Firefly Night

Naoki returned to the cabin and decided to freeze some ice cubes using molds in the refrigerator. That way, he wouldn't have to trouble Glaceon to make ice every time. 

As he walked back, he saw Cyclizar and Koraidon engaged in training. Koraidon seemed to be teaching Cyclizar a new move.

Naoki paused to observe, standing beside Koraidon, as Cyclizar practiced diligently. Despite their initial reluctance, the two Pokémon had come a long way in their training relationship. Initially, Koraidon had been indifferent to teaching, and Cyclizar had been a little intimidated by its more powerful counterpart. But, with time, Cyclizar's persistence won Koraidon's respect, and the lessons became more serious.

Today, Koraidon was teaching Dragon Pulse, a special dragon-type move. The energy needed to be gathered in the mouth and released in one burst. Koraidon demonstrated it flawlessly, but Cyclizar was struggling to grasp the technique.

Naoki observed for a while before offering a suggestion: "Try focusing the dragon energy in your body into your mouth first, and then release it all at once."

Koraidon gave a knowing sigh, as if it had already explained this several times. "Raao."

Cyclizar blinked in confusion but gave it another shot. It tried concentrating its dragon energy, puffing its cheeks as the energy built up inside.

"Yes! Now release it!" Naoki encouraged.

But instead of releasing the energy, Cyclizar swallowed it. A moment later, it let out a small burp, as if the energy had turned into air. 

Naoki and Koraidon stood there, speechless.

Cyclizar blushed, its eyes getting teary, embarrassed by the mistake. "Gah."

"Don't worry about it," Naoki reassured, stepping forward to comfort the poor Pokémon. "Take your time. You'll get it."

Cyclizar nodded, determined to continue practicing despite the setback.

Leaving Koraidon and Cyclizar to their training, Naoki returned to his tasks in the house. On the grass, Koraidon resumed guiding Cyclizar, patient but firm.

Koraidon's mind drifted as it watched Cyclizar struggle. It couldn't help but think back to its own past—back when it was in the place of Cyclizar, eager to learn but prone to mistakes.

Maybe, when Koraidon was Cyclizar, the other Koraidon must have watched over it the same way, guiding it and offering patience. Perhaps that's how Koraidon, its own mentor, had viewed it.

The memories of the time machine incident flashed vividly in Koraidon's mind. Back then, Cyclizar had been on the verge of being pulled into that machine—caught up in something it didn't fully understand. Koraidon had rushed over, using every bit of its strength to stop the inevitable from happening. Despite the effort, it had failed to pull Cyclizar back.

At that time, perhaps Koraidon had also accepted Cyclizar in its heart.

Koraidon was a little confused. Sometimes it couldn't tell whether it was still Koraidon or just its former self, Cyclizar.

Although it didn't fully understand what was going on, it knew one thing: as long as it could stay by Naoki's side, that was all that mattered.

Watching its former self, Cyclizar, work so hard, Koraidon realized that maybe Cyclizar wasn't as clueless as it thought.

"Wait! If Cyclizar and I were indeed the same, had I been hard on myself all along?"

The realization struck Koraidon suddenly. Maybe it should be kinder to its former self, and work with Naoki to help Cyclizar grow as smart and strong as Koraidon had become.

————

The summer night sky was always so beautiful.

Dragonite lay peacefully on the grass, gazing up at the twinkling stars. A gentle breeze swept over its scales, feeling like Naoki's comforting hand.

Dragonite felt completely at ease.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound nearby. Dragonite turned its head to see Cyclizar approaching.

Dragonite thought back to how Cyclizar had been practicing diligently with Koraidon lately. It also remembered how Cyclizar once admitted being afraid of Koraidon.

Curious, Dragonite asked, "Awoo?" (Are you not scared of Koraidon anymore?)

Cyclizar blinked and shook its head, though still a little confused. "Gaao." (For some reason, it doesn't seem as scary now.)

Dragonite beamed with joy. "Oooooh!" (That's great! Koraidon is actually very kind! It even taught me Dragon Tail!)

Cyclizar smiled shyly at Dragonite's praise, but that smile soon faded. It lowered its head in disappointment. "Gaao." (But I still haven't mastered Dragon Pulse.)

Dragonite nodded in understanding. "Ouch." (I know how that feels. I never mastered that move either.)

The two Pokémon sat in silence for a while, staring up at the starry sky. 

At this time, Naoki, having finished washing up, went outside to check on the chicken coop. On his way, he happened to spot Dragonite and Cyclizar sitting quietly under the stars.

"I was wondering why I didn't see you two in the house. So, you're out here stargazing?" Naoki smiled, walking over and sitting beside them. "What's the matter? You both look a little down."

"Gah." Cyclizar let out a small sigh, looking disheartened.

Naoki took one look at Cyclizar's expression and guessed, "Is it because you still can't use Dragon Pulse?"

The Cyclizar nodded sadly, its eyes reflecting its frustration.

Seeing this, Naoki gently patted its head and reassured it, "Hey, don't stress about it too much. Maybe you just haven't found the right key yet. Keep trying, and one day you'll unlock it. You'll become as strong as Koraidon!"

"Gaao?" Cyclizar looked up, tilting its head curiously at the mention of Koraidon.

Naoki chuckled and remembered an old legend he'd once heard. He leaned in and said, "You know, there's a legend that ties you and Koraidon together. Some say that Koraidon is actually what you used to be."

Cyclizar blinked, clearly puzzled.

Naoki thought for a second before explaining, "It's like, Koraidon is what you were in the distant past, a long, long time ago."

He continued, "There's another one, called Miraidon. It's said that Miraidon is what you might look like in the far, far future. One from the past, one from the future, and you, Cyclizar, belong to the present."

"Gaao?" Cyclizar's confusion deepened. It wasn't sure what to make of all this talk of past and future forms.

This made Cyclizar think of the Pokémon on the ranch and their evolutions. Could it evolve too, into something like Koraidon or Miraidon? Its eyes sparkled with excitement at the possibility.

Naoki noticed Cyclizar's sudden enthusiasm, realizing it might have misunderstood. He smiled warmly, ruffling Cyclizar's head, and said, "Don't worry if you don't get it just yet. The world they come from is from a time far beyond ours."

Hearing this, Dragonite on the side couldn't help but ask, "Ouch?" ('Was there a past or future version of itself too?')

Even though Naoki couldn't fully understand Dragonite's words, he could guess its meaning from its eyes and expression. At first, he thought about shaking his head, but then remembered the giant Dragonite that appeared near the lighthouse in the anime, drifting above the sea, shrouded in fog.

Legend had it that this colossal Dragonite was from an ancient era.

Thinking of this, Naoki responded, "Maybe."

At that moment, other Pokémon started gathering around.

Butterfree, Combee, Pawmo, Alcremie, and Koraidon all approached curiously. Butterfree and Combee floated down to sit beside Naoki, joining him in stargazing. Meanwhile, Pawmo, Koraidon, and Alcremie followed suit, clearly wondering why Naoki hadn't come back inside to sleep yet.

Naoki smiled at his Pokémon and continued answering Dragonite's question, "Who knows, maybe a long, long time ago, Dragonite had a body as large as a mountain."

'A body as big as a mountain?' Dragonite's eyes widened, its imagination running wild with the thought of such immense power.

Naoki chuckled, enjoying the serene night with his Pokémon, but something still felt missing. He stood up and went back into the house, returning with a picnic blanket. He spread it out on the grass and laid down an array of snacks: lucky pudding, berries, strawberry milk, tree sap juice, honey buns, sandwiches, cream smoothies, and grass dumplings.

"Let's make this a little starlit feast," he said, smiling.

He asked Alcremie to gather the rest of the Pokémon.

Alcremie cheerfully agreed, and soon enough, Glaceon, Gogoat, Nacli, Naclstack, Miltank, and Smoliv all gathered on the soft grass.

Glaceon, however, had its eyes fixed on the creamy smoothie on the blanket, its expression revealing just how badly it wanted it.

Naoki, noticing this, handed Glaceon the smoothie cup and took the opportunity to gently rub Glaceon's head.

For a moment, Glaceon froze, unaccustomed to human touch.

"Go ahead, enjoy!" Naoki encouraged with a grin.

"Buyi." Glaceon shyly lowered its head and began silently licking the creamy treat, its little tongue savoring each sweet taste.

Naoki took out some green grass dumplings from the picnic basket.

The three Gogoat, always drawn to the scent, immediately came over, their noses twitching. Naoki smiled as he stroked their fur, gently feeding them the green grass dumplings.

"Well, maybe I should experiment with some new dishes made from grass," Naoki thought aloud.

Ideas like grass ice cream, grass pie, and grass cake flickered through his mind. After all, his kitchen was already equipped with everything he needed to bake. Tomorrow might just be the perfect time to try making a grass cake to switch things up for his Gogoat.

"Meaaa."

At that moment, one of the Gogoat seemed to pick up on his thoughts. It showed an excited expression and affectionately licked Naoki's hand, its tongue faintly tasting of grass.

Surprised by the sudden gesture, Naoki quickly pulled his hand away from their horns. 

It didn't take him long to realize what was happening—the Gogoat had sensed his thoughts through his hands!

This was a known trait of Gogoat. By touching their horns to others, they could sense emotions and even pick up on the feelings or intentions of their trainer.

Naoki, now curious, asked, "Can you really feel my mood?"

The Gogoat squinted their eyes, appearing content, and all responded in unison, "Meaaa~"

"Wow, you're amazing!" Naoki praised, giving a warm pat to the lead Gogoat. This particular Gogoat had earned its position as leader after an intense battle against Koraidon. It had evolved from a young Skiddo into a sturdy Gogoat and had come out victorious in a wrestling match, gaining the respect of the others.

After finishing the grass dumplings, the three Gogoat settled down and lay beside Naoki, their stomachs full and content.

Naoki's gaze then drifted toward Miltank, who was rolling around in the grass a little further away.

This particular Miltank was full of energy, and its best move was Rollout—a fitting talent for such an active Pokémon.

Naoki observed Miltank's rolling movements and a thought struck him—what if he could create a dish for Miltank? Could it help enhance Miltank's Rollout move?

"I should give it a try later," Naoki noted mentally, already planning how to make it.

As he pondered, he took a bite of his lucky pudding and then shifted his attention to the Salt Pokémon, Nacli, and Naclstack, who had come to play.

First, he stacked the Nacli on top of each other, then carefully placed them all on Naclstack, forming an almost comical tower of salt blocks.

Naoki tilted his head, studying the structure. "You know, these guys look more like characters from Minecraft than Pokémon," he mused with a chuckle.

Just then, Butterfree fluttered nearby, catching Naoki's attention with a sudden exclamation, "Freee!"

Naoki followed Butterfree's gaze and saw something enchanting—soft, yellow-green lights floated lazily above the stream, glowing softly in the night air.

"Fireflies?" Naoki murmured in surprise. Fireflies usually appeared in July or August, so seeing them now was unexpected.

But then he remembered—the world here didn't follow the same rules as his previous life. The seasons were unique, and Kosaji Town's proximity to the sea meant the climate was warm and humid throughout the year, making the sight of fireflies possible.

More and more fireflies gathered over the river, their glowing bodies forming a breathtaking spectacle, like a miniature Milky Way flowing through the night.

"Alcremie." Alcremie, standing nearby, let out a soft murmur of awe, its eyes reflecting the glowing lights.

All of the Pokémon turned their heads to take in the view.

Naoki, too, marveled at the sight. "It really is beautiful," he sighed.

In his past life, working and living in the city left him no time to appreciate nature like this. Now, he could finally embrace these moments, where beauty and serenity were within reach.

On the other side of the river, the group of Psyducks also noticed the fireflies. One particularly curious Psyduck stretched out its paw to touch one of the glowing insects. 

But in its clumsy attempt, it lost its balance and splashed into the river. The drenched Psyduck quickly scrambled out, water dripping from its feathers, and stared up at the fireflies, seemingly unbothered by the mishap.

Naoki watched the scene and thought to himself, 'Humans and Pokémon really are part of the same natural world. We share the same awe and wonder at its beauty.'

...

[Here's your extra chapter. Thank you once again for your support!]

"Sigh... I don't even have the words anymore—just give me those power stones, please." 💎💎

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