Dragonite's Power and the Summer Festival Invitation

The gathering ended successfully, but before returning to the ranch, there was still one thing Naoki wanted to do.

He planned to test the upper size limit of giant Pokémon after eating pumpkin pie and to see if their moves would change in strength or effect.

So, he called his Dragonite and fed it another piece of pumpkin pie.

Dragonite understood Naoki's intent. After eating the pie, it left the island and flew over the sea.

Naoki and Koraidon stood on the cliff at the edge of Dragonite Island, watching from a distance.

Dragonite stopped about a hundred meters from the shore.

Then, its body began to grow rapidly—three meters, five meters, seven meters… fifteen meters… twenty-five meters… thirty meters.

In the end, Dragonite transformed into a giant, nearly the size of the original giant Dragonite! Its massive body hit the sea with a tremendous splash, creating huge waves like a colossal sea creature.

"It looks like it's close to the size of the giant Dragonite. Could this be the upper limit mentioned in the description of the pumpkin pie?" Naoki wondered aloud as he watched.

After thinking for a moment, he called out, "Try using a move!"

Dragonite responded with a roar and focused. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed as dark clouds gathered from every direction.

The cloud cover was immense, blocking out the sun and casting a shadow even over Dragonite Island.

Thunder boomed, and heavy rain began to pour, instantly drenching the entire world in a downpour.

The sudden rainstorm startled the Dragonites on Dragonite Island, who took to the skies to investigate.

They quickly spotted the giant Dragonite in the sea, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

"Ouch?" (What? Another giant Dragonite?)

Dragonite, too, was shocked, but for a different reason. It was amazed by the sheer power of the move it had just used!

Looking at the storm-filled sky, Dragonite remembered something Naoki had once told it—"Let the whole world be shrouded in your rain."

And now, it had!

Dragonite was thrilled, and Naoki shared its excitement.

"It seems that Pokémon's moves are strengthened when they become giants. I wonder if they can use them multiple times. We should have Dragonite test another move," Naoki mused.

With that, he rode Koraidon out toward Dragonite and asked it to stop the rain and try a different move.

Dragonite nodded but then gestured to Koraidon, indicating that Naoki should move to a safer distance, as the next move would be incredibly powerful.

Understanding the warning, Koraidon didn't waste time. It turned around and flew Naoki to a safe spot.

Once Naoki was far enough away, Dragonite began to move.

A purple dragon energy surrounded Dragonite's massive body as it spun in the sea. The intense spinning caused a strong storm to form, and as Dragonite continued to turn, the storm transformed into a gigantic tornado.

The sea was drawn into the tornado, creating a waterspout that connected the dark sky to the ocean, giving the appearance of a force capable of tearing the world apart.

"Ooo..." (So scary...)

The young Dratini on the island trembled in fear, watching the terrifying scene unfold.

Even the other Dragonites wore serious expressions.

Luckily, Dragonite didn't let the tornado last long before dispelling it. Its eyes sparkled with excitement as it moved on to its third move—Dragon Rage.

Purple dragon energy surged from Dragonite's mouth, turning into a massive blast of flames that shot forward.

With a loud bang, the sea, which had only just begun to calm, was once again stirred up by massive waves.

At that moment, after using its third move, Dragonite's massive body suddenly emitted a "puff" sound, shrinking back to its normal size in a cloud of smoke.

Naoki was a bit taken aback but quickly realized, "It seems that giant Pokémon can only use three enhanced moves before returning to their original form. This is similar to Dynamax."

He chuckled to himself, thinking, 'It's like a knockoff version of Dynamax.'

As Dragonite flew back toward him, Naoki asked, "Can you transform again?"

"Ouch!" Dragonite nodded confidently.

"Try shrinking this time," Naoki suggested.

Dragonite quickly complied, its body shrinking down until it was as small and adorable as a Pikachu.

Naoki looked at the tiny Dragonite with curiosity and said, "Now, show me your moves again!"

Dragonite nodded eagerly and began to demonstrate its attacks.

Naoki observed carefully. When Dragonite was smaller, its moves also became smaller and less powerful, but there was a trade-off—Dragonite could use the moves more frequently.

To confirm his theory, Naoki had Dragonite use Thunderbolt continuously. Dragonite managed to use the move thirty-eight times before finally reverting to its normal size.

Naoki began to summarize his findings aloud: "When a Pokémon grows bigger, its moves become stronger, but it only has three chances to use enhanced moves before returning to normal."

He continued, "On the other hand, when a Pokémon shrinks, its moves become weaker, but it can use them more often. If no moves are used, it seems like the Pokémon can stay in its smaller form indefinitely."

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now!" Naoki said, feeling satisfied with the experiment. He turned to the giant Dragonite, who had been listening nearby, and explained his conclusion.

The giant Dragonite blinked, taking in Naoki's words.

Naoki added thoughtfully, "It's best not to use your abilities unless absolutely necessary. If you use up all three chances, you might not be able to return to this state again."

Because pumpkin pie cannot be preserved for long and will disappear after being eaten, and there's no guarantee Naoki can grow pumpkins of the same size next time, the giant Dragonite nodded and made a mental note of this.

"Good!" Naoki smiled warmly at the giant Dragonite. He instinctively reached out to pat its head, just as he did with other Pokémon.

However, as soon as the giant Dragonite noticed his hand moving toward it, its gaze shifted toward his hovering hand.

Naoki awkwardly paused, his hand freezing mid-air, before he sheepishly withdrew it, scolding himself internally for having the habit of overstepping boundaries with bigger Pokémon.

Trying to play it cool, Naoki pretended nothing happened and called out, "Alright, it's time to head home. Goodbye, Dragonite!" He turned to find the other Pokémon playing with the Dratini.

"It's time to go home. We'll come back and play again soon!"

Reluctantly, Cyclizar, Butterfree, Alcremie, and Glaceon said their goodbyes to the Dragonair and Dratini on the island and returned to Naoki's side. He gently returned each one to their Poké Balls.

Suddenly, only Koraidon and Dragonite remained outside.

Dragonite was busy being questioned by a group of Dragonites from Dragonite Island. It basked in their admiration, proudly telling them about the gigantism Naoki had just helped it experience.

Naoki smiled to himself, imagining their conversation about the transformation. He walked over to where his backpack lay on the grass, slung it over his shoulders, and hopped onto Koraidon.

"Let's go, Dragonite! Time to head home!" he called out.

"Ouch~" Dragonite replied excitedly, dashing over and giving Naoki a big hug in front of all the other Dragonites before following Koraidon into the air.

"Bye, see you next time!" Naoki waved at the group of wild Dragonites as they flew away from Dragonite Island.

As Dragonite Island gradually disappeared from view, Naoki couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He hadn't seen the familiar Dratini and Dragonair who usually came to see him off. He wondered if they had gone out to pick berries or were perhaps napping at the bottom of the lake.

The previous times, they had been so eager to say goodbye, but their absence this time left Naoki with a small pang of disappointment. Still, he didn't dwell on it too much.

Koraidon flew swiftly, and in about an hour, they returned to the ranch.

Landing in the pasture, Naoki glanced around and saw that his Gogoat was still relaxing peacefully on the grass. It was a sign that everything was calm at the ranch, and nothing significant had happened in his absence.

Feeling relieved, Naoki released all of his Pokémon from their Poké Balls, letting them roam freely and play on the ranch.

After tossing his backpack onto his bed, Naoki made his way to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. Just as he opened it, he heard Ivan calling out to him from outside.

Naoki grabbed a bottle of juice instead, casually sipping it as he stepped out to meet Ivan.

Meanwhile, back inside, Naoki's backpack twitched slightly. The zipper slowly opened, and tiny heads of various sizes popped out, looking curiously at their unfamiliar surroundings.

Outside in the pasture, Ivan handed Naoki a letter, his face brimming with excitement.

"Hey, Naoki! Did you hear? The fishing tournament is coming up soon!"

Naoki raised an eyebrow. "Fishing tournament?"

Ivan nodded eagerly. "Yeah, on the 20th of this month."

Ivan nudged Naoki playfully with his shoulder. "I heard from Zack that you're really good at fishing! He said you caught a ton of fish a few months ago, so I bet you'll place well in the tournament!"

Naoki stood there, expressionless for a moment, thinking, 'Should I tell him that it was Koraidon who did all the fishing?'

Ivan, oblivious, kept talking. "I also heard that the winner will get a collector's edition fishing rod! Apparently, it's a rod strong enough to catch even a Gyarados!"

Naoki couldn't help but think, 'That's nothing—I've seen a rod that could catch a Kyogre!'

He looked down at the letter in his hand. "Is this invitation for the fishing tournament?" he asked.

Ivan shook his head. "No, this one's for the fireworks festival! Mayor Thomas will send a separate invite for the tournament. The fireworks party is happening soon!"

Naoki blinked in surprise. "Fireworks festival? Already?"

Ivan nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! It's on May 31st, down at the beach. The letter has all the details. It's going to be a huge celebration with tons of fireworks lighting up the night sky all at once. You've got to take your Pokémon to enjoy it!"