Pokemon: A New Path

At seven in the evening, after preparing dinner for Cyclizar, Smoliv, and Alcremie, Naoki told them he had to step out for a while and rode Koraidon to Casseroya Lake.

The moon was bright that night, casting a light mist over the lake. The hazy moonlight poured onto the water, shimmering silver as Pokémon leaped from the depths, breaking the reflection with ripples.

"You're finally here!" Yosuke hadn't returned to the watchtower but had set up a simple campsite by the lake. The bonfire in front of the tent was a beacon in the night.

Beside him stood a Pokémon holding a shield in its left hand and a sword in its right, its thick black eyebrows furrowed in a calm expression. The group of Nacli huddled by the fire, drowsy.

Naoki placed the prepared food in front of them, and the young Pokémon immediately opened their eyes in surprise.

"As expected, the Nacli prefer your dried fish to my sandwiches!" Yosuke lamented, touching his head. "They didn't eat anything tonight." His secret sandwich held no appeal for these salty Pokémon.

Looking at the Nacli as they started to eat, Naoki smiled. "After all, they're Pokémon born from underground rock salt layers. Their taste in food must be different from ours."

Yosuke agreed, "That's true." He glanced at the time and said, "It's already 7:30. When are we leaving?"

Naoki replied, "Now."

"Great!" Yosuke seemed excited. He stood up, took out his sketchbook and pen from his backpack, and put them in his pocket. Then, he addressed the knight-like Pokémon, "Sirfetch'd, I'll leave this to you!"

"Sirfetch'd!" Sirfetch'd saluted, promising to protect the Nacli.

Naoki looked at Sirfetch'd with interest and asked curiously, "It evolved from a Farfetch'd, right?"

"That's right, only the Galarian Farfetch'd can evolve into Sirfetch'd," Yosuke introduced with a smile. "It's a very brave and diligent Pokémon. Its fighting stance is quite similar to those heroic warriors in movies!"

Naoki nodded, his eyes drawn to the leek Sirfetch'd held in its hands, shaped like a stem, and the shield made of leek leaves. That leek was crucial to Sirfetch'd, serving as its weapon. For Sirfetch'd, the leek it had carried for years was more important than anything else.

But at the same time, the leek was also an excellent ingredient.

Sensing a hungry gaze upon it, Sirfetch'd expression hardened, and it turned its head sharply to look at the source.

Yosuke followed Naoki's gaze and said with a smile, "That's a Galarian Leek, which only grows in the Galar region. Do you want some? I have a few more in my backpack and can share them with you."

Naoki was curious about Galarian Leeks. He knew they were a delicious condiment that could enhance the flavor of dishes. "Thank you in advance, then," he replied. He turned to look at Casseroya Lake in the distance and said to Yosuke, "We should get going. Do you remember the location of that Pokémon?"

"Certainly!"

"Then hop on!" Naoki patted Koraidon, and it obediently lowered itself. Naoki mounted first, and when it was Yosuke's turn, he looked flattered. "Can I ride this Pokémon too? Will it be angry?"

Hearing this, Naoki looked at Koraidon. For Naoki's sake, Koraidon shook its head generously, "Gah!"

Yosuke was thrilled. "Thank you so much!" He carefully climbed aboard.

Once he was securely seated, Koraidon took flight, soaring above the light mist. Yosuke scanned the surroundings, determined their direction, and pointed west. "It's on the west side of Casseroya Lake, near the Paldean Sea. We need to cross the lake first."

"Okay," Naoki agreed.

As night fell, some Pokémon that were difficult to spot during the day began to emerge. Naoki glanced down and saw a few Murkrow perched on branches, like shadowy figures engaged in some unknown activity.

Suddenly, Yosuke exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! The Slakoth is up!"

Naoki followed his gaze and saw a Slakoth pacing back and forth on a patch of grass below. As if sensing an unfamiliar presence, the Slakoth abruptly raised its head and looked in their direction.

"It spotted us!" Yosuke was startled.

As everyone knew, the Pokémon known as Slakoth was notoriously lazy. It would lie on the ground all day, barely moving, and only ate grass within its reach. Only when the surrounding grass was depleted would it reluctantly move to a new spot. Even if a trainer bothered it, it wouldn't react.

Yet, here was a Slakoth not lying down but actively walking around, with a vigilant expression, constantly observing its surroundings. This behavior didn't seem like a Slakoth at all.

A phrase Naoki had heard while playing the games flashed through his mind: when you encounter a Slakoth walking around, it's definitely not a Slakoth, but a Ditto or Zoroark in disguise.

So, was it Ditto or Zoroark? Judging by its sharp and alert movements, Naoki figured there was an 80% chance it was a Zoroark.

Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokémon, the master of illusions.

Intrigued, Naoki decided to move on. Koraidon didn't stop, and the three of them quickly left the area, the Slakoth disappearing from sight. Naoki glanced back with a tinge of regret. For a moment, he had considered abandoning the search for the mysterious Pokémon to investigate whether it was indeed a Slakoth or a Zoroark.

But he decided against it. He couldn't let a small distraction derail his main objective. There would be other opportunities. Casseroya Lake was right there, and he could always return to explore later.

Naoki refocused his attention. By now, Koraidon had crossed the vast lake and reached the other side.

Yosuke, behind him, pointed excitedly at a nearby cliff. "That's the spot!"

Naoki looked over and saw a familiar Pokémon atop the steep cliff. It had a round body, an elegant horn and whiskers on its head, and a pair of small wings on its back.

It was sitting on the grass at the top of the cliff, lost in thought, gazing melancholically at the moon in the sky, sighing sadly from time to time.

It was a Dragonite!

Naoki's heart leaped with excitement. Dragonite, the pseudo-legendary Pokémon of the Kanto region, was incredibly powerful and extremely rare. It was the signature Pokémon of the renowned Dragon Master, Lance.

He hadn't been disappointed after all!

"What Pokémon is that?!" Yosuke exclaimed from behind him, clearly shocked after getting a clear view of Dragonite.

Naoki slowly uttered its name: "Dragonite."

Koraidon hovered in the air, not landing immediately. It was unclear whether the Dragonite had noticed them or simply didn't care.

After observing from above for a while, Naoki had Koraidon land behind the Dragonite. Yosuke immediately took out his pen and sketchbook, capturing the scene of "Dragonite gazing at the moon."

Hearing the sound behind it, Dragonite turned around in confusion. When it saw the people and Pokémon who had suddenly appeared, it was startled, a surprised expression appearing on its face.

"Rawr?!" 'What, when did they get here'?

'How cute'! Naoki thought as he looked at the Dragonite. In real life, Dragonite was very round and plump, its large belly looking soft and inviting to the touch. Those plump, round claws looked adorable too. It was truly a magnificent creature!

Naoki desperately wanted to take this Dragonite back to his ranch. He tried to project as much goodwill as possible.

"Good evening, Dragonite!" he greeted.

Dragonite blinked its large round eyes, showing no hostility and making no aggressive moves. It simply looked around a few times, sighed softly, then took to the sky, leaving the cliff and flying towards the depths of the sea.

Naoki and Yosuke, left behind, looked at each other.

After a moment, Naoki asked, "Did we, disturb it?"

Yosuke, gazing at Dragonite's retreating figure, murmured, "It always seems so sad."

Does a Dragonite, a creature at the top of the Pokémon ecosystem, have problems it can't solve?

Yosuke seemed to remember something. "Shouldn't you have sent out Koraidon to battle it immediately, defeat it, and capture it in a Poké Ball?"

"That seems a bit harsh for such a powerful dragon, don't you think?" Naoki replied tactfully. "Besides, I'm not a trainer, and I don't plan to become one. Even if I caught it, I wouldn't use it for battles. I just want to live alongside it. You should understand that feeling, right?"

"I do, I do," Yosuke said. "What about collecting? I've seen people who only catch specific Pokémon for their collections."

This reminded Naoki of the obsessive collector in "The Power of One." He couldn't help but ask, "It wouldn't be like what I'm imagining, turning it into a specimen for a collection, right?"

"No way!" Yosuke's eyes widened. "Those people just have unique hobbies; they're not deranged. I met someone who only catches fluffy, cute, small Pokémon. It's said he sleeps with them every day and enjoys being surrounded by them."

"There are also trainers who only like muscular Pokémon, like Machamp, Blaziken, or Pangoro. I think they must have felt insecure when they were younger."

Naoki responded with an awkward but polite smile. What a coincidence, he thought, I'm one of them.

Yosuke then asked, "But are you going to chase after it?"

Naoki pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Forcing contact might scare it away. If I'm not mistaken, it'll come back later. We can get to know it slowly then."

Besides, he couldn't stay out all night; otherwise, Cyclizar would worry.

Yosuke agreed, "That's true."

The two returned to the campsite on the east side of Casseroya Lake. After filling their bellies, the Nacli fell asleep, huddled around the warm campfire.

Yosuke lowered his voice and whispered, "Are you heading back?"

Naoki also lowered his voice, "Yes, I'll come back tomorrow."

In addition to feeding the Nacli, he had something more important to do: catch fish in Casseroya Lake and bring them back to the ranch to sell. If he took the Nacli with him, there would be five more mouths to feed at the ranch. Moreover, he needed to find someone to build a special shelter for the Nacli so he could easily collect their rock salt.

His limited funds weren't enough. Looking at the salt trails left by the Nacli, Naoki felt a pang of sadness. Money was needed for everything, so he had to work hard.

"When you have time, you can come visit my ranch, and I'll treat you well," Naoki offered.

Naoki provided the Galar traveler with the exact location of his ranch.

Yosuke smiled, "Well, I'll come visit after I finish investigating the Pokémon ecology around Casseroya Lake." He was very curious about what the ranch built by the young man before him would look like.

Naoki smiled and nodded, then bid him farewell, riding Koraidon back to the ranch. Before leaving, he left all the salted food from his backpack with Yosuke. He had to go into town the next morning and might not be back until noon.

By the time Naoki returned to the ranch, it was already late at night. Despite the late hour, Cyclizar was still awake, lying under the eaves and looking outside. When it saw Naoki and Koraidon returning, its eyes lit up, and it stood up happily.

Naoki walked up to Cyclizar and patted its head. Knowing that Cyclizar had been diligently guarding the ranch, he smiled and said, "Alright, I'm back. Go get some rest!"

"Cyclizar~" Cyclizar went to sleep, and Naoki checked the chicken coop, ensuring the feed and water troughs were full and the chickens were doing well.

Seeing that the water trough was nearly empty, he refilled it and didn't go to bed until everything was in order.

...

The next morning, after finishing his chores on the ranch, Naoki headed to town. Following the signs, he found a fishing tackle shop and purchased several extra-large fishing nets. It was a shame that his Metapod hadn't evolved into Butterfree yet; otherwise, he could have made his own nets.

The following days were busy for Naoki. He and Koraidon traveled back and forth between Casseroya Lake, the Paldean Sea, and the ranch, fishing sometimes until the break of dawn. It was exhausting work, not only for him but for Koraidon as well.

Despite the hardship, Koraidon had no complaints. In fact, it felt happy and fulfilled.

Yosuke, witnessing Naoki's tireless efforts between the lake and the ranch, also realized the hard work involved in running a ranch.

Once, when Naoki visited the Nacli and brought them food, Yosuke couldn't help but remark, "You're working too hard, don't you think? You need to relax sometimes!"

Naoki, sweating profusely, handed Koraidon a bottle of juice to restore its strength and energy, and replied, "There's still a lot to do on the ranch, and many mouths to feed. I have to earn more money!"

"Alright." Seeing that he couldn't persuade Naoki, Yosuke waited for Naoki and Koraidon to leave before turning to the five Nacli and trying to convince them.

"The Garganacl was captured by a human trainer and will never come back," he told them. "You see, right? The food these past few days was given to you by that man. He sincerely wants you to come back to the ranch and live with him."

"Nacli, nacli..."

The Nacli recalled Naoki working at Casseroya Lake, taking time to visit them, and bringing them delicious food. Even their leader might not have been so kind to them.

Furthermore, their current leader had been taken away by a human and would never return.

The Nacli looked touched. The five little ones looked at each other, then made up their minds to follow the human who had protected and fed them, leaving this place to live on his ranch.

Though still young, the Nacli could vaguely sense that no one else in the world would be as kind to them as Naoki.