Pokemon: A New Path

Naoki simply smiled. "You already know the answer in your heart. You wouldn't have come all this way unless there was something you wanted to ask."

Steven was taken aback for a moment. Deep down, he had expected this.

'Mr. Naoki even captured Rayquaza, as well as the mysterious humanoid Pokémon that seemed to be a Psychic-type'

"Lysandre believes that the boulder is the origin of Mega Evolution," Steven said. "Do you believe that's true, Mr. Naoki?"

"You could say that," Naoki replied. "But to be more precise, the true origin of Mega Evolution lies in space."

"In space?" Steven echoed in surprise. "You mean... outer space is the source?"

Naoki nodded. "That boulder you found is actually a meteorite. That's why Rayquaza reacted so strongly to it, it's attuned to the energy meteorites carry."

Steven's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Back in the Hoenn region, the Mossdeep Space Center had studied Rayquaza's behavior. The Pokémon was known to fly into the upper atmosphere, where it absorbed energy from meteorites to maintain balance between Kyogre and Groudon.

"But there's more to it than just meteorites," Naoki continued, unbothered by revealing deeper truths. "Meteorites alone aren't enough to trigger Mega Evolution. When meteorite energy fuses with a Pokémon's life force, it creates a Mega Stone. Likewise, when it interacts with human life energy, it forms a Key Stone."

"When those two components resonate together, they activate dormant gene sequences in a Pokémon's body, unlocking power beyond its natural limits."

Naoki paused, then gave a small, amused sigh.

'Meteorites in the Pokémon world really are something,' he mused. 'They've slain creator gods, granted evolution beyond biology, and altered the fate of entire regions.'

"That's why trainers get exhausted after triggering Mega Evolution, isn't it?" Steven asked quickly, putting the pieces together.

Naoki nodded. "Exactly."

Steven leaned back, murmuring, "I see..."

Naoki took a sip of tea and let Steven sit quietly for a moment, absorbing the implications.

After a long pause, Steven finally said, "Thank you, Mr. Naoki. I think I understand a lot better now."

"You're welcome," Naoki replied with a faint smile. "But I suspect that's not the only reason you came."

Steven hesitated, then nodded. The words Naoki had spoken to Lysandre in the ruins echoed in his mind. Finally, he asked:

"Why did you say those things to Lysandre that day?"

He still remembered them clearly, Naoki had warned that Lysandre intended to merge the meteorite with the Anistar Sundial to trigger devastation across Kalos.

It reminded Steven of the time, years ago, when Naoki had also forewarned him of Team Magma and Team Aqua's schemes before they unfolded.

"Because it's going to happen," Naoki said simply. "Soon, the Kalos region will descend into chaos. The natural order will be disrupted. And the one behind it all... is Lysandre."

Steven's expression darkened with disbelief.

"That can't be," he said quietly. "Lysandre is one of the most respected philanthropists in Kalos. He's compassionate and generous. He's helped disaster zones recover and saved countless people and Pokémon. Even parts of Hoenn have received his aid."

Naoki gave a knowing look. "That's exactly why I tried to stop him."

Steven fell into silence, deeply troubled.

Naoki continued calmly. "Lysandre's heart is pure. He truly wants to help others. But that very selflessness has led to disillusionment. As more people rely on him, some begin to take advantage of his generosity. They grow greedy, ungrateful."

"Lysandre was disillusioned by it all. That's why he went to extremes. He wanted to destroy the world and create a new one of eternal beauty, one that belonged only to him."

Steven was silent.

For a moment, his heart felt heavy with conflicting thoughts.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. "I understand. Thank you very much for sharing this, Mr. Naoki."

"You're welcome."

Steven stood up and began preparing to leave.

"I have a few matters to attend to, so I won't take up more of your time. I'll stop by again another day."

As he reached into his coat pocket, he added,

"I never had the chance to congratulate you on Elara's birth. This is a gift I prepared for her. Please accept it."

Naoki blinked in surprise. "That's very thoughtful, but really, there's no need for gifts."

Steven shook his head.

"It's nothing extravagant. Just a little something I think a baby girl would enjoy."

"Alright then," Naoki said, accepting the box.

He didn't open it right away. Instead, he stepped outside to see Steven off. Only once his guest had vanished from view did he return to the living room.

By then, Elara had already woken up. She was in the arms of Indeedee, who was gently rocking her and humming softly.

"Sweetheart, look what Uncle Steven brought you."

Naoki walked over with the box. As he opened it, a sparkle of light caught his eye.

Inside was a delicate bracelet, adorned with an array of rare and colorful gemstones. Though clearly expensive, the bracelet's playful design made it look like a toy that would appeal to a child.

As expected, Elara's eyes lit up the moment she saw the glimmering stones. She reached out with tiny hands, waving them with excitement.

Naoki was speechless.

Only Steven, son of the wealthy Devon Corporation chairman, would casually gift something like this and call it a "simple toy."

He considered returning it, but after a moment's thought, he realized that knowing Steven, he wouldn't accept it back.

"Alright then..." Naoki let out a helpless sigh, carefully placing the bracelet into Elara's little hands.

She giggled with joy, waving the bracelet around in delight.

Naoki couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"You little rascal," he teased gently, reaching out to tickle her chin, "are you going to grow up loving shiny things already?"

"Yiya~ yaa!" Elara babbled happily.

...

The May weather hadn't turned hot yet. The afternoon sun shone gently, casting a warm light that made everything feel calm and cozy.

Around this time of day, Naoki always brought the Pokémon and Elara out to Snorlax Park, where he would lie on Snorlax's belly for a lazy afternoon nap.

That day, he was deep in a dream.

In it, Elara had already grown up. He and Iono were sitting in the stands of the League Championship, cheering for her as she competed on the grand stage.

With confidence and skill, Elara swept through all her opponents and stood victorious as the world champion. Holding her trophy high, she smiled brightly and spoke into the microphone:

"I owe everything to my dad, my mom, Cyclizar… and Koraidon!"

Naoki and Iono were overwhelmed with emotion and wiped away tears of joy.

Just as that moment played out in his dream, Naoki suddenly felt something soft and furry tapping his cheek.

Blinking awake, he opened his eyes—only to be greeted by Sylveon's big, smiling face right above his.

Sylveon let out a cheerful cry.

"Boo-ee!"

Naoki rubbed his face, still half-asleep.

"What's the matter, Sylveon?"

"Boo-ee, boo-ee!" Sylveon's little face was filled with excitement and determination.

Its training was complete! All the moves they'd worked on had been fully mastered. It was ready, ready to challenge the "Ice Dragon."

That snapped Naoki fully awake.

"Already?" he said, clearly surprised. He turned to look at Koraidon in disbelief.

"Ah… gah," Koraidon nodded, its giant head lowering gently.

Over the past few days, it had been personally overseeing Sylveon's special training. And to its credit, Sylveon had improved at lightning speed, mastering every planned move with enthusiasm.

Naoki smiled as he saw them both so confident.

"Alright then. If you're ready, let's head to Unova and challenge Kyurem!"

"Buee!" Sylveon twirled joyfully on the spot, ribbons fluttering with excitement.

"But first," Naoki said thoughtfully, "we need to figure out exactly where Kyurem is."

He had considered searching for Kyurem before, hoping to one day catch the Ice Dragon Pokémon, but circumstances had held him back.

This time, though, things were different.

He had Mewtwo.

With its vast psychic powers, Mewtwo could easily scan the region to pinpoint Kyurem's exact location.

According to the records, Kyurem lived deep within the Giant Chasm, located in the remote northeast of the Unova region. That area was part of a vast mountain range, rugged, undeveloped wilderness where very few humans ventured.

Without help, Naoki could spend months scouring that terrain and still find nothing.

But with Mewtwo's powers, and now that it could Mega Evolve into its Y form, further amplifying its psychic abilities, it would be a much faster task.

Naoki didn't waste a second. He contacted Mewtwo right away to request its assistance.

Mewtwo responded quickly and agreed.

For it, scanning a fixed region for signs of a specific Pokémon was easy.