It was a peaceful afternoon at Naoki Ranch, a rare occasion when no trainers arrived to challenge the farm.
With no pressing matters, Naoki took the opportunity to sort through the clutter that had piled up in his home.
Not just him, but even Koraidon and the others had become idle.
Inside the house, Eeveelutions and Happiny played a game of hide-and-seek, darting across the stairwells and wooden floors, giggling as they ran around.
Indeedee, who was in charge of housekeeping, watched the noisy Pokémon helplessly, still holding a feather duster in one hand.
Meanwhile, Pokémon that enjoyed the warmth of the sun, such as Leafeon and Sunflora, had wandered outside to bask leisurely in the ranch's lush pastures.
The only exception was Koraidon, who would occasionally wander inside to pester Naoki while he worked.
Sunlight streamed through the large ranch house windows, casting a warm glow across Naoki's wooden desk as he picked up a large box.
Inside, he found postcards and photos imprinted with paw prints, along with a small box filled with colorful stones and marbles.
These were gifts sent back by Mew and Baby Bear, who had been traveling abroad.
After the New Year celebrations, the two Pokémon had set off for the Sinnoh region.
In just a few months, they had visited numerous locations and met countless Pokémon along the way.
As always, they relied on the help of their wild Pokémon friends to send back the photos and treasures they had collected during their journey.
Previously, Naoki had been too busy—either searching for legendary Pokémon like Chien-Pao and Ting-Lu or handling the wave of challengers drawn to the ranch.
But now, with those matters settled and the challengers redirected to Gyms, Naoki finally had the time to sit down and carefully examine the treasures his Pokémon had sent back.
There were plenty of photos, most of them featuring Sinnoh-native Pokémon.
Naoki smiled as he flipped through them, recognizing familiar faces:
A Piplup that once feared water is finally overcoming its fear and diving in again. A Buizel that had gotten lost was reunited with its family, thanks to their help. Two Shellos, who had been struggling with a long-distance relationship due to their different habitats, were finally brought back together across the entire Sinnoh continent.
Among the pictures, one in particular caught Naoki's attention.
It featured an enormous tortoise Pokémon, its massive shell covered in lush greenery—so vast that an entire miniature forest seemed to thrive on its back.
The poor Torterra looked completely exhausted, its posture slumped, weighed down by the sheer number of Pokémon living on its back.
Compared to a regular Torterra, this one was massive.
It had been transformed into a roaming habitat, carrying numerous small Pokémon that had made their nests among the grassy terrain of its shell.
Some of these Pokémon were even born on its back and had never set foot on the ground in their entire lives.
Naoki had once read records compiled by Pokémon scholars.
According to legend, in ancient times, some scholars theorized that a giant tortoise lay beneath the earth, supporting the entire human world on its back.
Looking at the photo of the burdened Torterra, Naoki chuckled.
"I wonder what those scholars would say if they saw this place."
If they ever discovered a real Pokémon village flourishing on the back of a single creature, they would probably be stunned, convinced they had witnessed the rise of Pokémon civilization—an unsolved mystery of the world.
Mew and Teddiursa had helped the Torterra by using Naoki's ranch as inspiration.
By using wood, branches, and soil, they built small homes for the Pokémon, distributing the weight more evenly across its back.
With the burden lightened, Torterra finally straightened up and could walk normally again.
Afterward, it became the guardian of the Pokémon village, continuing to live harmoniously with its tiny inhabitants.
"This is pretty amazing." Naoki mused, flipping through the photos.
Just then, Koraidon wandered in, planning to startle Naoki from behind.
However, seeing Naoki laughing to himself, the curious Koraidon walked up instead.
"Raao?"
Naoki grinned and held up the photo.
"Look at this Torterra."
He began telling Koraidon the entire story.
But Koraidon wasn't particularly interested in the details.
Instead, its sharp eyes quickly turned toward the small wooden box sitting beside Naoki.
It sniffed the air curiously before tilting its head.
"Raao?"
Naoki held up the small wooden box, giving it a shake.
"This? These are the treasures that Mew and Teddiursa have brought back over time."
He smiled at Koraidon, who looked on with curiosity.
"Teddiursa has the Pickup Ability. Pokémon with this ability tend to collect all sorts of things they find on their travels and bring them home to stash away."
As he spoke, Naoki carefully lifted the lid.
Inside, an assortment of rare and curious items sparkled under the afternoon sunlight:
Glistening pearls, Bottles of star-shaped sand, sealed in transparent glass, Shedded scales of a wild Milotic, shimmering with a rainbow-like sheen, Fangs lost in battle by Dragon-type Pokémon
Each item held a small story, remnants of past encounters and adventures.
Naoki picked up a Dragon Fang and inspected it closely.
"I think this is a Dragon type pokemon's Fang," he mused, holding it up next to Koraidon.
If he remembered correctly, Dragon Fang was a held item that increased the power of Dragon-type moves.
Naoki's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"Koraidon, do you want to try wearing it?"
However, Koraidon's expression immediately turned to one of deep disgust.
It snorted and turned its head away with visible disdain—clearly uninterested in wearing the discarded teeth of another Dragon-type Pokémon.
Naoki: "..."
Well, it turns out Koraidon is a bit of a clean freak.
"Alright, alright. No need to wear it if you don't want to."
Naoki set the Dragon Fang aside. There wasn't much need for battle-ready gear on the ranch, anyway.
Just as he was about to close the box, something at the very bottom caught Naoki's eye.
"Huh?"
He reached in and pulled out a perfectly round, smooth, white stone—almost resembling a pearl or an egg.
At first, he thought it was a Pokémon Egg, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was just a stone.
Curious, he pulled out his Rotom Phone and had it scan the item.
A moment later, the screen lit up with the answer:
Oval Stone: A peculiar evolution stone that allows certain Pokémon to evolve. Particularly beloved by Pokémon such as Happiny. If a Happiny holds this item while leveling up, it has a chance to evolve into Chansey.
Naoki's eyes widened in surprise.
"An Oval Stone?"
He suddenly realized that Teddiursa must have found this specifically for him!
Did it somehow sense that Naoki had a Happiny who could use it?
Was this another case of supernatural luck?!
Long live Teddiursa!
Naoki was so overjoyed that he gave Koraidon an excited head pat before jumping to his feet.
Stepping out of his study, Naoki searched for Happiny and quickly found it on the second floor.
The little pink Pokémon was playing hide-and-seek with Eeveelutions and the others, trying to squeeze itself beneath a bed to stay hidden.
When Happiny spotted Naoki approaching, it quickly put a finger to its lips as if to say:
"Happy" "Shh! I'm hiding!"
However, Naoki simply smiled and held out the Oval Stone in his palm.
Happiny froze in place.
"!!!"
Its little pink eyes immediately locked onto the stone, sparkling with excitement.
"Happiny?"
The game of hide-and-seek was forgotten in an instant.
Happiny scrambled out from under the bed, running straight to Naoki, staring in awe at the perfectly round stone.
"Happiny…"
It was beautiful.
Big. Round. Smooth. White.
It was exactly the kind of treasure Happiny had always dreamed of!
"Do you like it?" Naoki asked with a grin.
"Happi!"
Happiny nodded eagerly, eyes gleaming with pure joy.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, it jumped up and hugged Naoki tightly, wrapping its tiny arms in sheer delight.
"If you like it, put it in here!"
Naoki smiled as he helped Happiny tuck the Oval Stone into the pouch on its front.
"If you keep carrying it, maybe before long, you'll evolve into a Chansey. And then.."
Naoki's voice took on an exaggerated, playful tone.
"You'll be able to lay big, round, white eggs yourself!"
"Hap…!"
Happiny froze for a moment, its little pink eyes widening as it began to imagine the glorious future ahead.
A world where soft, warm eggs filled the entire house!
One for Naoki… one for Eeveelutions… one for Alcremie… one for Ogerpon… one for Koraidon… one for Cyclizar…!
I could share them with everyone!
"Haaa-piii~!"
Just thinking about it made Happiny feel so happy that it let out a long, dreamy sigh.
Meanwhile, outside the room, Eevee was still counting.
Once it finished, it trotted into the room to start looking for the hidden Pokémon.
The moment it entered, its sharp eyes immediately locked onto Happiny, who was still standing right in front of Naoki.
Eevee's ears perked up.
"Bu-yi!" (Found you!)
Happiny snapped back to reality.
Oh no! It completely forgot it was playing hide-and-seek!
It shook its head wildly, quickly explaining in an innocent voice,
"Hapi-hapi!" (This doesn't count! Naoki needed to talk to me, so I wasn't hiding properly!)
Eevee narrowed its eyes, suspicious.
It glanced at Happiny.
Then at Naoki.
"Bu-yi?" (Really?)
Happiny looked up at Naoki pleadingly.
Naoki chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I had to talk to Happiny about something important."
Eevee thought about it seriously, then finally nodded.
"Bu-yi!" (Alright then, let's count again!)
With that, it turned around and trotted off to resume its search.
Happiny let out a relieved sigh, then quickly ran off to find a new hiding spot.
Naoki, not wanting to disturb the little ones playing, returned to his desk.
He pulled out his Rotom Phone and typed in a search:
"Chansey evolution method."
A moment later, a page loaded with information:
Chansey – The Egg Pokémon. The evolved form of Happiny, it is said to bring luck to those who encounter it!
Chansey can lay several eggs per day, which are a favorite food of many Pokémon. The eggs are so delicious that even people with no appetite will eat them in one bite.
In the past, excessive hunting of Chansey eggs led to a drastic decline in their population.
Naoki scrolled down, reading more about Chansey's nature.
Despite their gentle temperament, even wild Chansey were known to selflessly share their nutritious eggs with injured Pokémon.
The eggs were so rich in nutrients that they earned the nickname:
"A bite of this, and you don't need a doctor."
In the culinary world, Chansey eggs were considered a high-end delicacy.
As for evolution, Happiny required an Oval Stone, which it had to carry at all times. Over time, it would absorb the energy from the stone and grow stronger, eventually evolving into Chansey.
In game terms, this meant leveling up while holding the Oval Stone.
Naoki pondered for a moment.
"Maybe I should set up a simple training routine for Happiny."
...
Bonus Chapter