As dusk settled over the ranch, the three challengers, now thhly worn out, bid farewell to Naoki. Their bodies showed signs of fatigue, but their spirits were lifted.

  "Goodbye, Mr. Naoki! Thank you so much for your help today! We'll be back if we get the ce!" they said as they waved.

  Naoki gave them a casual wave. "Take care!"

  From the way they looked, it seemed they had learned a great deal from the day's challenges. Satisfied, the three of them departed.

  Naoki turned back to che his Gogoat. After expending all their built-up energy, the three Gogoat seemed tent, rexed, aed.

  Seeing Naoki approach, the Gogoat greeted him with cheerful bleats.

  "Mea!"

  Naoki smiled. "It’s okay, you keep resting!"

  As he made his way back to the house, he thought about the situation with his Gogoat. Whether through battling or dang, both activities helped them release energy, but the effect was always temporary.

  The real challenge y in finding a loing solution. If Gogoat could be pared to a balloon filled with water—where the water represehe Grass-type energy withihen expanding the capacity of the balloon would allow them to hold more energy without needing to release it so frequently.

  Naoki khat if he wanted his Gogoat to stop needing daily battles to expend energy, he’d o improve their physical strength and expand the amount of energy they could store. The only provehods for this in the world of Pokémon were rigorous training and intetles.

  "It would be nice if I could prepare some dishes to help them build their strength," Naoki mused. The special fried rock salt and soil he made for Nacli worked wonders for the Rock-type Pokémon, enhang their strength, but unfortunately, it had no effe Grass-types like Gogoat.

  By now, the day was winding dookémon that had spent the day frolig outside were returning to their s. Koraidon y by Naoki's bed, zily wagging its tail, while Cyclizar and Dragoood by the refrigeratreedily gulping down gsses of tree sap juice.

  Naoki turned his attention to preparing dinner for everyone. As the warm light from the stove flickered, the smell of sizzling food filled the air.

  Smoke curled out of the ey, rising high into the evening sky, while the soft e glow of the setting sun streamed through the window. The entire room was bathed in a warm, tranquil atmosphere.

  While cooking, Naoki’s mind drifted to thoughts of Teddiursa and Mew. It had been nearly half a month since he had st heard from them. He wondered where they were and how they were faring.

  From the messages they had sent and the Pokémon that delivered their updates, Naoki guessed there was a 70% ce that the two were somewhere iher the Kanto or Johtions.

  Thions were far from Paldea and giveime difference, while it was evening here, it was likely te at night over there.

  He imagihat Teddiursa and Mew were fast asleep, perhaps tucked away under a great tree, using Mew’s powers to create a cozy hideout. The two small, furry Pokémon likely slept soundly, led in each other’s warmth.

  Dinner was ready, and the sky outside had turned pletely dark. Naoki, along with his Pokémon panions, began enjoying their meal together.

  ...

  Meanwhile, far away in the Kantion, just as Naoki had predicted, it was already te at night. Waves crashed against the rocky cliffs below, and the vast, deep sea stretched endlessly into the horizon.

  The weather wasn’t ideal. The sky was starless, shrouded in darkness, and the only light in the area came from a lone lighthouse perched on the cliff’s edge.

  Mew and Teddiursa were sitting leisurely atop the lighthouse.

  A few days earlier, they had traveled to this pce. A word from the local Pokémon said that every te night, a mysterious figure appeared on the sea, wandering nearby.

  This unknowure, always shrouded in fog, was massive—like a sea monster—a out eerie, lonely cries.

  A Kingler living by the sea was especially frightened by it. One day, it learned about the retly famous Hero Expedition Team—an adventurous pair of Pokémon known for helping those in need.

  The expedition team, sisting of Mew and Teddiursa, was said to have arrived in the area, and so Kingler sought their help to iigate the mysterious figure.

  Always eager for an adventure, Mew and Teddiursa accepted the mission and statiohemselves atop the lighthouse, waiting for the mysterious Pokémon to appear.

  Just then, they noticed three sneaky figures below.

  It was her than Team Rocket—Jessie, James, ah—sneaking toward the lighthouse. The trio, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched, were clearly up to no good.

  Jessie, croug as she led the way, was already daydreaming, “There must be so many valuable things ihis lighthouse!”

  James, walking beside her, nodded excitedly. “Maybe there are rare Pokémon here, and we catch them all!”

  Meowth chimed in with a grin, “Then we’ll hand ’em over to the Boss, get promoted, and hit the jaeowth!”

  Mew, the trio, tilted its head curiously. “Mew?”

  Teddiursa, however, narrowed its eyes. Having been harassed by Meowth in a previous enter iy, it wasn’t too fond of Pokémon like Meowth.

  What Mew and Teddiursa hadn’t expected was that Meowth could actually speak human nguage! The discovery left the two Pokémon even more puzzled.

  However, their curiosity was interrupted as a thin yer of mist began to rise over the sea.

  Mew suddenly became alert, sensing something. It turned, along with Teddiursa, to see a massive dark shadoroag from the distant waters.

  The figure was far rger than anything they had imagined.

  Even though Mew and Teddiursa had been waiting for this, the sheer size of the shadow still took them by surprise.

  "Mew!" (It's so big!)

  The figure, cloaked in the darkness of the night, was surrounded by a thiaking it impossible to dis any specific details.

  At the same time, Team Rocket, who had been sneaking around below, also noticed the shadow.

  They, too, were stunned, but Jessie quickly saportunity.

  “If we catch this thing and deliver it to the boss,” she said, her eyes gleaming with ambition.

  “Brilliant idea!” James cpped his hands in agreement.

  “Let's do it, meow!” Meowth chimed iedly.

  As soon as the figure reached the coastlieam Rocket sprang into a, sending out their Pokémon to attack the shadow.

  But their reckless as only served to ahe massive creature. With terrifying power, it swatted Team Rocket and their Pokémon away with ease, sending them flying into the distance.

  “We're bsting off agaaaaain!” they cried as they disappeared into the night sky.

  The force of the creature’s retaliation was so immehat the lighthouse Mew and Teddiursa had been perched on began to crumble. Most of the structure was destroyed in the process.

  Mew’s eyes fshed with determination, and it quickly used its psychic powers to lift itself and Teddiursa into the air, just in time to avoid being caught in the destru.

  Then, the bck shadow let out a sorrowful, haunting cry. It slowly turned and begareating bato the sea.

  As the fog lifted slightly, Teddiursa’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the creature’s form through the mist.

  "Ursa" ('Is that… a Dragonite?') Teddiursa was shocked.

  "Ursa!" (How it be so huge?!)