Not Being a Trainer This Time

The tree hole in the breeding tree house was originally of moderate size, but over the past year or so, perhaps due to additional growth, Naoki found during his last check that the tree hole had expanded significantly.

Lono’s petite form could comfortably lie down and sleep there without any issues.

Upon this realization, Naoki nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll come over tomorrow morning and prepare the bed for you, so you can just head over then.”

“Sure, let’s decide on that!”

*

Time quietly slipped by, and before anyone knew it, it was June 11th, year 202 of the league calendar.

It had been two months since Naoki took on the part-time role as Gym Leader, and he and the Pokémon were gradually adapting to their new lifestyle.

Each morning, he departed from the ranch to the gym, and after finishing work, returned home for dinner.

With the months passing, Lono also began experiencing a series of physical changes.

Her appetite was increasing, and she was becoming more lethargic.

Every afternoon after lunch, she would dash into the breeding tree house for a nap.

Moreover, Lono would occasionally livestream her adventures on the ranch, recording and uploading videos of the Pokémon playing to her homepage, to capture these present moments.

The work at the gym could be busy or leisurely; sometimes he would entertain several challenging trainers a day, while other times, there would be none for a few consecutive days.

During periods of leisure, Naoki would open Lono’s homepage on his phone and watch her vlogs featuring Alcremie, Cyclizar, Ogerpon, Flutter Mane, and Dragonite.

During these moments, Naoki couldn’t help but smile.

As a Gym Leader, Naoki occasionally encountered some rather “special” trainers.

For instance, he met this girl named Kerixia on his very first day at work.

Back then, she was a novice trainer with zero badges; she heeded his advice and began rigorous training in the wilds around Levincia City, battling with wild Pokémon and other trainers.

This continued until her weak Ralts evolved into a Gardevoir.

Not only that, Kerixia also captured a Meowth that excelled at using Fury Swipes.

Ultimately, that Gardevoir defeated Jolteon, and the young girl earned her first Gym Badge.

Kerixia’s dedication was truly admirable; within two months, she had evolved her starter Pokémon to its final form.

Usually, trainers wouldn’t be willing to stay at a gym for two months; they typically prefer to challenge the next gym and return once they’ve grown stronger.

Kerixia’s intense leveling had an air of the “Sword God of Ten Mile Slope” about it.

Naoki still remembered the little girl’s joyous expression upon her successful challenge.

She and Gardevoir cried tears of joy, raising the Gym Badge high while shouting, “I got the Electric-type Badge!”

Because of Naoki, Lono’s fan count skyrocketed within these two short months; every time she went live, a throng of viewers would flood into the live stream.

Numerous people held their breath in anticipation, hoping to see Naoki’s last two Pokémon that hadn’t yet appeared.

Yet, Naoki, whether deliberately or not, never let those two Pokémon appear.

This puzzled countless people, making them feel like ants crawling all over their bodies with eager impatience.

Some viewers even speculated that it was because no one could defeat Zapdos and Jirachi.

If one couldn’t defeat these two Pokémon, they wouldn’t be able to see the next two Pokémon.

As a result, some fans even pooled funds to issue a call, summoning powerful trainers capable of defeating Jirachi and Zapdos to challenge Levincia Gym; a prize of two million League Coins awaited anyone who could make Naoki deploy the other two Pokémon.

This invitation instantly stirred several powerful trainers to action, lured by money and fame alike, as forces from all around began converging upon the Paldea Region.

Naoki remained unaware of all this.

After work today, he immediately set off for home.

Because today was the day Mew and Teddiursa returned from the Explorer Team Guild!

Early in the morning, Naoki had seen the news on his Arceus Phone that the two Pokémon had successfully saved the Maze World from its impending destruction.

They awakened Rayquaza from that world, averting the disaster of a massive meteorite slated to destroy the planet.

Mew and Teddiursa returned to the World Tree, carrying the blessings and specialties of the Pokémon from that world.

They called Naoki via a video call immediately upon their return, expressing a desire to give him a gift.

Thus, as soon as work was over, Naoki rode Koraidon and swiftly returned to the ranch.

Mew and Teddiursa were sitting in the living room, savoring the snacks Naoki had prepared.

Upon seeing Naoki return, they immediately displayed expressions of excitement on their faces.

“Imah!” Teddiursa handed a bulging pouch over to Naoki.

Naoki knew what was inside; he had seen it on the Arceus Phone, Miracle Seeds, the specialty that Mew and Teddiursa had brought back from the Maze World!

“How was your journey?” Naoki reached out to receive the pouch, then asked with a smile.

“Imah!”

“Miu!”

Speaking of this adventure, excitement shone brightly in the eyes of Mew and Teddiursa.

Because they had successfully saved a world from impending doom, made friends with many Pokémon from that world, and were hailed as great heroes by everyone!