Chapter 220: Wildfire in the Mountains
Chapter 220: Wildfire in the Mountains
In the quiet town of Zichin, on Blue Sea Street, a Dragonite slowly descended in front of a mansion.
Naoki jumped off its back and walked up to the door, knocking politely.
Soon, Mrs. Dantes appeared behind the door with a cheerful smile on her face. Adjusting her glasses, she warmly invited, "Please come in!"
Naoki nodded and followed her into the living room as she explained, "Half of the wool you gave me yesterday has already been turned into fabric. At this rate, it will probably take another two days to finish the job."
Two more days would still make it the 19th of August, so they were right on schedule.
Naoki nodded in agreement, and both he and Dragonite sat down on the sofa at Mrs. Dantes' invitation.
However, Dragonite's massive size made it a tight fit on the small sofa, and its long tail only added to the discomfort. As a result, the majestic Pokemon could only curl up, hugging its tail in a rather pitiful manner.
Mrs. Dantes found the sight adorable and couldn't help but chuckle. "Dragonite is so cute! Please wait here for a moment while I get you some snacks."
"Roar!"
Dragonite, far from feeling aggrieved, seemed to be quite happy.
Naoki politely replied, "Thank you, Mrs. Dantes."
"It's really no trouble at all," she smiled as she headed into the kitchen.
Naoki patiently waited on the sofa, his mind calculating the cost of having a custom Pokemon-sized outfit made.
Soon, Mrs. Dantes returned, carrying a cup of tea and a glass of tree fruit juice.
She placed the steaming cup of tea in front of Naoki and said, "This is for you, Naoki."
Then, she set the glass of tree fruit juice in front of Dragonite and added, "And this is for Dragonite. I also have some cookies I baked earlier. Help yourselves!"
"Roar!"
Dragonite let out a joyful roar and began munching on the cookies with its claws, as if it were right at home.
Noticing this, Naoki asked, "Is Dragonite always like this when it's here?"
Mrs. Dantes understood his implication and quickly explained, "Dragonite is a very well-behaved Pokemon. Don't blame it; I'm the one who keeps insisting on feeding it treats."
Naoki: "..."
Mrs. Dantes had lived in this small town with her husband, Wright, for many years.
Naoki had never heard about their children, and though he was curious, he knew it wasn't his place to ask. However, it was clear from the elderly woman's demeanor that she truly adored Dragonite.
Oh well, he thought, I'll just have Dragonite bring them some more treats from the ranch later.
With a sigh, Naoki decided to drop the topic and get down to business. He handed over the measurements he had taken that morning and said, "These are Motorizard's height and waist circumference."
Mrs. Dantes took the measurements and examined them briefly before replying gently, "Alright, I'll make the clothes for Motorizard based on these sizes."
"What about the price?" Naoki asked.
Mrs. Dantes paused for a moment, then shook her head with a smile. "There's no charge. I'm happy to help you with this."
Naoki frowned. "That's not right. We can't keep taking advantage of you like this. We should pay for your services."
"It's just a single outfit," Mrs. Dantes insisted. "How could that be considered taking advantage? Think of it as a gift for that child." Her tone left no room for argument; it was clear she wouldn't accept payment for this job.
Naoki sighed in resignation. "Alright then, thank you for your help."
Only then did a smile return to Mrs. Dantes' face. "That's more like it! In fact, if we're being honest, it's we who should be thanking you. If it weren't for the sheep's milk you provided, Wright wouldn't have recovered so quickly."
Naoki wanted to point out that they had paid for the milk, but noticing that Mrs. Dantes seemed to be alone, he asked, "Where's Mr. Wright, by the way?"
"Oh, him?" Mrs. Dantes replied. "He heard that some auction stalls opened up in Zichin Market, specializing in items for trainers, so he rushed over there to check it out."
"I see..." Naoki trailed off, deciding not to pursue the topic further.
After finishing his tea, he bade Mrs. Dantes farewell and rode Dragonite back to the ranch.
Since Mrs. Dantes refused payment, Naoki could only instruct Dragonite to deliver some produce and other specialties from the ranch as a token of their gratitude.
Dragonite looked at the assortment of crops, rock salt, tree fruit, and fresh milk placed before it, utterly perplexed.
"Roar?"
Naoki explained, "Since Mrs. Dantes won't accept our money, we'll use these gifts to express our appreciation for her help. Likewise, if we ever need her assistance in the future and offer our help in return, I'm sure she'll reciprocate with similar gifts. It's a way of maintaining a good relationship."
So complicated...
Dragonite didn't understand a word of what Naoki was saying. Its head was spinning, and it couldn't make heads or tails of this human custom. Eventually, it gave up trying to understand and simply pushed the confusing mess to the back of its mind, picking up the gifts and flying off toward Zichin Town.
On the 18th of August, in the autumn of year 198 of the Pokemon League, Naoki was sleeping soundly, hugging his beloved Babbo. Suddenly, the peaceful night was shattered by the sound of a blaring alarm.
That sound...
It sounded like the town's fire brigade responding to an emergency!
Fire brigade! With this realization, Naoki's eyes snapped open, suddenly alert.
Not only him, but Garchomp as well, who had been sleeping soundly by the bed, seemed to sense something amiss. It walked to the window, its expression grave as it looked outside.
Outside, the night sky was ablaze with light. Naoki, eyes wide, quickly rushed to the window to get a better view.
In the distance, the mountains behind the ranch were engulfed in towering flames, the fire painting the night sky a deep crimson.
Miss Kishu's fears had come true! The mountains were on fire!
It was autumn, the season when the leaves began to turn yellow, and the mountain was covered in dry branches and fallen leaves—perfect kindling for a fire. Once ignited, the outcome was inevitable.
"We've got to help!"
Naoki quickly dressed and, accompanied by Garchomp, Babbo, and Tropius, headed to the living room, instructing Motorizard and Milktank, who had been roused from their sleep in the living room, "You two go back to sleep!"
Naoki hurried outside and happened to see Miss Kishu and Growlithe riding their police motorcycle past the ranch.
Noticing the lights still on in the ranch, Miss Kishu made a U-turn and pulled up in front of Naoki, a short distance away. With a serious expression, she called out, "The mountains are on fire! It's dangerous here, Naoki. The fire will spread this way soon, so get out of here quickly!"
"Woof!" Growlithe added.
There was no way Naoki would leave—this was the ranch he and his Pokemon had built with their hard work!
"Dragonite!" Naoki shouted.
Soon enough, Dragonite flew over from the grass.
Still groggy from being abruptly woken up, Dragonite stumbled sleepily towards Naoki.
But upon seeing the grave look on his face, Dragonite immediately snapped to attention.
"Do you see that?" Naoki pointed to the mountains, where the flames were raging.
Dragonite turned and saw the fiery sky; the sight instantly jolted the dragon fully awake.
"I'm counting on you," Naoki continued. "Use Rain Dance, just like last time, and make it rain in this area!"
Dragonite sensed the weight of Naoki's words and nodded. Then, it turned and flew towards the mountains.
Witnessing this exchange, Miss Kishu paused for a moment, then said, "If you want to help, follow me!"
Naoki nodded and, riding on Garchomp, followed Miss Kishu.
The two of them made their way through the ranch towards the mountains.
From a distance, Naoki could see that quite a few people and Pokemon had already gathered at the foot of the mountain.
A worried firefighter was reporting to his captain, "It's no use! The fire has spread too far, and our Pokemon's Rain Dance is only effective in a small area. We can't stop this blaze!"
The captain's face was grim as he surveyed the mountain. He gave a calm order, "Create a firebreak around the mountain to prevent the fire from spreading to the fields below!"
Just then, another firefighter came running over. "Report! Our helicopter spotted a group of trapped Pokemon in the center of the fire! They... they're trying to fight the fire together!"
The captain's expression grew even more somber. "Organize a rescue immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
The junior firefighter turned to leave, but at that moment, dark clouds began to gather in the previously clear night sky.
A large, ominous mass, clearly visible in the fire's glow.
A thunderous rumble filled the air.
And then, heavy raindrops began to fall, pelting the fire-engulfed land.
The firefighters on the scene couldn't hide their relief.
It was raining! Seeing this, Naoki breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, they had made it in time...
The rain grew heavier, threatening to turn into a downpour.
The cool raindrops clashed with the raging flames, and soon, the entire mountain was filled with the sound of hissing and crackling.
The fire stopped spreading, and in the face of the torrential rain, it gradually weakened.
The fire ring began to shrink, leaving behind only a layer of ash on what was once a lush landscape.
The onlookers took shelter under the fire truck's canopy, gazing up at the pouring rain.
Naoki, riding Garchomp and accompanied by Babbo, joined Miss Kishu in the crowd.
Some of the firefighters couldn't contain their excitement, their eyes glistening as they murmured, "Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
Miss Kishu maintained her initial calm, surveying the scene before asking, "What's the situation now?"
The fire captain's grim expression softened slightly. "Casualties unknown. We'll have to wait until the fire is completely out to assess the damage."
Miss Kishu inquired further, "What caused the fire?"
The captain replied, "A trainer who was camping in the mountains forgot to extinguish their campfire before going to sleep. By the time they woke up, the fire had already spread, and they rushed to contact the fire brigade on their flying Pokemon."
Just then, a startled cry came through the fire captain's headset.
The middle-aged man with red-rimmed eyes thought there was another emergency and immediately furrowed his brow, demanding, "Report the situation!"
"It's... it's a Dragonite!"
In the air, a firefighter operating a helicopter to drop cooling bombs stared in astonishment at the scene unfolding in the distance.
Under the cover of night and amidst the pouring rain, a mysterious and powerful Dragonite hovered, looking down at everything below.
It flapped its wings, generating a strong gust of wind that transformed into a violent storm, sweeping the rain towards the still-burning area.
Witnessing this, the firefighter instantly understood what was happening.
This sudden downpour was no coincidence; it was this mighty Dragonite aiding them!
After a brief moment of astonishment, he quickly reported what he had seen: "It's a Dragonite! It's the one that brought this rain and stopped the fire! It's also creating a storm to control the direction of the rain... what a powerful Dragonite!"
"What?!"
The fire captain on the ground was stunned, his face reflecting his shock.
"Dragonite... where did this Dragonite come from? No, that's impossible! A Dragonite shouldn't possess such immense power! Could a Dragonite really summon a storm of this scale?"
Upon hearing the name, Miss Kishu also paused briefly before turning to Naoki, who had been quietly standing to the side.
"Naoki?" she asked tentatively. "Is it Dragonite?"
Naoki nodded slightly. "Yes."
Miss Kishu's eyes widened in surprise.
This also meant that it was Naoki who had stopped the fire!
Hearing the exchange between the two, the firefighters present froze in their tracks.
One of them asked, incredulous, "Is that Dragonite your Pokemon?"
"......Yes," Naoki replied.
"Wait, I know you! You're Naoki from the Naoki Ranch!" another firefighter exclaimed, his attention momentarily diverted. "Aren't you just a ranch owner? How do you have such a powerful Pokemon?!"
Naoki was at a loss for words.
How could he answer this question? As far as he knew, in most people's eyes, a ranch owner was just an ordinary rural farmer.
However, he could understand why they would be shocked to learn he was a farmer.
It was as if a farmer who scraped a living from tilling the soil had suddenly started crafting missiles in his hands.
"Watch your mouth!"
The fire captain was the first to snap out of his daze. He glared at the firefighter, then slapped Naoki's shoulder vigorously and grinned widely.
"Good job, Naoki! On behalf of the Zichin Town Fire Brigade, I want to express our sincere gratitude!"
Miss Kishu also visibly relaxed, a weight lifting from her shoulders.
She bowed respectfully to Naoki and said, "I'd like to extend my thanks on behalf of the police department as well. We truly appreciate your help, Naoki."
"It was nothing much," Naoki shook his head.
At that moment, Nurse Joy, who was in charge of the rescue efforts, arrived late on the scene.
She and her Chansey jumped down from the car, braving the rain to rush under the canopy. With a worried expression, she asked, "What's the situation?"
"Thanks to the rain, the fire is dying down," Miss Kishu explained. "We don't yet know the extent of the wild Pokemon's injuries, but we'll have our hands full from here on out."
"I see..." Nurse Joy trailed off, her usually gentle expression turning anxious as she seemed to realize something.
Naoki stepped aside, quietly observing the expressions on their faces.
Despite the fire being brought under control, not a single person present felt any joy.
They all knew that compared to the fire itself, the more challenging part would be the reconstruction process after the blaze.
Winter was approaching, and the fruit trees that had been burned down wouldn't have time to grow back in just a few short months.
The mountains behind the town were home to a large number of wild Pokemon, and even if they survived this disaster, it would be difficult for them to make it through the harsh winter without food.
This meant that the wild Pokemon ecosystem in Zichin Town would be severely damaged.
Naoki felt helpless in the face of this situation.
Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind.
Or rather, there might be a way after all.
If he invited Lecrown here, the ecosystem in the mountains could be restored to its former glory.
Not only that, but it would also be an opportunity for Lecrown to gain the faith and admiration of both humans and Pokemon.
(End of Chapter)
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