After deg to create a disguise, Naoki wasted no time.

  That very afternoon, he ordered all the necessary materials for the mask from an online marketpce.

  Three days ter, his package finally arrived.

  May 2nd, Year 200 of the Alliance dar.

  A Pelipper, carrying a rge delivery satchel, desded from the sky, nding in the open fields of Naoki's ranch.

  However, something was off.

  Uhe usual swift and eic delivery birds, this Pelipper looked exhausted, its feathers ruffled and its eyes weary.

  Naoki frowned, stepping forward.

  "What happeo you?"

  Upon inquiring, he quickly learhe reason for the dey—

  The Pelipper had been attacked by wild Pokémon during its journey!

  Despite the struggle, it had fought off its assaints and protected the package with all its might.

  Naoki was taken aback.

  Even though Pokémon Couriers like Pelipper were trained for safe deliveries, ued attacks weren't unon.

  But this poor Pelipper had clearly gohrough a rough time.

  It was so shaken that it refused to take the same route back.

  Naoki sighed. "You did great. Here, let me take care of you first."

  He carefully took the package, then pulled out a medical kit, gently treating the Pelipper's wounds with an Antidote and some healing balm.

  The grateful Pelipper squawked in appreciation before taking off, heading bae through a safer route.

  Watg it disappear into the horizon, Naoki exhaled.

  "…Well, that was ued."

  Shaking his head, he turned back to the World Tree, where Meaited.

  Upon arriving at the World Tree, Naoki hahe package of materials to Mewtwo.

  The Pokémon took one g them before its deep, telepathic voice resonated in Naoki's mind:

  "What shape do you want it to take?"

  Naoki paused.

  'What should the mask look like?'

  The first thing that came to mind was the Bziken Mask worn by Meyer.

  That disguise had not only included a mask, but also a cloak and bodysuit, all designed after Bziken.

  That meant Naoki should also base his mask on a Pokémon.

  But… whie?

  His gaze instinctively drifted to Koraidon, who had followed him to the World Tree.

  "…No, no, Koraidon would be way too obvious."

  Naoki quickly dismissed the idea.

  There were only two Koraidon in the world.

  One was being studied in Area Zero, and the other was right here, with him.

  If he ran around in a Koraidon-themed mask, people would immediately make the e!

  It had to be something on.

  Something familiar in the Paldea Region.

  Then, inspiration struck—

  Cyclizar!

  Cyclizar was one of the most on Pokémon in Paldea.

  They were an important mode of transportation, used by thousands of people every day.

  If he made a Cyclizar mask, it wouldn't seem unusual at all!

  "Cyclizar!" Naoki decred fidently.

  Meho had seen Cyclizar before, simply nodded.

  With a wave of its hand, the mask materials floated into the air, enveloped in a soft purple aura.

  Then—

  A mirabsp;unfolded before Naoki's eyes.

  Under Mewtwo's telekiitrol, the raw materials began reshaping themselves, bending and molding as if obeying an invisible sculptor.

  Within moments—

  The pieces fused together, f a sleek, bd-green mask shaped just like Cyclizar's face.

  The craftsmanship erfect.

  Eveexture looked authentic, as though it had been handcrafted by a master artisan.

  "It's done." Mewtwo announced.

  Naoki carefully picked up the mask and exami.

  It was stunning.

  The tours, the design—fwless. It fit perfectly over his face, c his identity without obstrug his vision.

  "This is amazing. Thanks, Mewtwo!"

  Mewtwo simply gave a small nod before turning away, already returning to its other tasks.

  Naoki, now armed with his new disguise, grinned.

  From now on—

  When he wore the mask, he would be the "Cyclizar Mask."

  And wheook it off?

  He would go back to being nothing more than an ordinary rancher.

  With a satisfied smirk, he turo Koraidon.

  "Alright, let's head back!"

  As Naoki and Koraidohe Distortion World auro the ranch, he immediately noticed something ued.

  Sitting in the grass, tail flig zily, was a familiar figure.

  Sprigatito.

  The same jealous little cat Pokémon from before.

  Naoki absentmindedly munched on a few transtion seed crisps from his pocket as he approached the familiar green-furred feline.

  "Well? Did my advice work st time?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Sprigatito, however, looked anything but happy.

  With a dramatic flick of its tail, it angrily reted its test troubles to Naoki and Koraidon.

  "Spiri!" (This is unfivable! Nothing I did worked!)

  Sprigatito stomped its tiny paws against the ground in frustration.

  "Spiri-ha!" (And while I was gone, he went and caught another Pokémon! He pletely ignored me! He doesn't care about me at all!)

  Naoki: "…"

  That… was a bit much.

  His brows furrowed as he thought about it. If rigatito said was true, then its trainer really was being ful.

  "…So, you ran away again today?"

  The Grass Cat Pokémon huffed, its ears twitg with irritation.

  "Spiri!" (I'm never going back!)

  Naoki's eyes widened in surprise.

  "…Wait, are you saying you're abandoning your trainer?"

  He had heard of trainers abandoning their Pokémon before—that, unfortunately, wasn't rare.

  Take Paul from Sinnoh, for example.

  He only captured Pokémon with high potential, releasing any that didn't meet his expectations. Even Pokémon like Charmander had been abandoned in the past by careless trainers.

  But for a Pokémon to abandon its traihat was extremely unon.

  Sprigatito, however, looked pletely serious as it nodded with determination.

  "Spiri-ha!" (That's right!)

  Naoki opened his mouth to respond, but at that very moment—

  A boy, no older than ten, appeared at the entrao the ranch.

  The moment Sprigatito caught his st, its fur bristled. Without hesitation, the feliurail and ran, diving straight into the tall grass.

  Within seds, it had vanished, blending perfectly into the green surroundings.

  Naoki blinked.

  'That was fast.'

  The boy did not notice it and iurned his gaze to Naoki who was standing there.

  He looked worried—his expression a mix of ay aermination.

  "Um, excuse me… have you seen a Sprigatito around here?"

  Naoki: "…"

  His gaze flickered toward the tall grass, where he khe very Sprigatito iion was hiding.

  But all he saw were a few other Pokémon—Butterfree, Alcremie, and Cyclizar—none of which were green-furred cats.

  '…So this is its trainer.'

  Studying the boy carefully, Naoki he genuine on his face.

  After a brief pause, he finally spoke.

  "Sprigatito?" he echoed, pretending to think. "I did see one earlier. It was drinking from the river and nibbling on berries this m. Are you its trainer?"

  At Naoki's words, the boy's face lit up with relief.

  "Yes! I am!"

  However, his expression quickly darkened, and his shoulders sagged.

  "I… don't know what's going on tely. Sprigatito keeps sneaking out and disappearing for days. I don't know why, but every time I find it, it just runs off again…"

  He sighed, clearly troubled.

  Naoki almost chuckled.

  'Kid… your Pokémon is this close to pletely ditg you, and you don't even realize it?'

  From what he could tell, Sprigatito robably just angry. It wanted its trainer's attention but felt jealous and repced—so it was throwing a tantrum.

  Maybe not a very reasoantrum, but a tantrum heless.

  Still, Sprigatito was likely speaking out of frustration rather than truly wanting to leave its trainer forever.

  Naoki hummed in thought before a suggestion.

  "Well, don't worry too much. If it's been ing arouely, it might show up again."

  The boy looked up hopefully.

  "You think so?"

  Naoki nodded.

  "There aren't many houses nearby. If it gets hungry, it'll probably e back to the ranch to look for food. Do you want to wait here?"

  The bhtened immediately.

  "Really?! Thank you so much, Mr. Rancher!"

  Then, with a polite bow, he introduced himself.

  "My name is Astro! I'm from Cabo Poco, and I'm traveling around Paldea with my Pokémon!"

  Naoki smiled.

  Naoki hahe Cyclizar Mask to Koraidon for safekeeping before inviting Astro into the living room.

  As the young traiook a seat, Naoki poured him a gss of water.

  Astro had been chasing after Sprigatito for who knows how long, and in his ay, he had pletely fotten to hydrate.

  The boy gratefully accepted the drink, gulping it down in one go before exhaling in relief.

  "Thank you so much!" he said early.

  Naoki smiled. "No problem. If you don't mind, could you tell me what's been going on with your Sprigatito?"

  Meanwhile, just outside the door, Sprigatito had crept up silently uhe eaves. It pricked up its ears, keenly listening in on their versation.

  Some of the Pokémon on the ranoticed its preseilting their heads in curiosity. But Sprigatito paid them no mind.

  It wao hear what its trainer had to say.

  Inside, Astro Naoki's request and began expining.

  "This is my first year as a Pokémon Trainer," he started. "I received Sprigatito as my starter from the director of the academy, and we did everything together—attending csses, eating meals, even joiniracurricur activities. It was great at first."

  Naoki listetentively, nodding along.

  "But then… I don't know what happened," Astro frowned. "One day, Sprigatito just got mad at me and ran away. I wasn't even doing anything different!"

  His brows furrowed.

  "And it's not the first time, either. This is the fifth time it's run away from home."

  Naoki: "…"

  'Yep. That sounded exactly like a Sprigatito.'

  He stroked his thoughtfully. "Do you remember when it first started ag like this?"

  Astro blinked. "The first time…?"

  His face sched up in thought, trying to recall.

  "Hmm… it was about three months ago," he said. "I had just graduated from Uva Academy and was super excited to finally start my journey as a real Trainer. So, the first thing I did after leaving school was head straight to the grassnds outside Mesagoza to catch my sed Pokémon."

  Astro grinned proudly, clearly reliving the moment.

  "I mao catch a Bou!"

  "And after that," Naoki tinued, "what happened ?"

  Astro rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

  "Uh… well… after catg Bou, I also caught Skiploom, Espurr, Wattrel, Marill, and Psyduck."

  Naoki blinked.

  "…All in one day?"

  Astro waved his hands frantically. "No, no! It took me a week!"

  He puffed out his chest iement. "I've been dreaming about being a Pokémon Trainer for so long! The moment I finally got my first Pokémon, I just couldn't stop catg more!"

  Naoki: "…"

  "I think I know why Spirigatito ran away from home," he said.

  Astro was stunned: "Huh?"

  "Pokémon like Sprigatito are very possessive of their trainers," he expined. "They don't like sharing their trainers' attention with others."

  Astro's eyes widened slightly.

  Naoki tinued.

  "Let me guess—after catg those Pokémon, you fed them sandwiches, pyed with them, aed them, right?"

  "Well… yeah," Astro admitted. "That's how you bond with Pokémon, isn't it?"

  At that moment, realization dawned on his face.

  His mouth fell open in shock.

  "Wait… Are you saying Sprigatito ran away because I caught too many Pokémon?!"

  Naoki nodded. "Exactly."

  "Pokémon, just like humans, have deep emotions," he said. "They feel happy wherainer praises them… and they feel sad when they're ignored."

  Astro sat there, stunned.

  Naoki sat back, watg Astro process everything.

  "Sometimes, a trainer has to learn self-restraint," Naoki said gently. "There's only orainer, but when too many Pokémon are caught at o bees difficult to give each of them the care and attention they deserve."

  Astro listened ily.

  "In a situation like that," Naoki tinued, "some Pokémon will iably feel ed—just like Sprigatito."

  Astro's expression shifted. "So… Sprigatito ran away because it felt ignored…"

  For the first time, he truly uood.

  His starter Pokémon had run away five times, and each time, it stayed away longer and longer.

  If this tinued…

  Would there e a day when Sprigatito gave up on him entirely—never ing back?

  A cold sense of fear crept up his spi the thought.

  His memories flooded back, clear as day.

  —The moment he first saw Sprigatito, he immediately chose it over Fuecod Quaxly.

  —Their time at Uva Academy, sitting in csses together, running side by side on the school field, rag until they were both exhausted.

  —Enjoying meals at the cafeteria, staying up te in the dorm, and falling asleep with Sprigatito curled up beside him.

  He ched his fists.

  Meanwhile, Naoki had already noticed the small green figure lurking outside the door.

  Sprigatito's ears twitched slightly as it tio eavesdrop.

  Naoki exged a brief gh Koraidon, then turned back to Astro and asked,

  "Astro, is Sprigatito important to you?"

  "Of course it is!" Astro answered immediately, without hesitation.

  At those words, Sprigatito's heart trembled.

  "Spiri…" (Really?)

  Naoki hen followed up with another question.

  "If you could see Sprigatito again right now… what would you say?"

  Astro didn't eveo think.

  "I would apologize." His voice was firm. "I ig for too long. From now on, I'll be more careful with its feelings. I'll never let it feel abandoned again!"

  Naoki smiled.

  He goward the doorway.

  "Did you hear that, Sprigatito?"

  "Huh?!"

  Astro whipped his head around in shock.

  And there, standing in the doorway, rigatito.

  The Grass Cat Pokémon had an awkward look on its face, as if it hadn't pnned oing caught listening in.

  "Sprigatito!"

  Astr to his feet, rushing forward. He scooped up his Pokémon, holding it tightly in his arms.

  "I'm sorry!" he said sincerely. "I shouldn't have ignored you! I promise—I'll never do that again!"

  Sprigatito blinked up at him in surprise. After a moment, its ears twitched, and it let out a soft purr.

  "Spirii!"

  ...

  A little ter, Astro had finally calmed down.

  Naoki briefly reted everything that had happened after Sprigatito arrived at the ranch.

  "So that's what happened…" Astro murmured, looking down at his Pokémon.

  Theurned back to Naoki, bowing deeply.

  "Mr. Naoki, thank you so much for looking after Sprigatito!"

  Naoki waved a hand dismissively. "No need for thanks."

  He g the feline Pokémon. "Actually, Sprigatito still has something to say to you. Wao transte?"

  "Huh? What do you mean?"

  Naoki grinned.

  "It said that it likes you a lot and wants to stay by your side forever."

  Astro froze. His mouth opened slightly, eyes widening in shock.

  Sprigatito, sitting on his shoulder, tilted its head away, looking embarrassed.

  Naoki chuckled and stretched.

  "So, iure… don't igs feelings."

  With that, Naoki turned, waving as he walked back toward the ranch.

  "Safe travels, you two!"

  Astro and Sprigatito watched his figure disappear down the road, standing there for a long moment.

  Then, Astro smiled.

  "Sprigatito, let's tinue our journey!"

  "Spiri!" (Yeah! Let's go!)

  The trainer and his Pokémo off down the dirt path, disappearing over the horizon.

  Back at the ranaoki was about to head inside when Koraidon suddenly approached him. It held out a small, round object.

  Naoki blinked. "Huh? What's this?"

  "Raao." (Something Sprigatito left behind.) Koraidon expined.

  Naoki's eyes widened slightly.

  Sprigatito… left something for him?

  He took the small obje his hand, examining it carefully.

  Suddenly, a strange feeling washed over him, and information appeared in his mind.

  [Gratitude Seeds: Special seeds given by Sprigatito, infused with deep gratitude. When phey will grow into a unique crop.]

  ...

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