The arrival of a wild Dragonite disrupted Naoki's plans.
Under the guidance of Naoki's Dragonite, the wild Dragonite finally spotted the Dratini and Dragonair sneaking around the lake on the ranch.
Upon seeing them, the wild Dragonite put its hands on its hips and scolded them: "Awooo, awooo!"
The Dratini and Dragonair huddled together, trembling and responding pitifully.
Meanwhile, Naoki's Dragonite stood off to the side, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
"Ai eh?"
Naoki's sister, Indeedee, looked at the scene with curiosity in her eyes.
Naoki explained, "The three Dratini and two Dragonairs are just visiting the ranch. They normally live on an isolated island in the ocean."
Apparently, Dragonite had already made arrangements with the other Dragonites on Dragon Island, assuring them the group would just play for a short while and then return home.
But these five little ones got so carried away with their fun that they lost track of time, so Dragon Island sent a Dragonite to fetch them.
While they continued their negotiations, Naoki decided to take the two Indeedees to the underground cave to introduce them to the five Naclstack and Digletts living there.
The cave was cool and serene, with an underground lake connected to a flowing river. Water droplets slowly dripped from the stalactites above, creating a peaceful ticking sound as they hit the water.
Five Naclstack and little Diglett gathered in front of Naoki, curiously eyeing the two new Pokemon.
Naoki smiled, saying, "These two will be your companions from now on. When I'm away, they'll take care of you."
Sister Indeedee waved warmly, "Ai Ai~"
Brother Indeedee nodded slightly, "Ai Yi."
The Naclstack and Diglett all turned their attention to the two new faces.
Naoki added with a grin, "The one on the left is the older brother and the one on the right is the younger sister. Also, the food my younger sister cooks is absolutely delicious—it's even better than mine!"
"Squeak?!"
Hearing this, the greedy Diglett's eyes lit up. It had always thought Naoki's cooking was the best in the world, so it was surprised to hear someone else might outdo him.
The Naclstacks were also intrigued by Indeedee's culinary skills.
Sister Indeedee, thrilled by the praise, couldn't wait to whip up some of her signature dishes and share them with the Pokémon.
Naoki, of course, supported this: "Then, how about you take care of their lunch today? I'll tell you about their favorite foods and preferences later."
"Ai Ai~" Sister Indeedee nodded enthusiastically.
After finishing their tasks in the cave, Naoki took them back above ground.
Brother Indeedee got straight to work tidying up the rooms, which had been messed up by Cyclizar and Pawmot.
Sister Indeedee, on the other hand, strolled around the ranch, making friends with Glaceon, Alcremie, and the other Pokémon. Her gentle and caring nature quickly endeared her to the group.
Naoki glanced over and saw that Alcremie had already taken a spot on Indeedee's head. Even Glaceon, typically reserved, smiled faintly and stayed close by her side.
Meanwhile, by the lake, the wild Dragonite was still scolding the Dratini and Dragonair.
Naoki, curious, asked Koraidon to bring him a bag of translation seed crisps so he could understand what was being said.
The wild Dragonite continued muttering by the lake. Two Dratini and three Dragonairs huddled in the water, with just their heads peeking above the surface, looking pitifully at the wild Dragonite.
Naoki's Dragonite watched the entire scene, clearly amused.
"What's going on here?" Naoki raised an eyebrow as he approached.
As soon as the Dratini and Dragonair saw him, they rushed out of the lake and hid behind him as though he were their savior.
"Woo!" (We don't want to go back!)
"Woo…" (Please, let us play a little longer…)
The wild Dragonite, still serious, retorted, "Awoo!" (No, you've played long enough! It's time to go home!)
The Dratini and Dragonair trembled in fear.
Naoki, feeling sympathetic, said, "Are you in a hurry? Why not let them stay a few more days?"
After all, life on Dragon Island didn't seem particularly exciting—just basking in the sun or fishing in the sea.
Facing Naoki, the wild Dragonite's sternness softened, and it sounded almost a little aggrieved: "Awooo..." (But they've been playing for a really long time...)
The Dragonite beside them widened its eyes in surprise.
Naoki: "…"
That was true.
After thinking for a moment, Naoki realized that since the wild Dragonite had come all this way, he couldn't let it leave without offering hospitality. So, he extended an invitation: "How about you stay for dinner and leave in the afternoon?"
'Dinner?'
The wild Dragonite's eyes lit up, recalling the delicious food Naoki had brought to Dragon Island.
It immediately forgot about fetching the Dratini and Dragonair and eagerly nodded: "Awooo!"
Naoki's Dragonite: "!!!"
"Alright then," Naoki said cheerfully. "You all can play for a while. I'll go get some ingredients. Dragonite, can you help me look after our guest?"
Naoki's Dragonite was quite upset, but thinking that the wild Dragonite would take those five annoying little dragons back to Dragon Island in the afternoon, it decided to endure the situation. So, Dragonite agreed.
Dratini and Dragonairs sighed with relief. At least, they could still play here until the afternoon.
Naoki initially wanted to ride Cyclizar to town, but when he looked around, he saw Cyclizar playing with the Indeedees. Not wanting to disturb them, he found Koraidon, called Pawmot, and they all headed to the town together to order a new cape for Pawmot.
...
Today's lunch was prepared by Naoki and sister Indeedee. Looking at the feast before it, the wild Dragonite was overwhelmed by the variety of food.
Dragonite: "..." 'This is too embarrassing to watch!'
It turned its head away and quietly ate its sandwich, deciding to endure the situation a little longer since the wild Dragonite would be leaving in the afternoon.
However, while the imagination was comforting, the reality was harsh.
Even as the sun set and night fell, the wild Dragonite made no mention of bringing Dratini and Dragonair back to Dragon Island. Not only that, it enthusiastically played with the Pokémon on the ranch.
Since Naoki had visited Dragon Island with Cyclizar and Pawmo before, he was familiar with this group of Pokémon, including the wild Dragonite.
Naoki, Dragonite, and the Dratini stood nearby, observing the scene, each with different expressions on their faces.
Naoki felt proud, thinking, "I knew it! No Pokémon can resist the temptation of good food! Look at this wild Dragonite, it's having the time of its life!"
Dragonite, on the other hand, was full of questions: "What happened to leaving in the afternoon? It's already nighttime!"
Meanwhile, Dratini and Dragonair quietly stepped back, trying to hide and avoid any fallout.
At that moment, Indeedee called everyone for dinner.
She nodded to Naoki, who called out, "Dinner's ready!"
The wild Dragonite rushed over immediately.
It noticed Dragonite looking gloomy next to the dining table and asked, "Awoo?" (What's wrong?)
Dragonite reminded it, "Ouch?" (Did you forget something?)
The wild Dragonite blinked. 'Did it forget something?' It seemed like it had, but… it couldn't quite recall. Oh well!
Without a care, the wild Dragonite happily dived into the delicious food.
Dragonite: "!!!"
It wanted to say more, but Naoki gently stopped it.
Naoki whispered, "Let it play here for a few more days! There's no rush to go back."
Dragonite, feeling wronged, sighed, "Ouch..."
Naoki, with a mysterious smile, said, "Remember the plan I told you about? The one where you lead a whole army of Dragonites?"
Dragonite blinked, recalling the idea. After a moment, it nodded.
Naoki said, "So, now use food to build a good relationship with them, and then we can hire them to help us work. I'll make you the head of the Dragon Express Company, and we'll all be one big family."
'One big family.'
Those words really touched Dragonite's heart.
Its eyes widened as it thought carefully. Every Pokémon Naoki treated as family had their own Poké Ball.
Dragonite had one, too, but Dratini, Dragonair, and this wild Dragonite didn't.
Thinking of this, Dragonite suddenly felt happy. They were a family!
With that, it stopped worrying about sending the wild Dragonite back to Dragon Island. After all, in Naoki's heart, Dragonite was special!
Late that night, the Pokémon on the ranch gradually fell asleep, one by one. The wild Dragonite, with its belly full, also dozed off on the soft grass.
Everything was peaceful at the ranch, but over on Dragonite Island, things weren't going as smoothly.
The moonlight reflected on the lake. The Dragonites by the water looked confused.
'Where was the Dragonite they'd sent to bring back Dratini and Dragonair? Why hadn't it returned? Did something bad happen?'
'Could it have been captured by a human trainer or something?'
The Dragonites exchanged worried glances, looked at the moon, and the sea, and thought about what might have gone wrong. So, early the next morning, they sent another adult Dragonite to investigate.
But as the day passed and the sun set again, the second Dragonite didn't return either.
Panic spread among the Dragonites.
After a long, anxious discussion, they decided to send a particularly tough Dragonite this time—one who had a bad temper, respected strength, and despised humans. It would never allow itself to be tamed!
...
The next morning, as the sun rose, Dragonite, who had just returned from delivering milk, widened its eyes in disbelief. It stared at the two wild Dragonites, who looked far too happy as they juggled juice in one hand and honey bread in the other.
'Oh no! They're eating everything!'
Not only Dragonite, but Naoki also realized this.
These two wild Dragonites were like bottomless pits. They had been eating nonstop for two days. Besides their three meals a day, they were snacking constantly.
The refrigerator was empty!
"No, we can't let them stay here any longer!" Naoki muttered, trying to figure out how to send them back to Dragon Island.
Just then, another Dragonite landed on the ranch.
Naoki's eyebrows twitched as he exchanged a glance with Dragonite, both thinking the same thing: 'No way... another one?'
However, this Dragonite seemed different from the previous two.
The wild Dragonite that arrived looked fierce, much like Iris's Dragonite from the anime.
Not only that, its behavior was aggressive.
As soon as it landed, it flew over to the two gluttonous Dragonites and whacked them twice with its claws, leaving them rubbing their heads, tears welling up in their eyes.
Naoki's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Something's definitely happening here!" he thought.
Dragonite beside him was excited: "Awooo!"
Naoki blinked, still surprised. "Do you know it?"
Dragonite nodded eagerly: "Awooo, awooo!" (It's the strongest Dragonite on the island! It hates humans, it's super powerful, and has a terrible temper!)
Just as Dragonite had said, after scolding the two gluttonous Dragonites, the wild Dragonite glared at Naoki with a look of disdain.
Sensing the hostility, Koraidon jumped up from his resting spot and stood protectively in front of Naoki, staring at the wild Dragonite with a warning glare.
The wild Dragonite, seeing Koraidon, immediately became serious.
For a moment, Naoki thought they might fight, but then the Dragonite's attention shifted to Dratini and Dragonair, who were hiding behind a bush, trembling as they peeked out.
Dratini and Dragonair quivered again.
The wild Dragonite let out a commanding roar: "Awooo!" (It's time to go back! The evolution ritual is about to begin!)
Hearing this, Dratini and Dragonair seemed to understand. Despite their reluctance, they obediently flew out from the bushes.
They first huddled close to Naoki, looking miserable, and then slowly approached the wild Dragonite.
Naoki was puzzled. "Evolution ritual? What does that mean?" he asked, confused.
Could this be the real reason the other Dragonites came to pick up Dratini and Dragonair?
Dragonite knew what was going on.
It explained, "Awoo..." (That's the evolution ritual for the Dratini and Dragonair living on the island...)
From Dragonite's words, Naoki pieced together the situation.
Around this time each year, strange natural phenomena occur in the ocean. Tidal whirlpools form on the seabed, and the water seems to move toward the moon.
As Pokémon are deeply connected to nature, Dratini and Dragonair are particularly sensitive to these phenomena.
The Dratini and Dragonair will swim in the ocean, using the force of nature to train themselves.
If they manage to overcome the pull of the whirlpools, some Dratini and Dragonair are able to grow, and a few even evolve into Dragonites.
Dragonite itself had once participated but failed. Through perseverance and training, it eventually evolved into the Dragonite it is today.
Naoki half-understood the explanation, but the image forming in his mind was clear. From a trainer's perspective, overcoming the force of water in a whirlpool seemed like a perfect form of special training.
In gaming terms, it would be something like: "Dratini and Dragonairs have participated in the Tidal Training and gained significant experience."
As a result, some Dratini and Dragonairs could use this as an opportunity to evolve.
Dragonite recalled the event fondly, saying, "Awoo, awoo, awoo!" (It's spectacular! Everyone swims in the tidal waves and then flies toward the moon!)
As Dragonite spoke, Naoki's imagination began to run wild.
He pictured a bright full moon hanging high in the sky, its light illuminating the ocean below, creating whirlpools on the seabed. Countless Dratini and Dragonair and Dragonites swam within the currents.
Those who successfully passed the whirlpool trial would ascend into the sky, evolving into stronger Pokémon under the moonlight's glow.
It was a miraculous display of nature!
Naoki's heart stirred, his eyes filled with wonder. "I want to see that!" he exclaimed.
...
"You've made it this far, so you definitely know what button to hit next, right? 😉 Show some love, trainers!"