"Woof!"
Excitedly, Greavard circled around Naoki.
Naoki looked helpless, trying not to step on Greavard while moving the goods from the car into the house with Koraidon and the others.
After just finishing that task, dense snowflakes began to fall from the white sky.
The cold north wind howled by, and from the distant hills came a faint "woo woo" sound, as if the wind was sobbing.
Standing by the window and looking into the distance, all he could see was a vast expanse of white.
Seeing this scene, Naoki let out a long sigh of relief.
Luckily, he had prepared ahead and moved Snorlax, Wooloo, Butterfree, and Combee to their designated places.
Outside, the snow was falling heavily, yet inside the house was warm and cozy.
In the fireplace, Slugma leisurely ate Berries, and the warmth from its body spread through the pipes to every corner of the room.
Basking in this pleasant warm air, Cyclizar wore a contented expression on its face, lying comfortably on the carpet.
Cyclizar: (˵¯͒¯͒˵)
Pawmot pawed at the window, gazing at the heavy snowfall outside. It called to its friends behind it, seemingly wanting Slugma to come and take a look too.
Sure enough, Slugma, hearing the noise, moved slowly over. It settled in the pipe behind Pawmot, peering through the opening to look at the snow outside.
"Woo?"
"Buuh...(⋟﹏⋞)"
It looks so cold out there!
"If you find the outside too scary, you can close the curtain!" Naoki said with a smile, passing behind Pawmot.
Pawmot immediately turned around, patting its chest: "Buuh!"
It wasn't scared at all! It's a brave Pawmot!
As the sky outside gradually darkened, Naoki petted Pawmot's head and then headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner for everyone.
Given the chilly weather today, soup would be perfect.
Spicy and fragrant, the steaming hot soup felt so comforting once it filled the stomach!
Just thinking about it made one's fingers itch in anticipation.
Since that's the case, let's make a pot of rich soup for dinner!
With that thought, Naoki turned around and took out a few potatoes, a piece of beef, and some other ingredients from the cupboard.
He diced the potatoes and beef, then added the ingredients into the pot to stew until the potatoes and beef were tender and flavorful.
The pot bubbled with steam, and the enticing aroma gradually wafted throughout the room. The Pokemon, playing in the living room, caught a whiff of the smell and swallowed, then were drawn over.
"Take a seat at the dining table first, dinner will be ready soon!"
"Gah-s!"
Led by Koraidon, many Pokemon immediately dashed to the dining room.
Meanwhile, Naoki turned off the stove and took a spoonful of the soup to taste it.
Hmm, it had a mildly spicy taste, but it wasn't too strong. The soup was infused with the rich fragrance of stewed potatoes and the aroma of beef. Drinking it dispelled all the coldness, enveloping one in warmth.
Perfect!
Naoki glanced at the soup's effect and found that, unsurprisingly, it provided Cold Resistance, as he expected.
Concerned that the Pokemon might not be full, Naoki also prepared some Berries and snacks, placing them on the dining table.
"Let's eat!"
All the Pokemon began to feast eagerly.
Being able to enjoy a warm bowl of soup during a cold winter day truly brought happiness!
After dinner, Naoki boiled another pot of hot water, lying in the bathtub to enjoy a relaxing soak.
Pawmot and Eevee, being smaller Pokemon, also came running in, lazily floating in the bathtub.
Beside them, the big Pokemon led by Koraidon couldn't fit in, so they sat pitifully next to it, watching.
"Gah-s..."
Naoki: "..."
At this moment, the Rotom Phone suddenly rang.
Someone was making a video call!
Naoki picked it up and saw that it was Cynthia calling.
He silently hung up the video call and dialed a voice call instead.
"Hello? Miss Cynthia, why are you calling at this time?" Naoki asked.
Cynthia's cool voice came from the other end: "I'm very sorry, I have a perplexing matter that I would like you to resolve."
Surprised, Naoki asked, "Hmm? What is it?"
Cynthia: "As it is, ever since you told me about those places related to the Creator God last time, I went to those places to investigate."
Cynthia slowly recounted her experiences after she left the ranch last time.
That time, Naoki pointed her in three directions.
They were the Ruins of Alph in the Johto Region, Midina in the Sinnoh Region, and Arche Valley in the Kalos Region.
The first place she investigated was the Ruins of Alph, where she discovered a large number of Unown along with some ancient Sinnoh People murals migrating to the Johto Region.
After that, Cynthia returned to the Sinnoh Region, went to Midina, and there met Sheena and Kevin, who possessed Triumphant Light and were chosen by Arceus, the guardians of Midina's ruins.
There, Cynthia learned about Arceus and the Life Orb.
After gathering this information, Cynthia went to the Kalos Region to visit the people hiding in Arche Valley.
The people there worship Arceus and have even built special statues to honor Him.
Furthermore, Cynthia also met a mischievous Pokemon named Hoopa, who lived there with the people of Arche Valley.
"Is Arceus the god who created the world we live in?" Cynthia asked.
Naoki replied, "If the records are correct, then yes, that's the case."
He paused, then asked, "I wonder if Miss Cynthia has learned about the history, several hundred years ago, when the Sinnoh Region was still called the Hisuin Region."
Cynthia was slightly startled: "Hisuin Region?"
Naoki nodded: "I once learned some related information in an ancient ruin; that ruin is a remnant from the Hisuin Era."
"It's said that about 1000-2000 years ago, the earliest humans living in Hisuin were called the [Ancient Sinnoh People]."
"They worshiped the Pokemon Arceus, who created the world, and built ancient sites in Hisuin, such as the Solaceon Ruins and Snowpoint Temple."
"That ancient history clearly stated that the world was created by Arceus."
Upon hearing this, Cynthia nodded thoughtfully.
Arceus created the world, after which He also created the Pokemon Dialga and Palkia, who manage time and space, to uphold the material foundation of this world.
Simultaneously, Giratina was created, watching over another space, supporting each other with the real world.
Then came the Lake Gods, Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf...
Recalling the mythological tales she had investigated, for a moment, Cynthia felt her mind clear.
Her heart was filled with joy because this meant that the ancient myths and legends circulating in the Sinnoh Region had been thoroughly investigated.
For a myth scholar, this was akin to hitting the jackpot.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Naoki; since that's the case, I won't disturb your rest anymore. When I have time later, I will personally visit you in the Paldea Region," Cynthia said softly.
"No need to be polite."
After a brief exchange, they ended the call.
The water in the bathtub cooled down a bit, so Naoki stood up, dried himself, changed into pajamas, and then helped dry the wet fur of Pawmot with a hairdryer.
Pawmot sat indulgently on the chair. Once its fur was dry, it enthusiastically hopped onto the bed, ready to sleep.
Naoki chuckled, extended his hand to pat Koraidon's head beside him, and then left the room to check whether the doors and windows were securely closed.
He glanced outside the window as he went, and saw that the outdoors were already completely covered in white snow.
The wind blew, trees swayed, snow flew, and crows cawed outside.
Naoki pulled the curtains, instantly isolating everything outside.
"Phew... time for bed!"
Naoki turned and went back to the room, lay down on the bed, and, with the light and warmth from Slugma, comfortably closed his eyes.
Pawmot lay comfortably beside the pillow, and a group of Eevee also ran up, curling up beside Naoki, and comfortably drifted off to sleep.