Chapter 40: Dragonite Island
Lunchtime.
Naoki rested his chin on his hand, watching the Pokémon in front of him enjoy their meal. Smoliv and Alcremie ate as usual, chewing slowly and taking small bites. Koraidon and Cyclizar, on the other hand, ate with their usual gusto.
After devouring several large bones, Koraidon picked up the bowl of Black Truffle Milk Porridge and gulped it down, as if swallowing a whole berry.
"It's a shame that neither Koraidon nor Cyclizar can produce milk," Naoki thought, feeling a pang of regret.
Although Alcremie could produce cream, it wasn't milk. It was akin to the relationship between water and ice—similar, yet fundamentally different. Smoliv produced oil, which had nothing to do with milk at all.
In the afternoon, Kora arrived on time with the construction crew. Naoki told her the location he had chosen for the salt shelter and then rode Koraidon towards Casseroya Lake.
He wasn't going fishing today but to visit Yosuke and the five Nacli.
Seeing that Naoki didn't have a fishing net or rod, Yosuke seemed a little surprised. "No fishing today?" he asked.
Naoki shook his head. "I need to relax once in a while."
Yosuke chuckled, "That's not what you said a few days ago."
Naoki smiled sheepishly. "Okay, I've saved enough money to build the Pokémon shelter, so I'm taking a break until the project is finished."
"I see!" Yosuke winked. "I have some good news to tell you too."
Naoki was taken aback. "What is it?"
Yosuke turned around and clapped his hands. "Everyone, come out!"
As his voice fell, the five Nacli emerged from the cave.
"Nacli, nacli, nacli!"
Yosuke smiled. "They've made up their minds. They've decided to leave here and live with you on your ranch!"
Naoki was pleasantly surprised. "Really?"
Yosuke didn't answer, and the Nacli responded in unison, "Nacli~"
Naoki was overjoyed. "That's great!"
Yosuke chuckled. "What are you waiting for? Get your Poké Balls out and catch them! They've been waiting for a while!"
"Oh!" Naoki quickly retrieved five Poké Balls from his pocket.
He crouched down and placed the Poké Balls on the ground. One by one, the five Nacli lined up and walked forward.
With a gentle touch of their heads, their small bodies transformed into beams of red light and were absorbed into the Poké Balls. Each ball shook twice before falling silent.
The second and third followed, until finally, the last one was caught. Naoki held the five Poké Balls in his hand, his heart overflowing with joy.
"Congratulations!" Yosuke said with a smile.
Naoki put away the Poké Balls and thanked Yosuke, "I should be the one thanking you. You've helped me a lot these past few days."
Yosuke waved his hand nonchalantly, "It was my pleasure. I needed to research the Pokémon around here anyway. But by the way, have you gone to see that Dragonite these past few nights?"
Naoki nodded, "Yes, I have."
Whenever he and Koraidon went fishing, they would also take the time to visit the Dragonite.
"But, it's the same as the first time. It ignores us, sighs quietly, and leaves. It seems it doesn't like being disturbed."
Yosuke pondered, stroking his chin. "Is that so?" He then shared his own observations from the past few days. "According to my research, there are no other Dragonite around Casseroya Lake. Considering that it always flies in from the Paldean Sea and returns to the depths of the ocean, I suspect its nest isn't nearby but somewhere in the vast sea."
Naoki's interest was piqued. This reminded him of the giant Dragonite that had appeared near the Cianwood City Lighthouse in the Kanto region.
He asked, "By the way, Yosuke, have you heard of the legend of the 'Giant Black Shadow at Sea'?"
"No," Yosuke replied curiously. "What's that?"
Naoki explained, "It's said that in the depths of the ocean, there's a super-giant Dragonite. It's dozens of meters tall and wanders the seas, crying out like a monster."
Yosuke was shocked. "How could such a giant Dragonite exist? It can only exist in the monster special effects movies shot by Hollywood!"
Naoki chuckled, "Forget, Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Yosuke didn't seem to mind. He continued pondering, "However, I have heard another rumor related to Dragonite. Would you like to hear it?"
Naoki nodded.
Yosuke shared the tale, "Legend has it that somewhere in the vast ocean, there's an isolated island inhabited solely by Dragonites. A traveling fleet was sailing on the sea when they encountered a storm. A man, clinging to a plank of wood, was adrift at sea. A Dragonite rescued him and brought him back to that isolated island, a paradise belonging to Dragonite."
"That kind of thing is certainly possible," Naoki said. After all, most Dragonite were known for their kind hearts. No matter where you were, you often heard stories of them rescuing people or Pokémon who were drowning at sea.
"If a Dragonite finds a ship in distress during a storm, it will guide it to land," Yosuke explained. "For this reason, many ships at sea place Dragonite statues on their bows to pray for a safe return. So, the question is, did that Dragonite come from Dragonite Island?"
At that moment, this question arose in both Naoki and Yosuke's minds.
They looked at each other, and Yosuke's eyes sparkled with interest. He asked excitedly, "Does that kind of island really exist in the ocean?"
A unique Dragonite Island, separate from the rest of the world, inhabited by a large number of Dragonite.
"It should exist, right?"
Naoki recalled that in the anime, Ash had visited such an island and caught a Dragonair there. That Dragonair later evolved into a cuddly Dragonite, helping Ash win the Eight Masters Tournament.
Hearing this, Yosuke grabbed Naoki's shoulders.
Naoki was startled.
"Naoki, let's go on an adventure together!" A gleam of longing shone in Yosuke's eyes.
An island where only Dragonite exist! How exciting! If only I could see that with my own eyes.
Naoki pushed his face away, "You don't even know the exact location of the island."
Yosuke deflated momentarily, "That's true."
But he quickly regained his enthusiasm, filled with determination. "But I won't give up! As long as I keep traveling, I'll find that Island one day!"
"Good luck!" Naoki encouraged him, then waved goodbye. "I have to go."
"Where to?" Yosuke asked hastily.
Naoki put away the Poké Balls containing the Nacli, glanced at the remaining empty ones, and said, "To see if I can catch other Pokémon and bring them back to the ranch."
For example Skiddo, and Tropius.
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