League Year 198, June 28th.
With the completion of the new house, Naoki's first summer in the Pokemon World officially drew to a close.
That morning, after nearly two months of hard work, Keri formally handed over the new house to Naoki.
She instructed Machamp and Conkeldurr to load tools and surplus building materials onto the truck, and then led Naoki on a tour of the house.
As they pushed open the door, Naoki was greeted by a spacious living room.
At that moment, however, there wasn't a single piece of furniture, making the entire house feel very empty.
Leading the way, Keri introduced:
"This is the living room. As per your request, we've installed a new-style fireplace here. Light it in the winter, and the whole house will warm right up."
Following her gaze, Naoki saw a brand-new fireplace on the opposite wall, with clear glass installed on it.
Keri said, "But you'll need to have enough compressed wooden logs; that's the fuel for the fireplace."
She smiled, "If you need any, my shop sells them, you know!"
Naoki: "..." As expected, Keri never misses a chance to promote her goods.
But he really did need them.
"Alright, I'll check it out later," Naoki said.
"Besides that method, you can also use a Pokemon's powers," Keri continued, "If you have a Slugma, for instance, you can place them inside the fireplace."
"Slugma would treat the cozy fireplace as their nest and reside there. They release heat from their bodies, which can effectively replace the role of wooden logs."
"Slugma, huh?" Naoki thanked Keri and made a mental note of it.
However, Slugma's habitats are mostly in hot volcanic areas, and it's difficult to find them elsewhere.
Besides, Slugma doesn't seem to inhabit the Paldea Region, meaning he'd have to travel to other regions to find them.
But Naoki currently had no plans to travel elsewhere.
As the season was changing, he needed to prepare in advance by buying some autumn crop seeds and planting them.
Additionally, he needed to purchase a bunch of barrels since the hops stored in his utility room could hardly wait to turn into beer.
"There are a total of five rooms on the first floor." After touring the living room, Keri led Naoki to see the rest: "The main bedroom is on the right of the living room, the open kitchen and dining room are on the left, and the bathroom is furthest left."
She opened the door to let Naoki see inside.
"You can buy a bathtub of your choice later," Keri said, "After finishing farm work every day, you can have a comfortable soak to relieve physical and mental fatigue."
Naoki nodded, indicating his satisfaction.
Seeing his response, Keri chuckled and led him upstairs to the second floor: "There are more rooms on the second floor, totaling five: guest rooms for hosting visitors, a study for work and reading, and a children's room. If you have children in the future, they can stay here."
Children… that was too far off. He hadn't even thought about it, Naoki mused.
After all, he was just twenty years old and didn't even know if he could find a marriage partner.
But there was no rush, and he wasn't planning to get married right now; he'd leave it to fate!
If he didn't find a suitable partner, staying single for a lifetime wouldn't be a problem.
They walked through the small hallway upstairs, and Keri opened the doors to the remaining two rooms: "These are two empty rooms. You can decorate them according to your preferences and needs."
Naoki nodded, understanding, and then asked about what he cared most about: "What about the cellar?"
Keri: "The entrance to the cellar is on the first floor."
Back downstairs, Naoki finally found the entrance to the cellar in the southwest corner of the living room.
It was a small wooden door.
Keri opened the door, revealing stairs leading down, the cellar was very dim, almost impossible to see one's hand in front of their face.
"The cellar lights are on the right wall of the stairs." Keri flicked the switch, and with a crisp click, retro wall lamps brightened up.
Soon, a warm orange glow filled the space, illuminating the entire cellar.
"The temperature here is suitable for brewing beer!" Keri said, showing a familiar smile that Naoki recognized.
Naoki: "... I know, I'll buy barrels from you later."
He had saved a lot over the past month and could buy everything he needed in one go.
Keri: "I'll give you a discount."
Having finished the introductions, Keri was ready to leave.
Before getting in the car outside, Keri said, "I'll be at the shop all afternoon, so feel free to come by if you need anything."
"Okay." Naoki considered when he might move his things over.
He planned to convert the old house into a Pokemon Tavern but needed to make some preparations first.
After thinking for a moment, Naoki asked, "By the way, Keri, do you sell bars?"
Keri was slightly taken aback: "Bars?"
"Here's the thing," Naoki explained, "I'm planning to convert the old house into... a tavern for Pokemon gatherings."
"A tavern? That's simple." Keri didn't think much of it, assuming he meant for Pawmo and a few other Pokemon to play house: "After you pick out furniture at the shop this afternoon, I'll deliver everything to you."
Naoki nodded: "Sounds good."
Keri drove away with the truck.
Naoki led several Pokemon, excited about the new house, inside.
"This will be our new home from now on," Naoki said with a smile, "How is it? It's much bigger than the old one, right?"
"Graoh!" Cyclizar nodded repeatedly.
Alcremie and Pawmo explored the room, while Koraidon showed little surprise.
With Alcremie's small size, climbing stairs was difficult, so Pawmo carried it upstairs.
Watching the two little guys disappear at the staircase, Naoki started getting busy.
He opened every window in the room to let air circulate, picked up a mop to clean the floor, and tidied the new home inside and out.
After everything was done, it was noon.
Sore and tired, Naoki returned to the old house and flopped onto his bed.
From this perspective, having a big house wasn't all good; cleaning was exhausting, far beyond what one person could manage.
Staring at the ceiling, images of the Indeedee Sibling flashed in Naoki's mind.
Almost two months had passed since that day; he wondered if they had grown, what they had become, and if they remembered the person they had met once.