August 16, 198th year of the Alliance Calendar, Autumn.
Four days before Cyclizar's birthday, Naoki began to think about the perfect birthday gift for it. This was his first time celebrating a Pokémon's birthday, so it needed to feel special.
However, no matter how long Naoki thought, he couldn't figure out what kind of gift would truly excite Cyclizar. From what he knew about it, Cyclizar didn't seem to have any particular preferences or desires.
"Maybe I could make its favorite meal?" Naoki considered but quickly dismissed the idea. Giving it something it already ate every day didn't feel like a real birthday gift.
"What about a training device to help it get stronger?" But then Naoki thought again. Cyclizar didn't seem to have the same obsession with strength as Dragonite. It might like the gift, but only because it came from Naoki, not because it actually wanted it.
So what would be the right gift?
Naoki sat under the eaves, listening to the soft chime of the wind bells overhead, his eyes resting on the Cyclizar basking in the sun. Koraidon lay lazily nearby, taking a nap.
Noticing Naoki had been silent for a while, Koraidon opened one eye and followed his gaze. It landed on the scene of a teary-eyed Cyclizar holding its tail. Nearby, a Naclstack Pokémon stood apologetically, shaking its head in a panic, clearly trying to say, "I didn't mean it!"
Alcremie, who had been sitting atop the Naclstack like it was driving a car, now looked down in confusion.
"Ah, gah?" Koraidon muttered in confusion.
Naoki sighed, "Naclstack accidentally stepped on the Cyclizar's tail. I'll go check on them."
Standing up, Naoki headed over, and Koraidon shook itself off and followed.
By the time they reached, Alcremie had already jumped down from the Naclstack and was tending to the Cyclizar's injury.
The commotion drew the attention of other Pokémon, and Glaceon and Butterfree also came over.
"Stack…" Naclstack mumbled apologetically as Naoki approached.
"Don't worry," Naoki said, trying to calm it down. "Let me take a look." He gently took hold of the Cyclizar's tail.
The tip, normally slender, was swollen like a little balloon, its pale skin slightly reddened. Naoki could only imagine the pain—the Naclstack weighed over 105 kilograms!
Cyclizar's eyes welled up with tears from the pain.
Naoki quickly examined the injury and turned to Brother Indeedee who had just arrived. "Please bring me the gauze and medicine from the cabinet in my bedroom."
"Ai ya." Indeedee nodded calmly, glanced at the injury, and headed back to fetch the supplies.
Naoki held the Cyclizar's tail, ready to comfort it, but suddenly the weight in his hand lightened.
For a moment, he was confused, then looked down to see the tip of the Cyclizar's tail lying quietly in his hand.
Naoki was frozen.
Nearby, Alcremie, Butterfree, and the other Pokémon gasped in horror, their exaggerated cries filling the air.
"Mree!"
"Buyi?!"
"Stack!!!"
Naclstack, absolutely terrified, stood paralyzed in fear. It hadn't meant for this to happen!
But when Naoki looked back up at the Cyclizar, it was already looking much better, as if the worst of the pain had passed.
Tentatively, Naoki asked, "How do you feel now?"
"Gah..." Cyclizar looked a little embarrassed seeing everyone so concerned for it.
Cyclizar shook its head, looking at the missing section of its tail in confusion.
After its tail broke, it suddenly didn't hurt as much anymore.
Naoki's eyebrows raised. 'Could it be that the pain triggered Cyclizar's potential and it realized the move "Shed Tail"? '
Shed Tail is a move that sacrifices a bit of health to create a substitute, allowing the Pokémon to switch out with a partner. In the games, this is a move that only Pokémon like Cyclizar and Orthworm can learn.
Naoki carefully examined the cross-section of Cyclizar's tail and noticed that it wasn't as bloody as he'd expected.
"Is this a new move?" he asked.
Instinctively, Cyclizar knew this was a move called Shed Tail. It nodded, a little embarrassed. "Gahao..." it mumbled, realizing that it couldn't use the move again until its tail grew back.
Naoki had a general idea of what had happened, and just then, Brother Indeedee jogged over with the medical supplies.
Naoki took the bandages and healing spray, gently applied the spray to Cyclizar's broken tail, and wrapped it up neatly with a bow.
"All done, you'll be good as new soon," Naoki said with a smile.
Pokémon have remarkable healing abilities, and according to Naoki's knowledge, the tail would grow back within three days.
After hearing this, the other Pokémon finally calmed down.
Naclstack hung its head apologetically. If it hadn't been so clumsy, Cyclizar wouldn't have been hurt.
But the kind-hearted Cyclizar shook its head and smiled, reassuring Naclstack that everything was okay.
Harmony was restored among the Pokémon.
Feeling a bit tired, Cyclizar found a cozy spot to nap.
Despite the forgiveness, Naclstack still seemed downhearted. It moved cautiously, making sure not to accidentally step on any other small Pokémon.
Naoki and Koraidon returned to the eaves.
Reflecting on Cyclizar's earlier response, Naoki couldn't help but smile and say, "Cyclizar really is a little angel."
"Ah, gah~" Koraidon agreed, having grown used to Naoki's frequent praise of Cyclizar.
Naoki chuckled. "Why are you so happy when I praise Cyclizar? I remember you didn't like it much when we first got here."
Koraidon had a sheepish look on its face. "Ah, gah."
"Well, as long as you're getting along now!" Naoki said, letting the matter drop. Given Koraidon's territorial nature, it was impressive enough that it didn't fight with Cyclizar anymore.
Leaning back, Naoki asked thoughtfully, "By the way, has Cyclizar ever told you what it's interested in?"
Koraidon tilted its head, unsure at first.
Naoki explained, "Its birthday is coming up, and I want to get it a nice gift, but I don't know what to pick."
Koraidon perked up, recalling how, when it was still a Cyclizar itself, Naoki had once given it a special gift: a scarf and warm clothes.
The clothes were like a snug little vest, with holes for its legs and a scarf to keep its neck warm. Cyclizar had loved the outfit, but after wearing it for so long, it had become torn and worn out. Naoki had tried to mend it a few times before retiring it to the closet.
Without hesitation, Koraidon responded, "Ah, gah!"
At that moment, a cool autumn breeze blew by, bringing with it a slight chill.
An idea popped into Naoki's mind—warm clothes!
Winter was approaching, and he remembered that some shops in town sold scarves and clothes for Pokémon.
"That's it!" Naoki suddenly stood up, ready to head into town.
Cyclizar's tail was injured, making it unsuitable for carrying Naoki to town. Besides, Naoki wanted to keep the gift a secret and surprise it when the time came.
So, this time, he decided to ride a more low-key mount—his trusty Gogoat—to town.
Before leaving, Naoki reminded Koraidon, "Don't tell Cyclizar what I talked to you about today, okay?"
Koraidon blinked, looking a little unsure at first, but then gave a nod of agreement.
Satisfied, Naoki mounted the back of his Gogoat and set off toward the town.
It had been a while since Naoki visited, but the town was just as lively and bustling as ever.
Following his memory, he made his way to the Pokémon Beauty Shop.
Only here could he find some Pokémon outfits.
Upon entering, he was greeted by a very fashionable Pokémon stylist dressed in colorful clothes.
"Good afternoon, young man! Are you here to style this beautiful Gogoat? Oh my goodness! Its wool is so lush and soft! Hmm, it's perfect for the hairstyle I just designed," the stylist exclaimed with enthusiasm.
The stylist pushed an illustration in front of Naoki. It depicted a Gogoat with a mohawk.
With a playful grin, the stylist added, "Would you like to try this trendy look?"
Naoki stared blankly for a moment. "Uh…"
The Gogoat, having understood what the stylist was proposing, took a step closer to the illustration and immediately widened its eyes in disbelief.
"Mehh..."
A green aura started to surge around Gogoat as it shot the stylist a very unfriendly look, as if to say, "Try touching my wool, and you'll see the wrath of my Leaf Blade!"
"Oh, no need to get upset!" Naoki said hurriedly, trying to calm the situation.
He chuckled awkwardly. The idea of these fashionable hairstyles and quirky styles seemed a bit too... unconventional for his taste.
Quickly moving past the topic, Naoki asked, "Do you have any clothing for a Cyclizar? I'm looking to buy something for winter."
"Cyclizar?" The stylist looked surprised. "No, we only carry outfits for small dog-like Pokémon."
Seeing that this wasn't the right place for what he had in mind, Naoki thanked the stylist politely, bid them farewell, and hopped back on his Gogoat. He decided to head to a different shop, one that specialized in clothing for larger Pokémon.
Naoki and his Gogoat returned from the mall empty-handed yet again.
"Of course, the big mall only sells human clothes," Naoki muttered to himself, standing at the entrance, unsure where to look next.
Just then, a young female clerk from the mall called out to him.
Naoki turned around, slightly confused.
The girl asked, "Are you looking to buy some warm clothes for your Cyclizar?"
Naoki nodded. "Yes."
The girl smiled and replied, "Unfortunately, you won't find any here in Kosaji Town. Clothes tend to restrict a Pokémon's movement, so aside from a few noble ladies dressing up their Pokémon for fashion, it's rare to see anyone else doing it."
"I see…" Naoki nodded thoughtfully.
The girl smiled again and added, "But I have an idea! You've been walking up and down the street for a while now. You must really care about that Cyclizar. So why not make the clothes yourself?"
Naoki's eyes lit up. "What do you mean?"
The girl explained, "There are ranches near Kosaji Town that raise wool Pokémon like Wooloo. You can buy some wool and then find a skilled tailor to make custom clothes for your Cyclizar."
This was a brilliant idea.
Naoki thanked the girl and, while there was still time in the day, he rode his Gogoat over to the nearby Thunder Ranch to inquire about wool.
The ranch owner, Ray, who was slightly older than Naoki, warmly welcomed him and agreed to show him around after learning the purpose of his visit.
"Come on, I'll show you around!" Ray said with a grin.
Naoki followed, taking in the sight of the ranch. Thunder Ranch was located at the base of a hillside covered in lush grass, where a group of Wooloo and Dubwool from the Galar region peacefully grazed.
"It's a bit different from your ranch, huh?" Ray said with a chuckle.
Naoki nodded. "Yeah, quite different."
He noticed that Thunder Ranch didn't have much farmland—just a small pumpkin patch—and there weren't any Miltank-like Pokémon for dairy production.
Ray proudly explained, "My ranch specializes in animal husbandry. We focus on raising wool-producing Pokémon like Wooloo. Their wool is top-notch for making clothes. In Galar, garments and carpets made from this wool are highly sought after!"
"The wool from my herd is sold throughout the Padia region!" he added with a hint of pride.
"Impressive!" Naoki genuinely admired Ray's ranching skills.
Compared to him, Ray was an expert rancher. Naoki had relied on his magical cooking skills and the help of his Pokémon to get his ranch going, but Ray had managed everything himself.
"Haha, thanks!" Ray said, a bit bashfully. "So, you're here for wool, right?"
Naoki nodded. "That's right."
Ray waved his hand, calling over a plump Wooloo with soft, fluffy wool and large, gentle eyes.
"Perfect timing! It's a shearing season," Ray said, pulling out a special pair of shears.
As Ray expertly shaved the wool, he explained, "Wooloo's wool grows continuously. Even if you shear it completely, it only takes about three months for it to grow back."
"If you don't shear them, these little guys can barely move because of how heavy their wool gets!"
In no time, Ray had produced a complete woolen fleece.
Holding it up, he said, "Look at this! Isn't it amazing? The fleece is intact and super elastic. If you were to wear it, you wouldn't get hurt even if you fell off a cliff!"
To demonstrate, Ray patted the wool, and it bounced back with a soft "boing" sound.
Naoki was wide-eyed in disbelief. It was so… resilient!
"If I gave this to a Werewolf-like Pokémon, it'd really be a wolf in sheep's clothing," Naoki thought, amused.
"I'll round off the price for you—2,000 Poke Dollars per kilogram. This fleece weighs 6 kilograms, so that'll be 12,000 Poke Dollars," Ray said as he weighed the wool.
Twelve thousand Poke Dollars. Considering the quality, it was a reasonable price.
Naoki thought it was a great deal and quickly paid for the wool. Excited, he hurried back home, eager to start the next step: finding a tailor to craft the perfect warm clothing for his Cyclizar.
It was going to be a birthday gift like no other!
...
Stones