Naoki followed Calyrex's gaze to an open patch of grassnd where a small, delicate sprout stood resiliently against the elements, barely emerging from the earth.

  Despite the chill of wihe sapliais vibrant color, undaunted by fierce winds or heavy rains.

  [World Tree Sapling: A young seedling that has absorbed a signifit amount of grass energy. Due to the nurturing from the Gogoats, it has undergone a uransformation, harb a vast vitality withiimated growth to maturity: another 99,995.5 years.]

  "That's the World Tree," Naoki expined with a smile.

  "World Tree?" Calyrex murmured, slightly taken aback. He shook his head thoughtfully. "I've never heard of such a thing."

  The two walked closer to the sapling, and the trio of Gogoats tending to it raised their heads to greet them.

  "Baaaaa~" (The tree's doing well~) one of the Gogoats bleated cheerfully.

  "Thank you all for your dedication!" Naoki patted its head, then began telling Calyrex about the World Tree's lore.

  "There's said to be a fully grown World Tree in this world, often called the Tree of Beginning."

  "The tree that birthed the world…" Calyrex echoed thoughtfully.

  Naoki nodded, tinuing, "It's believed that the World Tree has been here sihe dawn of time, sharing a bond with a Mew. A Pokémon call it home, and together with the tree, they're protected by legendary guardians."

  The ins of the sapling, however, were harder to expin. Naoki pondered how best to share what he knew.

  Curious, Calyrex turned his gaze toward the sapling, feeling a deep sense of majesty and warmth. Overe by curiosity, he closed his eyes and used his power to glimpse into the future.

  His eyes glowed softly with a faint blue light.

  Through a vision, Calyrex saw the future of the sapling, grown into a t tree reag far beyond the bounds of the ranch.

  So massive had it bee that there seemed no room left on the ground for it.

  With a tremor of the earth, the tree rose skyward with a piece of the earth beh it. Upon reag a certai, it floated there, suspended magically.

  Iure's dim light, Calyrex saw a variety of Pokémon gathered by the World Tree, including a beautiful bird Pokemon with golden-red, fme-like feathers. Each feather radiated brilliant, rainbow-like colors, casting vibrant hues in the sunlight. Wherever it flew, a rainbow trailed behind.

  A mysterious, massive bck dragon like Pokemon with a majestic, dark, and powerful aura. It coiled gracefully atop the World Tree. Alongside it, a humanoid Pokémon with incredible psychic power and a long tail stood, gng around, while a pink, kitten-like Pokémon and a pyful, flying Teddiursa chased after it.

  As the blue glow faded from Calyrex's eyes, the future glimpse ended, and he could no longer see into that distant moment.

  Naoki, meanwhile, had decided how best to expin the ins of the sapling. "To uand this, we should start with the special grass cake I created."

  He anized his thoughts, then tinued, "The grass cake has a unique effect. When a Grass-type Pokémos it, it enhahe growth of flowers, pnts, and trees, even giving them a touagic."

  "Grass cake?" Calyrex sidered, recalling the grass dumplings Naoki had offered before. "Is it also made of grass?"

  "That's right," Naoki nodded. "I make one for you to try this afternoon."

  "I look forward to it." Calyrex smiled.

  Naoki went on, "This World Tree sapling started out as nothing more than a simple Miracle Seed. Are you familiar with Miracle Seeds?"

  Calyrex shook his head.

  Naoki expined, "They're seeds that tain special energy, boosting the power of Grass-type moves for any Pokémon that carries them."

  Calyrex was thoughtful for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the three Gogoats grazing nearby. "So, they buried these seeds in the soil, ate the grass cake, and used their energy to nurture them, causing the seeds to sprout into what we now see as the World Tree?"

  "Exactly!" Naoki nodded, impressed by Calyrex's quiderstanding.

  Calyrex possessed remarkable fht, able to seential dangers and devise strategies well in advance. His wisdom and insight were unparalleled, far beyond what most human rulers could ever achieve.

  "I uand the ins of this tree now," he said thoughtfully, "but I feel it's still in its infand will need a long time to reach full maturity."

  A huhousand years. The vast span of time weighed on Naoki's mind. If left to grow naturally, he realized, he'd long be gone by the time the World Tree reached its full size.

  Just then, Calyrex's eyes lit up with excitement and resolve. "In that case, allow me to help it along!" he decred, his voice filled with anticipation.

  A powerful aura emanated from Calyrex, and with a sweepiure of his arms, he released a wave of energy. Although the force was imme felt gentle—like a warm, refreshing spring breeze.

  Naoki watched as Calyrex jured a radiant green orb of energy. With a wave of his hand, the orb expanded outward, sending waves of light rippling across the pasture. Uhe gentle influence of this energy, the ohered grass burst back to life, and delicate yellow flowers bloomed vibrantly across the field.

  The light tio spread, reag the World Tree sapling and enveloping it. Calyrex then lifted his other hand, and instantly, the sapling began to grow. Fragile branches became strong, new green leaves unfurled, and the slerunk grew taller and sturdier, transf visibly before their eyes.

  Minutes passed, and Naoki noticed a dramatic ge in the numbers representing the tree's growth timeline:

  [World Tree Sapling: It has absorbed a great deal of grass energy and experienced a uation, f extraordinary vitality. Estimated time until full maturity: 99,995 years.]

  [99,970 years...]

  [99,885 years...]

  [99,600 years...]

  The icked doidly, eventually settling at 97,995 years. Naoki was awestruck—Calyrex had accelerated the growth by 2,000 years in just minutes!

  "To think... the World Tree might fully grow within my lifetime!" Naoki thought, feeling a swell of gratitude as Calyrex lowered his hands, visibly weary.

  Naoki stepped closer and asked gently, "How are you feeling?"

  The look on Calyrex's face revealed his exhaustion. "The life force within this World Tree is far beyond anything I've entered. With my strength, this is all I manage for now. It will take me a month to fully recover from the energy I've spent."

  Hearing this, Naoki felt a pang of guilt. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to be so tired…"

  But Calyrex shook his head, a warm light in his eyes as he replied, "Don't feel bad. This was my choice, and it's an honor to be part of something so meaningful."

  "Calyrex…" Naoki was deeply touched.

  He made a quick decision: he would prepare some nourishing treats for Calyrex to help him recover.

  Naoki then led Calyrex to the gss greenhouse for a well-deserved rest.

  The greenhouse was warm and inviting, filled with vibrant flowers on every stand, their gentle fragrance filling the air. Naoki had prepared the space carefully before winter, ensuring it was a cozy sanctuary. Against the left wall, a bookshelf held an assortment of books, ah it sat a plush sofa and a wooden coffee table. In the ter, surrounded by the fl pnts, was an iroable.

  Calyrex settled beside the tea table, and Naoki served him a cup of sweet bck tea and a few delicate treats to help restore his energy. As Calyrex gazed around, taking in the lush greenery and blossoms, he murmured with awe, "The iy of humans never ceases to amaze me. To see flowers blooming in winter without my powers… it's truly remarkable."

  Naoki smiled, joining him at the table. "Yes! The world keeps evolving. Who could have imagihat, thousands of years ter, humans and Pokémon would share the bond they do today?"

  "Yes!" Calyrex took a sip of the sweet bck tea.

  In the warm enviro, surrounded by the fragrance of flowers, he felt both his body and mind rexing.

  The Dragonairs followed Naoki into the flower room, curling up on the sofa with their white bellies exposed, clearly enjoying the cozy warmth.

  As Naoki watched, he calcuted how long it would take for the World Tree to grow.

  Calyrex could shorten the growth period by 2,000 years with each use of his power, but he would need a month to recover afterward. With one month equaling 2,000 years of growth, the 100,000-year timeline would require 50 months.

  With 12 months in a year, that meant the World Tree would fully mature in about four years with Calyrex's help.

  Four years…

  Naoki was more than satisfied with that. inally, he would have never seen the World Tree grow to its full height within his lifetime.

  After a while, it seemed the Dragonairs had drifted off to sleep, curled up fortably. The warm, peaceful enviro erfect for a nap, and the five Dragonairs were sleeping in a delightfully disanized pile.

  Naoki didn't disturb them. He stood, quietly leaving the gss greenhouse.

  Ba the house, he took stock of the supplies and noticed that some seasonings and ingredients had been used up in his absence.

  Taking the opportunity, Naoki called over Cyclizar, hopped on, and rode to Kosaji Town.

  In town, people had already switched to warm winter clothes. Though it hadn't snowed yet, those more sensitive to the cold even had scarves on.

  After restog daily essentials, Naoki visited the seed shop.

  The shop owner, Hugh, greeted him warmly. "Hey, Naoki! Long time no see!"

  Naoki smiled back. "I had some things to take care of, but now I'm back."

  "Ah, got it!" Hugh nodded, uanding. "So, what seeds are you looking for this time?"

  "Carrot seeds—do you have any in stock?" Naoki asked, sing the shelves.

  With the new id snow fields, as well as the ghost fields, Naoki no longer had to worry about food for the Gstrier and Spectrier. He could pnt ordinary carrot seeds there, which would soon grow into ice root and shade root carrots—just what the two horses loved.

  Naoki also remembered Calyrex mentioning that he wao try carrots. Luckily, there were still several regur fields on the ranch where he could pnt carrots for the Calyrex and experiment with different preparations to see if they had any special effects.

  When Naoki mentiohis to Hugh, the shop owner immediately replied, "Yes, of course!" He left the ter and started gathering the seeds, expressing his gratitude to Naoki as he worked. "Thanks to you, my daughter Belle isn't afraid to leave the house anymore!"

  Naoki was a bit surprised but quickly recalled the shy girl who feared going outside, worried that something would harm her. He had suggested giving her a harmless Eevee egg so she could grow fortable around Pokémon from an early age.

  "How's she doing now?" Naoki asked with genuine curiosity.

  Ero beamed, expining, "At first, Belle was very anxious, but after Eevee hatched, she started to e around. One day, Eevee actally wandered outside, and Belle worked up the ce to go after it. In a way, Eevee's been her little hero, helping her overe her fears."

  "That's wonderful to hear," Naoki replied with a smile, picturing the se. A girl once so afraid of Pokémon finally healed through her bond with oruly heartwarming oute.

  After purchasing the seeds, Naoki said his goodbyes and headed toward the that Kelly had built he edge of the forest.

  When he arrived, he found Kelly inside, sketg designs for a new house on a rge notepad.

  Hearing movement behind her, Kelly turned around and greeted him with surprise, "Well, look who it is! It's been a while since we've had a visit from you!"

  Naoki gave a slight nod, as Kelly tinued with a smile, "So, what I help you with this time?"

  "I'm looking to build a couple of spacious stables," Naoki replied simply.

  Kelly raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Stables? Did you catch a horse Pokémon? What kind is it—a Mudsdale or perhaps a Rapidash?"

  Naoki smiled mysteriously. "her!"

  Kelly frowhoughtfully, trying to guess. "Could it be… a Garian Slowpoke?

  Naoki ughed. "Slowpoke isly rideable! As for what kind of Pokémon it is, you'll just have to wait until you e to the ranch."

  "Alright, keepis, are we?" Kelly chuckled a go. She walked over to her designs and held up two stable pns. "Take a look and see whie you prefer."

  Naoki stepped forward, examining both designs.

  The first was a rge, ected stable with ample space, desigo house several horse Pokémon together. The sed design was a cozy, individual stable, a bit like a hut, perfect for housing a single horse Pokémon fortably.

  "This first design," Kelly expined, "is usually fer ranches with multiple horse Pokémon all sharing the same stable area."

  Naoki shook his head. "Let's skip the first one."

  Sirier and Spectrier werely close and had such different temperaments—one calm, the other fiery—they wouldn't be suited to living together.

  "Then the sed design it is," Kelly tinued. "It's spacious on the inside and has a thick hay bed, ideal for keeping a horse Pokémon warm and fortable."

  Naoki nodded, satisfied. "Yes, let's go with the sed one. I'll wo of them."

  "Two stables, huh?" Kelly asked, intrigued. "So, two Pokemon?"

  Naoki nodded in firmation.

  "Alright then," Kelly said, curiosity piqued but without pressing further. "How about I head over to your ranch this afternoon to check everything out?"

  "Perfect."

  With their p for the afternoon, Naoki hopped onto Cyclizar and headed back to the ranch.