High above in the sky, surrounded by shimmering crystal-like snowflakes, Articuno cried out in pain and crash-landed onto the snowy field.
Though the fall didn't knock it out completely, the answer was already clear in Naoki's heart.
Those rare enhancement seeds had truly worked wonders for Sylveon.
Before consuming them, Sylveon had been timid and hesitant. But afterward, it had managed to go toe-to-toe with a Legendary Pokémon like Articuno.
What if it went up against Kyurem next?
Naoki wasn't sure. Compared to Articuno, Kyurem's strength and reputation were in another league entirely. Even though Fairy-types had a natural advantage against Dragons, Kyurem was too powerful to underestimate.
For now, it was safer for Sylveon to spend time getting used to its newfound strength.
Only when Sylveon could master that power fully would it be ready to challenge Kyurem.
"Thank you very much, Articuno," Naoki said warmly.
Sylveon had already finished drinking Life Goat Milk. Naoki walked up to Articuno and gently placed a hand on its forehead. Using his power, he began healing its wounds.
A soft, green light pulsed from his hand, filled with life energy. The radiant glow quickly spread through Articuno's body, healing its injuries with remarkable speed.
In just a few seconds, Articuno was fully recovered.
"Arti?!" the Ice-type cried, startled. But instead of checking its own health, its first concern was Sylveon.
How had that happened? Just one battle ago, Sylveon had been weak and overwhelmed. Yet now, in such a short time, its strength had skyrocketed.
Could it really have been because of… that food?
Articuno's mind flashed back to the steamed buns Naoki had once made for it and Moltres. Those snacks had been strange, but potent. Eating them had noticeably boosted their power.
Zapdos had even said that Naoki possessed a unique ability: food crafted by him could increase a Pokémon's strength.
As that realization dawned, Articuno's gaze turned eagerly toward Naoki, eyes shimmering with intense curiosity and hope.
Even without words, Naoki understood exactly what it wanted.
He stood silent for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Those seeds weren't made by me."
"Arti?" Articuno tilted its head in confusion.
"You know about the Expedition Guild, right?" Naoki asked.
Articuno gave a quick nod. "Arti!"
"There's a dimensional gate inside the guild. It leads to other worlds," he explained. "Those seeds came from one of those worlds. They're incredibly rare, even over there."
"It took the expedition team an entire year of searching to find only a handful," Naoki added seriously.
He could already imagine what Articuno might've done if the seeds were easy to find, it'd probably charge straight into the Mysterious Labyrinth on its own to collect them.
To avoid that scenario, Naoki made sure to explain everything clearly.
Sure enough, once Articuno heard the truth, it gradually calmed down.
It dipped its head slightly to show it understood.
"Arti," it murmured with acceptance.
Naoki let out a small sigh of relief. He turned to Sylveon and smiled.
"Alright, that's enough for today. We won't trouble you anymore, Articuno. Take care!"
With that, Naoki turned to leave, Sylveon happily trotting by his side.
Articuno remained where it stood, watching them disappear into the snowy horizon. Its breath misted in the cold air as it sighed softly.
For a moment, Articuno found itself quietly wishing... that it could be one of Naoki's Pokémon.
...
After leaving Articuno's icy village, Naoki didn't return straight to Tree House Ranch. Instead, he brought Sylveon with him to the headquarters of the Expedition Guild.
He remembered there was Skiddo there, who challenged Kyurem in another world.
And not just once. Since Pokémon in the Mystery Labyrinth are automatically returned to the World Tree when they're defeated, Skiddo had challenged Kyurem repeatedly, wearing it down through sheer persistence.
In short, it had a wealth of experience when it came to facing Kyurem.
The guild was bustling as usual. Pokémon were coming and going, many of them lugging large backpacks filled with supplies from their journeys through the Mystery Labyrinth.
When a few of them noticed Naoki, they immediately ran over with cheerful greetings.
Naoki smiled and waved back at them, then headed deeper into the guild hall. He quickly found Guildmaster and asked about the Skiddo.
"Long time no see, Wigglytuff! Is Skiddo around today?"
"Tuff!" the cheerful Wigglytuff chirped in reply, nodding enthusiastically.
Hopping off the counter, Wigglytuff gestured for Naoki and Sylveon to follow him.
They quickly caught up and followed Wigglytuff through the winding hallways until they arrived at the guild's training grounds, where Skiddo was busy practicing its headbutts against a large boulder.
"Meh?" Skiddo turned around when it heard them approaching, recognizing Naoki immediately.
Naoki stepped forward. "It's like this, Skiddo. Sylveon here wants to challenge Kyurem. So far, only you have actually battled Kyurem here at the World Tree, so we were hoping you could tell us what Kyurem is really like."
"Mehhh?" Skiddo blinked in surprise, looking from Naoki to Sylveon. Then it lowered its head in thought, ears twitching as it recalled the memories.
Back then, it had been exploring a strange and distant dungeon when it accidentally wandered into another world. Deep in a misty valley, it encountered the trio known as the Swords of Justice, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion.
It had heard the legends of Kyurem from them, and with determination in its heart, it had ventured into the frozen lair of the great dragon.
But its strength had been too low at the time. Kyurem had blasted it away with a single terrifying move, and it had been instantly teleported back to the World Tree.
Thankfully, one of the guild's healers was there and nursed Skiddo back to health.
Then Skiddo set off again.
And again.
And again.
Eventually, even the cold-hearted Kyurem had been moved by its unrelenting persistence. In the end, Kyurem acknowledged its courage and honored it as a true companion of the Swords of Justice.
As for Kyurem itself...
"Mehh!" Skiddo bleated. (It's a Dragon-type that can freeze you solid!)
"Booee?" Sylveon blinked. A dragon that can freeze people? No wonder Naoki had brought it to Articuno's icy terrain for special training.
"What else?" Naoki asked eagerly. "What kind of moves does it favor? What was its battle style like?"
Skiddo furrowed its brows, thinking hard, then stomped its hooves: "Meehhh!"
Kyurem could unleash a terrifying move, one that froze the entire battlefield in a flash.
When it used that technique, the whole cave became sealed in ice.
Even the air turned so cold and heavy that Skiddo remembered struggling just to breathe.
"Freeze the cave… and the air itself?" Naoki echoed in surprise after hearing Skiddo's description.
A move like that sparked a thought in his mind. Could it be Kyurem's signature move, Glaciate?
But then again, Naoki frowned. In the games, Glaciate had a base power of just 65 and only 95% accuracy. That didn't match the terrifying effect the little Skiddo had described, something powerful enough to freeze even the air and cause suffocation.
A move like that had to be far stronger.
After all, Kyurem was unique, even among the Tao Trio. Whether in the games or the movie, it stood apart, neither truth like Reshiram, nor ideals like Zekrom. Kyurem was emptiness and solitude incarnate, a dragon lingering between worlds, unshaped by reality or dream.
"Mehh!" Skiddo bleated again, nodding vigorously. That was it, it froze the air! Just recalling the suffocating pressure made the little Pokémon shudder.
After that, it had blacked out from lack of oxygen. When it woke, it was already back at the World Tree.
Naoki fell silent, lips twitching. He could guess what happened. Most likely, Kyurem had been annoyed by Skiddo's endless challenges and decided to teach it a lesson with overwhelming force.
Only… that plan clearly backfired.
Skiddo hadn't backed off, it had returned even more fired up. Kyurem must've decided it wasn't worth the effort to use that move again.
"Fascinating," Naoki murmured.
He remembered the confrontation between Kyurem and Keldeo from the Pokémon Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice. That proud, lonely dragon had a personality, not just raw power.
Still, the Kyurem of this world hadn't appeared yet.
Because Naoki had intervened, changing the fate of Victini and disrupting the Plasma Group's plans, the chain of events had shifted. Alder's Volcarona survived, and with it, Alder stayed active, defending the Unova region and crushing Team Plasma before they could pursue Kyurem.
With Ghetsis and the others imprisoned by Interpol, Kyurem remained undisturbed.
Even so, Naoki had a hunch that if Kyurem did appear in this world, it would be much like the one he remembered: powerful, distant, and not easily challenged.
With the intel they'd gathered, Naoki, Sylveon, and Koraidon left the World Tree and returned to the ranch. The sun was already beginning to dip, casting long golden rays across the fields.
On the walk back, Naoki mentally outlined Sylveon's new training plan.
"Starting today," he said as they approached the ranch gate, "Koraidon will train with you. You've learned a lot of powerful new moves, but you need full control before we face Kyurem."
"Until you've mastered everything, we'll keep up special training. Koraidon, I'm counting on you to help."
"Agashi!" Koraidon nodded firmly, slamming its fists together with enthusiasm.
Sylveon gave a determined little hop and nodded too.
"Booee!" I'll do my best!
Naoki smiled, ruffling both their heads. "That's the spirit."
Just as he turned to go inside and start on dinner, a voice called out behind him.
"Excuse me!"
Naoki turned and saw a young boy jogging up the path. He looked about ten years old, wearing the official orange uniform of Naranja Academy in Paldea. Clearly a beginner trainer.
"Is this… is this Naoki's Ranch?" the boy asked, catching his breath.
Naoki blinked in surprise. "Yes. I'm Naoki."
The boy's face lit up like a sunrise. "Amazing! My name's Saad. I'm your biggest fan! I grew up hearing stories about your travels. Now I'm finally a trainer, and I heard you opened a Brave Trial challenge for rookies, so… I want to try it!"
Naoki: "..."
This… could be a problem.
The Brave Trial wasn't exactly novice-friendly anymore.
...
Bonus @1000 PS
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