"Hahaha!"

  Seeing the usually serious, little-adult-like Indeedee brother nod in agreement, old man Sato chuckled heartily.

  The two Indeedees turo look at him.

  Old man Sato said, "Alright, alright, looks like I don't o worry anymore. In that case, I'll leave them in your care from now on."

  Naoki nodded fidently, "Don't worry, I will take good care of them."

  Old man Sato addressed the two Indeedees, "Go ahead!"

  The sister Indeedee happily walked over to Naoki, and the brother followed silently behind her.

  Seeing this, Naoki smiled aly reached out to pat the sister's head.

  "Ai ah~" (Happy!)

  When Naoki put his hand on the brother Indeedee's head, he felt the Pokémon's body stiffen slightly.

  "You look so serious, why don't you smile?" Naoki teased with a grin.

  Hearing this, the brother Indeedee seemed startled and looked up.

  Despite his expressionless face earlier, the Indeedee brother had been carefully listening to Naoki's introdu of the ranch, using his psychic abilities to sense Naoki's emotions.

  When Naoki spoke about the ranch, the Indeedee sensed his pride.

  "He must be proud of managing such a big ranch so well," the brother Indeedee thought.

  And when Naoki spoke of the Pokémon on the ranch, the brother felt a deep, genuine joy.

  Naoki's love for his Pokémon ure and uo their strength. Uhe warm autumn sun, the smile on Naoki's face was like a gentle breeze, filling the air with warmth.

  Although the brother Indeedee didn't show any expression, he quietly observed Naoki.

  He felt that this was a day he and his sister would remember forever.

  They had met a human who truly cared.

  After a moment, the brother Indeedee quietly responded, "Aiya..."

  Unfortunately, the transtion seed crisps Naoki had eaten earlier had worn off, so he could no longer uand what the Indeedee said.

  But from the geone, Naoki guessed it wasn't anything like, "I'm born not to smile."

  Seeing how well they were getting along, old man Sato felt reassured.

  He took out a piece of paper from his suit pocket and ha over. "Here's the phone number for the manor. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to call."

  Naoki, thinking of the Indeedees and how they might miss their old home, accepted the number. "Thank you! I appreciate that."

  Old man Sato smiled, leaned on his e, and waved to the two Indeedees. "See you ter, little ones!"

  Naoki stood with them, watg as old man Sato got into the car and drove off into the distance.

  He expected the Indeedees to be sad or need f, but wheurned around, he saw the sister Indeedee looking at him with bright, happy eyes. Even the brother Indeedee, who usually looked so serious, was watg him calmly.

  There was no sadness or relu their gaze.

  Naoki paused, his words of fort stu his throat. Then he smiled warmly and said, "I thought you'd be sad and need cheering up."

  "Ai ah~" (Not at all!)

  "Ai ah..." (Not really...)

  The sister Indeedee beamed, while the brother Indeedee sighed lightly as if to say, "Well, how should I expin this?"

  They had known sihey were young that they would eventually have new human families, so they had been looking forward to it for a long time.

  Naoki ate another piece of transtion seeds and chatted with the two Indeedees on this topic for a while.

  He roughly uood what they meant. Just like the Pokémons, the Pokémon League prepares for rainers, the Indeedees had also beeedly awaiting their rainer, imagining what they would be like.

  The two Pokémon were surprised that Naoki could uand their speech.

  For the first time, the older brother Indeedee showed a look of panic, quickly thinking back to see if he had said anything he shouldn't have. It seemed the only thing he had mentioned was that they shouldn't ioo much emotion in humans when they first meet them...

  The brother Indeedee anxiously asked, "Ai Ai?" (Master, did you hear us talking just now?)

  He worried that Naoki might dislike him because of what he said.

  Naoki blinked aly corrected him, "Don't use 'Master' as a formal title. We're equals here."

  The sister Indeedee chimed in, "Ai eh?" (But isn't that what Mom and Dad taught us? They said the human who takes care of us will be our new master, and we should help him well.)

  Naoki listened patiently, anized his thoughts, and then replied, "Instead of 'master,' I think it's more appropriate to say we're like family. Just like a normal human family, where the care and suppo both ways. You help me with the house, and I take care of you iurn."

  "Ae Ai?" (Is that so?) The younger sister Indeedee looked a bit fused.

  "Yes," Naoki said. He then turo the older brother Indeedee, aiting for reassurance, and asked, "Do you think I'm the kind of person who would abandon a Pokémon just because they're weak?"

  The brother Indeedee was caught off guard but shook his head holy. From what he had observed, it didn't seem like Naoki was that kind of person.

  Naoki smiled. "Then isn't that good?"

  As he spoke, he noticed from the er of his eye that Butterfree, G, Cyclizar, Koraidon, and Dragonite were all hiding and peeking around the er, watg the versation curiously.

  Naoki waved them over. "e on, you don't o hide."

  "This Dragonite," Naoki began, patting the Pokémon on the back, "was very clumsy when it was younger. It only knew a few moves even though, at its age, other Dragonites could use many more."

  He paused and looked at the Indeedees. "By that standard, Dragonite would have been sidered weak, right?"

  Dragonite blinked and tilted its head with a little sigh as if to say, "Hey, I'm not that weak!"

  Hearing this, the two Indeedees looked at the chubby Dragonite.

  Naoki tinued, "But after ing to this ranch, Dragonite slowly grew and has now learned many, many moves."

  "Oooooh!" Dragonite puffed out its chest proudly.

  "And this little Pawmo here," Naoki gestured towards the small Pokémon wearing a bright red cape. "It used to be so weak that it couldn't even stand up to a hen."

  Pawmo nodded enthusiastically and, eager to support Naoki's story, began to tell the two Indeedees about its past:

  "Pawmo Pawmo!" (That's right! I came to the ranch to steal food and was caught by Naoki. I was so scared, but Naoki didn't hurt me. Instead, he adopted me a me stay here! Naoki is the best human ever!)

  Naoki smiled, tinuing, "And now, the once-awmo has transformed into a powerful Pokémon that trol lightning at will—even using it to fly."

  "Pawmo!" Pawmo agreed, eyes shining with determination, as it performed a little superhero takeoff for the two Indeedees.

  The red cape, whiaoki had washed a spotless, fluttered dramatically behind it.

  'Fly? It fly?!'

  The two Indeedees' eyes widened in disbelief.

  They exged gnces, finally starting to uand what Naoki was trying to vey.

  Naoki smiled warmly, then g the other Pokémon around them, pyfully poking the nose of the Dratini that had snuck up o him.

  "If you want to know more, you talk to the others ter," he said with a grin.

  In this way, Naoki hoped the two Indeedees would feel fortable and quickly bee part of life on the ranch, just like all the other Pokémon.