Naoki mused aloud, "If you eat the pecha berry, it'll put you in a poisoned state... Is this effect somehow reversed here?"
He picked one of the plump, pink berry, which gave off a wonderfully sweet fragrance.
"It's a shame they're poisonous," he thought. "A Poison-type Pokémon would probably love these, but I don't have any Poison-types on the ranch right now."
With his task complete, Naoki decided it was time to head back. He turned to Giratina and said, "Looks like we'll be able to grow things in this realm now. I didn't bring many seeds this time, so I'll head back to the ranch first to gather more."
Giratina watched him silently, then nodded with a low, rumbling growl that echoed around them. A faint purple light flickered, opening the portal back to the real world.
Naoki mounted Koraidon, leading Diglett and Calyrex back to the ranch.
Once back, Naoki didn't waste any time—he and Koraidon immediately set off for the town of Kosaji to buy a batch of grass seeds, flower seeds, and fruit saplings from Hugh's Seed Store.
Hugh, the shopkeeper, looked surprised when he saw Naoki's massive order. "This isn't exactly the best time of year for planting," he said, scratching his head. "It's going to snow soon, and these seedlings could freeze!"
Naoki chuckled, shaking his head. "Not to worry! I've got a warm spot in mind for these plants, so they won't be affected by the cold."
Hugh nodded, guessing that Naoki might have a greenhouse to keep them warm.
"Alright!" Ero agreed with a smile. He then remembered something and added, "We just received a new batch of tea plants. They'd do well in a greenhouse, and you could pick fresh leaves for fragrant green tea!"
"Tea plants?" Naoki's curiosity was piqued.
"Yes! They're perfect for year-round planting if you've got a warm environment."
Naoki considered this—it sounded like an excellent addition to his new project. "Great! I'll take twenty to try out."
"Excellent!" Hugh said, grinning. After loading the tea plants, he mentioned, "Oh, we also received some apple saplings from Kitakami Township. Kitakami's apples are famous for being large and sweet. They'd be a perfect treat for any Pokémon that loves fruit!"
"Apple?" Naoki thought for a moment. Since he was already buying so much, he decided to add the apple saplings to his order.
With his large order, the store offered a delivery service, so Naoki wouldn't need to worry about transporting everything with Koraidon.
As he prepared to leave, Naoki asked Hugh, "Are Kitakami's apples really that well-known?"
Before he transmigrated, Naoki had never heard of Kitakami Township, and news about it had yet to reach him. When Hugh mentioned it, Naoki's curiosity was piqued. Hugh smiled, nodding, "Yes! The apples there are renowned throughout Paldea! Kitakami is a simple, rural town where folks rise with the sun, make a living from growing rice, and work hard daily."
"I see..." Naoki mused, growing interested in Kitakami. Perhaps after finishing his ranch work, he'd visit with a few Pokémon, an opportunity for some agricultural exchange.
After purchasing everything he needed, Naoki rode Koraidon back to the ranch, and soon after, Hugh arranged delivery for the seeds Naoki had bought from the shop.
Standing by the lake, Naoki watched as a flash of purple light signaled the opening of the portal to the Distortion World, courtesy of Giratina. He threw the seeds and saplings in one by one, then followed by Diglett and Calyrex.
Giratina awaited them. This time, there was no hostility in its gaze, nor its typical irritation; it simply observed, watching Naoki with curiosity.
Giratina seemed to inspect each item Naoki sent through the portal, wondering if any would alter its nature. However, as it looked for that mysterious influence, it found nothing.
Seeing Naoki's sincerity, Giratina pondered briefly.
It decided to continue acting as though nothing had changed, a grim smile crossing its face, making it appear even more fearsome.
Naoki caught sight of Giratina's expression, a question mark in his mind.
With a low, rumbling voice, Giratina said, "With these, we can make this realm look more like the outside world, yes?"
"Exactly," Naoki replied, glancing up at the floating islands. "It's just that the land here is scattered. I'll have to plant on each island one by one to bring some life to all of them."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Giratina seemed to be growing more comfortable with its newfound politeness, adding humbly, "Thank you, human. I will remember everything you have done for me."
Naoki: "…?"
'Did Giratina really think the tea's effects were still working?'
'Oh no, this was getting too awkward!'
If he called out the act now, Giratina might react with a claw swipe in embarrassment. After a moment of thought, Naoki decided it was best to act as though he hadn't noticed anything.
He mounted Koraidon and directed it to the first floating island, where he had just planted Pecha trees. Carefully, he scattered a layer of grass seeds on the freshly tilled soil.
Then, Calyrex activated its ability, and in an instant, vibrant green spread across the barren land, transforming it into a lively, lush island.
Naoki smiled, admiring the now verdant patch. "The first Sky Island is complete!" he declared, naming it "First Sky Island." His gaze then drifted to another larger island nearby, a breathtaking one with a cascading waterfall.
"Let's head there next!" he called to Koraidon.
"Raao!" Koraidon responded, gracefully leaping to the next island with Naoki.
Once there, Naoki surveyed the landscape thoughtfully before turning to Diglett. "I'll leave this one to you as well!"
"Squeak!" Diglett chirped happily, diving into the soil and eagerly setting to work.
Naoki envisioned this island covered in apple trees, branches heavy with bright red fruit. If Giratina ever felt hungry, it could come to this island for a juicy snack.
Near the island's waterfall, a clear pool of water had formed, reflecting the world above with gentle ripples. Naoki suspected Giratina might use places like this to catch glimpses of the real world—sunlight, flowers, forests. What did Giratina feel when it saw those things, he wondered?
He glanced over at Giratina, only to find it observing Diglett's land-tilling efforts with genuine interest.
A gentle smile crept onto Naoki's face. In a way, legendary Pokémon like Giratina, isolated and alone, might share a curiosity similar to that of a young child. It was endearing to see it so fascinated by Diglett's work.
Soon, Diglett fully cultivated the once-empty island.
Naoki and Koraidon then planted apple saplings around the island, scattering grass and flower seeds across the tilled earth. Finally, with a gentle nod, Calyrex activated his power.
In an instant, the barren, desolate land transformed before their eyes.
What had been a bleak, empty island was now vibrant and green. Lush grass spread out in every direction, dotted with clusters of small yellow flowers, while the apple trees formed a flourishing orchard, their branches heavy with big, round red apples.
Naoki smiled, looking at the beautiful transformation, and details about the apples appeared in his mind:
Sweet Apple: A delicious, sweet apple. Enhanced by Calyrex's power, it brings joy to anyone who eats it.
Apple Tree (Eternal): A typical apple tree, transformed by antimatter to maintain its appearance forever—it won't wither, grow further, or age.
"As expected, the apple trees here also have an eternal quality," Naoki murmured.
He picked a few ripe apples, offering one to Calyrex, Koraidon, and Diglett and tossing another to Giratina.
The apple floated gently toward Giratina, unaffected by gravity. Giratina gazed at the vibrant red fruit, then took a bite, savoring the burst of sweet, refreshing juice.
Its eyes lit up with surprise and happiness as it exclaimed, "Delicious!"
Naoki chuckled, "I'm glad you like it."
As Diglett finished eating, he suddenly let out a curious sound.
"Squeak?"
"What's wrong?" Naoki asked, looking in Diglett's direction. There, beneath the damp, shadowy waterfall, was a massive black mushroom.
Naoki blinked in surprise, and then a description of the mushroom appeared in his mind.
[Destruction Mushroom: A rare ingredient. This mushroom thrives in dark, damp corners, charged with destructive energy and antimatter. It can be used in cooking.]
'What kind of mushroom is this?' Naoki thought, finding its appearance oddly similar to the Doom-Shroom from Plants vs. Zombies. A worrying thought crossed his mind—' could it explode?'
The mushroom also caught the attention of Calyrex and Koraidon. Calyrex examined it closely and noted, "This mushroom seems to carry the same energy as this realm."
"Then let's make it into a mushroom soup later," Naoki decided, stepping forward to pick it up. Based on past experience, he had a feeling it might make for a potent dish.
None of the Pokémon objected. Giratina, indifferent to such things, was more interested in the transformation of its domain and had no problem with Naoki taking anything he found. In fact, Giratina felt a newfound trust toward Naoki, seeing him as someone worth protecting.
With the second floating island complete, Naoki saw that Diglett was tired and suggested they take a break. Building up Giratina's realm would take time, and there was no need to rush. When Naoki shared this plan with Giratina, the legendary Pokémon agreed and opened the portal back to the real world for them.
"See you next time!" Naoki called, waving as he and his team returned to the ranch with their newfound Destruction Mushroom.
As Naoki took a few steps, he suddenly felt the mushroom in his hand heating up.
A sense of dread filled him, and his heart skipped a beat as he quickly tossed the mushroom away.
In the next moment, with a loud "boom," the mushroom exploded mid-air.
Koraidon, alarmed, jumped in front of Naoki protectively, bracing for any further danger.
"Whoa!" Naoki gasped, stunned by the sudden explosion. 'What just happened?'
In the aftermath, the mushroom vanished, leaving no trace behind.
Calyrex, sensing the area with his psychic abilities, pondered aloud, "I felt two opposing energies collide and neutralize each other. After that, the mushroom's presence completely disappeared."
Hearing this, Naoki had a realization.
The mushroom had been described as a "Destruction Mushroom"—a blend of destructive energy and antimatter. Was the explosion caused by the collision of positive and negative matter from the real world and the Distortion World?
It seemed he could only safely cook with the Destruction Mushroom if he prepared it entirely within the Distortion World.
'But, would it even be safe to eat this kind of mushroom?'
Deep in thought, Naoki began heading back to the ranch.
It was now around 10 in the morning, and Dragonite and his friends had returned after delivering the morning supplies. They were sitting under a tree, enjoying some Poffins.
Naoki noticed something odd: there seemed to be one extra Dragonite in the group.
"One, two, three, four… Four Dragonites?! Where did this extra one come from?" he muttered, perplexed.
Had one of the Dratinis evolved without him knowing?
As he approached to investigate, he saw his Dragonite standing in front of the unfamiliar Dragonite, pointing a claw at it and speaking loudly.
"Awoo, awoo, awoo!" (Who told you to come here? This is our territory. Go back to Dragonite Island!)
The new Dragonite didn't seem to care, its gaze locked onto the Poffin boxes held by the other two Dragonites, drooling.
"Awoo!" (They smell so good! Let me have some!)
The two Dragonites clutched their Poffin boxes protectively, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Awoo!" (These are ours. We worked hard for them. Go get your own!)
"Awoo?" (Work?) The newcomer blinked, confused.
The two Dragonites nodded firmly. "Awoo!" (If you want Poffins, you'll have to work for them!)