At seven o'clock in the evening, the rain was pouring down outside the window.
Naoki stood in the kitchen, taking out the bag of soil rich in special elements that he had bought from the market, and began preparing a fortified dish specifically for the Nacli.
Behind him, the scene was one of contentment and happiness.
Smoliv was nestled in the flowerpot, gently swaying as it watched everything around it with a relaxed demeanor.
Alcremie was playfully running around on the wooden floor with the five Nacli, all of them making joyful noises.
Butterfree had perched itself atop a cupboard, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
The three Skiddo were huddled beside the bed, leisurely chewing on grass balls. Pawmi was circling around them, though it was unclear what it was up to.
Koraidon and Cyclizar lay lazily on the ground, waiting for dinner.
Dragonite stood in front of the door, gazing out at the heavy rain, seemingly lost in thought.
Naoki observed the scene for a moment before turning his attention back to his cooking.
Tonight's dinner was almost ready. He just needed to finish preparing this last special dish before they could officially start eating.
He focused intently on the soil in front of him, which looked more like finely ground flour than actual dirt.
Although it was called soil, it resembled flour that had been carefully refined. This "flour" reminded Naoki of the cooking technique of "frying."
After a moment of consideration, he poured the soil into a pot, added an appropriate amount of rock salt, and began to stir-fry it.
While these soils could be eaten directly by Nacli, without proper preparation, they wouldn't exhibit their special, beneficial properties.
Whenever he thought about this, Naoki felt more like an alchemist than a cook, as if he were enchanting food rather than simply preparing it.
He shook his head to clear the thought. Gradually, the rock salt and soil merged together, and a faint salty fragrance began to emanate from the pot.
To humans, this smell might not be very appealing, but for the Nacli, it had a highly enticing effect.
The Nacli, who had been playing and chasing each other, stopped in their tracks when they caught the scent. They eagerly approached, making their usual "Salt, salt" noises as they looked at the pot expectantly.
'What is that smell? It smells so good!' they seemed to say.
Satisfied that the dish was ready, Naoki turned off the heat and transferred the mixture into a food bowl he had prepared in advance.
As he looked down at his creation, a summary of the dish's properties appeared in his mind:
[Roasted Soil with Rock Salt (B-): A special dish made by mixing soil rich in minerals and trace elements with nutritious rock salt. It may be favored by certain Pokémon.
Cooking Effect: Salty Level 1, slightly improves the quality of rock salt produced by Nacli.
Special Effect: Fortification Level 1, slightly increases the physical strength of Nacli.
Comment: A very creative dish! Using human cooking methods to prepare Pokémon food is an excellent choice!]
'Huh'?
Looking at the fried soil in front of him, Naoki was surprised.
'Two kinds of effects.'
To be honest, he wasn't all that surprised by the first effect. What really caught him off guard was the second one: [Strengthening the body].
Naoki couldn't help but compare it to the grass dumplings his Skiddo ate. Those dumplings helped his Skiddo learn Grass-type moves, but they didn't seem to offer any additional benefits.
But now.
The Nacli were eagerly waiting, unable to contain their excitement.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Naoki placed the dish on the ground.
The five Nacli immediately jumped in, surrounding the food bowl, and began eating with gusto.
As Naoki watched them, he fell into deep thought.
Soon, a possibility came to mind.
As is well known, Nacli are born from the rock salt layers deep underground. They leave traces of salt wherever they go, suggesting that much of their bodies are composed of rock salt.
Therefore, this dish of rock salt-fried soil not only enhances the quality of rock salt produced by the Nacli but also strengthens their bodies.
Realizing this, Naoki's doubts melted away.
'This is good stuff!' he thought.
He couldn't help but wonder what kind of "monsters" these Nacli would become if he fed them this special soil every day.
After all, there was the example of his Skiddo, which had grown strong from its diet of grass dumplings.
Excited by the possibilities, Naoki immediately decided that once the typhoon passed, he would head back to market to see if he could place a large order for this soil.
'Naoki thought of the town where this soil was produced. 'If I get the chance, I should visit.'
The Zapapico Town is well-known for its rich mineral resources. It's said that the Auspicious Armor and the Malicious Armor, which can allow Charcadet to evolve, were discovered deep within the mines there.
Because of this, Anaza Town once experienced a gold rush, attracting many trainers hoping to find these rare treasures to help their Charcadet evolve.
Unfortunately, the rarity of the Auspicious and Malicious Armor was beyond what most people imagined, and many left empty-handed, without a single piece to show for their efforts.
Naoki had learned about this from a show called "Paldea Strange Stories."
With dinner ready, Naoki brought the food to the table and called over all the Pokémon to start eating.
After dinner, the wind and rain outside grew even stronger.
Dragonite couldn't help but feel a longing as it watched the storm intensify.
'If I go outside now, could I learn a new move like last time?' Dragonite wondered.
With this thought, Dragonite turned back and looked at Naoki with hopeful eyes.
Naoki was sitting cross-legged on the bed, sorting the wool of his Skiddo. Despite living outdoors, the Skiddo weren't dirty at all, nor did they have the typical smell of goats. Instead, their brown fur carried a faint, pleasant scent of grass.
Hearing Dragonite's call, Naoki turned to look at it. He quickly understood what Dragonite was asking for.
After a moment of thought, he said, "It's not impossible."
Dragonite's eyes lit up immediately. "Awooo!" it exclaimed, knowing exactly what Naoki was hinting at.
A move that could be practiced during a typhoon.
The first thing that came to Naoki's mind was the Flying-type move Hurricane, which has a power of 110.
Hurricane: Attacks the opponent by whipping up a fierce storm, with a chance to confuse the target.
In the game, aside from its relatively low accuracy, this move has almost no drawbacks. It's extremely powerful and has a chance of leaving the opponent confused.
But in reality, things might be different.
Naoki explained the general idea of the move to Dragonite.
"Do you want to give it a try? The weather outside is terrible—are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" Naoki asked.
But Dragonite shook its head firmly, rejecting the idea of backing down.
It looked determined. "Ouch!" it declared.
Dragonite are naturally unafraid of wind and rain. This is why they're known for rescuing ships in distress during storms at sea.
Every Dragonite goes through such a trial. According to the stories passed down on Dragonite Island, only those who can truly master hurricanes and storms can become the king of Dragonite.
Seeing Dragonite's resolve, Naoki couldn't help but smile. He got up from the bed, ready to accompany Dragonite outside. "Okay, let's go!"
But Dragonite stopped him, extending its large paw to gently push Naoki back onto the bed. "Ouch!" it said, this time with a serious tone.
Dragonite was worried about Naoki's health, especially after the last time he caught a fever from being out in the rain. It didn't want Naoki to get sick again, so it insisted on going alone.
Understanding Dragonite's concern, Naoki reached out and affectionately patted its head.
'This is really touching,' Naoki thought. When this Dragonite first came to the ranch, it was solely focused on becoming stronger. But now, it had begun to adapt to ranch life, integrate into the family, and even learn to care about him.
'Does this mean our bond has grown deeper?' Naoki wondered.
"Ouch?" Dragonite tilted its head, slightly confused by Naoki's silence.
Naoki stood up, patted Dragonite's shoulder, and said seriously, "In that case, go ahead! Everyone and I will be waiting for you here at the ranch. Be careful and come back safely!"
Dragonite's eyes burned with determination. "Awooo!"
Before it set off, Naoki took a piece of lucky pudding from the refrigerator and fed it to Dragonite, hoping to boost its luck and help it successfully master Hurricane.
Dragonite eagerly swallowed the pudding in one gulp, then walked out into the heavy rain. It turned back to wave its paw at Naoki one last time before its small wings began to flap gently, lifting it into the sky.
Naoki stood under the eaves, watching Dragonite disappear into the stormy sky. Only after its figure was completely out of sight did he turn back and return to the warmth of the room.
Naoki sat on the carpet, leaning against one of his soft Skiddo's, and turned on the TV to pass the time. However, due to the stormy weather, the TV signal was poor, and all he could see was a screen filled with static.
Naoki sighed, "…"
It seemed like watching TV wasn't an option tonight.
He considered going to bed, but he doubted he'd be able to fall asleep easily, especially since he had taken a long nap earlier in the afternoon. He wasn't feeling tired at all.
"I should have bought some books from the bookstore," Naoki thought regretfully.
With nothing else to do, he lay down on the bed, his mind wandering to Dragonite and whether it would be able to master Hurricane during the storm.
Before he knew it, Naoki drifted off to sleep, lulled by the natural white noise of the wind and rain outside the window.
In the second half of the night, the storm intensified. Strong winds howled, and heavy rain pounded against the house.
...
Naoki awoke to the sound of the storm raging outside. He knew from the noise that the typhoon was passing through.
The room was pitch dark, and Naoki initially thought that Koraidon had turned off the lights for him. He fumbled around, trying to turn them back on, but when he pressed the switch, nothing happened.
"It looks like there's a power outage," Naoki muttered.
He found his flashlight, turned it on, and looked around the room, noticing that Dragonite wasn't there. Concerned, he asked Koraidon, "Has Dragonite not come back yet?"
"Gah," Koraidon responded with a nod of its large head.
Naoki frowned, worry creeping into his thoughts. "It's been so long... could something have happened?"
"Ah, gah…" Koraidon yawned lazily, showing no sign of concern.
...
Meanwhile, more than ten kilometers away over the ocean, Dragonite was in the midst of the storm. It roared fiercely, channeling the air around its body into a powerful cyclone. Undeterred, it leaned forward and charged directly toward the eye of the typhoon.
The usually serene blue sea had turned dark and tumultuous, with massive waves rolling across the once calm surface. The horizon had nearly vanished, blending the sea and sky into a single ominous shade.
Dark clouds covered the entire sky, forming a massive, spiraling wall of clouds driven by the cyclone. This cloud wall descended from the heavens in a spectacular, vertical drop, creating an awe-inspiring but terrifying sight.
The clouds stretched out endlessly, blotting out the sun and plunging the world beneath them into deep, unbroken darkness.
In this doomsday-like scene, Dragonite's body seemed as tiny as an ant against the backdrop of the colossal storm. This was the umpteenth time it had charged toward the eye of the typhoon.
Despite being battered by fierce winds and covered in scars, Dragonite's determination never wavered. Instead, the relentless challenge only ignited the pride that lay deep within it, the pride of a Dragonite.
'I will conquer this storm,' it thought, 'and make it to the center of the eye in one go!'
With renewed resolve, Dragonite accelerated to its maximum speed and surged forward.
As it drew closer to the storm's heart, the winds grew more violent and fierce. The immense pressure crushed against Dragonite's body, nearly knocking it off balance and sending it spiraling back dozens of meters.
"Ouch!" Dragonite roared, flapping its wings furiously to steady itself. Images of its past struggles and Naoki's encouraging words flashed through its mind.
Its eyes blazed with unyielding determination.
Once again, Dragonite surged forward, Naoki's words echoing in its ears:
"If you want to use a move successfully, you must first understand the power behind it and learn to control the energy."
"If it doesn't work the first time, then try again and again. One day, you will succeed."
"As long as you don't give up and keep working hard, one day, people and Pokémon all over the world will look up to you!"
Dragonite plunged into the storm once more.
Ahead, the violent winds swept toward it again.
This time, the experience gained from countless failures guided its actions.
'If I don't want to be pushed back, I need to act now!'
Dragonite quickly turned sideways and spread its wings wide, allowing the airflow to pass by without resistance.
Success!
But before it could savor the moment, another wave of wind struck.
Without hesitation, Dragonite adjusted its posture and charged forward again.
The winds raged all around, but Dragonite gritted its teeth and pressed on.
'I'm almost there. Just one more step!'
As the eye of the storm came within reach, an unprecedented surge of power welled up from within its body. Strong Flying-type energy radiated from Dragonite, dispersing the last gust of wind that threatened to push it back.
With a final burst of speed, Dragonite plunged into the eye of the storm.
The moment it entered, all the chaos around it ceased. The roaring winds and torrential rain disappeared, replaced by an eerie, tranquil silence. It felt as though Dragonite had stepped into another world, one filled with a sense of peace and harmony.
This was the first time Dragonite had reached the eye of a storm.
Gentle currents of air swirled around its body, a testament to its newfound mastery of the wind.
Dragonite looked around in awe, then raised its head, curious about what lay above.
With scarred but determined wings, it began to ascend, eager to see what was beyond the clouds.
Just as it was about to reach the cloud layer, Dragonite suddenly felt a mysterious presence, as though something was watching it.
It turned around abruptly and saw, in the distance, a massive, dark figure—a dragon-like silhouette swimming through the sky, immense and powerful.