Chapter 47: The Delivery Dragon
Chapter 47: The Delivery Dragon
Naoki breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
With his Dragonite by his side, Naoki followed the signs and found Cerulean Street in the town.
This was a residential area located in the northeast corner of the town, with traditional Japanese-style houses neatly lined along the streets and surrounded by lush, manicured flora.
The streets were immaculately clean, and the area was quiet, set at a comfortable distance from the bustling market district.
"308... " Naoki muttered as he and Dragonite circled the neighborhood, finally spotting the address on a side street.
He walked up the flower-lined path to the door and knocked. "Excuse me, is Mrs. Tantes home?"
But no one answered the door, even after a long wait.
Naoki suspected that she might be out. He double-checked the address on the piece of paper in his hand but decided not to wait any longer.
Turning to Dragonite, he said, "This is the place. Can you remember how to get here?"
Dragonite nodded, "Roar!"
"Good," Naoki nodded in approval. With the day growing late, they headed back to the ranch.
However, instead of returning directly to the ranch, Naoki made a stop at the town's grocery store and purchased a small red satchel.
He fastened the satchel to Dragonite, and soon, a delivery dragon, complete with a red bag slung over its shoulder, stood before him.
"Not bad," Naoki nodded in satisfaction, circling Dragonite a few times to admire the look before mounting and flying back to the ranch.
The next day.
Naoki woke up early to prepare breakfast for his Pokemon companions. After they finished eating, he placed two bottles of freshly-drawn sheep milk into Dragonite's red satchel.
"Do you remember the way?" Naoki asked.
Dragonite looked down at the two bottles of milk, a milky-white liquid, and innocently nodded, "Roar!"
"Then let's go! Deliver these two bottles of milk to the owner of that house!" Naoki instructed.
With its mission clear, Dragonite took to the skies, the morning sun glinting off the red satchel as it flew toward town.
Watching its retreating figure, Naoki knew he couldn't deceive Dragonite forever. Dragonite was an intelligent Pokemon, and it would be furious if it discovered it had been lied to.
So, with a furtive glance, Naoki turned back to the cottage and began preparing a special meal for Dragonite—one that would help it grow stronger and learn new moves.
But what kind of dish would have such an effect? Naoki pondered this question as he entered the kitchen.
---
Cerulean Town, 308 Cerulean Street.
Polly Tantes woke up early and tended to her ailing husband, helping him with his daily morning routine.
The elderly man lying in bed had white hair and a frail, thin frame. He appeared weak and vulnerable.
Noticing his pale complexion, Polly comforted him, "Don't worry, I've found a ranch that sells sheep milk. Everything will be alright."
The old man coughed softly and took a deep breath, his expression softening. "You've worked so hard these past years."
Polly gently shook her head. "Don't mention it..."
She wanted to say more, but just then, there was a knock at the door.
Polly's eyes lit up, and she said to her husband, "It must be the milk delivery!"
She hurried to the door, and as she opened it, a Dragonite, standing about two meters tall with a rounded body and a red satchel slung over its shoulder, came into view.
Polly froze in surprise.
Dragonite stood at the doorstep, its large, shiny black eyes fixed on the elderly woman before it.
Recalling Naoki's instructions, Dragonite reached into the satchel with its large claw and retrieved the two bottles of milk, offering them to Polly with a gentle, "Roar!"
Polly snapped out of her daze.
Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight of Dragonite, and she stammered, "Y-You're from Naoki's ranch? You brought the sheep milk?"
"Oh my goodness! Someone is using a Dragonite for milk delivery?! That's an incredibly rare Pokemon!"
Usually, people used Pidgeot as couriers. This was extravagance taken to a whole new level!
The only thought running through Polly Tantes' mind was 'luxury'.
She took the sheep milk from Dragonite's claw, and as the Pokemon turned to fly away, she finally snapped out of her daze and called out, "Wait a moment!"
Dragonite turned back, curious. "Roar?"
"I haven't paid you yet!" Polly Tantes pulled out the deposit she had prepared beforehand from her pocket.
She had intended to place it in Dragonite's claw, but then she remembered how the Pokemon had just turned to leave without taking any payment, so she put the money into the small red satchel hanging at its waist instead, carefully zipping it closed.
"Make sure you keep this safe!"
"Roar..."
Dragonite finally recalled that it had forgotten about this matter.
On its way over, its mind had been occupied with Naoki's words, observing the flowers, grass, and trees along the way, and thinking about how it could become stronger through them.
However, now that the delivery was complete, it was time to leave.
Dragonite turned and flew into the sky, heading back to the ranch.
Only after Dragonite's figure had disappeared from view did Polly Tantes turn and go back inside, sharing the news with her husband.
"It's so surprising! That Naoki Ranch, which has just resumed operations, actually sent a Dragonite for the milk delivery!"
The elderly man lying in bed also showed a look of astonishment when he heard this.
Having traveled as trainers in their youth, they naturally knew how rare Dragonite was.
They were powerful, adorable, and inherently kind, capable of carrying their trainers across the sky and over mountains and seas.
Decades ago, the Pardia region had even experienced a 'Dragonite craze'.
Countless people had wanted to capture a Dragonite, but this Pokemon was just too rare, and even scouring the entire Pardia region would rarely yield a sighting.
And now, such a Pokemon was being used for milk delivery!
"If word of this got out to other trainers, they'd be green with envy," the old man said, his tone filled with admiration.
Even though his body had aged and he was no longer young, the heart of a trainer still beat within him, retaining that initial dream.
During his travels, he had met his Pokemon partner and also his wife, who had been a fellow trainer.
"Well, I should start preparing breakfast now," Polly Tantes stood up, a faint smile on her face. "After you drink this medicinal porridge, your body will get better."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Naoki stood in front of a newly constructed building with Kishu.
Kishu: "The salt house is finished. Go on in and take a look."
Naoki nodded. He had been in the middle of developing a new dish when Kishu had called him over to inspect the salt house, so he had put his task on hold for the moment.
The exterior of the salt house was very different from the chicken coop.
While the coop was entirely wooden, the salt house was built from stone and concrete.
The interior design mimicked a wild cave, with stone decorations in the corners.
Stepping inside, Naoki immediately noticed a transparent membrane-like plastic sheet covering the floor, but it felt somewhat hard to the touch.
Kishu explained, "This is a collection membrane. When the Saltrocks move around and their bodies rub against the floor, the salt they shed will be left on this membrane. Then, we just need to pull out the membrane and we'll be able to collect a large amount of rock salt."
Naoki nodded in understanding.
Kishu smiled faintly and continued, "Now, I'll go build the sheep pen for you. While I'm doing that, you can bring the Saltrocks here to get them accustomed to the environment."
(End of Chapter)
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