At two o'clo the afternoon, as soon as Kelly arrived at the ranch, she saw a huge hole in the wn.

  A look of astonishment appeared on her face: "Was this pce hit by a meteorite?"

  Naoki: "…"

  Koraidon, standing nearby, hung its head low. It hadn't meant to cause trouble.

  Seeing this se, Kelly was even more surprised: "Did Koraidon do this? Its power is incredible!"

  "I asked Koraidon to show me one of its moves," Naoki said helplessly, "I didn't expect it to be this powerful."

  He ushing a wheelbarrow filled with soil that he and Koraidon had dug from the nearby mountain to fill i.

  Naoki tipped the wheelbarrow, p the soil into the massive hole. After going bad forth several times, they finally mao level the ground. But the grass had been pletely destroyed by Koraidon's Collision Course impact, leaving a bare patch that stood out against the surrounding wn.

  Naoki thought for a moment, then pulled out a bag of grass seeds, scattering them evenly over the ground. He called over the Gogoat that had beeing under a nearby trellis and asked them to help nurture the grass.

  It was a simple task for the Gogoats. The three of them immediately fenced off the area and began infusing the soil with their Grass-type energy to speed up the grass's growth.

  "Phew!" Naoki sighed, reag out to pat the head of one of the Gogoat. He turned back to see Kelly and some Pokémon hard at work.

  In the meantime, Kelly aeam had dug a rge square pit and were ying down the foundation for a celr using moisture-resistant materials and wooden boards.

  Kelly was busy, and Naoki wasn't oo sit idle.

  He harvested the sunflower heads from his st batch, id them out to dry, and had several Pokémon help him peel off the seeds. The three fields of sunflowers produced enough seeds to fill five rge boxes.

  With some free time on his hands, Naoki moved the boxes to the kit and began roasting the sunflower seeds, preparing to turn them into transtion seeds for ter ste.

  ....

  May 31st

  That evening was the day of the Summer Festival.

  At eight o'clock, people would gather at the beach west of the town to watch a spectacur fireworks dispy.

  "Hey, Naoki, don't fet the fireworks show tonight!" Zack reminded him as he loaded several buckets of Moomoo Milk onto his truck.

  "I haven't fotten," Naoki said with a smile. He was looking forward to the event; after all, he had only seen such festivals in anime.

  For example, he recalled the Ho-Oh Festival in Johto's Ecruteak City, where geishas performed songs aold the legend of Ho-Oh and Lugia through a traditional py.

  "Good to hear!" Zack grinned, ready to leave, but his eyes nded on Naoki's blue work clothes. "You 't wear that to a summer festival!"

  Naoki blinked in surprise.

  Zack tinued, "You should wear traditional festival attire!"

  Naoki: "..."

  he admit he wasn't prepared?

  "You haven't pnned for this, have you?" Zack chuckled. "The shops in town must be closed by now. How about this: I have a set at home that belongs to my nephew. He hasn't worn it yet, and I'll bring it to you ter!"

  Naoki quickly waved his hands, "No need, I just ge into something ."

  Zack frowned, "That won't do! It's a once-a-year event—you've got to dress properly!"

  Naoki: "Alright."

  "That's more like it!" Zack beamed, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll be back with the outfit soon!"

  As Zack disappeared into the distanaoki headed iook a quick shower, and ged into a fresh set of clothes.

  Thehered all the Pokémon at the ranch. "Who wants to go to the Summer Festival with me?"

  "Woo!" Several excited Dratini and Dragonair immediately raised their voices in response.

  "Good!" Naoki smiled, turning to the others.

  Naturally, Koraidon and Cyclizar were up for it, and so was Dragonite.

  Even Alcremie, Naclstack, G, and Butterfree were eager to join in the fun.

  In the end, all the Pokémon on the ranch were safely returo their Poké Balls, including bee and Miltank.

  Only Koraidon, Dragonair, and the Dratini remained outside.

  Looking at the pile of Poké Balls in his pocket, Naoki was a bit taken aback.

  He hadn't realized he'd caught so many Pokémon!

  After putting the Poké Balls into his space backpaaoki turo Dratini and Dragonair. "e on, show me how you snuto my backpack st time."

  "Woo~"

  The three Dratini and twonair looked at him with bright, mischievous eyes.

  They wriggled into the space backpae by one, and after the st Dragonair went in, they skillfully closed the zipper with their tails. However, they left a small gap, and several Pokémon peeked through it, looking at Naoki from inside.

  Naoki examihe space backpack curiously.

  From the outside, it didn't appear bulky despite holding the Dragonair and Dratini. It seemed the spaside was far rger than he had imagined. Even with the Pokémon i didn't feel heavy at all. This bck teology space backpack was truly amazing!

  Just then, a car horn sounded outside the ranch.

  Naoki looked up and saw Zack hopping out of the car, walking toward him with a pstic bag.

  "Here you go! ge into this! It's already half past six, and we've got to head out soon!"

  Naoki took the bag, ope, and saw a gray Traje de Corto inside.

  "I won't be going with you. My wife and little boy are waiting for me at home!" Zack grinned, waved goodbye to Naoki, ahe ranch.

  Naoki: "…"

  He went back to his room, feeling a little unsure, and ged into the Traje de Corto.

  It was his first time wearing something like this, and it felt a bit stra took him a while to get fortable with the outfit.

  "Alright, let's go!" He took a deep breath, put on the space backpack, and climbed onto Koraidon, feeling both excited and expet.

  "Raao!" Koraidon responded enthusiastically, took a step forward, and started running toward the town.

  When they arrived at the beach, quite a few people and Pokémon were already gathered.

  The sky had darkened pletely by now, and groups of people were either sitting or lying down, chatting with their families and Pokémon, waiting for the fireworks dispy to begin.

  Not far away, a row of small stalls decorated with twinkling lights lihe street, dispying all sorts of items.

  There were steaming ptes of takoyaki, carved wooden souvenirs, and masks of various shapes and sizes.

  Seeing this, Naoki raised his eyebrows with i.

  There was still some time before the fireworks started, so he decided to take Koraidon for a stroll through the stalls.

  The crowds surged around like a tide.

  A young child held their parents' hands, a boy with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder, an old man with silver hair and a Growlithe at his side, and a girl with wide eyes, excited to see the takoyaki stall, with her Gengar h nearby.

  As the lights of the stalls flickered in the night, Naoki and Koraidon blended into the lively, heartwarming atmosphere.

  Naoki stopped in front of a small stall selling masks.

  On dispy were masks of various Pokémon: Pikachu, Eevee, Zoroark, and even a Squirtle.

  Seeing Naoki approach, the stall owner smiled brightly and said, "These masks would suit you perfectly! Want to buy one? Only 200 Poke Dolrs!"

  200... Not too expensive, Naoki thought and handed over the money before seleg a Zoroark mask.

  He pced the mask on his face, turoward Koraidon, and asked, "How do I look?"

  Koraidon smiled, its eyes narrowing with delight. "Raao~" (You look great!)

  The stall owner chimed in, "It suits you very well!"

  Naoki smiled, but before he could say anything more, a loud voice calling out nearby caught his attention.

  Leading Koraidon through the crowd, Naoki soon spotted a middle-aged man wearing a red hat behind a small stall.

  A rge, transparent tank sat in front of the man, and inside, a group of Magikarp with dull eyes slowly swam around.

  Seeing Naoki approach, the man immediately began to shout:

  "Hey, young man! Looking for a strong Pokémon? My Magikarp are all special! You won't regret buying one!"

  Naoki felt a wave of familiarity with the situation. It reminded him of the Magikarp salesman from the Pokémon ahough this was his first time entering it in real life.

  Curious, Naoki asked, "What's so special about these Magikarp?"

  With great enthusiasm, the man responded, "Oh, these Magikarp are rare! Eae has been hand-picked by me! Ohey evolve into Gyarados, they'll help you take down Gym Leaders and even challehe Elite Four!"

  Naoki couldn't help but twitch his lips in amusement. Before he could say anything, a nearby trainer with a Machop by his side interrupted:

  "That's such a scam! There's no way those Magikarp are that strong!"

  The salesman didn't seem fazed at all. He smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, just buy one and see if it evolves into a Gyarados!"

  The boy made a fad shouted, "No way!" before running off.

  The man muttered under his breath, "Brat…" while shaking his head.

  Naoki stood there, half-amused, wheiced the man's gaze shift to his backpack.

  Peeking out from the partially open zipper were several pairs of curious eyes.

  The man's jaw dropped, and he gasped, "Dratini!"

  Naoki blinked, realizing that the Dratini hiding in his space backpack had been spotted.

  The man's eyes lit up with excitement. "So many Dratini! Where did you catch them?"

  Naoki shook his head with a smile. "I didn't catch them. They chose to follow me."

  The man looked absolutely shocked. "They just followed you?!"

  The man was stunned. "How is this possible?! This is a rare Dratini! I'll pay a high price for one. Will you sell it to me?!"

  "Not for sale!" Naoki shook his head and refused without hesitation.

  "What about a trade?" the man suggested, pulling out a Poké Ball.

  With a fsh of white light, a Kingdra appeared iank in front of him.

  "I'll trade you my Kingdra for one of your Dratini, how about that?"

  "No." Naoki rejected the offer ftly. "Don't even think about it. I'm not trading them."

  The man's shoulders slumped in disappoi as Naoki turo leave, his baow a target of envy.

  "Really, people actually try to trade Pokémon here," Naoki muttered to Koraidon. "What do they think this is?"

  Koraidon tilted its head a out a thoughtful "Raao…"

  "Fet it, let's not worry about them." Naoki adjusted his backpad unzipped it slightly, letting Dratini and Dragonair poke their heads out for some fresh air.

  After wandering around the festival for a bit, Naoki started feeling a bit tired. He bought a dozen takoyaki and took Koraidon to a quieter, spacious se of the beach, away from the rger crowds.

  "Everyone, e on out!"

  He tossed the Poké Balls, and in a flurry of white light, his Pokémon appeared on the sandy shore. Pokémon like G, Butterfree, and Miltank, who had never pyed on sand before, immediately began enjoying themselves.

  Naoki spread a piiket on the ground, pg the takoyaki and some fruit on it. Theuro his Pokémon and said, "Don't wander off too far! Koraidon and Gogoats, keep an eye on everyone for me."

  Koraidon puffed up proudly. "Raao!" (Of course!)

  Meanwhile, passersby began to take notice. A little girl, in particur, was drawn to the lively Pokémon pying nearby.

  "Mom, look over there!" she squealed excitedly.

  Her mother, deep in versation with her husband, turo see what her daughter ointing at. The sight of so many Pokémon pying together was astonishing.

  "Wow! Are all these Pokémon yours?" the little girl asked Naoki ily.

  Naoki smiled and nodded. "Yes, they are."

  "That's so cool!" The girl's eyes sparkled with determination. "When I grow up, I want to be a great trainer and catch lots of Pokémon!"

  "You do it!" Naoki enced her with a grin.

  As much as she wao stay, the girl's mother was in a hurry to buy food, so they waved goodbye. "Bye, big brother!" the girl called out.

  "Goodbye!" Naoki waved back warmly.

  Taking off his Zoroark mask, Naoki turned around to find Cyclizar building a sandcastle with G and Dragohe sight of the Pokémon having so much fun made him chuckle.

  Meanwhile, the Miltank trio joined in on the sandcastle fun, their excitement evident as they kicked up sand. Butterfree, however, didn't seem as ied and fluttered back to Naoki, nding softly on the piiket.

  Naoki turo Koraidon and asked, "Aren't you going to join them?"

  "Raao…" Koraidon shook its head, sounding a bit too mature for such activities. It clearly sidered itself an adult.

  Naoki uood Koraidon but couldn't resist teasing him. "You act like you're so grown-up, but don't you still like to snuggle up with me at night?"

  Koraidon flushed in embarrassment, its feathers drooping. "Raao…" (That's different…)

  Naoki stifled a ugh. "Only kids sleep with their trainers, you know."

  Koraido out an indignant cry. "Raao, raao!" (I'm not a kid!)

  But Naoki couldn't help but tease him further. Koraidon's pride was visibly wounded, and the once-mighty creature hung its head i, looking pitiful.

  It just... wao stay by Naoki's side, after all.