Rescue

"Eh? Mr. Naoki, why are you here?"

At this moment, Nurse Joy noticed Naoki and his Pokémon, Koraidon, standing nearby.

Nurse Joy recognized Naoki because his ranch was quite famous in this coastal town, and she had previously visited to check on his Gogoat's health.

After a few visits, she got to know the gentle and kind-hearted young rancher quite well.

Naoki explained, "The ranch is nearby, and I came to help."

The tall, tough firefighter captain chimed in, "It's all thanks to Naoki that the fire was brought under control so quickly."

Nurse Joy looked confused.

After Officer Jenny gave a quick explanation, Joy's eyes widened in surprise: "Ah?"

'Was Mr. Naoki really such an amazing trainer?' This thought flashed through Joy's mind.

She was initially surprised, but then she remembered the powerful Gogoat she had seen on Naoki's ranch, bursting with grass-type energy, and suddenly it didn't seem so far-fetched anymore.

After a brief greeting, everyone's focus shifted back to the mountain, still shrouded in rain.

Officer Jenny frowned, her serious expression making her look even more determined.

The fire captain and his team of firefighters were also worried, watching and waiting for the fire to be completely extinguished so they could begin their rescue operations.

Nurse Joy clasped her hands together and prayed softly, "I hope the Pokémon living in the back mountain are safe…"

It would take some time for the rain to completely put out the flames.

Everyone, looking visibly tired, gathered under a shelter to rest.

Naoki sat next to Koraidon, gazing ahead, taking in the scene of this world's firefighting efforts.

As he expected, the fire brigade here was composed of both humans and water-type Pokémon.

Among the Pokémon he saw were the familiar Golduck, Politoad, the cute but powerful Swampert, the serene Slowbro.

Naoki even spotted a familiar face—Quaquaval, a Pokémon that often visited his tavern for a good drink.

Officer Jenny stood nearby and, noticing Naoki's curiosity, explained, "Some of these Pokémon were once wild. After being rescued by the fire department, they stayed behind to help."

Naoki nodded, then turned the conversation to the next steps in the rescue efforts.

"Once the rain stops, you're going in to rescue the wild Pokémon, right?"

Officer Jenny sighed. "With a fire of this scale, the Pokémon on their own won't be able to recover quickly. It will take time for the forest to restore itself, and the Pokémon will need our help."

Naoki had been considering mentioning the King of Bountiful Harvests, but he wasn't certain he could summon the legendary Pokémon. Instead, he shifted the conversation.

"I have a lot of berries stored at my ranch. If the rescue teams need extra supplies, feel free to contact me."

In situations like this, helping where he could was the least he could do.

Officer Jenny blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly. "Thank you, Naoki. You've already helped so much. The Paldea League will be sending relief supplies, and I wouldn't be surprised if Champion Geeta herself comes to oversee things."

Naoki noticed the hint of admiration in Jenny's tone. It seemed that Champion Geeta was well-loved by the people of Paldea.

At that moment, Officer Jenny's Growlithe let out a sad whine.

Naoki looked over to see the poor Growlithe, soaked by the rain, with muddy paws and a droopy expression. It was sitting miserably beside Officer Jenny, looking down at its dirty fur.

Naoki couldn't help but chuckle and offered some comfort. "Don't worry, once all this is over, you can get cleaned up."

Growlithe perked up at Naoki's kind words, wagging its tail happily. "Woof woof!"

Jenny, a little surprised, said, "It seems to like you!"

Naoki smiled thoughtfully. "Maybe it's because I once gave it some juice and milk when I saw it."

Growlithe continued to wag its tail enthusiastically. "Woof woof!"

Watching the scene, Naoki felt a twinge of longing in his heart.

He really wanted a warm, furry Growlithe of his own.

But it seemed that the Growlithe line was mainly associated with the Jenny family.

In this world, Growlithe and Arcanine were the symbols of the Jenny family, and almost every Officer Jenny was partnered with one.

'Monopoly?' Naoki didn't think so. He'd never heard of any law forbidding trainers from having their own Growlithe.

In fact, some traveling trainers had Pokémon like Growlithe or Houndoom.

After all, no single family could monopolize a species of Pokémon. Just look at the Dragonite family—there were plenty of Dragonites across the world, and they weren't all tied to one family.

Perhaps it was Growlithe's loyal, brave, and intelligent nature that made it perfect for police work.

Officer Jenny's sharp gaze caught Naoki's thoughtful expression.

Officer Jenny noticed that Naoki was looking at her, so she turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"

Naoki blinked, finally realizing he'd been staring. "It just seems like all the Officer jennys in the world look exactly the same."

Hearing this, Officer Jenny couldn't help but laugh. "That's true! The Jenny family is quite magical. Every girl born into our family looks just like me. Maybe it's because our genes are exactly the same. It's the same with the Joy family too."

Naoki glanced at Miss Joy, who was busy attending to Pokémon nearby.

Officer Jenny continued, "But it's not exactly the same everywhere. Some Jennys and Joys who live in tropical regions have darker skin tones. That could be because of environmental factors."

"That's really amazing," Naoki said, nodding.

Officer Jenny's expression softened, but she seemed a little wistful. "Honestly, if I had a choice, I wouldn't want to look exactly like my relatives. Outsiders can never tell us apart."

Naoki: "…"

Her words reminded Naoki of Brock from the anime—how he could easily distinguish between every Joy and Jenny with no trouble at all.

As time passed, the fire that had consumed the back mountain finally receded. The heavy rain, thanks to Dragonite's Rain Dance, had done its job, and the sky gradually began to brighten with the first light of dawn.

In the morning glow, Dragonite slowly descended from the sky, landing beside Naoki.

When the firefighters saw Dragonite land, their eyes lit up with admiration.

"That Dragonite—it's the one that stopped the fire, right?"

"What a powerful Pokémon!"

"It's the great benefactor of Kosaji Town! We must thank it!"

Even the water-type Pokémon gathered around, looking at Dragonite with respect.

The Capitan, on behalf of the entire fire brigade, walked up to Dragonite and saluted it solemnly. "Thank you for your hard work, Dragonite! We really appreciate your help this time!"

Faced with so many grateful and admiring gazes, Dragonite looked pleased yet a little embarrassed.

"Awooooooooo!" Dragonite barked twice at everyone.

The fire captain, slightly confused, turned to Naoki for clarification.

Naoki smiled warmly and explained, "Dragonite is saying that it's just doing its job. It's part of life here too."

"Ooooh!" Dragonite nodded enthusiastically.

Seeing this, the tough fire chief's face softened with admiration.

"Good Dragonite! But no matter what, we still need to say thank you."

"Ouch~" Dragonite responded happily.

But now wasn't the time for small talk.

The fire had faded, leaving behind a trail of devastation.

The once lush and green back mountain was now reduced to black ashes, with large trees burned down to charcoal.

The firefighters immediately got busy again.

Together with Officer Jenny and Miss Joy, they organized a team to search the back mountain for any surviving Pokémon.

Naoki stood with Dragonite for a while, watching. Soon enough, he saw a Pokémon being carried out on a stretcher and rushed into Miss Joy's ambulance for emergency treatment.

Seeing this, both humans and Pokémon wore heavy expressions.

Naoki sighed and turned to Koraidon and Dragonite. "Let's go!"

They couldn't do much more here, and leaving so abruptly earlier must have worried the Pokémon back at the ranch.

With Koraidon and Dragonite by his side, Naoki hurried back to the ranch.

Sure enough, when they arrived, they found Cyclizar, the Butler Indeedees, and Glaceon waiting anxiously.

Naoki quickly stepped forward to reassure them. "It's okay, don't worry."

The Pokémon breathed sighs of relief.

Naoki patted their heads one by one and was about to send them back to rest when, suddenly, Pawmot came flying toward him in a panic from a distance.

Pawmot pointed in the direction of the chicken coop, frantically saying, "Pammo! Pammo!"

"Huh?" Naoki was confused for a moment. "What's wrong?"

Since Naoki hadn't eaten any translation seeds, he couldn't fully understand what Pawmot was saying. But seeing the alarm on Pawmot's face, Naoki wondered—could it be a weasel or something had gotten to the hens?

Pawmot tugged at Naoki's arm, urging him to come and take a look.

Realizing something was definitely wrong, Naoki followed Pawmot, bringing a group of Pokémon with him toward the chicken coop.

In front of the chicken coop ran a river that flowed through the pasture.

Just then, Naoki noticed something being swept downstream from the upper reaches of the river.

He squinted to see what it was. To his shock, it wasn't debris—it was a group of dirty, distressed Pokémon! They appeared panicked, flailing in the water as they tried to stay afloat.

Seeing this, Naoki acted fast. He called out to the siblings Indeedee siblings for help.

The two quickly nodded, stepped forward to the edge of the river, and raised their hands. A soft, blue glow appeared in their eyes.

Before the group of Pokémon were swept away by the current, a supernatural power enveloped their bodies, lifting them out of the river just in time.

Once safely on the shore, the Pokémon coughed violently, spitting out the water they had swallowed.

The younger Indeedee, gently patted the back of a chubby Minccino, trying to comfort it.

Naoki stood nearby, scanning the group of Pokémon.

In addition to the Minccino, there were five other Pokémon: A Bellibolt, Smeargle, Tinkatuff, Archen, and a pair of Tandemaus.

Each Pokémon looked exhausted, with burn marks covering their bodies, and their fur or skin smeared with ash and soot. 

It was clear that they had narrowly escaped the fire.

Perhaps they had tried to hide in the river to escape the flames, but they had been swept downstream by the powerful current instead.

After a brief pause, Naoki turned to brother Indeedee, and said, "Could you grab some burn medicine?"

"Ai eh," Indeedee replied calmly, nodding as he hurried back to the house. He returned shortly, carrying several bottles of burn treatment spray from the first aid kit.

Naoki approached the cautious Smeargle first. "Don't worry, I'm here to help. You're injured, and I want to heal you," he said softly, waving the bottle of burn medicine in front of it.

Smeargle, sensing the sincerity in Naoki's voice, lowered its guard.

Naoki gently sprayed the burn medicine across its body before moving over to the chubby Bellibolt.

Unlike Smeargle, Bellibolt was still visibly shaken. Its body trembled slightly, and as Naoki neared, it curled up in fear. Suddenly, sparks of electricity crackled from the electric sacs on its belly, enveloping it in a shield of energy.

Naoki crouched down and spoke soothingly, "Bellibolt, don't be afraid. You're safe now. There's no danger here."

However, Bellibolt remained tense, its body trembling as the electricity crackled even more fiercely.

Seeing this, Naoki hesitated, unsure of how to approach the frightened Pokémon without getting shocked.

At that moment, Pawmot stepped forward, eager to help.

It confidently patted its chest, flew over to Bellibolt, and discharged a gentle current from the electric sacs on its cheeks.

When Pawmot's electricity met Bellibolt's, the air filled with a crackling sound.

Naoki watched in surprise, but soon understood what was happening. This was how Electric-type Pokémon often communicated—through the exchange of electrical currents. It was their way of offering comfort and friendship.

Sure enough, Bellibolt's tense body began to relax under Pawmot's calming influence.

Its curled-up form stretched out, and it cautiously observed its surroundings with its wide, yellow eyes.

Naoki smiled warmly at the now-relaxed Pokémon. "There we go, just relax. I'm going to treat your injuries now."

This time, the Bellibolt didn't resist, and Naoki was able to successfully treat the burns on its body.

The third Pokémon was the Archen, who tilted its head and had a goofy expression. 

Naoki thought that such a silly-looking Archen would be easier to approach, but before he could even get close, the Archen flapped its wings and flew away, quickly disappearing from sight.

Naoki: "Huh?"

With no other options, he decided to continue treating the remaining Pokémon.

The Minccino had been around humans before and was relatively friendly, so it wasn't as wary as Bellibolt. 

The treatment went smoothly, though Naoki noticed that most of Minccino's fur had been burned off, leaving it looking quite bald, which was a little unfortunate for such a normally fluffy Pokémon.

Next were the Tandemaus—two pure white, big-eared mice. The smaller one hid behind the larger one and didn't have many visible injuries. 

The bigger one, however, had more serious burns.

Both of them looked at the humans and the other Pokémon around them with timid eyes.

Noticing their fear, Naoki crouched down and held out his hands gently, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. "Don't be scared. I'm here to help."

The Tandemaus, after seeing Naoki help the other Pokémon, hesitated but eventually looked at each other and cautiously stepped forward.

Naoki gently sprayed the burn medicine on the larger mouse's back and smiled. "You're such a reliable partner."

The two mice squeaked in response.

"Alright, all done," Naoki said, giving them a gentle pat before turning to the next Pokémon—the Tinkatuff.

Unlike the hammer-wielding Tinkatuff he had in mind, this little Tinkatuff didn't have its signature hammer. Whether it had lost it while escaping or simply didn't have time to forge one yet, Naoki couldn't tell.

At this moment, the Tinkatuff was trying its best to look up at Naoki.

Naoki smiled warmly and was just about to greet it when, to his surprise, the Tinkatuff suddenly collapsed to the ground, falling into unconsciousness.