Pokemon: A New Path

Compared to the salt shelter and the chicken coop, the construction of the goat pen was much simpler. Skiddo were intelligent Pokémon that knew what to eat and what not to eat, so there was no need to confine them like ordinary livestock.

Therefore, the pen was designed with a semi-open structure, featuring a special entrance without a door for them to come and go as they pleased. An open awning was built within the fenced area, providing ample space. Not only could it accommodate the three current Skiddo, but it could easily house three more.

The pen included feeding and watering troughs, and the floor was covered in a thick layer of hay. When it rained, the Skiddo could enjoy the fresh grass dumplings while taking shelter under the awning.

Soon, the pen was completed. Kora put away her tools, stood up, and said, "It's done! Are you satisfied? If not, I can help you rebuild it."

"It's fine, it's perfect," Naoki nodded and turned to the three Skiddo watching from nearby. "What do you think?"

"Maa~"

The Skiddo seemed quite content with their new home. Compared to the wide-open wilderness, this semi-enclosed pen and fence offered them a sense of security. They no longer had to worry about being attacked from all sides by other Pokémon, as they might be in the wild.

The three skiddos bleated happily, walked around the pen, and then lay down on the hay, looking very comfortable.

Kora walked up to Naoki and said with a smile, "It seems they're quite happy with their new home."

"Indeed," Naoki agreed.

No matter what kind of Pokémon, they all had a sense of territory. Unless they were very familiar with a place, they would rarely enter the territory of other Pokémon.

Kora pointed to the grass inside the pen and said, "Once the Skiddo has eaten all the grass, you can buy some grass seeds in town. Just sprinkle them on the soil, and they'll grow on their own, even without watering."

With the construction finished, Kora and her team left the ranch.

Naoki retrieved the cooled Green Grass Dumplings from the house and poured them into the Skiddo's trough, leaving them as dinner. He also filled the nearby water trough.

After that, he found the Nacli and led them to their new home.

Inside the salt shelter, Naoki smiled and asked the five Nacli, "How is it? This is your new home. Are you happy with it?"

"Nacli~"

Just like the Skiddo, the Nacli were very satisfied with their new home. They swarmed into the shelter, curiously exploring and familiarizing themselves with the environment.

Meanwhile, Alcremie, who had been playing outside, heard that the Nacli had moved into their new home and rushed over with Smoliv to celebrate.

After spending some time together, the Nacli were no longer afraid of Alcremie, and they seemed to have become good friends. Naoki described this relationship as "the friendship between caramel cream and rock salt."

It was no secret that the new cream created by blending the two tasted quite good, with a flavor reminiscent of Assam milk tea with cheese and rock salt.

"You guys play here. I'm going to see if Dragonite is back," Naoki said.

"Nacli~" The Nacli nodded in unison.

Naoki smiled, turned, and went outside. He saw Koraidon waiting for him and asked, "Is Dragonite back?"

"Gahh," Koraidon shook its head.

"Not yet?" Naoki walked forward and looked towards town.

Passing by the Skiddo pen, he noticed the three Skiddo lazily lying on the hay, their bellies bulging.

Naoki: "?"

He glanced at the feed trough and saw that the Green Grass Dumplings he had left for them were all gone.

Naoki: "Hey! Those weren't meant to be snacks!"

Hearing Naoki's tone, the three Skiddo thought they had done something wrong, and their bleats became timid.

"Maa."

Naoki sighed. "Never mind, just eat them! It's just a few dumplings. I can always make more."

"It's okay. It's a blessing to be able to eat!" Naoki said, comforting the Skiddo.

Next, he planned to go back to the house and continue experimenting with new dishes. But before he could turn around, a green light suddenly burst from the body of one of the Skiddo. The light sank into the earth, and the surrounding area glowed with a vibrant green hue.

In the light, countless blades of grass shimmered with crystalline light, swaying gently, radiating a strong and vigorous vitality.

A big question mark appeared above Naoki's head.

"?"

"Is that, Grassy Terrain?"

Grassy Terrain: A Grass-type move that transforms the surrounding area into a grassy field for a short period. Pokémon on it will recover HP, and the power of Grass-type moves will increase.

Had the Skiddo learned Grassy Terrain? Naoki was surprised at first, but then he remembered the three of them had just eaten dozens of Green Grass Dumplings.

It was the effect of the dumplings! They had learned Grassy Terrain in just one day. If they ate them for over ten years, Naoki couldn't even imagine the kind of moves they could learn!

After all, Grass-type moves included more than just Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Bullet Seed. There was also Frenzy Plant, Leaf Storm, Solar Beam.

At that point, his concern wouldn't be whether the Skiddo would eat the dumplings, but whether it would be legal to ride them. Passersby would probably be terrified if they saw it.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," Naoki repeated to himself. As long as the Skiddo could continue producing milk, that was enough for him.

With that thought, Naoki turned to leave. But before he could take two steps, he heard the cry of one of the Skiddo behind him.

He turned around abruptly and saw a ball of dazzling light forming in the mouth of the Skiddo.

The next second, the light transformed into a beam and shot out, instantly obliterating the newly built wooden fence.

Naoki: "!!!"

Where the beam of light passed, no grass remained, leaving a scorched mark on the ground, as if the earth had been burned to ashes by intense sunlight.

The Skiddo looked on innocently.

Naoki took a deep breath, deciding not to interfere. He folded his arms and watched their display with amusement.

"Go on! Show me what else you've got!"

"Maa." The Skiddo looked confused, as if unaware of what was happening.

How did they suddenly learn a new move? Naoki thought, amused. "If you keep this up, you could all form a group and debut."

One Skiddo creates Grassy Terrain, another acts cute to distract the opponent, and the last one uses Solar Beam to attack while on the grassy field.

The Skiddo didn't understand the concept of debuting as a group. Naoki didn't explain further. Instead, he found an axe, saw, hammer, wooden boards, and nails from the shed and began repairing the fence that had been destroyed by the Solar Beam.

Just as he finished the repairs, Dragonite finally returned to the ranch. It had a small red bag on its waist and slowly landed beside Naoki.

Naoki quickly stood up and asked, "How did it go?"

"Roar." Dragonite seemed a bit disappointed, as it hadn't learned any new moves.

But it had successfully delivered the goat milk! Dragonite took out the money Mrs. Dantes had paid from its bag and gave it to Naoki.

Naoki accepted the money and, seeing Dragonite's dejected look, suddenly felt a bit sorry for it. However, the food that could help Dragonite become stronger wasn't ready yet.

After a moment of thought, Naoki asked, "Can you show me the moves you know now?"

'Show you'? Dragonite thought for a moment, then began to demonstrate.

It flew high into the air, spreading its wings wide, and swooped down.

"That must be the Flying-type move, Wing Attack," Naoki thought.

For the second move, Dragonite opened its eyes wide, its gaze sharpening.

"Leer?" Naoki raised an eyebrow.

This was a move that used intimidation to lower the opponent's Defense. However, Dragonite's cute and round appearance didn't seem very convincing. At least Naoki and Koraidon didn't feel scared; instead, they found it rather endearing.

The third move involved Dragonite creating a whirlwind on the grass, but it wasn't very large.

"That move must be Twister."

For the fourth move, Dragonite opened its mouth and unleashed a purple shockwave.

"Dragon Breath," Naoki recognized the move.

He continued watching, but Dragonite remained still.

"That's it?" Naoki asked, surprised.

Dragonite lowered its head, looking dejected. "Roar."

It seemed this Dragonite's comprehension wasn't very high.

Naoki took a deep breath and thought about how he would help a Pokémon learn moves if he were a Trainer.

Countless images flashed through his mind: scenes from the anime where Ash taught Dragonair, Dragon Dance, Greninja taught Lucario, and Clair taught a group of Pokémon Dragon Pulse.

Most Pokémon moves were based on controlling the energy within their bodies and releasing it in the form of beams of light, storms, shockwaves, bubbles, and so on.

That's right, it was about energy control.

Koraidon was also a Dragon-type Pokémon. Although Naoki hadn't seen it in person, it likely knew quite a few Dragon-type moves.

Moves like Draco Meteor and Outrage were too difficult for Dragonite. In comparison, Dragon Tail was much simpler.

After a moment of thought, Naoki looked at Koraidon beside him and asked, "Koraidon, can you use Dragon Tail?"

"Gah!" Koraidon nodded.

Naoki's eyes lit up. "Can you teach Dragonite, then?"

Koraidon was hesitant. It knew how to use the move but had no experience teaching it.

Seeing this, Naoki said, "It's okay, just demonstrate it for Dragonite." He then explained the principle behind the move.

That was doable, Koraidon thought.

Naoki turned to Dragonite and said, "Don't worry about the deliveries for now. I have another move to teach you."

Hearing this, Dragonite's eyes sparkled. "Roar?"

Naoki put aside the fence repairs and led Koraidon and Dragonite to an open space.

"Watch carefully, Dragonite, and pay attention to Koraidon's demonstration!" Naoki instructed.

In the open space, Koraidon got into position. It transformed into its battling form, and a layer of purple light appeared on its thick tail.

The next moment, Koraidon twisted its body, and its strong, sturdy tail swept forward. The surrounding air currents were disturbed, bending the grass on the ground.

Dragonite watched intently.

The demonstration finished, and Koraidon stepped aside.

Naoki said to Dragonite, "Give it a try?"

"Roar." Dragonite hesitantly stepped forward and began to mimic Koraidon's movements, swinging its tail, but failed.

This disappointed Dragonite.

Naoki stood by, arms crossed, comparing the two Pokémon's movements in his mind. Then, he asked, "Can you mobilize the dragon energy in your body?"

"Roar?" Dragonite blinked and nodded.

"Dragon Tail isn't just about swinging your tail. Koraidon's Dragon Tail is infused with Dragon-type energy," Naoki explained. "Try to concentrate that energy into your tail, then lash out with it."

Dragonite seemed to understand but not entirely.

Concentrate the dragon energy into the tail.

Dragonite tried again, but still failed. This discouraged it.

Seeing this, Naoki offered encouragement, "Don't give up. You need perseverance. Remember what I told you before?"

Dragonite looked up. "Roar."

Naoki continued, "No Dragonite can master a move right away. Since you can't use Dragon Tail yet, let's take it step by step."

"Break down the entire movement. First, practice mobilizing the energy in your body and focusing it on your tail. Once you're proficient, move on to the next step. I see you can already mobilize the energy. With practice, you'll definitely be able to use Dragon Tail smoothly."

Naoki's encouragement reignited Dragonite's fighting spirit. "Roar!"

It stood there, concentrating, taking a deep breath, and began to mobilize the dragon energy within its body.

Naoki watched for a while, then said to Koraidon, "You stay here and practice with Dragonite. I have other things to attend to."

"Gaah!" Koraidon nodded its large head in agreement.

Naoki turned and walked towards the wooden house.

Cyclizar was relaxing under the eaves, enjoying the cool shade. That spot had almost become its exclusive resting place.

Seeing Naoki approach, Cyclizar stood up with a chirp. Naoki patted Cyclizar's head, and it followed him inside.

They entered the kitchen, and Naoki was puzzled by the table full of prepared ingredients and seasonings. After a brief thought, he asked Cyclizar, "Cyclizar, do you have any favorite food? Something you particularly like to eat?"

Both Cyclizar and Dragonite were Dragon-type Pokémon, so its preferences could be a valuable reference.