluation: A great way to keep warm—an excellent choice for cold winter days!]

  'Huh?'

  Naoki leasantly surprised. This was the sed dish he had made that incorporated his emotions.

  He reflected on how he felt while making the tea—the tranquility, the peacefulness of the moment, and the warmth from being surrounded by his Pokémon. It had made him feel rexed and cozy.

  Smiling knowingly, Naoki remembered the time he had created a "lucky pudding" for Teddiursa, a dish that had been imbued with eversting luck. Sihen, he had tried to infuse his emotions into his cooking deliberately, but none of those attempts had succeeded.

  That experieaught him that this kind of moment couldn't be forced. If it happened, it was a lovely surprise; if not, there was no reason to be disced.

  "It's ready! e on over!"

  Shaking off his musings, Naoki poured the freshly brewed tea into bowls and lihem up oove. He called out to the Pokémon in the living room.

  Immediately, the Pokémon lined up to get their tea.

  In their minds, anything Naoki made was always delicious.

  Before he could even give instrus, some of the Pokémon eagerly picked up their bowls and drank.

  However, the moment, the room echoed with a chorus of coughing as one Pokémon after another reacted to the ginger iea!

  Obviously, they were all caught off guard by the spicy taste of the ginger.

  Naoki, looking a bit exasperated, said, "You have to drink it slowly!"

  Pawmot's cheeks flushed as it coughed, tears welling up in its eyes.

  "Pawmot." it whimpered softly.

  The two Indeedee siblings had simir reas, their faces sg up in disfort. Brother Indeedee, in particur, frowned deeply, clearly not a fan of the strong fvor.

  Brother Indeedee was about to pin when suddenly, he noticed a warmth spreading through his body from the inside. His frown faded into surprise. "Ai eh?"

  The other Pokémo it too. The spicy sensation began to subside, repced by a f warmth that made them fet about the initial shock.

  Seeing their reas, Naoki smiled. "Feeling warmer now?"

  Cyclizar nodded eagerly, a goofy grin spreading across its face as the warmth took over.

  Uhe curious stares of the Pokémon, Naoki expined, "This is brown sugar giea. It helps drive the cold out of your body, keeps yetting sick, and helps you grow up strong ahy."

  Sister Indeedee suddenly remembered seeing Naoki riding off to the back mountain earlier. She quickly asked, "Ai ei?"

  Naoki chuckled, uanding her question. "Yes, that's right. I went up to the back mountain with Gogoat to find wild ginger just for this tea."

  Upon hearing this, all the Pokémon looked deeply moved.

  The tea, infused with Naoki's emotions, carried more than just warmth—it carried care and affe. The Pokémon could feel the meaning behind it as they drank.

  Koraidon, in particur, suddenly felt a lump in its throat. It was overwhelmed with emotion.

  Years ter, even after much time had passed, Koraidon would vividly remember this moment—the day it caught a cold, and Naoki went into the mountains, all to find gio help it feel better.