After Jirachi floated off in excitement, Mewtwo stepped forward.
With his usual calm expression, Mewtwo used his psychic powers to levitate a radiant, pink-hued gem that shimmered like a diamond, bringing it over to Naoki and Iono.
"This is a Psychic Gem," Mewtwo explained coolly. "I condensed it from pure psychic energy."
Naoki stared at the gem in amazement. The moment he laid eyes on it, he immediately recalled the precious battle item from his studies.
A Psychic Gem!
Such a gem could dramatically boost the strength of Psychic-type moves, and the energy stored within could even be absorbed by Psychic-type Pokémon to increase their natural power.
"So attribute gems are condensed from pure elemental energy..." Naoki marveled inwardly.
The value of Mewtwo's gift was beyond measure.
He quickly bowed his head in thanks.
Mewtwo watched him quietly for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Really, it is I who should be thanking you."
After speaking, Mewtwo gracefully floated aside, giving space to the next guest.
Naoki smiled. He understood Mewtwo's words completely.
At that moment, Calyrex glided over.
The King of the Harvest gazed at Naoki kindly and spoke in his gentle voice,
"Naoki. Once, I had lost everything. I had no people, no kingdom, no friends."
"I have nothing grand to offer you today. Only this."
Calyrex lifted a wreath woven from ethereal vines and tiny shining flowers.
"I crafted this myself. It carries my blessing and will never wither."
Earlier, Calyrex had secretly researched human customs using the Rotom Phone. He learned that giving a wreath as a wedding gift symbolized eternal love and an unbreakable bond.
It was a gesture of the deepest sincerity from the former king to his most trusted believer.
Naoki's heart swelled with emotion. Words felt small in a moment like this.
Still, he bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Calyrex."
Calyrex gave a dignified nod and floated back to his place among the Pokémon.
Then, a brilliant cry pierced the night air.
Ho-Oh appeared, soaring majestically across the sky.
As it flew, it left behind a shimmering rainbow that arched beautifully over the entire World Tree plaza.
In Johto lore, it was said that seeing Ho-Oh and its rainbow was a sign of great happiness.
Naoki immediately understood.
The rainbow was Ho-Oh's gift of blessing to him and Iono.
"Thank you, Ho-Oh!" Naoki called out.
"Thank you so much, Ho-Oh!" Iono echoed, her voice filled with awe.
Ho-Oh circled once, releasing a wave of golden light that warmed the plaza, then gracefully perched atop one of the World Tree's great branches.
Compared to Ho-Oh's grand display, Rayquaza's gift was, in true Rayquaza fashion, much simpler... and much rougher.
Descending from the sky, the Sky High Pokémon dropped a hefty bundle of glittering stones at Naoki's feet.
Upon closer inspection, they were Moon Stones, each one heavy with cosmic energy.
Naoki blinked in surprise.
These weren't ordinary stones. They were fragments Rayquaza had gathered while feasting on meteorites in space.
As the story went, while patrolling Earth's atmosphere, Rayquaza had encountered a spaceship piloted by Pokémon from another planet. These visitors had tried to intrude upon Rayquaza's domain.
Rayquaza, being fiercely territorial, had swiftly driven them off.
And as a bonus, it had looted their ship, snatching the cosmic stones they had collected.
When Naoki saw the mountain of Moon Stones stacked before him, he could hardly believe his eyes.
'Oh my God. Did Rayquaza just loot the entire inventory from a Clefairy spaceship?'
Whether Clefairy were truly Pokémon from space still needed further scientific confirmation, but right now, that thought was very far from Naoki's mind.
"Thank you, Rayquaza!" Naoki said, bowing sincerely.
Rayquaza simply let out a satisfied rumble and floated back up into the sky, clearly not bothered by anything as trivial as thanks.
Off to the side, Groudon and Kyogre, who had been quietly watching the ceremony, suddenly froze.
'Wait... what? They were supposed to bring gifts too? Why didn't anyone tell them?!'
Giratina, lurking nearby and observing the chaos unfold, nearly burst out laughing.
Hmph. These clumsy land and sea gods. Their gifts are nothing compared to what I prepared!
With a loud boom, Giratina made a grand entrance.
A swirling portal to the Reverse World ripped open above the plaza, crackling with energy. Out of it plummeted a massive, glittering object that crashed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
It was a diamond.
Not just any diamond, a diamond so enormous that it was bigger than an adult human. It gleamed under the firelight so brilliantly that Naoki, Iono, and every Pokémon around had to shield their eyes.
A clear tremor ran through the ground as the jewel landed.
Naoki stood there, completely stunned, his mouth slightly agape. Iono beside him was equally speechless.
Giratina floated proudly overhead, its golden wings stretched wide, practically radiating smugness.
This wasn't just a diamond. This was the culmination of its earnings as a top-tier internet celebrity, spent without hesitation to prepare the ultimate wedding gift for Naoki and Iono!
Naoki swallowed hard and whispered under his breath, "Are... are diamonds that big even real?"
Could Giratina have been tricked somehow?
Iono, equally rattled, murmured, "I've never seen anything like it either..."
But looking at Giratina's confident, almost childishly proud expression, Naoki decided it was better not to question it. Whether the diamond was natural or not didn't matter.
"Thank you, Giratina," Naoki said warmly. He glanced over at Groudon and Kyogre, who still looked nervous and guilty about not having brought anything. "And thank you, Groudon and Kyogre too. Honestly, the gifts aren't what's important. Just having all of you here to celebrate with us makes us happy."
Hearing this, Groudon and Kyogre both visibly relaxed, letting out low, relieved growls.
Still, deep inside, they silently promised to find a way to make it up to Naoki and Iono in the future.
The gift-giving portion of the celebration came to a close.
Naoki took a deep breath, stepping forward to address the gathering.
"I prepared a lot of food for everyone," he said, smiling broadly.
"Please, help yourselves and enjoy!""
"Pon!"
A joyful chorus of Pokémon voices rang out through the night.
Under the soft crackle of the bonfires and the shimmering light from the World Tree's canopy, the Pokémon eagerly swarmed the tables loaded with food.
Plates of freshly roasted berries, sweet pastries filled with Lum Berry jam, honey-drenched Poké Puffs, sizzling grilled meats, and sparkling berry juices were spread out across long wooden tables.
The Pokémon laughed, nibbled, and celebrated together.
Some, however, lingered curiously around Naoki.
One adventurous little Pokémon raised a paw and asked earnestly,
"Chafu?" (So, if humans like each other, do they also lay eggs like Pokémon?)
Iono, who had eaten the crispy translation-flavored melon seeds, instantly understood what the Pokémon meant, and her face flushed red.
Naoki coughed lightly.
"Ahem... well, that depends on fate," he said tactfully.
The Pokémon tilted their heads in confusion.
Afraid they might start asking even more awkward and outrageous questions, Naoki quickly added, "In short, it's the same for both humans and Pokémon. When two beings love each other, they may start a family and become parents."
Hearing this, the Pokémon around them nodded in understanding.
One particularly lively Tatsugiri bounced up happily. "Mei!" (Then I'll help Naoki take care of his eggs!)
"Chafu!"
A few Treeckos chimed in cheerfully, waving their little arms to show their eagerness to help too.
Not to be outdone, the sister Indeedee rushed forward, looking a little anxious.
"Aiyi!"
She wanted to make it clear she would take responsibility for all the childcare duties!
Naoki was left speechless.
From the corner of his eye, he even spotted Mewtwo, usually so reserved, showing an oddly serious look as if it too was preparing to volunteer.
At that point, Naoki simply gave up resisting and internally chose to just lie down and accept his fate.
The lively wedding feast on the World Tree continued joyfully late into the night. Eventually, many Pokémon grew too sleepy to keep going, nodding off one by one around the fire.
Seeing that, Naoki stood up and softly announced it was time to end the party.
He and Iono, along with Koraidon, Cyclizar, and the others, said goodbye to the gathering Pokémon and made their way back to the ranch.
It was already deep into the night.
After gently settling the Cyclizar and the younger Pokémon into their cozy resting places, Naoki didn't immediately head to bed. Instead, he took Iono's hand in his and led her toward the entrance gate of the ranch.
The night was cool and quiet. The silver moonlight spilled softly across the fields.
Iono, puzzled, asked, "It's so late. Is there something else we need to do?"
Naoki smiled but said nothing.
Instead, he reached up to the old ranch sign, the one that had always read "Naoki Ranch," and carefully removed it.
In its place, he hung a brand-new wooden sign, freshly carved and polished.
Under the gentle moonlight, Iono leaned closer and whispered aloud the new words she saw:
"Tree House..."
"That's right," Naoki said, his voice low and full of warmth. "This is our home now."
He turned to look at her. His gaze was soft but firm.
He knew how much Iono had changed for him.
Once, she had lived surrounded by flashing lights, cameras, and the buzz of livestreams. If it were the old her, she would have probably broadcasted today's wedding live to her fans across the world.
But today, she hadn't done any of that.
She chose to keep their wedding simple and private, just so they could treasure this day quietly together.
Love, after all, is about compromise and understanding.
Naoki realized that he, too, wanted to make changes for her.
He would support Iono's dreams. Support her hobbies. Maybe even occasionally share their life on the ranch through livestreams, to show the world how wonderful life with Pokémon could be.
Maybe some young people might be inspired to fall in love with farming and ranch life too, after seeing the simple happiness they shared here.
Lost in these thoughts, Naoki didn't notice that Iono had turned her gaze from the sign back to him.
She tilted her head and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"
Naoki blinked and came back to his senses. He shook his head lightly and stepped closer to her.
Without another word, he gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace.
Iono stiffened for a second, startled, then slowly relaxed against him.
"It's nothing," Naoki murmured. "I just... have something I want to say."
"What is it?" Iono asked, her voice equally soft.
Naoki smiled against her hair.
"I love you," he said.
...
Bonus @2000
Read 60 chapters ahead @p*treon.c*m/Keepsmiling818