8:00 am.

  Geeta arrived in Kosaji Town by helicopter.

  As the current Champion of the Paldea League, her responsibilities included not only recruitialents for the League but also maintaining pead stability in the Paldea region.

  After hearing about the fire, Geeta rushed to the town as quickly as possible.

  Upon her arrival, Officer Jenny, who had been overseeing the rescue efforts, immediately approached her to provide a report on the events of the previous night.

  Officer Jenny began, "The fire broke out around four in the m. It was caused by a trainer camping in the mountains whot to properly extinguish their campfire. A few stray sparks ighe dry leaves nearby."

  "At 4:10 am, both the fire department and the police station received emergency calls. By the time the fire brigade arrived, the fire had been burning for 20 minutes and had spread rapidly."

  "The firefighters immediately began trying to tain the bze, but due to the abundanmable material in the mountains this time of year, the fire spread quickly. We were able to create isotion zoo prevent it from reag the town, but it was impossible to fully extinguish the fire quickly."

  Officer Jenated for a moment before tinuing, "In a critical moment, a… well, a person appeared to help. He sent out his Dragonite, which used Rain Dance, and the fire started to weaken."

  "By 6:00 am, the fire had been fully extinguished, and we immediately began seard rescue efforts."

  Geeta listened carefully as she walked through the burned area with Officer Jenny.

  Upon hearing that a trainer's Dragonite had used Rain Dao trol the fire, she couldn't help but ask, "Don't the Pokémon in the fire department know Rain Dance?"

  "Yes, we do have Pokémon that know it," Officer Jenny replied, her expression a little awkward. "But their power wasn't enough. The ce of their Rain Dand the iy of the raioo weak to fully stop the spread of the fire."

  "But this person's Dragonite…" Officer Jenny paused, as if searg for the right words, before tinuing, "It's mastered Rain Dao perfe. This wasn't just an ordinary Rain Da summoned a heavy downpour that covered the entire back mountain. Thanks to that, we were able t the fire under trol quickly."

  Geeta raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.

  "A Dragohat's mastered Rain Dao that level?"

  This was quite rare. Even though Dragonite owerful and rare Pokémoa had entered many Dragonites during her career as a trainer. But most of the trainers she knew focused on moves like e and Dragon Tail rather thaher-maniputing moves like Rain Dance.

  As memories of past battles surfaced in her mind, Geeta houghtfully. "It seems we owe that trainer a great deal of gratitude."

  As they tiheir versation, they ehe back mountain.

  Geeta had mentally prepared herself for a se of devastation—scorched earth, charred trees, aru.

  But what she saw left her pletely stunned.

  The mountainside was covered in a sea of green grass, full of life and vitality.

  Geeta stopped iracks, blinking in disbelief. Something was off, though.

  The grass wasn't natural—it was a Grassy Terrain, an effect created by the trated energy of Grass-type moves!

  She looked up, her eyes sing the entire area, and saw the green energy flowing across the ground, c the forest like a protective b.

  As the wind blew, thousands of bdes of grass swayed gently in the breeze.

  "…What?" Geeta muttered, a question mark practically popping over her head.

  Officer Jenny, seeing the fusion oa's face, quickly provided an expnation. "That Grassy Terrain was also created by that same trainer's Pokémon. I didn't see it myself, but Nurse Joy mentio was three Gogoat w together."

  At this, Officer Jenny smiled, a look of gratitude softening her expression. "Thanks to them, we were able to buy more time for the rescue teams."

  Geeta nodded slowly, uanding more clearly now.

  Grassy Terrain... A move that could restore a Pokémon's health over time.

  She maintained a calm demeanor, but inside, she was utterly astonished.

  What kind of Pokémon could create su enormous Grassy Terrain? tally, Geeta had a Gogoat in her own team lineup.

  But could her Gogoat do something like this?

  The answer, she knew, was no. It simply wasn't capable of produg this level of power.

  "What kind of person is he?" Geeta asked.

  Officer Jenny thought for a moment, and a rare smile appeared on her usually serious face. "He's a very gentle person. He loves Pokémon and runs a ranch here. Oh, and although I've never seen his Gogoat, I've definitely had the goat milk they produce."

  "Not just me—everyone in this town knows about the three Gogoat, because their milk is famous for making people healthier."

  Geeta blinked in surprise. "A rancher?"

  Jenny nodded. "Yes, he came to town in the spring. I heard that he had been traveling the world before settling here. He might have been an excellent trainer before he decided to run a ranch."

  Geeta tried to remain posed. "I see." She made a mental o visit him ter.

  But right now, there were more pressing matters at hand.

  ---

  "e on! Keep going, you're doing great!" Naoki cheered on his Gogoat, who were w hard to maintain the Grassy Terrain. He fed them grass dumplings to keep their strength up.

  In just half an hour, thanks to the power of Grassy Terrain, wild Pokémon were slowly regaining their strength.

  Many of them emerged from the caves they had been hiding in and were discovered by Pawmot and Koraidon, whht them to Naoki's care.

  Now, alongside the Wattrel ailil from earlier, several other injured Pokémon had gathered. There were two Hoppip, a Kricketune, a pair of Jumpluff, three Foongus, and a Skoth with burnt fur and patches of missing hair.

  In addition to these, Koraidon had alsht back a few Pokémon that had tragically lost their lives in the fire.

  The sight of the charred Furret and Lurantis lying silently on the ground brought a somber stillo everyone present—both humans and Pokémon alike.

  Naoki, filled with sadness, tried to revive the Furret with the most potent healing dish he had, but it was no use.

  Their lives had already slipped away. No one could save them, not unless Ho-Oh were here to perform a miracle.

  Koraidon and Cyclizar hung their heads in grief.

  G, usually stoic, looked visibly unfortable, while Pawmot floated in the air, its voice low. "Pammo…"

  Naoki sighed softly. "All we do now is bury them properly ahem rest in peace."

  In the Paldea region, there were no pces like the Pokémon Tower or Mt. Pyre dedicated to Pokémon burial. The best they could do was find a peaceful spot in the forest to y them to rest.

  At that moment, the Gogoat finally couldn't hold on any longer, and the lush green grass c the ground began to fade into sparkling light, disappearing.

  "Thank you for all your hard work! Time for a well-deserved rest!" Naoki gently patted their heads.

  While the other Pokémon tiheir search for any more injured survivors, they found nothing further after a long while.

  Naoki pondered—perhaps all the nearby Pokémon had already mao escape before the fire spread?

  Seeing this, he decided to stop the seard rescue operation. He found a peaceful patch of nd untouched by the fire, dug several small pits, and carefully buried the Pokémon who had passed.

  Pokémon such as Wattrel, Shroomish, and Kricketune looked at the se with sad expressions on their faces.

  Naoki forted them, "Don't worry. They're not truly goheir souls have left these bodies and are beginning new lives. Their forms will eventually return to the world in another way."

  Naoki took on the role of a priest, holding a simple but heartfelt funeral for the Pokémon who had passed.

  After the ceremony, he turo the Pokémon gathered around him and said, "For the time being, you'll all e live with me. I'll make sure you have enough food to get through the winter."

  The Pokémon lowered their heads, their expressions still heavy with sadness.

  They khe truth of their situation. Even if they survived the fire, without help, they wouldn't make it through the cold wihat y ahead. The fire had destroyed everything.

  There was no food left, and their warm s were gone.

  Mino, uo hold bay longer, started g once more.

  'My tree hollow! My hazelnuts and fruits!' it sobbed.

  Naoki sighed and said, "e with me to my ranch. A spring, I'll pnt big trees here again and help you rebuild your home."

  At the mention of rebuilding their home, the Pokémon all looked up, hope starting to flicker in their eyes.

  "Squeak?" asked the Tandemaus pair.

  Naoki wasn't sure what they were saying, but their eager expressions seemed to ask, "Is it really true?"

  He nodded reassuringly. "Of course, it's true. I'll pnt saplings, and before long, they'll grow into tall trees. Then, you return to the forest and live in your new homes."

  Finally, the Pokémon's faces brightehey looked at Naoki with gratitude, their hearts filled with hope once more.

  "Let's go!" Naoki called as he began walking back toward his ranch, a long trail of Pokémon following closely behind him.

  On the way, he ran into Officer Jenny, who was riding her motorcycle.

  Jenny, who was on her way back to the Pokémoer to get more supplies for Nurse Joy, notiaoki and the group of tired, soot-covered Pokémon. A knowing smile spread across her face.

  "Thank you so much," Jenny said with genuine appreciation. "That Grassy Terrain bought us precious time to tihe rescue. The Champion herself has heard about what you did. Once everything is settled, she pns to visit you personally."

  Naoki blinked in surprise. "Champion?"

  Naoki was stunned for a moment before it dawned on him that Geeta, the Champion, was ing to visit him.

  Seeing the surprised expression on his face, Officer Jenny smiled. "Don't be nervous. The chief Champion isn't arrogant. She's actually quite approachable."

  Naoki quickly shook his head, smiling. "I'm not nervous—just a little surprised, that's all."

  Since she had more tasks to handle, Officer Jenny didn't linger long.

  After a brief chat, she turned her attention to the group of wild Pokémon following Naoki. "The seard rescue teams from other cities have arrived, and the townsfolk have alsanized a Pokémon rescue team. The League has distributed a rge amount of supplies. Before the back mountain's ecology recovers, the rescue team will be in charge of taking care of the Pokémon. You send them to the team if you'd like."

  Naoki shook his head, smiling. "No need. I'll take care of these Pokémon myself. They're already more familiar with me. Plus, the ranch had a good harvest this year, so I provide for them."

  Jenny nodded, respeg his decision. "Alright."

  With that, Officer Jen in a hurry, and Naoki returo the ranch with the group of Pokémon.

  The hardest w Pokémon today were undoubtedly the Gogoats.

  The first thing Naoki did upourning to the ranch was fill their troughs with grass balls.

  The Gogoats, smelling the fresh grass, bleated happily as they rushed to the trough, eating hungrily to replenish their energy.

  Naoki cpped his hands, putting the basket aside.

  Now, he o solve the problem of food and shelter for the wild Pokémon.

  Including Mino, Tinkatuff, Tandemaus, Smeargle, and Bellibolt, there were a total of sixteen refugee Pokémon under his care.

  Naoki had hoped to t the Ar among them, but no one knew where it had flown off to.

  The food problem was simple to resolve. The orchard had yielded a bountiful harvest this autumn, and the fruit could be stored to help these Pokémon through the winter.

  As for shelter...

  Naoki thought for a moment before heading to the old house's utility room. He found a hammer, some nails, and wooden boards, and began building sturdy, cozy wooden huts for the Pokémon.

  He installed these small s throughout the orchard, under different fruit trees.

  The Wattrel preferred living in higher pces, so Naoki built its in the branches of one of the fruit trees.

  The other Pokémon didn't have any special preferences, so he pced their s closer to the ground, eae carefully crafted.

  As Naoki walked through the orchard, small wooden s could be seeled among the trees.

  He also lihe insides of the s with windproof and cold-resistant materials, adding thick, soft bo keep the Pokémon warm.

  Ohe s were plete, Mino was the first to try o.

  It crawled into the cozy little , and its burail, now bald from the fire, rested fortably on the plush b beh it. The warmth and softness made Mino sigh tentedly.

  The was eveer than the hollow tree it had once lived in.

  Mino could already imagine how wonderful it would feel to be snuggled up in this little house during winter, especially when the snow fell outside.

  Seeing Mino's tent expression, Naoki smiled. "If you like it, I build you another one ohe back mountain is restored."

  Mino's eyes lit up with surprise and happiness.

  "Alright, have fuling in. I'm going to che the others," Naoki said, moving through the orchard.

  Pokémon like Wattrel, Tandemaus, Skoth, Smeargle, Kricketune, and Shroomish all seemed equally pleased with their new homes, eae expressing gratitude for the shelter Naoki had provided.

  Naoki smiled at their appreciation but didn't say much. He simply assured them they could stay here a without worry.

  , he turned his attention to Bellibolt.

  Due to its rger size, Bellibolt wasn't suited for one of the wooden s. Instead, Naoki led it to the underground cave where Naclstad Diglett lived.

  The cave had an underground ke, and its locatio it warm throughout winter, making it the perfect pce for Bellibolt to stay.

  Once all the Pokémon were settled, Naoki finally had some free time.

  He was standing in the pasture when he suddenly remembered Tinkatuff, who was still resting in the house. Quickly, he hurried back to che the little bcksmith Pokémon, hoping it had recovered some of its strength.