Before they knew it, another new year had arrived.
Last year's New Year's Eve dinner felt like only yesterday.
The Manor was decked out in festive decorations, with colorful paper lanterns hanging from branches everywhere. Mingyou no longer needed to lead everyone in folding them. These days, any Pokémon you picked out at the Manor knew how to make them.
After all these years, quite a lot had changed.
Ever since the Ecological Park was completed a few years ago, the Manor was no longer crowded. It had also welcomed plenty of new residents, making the place livelier than ever.
The old Villa his grandfather had left him had been renovated after the two of them got married. Its floor area had nearly doubled, and the interior was much more spacious.
At the moment, Mingyou was in the backyard, preparing the ingredients for that night's New Year's Eve dinner. His appearance had hardly changed. He simply carried himself with a little more composure, though he still seemed as approachable as ever.
Akari was busy in the kitchen. Her face had matured considerably, the girlish innocence fading over several years of marriage, and her figure had filled out a little too. Yet she was still every bit as gentle and gracious.
Meloetta's world tour had ended just two days earlier. They had not all gathered together in ages, so with the new year upon them, they simply had to enjoy a proper reunion...
"Hey! Do something about that little rascal of yours!"
Calyrex's voice suddenly rang out from the backyard. Although Calyrex had left after Eternatus was defeated, barely two months had passed before the return to the Manor and to developing new games in the studio. Those games now enjoyed an excellent reputation.
Perched on Calyrex's head was a little