Pokemon: A New Path

Hearing the noise behind him, Max, who had been scanning the area, was startled. He quickly turned around and saw a striking young man with black hair standing behind him.

The young man was wearing a blue work suit and was mounted on a powerful, red, and ferocious-looking Pokémon that radiated a wild, untamed aura.

The intensity of the aura hit Max like a wave, causing him to swallow nervously. The Fuecoco perched on his shoulder began to tremble with fear.

At that moment, Max watched as the young man gently patted the Pokémon and said, "Koraidon, don't scare people."

The Pokémon, called Koraidon, immediately softened its demeanor and lowered its head.

"Uh... hello, my name is Max, and I'm a student at Naranja Academy," Max introduced himself. "I was chasing a Fletchling that flew into this ranch, and I was hoping to catch it."

Naoki looked up in the direction Max had been staring and spotted the small Fletchling dozing on the roof of his house.

"Are you a new student?" Naoki asked.

Max nodded weakly, "Yes, I just started this year. This Fuecoco is the first Pokémon I received from the school."

Naoki nodded slightly. He dismounted from Koraidon, carried the box in his hands, and started walking toward the house, with Koraidon following closely behind.

"Come on in," Naoki said, turning to look at Max. "If you want to catch that Fletchling, you won't do it by just standing there!"

"Oh! Right!" Max responded instinctively and quickly followed him, "Excuse me!"

Naoki placed the box containing the automatic milking machine inside the Pokémon House.

Max stood on the grass, watching Naoki's movements, and a thought crossed his mind: 'This rancher is definitely not an ordinary country farmer'!

'Why would an ordinary farmer use a Pokémon like Dragonite to water the fields? That's way too extravagant'!

'And that red Pokémon following him, its muscular build and powerful presence are anything but ordinary'.

Moreover, Naoki appeared quite young and unmarried, so it was unlikely that the Dragonite belonged to a son or daughter.

That left only one possibility.

'In this ranch, whether it's Dragonite, Butterfree, or Koraidon, they're all his Pokémon'!

But now wasn't the time to dwell on this.

Max looked up at the Fletchling, pondering how he could possibly tame it.

When Naoki returned, he found Max standing on the grass, lost in thought.

Naoki raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you know how to capture Pokémon?"

"Of course, I learned it in school!" Max replied.

He knew that to capture a Pokémon, you typically needed to battle it, demonstrate your strength, and then use a Poké Ball to catch it.

But the Fletchling was too far away, and with only one Pokémon, Fuecoco, Max couldn't reach it.

Naoki could sympathize with Max's predicament. Capturing a Pokémon is something that a trainer must do on their own; no one else can truly help in that moment.

Seeing Max looking lost, Naoki pondered the situation. Soon, an idea came to him.

"I think I might have a solution," Naoki said.

"What is it?" Max asked, turning his head in confusion.

Naoki looked up at the Fletchling perched on the roof. "I can have my Pokémon communicate with the Fletchling and see if it's willing to give you a chance."

"Really? You can do that?" Max's eyes widened in surprise.

Naoki smiled. "There are different ways to capture Pokémon. Some Pokémon need to be challenged in battle, while others might be persuaded to join you for a different reason, like food or companionship."

Max suddenly realized the variety of approaches one could take and then said gratefully, "Thank you so much! I really appreciate this!"

Naoki nodded and called for Butterfree, explaining the situation. After listening, Butterfree flew up to the roof where the Fletchling was resting.

The movement startled the Fletchling, which quickly opened its eyes and looked around warily.

Butterfree, however, didn't approach aggressively. It hovered in mid-air, beginning a gentle and calm conversation with the little Fletchling.

"Eeyee, eyeeeeee!" Butterfree chirped.

"Chiu?" The Fletchling tilted its head slightly, puzzled. After a few moments, it seemed to understand what Butterfree was saying and glanced down at Max, who was standing on the ground below, his face full of hope. Max clenched his fists, clearly eager to make Fletchling his Pokémon.

The little bird tilted its head, considering Max for a while, then gave a chirped response.

"Chiu!"

Butterfree returned to Naoki and nodded happily, indicating that Fletchling was willing to give Max a chance. "Mmmmm!" Butterfree confirmed.

Shortly after, the Fletchling fluttered down to the ground, landing softly in front of Max.

"It looks like it's willing to test your strength," Naoki said with a smile.

"Awesome!" Max exclaimed, his excitement clear. He then called out to Fletchling, "I'll prove my strength to you—I promise!"

The battle was about to begin.

Naoki stepped aside, giving the grass area to Max and Fletchling for their battle. He leaned against Koraidon and watched with interest.

As a trainer just starting his journey, Max's fighting style was straightforward and direct.

With no referees or judges, the battle began immediately.

Max gave the command to Fuecoco, "Fuecoco, use Ember!"

Fuecoco sprang into action. It opened its mouth, gathering a small cluster of fiery sparks, and shot them toward Fletchling.

As the battle commenced, the Fletchling made its move, but it was a fraction of a second slower than Fuecoco. The sparks from Fuecoco's Ember attack struck the Fletchling directly, causing it to flinch.

Seeing the opening, Max pressed the advantage, ready to launch another attack. But suddenly, a white light flashed around the Fletchling as it darted forward with incredible speed, hitting Fuecoco with a Quick Attack.

Fuecoco winced in pain, but it saw an opportunity as the Fletchling closed the distance. It opened its mouth wide, a faint light gathering within, and bit down hard on the Fletchling with its sharp teeth—a well-timed Bite attack.

The Fletchling was seriously injured and tumbled to the grass, struggling to get back up.

"Now's my chance!" Max thought, seizing the moment. He quickly pulled an empty Poké Ball from his pocket and threw it at the weakened Fletchling.

The Poké Ball hit its mark, encapsulating the Fletchling inside. It shook on the ground a few times before coming to a stop, signaling that the capture was successful.

Max's heart raced with excitement as he realized what had just happened. "Yeah! I caught the Fletchling!" he shouted, rushing forward to pick up the Poké Ball that now contained his new partner.

He turned to Naoki, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you so much, Mr. Naoki! I couldn't have done it without your help!"

Naoki smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. "You did great! 

...

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