At night, Naoki camped under the stars with his Pokémon.
In the summer, though the daytime heat was intense, the nights were cool and peaceful. The stars twinkled in the sky, and the chirping of distant insects could be heard from the deep grass.
Naoki lay on the ground, resting his head on his arms as he gazed up at the starry sky. A group of Pokémon were curled up around him, and several Dratini were snuggled up on his belly, dozing off from exhaustion after a long day of play. They were no longer as energetic as they had been earlier.
"Did you know?" Naoki said softly, still staring at the stars. "There's a rumor that Pokémon live on those stars. They're called Cleffa, and it's said they came to our world a long time ago on a spaceship."
Dragonite perked up with curiosity, while the other Pokémon, though less interested in the tale, still looked over.
Cyclizar: "Gah?"
Dragonite: "Ouch?"
"I don't know if it's true," Naoki chuckled. "I just heard it somewhere. But I do know for sure that besides Cleffa, there are other powerful Pokémon in the universe."
Deoxys came to his mind.
Dragonite asked eagerly: "Ouch?" (Can I meet one?)
Naoki chuckled, thinking it over. "Maybe!"
The world was still early in its space exploration. Technology hadn't advanced far enough to reach the vastness of space, but places like the Mossdeep Space Center in the Hoenn region were the starting points for humanity's journey into the cosmos.
Dragonite looked excited, anticipating the idea of exploring the universe one day.
Meanwhile, Pawmo, sitting nearby, was astonished by human achievements. The idea of venturing into the infinite universe was beyond anything it had ever imagined, having lived mostly in the wild.
"Pawmo..." Pawmo murmured, its awe unmistakable.
Naoki laughed. "Don't underestimate humans!"
The Pokémon around him turned their attention to Naoki, waiting for more.
"Even though humans can't use moves like Pokémon, they have clever minds and skillful hands. They create all sorts of incredible machines."
He paused, thinking of legends. "There are even Pokémon who've been captured by humans, like Lugia, the sea guardian that controls ocean currents and storms, or Raikou, the embodiment of thunder."
Naoki's thoughts drifted to Mewtwo. "And it's not just that. Using technology, humans have even created legendary Pokémon—powerful ones."
"Huh?" Butterfree fluttered curiously.
Naoki nodded. "Yes, it's called Mewtwo."
...
Late at night, the chorus of insects in the deep grass faded away. A cool breeze swept through the ranch, and the soft glow of moonlight bathed the land in peace.
On the other side of the river, a group of Psyduck noticed the farmland across the way. The scent of ripe melons and fruits drifted through the air, making their beaks twitch in hunger. Over by the trees, a few Psyducks glanced at the fields with longing, their mouths watering.
The delicious aroma seemed to linger in the air, tempting them like a pair of invisible hands, beckoning them closer.
Eventually, one Psyduck couldn't resist any longer. It quietly slipped into the river, paddling across to the other side. The rest of the Psyduck tilted their heads in confusion at first but soon followed suit.
As they tiptoed through the farmland, one Psyduck stumbled upon a ripe watermelon. It tilted its head curiously, staring at the large fruit before bumping its head against it with a quick tap.
With a satisfying crack, the watermelon split in half, revealing its sweet, juicy interior. Psyduck squealed with delight, burying its face into the fruit.
The rest of the Psyducks were not far behind. Some started munching on the corn, others tangled with the pineapples, while a few wandered into the sunflower field, only to get lost and let out pitiful cries of distress.
Naoki and his Pokémon, who had been peacefully sleeping under the stars, were abruptly awakened by the commotion echoing through the night.
Startled, Naoki shot up, rubbing his eyes as he rushed over to check what was happening.
When he finally saw the scene, he was momentarily speechless.
Under the moonlit sky, with the fields glowing silver, stood the Psyducks, causing all sorts of mischief in his melon patch. It almost felt like a scene from an old farmer's tale.
For a second, Naoki wondered if he should brandish a pitchfork like some kind of countryside guardian.
As soon as the Psyducks realized they'd been caught, they panicked, holding their heads and running aimlessly, trampling through the crops and crushing flowers in their frenzy.
Naoki's eyebrows twitched in frustration. Without wasting time, he signaled to his Pokémon, and within moments, they had rounded up all the culprits who had invaded the farmland for a midnight snack.
Now, six Psyducks stood in a row before him, their heads held in their flippers, looking as if they were in some kind of daze. Naoki wondered whether these goofy-looking Pokémon could even comprehend what they had done.
After contemplating for a moment, he asked with a flat expression, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Quack, quack, quack!"
He shouldn't have asked. The moment Naoki spoke, the Psyducks erupted into a panic, running in circles and bumping into each other in a chaotic display.
One Psyduck accidentally bumped into another, and for a brief moment, they stared at each other, seemingly confused.
Then, without warning, one Psyduck reached out and slapped the other.
In perfect comedic timing, the second Psyduck retaliated, slapping back with equal force. The two then froze, blinking in confusion, as if they had forgotten what had just happened.
Naoki stood there, staring blankly. "…"
He was genuinely starting to wonder if Psyducks were just natural-born fools.
But then, as he thought about Psyduck's peculiar nature, it all made sense. Psyducks are known to suffer from chronic headaches due to the telekinetic powers that build up in their heads. These headaches often leave them dazed and confused.
The stronger the headache, the more powerful their psychic abilities become. When the pain reaches its peak, their psychic powers explode uncontrollably.
Ironically, after these psychic outbursts, the Psyducks seem to experience temporary relief from their headaches. But the intense mental strain likely affects their memory, leaving them with no recollection of what had just happened.
This issue has been a challenge that has puzzled the Pokémon academic community for many years.
Because using telekinesis gives Psyduck headaches, they usually try not to exert themselves and spend much of their time in a daze. Combined with their silly, spaced-out expressions, they tend to come across as not very smart and rather clumsy.
What should Naoki do when faced with such a Pokémon?
It didn't feel right to scold them, but doing nothing also seemed wrong.
After thinking for a moment, Naoki decided to have Koraidon carry the Psyducks one by one back to the other side of the river.
Koraidon did as instructed, and Naoki took to the farmland to pick the crops that had been damaged by the Psyducks. He handed the remaining fruits and vegetables over to Koraidon to give to the Psyducks directly.
In return, the Psyducks sitting across the river, who had been watching the whole scene, were thankful and happily munched on their watermelons.
...
The next morning, all the crops in the fields had ripened.
After milking his Gogoat, Naoki put on his straw hat and set out to harvest the crops under the blazing sun.
The last time he worked the land, he had expanded the farm considerably. Now, with the crops ready for harvest, he and Koraidon along with Cyclizar were feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work.
At that moment, Naoki spotted the group of Psyducks across the river staring at him with curious, eager expressions.
Suddenly, a bold idea popped into his mind.
What if... he hired the Psyducks to help with the harvest?
Just like when he got help from Diglett before.
And all he'd need to provide them in exchange was some food.
There were more crops growing than the Psyducks could possibly eat, after all.
The more Naoki thought about it, the better it sounded. He called Koraidon over and whispered his plan.
Koraidon listened calmly, showing no particular surprise. It nodded and then made its way to the riverbank, where it began communicating with the Psyducks.
Naoki couldn't make out their conversation, but before long, the group of Psyducks crossed the river and followed Koraidon to the farm.
Naoki's curiosity piqued as he watched the Psyducks. They seemed perfectly fine—no signs of their usual headaches. So, he decided to ask, "Do you all understand what you're supposed to do?"
"Quack!" the Psyducks responded in unison.
Koraidon nodded and barked out instructions, "Ah, gah!"
Without hesitation, the Psyducks sprang into action.
They marched into the fields, quickly gathering all kinds of fruits and vegetables in their arms and piling them neatly on the grass.
Naoki raised an eyebrow in surprise. 'They learn so fast?!'
At first, everything seemed to be going well, but problems soon emerged.
One Psyduck, struggling with a large watermelon, decided it might be easier to move the fruit using telekinesis.
However, as soon as its eyes began to glow with psychic energy, the Psyduck's head throbbed painfully, as if something were squeezing its brain.
"Quack!"
It let out a sharp cry, dropping the watermelon as it collapsed to the ground, clutching its head with both hands. Beads of sweat appeared on its forehead, and it squirmed in pain.
Seeing this, Naoki rushed over, concerned. He knelt down to check on the Psyduck's condition.
"It looks like the poor thing's brain was overstressed from using its telekinesis," Naoki murmured thoughtfully, gently patting the Psyduck on the back.
After a brief moment of thought, Naoki turned to Cyclizar and said, "Help me keep an eye on these Psyducks, and make sure they don't use their telekinesis."
With that, Naoki hopped onto Koraidon and rushed toward the Pokémon Center. Once there, he purchased a special medicine for Psyduck headaches from Nurse Joy.
After returning to the ranch and giving the medicine to the Psyduck, their expressions returned to their usual goofy, dazed look.
Naoki: "..."
He suddenly regretted his decision.
Not only did the Psyduck not contribute to the job, but Naoki had also ended up paying for several bottles of medicine out of his own pocket.
Sighing in defeat, he waved his hand and said to the group of Psyducks, "Alright, just go back and rest. Consider these six watermelons my gift to you."
With that, he called out, "Dragonite, come over and help me deliver the watermelons across the river!"
Dragonite quickly picked up the watermelons and carried them to the other side of the river.
The Psyducks, eyes fixated on the watermelons in Dragonite's claws, eagerly followed it, hopping along in excitement as they crossed the river.
"The Digletts are still the most reliable!" Naoki sighed.
Just as he said this, a group of Dragonair and Dratini that had snuck in from Dragonite Island appeared, flying over excitedly.
"Woo!"
Naoki sighed, "Alright, you're all great too, but remember, no more squeezing into the Diglett tunnels. You'll just end up stuck again."
Recalling the embarrassing incident, one of the Dratini turned its back, clearly too flustered to face everyone.
Dragonite watched the scene, amused.
It secretly hoped that these Dratini and Dragonair would return to Dragonite Island soon.
Seeing Dratini sulking, Dragonite quickly rushed over, asking, "Awoo?" (Do you want to go back to Dragonite Island? I can help!)
The little Dratini peeked at Naoki and huffed, "Woo!" (I'm mad! I want to go home!)
Unfortunately, Naoki hadn't eaten many of his translation seeds lately due to his sore throat, so he couldn't understand what Dratini was saying.
Seeing Naoki didn't react and was still hard at work with Koraidon and Cyclizar, the little Dratini looked even more upset, as if it were on the verge of tears.
Dragonite, sensing this wasn't going to end well, quickly turned its head.
Sure enough, the next moment, Dratini flew toward Naoki. When it reached him, its big eyes were brimming with tears, looking pitiful.
"What's going on?" Naoki asked, surprised.
Dratini didn't say anything, instead wrapping its soft, snake-like body around Naoki's neck, resting on his shoulders like a living scarf.
Naoki couldn't help but feel touched by Dratini's affectionate gesture. He smiled and leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on Dratini's big white nose.
Nearby, the Pokémon—Koraidon, Cyclizar, and Dragonite—looked on, surprised and a little envious of the attention Dratini was getting.
Noticing their expressions, Naoki's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly tried to change the subject. "Alright, let's get back to work! We'll have too much to do if we fall behind!"
He chuckled to himself. No way was he going to start kissing the bigger Pokémon like he did with Dratini. Raising Pokémon is like raising babies: you can kiss them when they're small, but once they grow bigger, well... it's a different story.
Cyclizar, for instance, was less than a year old but had already grown into a sizable Pokémon. It wasn't exactly the kind of "kid" you casually give a kiss to anymore.
Who would kiss a 1.6-meter-tall Pokémon anyway?
Luckily, the work in the field was quite busy, and after a moment of pouting, all the Pokémon refocused and got back to work.
Koraidon, Cyclizar, and Dragonite gathered the harvested crops in neat piles on the grass while Naoki, carrying a basket, began picking hops.
These hops weren't for sale—Naoki planned to store them for brewing beer.
There was a generous amount of hops, enough to brew two rounds of beer. Since hops could be harvested twice during the summer, it would be perfect for brewing in the upcoming autumn and winter.
In addition to the hops, the wheat Naoki had planted earlier, intended for malting, was also ready to be harvested.
Naoki planned to start harvesting the wheat after he was done with the hops. The other crops, like corn, pineapples, watermelons, and pumpkins, would be left for the Pokémon on the ranch to enjoy.
As Naoki worked, he kept an eye out for any signs of mutated crops. He was hoping for something unusual, like last time.
Unfortunately, it seemed like this batch only produced two mutated crops: the pumpkins that could grow to any size, and the glowing pineapples.
Though a bit disappointed, Naoki still felt that getting two mutant crops wasn't too bad considering the odds.
...
When Dr. Sada and Arven arrived at the ranch, they were greeted by the sight of Koraidon—considered a priceless treasure by the research institute—diligently working on the farm.
Dr. Sada's jaw nearly dropped at the sight, her expression one of complete disbelief.
She had heard Naoki mention before that Koraidon was surprisingly docile, but seeing it now with her own eyes was a shock.
In Dr. Sada's mind, ancient Pokémon like Koraidon were supposed to be untamed, wild, and full of aggression, with a commanding presence that made them seem untouchable.
Yet here it was, helping out with farm chores.
Dr. Sada was speechless for a moment.
And judging by how effortlessly Koraidon moved around the field, it was obvious this wasn't the first time it had helped with farm work at Naoki's ranch.