Naoki stood up to see them off; as the truck departed, the ranch returned to its peaceful state.
After a busy day, Naoki felt a bit tired too, so he went to bed early, preparing to welcome tomorrow's event in his best state.
The next day.
Naoki got up early. After he and his Pokémon finished breakfast, the people who received invitations yesterday also began arriving at the ranch.
The first to arrive was Mayor Thomas.
He wore a formal suit today, showing how much he valued today's event.
Naoki welcomed him in, and when Mayor Thomas saw the giant watermelon, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"My God! I swear, this is the first time in my life I've seen such a big watermelon!"
Naoki smiled beside him and said, "You'll get used to it over time."
Then, he told Mayor Thomas about today's preparations and invited him to cut the giant watermelon.
Mayor Thomas happily agreed.
As the start time of the event approached, Naoki planned to let Mayor Thomas sit and rest for a while.
Apart from the watermelon, he also prepared many snacks and treats.
Lucky Pudding, Berry Milk, Honey Bun, Creamy Smoothie...
But to his surprise, Mayor Thomas refused.
He acted like an elder from his own family, helping Naoki welcome guests from the town.
With Mayor Thomas's arrival, it was like a switch was turned on, and people arrived at the ranch in groups of two or three.
The elder from Happy Ranch and his granddaughter Mei, Seed Shop Owner Elo and his wife Abby.
Naoki didn't see their daughter Bell; she must be lounging in her room now.
Then came Ray from Thunder Ranch, Green from Light Green Ranch, the nearby farm owners.
The Elif family from Elif Cherry Garden, Allen riding a Cyclizar, Keri bringing Machamp and Conkeldurr, muscular Zack with a crew cut.
The last to arrive was the kindly looking, gray-haired Mrs. Dantes and her husband.
Naoki saw this amiable elderly lady walk up to him carrying a cloth bag.
Mrs. Dantes beamed and handed over a bag of cookies: "These are little cookies I made this morning. Want to try?"
"Thank you very much." Naoki smiled as he accepted the bag, appreciating Mrs. Dantes's gesture.
This lovable elderly lady often liked making small cookies and snacks to give to Dragonite, who would bring them back to the ranch.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Naoki had Dragonite and Koraidon work together to pick that giant watermelon and carry it over to the lawn.
"Agaaah~"
"Roar~"
The two Pokémon happily obliged. They flew to the farmland and brought back the giant watermelon.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the giant watermelon; they gathered around it, astonished expressions on their faces.
Mrs. Dantes covered her mouth in shock: "Oh my! This is simply unbelievable!"
Ray from Thunder Ranch was equally astonished: "Wha-what a huge watermelon! How did you grow it?"
The elder from Happy Ranch held his granddaughter Mei's hand, speechless at the sight of the giant watermelon.
Mei's eyes were bright, full of admiration: "Mr. Naoki is amazing!"
Elo couldn't help but ask with a trembling voice, "Are those really the watermelon seeds sold from our store?"
"Absolutely, Mr. Elo." Naoki's voice came from the side.
Everyone turned to look at the young man who grew the incredible giant watermelon.
Ray: "How did you do it?"
Looking at everyone's eyes filled with curiosity and amazement, Naoki felt as if he had become a missionary, dressed in robes, holding a Bible, saying to the people "Believe in my Lord for eternal life."
Though awkward, for the sake of the two fine horses, he had to continue.
Naoki cleared his throat and, under the gaze of the crowd, slowly began:
"It was all a blessing from the King of Bountiful Harvests."
"The King of Bountiful Harvests?" As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately responded.
Naoki looked over and found it was Mrs. Green from Light Green Ranch.
He nodded: "The legendary King of Bountiful Harvests, Calyrex, is the embodiment of abundance."
Next, Naoki narrated the legend of Calyrex, focusing on its abilities to make flowers bloom, enrich the soil, and ensure bountiful crops.
"Calyrex is a Pokémon full of love and kindness, able to see everything from past, present, to future, bringing good fortune to those who believe in it."
It's no good, the more he spoke, the more he felt like a fraud... Naoki internally complained.
He lightly coughed, then changed the topic: "Mayor Thomas, let's start cutting the melon!"
Before the crowd could react, Mayor Thomas had already, with a smile, walked onto the high platform.
Holding a watermelon knife, he cut the watermelon while saying, "Let's thank Calyrex for allowing us to enjoy delicious watermelon in this season."
————
The Galar Region, The Crown Tundra.
Suddenly, Calyrex felt a warm power surging within its body.
This feeling was very familiar; long, long ago, it had felt this way before.
It was the power transformed by human faith in it.
Feeling the warmth spreading inside, Calyrex flickered, and then appeared atop an endless, white snowfield.
Its toes gently touched the snow, eyes glowing with blue Psychic light.
Through the distant time and space, it saw a group of humans gathered, seemingly celebrating something, creating a lively atmosphere around them.
And its ever-dedicated little believer stood in front of the crowd, doing his utmost to proclaim its existence.
"...The great King of Bountiful Harvests."
"The embodiment of abundance... Pokémon full of love and kindness..."
"Let's thank Calyrex..."
Hearing these words, seeing that scene, Calyrex was deeply touched.
In its long, long life, this was the first time a human had done such a thing for it.
It couldn't say it wasn't moved.
Calyrex: "Truly unexpected, that little believer trusts me so much."
He was indeed very devout.