Minccino blinked, looking at the strange Pokémon before it with surprise.
After hearing Naoki’s words, Greavard lifted its head, its candle flickering gently. With an excited wag of its tail, it let out a soft, happy pant, clearly thrilled to be acknowledged.
"Greavard is actually really cute!" Iono said softly. "But, you know, there are rumors that Greavard is the reincarnation of a lost Pokémon's soul… Have any Pokémon passed away here before?"
Naoki hummed in agreement.
"There was a forest fire two years ago. Many Pokémon lost their lives because of it. This place…" he glanced around at the quiet, snow-covered clearing, "is the cemetery I built for them. Their remains are buried here."
A gentle silence fell over them.
Then, Naoki crouched down and held out a hand toward Greavard.
The Ghost Dog Pokémon perked up instantly, tail wagging furiously before bounding over with eager steps.
Iono also crouched beside Naoki, watching the small Pokémon carefully.
Greavard looked at Naoki, then at Iono, its candle flickering softly. Then, with a happy bark, it rubbed up against Iono, tail wagging so hard its entire body wiggled.
Finally, it lowered itself playfully, pressing its front paws into the snow.
For a while, the three of them played together in the snow, tossing small twigs for Greavard to chase, watching it bound joyfully through the frost-covered grass.
With the mystery of the "haunting" resolved, Naoki figured it was time to head back.
That’s when he noticed something.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, her breath visible in the cold air.
"You’re really bad with the cold, huh?"
Realizing this, Naoki stood up and turned to the wild Pokémon still lingering nearby.
"Alright, looks mystery is solved!" He patted Greavard gently. "It was never trying to scare you. It just wanted someone to play with."
The gathered Pokémon exchanged looks.
Sure, Greavard had startled them, but now that they thought about it, It had never actually harmed anyone.
"Squeak!" (Then it can stay here and live with us from now on!)
Satisfied, the Pokémon cheerfully accepted their new neighbor.
"Alright, everyone should head back now!" Naoki said with a smile. "It’s freezing out here. Staying in the cold too long could make you sick."
The surrounding Pokémon chimed in agreement, saying their goodbyes before heading back to their own dens.
With that, Naoki and Iono started making their way back to the ranch.
Halfway through their walk, Flutter Mane suddenly stopped.
It turned its head, its large ghostly eyes locking onto something behind them.
Naoki noticed and followed its gaze. At first, he didn’t see anything.
But then, something small was moving in the snow.
Or rather… something was hiding.
The Greavard from before had been following them quietly. The moment it realized it had been spotted, it panicked.
With a yelp, it buried its upper body into the snow, leaving only its small candle flame flickering above the surface.
Its tail swayed anxiously, unsure of what to do.
"Looks like it really wants to come with us." Iono giggled, crouching down.
Naoki sighed, but he was smiling.
"Greavard, come here."
At those words, the Ghost Dog Pokémon’s tail wagged faster.
Then, with a happy bark—It leapt out of the snow and ran straight into Naoki’s arms.
Looking at the lonely little Greavard and thinking about the forest fire that Naoki had mentioned earlier, Iono made up her mind.
"Naoki, let’s take him with us!" she declared.
Naoki had already been considering the same thing.
The ranch needed a guardian Pokémon—and among all canine Pokémon, Greavard was said to be one of the most loyal to its trainer.
In addition to guarding the ranch, it could help herd and protect the Wooloo flock.
With that in mind, Naoki knelt down and met Greavard’s eyes.
"Greavard, do you want to come live with us?"
The small Ghost Dog Pokémon stopped bouncing and looked up, ears perking.
"You’ll have a home with us," Naoki continued. "There will be lots of other Pokémon who will be your friends. You’ll never be lonely again."
The Greavard took only a second to process what was said.
Then, its tail started wagging furiously, and it barked excitedly, nodding eagerly.
Naoki chuckled. "Then it’s settled!"
With that, Greavard became the newest member of the ranch.
When they arrived back at the ranch, Pawmot and the others immediately swarmed around them, eager to meet their new companion.
They sniffed, poked, and circled around Greavard, their curiosity overflowing.
For its part, the Greavard didn't seem to mind.
It simply trotted along happily behind Naoki and Iono, acting like a loyal little follower.
Naoki smiled to himself.
This Greavard had already recognized them as its trainers.
"Such a Simple Pokémon…"
Naoki watched as Greavard clumsily chased after Pawmot, barked happily at Dragonite, and then accidentally tripped over its own paws.
He couldn’t help but think—
This silly, good-natured Pokémon would fit in perfectly here.
However, when it came time for Iono to leave, Greavard suddenly became anxious. It let out a soft whimper, rubbing its head against her as if begging her to stay.
Seeing this, Iono crouched down and gently ruffled its fluffy fur.
"Don’t worry," she reassured it. "I’m just going back to Levincia for a little while. I’ll be back soon!"
Naoki nodded. "That’s right, Greavard. She’ll visit again soon, so don’t be sad."
The Paldea League had given Gym Leaders a winter break, but Iono still had family in Levincia.
With the New Year approaching, she wanted to spend time with her parents.
Even though she and Naoki were officially dating, they weren’t at the stage of introducing each other to their families yet.
Of course, before anything else, there would be a period of adjustment.
After all, he and Iono were two very different people.
One was a rancher, used to the quiet countryside. The other was a Gym Leader, living in the bustling heart of Levincia.
If they ever wanted to truly live together, they first had to understand each other. For now, they were just taking things one step at a time.
As Iono prepared to leave, Naoki handed her a flast of hot tea, its warmth radiating through the cup.
"Here, drink this on the way. It’ll keep you warm."
"Yeah!" Iono accepted it happily.
Then—without warning—she ran up to Naoki and wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug.
Naoki froze. For a second, his mind went blank.
Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he awkwardly returned the hug.
Feeling how stiff he was, Iono giggled, letting go before stepping back. With rosy cheeks, she quickly ran toward Dragonite, waving over her shoulder.
Naoki nodded. "Yeah. See you soon."
Dragonite flapped its wings, lifted off into the sky, and carried Iono away into the distance. Naoki watched until she disappeared over the horizon.
Then, with Greavard trotting beside him, he turned back toward the ranch.
As soon as he walked through the door, he heard a soft giggle.
He turned and saw Indeedee, covering her mouth, her eyes glimmering with amusement.
Yeah. He already knew what she was thinking. She was absolutely loving this.
Naoki sighed and straightened up, trying to act seriously to hide his embarrassment.
But before Indeedee could tease him any further, his Rotom Phone suddenly rang.
Curious, he glanced down at the screen. A name flashed across it—Professor Oak.
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