The next day, the heavy snow that fell all night still showed no signs of stopping.
Looking out the window, the snowy landscape stretched far into the distance, as if the whole world had turned into a world of ice and snow.
Snowflakes fluttered down, and without much thought, Naoki could guess that a thick layer of snow had already covered the roof of his house.
Trapped indoors by the blizzard, after finishing breakfast, Naoki had nothing to do and sat by the fireplace reading a book.
The Pokémon seemed unfazed.
They continued to frolic happily around the room as before or simply lay quietly beside Naoki's rocking chair, keeping him company as he read.
For them, just being by Naoki's side seemed to bring endless joy.
Despite being unable to go outside, Naoki found rare tranquility listening to the sound of snow falling outside.
He actually quite enjoyed the feeling of hiding in a warm home with his Pokémon during these hushed moments.
Just then, the Rotom Phone resting nearby suddenly rang.
Naoki picked it up and found it was a message from Raifort.
[Raifort: I finally solved the mystery of the Treasures of Calamity!]
[Emperor: What do you mean?]
[Raifort: These past days, I've been researching a large amount of data and records. Now, I've finally pinpointed the exact locations of the shrines sealing the four Treasures of Calamity! Next, we just need to go to those places to break the seals, and those four artifacts can reappear in the world!]
Mesagoza City, faculty dormitory.
Raifort, quite excited, informed Naoki across from her of her discovery and sent over the related photos she had found.
[Raifort: It's right here! In the past, Pokémon envoys used sacred stakes to seal the four Treasures of Calamity in the shrines.]
[Raifort: Each Pokémon corresponds to one shrine. It's said that eight stakes were placed near each shrine to suppress the Power of Calamity. So, if you pull out all the corresponding stakes, you can release the Pokémon known as the Treasures of Calamity!!]
According to Raifort's research, the patterns on the shrines were variants of the "Fortune" character and shou circular patterns.
Of course, those were not the Paldea League's exclusive characters but ones from the distant Eastern Lands, the homeland of the Treasures of Calamity.
In that ancient nation, these patterns were generally considered symbols of "warding off evil."
[Emperor: The Power of Calamity? If we hastily remove the stakes and break the seal, won't it cause the disaster that once struck the Paldea Kingdom to reoccur in the world?]
Naoki recalled the scenes he saw when exploring the Great Crater of Paldea with Raifort before.
That ancient Paldea Royal City was buried underground forever due to the earthquake caused by Ting-Lu.
[Raifort: Of course not! According to the descendants of the Pokémon envoy who sealed the Treasures of Calamity, to remove the stakes, one must have a bond with Pokémon. This bond will calm the four ruinous Pokémon.]
[Raifort: If it's someone like you who excels in using Pokémon, you might be able to do it, so I must ask for your help this time too! Please help me one last time!]
Naoki: "..."
He remembered that in the game, Raifort entrusted the player with everything.
But now it seemed Raifort wanted to witness it herself.
[Emperor: Are you coming with me?]
[Raifort: Hmm, I'm afraid not. I originally planned to go, but since I skipped classes to go on adventures, the principal has been watching me... so, I'm relying on you, Naoki!]
Naoki was speechless; Raifort truly lived up to her tomb-raiding roots!
In his mind, he thought about those Treasures of Calamity capable of bringing disaster.
If he reversed their traits with a series of inversion dishes, the world would gain four "auspicious beasts."
[Emperor: Okay, but it's snowing heavily right now, and we're preparing for New Year at the ranch. I'll come over after the New Year.]
[Raifort: No problem! I've been waiting for so long, a few more days won't matter, but after you catch the Pokémon, make sure to show them to me!]
Naoki agreed decisively.
[Raifort: I'll send you the exact locations of the Sealing Shrine now. You can register them on your map app; the Rotom Phone will automatically navigate for you. Even though some shrines are halfway up the mountain, with Koraidon, you'll definitely reach them smoothly.]
With that, Raifort shared a link.
Naoki opened it, and the phone interface automatically switched to the Pokémon map app.
Then, four markers appeared on the screen.
The Dust-shrouded Shrine sealing Ting-Lu was located in the foothills north of Casseroya Lake.
The Icerend Shrine sealing Chien-Pao was south of the Asado Desert, at the end of a mountain trail.
The Firescourge Shrine sealing Chi-Yu was located beneath a waterfall at one of Paldea's top ten scenic spots, Fury Falls.
Naoki remembered that place well; it had a beautiful bamboo forest, surrounded by streams, with a very picturesque view.
And the Grasswither Shrine sealing Wo-Chien was located beneath a cliff in the southeastern part of Paldea.
After a quick glance, Naoki closed the map app and sent Raifort an OK gesture.
[Raifort: I'll be waiting for your good news over here in Mesagoza City!]
With the conversation over, Naoki silently pondered his next plans.
There were many things to do next year. To repay Giratina for helping raise the World Tree into the sky, he needed to help Giratina "teach" Arceus a lesson.
At that time, the Grass Type Calyrex would undoubtedly be a main force.
Before then, he needed to do his best to help Calyrex enhance its strength.
Acquiring Calyrex's Grassium Z was one such task.
With the Z Ring, it would allow Calyrex to use the more powerful Z Move [Bloom Doom], launching a full-force assault on Arceus.
Alright... he simply wanted to see to what extent the fully-realized Calyrex, empowered by millions of believers, could match up against Arceus's incarnation.
For the Grassium Z and the Z Ring, he could try to curry favor with the four island guardians of the Alola Region, possibly earning their approval and obtaining these two items.
Therefore, Naoki planned to buy a villa in the Alola Region.
That way, they could stay in the Paldea Region during the normal spring, summer, and fall.
When the cold winter arrived, they would head to that tropical area for a holiday with everyone from the ranch.
Speak of the devil.
A call came through from the Hau'oli Real Estate Company in Alola Region's Haoao City.
"Hello, is this Mr. Naoki? This is Hau'oli Real Estate Company. We've found a house that suits your requirements."
"Hmm? Where is it?" Naoki asked.
"On Akala Island in the northeastern part of the Alola Region, someone is selling a villa with a ranch there."
Akala Island...
Naoki checked it on his phone and quickly found a satellite image of Akala Island.
The image showed that the terrain of this island was very flat, with a large volcano to the north, a hill with terraced waterfalls to the northwest, and a jungle to the south.
On the southwestern side of the island was a peninsula consisting of Diglett's Tunnel and Konikoni City.
At the center of the island, surrounded by pastures and meadows, was Paniola Town.