Dragonair and Dratini settled down in the ranch, including that Shiny Dratini.
Naoki initially thought their temperament would be similar to Dragonite, being gentle and naive.
However, while they were indeed naive, they were also quite mischievous, except for the Shiny Dratini.
In just a few days, the Pokemon in the ranch were all messed with by them.
They would stick to the Gogoat to eat their Grassy Seed, cling to Pawmo and have them chase each other while flying, and even crawl into the Diglett Hole only to get stuck at the entrance...
They even sneaked into the water while he was fishing and hung Magikarp on his fishing hook.
He thought he had caught something big, only to reel it in and find a Magikarp using Splash.
Not only that, but they also got creative, hanging glass bottles, old boots they somehow found, and even themselves onto the hook.
One evening, Zack came to collect goods and happened to see him fishing up a Dratini.
Zack was astonished and exclaimed that his fishing skills had reached an extraordinary level, being able to catch even a Dratini, and said he would definitely do well in the upcoming fishing competition.
Naoki explained the situation to Zack, who became even more astonished, exclaiming he had never seen a rancher who could raise Dratini, such rare Pokemon, in droves at home.
Naoki was speechless.
To prepare for the upcoming fishing tournament, Naoki had been diligently practicing his fishing techniques these days.
Every day after finishing his work on the ranch, he would take his fishing rod and bait to the water to start fishing.
Besides watching TV, there wasn't much else to do for leisure on the ranch.
In such a situation, fishing became a great way to pass the time, so he would often sit there all day long.
Today was another new day.
Naoki carried his fishing rod, ready to go fishing by the river.
Seeing the eager Dratini and Dragonair wanting to follow, Naoki felt a headache and said through gritted teeth:
"No way, if any of you secretly hang a Magikarp, a glass bottle, or an old boot on my hook again today, I'll send you back to the island!"
The Dratini and Dragonair indeed stopped their mischief plans to sneak into the water to help with the fishing.
Naoki pinched Dratini's white big nose, pointing at the pink Dratini swimming leisurely in the lake, saying to it:
"Why can't you be like that one, see how obedient and well-behaved it is!"
Dratini glanced at the Shiny Dratini, then at Naoki, and secretly made a funny face.
Naoki immediately shouted for someone: "Dragonite, come over and keep an eye on your nephews and nieces!"
Dragonite looking innocent, thinking it couldn't manage these mischievous ones either, but still walked over honestly: "Roar..."
Leaving the Dratini and Dragonair in Dragonite's care, Naoki confidently carried his fishing rod to the lakeside.
Koraidon thoughtfully set up a small folding stool, while Cyclizar held a transparent bottle filled with red liquid in its claws.
Naoki sat on the small stool, took the bottle, opened the cap, and immediately a rich, fragrant aroma of red tea hit him.
Indeed, it was the specialty red tea from Kitakami.
Naoki took a sip; he had been feeling a bit warm inside from eating too many sunflower seeds these days, and this red tea had the effect of relieving heat and thirst. Plus, it tasted quite good, so he would drink several cups every day.
"Alright, don't just stand here, you might scare my fish away, go play!"
After giving his instructions, Naoki waved to Koraidon and Cyclizar.
The two Pokemon happily ran off, basking leisurely on the lawn not far away.
Naoki glanced back, watching Dragonair and Dratini starting to pester Dragonite, thinking that though they were mischievous, their presence did bring more liveliness to the ranch.
And these Dragonair and Dratini had a vibe of being so happy where they were that they didn't think about going back.
What was Dragonite Island? They probably already put it out of their minds.
Naoki smiled and shook his head, then began to seriously fish.
On the grassy land on the other side of the river, a group of Psyduck were selling cuteness in the shade of the trees.
Seeing humans looking at them from across the river, the Psyduck suddenly became flustered and uneasy.
Naoki was puzzled, was he really that scary?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ranch, Dragonite, who was looking after the little Dratini and Dragonair, quietly sighed in relief.
Dragonite's eyes fell on Naoki who was fishing by the river.
Truthfully, it initially feared that the arrival of these Dratini and Dragonair would steal Naoki's affection, and he would put them into Poke Balls and raise them into Dragonite.
It wasn't very smart and couldn't charm and act cute like these mischievous little ones, so it was worried about being replaced during this time.
Every time it saw Naoki interacting with the Dratini and Dragonair, its mind would imagine a group of new Dragonite surrounding Naoki while it was abandoned, drawing circles alone in a corner.
Only new dragons would make Naoki laugh, ignoring the old one's tears.
Luckily, Naoki didn't do that, and he continued to care for every Pokemon on the ranch as before.
This made Dragonite feel both sweet and bothered.
The sweetness was that in Naoki's heart, it held a higher place than those Dratini and Dragonair.
The bother was Naoki seemed to favor Koraidon and Pawmo more, even sleeping with them in his arms every night.
Sigh...
Dragonite silently sighed.
Today's weather wasn't great, with gloomy skies. Naoki glanced up at the sky while fishing, thinking it might rain soon.
Sure enough, as he caught the third fish, a sudden rainstorm poured down, so fast it caught everyone off guard.
It started raining.
Naoki hurriedly grabbed the iron bucket and ran back, taking shelter with everyone under the eaves.
The Pokemon big and small stood in a row under the eaves, making the space appear quite cramped.
Seeing this, Naoki thought to himself, "It looks like expanding the house is really necessary."
He looked at the fields covered by the rapid rain.
After this batch of crops is harvested, he should have enough funds to expand the house.
He plans to call Keri over to expand the house; coincidentally, the hops have also matured. Once the house is built, he can officially start his brewing business.
However, there is still one problem at the moment.
Judging by Keri, the old constructor, and Machamp's work speed, building a functional two-story house would take at least a month.
Where would he live during that month?
Stay at the inn in town? It's obviously not realistic.
After thinking about it, Naoki decided to buy a big tent and set it up on the ranch, not only for living but also to experience camping under the stars with his Pokemon.
Yes, perfect!