Under Naoki's puzzled gaze, Koraidon began thinking with its not-sht brain.

  It looked at the vibrant Iono, dang cheerfully in the sea of neon lights, then gnced back at Naoki, who stood calmly in front of it. Suddenly, Koraidon realized something—it was too early. Their child hadn't been bor, and Naoki didn't seem tnize Iono.

  "Raao…" Koraidon's head drooped.

  Naoki scratched his head. "Could it be… you did much at noon?"

  It was getting te, and Naoki began to wonder if Koraidon was simply hungry and no longer ied in watg the crowd. "Are you hungry?"

  Koraidon perked up slightly, fog on its stomach. As expected, it heard a low grumble.

  "Raao!" Koraidon nodded enthusiastically.

  Naoki chuckled. "Alright, o stick around here. Let's get our tickets first, and once we're on board, we'll grab something to eat."

  "Raao~!" Koraidon agreed cheerfully, tail swishing.

  Without lingering any longer, Naoki turned away from the lively square, leading Koraidon through the crowd toward the port.

  ...

  After crossing the square, Naoki spotted the t lighthouse standing proudly on the coast. Near it, a brightly lit building stood by the water's edge, with several rge ships docked nearby.

  "That must be the b point," Naoki thought.

  Even at night, the port bustled with life. Travelers carrying luggage prepared to depart, while others arrived in Paldea, eager to explore the region.

  As Naoki approached the b area, he heard the soft, melodic sound of a ship's whistle from the sea—a passenger ship was about to dock. Staff members at the b point busily prepared for the ining passengers.

  Soon, the exit opened, and people and Pokémon of all kinds poured out, carrying rge and small bags.

  Naoki walked up to the ticket ter. "A ticket to the Gar region, please."

  The ticket agent g Naoki and the rge Koraidon by his side, then smiled warmly. "Of course. The passenger ship departs at 7:25 PM for Hulbury in the Gar region. The journey will take about three days. Will you be taking this ship?"

  "Hulbury…" Naoki imagined a bustling port town with markets and seafood restaurants. He nodded. "Yes, that's perfect."

  "That'll be 3,200 Poke Dolrs," the agent said with a polite smile.

  Naoki handed over the money, and the agent gave him a ticket. It was now 7:00 PM, leaving him with about half an hour to board.

  Following the staff's instrus, Naoki and Koraidon made their way toward the docks and boarded the ship without any trouble.

  ...

  The ship wasn't enormous, but its facilities were excellent. It had everything passengers could need: restaurants, a gym, a Pokémon battle arena, a barbershop, and even a trainer exge ter.

  The deck buzzed with activity. Office workers in suits, well-dressed tourists, and young Pokémon trainers filled the ship, some admiring the view of the city's glowing neon skyline, while others dined with their Pokémon in the restaurants below deck.

  Naoki found a cozy spot at a dining table with Koraidon by his side. A uniformed waiter hahem menus.

  "Let's see… Grilled pork cutlet, soy sauce fried rielet rice, sashimi, sushi, ham…" Naoki's eyes wide the variety. "Not bad!"

  He ordered a few dishes he liked and waited with Koraidon and Cyclizar.

  Soon, the food arrived. Naoki took a bite and found it surprisingly good. As he ate, he g Koraidon and Cyclizar and saw they were happily dev their own food.

  Seeing both of them eat with suade Naoki smile. "Enjoy it. We'll be on this ship for three days."

  "Raao~!"

  "Ga-ahoo"

  They both responded between bites.

  The two ate tentedly, their spirits lifted by the good food and the exg journey ahead.

  Just as Naoki lowered his head to focus on his meal, a versation from the table behind him caught his ear.

  "Man, what a bummer! I had to miss Iono's performance just to catch this ship!" one passenger grumbled.

  His friend chuckled. "You're obsessed, huh? But seriously, how old is Iono, anyway? She looks like someone who just started her first Pokémon journey!"

  "No way! I heard Iono became a Gym Leader just two years ago. She was only fifteen at the time! So now she must be about seventeen, almost eighteen, right? Who wouldn't like someohat young and full of energy? That's the charm of Iono!"

  Naoki listened quietly, surprised by what he heard.

  "Eighteen? That's two years youhan me..." he thought.

  But something didn't add up.

  "Wait… If Iono is that young now, wouldn't that mean she'd be around 27 or 28 by the time the events of the game take pce? But she doesn't look that old at all!"

  He scratched his head, puzzled.

  "Do people just not age the same in the Pokémon world? Maybe they stay looking younger longer?"

  Then ahought struck him: "Actually, streaming rules in real life require you to be at least eighteen to go live. And in the game, some NPCs mentiohat Iono has been streaming for many years."

  He calcuted the timeline in his head. "That means she was definitely over twenty during the game's events."

  Naoki shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "Well, it doesn't really matter."

  With that, Naoki finished his meal, brought Koraidon and Cyclizar to the deck, and ordered a couple of gsses of juice. They stretched out on beach chairs, gazing up at the starry night sky, their minds at ease.

  ...

  Three days ter, the ship reached the Gar region on schedule, dog at the port of Hulbury.

  Naoki stepped off the boat with Koraidon, feeling a bit exhausted but excited to explore the new surroundings. The warm breeze leasant ge from the cooler climate of Paldea.

  He wahrough the streets of the port town, taking in the mix of medieval and modern architecture. A tall, stoy wall surrouhe town's edge, giving it a charming, fantasy-like feel. The roads were , lined with guardrails to prevent anyone from falling into the sea.

  Along the way, Naoki passed parks, bustling shops, street stalls, and flower markets. Pokémon uo the Gar region roamed freely, adding to the town's lively atmosphere.

  On a grassy wn, Naoki noticed a Yamper pyfully running around, its tail geing sparks of electricity.

  In the park's trees, a Blipbug crawled along the branches, quietly everything happening below.

  Near a small fountain, a Sobble spshed about, pying with the water while droplets ran down its face—though it wasn't clear if they were tears or just the fountain spray.

  Naoki smiled. "That's Sobble, the Water-type starter Pokémon of Gar. It's pretty cute in person," he thought.

  Without even realizing it, Naoki found himself and Koraidon standing right o the little Sobble.

  The pyful Sobble, sensing a powerful presenearby, stopped spshing and slowly looked up.

  Its wide eyes locked onto Koraidon's intense gaze. For a moment, Sobble froze in pce, overwhelmed by the sight of a rge, unfamiliar Pokémon t over it.

  The little Sobble's body froze, and it began to wail in fear, tears streaming down its fa torrents.

  Seeing this, Naoki quickly k and said gently, "Don't be afraid, it won't hurt you..."

  But just as he spoke, Naoki felt something strange happening.

  Suddenly, his own eyes became watery, and tears flowed untrolbly down his cheeks. He blinked in fusion. "What the...?"

  Behind him, Koraido out a distressed cry. Naoki turo see his Pokémon's eyes brimming with tears as well, even though there was no reason to cry.

  Naoki: "?"

  Taking advantage of the fusion, the patterns on Sobble's body rapidly shifted, blending into the enviro until it vanished pletely from sight.

  "Raao?!" Koraidon excimed, its tear-filled eyes wide with surprise.

  Naoki looked down, realizing Sobble had disappeared entirely.

  Just then, someone was drawn to the otion.

  A tall girl with sun-kissed skin, pierg blue eyes, and the graceful figure of a model approached. She wore a sleek swimsuit, her fident posture radiating calm.

  Her gaze nded on Naoki and Koraidon, both of them still g. With a knowing smile, she expined, "That's a Sobble. It's timid by nature. When frightened, its tears release a powerful tear-indug substahat makes everything around it cry. It uses that moment to escape."

  Naoki turned, his tear-streaked face lighting up with reition. 'Wait... is that Nessa?'

  It was indeed Nessa, the renowned Water-type Gym Leader of the Gar region—and a popur model known throughout the world.

  Naoki blinked, startled to see her up close.

  Nessa gave him a sympathetic smile, notig the tears on his face. "The substance isn't harmful, but I suggest you get checked out at the Pokémoer. Otherwise, you might stay like this for a while."

  Naoki: "…"

  ...

  Ten mier, Naoki and Koraidon arrived at the Pokémoer, still teary-eyed.

  The moment Nurse Joy saw their red, swollen eyes, she immediately uood what had happened. With a warm smile, she pulled out a bottle of eye drops.

  "Here, let's get those eyes cleared up," she said kindly, tilting their heads bad carefully applying a few drops into Naoki's and Koraidon's eyes.

  As the soothing drops worked their magiurse Joy chuckled. "You're from anion, aren't you?" she asked, notig Koraidon. "It's easy to tell—your Pokémon isn't native to Gar."

  Naoki nodded, wiping the st of his tears away as the eye drops took effebsp;

  Nurse Joy gave them a reassuring smile. "Sobble's tears are no joke. They're as tear-indug as a hundred onions. If you get caught in it, you'll cry like there's no tomorrow!"

  Naoki: "…"

  Now, Naoki finally uood why Nessa had suggested going to the Pokémoer.

  Thanks to the eye drops from Nurse Joy, the disfort in his eyes soon faded.

  Naoki rubbed his eyes, gave a grateful smile, and thanked Nurse Joy before leaving the Pokémoer.

  Wheuro the park, Nessa was already gone.

  "I wao thank her!" Naoki muttered with a sigh. He felt a little regret, but since he had other things to do, he decided to let it go. "I'll thank her ime I see her."

  With a new destination in mind, Naoki checked the road signs around Hulbury. Before long, he spotted the dires to the Hulbury Train Station.

  Ten mier, he arrived at the station.

  The friendly ticket agent greeted him with a warm smile. "Where are you headed?"

  Naoki replied fidently, "The Tundra."

  The ticket seller blinked for a moment, surprised. " Tundra?" She smiled and said pyfully, "Oh! You mean the Snowfield?"

  Naoki then realized that he was talking about the name of the Sword and Shield DLC. He nodded embarrassedly: "Yes, it's Snowfield."

  The ticket agent ughed along. "You must be from anion. You don't see Pokémon like that every day!" She gave Koraidon a curious gnbsp;

  "That's right," Naoki replied with a grin. "We're from the Paldea region, heading to visit a friend in the Snowfield."

  "I see! Well, wele to Gar," the agent said cheerfully. "Here's your ticket. Please keep it safe. You'll to board the train at the ptform."

  "Thanks!"

  Naoki ook his ticket, aered the station. Following the signs, he soon found the steam train bound for the Tundra.

  He boarded the train with Koraidon, and before long, the train rumbled to life, moving steadily along the tracks.

  Outside, the sery whisked by in a blur of snowy ndscapes.

  Koraidon and Cyclizar, who had never been on a train before, leaned eagerly against the window, their eyes wide with curiosity as they watched the view speed past.

  Naoki gnced around the carriage and was surprised to find it pletely empty—he was the only passenger.

  "Goodness! Is the Tundra really that unpopur?"

  He sat back, thinking carefully about what he remembered from the Tundra in the game.

  It was a harsh, cion filled with snoed mountains, rugged cliffs, and treacherous terrain. Because of its extreme weather, people lived in small vilges and relied heavily on each other to survive.

  "This pce is no tourist paradise," Naoki thought with a shrug.

  But something still felt odd. The Tundra was known to be home to a ruins, temples, and mythical Pokémoly the kind of destination explorers and relithusiasts would love.

  "Could it be that the cold is just too unbearable?" Naoki wondered. "e on, how bad it be? It's just snow! A few extra yers should do the trick."

  But as soon as the train reached its destination, Naoki learned just how bad it really was.

  As Naoki and Koraidon stepped off the train, an icy wind howled through the station.

  The moment the cold hit, Naoki's entire body stiffened, a out an involuntary shiver.

  "F-F-Fuck, it's freezing!" he stammered, teeth chattering violently.

  The winter clothes he'd brought along were nowhere near enough to withstand the brutal cold of the Tundra.

  He hugged himself, realizing with dread that he'd severely uimated just how harsh this enviro could be.

  Even worse, there were no shops nearby to buy cold-weather gear—just the small station behind him, standing alone against the vast, snowy ndscape.

  Naoki exhaled, watg his breath form puffs of white mist in the air. He forced himself to stay calm, sing his surroundings. As far as the eye could see, the world was bed in snow, with cold-resistant trees sagging under yers of frost.

  In the distance, jagged cliffs stretched upward into the sky, their steep slopes hinting at the region's rugged terrain.

  "The King of Bountiful Harvests should be somewhere around here," Naoki thought, trying to focus.

  But that was the problem—where exactly would the Pokémohe Shrine? Or perhaps hidden in some unmarked cave?

  As Naoki stood p his move, Koraidon nudged him gently, flickering in its eyes.

  Naoki gave the Pokémon a reassuring smile. "I'm okay. How about you? Are you holding up alright?"

  "Raao!" Koraidon nodded enthusiastically, seemingly ued by the cold.

  Naoki gave it an affeate pat. "Good to know. Looks like this weather doesn't bother you at all, huh?"

  Koraidon's warm body radiated heat, providing a wele bit of fort to Naoki iing cold.

  "This kind of weather is no big deal for you, huh?" Naoki grihankful for his sturdy partner.

  Turning his gaze forward, Naoki spotted a signpost by the roadside he station. It poioward Freezington, a small vilge led in the Tundra.

  After a brief moment of thought, Naoki made his decision.

  "Let's head to Freezington first. Maybe the locals give us some useful information," he said.

  With that, Naoki adjusted his scarf, tightened his grip on his bag, and started walking through the snow, Koraidon trotting cheerfully by his side.