Mischievous Dragons

After Ivan delivered the letter, he left.

Watching Ivan's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Naoki finally opened the letter in his hand.

[To Naoki:

This is Kosaji's beach management office. We will hold a summer festival on the beach at 8 PM on the 31st of this month. You are hereby invited to attend.

You will spend a wonderful night with the people and Pokémon of the town, watching the gorgeous fireworks blooming in the night sky. Summer is about to reach its climax, and we are looking forward to your arrival.

—Kosaji Beach Management Office]

"Summer Festival…" Naoki murmured softly. He could already picture the scene in his mind. Smiling, he put the letter away and turned back toward his house.

Just as Ivan had said, as soon as Naoki returned home, his phone rang. It was Mayor Thomas, calling to tell him about the fishing contest.

"Naoki! The town is holding a fishing competition on the 20th of this month. You have to join! The location is at the lake on the east of the town. The event starts at 8 AM. Just follow Ivan—he's participating too!"

Naoki sighed internally. 'It looks like I need to brush up on my fishing skills; otherwise, my title as 'Fishing King' might get exposed.'

"Okay, I'll be there," Naoki said with a hint of reluctance.

Mayor Thomas chuckled, "Great! Do your best!"

Suddenly, Naoki remembered something. "By the way, Mayor, do we need to bring our own fishing rods and bait, or will they be provided?"

Mayor Thomas paused before answering, "Ah, I almost forgot! You'll need to bring your own rods and bait. My memory isn't what it used to be! The competition is about catching the most fish within the time limit. Whoever catches the most will be declared the champion."

"Got it," Naoki replied.

After hanging up the phone, he calculated the time in his mind. Today was May 7th, leaving him 13 days until the 20th. During that time, he needed to harvest his crops and plant the next batch.

Standing at his desk, Naoki glanced at the calendar, planning out the days ahead. Lost in thought, he didn't notice several small figures floating up behind him, hovering just over his shoulders.

'Something felt off'. Naoki quickly turned around, and there they were—several Dratini and Dragonair with their distinctive white noses, smiling at him.

"Ah!" Naoki yelped, startled by their sudden appearance, and stumbled backward onto his desk.

Meanwhile, the Dratini and Dragonair happily greeted him.

"Woo~"

"When did you follow me? Wait, how did you even get here?!" Naoki was baffled.

Three Dratini, including the pink shiny Dratini, floated playfully around Naoki, while the two Dragonair eyed his space backpack on the bed, clearly delighted.

Only then did Naoki notice the open zipper on his backpack, with bottles of juice and milk spilling out. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened. These Pokémon had sneaked into his backpack while he wasn't paying attention and followed him all the way back to the ranch.

'Isn't this... a bit too bold? What if I had been a bad guy?' Naoki thought, holding his forehead in disbelief. His initial reaction wasn't surprise, but shock.

With a serious expression, he scolded them gently, "Everyone on Dragonite Island will be worried if you sneak off like this!"

Seeing Naoki get angry, the Dratini and Dragonair immediately lowered their heads, giving him pitiful looks.

"Woo…" they whimpered.

Naoki: "…"

His heart softened, but he still asked, "Does anyone know you're here?"

The Dragonair shook their heads. They had sneaked into the space backpack while the other Dragonites were distracted, afraid of being caught and scolded by the elder Dragonites.

"Forget it," Naoki sighed helplessly. "Come with me. I'll have to figure out how to tell Dragonites on the island that you're here."

The five Pokémon followed him to the grassy field outside.

Naoki scanned the area and eventually spotted Dragonite by the river. He called out to it.

As soon as Dragonite saw the Dratini and Dragonair trailing behind Naoki, its eyes widened in shock. It rushed over, clearly upset.

When Naoki explained that the Dratini and Dragonair had snuck away from the island, Dragonite immediately started scolding them like an elder reprimanding youngsters.

But Dragonair wasn't fazed by Dragonite's scolding.

It raised its head and muttered, "Woo..." (You used to sneak off every day, and one day you just didn't come back. Everyone thought you were captured by bad people...)

Dragonite paused, taken aback. It thought about Dragonair's words and realized they weren't entirely wrong—it hadn't been the most responsible in the past either.

Feeling guilty and unsure of how to respond, Dragonite scratched its head and looked to Naoki for help.

Naoki thought for a moment and said, "The first thing we need to do is let the other Dragonites on the island know they're here."

He then turned to Dratini and Dragonair. "As you can see, this is where we live. It's not as great as Dragonite Island. There aren't many fruit trees, no ocean, and not much water."

The fruit trees here hadn't yet fully grown, and they wouldn't bear fruit until autumn. Young Dratini couldn't stay away from water for too long, and while there was a small lake on the ranch, it was nothing compared to the one on Dragonite Island.

Hearing this, the Dratini and Dragonair turned and looked around, taking in the environment with curiosity.

The pasture was relatively bare, with only a few large trees scattered around. The green lawn stretched across the ground, with a few houses nearby. In the distance, there were flower beds and fields filled with various fruits and flowers.

Other Pokémon were also living on the ranch. In addition to Glaceon, Alcremie, Koraidon, Butterfree, and Cyclizar—who they'd already seen—there were many others, some watching curiously, while others basked lazily in the sun, clearly content and relaxed.

Once they had finished looking around, Naoki asked, "So, do you want to go back to the island, or do you want to stay here for a few days? If you want to go back, I'll have Dragonite take you. But if you want to stay and play for a bit, I can send you back later."

To be honest, Naoki hadn't yet learned how to make Pokéblocks, so he wasn't prepared to raise too many Pokémon at once. Dratini and Dragonair were manageable for now, but if they evolved into Dragonite while living here, they might end up eating him out of the house and home!

'Play for a few more days?'

Hearing Naoki's offer, the Dratini and Dragonair quickly chose to stay and play for a while longer.

Naoki had expected this.

He sighed and nodded at Dragonite, who looked resigned to its fate. With a final, stern glare at the mischievous Dratini and Dragonair, Dragonite spread its wings and flew off toward Dragonite Island to inform the others.

Naoki brought Dratini and Dragonair to the circular lake on his ranch. When he first arrived in this world, he had caught two Magikarp and put them in the lake, but after realizing how much trouble it was to feed them, he released them back into the river.

He had thought the lake would remain unused forever, but now, it was coming in handy.

The lake water was clear, with a few fallen leaves and flower petals floating on the surface, probably blown over by the wind.

"You guys can stay here for now!" Naoki said as the Dratini and Dragonair splashed into the water, their little heads poking out as they curiously looked at the shore.

Watching them, Naoki felt like he was hosting neighborhood kids at a pool party.

He shook his head to dismiss the odd thought and was about to get some food to feed them when he suddenly remembered something important. Turning back, he called out, "Oh, by the way, feel free to wander around the ranch, but don't go outside. Got it?"

"Woo?" Dratini looked confused.

Naoki gently poked its nose and, in a playful yet serious tone, warned, "There are bad people out there. If they see you, they'll capture you and lock you in a tiny Poké Ball, and you'll never be able to return to Dragonite Island."

Hearing this, the Dratini trembled with fear. Their heads, which had been fully out of the water, now dipped down until only half of their faces were visible above the surface.

Meanwhile, Dragonair asked curiously, "Woo?" (Did you catch Uncle Dragonite that way?)

Naoki paused, momentarily taken aback. He went back inside the house, grabbed a handful of seeds, shelled them, and popped the seeds into his mouth.

"What did you just say?" Naoki asked, still chewing.

Dragonair repeated, "Woo?" (Did you catch Uncle Dragonite like that?)

Naoki nearly choked. "No, no! I made a promise with your Uncle Dragonite that it would become my Pokémon, and I'd help it grow stronger. Tell me, hasn't it gotten stronger?"

Dragonair thought about it for a moment. Back when their Uncle Dragonite first left the island, it had been a bit of a slow learner, unable to master many moves. But then one day, it left the island and didn't return for a while.

When it finally came back, it had undergone a drastic transformation in strength, becoming one of the most powerful Dragonites on the entire island.

The Dratini and Dragonair chuckled happily, "Woo~" (If you're like Uncle Dragonite, we'd love to be caught by someone like you!)

Naoki was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh. "Not everyone is like me," he said with a grin. "To some people, you're as valuable as diamonds."

"While some may take good care of you," Naoki continued, "others might capture you for profit, selling you to people who'd keep you in captivity or use you as part of a collection."

The Dragonair didn't fully grasp the concept.

Naoki decided to give them an example. "Let's say I were a bad person. If I caught your Uncle Dragonite, I could sell him for 10,000 berries."

The Dragonair gasped, "Woo" ("So many berries!")

But soon, one of the Dratini couldn't help but ask, "Woo?" (Why don't you just catch us, then?)

Naoki blinked, amused by the question. "Well, as much as I'd love to," he replied, "if I did, your Uncle Dragonite would get angry and jealous. I really don't want to deal with an angry, jealous Dragonite!"

He continued with a playful smile, "So, while I can take care of you, feed you delicious food, and help you grow stronger and learn new moves, I can't put you in a Poké Ball."

The Dratini seemed to half-understand what he was saying, but not fully.

Meanwhile, Dragonair's eyes lit up with excitement. "Woo?" (Does that mean we can live with you like Uncle Dragonite, without being put into a Poké Ball?)

Naoki chuckled, a bit surprised by the cleverness. "You're pretty smart! But remember, you guessed that yourself—I never said it."

"Woo~" The group of Dragonair and Dratini giggled.

Having finished his seeds, Naoki found it harder to follow their playful chatter. He stood up, glanced at the setting sun, and took a deep breath. "Alright, you all keep playing here. I need to prepare dinner for your Uncle Dragonite."

Before heading to the kitchen, Naoki found Pawmo, who had been relaxing nearby, and gave it a new task.

"Pawmo, can you help me keep an eye on the Dragonair and Dratini while they're here? Make sure they don't wander off the ranch, okay?"

"Pawmo!" Pawmo patted its chest confidently, signaling its agreement to keep an eye on the playful Dratini and Dragonair.

With that assurance, Naoki headed off to prepare dinner with peace of mind.

Tonight's meal consisted of his signature sandwiches and fried steaks, paired with a few berries and some fresh milk. For dessert, he had fragrant poffins and a creamy smoothie ready. The preparation was simple and quick. However, even after finishing, Dragonite still hadn't returned from Dragonite Island, so Naoki decided to fry up a whole pot of translation seeds to pass the time.

As he looked at the steaming seeds, their caramel aroma filling the air, Naoki murmured, "I really need to invest in an automatic shelling machine."

Eating them one by one while talking or thinking was too time-consuming. With a handful of peeled seeds, it would be much easier to snack on them without the hassle. He even considered how convenient it would be if there were a Psychic-type Pokémon around—they could just use their powers to pop open a whole batch of seeds at once!

This thought brought to mind the Pokemon siblings who were supposed to arrive soon. Naoki recalled the manor's owner mentioning that their delivery would take two months, and it had already been nearly a month. Still a bit of a wait, he thought.

But that was fine by him.

Naoki began mentally counting his resources. With all the Nacli Pokémon on the ranch having evolved into Nacclstack, the production of rock salt had surged. He had expected to wait until the end of the month to gather enough funds, but the profits had been higher than expected, allowing him to save money faster.

By mid-month, once the crops matured and were sold, Naoki expected to have saved up two million.

With that, he could ask Kelly to come and expand the house, a project that would take about one to two months to complete.

By the time the renovations were done, the Pokemon siblings would be arriving as well, right on schedule.

At around 7 PM, Dragonite finally returned from Dragonite Island, landing in the middle of the ranch.

Naoki walked over and asked, "So, what did the Dragonite on the island say?"

Dragonite responded with a cheerful "Ouch!"

Naoki blinked, interpreting the message. It seemed the Dragonite on the island had agreed to let the Dratini and Dragonair stay and play for a while longer.

He smiled. "Great! Come in and have some dinner!"

Dragonite didn't need to be told twice. It dashed into the house, eagerly grabbing a sandwich and chowing down.

But there was one thing Dragonite hadn't mentioned.

When it visited the island, a couple of mischievous Dragonites had overheard the news about the Dratini and Dragonair staying at the ranch. They too wanted to come along and play, even going as far as to secretly follow Dragonite back to Naoki's ranch.

Fortunately, Dragonite had noticed them early and had shooed them away before they could sneak their way over.