Pokemon: A New Path

The Everstone, a magical item, was known for its ability to suppress the evolutionary energy within a Pokémon, preventing it from evolving while carrying the stone. While this might seem trivial to some, it was an essential item for specific Pokémon and trainers who wished to keep their Pokémon in their current forms.

However, for Naoki, it didn't serve much purpose at the moment. He casually placed the Everstone in a drawer as he went back inside the house.

Stepping outside again, Naoki's thoughts wandered back to Teddiursa. He was curious about what effects the lucky pudding might have on the little bear, especially considering Teddiursa's natural [Pickup] ability. What rare items might it find after eating the pudding? The answer would have to wait until Teddiursa returned to trade for more honey.

Naoki couldn't help but look forward to that day.

At that moment, his Pokémon, Koraidon, trotted up to him, wagging its tail happily with a frisbee in its mouth.

"Ah, gah!" Koraidon called out, eager to play.

It was 3:38 pm when Naoki decided to start a frisbee game with Koraidon, Cyclizar, and Dragonite, on the ranch.

Naoki tossed the frisbee into the air, and the Pokémon raced after it, eager to catch and retrieve it. They had somehow reached an unspoken agreement not to use their special moves, relying instead on their natural agility and speed.

The game went smoothly at first. The three Pokémon took turns running after the frisbee as it flew across the grass, each trying to snatch it out of the air before it hit the ground. If one missed, the next Pokémon would take its turn.

But then, things took a competitive turn.

As Dragonite watched the frisbee about to touch the ground, it instinctively used its extreme speed to swoop in and grab it just in time.

Koraidon, seeing this, let out a cry of dissatisfaction, "Ah, gah!" Clearly not wanting to be outdone, it decided to use its own powerful abilities.

With a flash, Koraidon shifted to its combat form. Eyeing the flying frisbee, it dug its strong legs into the ground and launched itself into the air with a powerful leap. Its muscular body collided with the frisbee mid-flight, and it caught it firmly in its mouth before landing gracefully on the ground.

Koraidon turned back to Naoki, expecting praise, but instead, it noticed that Naoki seemed lost in thought.

Naoki was indeed distracted.

Naoki was deep in thought about the lucky pudding and its surprising effects. To be honest, the results of his cooking today had far exceeded his expectations.

He began to realize that the effect of food might be closely tied to the mood and emotion of the person preparing it. If you pour love and genuine feeling into cooking, the dish could potentially have unexpected, even magical, effects.

'Even without the black truffle to enhance it, the dish turned out to be A grade,' Naoki mused. 'Does this mean something important?'

Lost in thought, Naoki absentmindedly took the frisbee that Koraidon handed him and tossed it away. Koraidon dashed after it with full force.

This time, Naoki noticed how Koraidon was catching the frisbee—with full power, almost as if it was attacking it.

Naoki blinked in surprise. 'Is it really doing that?'

Koraidon proudly trotted back with the frisbee and presented it to Naoki, while Dragonite, watching from the side, was clearly eager to join the competition, its aura intensifying as if ready to unleash its speed.

Naoki couldn't help but smile wryly at the sight of the two Pokémon now engaged in a full-blown competition, each trying to outdo the other. Even Alcremie, passing by with five Salt Stones in tow, stopped to watch the spectacle. The sudden halt caused the Salt Stones to bump into each other, creating a small, clumsy pile.

Meanwhile, Cyclizar stood by, looking longingly at Koraidon and Dragonite, its expression pitiful and filled with yearning.

"Gah." Cyclizar whimpered softly. It wanted to play too.

Naoki noticed Cyclizar's sad expression and then glanced at the overly competitive Koraidon and Dragonite. The constant frisbee throwing was starting to make his arm muscles sore.

'Maybe it's time to end this before things get too out of hand,' he thought.

With that, he decisively ended the game, leaving the two overly enthusiastic Pokémon behind as he walked off with Cyclizar, who finally got its chance to play.

Koraidon and Dragonite stared after them, their eyes filled with concern.

"Awoo." Dragonite murmured. 'Is Naoki angry?'

"Gashh" Koraidon responded, equally uncertain. 'I don't know either.'

"Awoo."

Dragonite's face was full of worry, and even Koraidon, who had been so proud moments before, seemed concerned. But after a moment, Koraidon took the initiative, deciding to follow Naoki and Cyclizar.

When Koraidon entered the room, he was surprised to see Naoki being unusually affectionate with Cyclizar, feeding it delicious food by hand to comfort it.

Koraidon shouted, "Ah gah!" to grab Naoki's attention.

Hearing the call, Naoki turned his head and glanced over. Koraidon immediately softened its voice, lowered its momentum, and approached Naoki with a sheepish, almost pleading expression.

"Ah, gah." Koraidon whimpered softly.

"No cuteness allowed!" Naoki said, playfully pushing Koraidon's face aside. Though he wanted to laugh, he kept a stern expression as he addressed Koraidon and Dragonite.

"Do you remember the rules we made?" he asked.

The rules were clear: no special moves, no flying—only running normally to catch the frisbee. This made the game fairer for Cyclizar, Koraidon, and Dragonite alike.

Koraidon and Dragonite stood in a row, looking down like children caught in mischief.

"Gah…"

"Ouch…"

As a responsible trainer, Naoki knew it was important to treat everyone equally. Seeing that both Pokémon were genuinely sorry, he nodded in satisfaction and said earnestly:

"Cyclizar is still young, not even a year old yet, and can't compete with you in terms of strength or speed. It wanted to play frisbee too, but when you used moves that broke the rules, Cyclizar could only watch from the sidelines."

"Gah…" Koraidon and Dragonite exchanged looks, their expressions showing understanding.

Cyclizar, observing this, felt a strong desire to become stronger. If it could be as powerful as Koraidon, it could join the game, play alongside the others, or even help Naoki with more tasks around the ranch.

Seeing that the message had sunk in, Naoki sat down in a chair and waved them off. "I'm a little tired, so I can't play with you right now. I'm going to watch some TV for a while. You two go play outside on your own."

Dragonite glanced at Naoki a few times, and seeing that he wasn't actually angry, it ran outside to play, reassured. Koraidon, however, stayed behind, lying down on the wooden floor next to Naoki, with Cyclizar beside it, both watching TV together.

The TV was replaying the noon news, reporting on an avalanche that had recently occurred on Frostsmoked Mountain, which had affected the local Pokémon ecosystem.

The news mentioned that an expedition team had investigated and discovered the cause of the avalanche—a powerful wild Baxcalibur.

"Baxcalibur? That's a pseudo-legendary Pokémon from the Paldea region," Naoki mused. Compared to the cute Dragonite, Baxcalibur certainly had a more intimidating appearance.

As Naoki continued watching, he felt his eyelids grow heavy. He yawned, then lay back in the rocking chair and slowly closed his eyes, ready for a nap.

The news continued to play on the TV, shifting from the "Frostsmoked Mountain Avalanche Incident" to a segment on the "Mysterious Phenomenon in the Paldea Region: Pokémon Crystallization."

On the screen, the host introduced the research of Dr. Sada and Dr. Turo, who were studying the Terastal phenomenon and had invented the Terastal Orbs.