Giant Dragonite still had not figured out what had happened. It had merely been sleeping at the bottom of the sea, yet when it woke up, all of its kin were gone.
Only after Miraidon explained things to it did it finally understand.
It was not that its tribe had abandoned it. Rather, all of them had somehow become smaller.
Giant Dragonite looked at the tiny members of its tribe before it, quietly clenching its little fists.
From now on, it would be the one to protect them and make sure none of them were bullied.
"Dragonite, have you really just been sleeping at the bottom of the sea all this time?"
After pouring all the premium Poffins treats he had brought in his spatial shoulder bag straight into Giant Dragonite's mouth, Silas asked curiously.
Chewing the incredibly delicious food in its mouth, Giant Dragonite looked as happy as a child, its lantern sized eyes narrowing into crescents.
"Draa! Draaa!"
"Cyc! Cyc!"
With Cyclizar helping to translate at his side, Silas managed to understand the general idea.
Giant Dragonite had not only just awakened recently. It had woken up several times before, though only sporadically.
For example, on one occasion it had been awakened by two gigantic beasts, one blue and one red, fighting noisily.
There was no need to guess. That had certainly been Groudon and Kyogre, those two who had been battling ever since their birth.
Fortunately, Giant Dragonite had never tried to step in and break up their fight.
Through their conversation, Silas gradually pieced things together.
Each time Giant Dragonite awoke, the duration varied in length compared to its long periods of slumber.
Even the shortest awakening, judging by its description, had likely lasted no less than a hundred years.
"Draa~!"
The old Dragonite flew over from afar. Behind it were several Dragonite, each either carrying or holding large quantities of food.
The Dragonite were planning to hold a grand celebratory feast to welcome Giant Dragonite into their group.
When Giant Dragonite saw the huge amount of food being transported by the little Dragonite, it anxiously waved its hands in refusal, crying out nonstop.
Despite its somewhat silly appearance, Giant Dragonite was actually very clever.
It understood clearly that with its enormous size, it could easily eat up all the food the smaller Dragonite had prepared in a single meal.
It looked flustered but did not dare to make any large movements, afraid that it might accidentally hurt its kin.
In the end, it could only widen its watery eyes and seek help from the human.
What a good child.
Although Giant Dragonite was massive, its heart was astonishingly kind.
Looking at the Dragonite bustling back and forth like ants transporting food, Silas realized the problem needed to be solved at its source.
"Big Dragonite, what do you usually eat?"
"Draa?"
Not understanding why the human would ask such a question, Giant Dragonite suddenly plunged into the sea with a splash.
Before long, it burst out of the water amid a spray of droplets and opened its mouth wide for Silas to see.
Inside were schools of Wishiwashi.
Given Giant Dragonite's immense size, the amount of energy it required was astonishing. In this world, only Wishiwashi could truly satisfy its appetite.
"Wishiwashi, huh." Silas picked up one that was still wriggling energetically. After pondering for a moment, an idea came to him. "Big Dragonite, have you ever tried fried little fish?"
"Draa~?"
Giant Dragonite showed a confused expression, its round cheeks making it look adorably clueless.
"Catch some more Wishiwashi. I will fry them for you. That way, you will not have to consume all the Dragonites' food."
Giant Dragonite instantly understood Silas's meaning. Its eyes lit up at once as it nodded vigorously, its enormous body turning with surprising agility before diving into the sea with a loud splash. The spray of water soaked all the Dragonite standing along the shore.
Silas shared his idea with the elder Dragonite and borrowed a few Dragonite from it. The tools needed for frying the fish were back at the ranch, so he would have to make a quick trip.
With Dragonite helping him, and considering their incredible flying speed, Silas returned to the ranch in no time at all.
No wonder people say a Dragonite can circle the globe in just sixteen hours, he thought. Their speed truly is unmatched. They are the ultimate delivery Pokémon.
When he arrived, baby Kangaskhan was the first to greet him, spreading its arms wide and asking for a hug.
After gently pinching its round cheeks, Silas explained the situation to the other Pokémon.
By the time he was ready to leave, many of them were clamoring to go along.
However, Silas refused them all and only brought Dolliv and the Indeedee siblings with him.
The entire round trip took less than an hour. With Dragonite's flying speed, such a journey was effortless.
When Silas and the others returned to the beach, a silver mountain had appeared there, formed entirely from Wishiwashi.
All of them had been caught by Giant Dragonite. It consumed roughly this much in a single day.
The moment his feet touched the sand, Silas rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
There was an old saying that if you wanted to capture a Pokémon, you must first capture its stomach.
Once Giant Dragonite tasted the fried little fish he prepared, it would surely lose interest in ordinary fish and obediently follow him back to the ranch.
Just imagining it filled Silas with motivation.
First, he assigned tasks to the smaller Dragonites, asking them to gather firewood.
Meanwhile, Silas and the Indeedee siblings had already started a fire on the beach and set up a large pot.
Dolliv produced olive oil and poured it into the pot. Once the oil was heated, the Indeedee siblings carefully placed the prepared Wishiwashi, coated in batter, into the bubbling oil.
As the first batch of battered fish hit the oil, golden bubbles crackled and popped. The rich aroma of fried batter mixed with the fresh scent of fish instantly spread across the entire beach.
The Dragonair and Dratini that had been playing around Giant Dragonite suddenly sniffed the air and turned their heads toward the source of the fragrance.
Not only them. Giant Dragonite's enormous head also leaned closer. The smell was unbelievably enticing.
"Do not rush," Silas said, grabbing a familiar Dragonair. The fish had not yet been fully fried.
Dragonair coiled around Silas and affectionately rubbed its face against him, acting spoiled and clingy.
Being wrapped up like that made it impossible to continue working, so Silas reluctantly picked up a few of the fried fish ahead of time and tossed it to Dragonair.
Dragonair did not keep it all to itself. It ate half and fed the other half to its large companion.
Out of the corner of his eye, Silas saw this scene. It seemed that the Pokémon on Dragonite Island had completely accepted Giant Dragonite.
Using a long laddle, he flipped the fish in the oil. At that moment, a prompt appeared on the panel before his eyes.
[Fried Fish (Wishiwashi version). An ordinary small fish coated in batter. It is said to have additional effects on dragon type Pokémon.
Dish effect: Slight stamina recovery. Slight energy recovery.
Additional effect, exclusive to Giant Dragonite: Each fried little fish fed to Giant Dragonite slightly increases its affection.]
It appeared that Giant Dragonite loved fried little fish so much that even his system provided special feedback.
The first batch of fried fish was ready. Silas poured them onto a stone slab lined with banana leaves.
"Draa?"
Giant Dragonite was asking whether it could start eating now.
Silas gave an affirmative reply. "Yes, you can. Be careful. They are very hot right out of the pot."
Giant Dragonite did not even listen to the rest of his words. It eagerly stretched out its claw.
Grabbing three or four clumps of fried fish at once, it stuffed them into its mouth. The heat made it cry out, but it refused to spit them out.
The moment it tasted the fried fish, Giant Dragonite revealed a bright and blissful smile.
For it, today was the happiest day of all.
Not only had it found its kin again, but it had also tasted incredibly delicious food. It liked Silas very much.
If Silas could see affection values, he would notice that above Giant Dragonite's head, the numbers were steadily increasing.
After taking its first bite, Giant Dragonite did not choose to enjoy the food alone.
Instead, it waved toward Dragonair, Dratini, and the other Dragonite, inviting them to share the delicious meal together.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Damn, poor Wishiwashi's.