Pokemon: A New Path

As they prepared to leave, Naoki noticed Sylveon hadn't followed.

He turned. Sylveon looked up at him, eyes gleaming with purpose.

Naoki didn't need words to understand. He sighed, slowly.

"So that's it, huh... Our little hero is ready to move forward."

"Bu-yi!" Sylveon cried with determination.

It waved its feelers in farewell, then turned around and vanished into the forest. Running toward the direction of the Expedition Guild.

Now that it had passed Kyurem's test and been recognized as a hero…It was time to act like one.

"Hah..."

Naoki stood there for a long moment.

He remembered when that Sylveon had just hatched from its egg, eyes still blurry, clumsy feet barely able to walk.

He sighed with a soft smile.

His relationship with his Pokémon had never been just that of trainer and partner. It was something closer. Something deeper.

Family.

He wasn't their master.

He was a father, watching over the ranch. The Eevees were his children.

Now, those children had grown up, one by one. They had their own paths to follow.

And while it tugged at his heart, Naoki respected their choices.

What he could do now… was keep the fire warm. Keep the soup hot. So that when his children returned home, tired from their adventures, he'd be waiting.

After seeing Sylveon off, Naoki rode Koraidon back to the ranch.

But it wasn't long before he returned to the World Tree again.

This time, he brought a brand new Rotom Phone to Kyurem, who was in the middle of carving out a den for himself in the snowy cliffs.

Kyurem paused, confused.

"What's this?"

Naoki chuckled. "A Rotom Phone. Let me show you how it works."

For the next thirty minutes, he patiently explained all the functions and features of the phone.

Then—

Ding!

A new notification popped up in the legendary Pokémon group chat:

[Kyurem has joined the chat group!]

A stone stirs up a thousand waves.

With Kyurem's arrival, the once quiet group chat of legendary Pokémon suddenly came alive.

Naturally, the chatty and ever-curious Giratina was the first to break the silence.

[Giratina]: Another new Pokémon?

[Ho-Oh]: Welcome to the group, Kyurem.

Unlike the warm-hearted Ho-Oh, the proud rulers of land and sea, Groudon and Kyogre, remained silent.

Meanwhile, Kyurem, still unfamiliar with this strange human device, stared at the screen and asked quietly, "What… is all this?"

Rotom, buzzing from the device, cheerfully explained, "This is the legendary Pokémon group chat Rotom created by Naoki! All the members are legendary Pokémon like you!"

Kyurem was stunned. So many legendary Pokémon… all connected?

How did Naoki manage such a feat?

As Kyurem fumbled, unsure how to respond, Giratina grew impatient. It was already typing out a complaint about this "rude newcomer" when a new message from Naoki appeared:

[Naoki]: Kyurem just received his Rotom Phone and is still figuring it out. Please be patient if he doesn't respond right away.

Seeing this, Giratina froze.

Ah… well… since Naoki said so… then the great and mighty Giratina would let it slide just this once!

The chat group quickly returned to its usual harmony.

Naoki smiled, satisfied, and set the phone aside. He walked to the next room to check on Elara.

The little one had just woken up and was now crying in the arms of Indeedee, who was gently rocking her.

At first glance, her personality already seemed to take after her mother.

"Ai-ye~"

Naoki approached and gently reached for Elara.

But the moment she was passed from Indeedee's arms to his, she burst into tears again.

Naoki winced. "Oof..."

Indeedee quickly turned her face away, stifling a laugh behind her hand.

Naoki began to gently rock his daughter. "Aww, don't cry. I'm your daddy, remember?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Elara blinked through her tears. Her big, round eyes searched his face.

Then, slowly, the crying stopped.

Whether she recognized him or simply liked being rocked, she began to calm down in his arms.

Naoki sighed in relief. "So she does remember me."

Koraidon, who had been watching from nearby, tilted its head and let out a soft trill.

"Ahh~"

Naoki chuckled and looked over. "Koraidon, do you want to hold her?"

Koraidon flinched at first, then tilted its head curiously. "Ahh?"

"Sure, come on. Give it a try."

Naoki crouched beside it, demonstrating how to hold the baby with care. He then slowly passed Elara into Koraidon's arms.

"Easy now… there we go."

Koraidon held her very gently, moving as carefully as possible, afraid to even breathe too hard.

Surprisingly, Elara didn't cry. She blinked up at the Pokémon with curious wonder.

Naoki and Indeedee exchanged surprised glances.

"Aiya…" Indeedee murmured in amazement.

Naoki smiled warmly. "Elara, this is Koraidon. He's Dad's good friend and protector."

"Yaaaah!" Elara squealed, waving her little arms.

At that moment, Naoki's Arceus Phone vibrated.

Ding!

He picked it up to see a new notification.

Naoki blinked in surprise. A few of the Pokémon nearby also turned their heads to look at him curiously.

"It might be something related to the Expedition Team Guild," he said aloud, though deep down, he had a strange feeling about this one.

That alert sound… he had never heard it before.

Frowning slightly, Naoki pulled out his Arceus Phone and tapped the screen. The moment it lit up, a new notification popped into view:

[Important Notice]: Characters from other worlds have arrived at the World Tree!

[Character Identity]: Pryce, from the Special World. Originally trapped in the time gap, later rescued by Farfetch'd and brought to the World Tree for treatment.

Naoki froze for a moment.

Wait… Pryce? From the Special world?

Naoki's heart skipped a beat.

Naoki's heart instantly jolted with alarm. The figure known as the Masked Man, the ultimate leader of Neo Team Rocket, had appeared. To achieve his sinister goals, Pryce had not only kidnapped numerous children from around the world but had even managed to capture two legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh and Lugia.

Pryce's strength was unfathomable. Under his command, even a simple Swinub, ordinary when trained by anyone else, had grown to rival legendary Pokémon!

Now, such a dangerous villain had arrived at his World Tree…

No! All the Pokémon living at the World Tree were in danger!

"I have to get to the World Tree immediately!" Naoki exclaimed urgently. "Indeedee, I'll leave Elara with you!"

"Ai-ye? O-okay! Seeing Naoki's anxious expression, Indeedee wasn't sure what had happened, but she quickly took Elara from Koraidon's arms, nodding reassuringly.

Naoki swiftly mounted Koraidon and dashed out the door. As they raced toward the World Tree, Naoki flipped through "The Adventures of Farfetch'd," desperate to uncover its connection to Pryce.

He soon found the information he needed.

\\[Farfetch'd had accidentally wandered into the T01 world through a Mystery Dungeon, where it encountered three Lapras. They introduced themselves as Laplace, Laprus, and La Prus.]

\\[These Lapras urgently asked Farfetch'd to find a specific human. Accepting the mission, Farfetch'd bravely searched and eventually discovered an injured Pryce trapped within the cracks of time, bringing him back to the World Tree for treatment.]

Reading these records, Naoki felt stunned.

Though he hadn't closely followed every detail of the Pokémon Adventures manga, Naoki recalled some crucial facts about Pryce.

Long ago, Pryce had tragically lost two beloved Lapras partners in a terrible accident, an event that devastated him and left him emotionally scarred.

Obsessed with reversing this tragedy, Pryce became fixated on capturing Celebi, hoping the legendary Pokémon could send him back through time to save his precious Lapras.

Driven by desperation, Pryce orchestrated an elaborate and sinister plan—kidnapping and manipulating children, turning them into loyal minions, revitalizing the remnants of Team Rocket, and using mind-controlling masks, all to capture Celebi.

Ultimately, Pryce succeeded in crafting the GS Ball, a special device capable of imprisoning Celebi. However, just as Pryce began his journey through time, the protagonist Gold intervened heroically. In a climactic battle, Gold's Pokémon shattered the GS Ball, freeing Celebi and leaving Pryce stranded and drifting aimlessly within the time stream.

In a bittersweet twist, Pryce eventually drifted to the exact moment when his beloved Lapras pair had passed away. At that touching reunion, their child, La Prus, flew lovingly toward its parents, finally reunited with them at last.

Witnessing this heartwarming scene, Pryce awakened to deep remorse, tears streaming down his face as he disappeared, forever lost within the currents of time.

...

Bonnus @1500 PS

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