The arrival of a wild Dragonite disrupted Naoki's pns.

  Uhe guidance of Naoki's Dragohe wild Dragonite finally spotted the Dratini and Dragonair sneaking around the ke on the ranch.

  Upon seeing them, the wild Drago its hands on its hips and scolded them: "Awooo, awooo!"

  The Dratini and Dragonair huddled together, trembling and responding pitifully.

  Meanwhile, Naoki's Dragoood off to the side, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

  "Ai eh?"

  Naoki's sister, Indeedee, looked at the se with curiosity in her eyes.

  Naoki expined, "The three Dratini and twonairs are just visiting the ranch. They normally live on an isoted isnd in the o."

  Apparently, Dragonite had already made arras with the other Dragonites on Isnd, assuring them the group would just py for a short while and theurn home.

  But these five little ones got so carried away with their fun that they lost track of time, son Is a Dragoo fetch them.

  While they tiheir iations, Naoki decided to take the two Indeedees to the underground cave to introduce them to the five Naclstad Digletts living there.

  The cave was cool and serene, with an underground ke ected to a flowing river. Water droplets slowly dripped from the stactites above, creating a peaceful tig sound as they hit the water.

  Five Naclstad little Diglett gathered in front of Naoki, curiously eyeing the two new Pokemon.

  Naoki smiled, saying, "These two will be your panions from now on. When I'm away, they'll take care of you."

  Sister Indeedee waved warmly, "Ai Ai~"

  Brother Indeedee nodded slightly, "Ai Yi."

  The Naclstad Diglett all turheir attention to the two new faces.

  Naoki added with a grin, "The one on the left is the older brother and the one on the right is the younger sister. Also, the food my younger sister cooks is absolutely delicious—it's eveer than mine!"

  "Squeak?!"

  Hearing this, the greedy Diglett's eyes lit up. It had always thought Naoki's cooking was the best in the world, so it was surprised to hear someone else might outdo him.

  The Naclstacks were also intrigued by Indeedee's ary skills.

  Sister Indeedee, thrilled by the praise, couldn't wait to whip up some of her signature dishes and share them with the Pokémon.

  Naoki, of course, supported this: "Then, how about you take care of their lunch today? I'll tell you about their favorite foods and prefereer."

  "Ai Ai~" Sister Indeedee nodded enthusiastically.

  After finishing their tasks in the cave, Naoki took them back above ground.

  Brother Indeedee got straight to work tidying up the rooms, which had been messed up by Cyclizar and Pawmot.

  Sister Indeedee, oher hand, strolled around the ranch, making friends with G, Alcremie, and the other Pokémon. Her gentle and g nature quickly endeared her to the group.

  Naoki gnced over and saw that Alcremie had already taken a spot on Indeedee's head. Even G, typically reserved, smiled faintly and stayed close by her side.

  Meanwhile, by the ke, the wild Dragonite was still scolding the Dratini and Dragonair.

  Naoki, curious, asked Koraidon t him a bag of transtion seed crisps so he could uand what was being said.

  The wild Dragonite tinued muttering by the ke. Two Dratini and three Dragonairs huddled ier, with just their heads peeking above the surface, looking pitifully at the wild Dragonite.

  Naoki's Dragoched the entire se, clearly amused.

  "What's going on here?" Naoki raised an eyebrow as he approached.

  As soon as the Dratini and Dragonair saw him, they rushed out of the ke and hid behind him as though he were their savior.

  "Woo!" (We don't want to go back!)

  "Woo…" (Please, let us py a little longer…)

  The wild Dragoill serious, retorted, "Awoo!" (No, you've pyed long enough! It's time to go home!)

  The Dratini and Dragonair trembled in fear.

  Naoki, feeling sympathetic, said, "Are you in a hurry? Why not let them stay a few more days?"

  After all, life on Isnd didn't seem particurly exg—just basking in the sun or fishing in the sea.

  Fag Naoki, the wild Dragonite's sternness softened, and it sounded almost a little aggrieved: "Awooo..." (But they've been pying for a really long time...)

  The Dragonite beside them wides eyes in surprise.

  Naoki: "…"

  That was true.

  After thinking for a moment, Naoki realized that sihe wild Dragonite had e all this way, he couldn't let it leave without hospitality. So, he extended an invitation: "How about you stay for dinner and leave iernoon?"

  'Dinner?'

  The wild Dragonite's eyes lit up, recalling the delicious food Naoki had brought ton Isnd.

  It immediately fot about fetg the Dratini and Dragonair and eagerly nodded: "Awooo!"

  Naoki's Dragonite: "!!!"

  "Alright then," Naoki said cheerfully. "You all py for a while. I'll go get some ingredients. Dragonite, you help me look after uest?"

  Naoki's Dragonite was quite upset, but thinking that the wild Dragonite would take those five annoying little dragons back ton Isnd iernoon, it decided to ehe situation. Sonite agreed.

  Dratini and Dragonairs sighed with relief. At least, they could still py here until the afternoon.

  Naoki initially wao ride Cyclizar to town, but when he looked around, he saw Cyclizar pying with the Indeedees. Not wanting to disturb them, he found Koraidon, called Pawmot, and they all headed to the town together to order a nee for Pawmot.

  ...

  Today's lunch repared by Naoki and sister Indeedee. Looking at the feast before it, the wild Dragonite was overwhelmed by the variety of food.

  Dragonite: "..." 'This is too embarrassing to watch!'

  It turs head away and quietly ate its sandwich, deg to ehe situation a little longer sihe wild Dragonite would be leaving iernoon.

  However, while the imagination was f, the reality was harsh.

  Even as the su and night fell, the wild Dragonite made ion ing Dratini and Dragonair back ton Isnd. Not only that, it enthusiastically pyed with the Pokémon on the ranch.

  Sinaoki had visited Dragon Isnd with Cyclizar and Pawmo before, he was familiar with this group of Pokémon, including the wild Dragonite.

  Naoki, Dragonite, and the Dratini stood nearby, the se, each with different expressions on their faces.

  Naoki felt proud, thinking, "I k! No Pokémon resist the temptation of good food! Look at this wild Drago's having the time of its life!"

  Dragonite, oher hand, was full of questions: "What happeo leaving iernoon? It's already nighttime!"

  Meanwhile, Dratini and Dragonair quietly stepped back, trying to hide and avoid any fallout.

  At that moment, Indeedee called everyone for dinner.

  She o Naoki, who called out, "Dinner's ready!"

  The wild Dragonite rushed over immediately.

  It noticed Dragonite looking gloomy o the dining table and asked, "Awoo?" (What's wrong?)

  Dragonite remi, "Ouch?" (Did you fet something?)

  The wild Dragonite blinked. 'Did it fet something?' It seemed like it had, but… it couldn't quite recall. Oh well!

  Without a care, the wild Dragonite happily dived into the delicious food.

  Dragonite: "!!!"

  It wao say more, but Naoki gently stopped it.

  Naoki whispered, "Let it py here for a few more days! There's no rush to go back."

  Dragonite, feeling wronged, sighed, "Ouch..."

  Naoki, with a mysterious smile, said, "Remember the pn I told you about? The one where you lead a whole army onites?"

  Dragonite blinked, recalling the idea. After a moment, it nodded.

  Naoki said, "So, now use food to build a good retionship with them, and then we hire them to help us work. I'll make you the head of the Dragon Express pany, and we'll all be one big family."

  'One big family.'

  Those words really touched Dragonite's heart.

  Its eyes widened as it thought carefully. Every Pokémon Naoki treated as family had their own Poké Ball.

  Dragonite had ooo, but Dratini, Dragonair, and this wild Dragonite didn't.

  Thinking of this, Dragonite suddenly felt happy. They were a family!

  With that, it stopped w about sending the wild Dragonite back ton Isnd. After all, in Naoki's heart, Dragonite ecial!

  Late that night, the Pokémon on the ranch gradually fell asleep, one by ohe wild Dragonite, with its belly full, also dozed off on the soft grass.

  Everything eaceful at the ranch, but over onite Isnd, things weren't going as smoothly.

  The moonlight reflected on the ke. The Dragonites by the water looked fused.

  'Where was the Dragohey'd sent t back Dratini and Dragonair? Why hadn't it returned? Did something bad happen?'

  'Could it have been captured by a human trainer or something?'

  The Dragonites exged worried gnces, looked at the moon, and the sea, and thought about what might have gone wrong. So, early the m, they sent another adult Dragoo iigate.

  But as the day passed and the su again, the sed Dragonite didn't returher.

  Panic spread among the Dragonites.

  After a long, anxious discussion, they decided to send a particurly tough Dragohis time—one who had a bad temper, respected strength, and despised humans. It would never allow itself to be tamed!

  ...

  The m, as the sun rose, Dragonite, who had just returned from delivering milk, wides eyes in disbelief. It stared at the two wild Dragonites, who looked far too happy as they juggled jui one hand and honey bread iher.

  'Oh no! They're eating everything!'

  Not only Dragonite, but Naoki also realized this.

  These two wild Dragonites were like bottomless pits. They had beeing nonstop for two days. Besides their three meals a day, they were snag stantly.

  The refrigerator was empty!

  "No, we 't let them stay here any longer!" Naoki muttered, trying to figure out how to send them back ton Isnd.

  Just then, another Dragonite nded on the ranch.

  Naoki's eyebrows twitched as he exged a gh Dragonite, both thinking the same thing: 'No way... another one?'

  However, this Dragonite seemed different from the previous two.

  The wild Dragohat arrived looked fierce, much like Iris's Dragonite from the anime.

  Not only that, its behavior was aggressive.

  As soon as it nded, it flew over to the two gluttonous Dragonites and whacked them twice with its cws, leaving them rubbing their heads, tears welling up in their eyes.

  Naoki's eyes widened in disbelief.

  "Something's definitely happening here!" he thought.

  Dragonite beside him was excited: "Awooo!"

  Naoki blinked, still surprised. "Do you know it?"

  Dragonite nodded eagerly: "Awooo, awooo!" (It's the stro Dragonite on the isnd! It hates humans, it's super powerful, and has a terrible temper!)

  Just as Dragonite had said, after scolding the two gluttonous Dragohe wild Dragonite gred at Naoki with a look of disdain.

  Sensing the hostility, Koraidon jumped up from his resting spot and stood protectively in front of Naoki, staring at the wild Dragoh a warning gre.

  The wild Dragonite, seeing Koraidon, immediately became serious.

  For a moment, Naoki thought they might fight, but then the Dragonite's attention shifted to Dratini and Dragonair, who were hiding behind a bush, trembling as they peeked out.

  Dratini and Dragonair quivered again.

  The wild Drago out a anding roar: "Awooo!" (It's time to go back! The evolution ritual is about to begin!)

  Hearing this, Dratini and Dragonair seemed to uand. Despite their reluce, they obediently flew out from the bushes.

  They first huddled close to Naoki, looking miserable, and then sloroached the wild Dragonite.

  Naoki uzzled. "Evolution ritual? What does that mean?" he asked, fused.

  Could this be the real reasoher Dragonites came to pick up Dratini and Dragonair?

  Dragonite knew what was going on.

  It expined, "Awoo..." (That's the evolution ritual for the Dratini and Dragonair living on the isnd...)

  Fronite's words, Naoki pieced together the situation.

  Around this time each year, straural phenomena occur in the o. Tidal whirlpools form on the seabed, and the water seems to move toward the moon.

  As Pokémon are deeply ected to nature, Dratini and Dragonair are particurly sensitive to these phenomena.

  The Dratini and Dragonair will swim in the o, using the force of nature to train themselves.

  If they mao overe the pull of the whirlpools, some Dratini and Dragonair are able to grow, and a few even evolve intonites.

  Dragoself had once participated but failed. Through perseverand training, it eventually evolved into the Drago is today.

  Naoki half-uood the expnation, but the image f in his mind was clear. From a trainer's perspective, overing the force of water in a whirlpool seemed like a perfe of special training.

  In gaming terms, it would be something like: "Dratini and Dragonairs have participated iidal Training and gained signifit experience."

  As a result, some Dratini and Dragonairs could use this as an opportunity to evolve.

  Dragonite recalled the event fondly, saying, "Awoo, awoo, awoo!" (It's spectacur! Everyone swims iidal waves and then flies toward the moon!)

  As Dragonite spoke, Naoki's imagination began to run wild.

  He pictured a bright full moon hanging high in the sky, its light illuminating the o below, creating whirlpools on the seabed. tless Dratini and Dragonair and Dragonites swam within the currents.

  Those who successfully passed the whirlpool trial would asd into the sky, evolving inter Pokémon uhe moonlight's glow.

  It was a miraculous dispy of nature!

  Naoki's heart stirred, his eyes filled with wonder. "I want to see that!" he excimed.