Exploding Popcorn

Ninetales slept for a long time. In its dream, it cried and laughed, its emotions shifting between joy and sorrow as if reliving its youthful days. Naoki and the Pokémon watching felt a mix of emotions as well.

When they saw the graceful girl in the kimono age into an old woman with wrinkles, gray hair, and a hunched back, they couldn't help but feel moved.

No wonder Ninetales was so heartbroken. To see that person again, it had traveled so far and endured so much. But at least now, Ninetale's wish had been fulfilled.

When it woke up, its face returned to its usual calm and serene expression, though this time with a hint of gentleness.

It stood up from under the tree, its nine large, golden, fluffy tails swaying in the sunlight, and approached Naoki. With great sincerity, Ninetales expressed its gratitude.

"I will always remember this day," it said softly.

"It's nothing, really," Naoki replied quickly, shaking his head and waving his hands. "I'm just glad I could help."

He then asked, "Where will you go next?"

Ninetales looked into the distance, its gaze far away. It didn't answer directly but simply said, "I'll go where I'm meant to be."

Naoki was slightly taken aback but nodded. "Alright then, safe travels."

The only regret Naoki had was that the tavern wasn't built yet. As the first visitor, Ninetales wouldn't get to see it. The thought made him feel a little sad.

Ninetales, sensing his emotions, nodded in gratitude once more. It then raised its head, let out a melodious cry, and, stepping on flickering flames, ran toward the horizon, disappearing from sight.

As Naoki stared in the direction Ninetales had gone, he felt a wave of emotion wash over him.

But when he turned around, he noticed that all the Pokémon on the ranch had tears in their eyes.

Naoki: "…"

Dratini and Dragonair had never seen a Pokémon like Ninetales, nor had they experienced having their own trainers or such deep bonds. Yet, that didn't stop them from feeling moved by Ninetales' story.

Three Dratini and two Dragonair stood there, eyes brimming with tears.

They were both moved and a little envious. Moved by the deep affection between Ninetales and its human, and envious that Ninetales had been lucky enough to meet such a wonderful person.

As they thought about their own futures, the five Pokémon turned to Naoki with pitiful eyes, wondering if they would experience something similar.

"Woo?" they all murmured.

Naoki wanted to say something comforting. However, before he could, Dragonite, standing nearby, clenched its fists, making them creak.

With a determined expression, Dragonite marched over to the five young ones and sternly told them that Naoki was its trainer. If they wanted to be close to Naoki, they had to understand that Dragonite was the first and only priority!

Naoki: "…"

He sighed and said, "The most important thing is to live in the present and enjoy the moment."

The group of Pokémon seemed to process his words, though they remained unsure.

Naoki spread his hands helplessly. "Don't you think worrying about the future is exhausting? If we waste today stressing about what's to come, we miss out on the joy of living."

"A day is a day, whether you're happy or sad. So why not make every day a happy one?"

"So, don't worry too much about the future. I promise that each of you holds a special place in my heart," Naoki said sincerely.

Though his words felt a bit like the smooth talk of a scoundrel, he meant every bit of it.

Just like the pets he had raised in his past life, even Pokémon could get jealous. And while they were much smarter, that didn't make them immune to feelings of envy.

Now, all Naoki had to do was ensure they understood that each one of them was special to him in their own way because that was genuinely how he felt.

As expected, after hearing his words, the Pokémon looked moved.

Naoki: "…"

He sighed inwardly. Maybe he should develop a recipe for food that could extend lifespans!

...

Ninetales left, and the ranch returned to its usual bustling state, as though the mysterious fox had never been there.

Because of the unexpected visit, Naoki missed the fishing competition.

Later, he heard from Ivan about how things turned out. Apparently, the competition was won by a dark horse — an older man wearing a straw hat. In just four hours, this man had managed to catch 28 Magikarp.

People in town nicknamed him Uncle Magikarp. After winning the fishing competition, Uncle Magikarp continued his journey with a smile on his face.

The townsfolk felt sorry that their fishing king, Naoki, hadn't participated.

Naoki: 'Well, it's a good thing I didn't go. It would've been embarrassing to lose to him.'

...

The next morning, Kelly returned to the ranch to continue construction, while Naoki started a new round of crop planting.

Taking advantage of the good weather, Naoki planned to expand his farmland and grow more crops.

Early that morning, he made his way to the Diglett hole and called out a few times.

Soon enough, a tiny Diglett poked its head out of the ground, looking up at Naoki with curiosity.

"Dig?"

Naoki smiled and said, "I need your help today."

Hearing this, Diglett's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Since Naoki had hired Diglett, it had been living in an underground cave with a group of Naclstack, enjoying the food Naoki provided each day.

Grateful for Naoki's kindness, Diglett had always wanted to repay him, but it hadn't had the opportunity. Now, hearing that its help was needed, Diglett felt energized and eager to work.

"Dig-dig!"

Naoki raised an eyebrow, amused at how much Diglett seemed to love working.

But that was a good thing for him. So, Naoki led Diglett to the land he planned to cultivate and said, "This is it. I need you to till the soil. We're going to plant more crops here."

Diglett understood immediately.

With high spirits, it burrowed into the ground and began working. It moved like a tiny machine, quickly plowing the land.

The soil became soft and fresh, giving off a pleasant, earthy fragrance. Soon, a neatly prepared field stretched out before Naoki.

Watching this, Naoki felt very satisfied.

It was no wonder Pokémon like Diglett were so popular among farmers— they were incredibly efficient workers.

"Great, the next step is to set up the trellises and plant the hops," Naoki thought to himself.

The last batch of hops had already been harvested and stored, ready for brewing. But the amount still wasn't enough, so he planned to expand the planting.

By the time Diglett finished plowing the entire field, it was nearly noon.

With the heat rising, Diglett was visibly tired, sweating from the effort. Seeing this, Naoki offered it a bottle of juice and some Moomoo Milk, then told Diglett to rest in the cool underground.

Diglett obediently agreed and dived back into its tunnel.

Seeing it was getting late, he decided to make lunch first and save the trellis building for the afternoon.

Lunch today was simple but refreshing: sandwiches, grilled steaks, fruit juice, and Moomoo Milk. Because of the hot weather, Naoki added iced watermelon and cream smoothies to the Pokémon's menu to help them cool off.

He also experimented with some of the vegetables and fruits from his last harvest, like pumpkins, pineapples, and onions, trying to incorporate them into new dishes.

Unfortunately, the results weren't great.

Without any special traits like glowing pineapples or oversized pumpkins, the dishes turned out rather ordinary. They only restored physical strength and replenished energy—no extraordinary effects.

This left Naoki feeling a bit regretful.

To save money for building the new house, Naoki sold most of the crops after harvest, keeping only one or two of each type for himself. This meant the dishes he made couldn't serve as good references for future recipes.

"Maybe I'll wait until the next batch of crops matures, then try experimenting more carefully," Naoki thought to himself.

The afternoon sun blazed even brighter, and the weather was unbearably hot. Naoki had no desire to work in such heat, so he stayed indoors in the air-conditioned room with his Pokémon, watching TV.

A food show was on, where the host was teaching viewers how to make a simple but beloved snack—popcorn, especially popular among kids.

Watching the screen, Naoki suddenly remembered that the corn in his own field was nearly ripe. He glanced at the Pokémon lounging around him and noticed their eyes glued to the popcorn on the screen.

He couldn't help but feel amused. "They're well fed every day, but they still get so greedy…"

Then again, the thought hit him—'they've probably never eaten popcorn before, have they?'

After dinner, with nothing else to do, Naoki decided to make popcorn for the Pokémon. He picked a few ears of corn from the field, asked Koraidon to help rub the kernels off the cob, and after washing them, he followed the steps he had seen on the food show.

First, he heated a pan and poured in some oil. Once the oil was hot, he added the corn and began stirring.

As soon as the kernels began popping, Naoki quickly covered the pot. Dull popping sounds echoed from inside.

The sudden noise startled the Pokémon, and they gathered around, curious about what was happening in the pot.

Inside, the kernels were transforming, growing larger until they exploded into fluffy, golden popcorn.

The popping grew louder, like rapid firecrackers going off in a pan. But gradually, the noise faded, and when Naoki lifted the lid, the pot was full of fragrant, plump popcorn.

As soon as he saw the overflowing popcorn, Naoki realized, "Uh-oh! I put way too much corn in there!"

He quickly grabbed a large basin to catch the popcorn spilling out of the pot. After emptying it all into the basin, he looked down at the fluffy snacks.

In an instant, information about the popcorn appeared in his mind.

[Exploding Popcorn (B)]: A simple snack made from corn. Perfect when paired with a soda for watching movies.

Cooking Effect: Explosion Specialization Level 1. Feeding this to Pokémon strengthens their explosive moves, increasing the power of such attacks.

Comment: A very tasty snack, particularly loved by kids.]

"Explosion specialization?" Naoki pondered aloud.

His mind immediately recalled the explosion-related moves in the Pokémon world. The most famous one, of course, was Self-Destruct

It's a risky move where a Pokémon sacrifices itself by causing a massive explosion, severely damaging all surrounding Pokémon, but leaving the user in a state of near-fainting.

The next set of moves are Explosion, Heat Crash, and Overheat.

If we count moves that are explosion-specialized, we'd also have to include Blast Burn, Eruption, and the legendary Z-Move, Inferno Overdrive.

Although it sounds useful, it's not particularly relevant for the Pokémon around Naoki.

Wait a second!

Not all is useless.

Naoki suddenly remembered the description of Koraidon's exclusive move.

Collision Course: It transforms midair and crashes violently, causing a prehistoric explosion. If it strikes a weak point, the power is further increased.

So the question is, can this move be classified as an "explosion" move?

There's only one way to find out.

Naoki handed the freshly popped popcorn to his Pokémon, watching as Koraidon happily devoured it.

Afterward, he motioned for Koraidon to follow him outside, a mysterious glint in his eyes.

"Rao?" (What's going on?) Koraidon looked at him, confused.

Naoki led it to a patch of grass and said, "Can you show me the Collision Course?"

Koraidon blinked, a bit puzzled, but nodded. Without hesitation, it readied itself to display the move.

Naoki stood still, concentrating, holding his breath in anticipation.

Koraidon opened its arms wide, and then jumped into the air. The vibrant feathers on its head spread like wings, transforming its form as it plummeted toward the ground with tremendous force.

BOOM!

A massive explosion followed, shaking the earth beneath Naoki's feet. The deafening noise rang in his ears, and a huge cloud of dust obscured his vision.

Naoki, caught off guard, inhaled the dust and started coughing. Waving his hands in the air to clear the smoke, he looked around frantically for Koraidon.

As the dust settled, Naoki's eyes widened at the sight before him. Not only was Koraidon standing there, unharmed, but there was also an enormous crater in the ground.

Koraidon looked back at Naoki with a puzzled expression. It had held back its strength, but the sheer power still left a giant hole in the ground.

Naoki's breath hitched. His vision went blurry for a second as he processed the scene.

He had just mowed this lawn!

It wasn't fair—he hadn't fully grasped the raw destructive power of a legendary Pokémon like Koraidon.

Naoki shook his head and refocused on the situation. "It looks like your Collision Course was enhanced by the popcorn just now," he muttered, half in disbelief.

"Rao? Rao, rao!" Koraidon exclaimed, startled at first, but then nodding as it realized what Naoki meant.

...

[As promised, here's the additional chapter]

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