In the evening, Naoki was awakened by the sound of a whimpering wind.
He opened his eyes and found that it was already 5:50.
The TV was just broadcasting the weather forecast for the next few days.
The meteorologist, dressed in an office lady uniform and wearing black-framed glasses, was diligently doing the forecast:
"Typhoon [Furious Parrot] will enter the Paldea region at 3 AM tonight. Due to the impact of [Furious Parrot], coastal areas are expected to have heavy rainfall over the next three days, occasionally accompanied by strong winds. We ask all citizens to secure their doors and windows and prepare in advance."
Typhoon?
Naoki was startled, looking at the areas affected by the typhoon on the screen. Porto Marinada Town happened to be within that region, meaning his ranch would also be affected.
The room was filled with orange light, and looking out through the window, all he could see was a gray, somber sky.
Perhaps tired from playing, the Pokémon that were playing outside had all returned indoors.
Alcremie had hidden inside the cupboard, Smoliv had returned to its flowerpot, Pawmi was yawning on the carpet by the door, and even Dragonite had returned to its Poke Ball.
Rainy days indeed make people feel sleepy.
Watching the window for a while, Naoki yawned and then turned to look at Koraidon lying beside him.
Koraidon was quite large; even in its sprinting form with its limbs on the ground, its body was taller than Naoki's rocking chair.
Koraidon was sound asleep, its eyes closed, eyelids occasionally twitching slightly, its abdomen rising and falling with its breathing, and its large head resting on the side.
To be honest, initially, Koraidon's appearance seemed quite strange, but after spending time together, Naoki found it quite cute.
Naoki did not make a sound. The whimpering wind outside formed a stark contrast with the brightly lit room.
Feeling very much at ease indoors, Naoki quietly watched Koraidon, observing its sleeping posture, then gently reached out to stroke Koraidon's cheek.
Koraidon instantly awoke, its golden pupils suddenly wide open, pupils vertical, with a wary look.
But upon seeing Naoki beside it, it quickly relaxed, yawning and appearing drowsy.
"Ah-gahs..."
Naoki got up from the rocking chair, picked up Pawmi, which was sleeping on the carpet, and placed it on the bed, then opened the door. Feeling the wind blowing in, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"It's going to rain!"
Koraidon also stood up, shook its head, and regained its spirit.
Worried that the wind would be strong tonight and destroy the facilities in the ranch, after waking up, Naoki did not immediately go to make dinner but put on his shoes, took the Poke Ball, and went to the Chicken House.
After some time, the chicks hatched from the eggs had already learned how much to eat.
Therefore, there was no need to use the artificial feeding system, and the hens should be allowed to feed freely.
Naoki took feed from the silo, filled the feeding troughs and water troughs with chicken feed and drinking water, and carefully closed the doors and windows of the Chicken House.
After ensuring nothing was missed, he left and went to the Salt House where the Nacli lived.
Five Nacli were stacked together, looking out the window worriedly.
For ordinary Pokémon, weather with such oppressive nature is innately terrifying.
The power of nature is indeed formidable.
Looking at the five Nacli, Naoki suggested, "Let's sleep in the Poke Ball tonight! There will be strong winds at dawn, and you can come back when the weather clears."
"Nacli, Nacli!"
The Nacli expressed no objections. They were also somewhat afraid of such gloomy, windy, rainy weather, so they quickly nodded in agreement.
Then Naoki went to the Skiddo pen.
Three Skiddo were leisurely lying there, eating grass, seemingly unaffected by the weather.
Seeing their appearance, Naoki couldn't help imagining the three Skiddo facing the storm, knocking down the typhoon with their Leaf Blades, and even doubted whether the typhoon could defeat the Skiddo.
The pen was surrounded by a fence, and the rain shelter in the middle was open on all sides, probably unable to withstand the typhoon.
After a brief thought, Naoki decided to recall them to the Poke Balls.
"You three don't want your wool to get soaked, right?" Naoki asked. Seeing the Skiddo nodding, he continued, "Then spend the night here!"
After recalling the three Skiddo to their Poke Balls, Naoki went to the Combee hive.
On rainy days, Combee wouldn't go out for honey collection. Naoki initially wanted to bring the Combee indoors, but they refused.
Upon thinking about it carefully, Naoki realized that staying in their familiar hive might bring them more security.
With this in mind, Naoki squatted down to check the hive's safety.
The four legs of the hive were firmly fixed in the soil, so there was no concern about it being blown away by the typhoon.
At this moment, the rain started falling from the sky.
Seeing this, Naoki left enough honey for the Combee to serve as food, then quickly ran back under the eaves.
Butterfree had arrived early, standing on its perch, looking down at the rain-soaked Naoki.
"Muh-ee?"
Naoki smiled and said, "It's okay, don't worry. You should also go inside to sleep tonight!"
"Muh-ee~"
Butterfree gladly agreed.
The preparations for the typhoon were complete, and Naoki exhaled deeply, ready to start making dinner.
But before he could enter the room, he heard Butterfree's puzzled call: "Muh-ee?"
Naoki turned around and saw Mayor Thomas approaching in his raincoat.
Naoki was a bit surprised and quickly welcomed him inside: "Mayor Thomas, why are you here?"
Thomas didn't go inside; his feet were muddy and entering would dirty the floor.
He stood under the eaves, looking around the entire ranch, panting, "I won't go in. I came here to tell you, the typhoon is coming soon. You need to prepare in advance! Bring all the Pokémon and animals inside, lock the doors and windows, and set the feed!"
Just now, at home, he saw the weather forecast and thought that Naoki, who had just returned from another place, might not have experience dealing with a typhoon, so he hurried over to notify him.
Naoki was touched by Mayor Thomas's words, and he smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I've already prepared everything!"
"That's good." Mayor Thomas nodded, "I don't have anything else. Since you've got it covered, I won't say more. I have to go back!"
With that, he released a Cyclizar from his Poke Ball and rode on it, quickly leaving as he came.
Naoki stood under the eaves, watching the old man leave, then gently shook his head with a hint of sentiment.
Such good people!
Whether Pokémon or humans.
Mayor Thomas, who takes good care of him, Zack, who is straightforward and generous, the warm and patient ranch elder, and Keri, who is diligent and hardworking...
Speaking of Zack, he should have come to collect goods today.
Today, the Skiddo were on a milking cooldown, and the Nacli hadn't produced enough Rock Salt, leaving only the mushrooms growing in the cave to sell.
Busy in the morning, he had already picked those mushrooms and put them in the shipping box.
Thinking of this, Naoki checked the shipping box and, sure enough, found the money Zack had left inside.
He collected the money, then went inside to prepare dinner for everyone.
The rain outside grew heavier, gradually forming a curtain of rain. Unlike the gloomy and somber exterior, the inside of the wooden house was warm and harmonious.