This Pokémon had finally found the o was searg for.

  Flutter Mane looked at the familiar Koraidon in the photo and was flooded with memories.

  Back then, when the nd was dominated by a brutal and powerful Koraidon. Even its owory had been cimed by that fearsome Koraidon who had won a fierce battle to take it. Defeated and desperate, Flutter Mane had been on the verge of fleeing—until a remarkable Koraidon arrived.

  The new Koraidon fought an intetle with the dominant Koraidon, ultimately emerging victorious. Just when Flutter Mahought its territory was about to ge hands yet again, the victorious Koraidon simply looked at it, then turned and walked away without a word.

  fused, Flutter Mane recimed its territory, unsure why the Koraidon had shown mercy. However, its peace was short-lived. Another formidable Pokémon soon arrived, and after a desperate struggle, Flutter Mane once again lost its home, forced to flee in fear.

  After wandering aimlessly for a while, Flutter Mane crossed paths with the special Koraidon once more. It watched from a distance as this Koraidon wahrough the nd, stantly fighting for survival. The Koraidon would stumble into other Pokémon's territories, battle fiercely, and often find itself in grave danger.

  Throughout all these enters, a shadowy figure was always by the Koraidon's side. It was old and mysterious with white markings that seemed almost spectral. Yet the Koraidon appeared pletely unaware of its silent panion.

  One day, the Koraidon entered a particurly powerful adversary—the very Koraidon that reigned supreme over this nd. Despite fighting with every ounce of strength, the special Koraidon was ultimately overwhelmed, ko the ground, and about to be defeated. Just as the mighty Koraidon raised its fist for the final blow, the ghostly figure stepped forward to shield the fallen Koraidon.

  Flutter Mane was shocked as it watched the ghostly figure exhaust its st remaining energy to protect the Koraidon, sacrifig itself to allow the Koraidon to escape and ultimately turables on its foe.

  At that moment, something awakened in Flutter Mane's heart. For the first time, it felt something beyond survival, beyond the endless cycle of battle—it felt a spark of uanding ahy.

  Curious and moved, Flutter Mane decided to follow the remarkable Koraidon.

  From then on, its life began to ge. It no longer revolved solely around aggressive hunts or brutal territorial skirmishes. There was now something more—a desire to learn and uand.

  Eventually, the Koraidon noticed Flutter Mane's presence.

  In a brief exge, Flutter Mane learhat the Koraidon was searg for someone of great importao this end, it has traveled to almost every p this earth just to find the person.

  To explore the ges it felt in its heart, Flutter Mane had decided to travel with Koraidon to help him find that person.

  Eventually, they arrived at a massive cavern.

  Koraidon sensed a powerful and ominous presence below and asked Flutter Mao wait while it desded alone.

  Flutter Mane agreed, but after waiting a long time, Koraidon didn't return.

  Worried, Flutter Mane finally ehe cavern to search for it.

  However, there was no trace of Koraidon—only a group of shiny, simple-miurtle-like Pokémon.

  At that moment, Flutter Ma a mysterious call.

  Following this faint calling, it spotted a white light ahead.

  With a few fps, it disappeared into the white light. When it opes eyes, it found itself in a new pce, fag twe creatures with hair on their heads.

  They looked almost identical to the ghostly figure it had once seen proteg Koraidon, clearly members of the same race.

  Based on what Koraidon had once mentiohis creature was likely a "human," the very being Koraidon had been searg for.

  Staring at the photo of Koraidon's smile, Flutter Ma a warm sensation in its heart.

  —How wonderful.

  Flutter Mahought with te, genuinely happy for Koraidon.

  Its calm expression softened as it reflected on this moment.

  Suddenly, a surprised cry sounded from behind.

  Startled, Flutter Mane snapped back to reality, realizing it had been spotted by a human.

  Not wanting to linger, it quickly slipped into the shadows and vanished from sight.

  Professor Sada looked at the spot in shock.

  An expression of disbelief appeared on her face.

  "Was Flutter Mane… looking at the photo?"

  At that moment, Professor Turo entered after hearing the otion. "What happened?"

  Professor Sada reted what she had just observed.

  Professor Turo thought for a moment, then looked up at the surveilnce camera in the er of the room.

  Three mier, the two professors were in the monit room, reviewing the footage.

  On s, they watched as the Pokemon emerged from the shadows, drawn to the whiteboard. Its gaze traveled over the various images and then lingered on a particur photograph—one of Koraidon and Naoki.

  Seeing this, Professor Turo furrowed his brow.

  Professor Sada, still stunned, murmured, "Was it looking at Koraidon No 1?"

  "What's going on? Could it be that Flutter Mane and Koraidon e from the same era? Did they actually know each other?"

  Professor Sada's eyes sparkled with excitement. If is true, that would be an incredible discovery!

  "Calm down," Professor Turo said, notig her excitement. "It's possible it was just intrigued by the photo. Paradox Pokémon from aimes have likely never seen anything like it."

  "Just like certain Pokémon that get startled the first time they see their refle in a mirror," Professor Sada aowledged, nodding. She thought for a moment and decided to try a few small experiments first.

  If this Flutter Mane did indeed know Naoki's Koraidon, they might eventually o invite Naoki to the b.

  However, more pressing matters awaited. The vast, mysterious Underdepths of Area Zero held tless secrets yet to be unraveled, and even Professors Sada and Turo, the inal explorers of the region, had yet to find ao many of their questions.

  The two stists had been dug deeper explorations of the Underdepths for weeks, unc new mysteries each day.

  After a night's rest, they packed their equipment at darepared to desd into the cavern once again. But just before they were set to leave, they were stopped by a report from the institute's cafeteria chef.

  "Doctors! There's something strange going on—the institute might be haunted! All the meat and berries I stored in the pantry st night are gohe chef said, looking bewildered.

  Professor Sada raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, gone?"

  "I don't know!" the chef excimed, throwing up his hands. "The pantry door was locked, tightly sealed—no one could have snu. But when I went in this m, all the food was missing! And it was all raw ingredients, too…"

  Professor Sada paused, p. "Iing. Let's take a look at it wheurn from our expedition."

  "Yes, Professor."

  After seeing the chef off, Professors Sada and Turo made their way to the elevator leading into the depths of Area Zero's Underdepths.

  Hidden in the shadows, Flutter Mached the two humans carefully, trag their every move. Silently, it followed, lurking in the darkness as they desded into the deeper levels.

  When the elevator doors finally slid open, Professors Sada and Turo stepped out, prepared to resume their iigation of the immense cavern.

  As Flutter Mane observed this strange and unfamiliar pce, a faint sense nition stirred within it. If it remembered correctly, this was the very spot where it had first entered the cluster of tiny turtle-like Pokémon.

  Back then, these little Pokémon would gather here, basking on the radiant, crystal-covered stones and stretg their necks to drink the dew that dripped from the stactites high above.

  But now, the cavern y silent ay. There was no trace of the turtle Pokémon.

  Flutter Ma a pang of fusion. 'What had happeo the world I onew?'

  While the two humans tiheir exploration, Flutter Mane cautiously flew around, searg the vast cavern. The ges it saw were overwhelming. It had entered a blinding white light, and when it emerged, everything in the world had shifted. Even the air felt different—strange, unfamiliar.

  The more it searched, the more disoriented Flutter Mane became. Eventually, it found itself pletely lost within the byrinthihs of the Underdepths.

  Only when it caught sight of the two familiar figures did Flutter Mane feel a small sense of relief. Not daring to stray far again, it decided to trail closely behind the two humans, hoping they would lead it back to the surface.

  But the professors didn't return to the elevator. They pressed forward, venturing deeper into the mysterious cave system. After what felt like ages of wandering, they finally arrived in a chamber lined with glimmering crystals.

  There, Flutter Mane froze, its gaze locked onto the figure lying motionless on one of the glowing stones—a small turtle Pokémon, its form shimmering as if fused with the crystal itself. Its breaths were faint as if it were lost in a deep sleep.

  ...

  In the blink of an eye, a whole month had passed sihe World Tree st ripened.

  Today was the day Calyrex would once again nurture the World Tree.

  That m, Naoki gathered all the Pokémon on the ranch around the World Tree. Once everyone had assembled, Calyrex gave Naoki a gentle nod and raised His arms.

  In the moment, a surge of powerful Grass-type energy flowed from the Calyrex's body, streaming directly into the World Tree before Him. The tree immediately responded, each of its leaves glowing with a vibrant green light.

  The branches rustled even though there was no breeze, their leaves making a soft, musical sound uhe warm spring sun. The World Tree's trunk grew thicker, its height increased, and the of leaves became even lusher and more abundant.

  Naoki watched in awe as the World Tree transformed before him, and the tree's details appeared in his mind, showing its progression.

  [World Tree: A young tree that has absorbed signifit Grass-type energy. Due to its nurturing enviro and the Gogoat that tends to it, it has undergone a mutation during growth. It holds an immense life force within, preparing to fully mature.]

  As Naoki looked at the tdown, he saw the remaining years needed for the World Tree's growth gradually decreasing:

  [95,995 years… 94,563 years… 94,336 years...]

  "..."

  The number eventually settled at 93,995 years.

  Just when Naoki thought that was it, the number suddenly dropped again:

  [93,995 years → 91,220 years]

  An astonishing leap!

  In one fell swoop, another 2,775 years had been shaved off the growth time.

  'Was this the effect of the leaf cake enhanced with friendship berries?'

  Naoki could hardly believe his eyes.

  With the "growth acceleration" effect of the friendship-infused leaf cake now in py, the World Tree began to hum with renewed life, and its growth reignited.

  The dense foliage of the World Tree suddenly expanded, f a vast green opy. The shade it cast in the sunlight enveloped Naoki and the Pokémoh, providing a ce.

  In an instant, the World Tree surged from just over two meters to more than three, maturing into a flourishing, vibrant tree.

  "Mree…"

  "Pamo..."

  "…"

  The Pokémon gathered around gazed up at the World Tree, murmuring i its sudden growth.

  Even Calyrex looked astonished by the se before him. Then, as if something clicked in His mind, He reached out telepathically to Naoki, asking, "Is this the effect of the leaf cake?"

  Naoki nodded, smiling. "Yeah."

  Calyrex murmured, "It's truly remarkable."

  Just then, a voice sounded from behind them.

  "Is this the power of Calyrex, The King of Bountiful Harvests? It's as incredible as Geeta described."

  Naoki turo see a young woman with long green hair, wearing brown overalls over a khaki high-colred shirt, gazing at the World Tree in awe.

  Notig Naoki's attention, the well-dressed woman smiled, nodded, and greeted him. "Hello, the prodigious taleed by the Chief! I'm Rika, here on behalf of the Paldea League to extend ratitude to you and Calyrex."

  'Rika? The Ground-type Elite Four member of the Paldea region?'

  Naoki was taken aback, but sideria's influence, he uood.

  He returhe greeting politely. "Hello, I'm Naoki, the rancher of Naoki Ranch."

  "The Chief shared everything with me. You're truly impressive! I heard you're incredibly strong!" Rika said with a friendly smile.

  "Uh..." Naoki hesitated, unsure how to respond. Finally, he managed, "No, no, it's really not that grand. I'm just an ordinary rancher."

  Rika raised an eyebrow pyfully. "How you say that! You're far too humble. Well, though I'd love to chat more, I have something important to handle right now."

  She then turo approach Calyrex. Though clearly surprised by its unusual big head, she posed herself and spoke sincerely:

  "Naoki, Calyrex, on behalf of the Paldea League, I formally express our deepest gratitude to both of you."

  Naoki remained silent, but Calyrex beside him responded in a digohere is no need for formality."

  Rika's eyes widened slightly in surprise. 'Did… did the Pokémon just speak?' She had heard of powerful Pokémon with such abilities, but it was rare to witness firsthand.

  However, keeping her posure, Rika tinued, "As a gesture of ratitude, the Paldea League will establish a Shrine of Plenty in the hills behind the ranch to honor the King of Bountiful Harvests for your incredible support."

  Naoki wasn't overly surprised, as Geeta had already briefed him on the pn. But he found it amusing to imagihe future.

  With the Shrine of Plenty in pce, perhaps in a few hundred years, tales of Calyrex breathing life into the fields and forests of these hills would bee a cherished legend. Geions of trainers might journey here to explore the myth—much like how people in the Johtion had built the Bell Tower to honor Ho-oh.

  In time, Calyrex might be revered simirly to the Rainbow Pokémon, with stories of His blessings spreading far and wide across Paldea.