Alliance dar year 198, spring, March 14th.
This marked the st month of spring, with the impending arrival of the hot summer.
Naoki despised the swelteri and the feeling of sweating profusely. So, that m, he took the money he had diligently saved up and headed to the town to purchase a few air ditioners.
He rode his Cyclizar all the way to the department store in town. After some guidance from the shopping assistant, he found himself on the floor sellirical appliances. Naoki selected four air ditioners, pnning to install one in the salt house where Nacli lived, another in the Pokémon house where Miltank resided, a third in the chi coop, and the st one in the wooden house where he lived.
In an instant, one hundred and twenty thousand Poke Dolrs were spent—his hard-earned savings from selling crops, rock salt, milk, and goat milk over the past half month. Despite beially prepared for the expenditure, Naoki couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of pain as he looked at his nearly empty wallet.
But what could he do? These were ies that o be installed before summer's heat became unbearable.
The shopping assistant was surprised to see someone buy so many air ditioners at o quickly arranged for their instaltion at Naoki's home.
When all four air ditioners were finally installed, Naoki felt an immense sense of relief. Now, when summer arrived, he wouldn't have to endure sleepless nights due to the oppressive heat!
Thanks to the addition of the Miltank, the ranch's financial problems were resolved, and the ranch officially es phase—the revitalization stage.
During this stage, Naoki po focus on two major tasks.
Build a proper home—a fully funal house with a bedroom, living room, celr, study, and bathroom.
The bedroom would be for rest. The living room could be used to eain the occasional guest who visited the ranch. The study would be perfect for keeping at books, reading, and rec recipes.
As for the celr.
With summer approag in two weeks, hop cultivation could officially begin. Without a celr, he couldn't start his brewing business. Additionally, he o set aside some moo purchase wine barrels for brewing.
Grow more summer crops and use them to develop new dishes.
He po see if any of the new dishes could meet specific requirements, allowing him tthen the Pokémon on the ranch, thus pleting a cycle.
By noon, Naoki began preparing lunch for all the Pokémon. He opehe refrigerator and g the variety of ingredients inside, his eyes finally resting on a jar of golden, viscous liquid.
Then, information about the jar of liquid surfaced in his mind.
[Tulip honey: Honey made from tulip pollen aar. If you taste it carefully, you dis a hint of floral fragra's an excellent ingredient for making desserts.]
This was the hohat the bee had retly collected from the flower fields. Naoki had initially been armed when he saw them colleg tulip ar. He recalled that in the world he kulips tained mannose and gactose—sugars toxic to bees—causio die while colleg from these flowers.
But as it turned out, Pokémon were far more resilient than ordinary bees. Despite both being called "bees," the ar of tulips had no adverse effects on the bee.
After realizing this, Naoki felt relieved and allowed them to tinue colleg.
'It's a pity that Teddiursa left too early,' Naoki mused. 'If it had stayed just a few days longer, it could have tasted this new fvor of honey.'
He used the hoo make more lucky puddings, but despite making so many, he still couldn't replicate a pudding with perma lucky effects.
However, Naoki wasn't disced. To him, it didn't matter if the effect erma or not. 'While on the ranch, they eat a portion of pudding anytime they want the lucky effect. As long as they keep eating it, the effect will be perma.'
'I wonder where Teddiursa and Mew are now,' he thought briefly before setting aside his s to focus on preparing lunch for Cyclizar and the others.
Today's lunch menu remaihe same as usual—fried steak and sandwiches, apanied by a portion of smashed cucumber, with a choice of tree sap juioomoo Milk to drink.
As they ate, Naoki g Dragonite, realizing he hadn't asked about its progress with practig moves in quite some time. So, he asked casually,
"Have you mastered the Electric-type move Thunder that I told you about before?" Naoki asked, curious about Dragonite's progress.
Dragonite's eyes lit up with excitement. "Awoo!" it nodded eagerly.
Not only had it mastered Thunder, but it had also successfully performed the bination of Rain Danbsp;+ Hurrie + Thunder that Naoki had taught it!
"Huh?" Naoki was genuinely surprised. "You're making rapid progress!"
"Awoo~" Dragonite beamed, clearly proud of its achievements.
After finishing their meal, Dragonite was too excited to wait and dragged Naoki outside to show him the fruits of its training.
Naoki stood uhe eaves with Cyclizar and Koraidon fnking him. He watched as Dragonite fpped its wings and soared into the sky.
With focused tration, Dragonite summoned a dense yer of dark clouds, shrouding the previously clear sky. Electriergy crackled within the clouds, and soon, raindrops began to fall. At first, it was just a drizzle, but the rain intensified, f thick lihat pelted the ground with a rhythmic sound.
Dragohed in the downpour, its body drenched as fmes of determination flickered in its eyes. It then fpped its wings, juring a violent wind that merged with the rain, creating a storm of formidable magnitude.
Naoki marveled at the sight before him. 'This is incredible,' he thought. 'An ordinary Pokémon would probably pani the face of such a move, especially without special enviroal training.'
And then—
Boom!
A colossal fsh of lightning split the sky, striking the ground with terrifying force, leaving a sm crater in the wn below.
'Hiss!' Naoki sucked in a breath. 'What terrifying power! If a Pokémon were hit by that…' He couldn't even finish the thought.
As the storm subsided, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, revealing the clear blue sky once more.
"Pah, pah, pah!" Naoki cpped his hands ihat's amazing!"
"Awoo…" Dragonite nded beside Naoki, feeling a bit embarrassed. It scratched its head with its rge cw, unsure of how to hahe praise.
'No, I'm still not there yet,' Dragohought, recalling the mysterious Pokémon it had once glimpsed above the eye of a typhoon—a pitch-bck creature that looked like a swimming dragon.
Naoki couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion as he looked at Dragonite. 'Extreme Speed, Dragon Tail, Thunder Punch, Hurrie, Agility, Dragon Dance, Rain Dahunderbolt, Thu's learned so many moves already,' he thought. 'I feel like I have nothio teach it.'
With this in mind, Naoki asked, "You've learned so many moves. What are your p?"
Upon hearing this, Dragonite's heart skipped a beat. Naoki's words souonite like he was saying, 'I have nothing more to teach you; you're ready to go out on your own'.
'Is he trying to send me away?' Dragonite panicked. It didn't want to leave and immediately frowned, looking up at Naoki with a pleading, almost teary-eyed expression. "Awoo..."
Although humans and Pokémon don't speak the same nguage, Naoki miraculously uoonite's meaning at that moment. He suddenly felt a bit awkward. "I'm n to drive you away," he reassured, "I just want to know what your pn is. What I mean is that I'll soon have nothio teach you. Will you leave the rand return tonite Isnd wheime es?"
Naoki hadn't fotten that Dragonite had inally followed him to learn new moves.
Hearing this, Dragonite fell into deep thought.
'At first, I did follow Naoki because I wao learn new moves,' Dragonite reflected. 'But then,'
Naoki had given it a fruit ptter to help it learreme Speed.
Naoki had asked Koraidon to teach it how to use Dragon Tail.
Naoki had braved the stormy skies alongside Dragoo practice Thunder Punbsp;and Rain Dance, even falling ill because of it.
And when Naoki was sick, Dragonite had learned Agility while delivering milk, all the while w about him.
'Now,' Dragonite realized, 'I'm not just staying with Naoki because I want to get stronger.'
'I like Naoki. I want to stay with him forever.
