At noon, Naoki prepared chilled cucumber slices. The effect of this dish was to bat heat, providing a cooliion after ption. Koraidon and Cyclizar, however, still eheir sandwiches.

  It wasn't that Naoki didn't want to experiment with new recipes, but the m's work had left him exhausted. He decided to take a break iernoon and try his luck at fishing by the river.

  Worried that Cyclizar might get bored while he was fishing, Naoki eyed the glutinous rice flour and red bean paste in the cupboard, a thought f in his mind. Perhaps he could make a snack to enjoy while fishing?

  With the idea firmly pnted, Naoki set to work. He mixed the glutinous rice flour with water, kneading it into a dough. He rolled it into long strips, fttehem, and filled them with a mixture of red bean paste and sugar. He then carefully rolled the strips into balls, creating snow-white dumplings.

  Cyclizar, intrigued by the unfamiliar creation, approached to observe. "Graaah?" it inquired, tilting its head.

  Naoki smiled. "These are called glutinous rice dumplings. I wonder if you've ever tried them?"

  Cyclizar shook its head. "Graaah..."

  "Well, you try them this afternoon," Naoki offered. "Though I'm not sure if you'll like the taste."

  Cyclizar nodded enthusiastically. "Graaah!"

  Naoki chuckled. "You silly thing, you haven't even tasted them yet. Aren't you worried they might taste like instant ramen?"

  "Graaah..." Cyclizar touched its head with its cws, embarrassed.

  Koraidon, oher hand, found the exge utterly baffling. Had it truly been that simple-minded before? Did Koraidon perceive it in the same way now?

  Naoki, the iion, turo Koraidon. "Koraidon," he began, and the Legendary Pokémon immediately trotted over to stand beside him.

  "Graaahhhh?" Cyclizar questioilting its head in fusion.

  Naoki paused, sidering his words, then asked, "Did you e here from the Paldea crater?" He wao firm if this Koraidon shared the same backstory as the one from the games – fleeing Area Zero due to a territorial dispute with another Koraidon.

  Koraidon nodded, its eyes filled with a mix of sadness aermination.

  Naoki's suspis were firmed. "As expected," he thought to himself. He then inquired, "Were you fighting with another Koraidon before arriving here?"

  Koraidon looked at him in surprise, "Graaoaoaoshi?" It couldn't believe Naoki knew about the battle.

  Naoki smiled inwardly. Of course he knew. But he didn't want to dwell on the painful past, so he asked instead, "What are your pns for the future?"

  Koraidon's answer was a determined "Gaw!"

  Although Naoki didn't uand the exact words, the meaning was clear. Koraidon wao stay here. This was exactly what Naoki had hoped for; Koraidon's strength would be an invaluable asset to the ranch.

  Naoki tried to maintain his posure as he replied, "You stay, but you have to help me mahe ranch."

  Before he could finish, Koraidon eagerly nodded in agreement.

  At that moment, the st dumpling was ed, and Naoki pced them ieamer to cook. He then grabbed a stool, a fishing rod, and some bait, heading towards the river that bordered the ranch.

  Before casting his line, he turo Koraidon and Cyclizar, "I'm going fishing. You two go have some fun!"

  In the springtime, the ranch was dotted with dandelions and small yellow wildflowers. Cyclizar, taking Naoki's advice, wandered off to py. Its attention was caught by a butterfly, and it excitedly chased after it through the tall grass.

  After a while, Cyclizar came to a stop in front of a fluffy white dandelion. It lowered its head, curiously examining the delicate seed head. Suddenly, a tickle in its nose caused Cyclizar to sneeze, sending the dandelion seeds scattering into the blue sky.

  Cyclizar raised its head, an i curiosity in its eyes.

  Naoki turo Koraidon, who was standing beside him, the se with i. "Aren't you going to py?" Naoki asked.

  "Gaa-ah-ah-ah," Koraidon shook its head, its gaze fixed on the flowing river and the shadows of fish dartih the surface. It then looked at the fishing rod in Naoki's hand, a mischievous glint in its eyes.

  Suddenly, a lightbulb seemed to go off in Koraidon's head. Before Naoki could react, Koraidon's aura surged, and it leaped high into the air, transf into its Sprinting Build form as it crashed into the river with a mighty spsh.

  "Spsh!"

  Water erupted into the air, raining down in a torrential downpour. Naoki stood dumbfounded, staring at the se in amazement.

  Koraidon emerged from the water, a triumphant grin on its face. "Gaaaaaa!" it excimed, clearly proud of its aplishment.

  Naoki watched as the ing water settled, revealing several fish floating belly-up, their eyes wide and unblinking. They had been stunned by Koraidon's forceful entry.

  Naoki eechless for a moment. He finally mao say, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Koraidon, but there was no need for such a dramatic dispy."

  Koraidon's head drooped, disappoi evident in its eyes. "Gaa..."

  Naoki quickly reassured it, "No, no, I'm not bming you. You did a great job!"

  Koraidon's eyes lit up. "Gaogashi~"

  Naoki sighed, shaking his head with a smile. He instructed Koraidon to gather the stunned fish and pce them in a bucket filled with river water. Koraidon eagerly plied, scooping up the fish with surprisierity.

  The fish weren't very rge, but for Naoki, who was just starting out, this was a good haul. He picked out three Magikarp that had been caught in the chaos.

  Koraidon looked at the three red fish, puzzled. "Gaao?"

  "They're not for eating," Naoki expined. He had initially inteo release them bato the river, but then he remembered the ke on his ranch.

  He could raise Magikarp alongside the Miltank he po acquire. It would be a long process to get the ranch up and running, so why not raise some fish in the meantime? Not just Magikarp, but the other river fish as well.

  Naoki carried the bucket to the ke aly released the three Magikarp. He watched them for a few moments, unsure if they were merely stunned or if Koraidon's attack had been fatal.

  Fortunately, the Magikarp were unharmed. After a few minutes of floating listlessly, they slowly regained sciousness. They swam off into the depths of the ke, with a dazed look on their face.