Let There Be Light
Curiosity finally got the best of it, and today, Dragonite 4 decided to secretly follow them.
It had originally thought the treats were simply gathered from trees in the wild. But to its surprise, the other Dragonites landed in a place bustling with many Pokémon—and even the clumsy Dragonite it once knew from the island was here too!
Dragonite 4's curiosity grew.
Looking at the two Dragonites enjoying their Poffins, it innocently asked, "Awoo?" (What's work?)
The Dragonite sitting to the left thought for a moment, then replied, "Awoo, awoo." (Work is when we help humans. In return, they give us delicious Poffins.)
'So, this tasty snack was called "Poffin,"' Dragonite 4 thought.
Just then, the Dragonite on the right noticed Naoki approaching.
Waving its paw dismissively, it seemed to signal for Dragonite 4 to ask Naoki directly rather than hovering around and drooling on their food.
"Awoo." (Naoki's coming. If you want to know something, go ask him.)
Dragonite 4 turned and immediately recognized the human walking toward them—it was the same one who'd visited Dragonite Island before!
Naoki quickly guessed where this new Dragonite came from. It must have followed the others from Dragonite Island, probably drawn by the allure of food.
Glancing at the Poffin boxes clutched by the two delivery Dragonites, Naoki thought, 'Another Dragonite with a sweet tooth…'
He gave the new Dragonite a friendly smile and then turned to his own Dragonite. "Have you explained the ranch rules to our new friend?"
With a sigh and a slightly exasperated look, Dragonite shook its head. "Awoo…"
Naoki patted his Dragonite's head, smiling. "Alright, I'll leave it to you."
Dragonite perked up at the head pat, happily nodding its big head in agreement.
The next morning, Naoki discovered there was indeed one more Dragonite joining the daily work on the ranch.
In a somewhat boss-like manner, Dragonite stood on the grass, directing the three others to load bottles of milk into their backpacks and giving them instructions for the day. It went over each detail—who would cover which streets, reminders not to snack on the goods, not to tussle with customers' Pokémon, and to return to the ranch once all deliveries were complete.
After its briefing, the four Dragonites flapped their wings and soared into the sky, heading off toward Kosaji Town.
Watching them go, Naoki couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental. His ranch was growing, with more Dragonites pitching in each day!
Still, as the ranch was still developing, there wasn't always a lot for them to do. Once they completed their deliveries, the Dragonites usually spent the rest of the day relaxing around the ranch.
Naoki smiled, shaking his head. Sometimes, he hoped the tech age would come sooner. One day, he imagined equipping these Dragonites with the best gear to fully harness their skills, delivering goods from the ranch to even farther destinations.
After watching the Dragonites vanish into the horizon, Naoki turned back, ready to immerse himself in developing the next Sky Island.
As the entrance to the Distortion World slowly opened, Naoki, along with Diglett and Calyrex, leaped in, riding on Koraidon.
The moment they arrived in this strange dimension, a familiar figure appeared before them—it was none other than Giratina, the ruler of this realm.
Giratina fixed them with its intense, blood-red gaze.
Just as Naoki braced himself for the usual fearsome roar, Giratina instead spoke in a surprisingly calm voice, "What do you plan to plant today?"
Naoki blinked in surprise, momentarily taken aback.
Giratina, pretending not to notice Naoki's surprised expression, seemed to have grown more tolerant toward him, even slightly fond. Reflecting on the time it had accidentally unleashed its full power on Naoki, Giratina now felt both regretful and relieved.
Luckily, this particular human had proven resilient and wasn't harmed back then—otherwise, Giratina would never have had the chance to see this desolate world bloom with life.
After a moment, Naoki gathered his thoughts and replied, "Today, we'll be planting flowers."
Having created the Island of Berries and Apple Island the day before, today's goal was to start on a Flower Island.
Before heading to the new island, Naoki guided Koraidon back to Apple Island. He was still curious about the mysterious Destruction Mushroom that had exploded the previous day.
Scanning the island of apples and waterfalls, Naoki searched for any trace of another Destruction Mushroom.
Although he didn't spot any new mushrooms, he did notice that several apple trees had been picked clean.
It didn't take much to guess who the culprit was.
An image of Giratina shrinking down to a modest size, wandering through Apple Island's grassy fields, and munching on apples appeared in Naoki's mind. He wondered what Giratina's expression would have been like while sampling the apples.
Glancing over at Giratina with a grin, Naoki's curiosity was evident.
Giratina, feeling slightly self-conscious, gave him a fierce glare, as if daring him to say something.
Naoki, choosing to play innocent, looked away without comment. Since he hadn't found any more Destruction Mushrooms, he decided it was time to set off for the next Island.
They finally chose a relatively flat island, free from backflowing waterfalls and rubble—a place that looked almost normal in the otherwise twisted landscape.
As usual, Diglett set to work, tilling the soil, while Naoki scattered grass and flower seeds. He then handed things over to Calyrex for the final touch.
With a soft blue glow, the barren land transformed before their eyes. The once desolate soil was now carpeted in lush green grass, dotted with vibrant flowers—roses, lilies, sunflowers, lily of the valley, and even some delicate, unnamed blooms.
Naoki admired the vibrant flower field, feeling truly satisfied.
Just then, Calyrex noticed something unusual. He focused on a particular sunflower and said, "I sense an unusual energy from this flower."
"Really?" Naoki looked curiously in the same direction. Amidst the sea of sunflowers, one stood out, softly glowing with a gentle light.
A prompt appeared in Naoki's mind, giving him more information:
[Sunflower: A unique plant. Originally an ordinary sunflower, it was transformed by Calyrex's energy, granting it magical properties. It can emit sunlight regularly, illuminating and warming an area. The seeds from this plant hold the power of a 'Sun Stone' when used in cooking.]
Naoki was stunned, processing the unexpected discovery.
At that moment, the sunflower's disk began to glow more intensely, and as the light intensified, it separated from the flower, gathering into a radiant orb that floated above the island, like a small, warm sun.
The once-dark environment now felt warm and welcoming, bathed in gentle light.
Even Giratina seemed momentarily surprised, its fierce gaze softened by the sight. 'Was that… a sun?' Giratina glanced at Naoki, uncertain.
Recovering from his initial surprise, Naoki turned to Giratina with a smile, "Well, looks like you have a sunny spot now! You can come here anytime you want to bask in the warmth."
Giratina stared at the radiant sunflower, still baffled, and murmured in astonishment, "What…what is that? Humans can actually grow such a plant?"
Naoki smiled and replied, "…Not every human can grow this kind of flower."
Giratina turned to him, intrigued.
Naoki clarified, "To be specific, it's called a Sunflower. This special plant was born from the combination of my ability and power of Calyrex."
Giratina seemed to grasp what he was saying and nodded in admiration. "That's…incredible!"
Satisfied, Naoki checked the rest of the flower field. Finding no other unusual plants, he decided to move on with his Pokémon to the next sky island, where he planned to plant tea saplings and turn it into his own serene tea garden.
...
Meanwhile, in Mesagoza, Paldea News Network
A blonde reporter in an office outfit, Alice, sat at her desk, sorting through letters sent in from across Paldea.
These letters usually reported strange sightings and events, like rare Pokémon appearing, Pokémon causing disturbances in towns, or trainers witnessing spooky occurrences.
When something noteworthy turned up, Paldea News Network would send special reporters to investigate, filming stories to captivate their viewers.
"Let's see if there's anything exciting in here," Alice murmured eagerly.
If there was something good, the show's ratings would surely get a nice boost.
She opened the first envelope and read:
[A horde of Magnemites causes havoc in town, leading to a widespread power outage. Their reason for absorbing electricity is actually…]
"Magnemite?!" Alice frowned, unimpressed. "That's not newsworthy; this kind of thing happens all the time!"
Setting the letter aside, she opened the next one.
[A man falls in love with a Gardevoir, dressing it in a wedding gown and planning a ceremony in a church. How will this unusual story between human and Pokémon end?!]
Alice paused mid-sentence, staring at the page blankly, at a loss for words.
At that moment, a male colleague with glasses walked over and asked, "Hey, Alice, have you come across any interesting news?"
Alice handed him an envelope labeled "forbidden romance": "Here, take a look yourself!"
The man took the envelope, and his eyes lit up behind his glasses as he skimmed the contents.
"Whoa, now this is something worth investigating!"
"Then I'll leave that to you," Alice replied, casually passing him the assignment as she opened the next letter.
[Rare Pokémon Sighting: Dragonite Delivering Goods in a Rural Town!]
"Huh?" Alice perked up with interest as she read the letter's headline.
[I recently visited Kosaji Town. One morning, while having breakfast with my Pokémon, I saw several Dragonites flying in, each with a backpack strapped on! The townsfolk say they work for a local farmer, who has trained them to deliver supplies.]
"A farmer?" Alice's first reaction was disbelief.
It was hard to imagine a countryside farmer capturing such a powerful and rare Pokémon as Dragonite. Though known for their gentle disposition, Dragonites are highly intelligent and typically bond with skilled trainers, not just anyone.
Each Dragonite has a unique personality, and many value strength and seek powerful companions.
Just then, the male colleague glanced at Alice's expression and asked curiously, "What's up? Did you find something big?"
Alice didn't answer right away. Instead, she asked, "Mark, do you think a farmer running a ranch could actually capture and train a Dragonite?"
Mark shook his head immediately. "Not a chance! Farmers aren't typically trainers, you know? Unless it's someone as famous as Champion Geeta, I wouldn't buy it!"
"Here," Alice handed him the letter. "See for yourself."
Mark took the letter, scanned it, and shook his head even more firmly. "No way! There's no way this is real!" He had thought there was just one Dragonite, but the letter claimed there were multiple.
"That's ridiculous," he said, chuckling. "It's clearly someone trying to lure us there for an easy info fee."
Alice agreed with him and set the letter aside, ready to sift through more reports. But to her surprise, the next letter was also about the mysterious farm and its delivery Dragonite.
[Hello, I'm a traveling trainer! Recently, I came across a peculiar ranch filled with all kinds of Pokémon. Oddly enough, there was even a small tavern just for Pokémon, run by two Indeedees. And, if that wasn't strange enough, there were several Dragonites who flew out each morning to deliver fresh milk to the nearby town!]
[It's pretty unusual, right? Oh, and the ranch is near Kosaji Town. If you decide to investigate, don't forget my information fee!]
Alice was baffled.
'The same town, the same ranch, and the same delivery Dragonite. This was getting weird.'
Alice thought for a moment. If there were multiple sightings, maybe this place was worth checking out.
Without a second thought, she started packing her things, ready to uncover the mystery herself.
Mark, watching her gather her camera and gear, asked in confusion, "Uh, where are you going?"
"Business trip!" Alice replied, already grabbing her camera and bag, a determined glint in her eye.
...
The bonus chapter will be released at 2500 Power Stones.
PS: If you're interested, you can support me on Patreon and can read chapters ahead @patreon.com/Keepsmiling818
Don't forget to drop those power stones for a bonus chapter 💎💎