Indeedee, Naoki's sister, had already prepared lunch, and Naoki put down the recipe book he was holding to call all the Pokémon back home for lunch.
*
In the evening, as the sun set behind the western hills, the Dragonite and Dragonair, who had been working (sleeping) on the ranch all day, returned to Dragonite Island carrying boxes full of Poffin and Pokeblock.
They landed at the central lake of Dragonite Island, and then sat down by the lake, starting to enjoy the delicious Poffin.
The surrounding wild Dragonite were long accustomed to this sight.
Compared to these gluttons, they were not as interested in food, but rather wanted to increase their strength to become more powerful Dragonite.
However, at this moment, several Dragonite suddenly noticed that there was an extra Dragonite among the group of working Dragonite.
This surprised them greatly.
So, three fierce-looking Dragonite gathered around, looking confused at the extra Dragonite:
"Grr?!!" (How did you evolve so quickly?!!)
Dragonite No. 5 blinked, chewing the Poffin in its mouth, and answered vaguely, "Grr～" (That's because Naoki helped us with special training～)
Naoki...
The three fierce-looking Dragonite knew Naoki, the human who sent the big Dragonite to their island, the human who captured the silly Dragonite.
He had visited Dragonite Island before, but at that time, they were not very interested in that human, so they didn't interact with him.
But now, it seemed that the human was indeed impressive, and could help Dragonair evolve into Dragonite more quickly!
The "Evil Dragon" trio were shocked.
However, the next thing that happened stunned them once more.
After dinner, the remaining Dragonair began sparring with each other.
This was something they did every day upon returning to Dragonite Island to become stronger and evolve into Dragonite, and then help Naoki with work.
The "Evil Dragon" trio had grown accustomed to this scene, having watched them from the sidelines before.
But today, the sparring among the Dragonair was somewhat different from before.
Because they were using several new moves!
The "Evil Dragon" trio asked, "Grr?" (Are those moves you just learned?)
The Dragonair nodded naively, "Grr!" (That's right! It's the result of Naoki's special training!)
Upon hearing this, the trio widened their eyes.
That Naoki... truly impressive!
The three Dragonite turned and went to the cliff, watched the waves crashing against it, and began whispering.
"Grr?" (Big brother, can we also ask that human for help?)
The Dragonite referred to as "big brother" looked serious, with a fierce appearance and a long scar on its face.
It was a scar left when it was attacked as an intruder by a Gyarados while fishing in the sea.
Upon hearing the question, the big brother Dragonite hesitated.
As a powerful Dragonite, it had its pride.
Just like the Gyarados that attacked it back then.
That Gyarados residing in the ocean was very strong, and the Dragonite, having just evolved, was not its match.
But its unyielding nature made it unleash formidable power, and its fearless spirit eventually scared off the Gyarados, allowing it to dominate that area of the sea.
Since then, the big brother Dragonite began pursuing the path to become stronger.
Countless battles honed its physique, and two Dragonite on Dragonite Island were moved by its spirit, choosing to follow it and become good brothers.
But recently, the big brother Dragonite felt it had reached its limit.
If it didn't break through this limit, its strength might stagnate.
And in that human named Naoki, the big brother Dragonite saw the opportunity to surpass its limit.
That human was truly amazing, not only training the famous Dragonite on Dragonite Island to be so powerful but also helping Dratini and Dragonair evolve into Dragonite so quickly.
What's to be done?
The big brother Dragonite's heart was stirred, but it couldn't bring itself to ask for help.
It simply couldn't bring itself to seek assistance from a human...
The two younger Dragonite brothers beside it saw the expression on their big brother's face and immediately guessed his thoughts.
They exchanged glances and said in unison, "Grr!" (Then let's go together and see!)
The big brother Dragonite felt a thrill inside, but it remained silent.
The sun rose again.
On the following morning, at the crack of dawn, those working Dragonite began their journey to Naoki Ranch.
The two younger Dragonite brothers saw this and immediately called their big brother Dragonite.
Finally, the big brother Dragonite reluctantly followed with its two younger brothers.
It wanted to see the human's strength for itself!
*
Naoki Ranch, 6:30 am.
In an era without smartphones or fun games, Naoki always went to bed early and got up early.
After a simple breakfast, Naoki began working on the daily tasks at the ranch.
First, he prepared the milk and vegetables ordered by customers from town, waiting for the Dragonite to come for delivery.
As the ranch developed, the number of customers ordering from the ranch grew, from the initial three or four to nearly a hundred now.
Although production hadn't expanded at the ranch, the crops grew faster.
With the Gogoat helping cultivate, the crops in the fields now took less than half a month to mature at most.
The supplies were more than enough for the customers in town.
Just as Naoki finished packing the milk and vegetables, the Dragonite delivery workers arrived at the ranch.
"Thanks for your hard work today!"
Naoki smiled as he handed out the goods to them.
Then the Dragonite, having received the goods, began their journey to Porto Marinada Town, to deliver the goods to customers.
His own Dragonite also went out to deliver milk, not because it particularly liked working, but because greeting Mrs. Dantes and others in town had become a habit.
It always felt that the old lady who often baked cookies for it might worry if she didn't see it.
After seeing off the Dragonite, Naoki planned to head to the opposite side of the river to check on the growth of the apple trees.
But just then, three Dragonite flew down from the sky.
The three Dragonite landed in the ranch, one of them bearing a long scar on its face, looking fierce and as if it came to cause trouble.
Naoki looked at the fierce Dragonite, feeling a bit wary: "Who are you?"
The big brother Dragonite narrowed its eyes, its face fierce, and its growl was deep: "Grr..."
Naoki: "!!!"
He cautiously observed the three Dragonite and seeing they appeared non-hostile despite their fierce looks, relaxed his guard.
Naoki breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Are you here to apply as delivery workers too?"
He was quite familiar with this kind of thing.
"You just need to help deliver the milk and vegetables ordered by the customers each morning, and you're free to do whatever you want with the rest of your time. As payment, I'll provide you with Pokeblocks and Poffin," Naoki explained to the three Dragonite before him.
However... from the deep tones and bully-like demeanor of these Dragonite, it seemed they wouldn't be delivering, but rather robbing. Hopefully, they wouldn't scare the milk-ordering customers.
At that moment, some Pokémon at the ranch noticed the situation and gathered around.
Seeing the human ignoring its words and talking to himself instead, the big brother Dragonite furrowed its brow, sharply striking a nearby fruit tree with one of its Dragon Claws.
"Grr!"
Naoki's eyes widened, and an audacious thought crossed his mind—could these three Dragonite be here to cause trouble?
In the next second, to seemingly confirm his suspicion, the fiercest looking Dragonite appeared energetic, casting its glance over the Pokémon behind Naoki with a battle-ready demeanor.
Naoki was taken aback, incredulously pointing to himself: "You want to battle me?"
The big brother Dragonite nodded coolly, "Grr."
————
ps: there's another chapter before 12 o'clock, as promised for yesterday's extra chapter from moon votes, and the reward chapter for the alliance leader will be posted tomorrow, April 1st.