After putting away the Snorlax's Poke Ball, Naoki remembered the purpose of his visit to Sunnytown.
The girl looked at the empty snack box that Snorlax had devoured and apologized:
"I'm really sorry, the snacks for the bug-catching contest were all eaten by Snorlax. If we remake them with the remaining Berries, it might take an hour to finish..."
By this time, the first batch of Insect-Catching Youth might have already returned from the Natural Park with their captured Bug Type Pokemon.
Naoki naturally saw the situation. He originally came to join the fun and experience the atmosphere of the bug-catching contest. It wasn't necessary for him to capture a Bug Type Pokemon.
"In that case, let's forget about making extra Pokemon snacks," Naoki said.
The girl still wore an apologetic expression. She had invited others to participate in the bug-catching contest, yet things went awry on their part.
To make amends, she said, "I'm very sorry, but we hold two bug-catching contests a year. Besides today's, there's another one in the fall. I will write to your ranch to invite you to join."
Naoki nodded with a smile: "Alright, I'll come over then."
With thoughts in his mind, Naoki did not linger here long.
He glanced at the empty entrance of the Natural Park, then said to the Cyclizar beside him, "Let's go, time to head back!"
"Gaaro," the Cyclizar nodded obediently and dutifully carried Naoki away from Sunnytown back to the ranch.
The ranch was still as lively as always. As Naoki got off the Cyclizar, he saw Koraidon basking in the sun on the grass, sleeping.
He approached and tried calling it, "Koraidon?"
Upon hearing his voice, Koraidon immediately lifted its head and looked towards him.
"Feeling better?" Naoki sat beside it and softly asked.
Koraidon was momentarily stunned, not expecting Naoki to notice its mood. Immediately, the whole dragon seemed a bit forlorn: "Agasi..."
Naoki specially ate a piece of Translation Nuts Cake, then patted Koraidon's head, saying:
"If there's anything bothering you, you can tell me. Are you upset because I favored the Cyclizar when bathing it last night?"
Koraidon widened its eyes, slightly dazed, and after a moment shook its head repeatedly: "Agasi!" (No, no!)
"Then what's the reason?" Naoki gently probed, "Did I do something wrong?"
Koraidon: "Agasi..." (Not that either...)
It lowered its head onto its paws, with a melancholy look on its face.
How should it say such things?
Koraidon, feeling down, said: "Agasi." (I want to stay with Naoki all the time.)
Images of the past flashed through its mind.
Little Cyclizar quietly observed it from afar, looking at it with envious eyes.
Even though Little Cyclizar was very afraid of it, it still tried hard to get closer and become good friends.
Little Cyclizar shared the gifts Naoki bought outside with it.
Little Cyclizar, when hearing it didn't have a mom, was willing to share its mom, though she was also its former mom.
Back then, it was so weak, so naive...
Koraidon thought it couldn't let Little Cyclizar fall into the same machine and end up in that dangerous world, just like it did.
Although it always disdained Little Cyclizar, Koraidon didn't want to see it encounter such things. It wanted to protect its past self.
Koraidon made a decision in its heart; it planned to tell Naoki about this.
But not now.
If it talks about what's going to happen in the future, it will have to disappear. It can't say it yet because it wants to stay with Naoki a little longer.
Naoki didn't expect Koraidon to be troubled by this matter.
He was stunned, his thoughts slightly derailed, then he speculated:
"Did you see on TV news about humans passing away, leaving Pokemon alone and lonely in this world, and that made you sad?"
Koraidon looked at him, blinked, and then started to lie: "Agasi." (Yes.)
"Silly, but you aren't an ordinary Pokemon!" Naoki relaxed, smiling as he patted Koraidon's head: "I haven't told you this before, right?"
"After humans pass away, they don't immediately vanish from this world. Their souls leave their bodies and linger in places they often stayed."
"Until Dusknoir, the guardian of the Spirit Realm, arrives, leading souls into the Spirit Realm for reincarnation."
"Then, if Dusknoir comes for me, it'll be up to you to protect me. I will achieve immortality in spirit form and be with you forever," Naoki said.
Koraidon listened intently to these words.
Naoki indeed never told it about these things before.
But soon, it remembered that it couldn't stay by Naoki's side forever. When it spoke of those things, it would have to leave.
By then, there would be no one to protect Naoki.
"Agasi!"
Realizing this, Koraidon suddenly got up, anxiously pacing in circles.
This won't do!
But what should it do?
Soon, a good idea popped into Koraidon's mind.
Got it! Should it teach its past self some skills so it can protect Naoki?
Seeing Koraidon's anxious look, Naoki said helplessly, "…Calm down. It's still too early to talk about that. I can still live for a very long time."