September 29, 198 of the Alliance dar – the penultimate day of autumn.

  The air was crisp, and the ranch was starting to show signs of the ging seasons. Yellowed grass stretched across the pastures, and the once-bustling orchard was noeted in a yer of fallen leaves.

  That m, Naoki set out to ihe ranch, preparing for the cold season ahead. Winter was on its way, and with it, the first snow of the season. He knew he had to ensure everyone was ready before the snow began to bhe nd.

  As Naoki walked through the pasture, a chilly breeze swept by, causing some of the Pokémon to shiver. The fur-less Pokémon huddled together briefly for warmth before resuming their pyful anti the grass, unfazed by the cold. Meanwhile, the fluffier Pokémon seemed ued, their winter coats already beginning to grow thicker in preparation for the onths ahead.

  Naoki chuckled to himself as a group of mischievous Pokémon sprinted past him, enjoying the st traces of autumn.

  "The temperature's dropped to 15 degrees already," Naoki thought, pulling his jacket closer. "Acc to the forecast, a cold front will sweep through month, and the temperature's going to plummet."

  By te October or early November, snow would start to fall, c everything in a white bhat would linger for two months. During this time, Ice-type Pokémon would be more active, adding a bit of excitement to the season.

  Naoki was gd they had harvested the st batch of crops a few days earlier, now safely stored in the celr. Since winter wasn't ideal for pnting, he decided to skip sowing even frost-resistant winter wheat this year—he had other pns for the season.

  He now turned his attention to hookémon would spend the winter.

  The Miltank had their cozy Pokémon House. Naoki chuckled at the thought of the carefree Miltank, cozy indoors all winter.

  The Gogoats, with their thick wool coats, were naturally suited to the cold, but Naoki had pns to move them in with the Miltank if temperatures dropped too low.

  Naclstad Diglett had burrowed deep underground, where the earth would ihem from the harsh cold. G, oher hand, needed ra care—being aype, it thrived in freezing temperatures.

  Koraidon, along with his Cyclizar and Pawmot, would stay ihe house with him, snuggled up by the fire. The wild Pokémon Naoki had rescued now lived in specially built s, shielded from the cold winds.

  But there was one group that still worried him: the Psyducks who lived oher side of the river.

  Naoki crossed the river and found the group of Psyducks gathered in their usual disanized huddle. As he munched on a few seed crisps, he asked, "Winter's ing soon, and it's going to get cold. Would you like to e stay with me on the ranch?"

  The Psyducks tilted their heads in unison, blinking at him in fusion.

  "Quack?" one of them asked. (Winter?)

  Naoki sighed. "Yes, it's going to snow soon. The river will freeze, and you won't be able to swim in it."

  Suddenly, one of the Psyducks jumped up and dowedly.

  "Quack!" 'Psyduck's not afraid of the cold!' it decred with glee.

  Another Psyduck chimed in, patting its feathers proudly.

  "Quack!" 'We have feathers!'

  Naoki paused, realizing they had a point. Psyduck, being a Water-type Pokémon, was naturally resistant to cold and Ice-type moves.

  "Fair enough," Naoki ceded with a grin. "But at least let me give you all scarves for the winter."

  The Psyducks quacked in cheerful agreement, bobbing their heads eagerly.

  "Alright, see you soon then!"

  Naoki waved goodbye to the Psyducks, watg them waddle cheerfully back to the river. Satisfied with his preparations for winter, he turoward the beehive. Calling Koraidon over, Naoki asked for help moving the hive to the gss greenhouse.

  The greenhouse, already stocked with flowers and pre-purchased honey, would provide the perfect winter sanctuary for the bee. The trio of bees buzzed merrily behind them as Naoki and Koraidon carefully set the hive ihe warm spabsp;

  "The weather's getting colder, and the flowers outside are withering. From now until spring, this will be your home," Naoki said with a smile.

  "Bzzz~!" The bee hummed happily, their little wings fluttering.

  Pleased to see them tent, Naoki called over Butterfree, who also adored flowers. "You'll stay here too, okay?"

  Butterfree fpped its wings gracefully in agreement.

  Once everything was in paoki returo his room and sat down at his desk to review the year's finances. With more Pokémon under his care, the ranch's expenses had grown siderably. Between building facilities, upgrading furniture, and stog supplies, he had 680,000 Poke Dolrs left in savings.

  "That's not bad," Naoki mused, flipping through his at book. A pn began to form in his mind. "Maybe soon, I ask Kelly to build a multifunal greenhouse. Then I won't have to worry about seasonal pnting."

  The idea excited him. With Gogoat's natural ability to nurture crops, he could experiment with growing rare fruits aables all year round—maybe even ones with unique properties.

  "But there's no rush," Naoki thought. "I'll save that project for spring." After all, he had a trip to the Gar region pnned, and he wasn't sure how long he'd be gone.

  ...

  That evening, Zack came by to pick up supplies.

  As soon as he spotted Naoki, Zack grinned. "Hey, Naoki! Are those pumpkin cookies ready? Thanksgiving's tomorrow and the kids are gonna swarm you for treats!"

  Naoki chuckled. "Of course. I've been baking all month. There'll be plenty for everyone!"

  "Good to hear! I'd hate to see any disappointed kids," Zack said, clearly relieved. "Oh, by the way, has Mayor Thomas dropped by yet? He's been running around towing everything ready for tomorrow."

  Naoki shook his head. "Not yet."

  "Huh, weird," Zack mused. "I just saw him heading this way, so he'll probably be here soon. Anyway, I'll leave the details to him."

  Naoki nodded. "Alright, see you tomorrow!"

  After Zack left with his bag full of goods, Naoki stayed at the ranch for a while. Just a few mier, Mayor Thomas arrived, wearing his usual warm smile.

  "Good afternoon, Naoki!" the old mayreeted cheerfully.

  "Good afternoon, Mayor Thomas!" Naoki replied with a smile.

  "You probably know already, that tomorrow is Thanksgiving!" Mayor Thomas said enthusiastically. "We're gathering everyone—ranchers, farmers, and townsfolk—in the celebration square to enjoy the holiday together. You should definitely join us!"

  "Of course, I'll be there," Naoki replied warmly.

  "Great! The event kicks off tomorrow m and sts until noon. Feel free t your Pokémon along. We'll have a stew pot going in the square."

  Mayor Thomas tinued with a grin, "Everyone will bring their own food—farmers, ranchers, and locals—and at noon, we'll throw everything into the pot and enjoy a big unal meal. If you have any ingredients you'd like to share, bring them along too!"

  Naoki paused for a moment, a curious look crossing his face. Something about this process felt oddly familiar. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Any ingredient is allowed?"

  Mayor Thomas chuckled, though his expression turned slightly serious. "We prefer crops from the nd. Just... no poisonous or odd ingredients, please. There was one year when someone added wild mushrooms, and both people and Pokémon got sick."

  Naoki. "I uand."

  The mayor's face brightened again. "In the past, we celebrated Thanksgiving to give thanks to the nd that sustains us." His voice softened. "But tely, folks have also been giving thanks to the King of Bountiful Harvests. Ever sihey began believing in Him, harvests have beeer than ever!"

  Naoki houghtfully. "The King of Bountiful Harvests is a wonderful Pokémon."

  Mayor Thomas let out a wistful sigh. "I'd love to meet Him one day. But Pokémon like that… they're like myths. Hard to e by."

  Naoki smiled inwardly. 'Not necessarily,' he thought.

  Mayor Thomas shook off his reverie. "Well, enough of that. I'll see you tomorrow at the festival!"

  "I'll be there," Naoki assured him.

  The mayave a warm farewell wave before turning and heading dowh.

  Naoki watched him disappear into the distance. Ohe mayor was gone, he turoward the shrine of the King of Bountiful Harvests led in the pasture.

  It was an uedly toug sight.

  Initially, Naoki had only been ied iwo steeds of the King—Spectrier and Gstrier. Yet, somehow, he had helped spread the influence of the King throughout the Paldea region.

  It felt as though the spirit of the King of Bountiful Harvests could sehe gratitude flourishing here.

  With a reflective smile, Naoki approached the shrianding before it, he csped his hands together in a gesture of resped whispered a quiet, heartfelt prayer.

  "...O great King of Bountiful Harvests, I will sooraveling to the Gar region. I hope to meet you there."

  At the same time, far across the sea in the Tundra of Gar.

  On the vast, snowy pins, the King of Bountiful Harvests, Calyrex, stirred from his slumber. A familiar prayer echoed in his heart, pulling him gently from the depths of his dreams.

  "My little believer..." Calyrex thought to himself with a fond smile.

  A glimmering blue light sparked in his eyes. With this light, he reached through the threads of time and space, his vision s across distant nds to see his young follower.

  Naoki stood before the shrine, hands csped in quiet reverenbsp;

  "...O great King of Plenty, I will soon travel to Gar. I hope to meet you there."

  Hearing this, Calyrex's drowsiness faded instantly, repced by excitement.

  'What?!'

  'My little believer is finally ing to me?'

  Joy bubbled up in Calyrex's heart—a joy he had not felt in many long years. It reminded him of the days when the people of Gar flocked to his sacred grounds to offer their thanks aion.

  His once-quiet heart now brimmed with anticipation.

  'Finally... I have waited for this day.'

  Thanks to this devoted follower, Calyrex's strength had slowly begun to return, bolstered by the power of faith that Naoki carried with him. Though he was far from his flory, his restored strength was enough to awaken a small flicker of hope.

  Yet Calyrex k would not be enough to reuh his two loyal steeds, Spectrier and Gstrier. To do that, he he help of this young believer.

  After basking in the joy of the moment, Calyrex reined in his emotions, donning once more the dignity and elegance befitting a king.

  He whispered softly into the stillness, "I will be waiting for your arrival here."

  ...

  September 30 – Thanksgiving Day

  Naoki awoke early and headed to his celr. He carefully selected twe pumpkins, preparing t them to the celebration square for the festival.

  This was his first time attending a town-wide Thanksgiving celebration, and he was a little unsure of what to expect. After all, this wasn't Stardew Valley. He couldn't just bring something odd—like the mayor's purple shorts—and throw them into a stew, as if this were a lighthearted game. That would be in terrible taste.

  After some thought, Naoki decided the pumpkins would make a good, safe . Simple, ho, and from the heart—just as Larry often said, simplicity is truth.

  At nine in the m, Naoki set off with his entire Pokémon family toward the celebration square.

  He brought along almost everyone from the ranch: the trusty Gogoats, the cheerful Miltank, the pyful Pawmot, Alcremie, G... practically any Pokémon that could walk, hop, or float beside him tagged along.

  As they ambled along the path, Naoki thought it over—maybe bringing everyone was a bit excessive. After a moment's deliberatiouro the rand asked Koraidon to help carry two barrels of barley beer, just in case.

  When Naoki finally arrived at the celebration square, he realized he wasn't the only one who had brought along his Pokémon family.

  Though it was still early and the square was only halfway set up, a bustling crowd of townsfolk and Pokémon had already gathered. Laughter, excited chatter, and Pokémon cries filled the air, giving the whole se a vibrant energy.

  In the middle of the square sat an enormous cooking pot—so massive it looked like it could belong to the Big Bad Wolf himself!

  Naoki stood there, pletely stunned by the sight of the pot. "This... this is way over the top," he muttered.

  Just then, Ivan, who was taking a vacation from his duties, appeared by his side.

  Seeing Naoki's shocked expression, Ivan chuckled, "Heh, not used to it yet, huh? Don't worry. There are a lot of people, sure, but it's just one bowl of stew per person. It's always like this. ht, this is your first time celebrating Thanksgiving here!"

  Ivan then gnced behind Naoki. "Wait... where is your Cyclizar? Don't tell me you only brought Koraidon?"

  Naoki grinned and gave his backpack a pyful pat. "They're all in here!"

  The backpack was stuffed with Poké Balls, each taining one of his cherished Pokémon.

  Still, Naoki hesitated. Could he really let them all out here? What if someo lost or wandered off into the bustling crowd? Or, worse, what if someoh bad iions tried to snatch them?

  Sensing Naoki's , Ivan gave him a reassuring nod. "Yeah, I get it. o rush. Just wait until the party kicks off. The town's got food and snacks specially made for the Pokémon—you'll have an easier time keeping track of everyohen."

  "You're right," Naoki agreed with a relieved smile.

  Ivan cpped Naoki on the shoulder and grinned. "e on, enjoy it! This is the liveliest day of the whole year!"