On November 20th, League Calendar Year 202, the heavy snowfall that had blanketed the land for days finally came to an end.
Early that morning, when Naoki opened the door, he was greeted by a world completely wrapped in shimmering white. The snow was thick, so thick that it had buried the roads across the ranch, making it nearly impossible to head into town.
Behind him, curious Pokémon of all shapes and sizes peeked out from the warmth of the house, eager to see the transformed scenery.
Naoki turned to them with a cheerful grin. "Wanna come help me shovel the snow?"
"Graao..." Cyclizar shivered instinctively.
It wasn't fear, just a natural reaction to the cold wind hitting its body.
Pawmot didn't mind the chill one bit. Puffing out its chest and trotted outside.
Partner Eevee gingerly stretched out a paw and tapped the snow. Instantly, a sharp chill shot through its body. It yelped and quickly yanked its paw back.
"Buee!" it squeaked in alarm.
"If it's too cold, go play inside the living room," Naoki said kindly. "The snow's stopped, and the sun should come out soon. It'll be warmer by noon. You can all play then!"
"Snowmen, snowball fights, hide-and-seek in a snow maze. There are so many games you can only enjoy in winter!"
"Buee!" The group of Eeveelutions, led by partner Evee, nodded eagerly. They'd definitely be back out to play once the sun came out.
Watching from behind, Urshifu let out a quiet sigh. Without saying a word, it picked up a snow shovel and followed Naoki outside to help.
Naoki smiled warmly. Urshifu really was dependable.
Beside them, Koraidon rumbled quietly, then picked up another shovel to lend a hand.
Naoki was used to this kind of morning teamwork. He grabbed a third shovel, and with the help of his Pokémon, began clearing paths through the snow, one leading to the chicken coop, another to the Pokémon shelter, and a third to the underground den.
After the snow was cleared, Pawmot rallied the Meltan to begin the next task: delivering breakfast.
With full focus, the Meltan formed organized squads. Four on each side lifted a large food box on their shoulders, while one Meltan stood atop the box like a commander, waving its arms to direct the others.
Their delivery route began with the Ghost and Ice-type steeds—Glastrier and Spectrier. The Meltan placed Snow Carrot and Shade Carrot into the troughs for the two regal Pokémon.
Next came the Gogoat pen, the shelter for Miltank and Wooloo, and finally the cave dwelling shared by Garganacl and Dugtrio. Each received their proper feed.
Once every delivery was made, the Meltan marched back to the living room, chatting and clinking noisily with their little metallic bodies, eagerly awaiting their own breakfast.
Indeedee, acting as caretaker, brought out a large box filled with breakfast treats, an assortment of bottle caps, coins, and other small metallic goodies. She placed it in front of them with a warm smile.
The Meltan squealed with joy and began munching happily.
Meanwhile, Naoki was hard at work in a nearby clearing, shaping the collected snow into a winter wonderland. Using a spatula, he compacted the snow and built a two-meter-tall maze wall—his masterpiece: a snow maze designed for Pokémon hide-and-seek.
It had taken him the entire morning, gathering snow from all across the ranch and packing it together to form a twisting labyrinth.
At noon, the Pokémon huddled around the fireplace heard Naoki's call.
They raced out the door and gasped in awe.
"Buyeeee!" the Eeveelutions chorus cried out, tails wagging excitedly.
The ever-energetic Ogerpon and Gholdengo darted forward, their eyes sparkling as they inspected the entrance.
"Alright!" Naoki grinned. "Let's play hide-and-seek in the snow maze!"
With cheers and squeals, the Pokémon charged in, laughing and diving into the snowy corridors Naoki had worked so hard to build.
Naoki looked over at Urshifu and Koraidon standing beside him.
"Want to join in too?"
The two large Pokémon glanced at each other, then back at the maze. They were both stoic, older Pokémon, protective and proud. Maybe a bit too proud to roll around in the snow like the little ones.
Naturally, both the Urshifu and Koraidon shook their heads and declined the invitation.
Naoki suddenly remembered how the two of them had helped him the entire morning. "You must be exhausted after working so hard," he said with a grin. "Come on, let's head back and rest. We can all have lunch together."
He had already noticed smoke rising from the kitchen chimney, lunch must be nearly ready.
Hearing this, Koraidon and Urshifu nodded in agreement. The trio turned back toward the house.
As they entered, Naoki spotted Iono in the kitchen preparing lunch. He hurried over and gently scolded her, "Didn't you promise not to overwork yourself?"
Sister Indeedee, who was helping nearby, gave an exasperated sigh. "Aiyeee…" She'd already warned Iono about this.
Iono just smiled sheepishly. "It's really not that hard. Huh? Why are your hands so red?"
Naoki glanced down. Sure enough, his hands were flushed like a pair of Magikarp fins. "I was building a snow maze for the Pokémon," he explained. "Guess the snow chilled them more than I thought."
Iono took his hand and gasped, "They're freezing!"
Startled, Naoki quickly pulled away. "It's alright, really." He crouched beside the stove, where Slugma was happily munching on some berries, radiating warmth from under the cooking pot.
"It'll warm up soon," Naoki assured her. "Why don't you go relax for now? Leave the cooking to me and Indeedee."
Indeedee nodded in agreement. "Aiee!" She helped Iono toward the sofa in the living room.
Iono chuckled and gave in. "Alright, alright."
Once she was settled, Naoki hummed a little tune and continued preparing lunch with a smile on his face.
Just then, the front door flew open, letting in a cold breeze, and three small figures came soaring in with excited cries.
Naoki turned to look.
The expedition team had returned.
After months away from the ranch, Mew, Victini, and Teddiursa burst in, their cheeks rosy from the cold, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Naoki didn't look too surprised, they'd called him just a few days ago using the Rotom Phone to say they were on their way back.
"You're back! Had fun exploring the world?" Naoki asked, laughing.
Teddiursa raised his little paw proudly. "Teddi~!"
Mew twirled midair, and Victini floated with a victorious "Vee!" All three were clearly thrilled.
They had even brought back a ton of presents for Naoki from their travels.
While Indeedee finished settling Iono on the couch, she turned around and pulled some fresh honey buns, sweet berry tea, Poképuffs, and snowflake cookies from the cupboard and placed them on the table.
"You must be starving after all that traveling," she said kindly.
Just as expected, the moment they saw the snacks, the three hungry Pokémon dove in joyfully.
After trekking through snowstorms and crossing long roads, they were finally home again. Now safe and cozy back at the ranch, Teddiursa and Mew felt relaxed at this moment.
Naoki placed the ingredients into the pot, covered it with the lid, and let the soup simmer over the flame. Taking advantage of the wait time, he strolled into the living room and watched with amusement as Mew, Teddiursa, and Victini enthusiastically devoured their snacks in a makeshift "eating show."
"Gifts?" he asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"Teddi!" Teddiursa nodded vigorously, wiping crumbs from his mouth with his paw before pulling out a small, snow-dusted travel backpack.
Naoki could tell from the clinging frost that they must've raced home straight from the Unova region, trudging through snowstorms just to make it in time.
Teddiursa unzipped the bag and began presenting his treasures.
"Teddi-Teddi!" (This is a treasure I found in a cave!) the little bear announced, holding up a massive, glittering golden bead with pride.
Naoki chuckled. "Of course, Pokémon with the Pickup Ability just can't resist anything shiny," he mused, already expecting more surprises.
"Teddi!" (And this one was a gift from a Pokémon we helped!) Teddiursa continued, laying out a bright berry on the table.
One after another, the little bear Pokémon pulled out giant golden beads, exotic fruits, polished marbles, smooth round stones… his personal treasure trove.
Mew and Victini, not wanting to be left out, quickly joined in the presentation.
Mew floated up, holding a colorful plastic flower in its paws, while Victini proudly held aloft a large, vividly colored mushroom.
"Mew!"
"Nini!"
"These are our treasures!" they declared with sparkling eyes.
...
Bonus @2000