While Naoki was sleeping, a group of Pokemon were playing outside.
Koraidon felt something was not quite right with Naoki's health, as if he was sick.
Worried, it occasionally went inside to check on Naoki in between teaching Dragonite and Cyclizar how to practice their moves.
Only when it heard Naoki snoring did it finally feel at ease.
Gradually, it got dark.
Naoki hadn't woken up yet, and a few Pokemon whose stomachs were growling with hunger exchanged glances and, in harmony, decided not to disturb him, wanting to let him rest a bit longer.
Koraidon quietly tiptoed to the refrigerator, opened it, and took out several large cups of Berry Milk, then took a large bag of berries Naoki had bought from town out of the cupboard.
It handed the milk to Cyclizar and Dragonite, who were waiting nearby.
The three Pokemon, holding the berries and milk, tiptoed out of the room, considerately closing the door for Naoki.
On the clean and soft lawn, Koraidon, holding the berries, called out to the Pokemon playing outside: "Aa gaa sii!"
Hearing the call, Pawmo, Alcremie, and the other Pokemon gathered around.
Koraidon led Cyclizar and Dragonite in handing out the berries to everyone, indicating that this was dinner for today and that Naoki should rest more, so he did not have to cook tonight.
The Pokemon agreed happily. Although the berries were simple, they still ate joyfully.
Unlike ordinary fruits, berries are rich in nutrients and energy. For a Pokemon like Pawmo, eating two berries would be enough to fill its stomach.
After dinner, the sky gradually darkened.
Koraidon, like a big child, took the leftover berries and milk cups back into the house.
When it came out again, it saw Dragonite and Cyclizar had run to the riverbank to watch the fireflies.
Every night, these little insects, emitting faint glows, would gather by the riverbank, accompanied by the gentle flow of the river, creating a beautiful scene.
An idea suddenly popped into Koraidon's mind
——These fireflies disappear during the day; if they catch them and release them into the room, could the beautiful scene be seen all the time?
Then, Koraidon found the bag used to store berries and called over Arcanine, Glaceon, Pawmo, and Dolliv to help catch fireflies and put them in the bag.
After hearing Koraidon's plan, the Pokemon's eyes lit up, and they all joined in the operation to catch fireflies.
Each displayed their divine powers, unleashing moves like Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Gust all at once.
As a result, although they caught the fireflies, none of them could glow.
Koraidon couldn't help but facepalm: "...Aa gaa sii."
It handed the bag to Cyclizar and personally demonstrated how to catch them for the group.
Slowing its pace, it focused and held its breath, its golden pupils locking onto a firefly quietly levitating.
In the next second, Koraidon moved. It lunged forward, clasping its paws together, trapping the firefly in its palms.
Dragonite, Glaceon, Pawmo, Cyclizar, and Arcanine gathered around.
Koraidon carefully opened its hand, and the Pokemon saw a firefly inside, flickering with yellow-green light.
"Aa gaa sii."
After finishing the demonstration, Koraidon tucked the firefly into the bag.
Witnessing all this, the Pokemon's heads all lit up with a bulb-like flash.
They imitated Koraidon's method and started catching fireflies accordingly.
And indeed, it was quite effective.
In no time, the bag was filled with fireflies.
Other fireflies along the river were also startled and flew away.
Koraidon, carrying the bundle, eagerly wanted to release the beautiful fireflies into the house and share them with Naoki.
A group of Pokemon ran into the dim room, carefully closing the doors and windows before Koraidon opened the bag.
Immediately, one by one, the fireflies flew out from the bag, their faint glows forming a bright Milky Way in the darkness, illuminating the faces of the Pokemon with anticipation.
"Bamo..."
"Gao..."
So beautiful!
"Aa gaa sii!"
Once all the fireflies were in the room, Koraidon shouted excitedly, then ran to the bedside and licked Naoki awake with its wet tongue.
——Although there were better ways to wake Naoki, Koraidon was too happy at this moment so it used this more intimate method.
So, when Naoki opened his eyes from his dream, he saw floating fireflies in the dark room, like a starry sky.
Naoki was stunned for a second, then realized these were not stars, but fireflies!
"What's going on?" Naoki said, his voice somewhat hoarse. He thought he probably had a cold, likely due to not drying his clothes properly after swimming in the sea this afternoon.
Koraidon smiled: "Aa gaa sii～"
Looking at the Pokemon gathered in the room, Naoki realized: "You all did this?"
"Awoo～" Dragonite nodded repeatedly.
The Pokemon looked over with anticipation, hoping that Naoki would like it.
Although there was a language barrier, after living with them for so long, Naoki could still understand their intentions through their expressions, tone, and body language.
Just like now.
He looked up at the glowing fireflies in the room and thought of it as a present from everyone, feeling a bit touched inside.
"Thank you," Naoki grinned: "I really like it."
The few Pokemon, who were already filled with expectations, immediately beamed with happy smiles upon hearing this.
"Aa gaa sii～"
"..."
Naoki glanced at the time and saw it was getting late. He thought that these Pokemon might still be hungry and was about to get up to make them dinner.
However, upon learning his intention, Pawmo shook its head: "Bamo!"
Koraidon showed Naoki the bag of berries and pointed to the milk bottle on the table.
"You've already eaten?" Naoki was a bit surprised.
The Pokemon all nodded simultaneously.
Naoki's eyes scanned their faces, seeing their looks, thinking this was probably Koraidon's idea.
"Still hungry?" Naoki got up to prepare his own dinner, asking who hadn't eaten enough so he could make more servings.
But all the Pokemon shook their heads; after finishing that bag of berries, their bellies were full.
Naoki: "..." It seems he'd have to buy a few more bags of berries from town tomorrow.
Since Koraidon and the others were full, tonight he only needed to prepare his meal.
Naoki simply fried an egg and cooked a bowl of noodles, sprinkled with scallions and sesame oil, and placed the fried egg on top of the noodles.
After dinner, it was time for bed.
Koraidon eagerly squatted at the side of the bed.
Naoki had promised it during the day that it could sleep on the bed with him tonight.
"Come on up!"
Naoki patted the spot beside him, and Koraidon immediately jumped up, lying down next to him like a big golden retriever.
Cyclizar showed a look of envy.
Seeing this, Naoki felt a bit helpless and called it to his other side.
"You all sleep first; I'll watch some TV."
Naoki wasn't particularly sleepy, so he reclined against the pillow and started watching TV.
Koraidon lay on his left, Cyclizar on his right, Pawmo was nestled on his abdomen, and he was squeezed in the middle, unable to move.
In the dark room, only the sound of the TV and the glowing fireflies flickering remained.
Naoki looked up at the fireflies for a while, then glanced at the few Pokemon beside him, and couldn't help but smile.