"Bonnie..." Ogerpon suddenly didn't look well, wondering what came to mind.
Naoki noticed the expressions of the two Pokemon and explained:
"Don't worry, Applin doesn't live inside the apple from the beginning. It hides in the apple after birth and spends its entire life there."
"Ogerpon, you don't have to be afraid of it, just pay more attention when you eat apples in the future, you can tell the difference between Applin and a regular apple."
With that, Naoki stepped forward and placed his hand over the apple inhabited by Applin.
Dragon Power, activate!
As a Dragon Type, Applin immediately felt a friendly aura.
It was slightly surprised, then extended its eyes from the apple to curiously observe.
Soon, Applin noticed the human had approached.
Applin instinctively wanted to avoid, but quickly realized the friendly aura emanated from this human.
"Hello, Applin, I'm Naoki, the owner of this orchard. You don't need to be afraid, no Pokemon will harm you here." Naoki released his good intentions to Applin.
Applin cautiously looked at this human, initially full of vigilance, worried it might be eaten.
Since unevolved Applin is fragile, various incidents can lead to their demise.
For instance, losing their hiding apple causes their body's moisture to slowly dissipate, becoming progressively weaker. If they don't find an apple, they will perish in weakness.
Or if the apple falls from a height, it might force Applin out.
Besides these accidents, they also occasionally fear predator Bird-type Pokemon.
Sometimes, even a Pokemon like Noibat might mistake them for food and take them back to the nest.
As they look too much like apples.
Yet soon, Applin felt a special power from the human before it.
The person seemed to be caring for it, even conveying their thoughts to it.
[Don't be afraid, no one and no Pokemon will harm you here.]
Applin gradually let down its guard.
He knew, no Dragon Type Pokemon can refuse Dragon Power.
"Alright, from now on, feel free to live here!" Naoki said.
When Applin evolves into Appletun or another form, by then the World Tree will be completely grown. He will send Applin to live by the World Tree.
To Pokemon, it's an absolutely safe place.
But before that, Naoki had one more thing to do.
"Come, Applin, let me see your ability."
He conveyed his intention to Applin.
Applin seemed to half-understand, it took a while to grasp Naoki's meaning.
Applin jumped next to a slightly green apple.
The next second, a unique wave was released from its body.
Affected by the wave, the green apple began reddening at a visible speed, eventually transforming completely into a big red apple.
Seeing this, the word 'ripen' instantly flashed through Naoki's mind.
This Applin's ability perfectly suited the orchard's ripening needs!
Such Pokemon can care for fruit trees, aiding berries to grow better and faster.
Naoki was delighted, but immediately felt Applin's thoughts through Dragon Power.
[I ripened all the apples on this tree!]
"Hmm?" Naoki was quite surprised: "Really?"
Applin gave an affirmative response.
Seeing this, Naoki turned and observed the apples' growth on the apple tree, then other trees' apples.
Comparing, he found this tree's apples had matured for a period. The remaining unripe apple was because Applin hadn't had time to ripen it.
"Why are you doing this?" Naoki curiously asked.
Applin's thoughts quickly conveyed through Dragon Power.
[Because I ate an apple here, I need to ripen a few apples to return to you.]
Naoki hadn't expected that to be the reason.
"Have you been here for a long time?" he asked.
Applin indicated it hadn't been here long, but it saw Naoki watering and caring for trees, knowing this was the human's territory.
"I see." Naoki nodded, thinking this Applin was quite considerate.
"In that case, stay here for now. After a while, I'll take you to another place to live, where it's safe, and you can help care for the orchard there." Naoki said.
Applin agreed.
Naoki placed it back on the tree and continued working with his Pokemon assistants, boxing apples, loading them onto the truck.
Once everything was done, Naoki sat in the driver's seat, driving apples and a truckload of Pokemon down the road to deliver to customers.
Meanwhile, in the Hoenn Region, a vast mountain forest.
Mewtwo, leading a group of cloned Pokemon, sought a haven in this world and its reason for existence when it suddenly sensed a familiar aura.
It stopped flying, using Psychic to slowly descend with Meowth, Pikachu, Venusaur, and other cloned Pokemon.
Upon landing, Mewtwo saw two familiar figures in the dense forest.
One was Teddiursa, with a heart of justice.
And the other was the Mythical Pokemon, Mew, once treated as its mother, having fought an intense battle.