Pokemon: A New Path-Working together to build a home[447]

Seeing a new Pokémon in the chat, Giratina immediately appeared and asked:

[Is this Pokémon also a god?]

The Rotom Phone in Mewtwo's hand automatically read the message aloud.

"God? No, I am not a god," Mewtwo responded, shaking its head. "I am… a Pokémon."

Naoki couldn't help but sigh and hold his forehead.

Ever since he had accidentally let it slip that the Legendary Pokémon Chat Group existed, Giratina had started seeing itself as a divine being.

And now, after observing Calyrex's immense power, Giratina had begun assuming that all Pokémon in this group were gods.

With Mewtwo's arrival, it was now questioning whether Mewtwo was divine as well.

Mewtwo's words were automatically transcribed in the chat:

[Mewtwo: God? No, I'm not a god. I'm… a Pokémon.]

[Giratina: Then how did you get in?]

Mewtwo: "…"

Seeing where this was going, Naoki quickly stepped in.

"It's my fault. Giratina, you should go about your business. I'm going to show Mewtwo around the World Tree."

Giratina was just curious about Mewtwo and, after hearing Naoki's words, didn't ask any further questions.

Finally, Naoki had the chance to explain the Rotom Phone to Mewtwo.

"This is an intelligent device developed by humans. Inside it lives a Pokémon called Rotom, which is why humans call it the Rotom Phone."

"With this, even if you're in Kanto and I'm in Paldea, we can still communicate. It has many other functions as well."

"The Rotom inside will explain the details to you."

Mewtwo nodded thoughtfully and looked down at the Rotom Phone in its hand.

A cheerful face appeared on the screen, and then Rotom's voice rang out:

"Hello, Mewtwo! I'm Rotom! Nice to meet you! Please take good care of me!"

Mewtwo had encountered human technology before and even built machines itself.

Thus, it quickly accepted the Rotom Phone's existence.

...

At lunchtime, Pokémon on the World Tree were still eating mostly berries.

Though the food options were limited, the Pokémon enjoyed their meals.

Naoki, however, felt a little guilty.

So after lunch, he called all the Pokémon together and led them to the large pile of supplies he had brought.

A crowd of Pokémon gathered, standing in neat rows.

The taller Pokémon stood at the back, while the smaller ones stood in front, all curiously eyeing the pile of items behind Naoki.

Naoki smiled and began introducing them.

"These are supplies I brought from the human world."

"There are crop seeds for farming, saplings for planting, cooking utensils, blankets for sleeping, machines for processing crops, and ingredients for cooking food."

"Tatsu!" (Sushi!)

The three Tatsugiri immediately jumped up excitedly.

Seeing their excited and expectant expressions, the other Pokémon also looked towards the three of them, with happy smiles on their faces.

Everyone felt the same way—there was nothing more exciting than building a home with their own hands.

Naoki chuckled at their enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, I brought everything! But let's go step by step."

Looking at the power storage device he had brought, Naoki asked,

"Is anyone willing to help generate electricity?"

"Meow?" Meowth tilted its head. "What's electricity?"

Naoki pointed to the streetlights in the park and sushi restaurant.

"With electricity, these lights will work at night and help light up the way home."

Hearing this, Treecko's eyes lit up.

"Treeck?" (Does that mean we won't be afraid of the dark anymore?)

Naoki nodded with a smile.

"Yes! But it requires help from Electric-type Pokémon."

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu immediately ran forward, eager to help!

"Baa!"

The two Mareep also stepped forward, their tails glowing with electricity.

"Then I'll leave it to you guys!" Naoki grinned.

"But you don't need to charge it every day. One charge lasts over a month."

"Once the World Tree ascends into the sky, we can switch to solar and wind power."

"Until then, I'll count on you!"

"Pikachu!"

"Mee-Mee!"

Pikachu and Mareep nodded enthusiastically.

To prove its strength, Pikachu crouched down, cheeks sparking with brilliant yellow electricity.

The powerful electric discharge illuminated everything nearby.

"That's amazing!" Naoki praised.

This Pikachu really was a clone of Ash's Pikachu—even without training, its electricity was exceptionally strong!

"Pika~"

Pikachu seemed a little shy when he heard Naoki's praise.

Now that the power issue was solved, the next step was agriculture.

As Naoki prepared crop seeds and saplings for the Pokémon, Mewtwo, who had been silently observing, suddenly spoke up:

"I can modify these machines and build a proper energy plant."

Naoki blinked in surprise.

"You can build that?"

Mewtwo nodded.

It had done similar things before.

With its enhanced intelligence from human genes and immense psychic powers, Mewtwo could easily learn and apply human knowledge.

Naoki wasn't entirely surprised—he had guessed that Mewtwo was capable of such things.

Still, he couldn't help but think…

Mewtwo had way too many skills for a Pokémon.

It could build houses. Modify machines. Lay concrete floors. Even hypnotize people…

In the movie, Mewtwo had once hypnotized Nurse Joy and brought her to New Island to be its caretaker.

Now, Team Rocket's greatest weapon was farming fields and setting up power plants…

If Giovanni knew about this, he'd probably lose his mind.

Naoki grinned.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

He was truly happy—since Mewtwo had volunteered, it meant it was beginning to see the World Tree as home.

Pokémon working together to build a self-sufficient paradise—how touching was that?

Maybe once Zapdos retired, it could settle down here and take charge of the power plant.

With energy sorted, the next step was planting crops.

Naoki gathered the seeds and saplings he had brought, preparing to head to the farmland.

But there was too much to carry alone.

Seeing this, the Pokémon eagerly came forward to help.

Charizard grabbed a bundle of saplings. Venusaur extended its vines to carry the larger fruit trees. Mudbray and Tropius each carried two bags of seeds. Smaller Pokémon like Pikachu, Wigglytuff, Vaporeon, and Meowth each took a small bag of seeds.

Everyone ran toward the farmland, their laughter echoing in the air, filled with hope for a better future.

Naoki, leading the group, glanced back and suddenly felt like he was a teacher on a kindergarten field trip.

Soon, they passed Slowking's Forest and arrived at the lush farmland, where Mewtwo and the other Pokémon had worked tirelessly to prepare the soil.

Naoki began sorting the seeds, grouping vegetables together and grains separately before explaining:

How to plant each type of crop. When to harvest them. How to collect seeds for future planting.

The Pokémon found planting and harvesting easy, but saving seeds and growing seedlings was more challenging.

Naoki explained patiently, but most Pokémon had trouble understanding the long-term process.

Seeing their confusion, Naoki wasn't discouraged.

'The crops haven't even been planted yet," he thought. 'Once they start growing, I'll teach them hands-on—learning by doing is always better.'

With that in mind, he led the Pokémon in sowing seeds across the cleared land.

At first, their movements were clumsy, but before long, they got the hang of it, and their efficiency improved dramatically.

Mewtwo, of course, wasn't one to stand idle.

Floating into the air, its eyes glowed blue, unleashing a wave of psychic energy across the land.

Then—whoosh!

Mewtwo dove down, and instantly, uncultivated land transformed into soft, rich farmland right before their eyes.

Naoki was completely stunned.

Mewtwo's ability was really too exaggerated!

Within minutes, every field had been carefully tilled.

Mewtwo even left perfectly spaced walking paths between rows of crops—ensuring Pokémon could easily tend to the plants without stepping on them.

It then used telekinesis to scatter seeds precisely into the designated plots.

The soil automatically covered the seeds, completing the process without a single mistake.

By the time Mewtwo finished, Naoki and the others had only just completed their section.

Naoki stood there, still trying to process what he had just witnessed.

'Mewtwo, the ultimate battle Pokémon… just became the world's best farmer.'

Seeing that all the crops were now planted, Naoki thought about labeling the fields with small signs so Pokémon could remember what was growing where.

But he hadn't brought any materials today, so he decided to return later to set it up properly.

Naoki then made another decision—

'These crops are special. Let the Pokémon watch them grow naturally. I won't ask Calyrex to speed up the process.'

"What's next?" Mewtwo asked.

"Watering," Naoki replied, looking at the Water-type Pokémon nearby.

"Wooo!"

Milotic gracefully glided forward, its scales shimmering under the sunlight.

With a wave of its tail, dark rain clouds gathered above the fields.

A gentle, steady rain began to fall, soaking the soil with life-giving water.

"Perfect!" Naoki nodded. "Using Rain Dance is a great way to irrigate the fields. But you can also use Water Gun for more targeted watering."

The four Water-types—Blastoise, Gyarados, Golduck, and Vaporeon—perked up.

They were more than happy to help water the fields in the future!

With the fields taken care of, Naoki turned his attention to the water-powered mill by the river.

He took out bags of rice and wheat from his supply sack and gestured toward the building.

"Now, let's see how we process harvested crops."

It was a short walk through the farmland before they arrived at the large wooden mill, which was powered by the river's steady flow.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Naoki placed a batch of rice into one of the chutes.

"This part of the mill crushes the grain, turning it into rice."

As the water wheel turned, a creaking sound echoed from inside.

After a few minutes, the process was complete.

Naoki walked to the output side, scooped up the freshly milled rice, and showed it to the Pokémon.

"This is rice! You can cook it or make sushi with it."

"Tatsu?!" (Are we going to make sushi now?!)

The three Tatsugiri squealed with excitement.

Naoki chuckled.

"Not yet! We still have one more step."

This time, he placed wheat into a different section of the mill.

A few moments later, snow-white flour emerged.

"This is flour. You can use it to make bread, pancakes, and buns."

"Pikachu..."

Pikachu's eyes sparkled at the thought of freshly baked bread.

Naoki could practically see it drooling in anticipation.

"Alright! Now that we've finished at the mill, let's head back to the guild!"

The three Tatsugiri immediately realized what Naoki meant—they were finally going to learn how to make sushi!

With a burst of excitement, the trio leaped onto him—one perched on his head, while the other two clung to his shoulders, one on each side.

"Alright, let's get started," Naoki chuckled before turning to Mewtwo. "Would you like to come with us?"

Mewtwo nodded.

Although it remained silent, it could sense the sincerity in Naoki's heart—this human truly loved Pokémon.

After a few twists and turns, the group finally returned to the Expedition Guild. Since there were no chickens living on the World Tree, Naoki had to bring some eggs from his ranch for the sushi preparation.

Once inside, he arranged the kitchen utensils, plates, and electrical appliances in their designated spots before starting his demonstration.

Since Venusaur was going to be the head chef at the sushi restaurant, the lesson focused mainly on it.

This cloned Venusaur looked different from an ordinary one—it had distinctive dark markings on its body, much like a warrior painted in camouflage. Despite its wild appearance, it had a calm and gentle nature.

"To make sushi, you need a few key ingredients," Naoki explained, placing several items on the counter.

The Pokémon, including Venusaur and Tatsugiri, immediately leaned in curiously.

"Rice, seaweed, fish, eggs, and carrots."

"First, we need to cook the rice. If we didn't have a rice cooker, we'd have to rely on Fire-type Pokémon to heat it up. But since I brought a rice cooker, we don't need Charizard's help for this part."

"Once the rice cooker is plugged in, we wash the rice, place it inside, add the right amount of water, and start steaming."

"While the rice is cooking, we'll prepare the other ingredients."

Venusaur and Tatsugiri watched intently, absorbing every detail.

Naoki picked up a sharp knife and began slicing fresh salmon on the cutting board.

Just then, one of the Tatsugiri suddenly squealed in terror—

"Tatsu!!"

It shrank back, trembling, its eyes locked onto the orange-red fish on the counter.

'W-Wait a second... Is that—Tatsugiri?! Are we making sushi with... me?!'

Naoki: "…"

He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"No, this isn't Tatsugiri—it's salmon. It's a kind of fish that Dragonite love to eat."

"Tatsu" "Really?" The trembling Tatsugiri still looked suspicious.

Naoki nodded.

"Why would I use you as an ingredient?"

The Tatsugiri trio exchanged glances, then reluctantly nodded in relief.

"This is called salmon," Naoki continued. "It usually lives in the sea. But don't worry—you don't have to travel far to find it."

"Just take the World Tree Elevator to Dragonite's Island, the ocean below, and you'll find plenty of salmon swimming there."

"Oh, and while you're down there, you can also collect nori—which is seaweed that dries into these thin sheets."

As he spoke, Naoki held up a crisp, black sheet of dried seaweed for the Pokémon to see.

"Both of these ingredients come from the ocean. So, if you ever run low, you'll need to gather them yourselves."

Naoki then looked at Vaporeon and Golduck, who were part of the sushi restaurant staff and Water-type Pokémon.

But… would they have experience catching fish?

"If you can't catch them yourselves, you can always ask Dragonite for help," Naoki suggested. "Just offer them some sushi in exchange."

The Tatsugiri trio puffed up their chests confidently. They turned to Vaporeon and Golduck and declared:

"Tatsu!" (The job of gathering ingredients is YOURS!)

Naoki sighed.

"You can't dump all the work on them. If they do everything, they'll be exhausted."

The Tatsugiri trio hesitated. If not Vaporeon and Golduck… then who?

After some quick thinking, one of them snapped its fins excitedly.

"Tatsu!" (We have an idea!)

Naoki raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What idea?"

The Tatsugiri trio grinned.

"Mee!" (Let's find our old friend—Crawdaunt!)

Naoki immediately understood.

The Crawdaunt was perfect for this task!

"Good thinking!" Naoki praised. "They're strong, they live in the water, and they love working together!"

But there was one problem—if they wanted to recruit Crawdaunt, they needed to travel to the lake… and Naoki couldn't leave right now.

At that moment, Mewtwo spoke up.

"I'll take them."

Naoki blinked.

"You will?"

Mewtwo nodded firmly.

"Okay," Naoki smiled. "I'll leave it to you."

Without another word, Mewtwo's telekinesis enveloped the three Tatsugiri, and in an instant—

They vanished.

Their destination? Casseroya Lake, to find the Crawdaunt.

With Mewtwo and the Tatsugiri trio gone, Naoki continued teaching Venusaur how to prepare sushi.

Despite its rough appearance, the cloned Venusaur was shockingly precise and intelligent.

After watching Naoki demonstrate a few times, Venusaur had already memorized each step perfectly.

"Alright," Naoki said, stepping back. "Show me what you've got."

Venusaur extended its vines, carefully scooping a spoonful of rice from the pot with a spoon. It then shaped the rice into a small ball, placed the thinly sliced salmon on top, and finally wrapped it in a sheet of seaweed.

Just like that, the first piece of salmon sushi was ready.

"Excellent! It looks like you've got the hang of it already." Naoki nodded in satisfaction.

"Next, I'll teach you how to make rolled sushi," Naoki continued.

This type of sushi involved rolling rice and ingredients inside a sheet of seaweed, then cutting it into smaller pieces for easier eating.

The method was simple yet delicate, and Venusaur picked it up quickly.

"We still have plenty of ingredients. Do you want to make some sushi for everyone to try?" Naoki asked.

"Venu" (Yes!) Venusaur nodded enthusiastically.

Golduck and Vaporeon stepped forward to help, gracefully inviting the Pokémon to sit down before serving freshly made sushi.

A lively gathering began as Pokémon happily enjoyed their meal.

Venusaur didn't forget to save a portion for Mewtwo.

Watching these Pokémon bonding over food, Naoki couldn't help but smile.

With the Pokémon busy enjoying their sushi, Naoki quietly stepped away to organize the rest of the furniture and supplies.

The Pokémon Tavern, the Pokémon Restaurant, the Expedition Guild…

But there was still one place missing something important.

"The item shop doesn't have any items yet."

Naoki thought for a moment.

"Maybe I can teach Pokémon how to identify berries and let them stock the shop with different kinds."

Berries had various effects—some restored health, some cured poisoning, and others healed status conditions like paralysis and freezing.

"In a way, berries are like potions in a role-playing game."

According to his plan, he originally wanted to invite Pawmot's parents to the World Tree to manage the shop.

"But first, there's something even more important to take care of."

There were no eggs on the World Tree.

If they wanted a stable supply, they needed hens.

"The two Pawmot back at the ranch already have experience raising chickens, so they'd be the perfect caretakers for a chicken coop here."

There was also the matter of the Expedition Guild headquarters.

"The three founding members of the Great Hero Expedition Team are still out traveling. I'll wait for them to return before finalizing the details of how the guild will be run."

Before he realized it, Naoki had finished organizing all the supplies he had brought to the World Tree.

His mission for the day was complete. It was finally time to return to the ranch.

Just then, Mewtwo returned from the Casseroya Lake—with three large, dopey-looking Crawdaunt following behind.

However, since water-type Pokémon like Crawdaunt weren't suitable for land travel, the Tatsugiri quickly explained everything about the World Tree before sending them to live in the ocean below Dragonite Island.

With that, the sushi restaurant now had a dedicated supplier.

Whenever they ran low on ingredients, Tatsugiri could go straight to the ocean to buy fresh seafood from its brothers.

As evening fell, Naoki prepared to leave.

"I'll be heading back now. I might come by again in a few days. If you need anything, just—"

Before he could finish, Tatsugiri cut him off.

"Tatsu!" (I know, I know! If we have any questions, we'll ask Slowking!)

Naoki: "…"

"Alright then!"

He turned to Mewtwo.

"If something urgent comes up, use the Rotom Phone to contact me, and I'll come help."

Mewtwo nodded.

As Naoki left the World Tree, he glanced back at Mewtwo.

For some reason, he suddenly had a thought—

"Mewtwo… kind of looks like the captain of the World Tree's security team."

Actually, that title suited it perfectly.

With Mewtwo guarding this place, there was no need to worry about intruders.

But when the World Tree finally ascends into the sky, it's bound to attract human attention.

After all, there are satellites orbiting the planet—a tree this massive would be impossible to hide forever.

"When that happens, humans will probably send expedition teams to investigate."

That was going to be a problem.

And keeping the World Tree in the Distortion World forever wasn't an option either.

"Pokémon need sunlight and moonlight to thrive."

If they never saw the sun, they'd eventually become depressed.

Although the sunflowers exist, it is impossible for a tiny sunflower to illuminate every corner of the World Tree.

Naoki tried hard to think of a solution.

Naoki leaned back on the sofa at his ranch, deep in thought.

"Would it be possible to ask Dragonite to summon a perpetual storm around the World Tree, keeping outsiders away?"

Or perhaps he could rely on Mewtwo's psychic abilities—

"Could Mewtwo distort space, creating a hidden realm so that no one could detect the World Tree's location?"

The idea made sense. A floating, mystical tree in the sky would undoubtedly attract attention, especially from human explorers and researchers.

After pondering for a moment, Naoki grabbed his Rotom Phone and sent a message to Mewtwo.

Meanwhile, on the World Tree…

Mewtwo was examining the functions of its own Rotom Phone.

It had long mastered human writing, thanks to the time it spent constructing its high-tech fortress on the Island. Not only could it read and write fluently, but it had also learned programming.

At that very moment, curiosity struck.

Mewtwo opened a web browser and typed into the search bar:

"Why do Pokémon exist?"

Even though it already knew the answer, Mewtwo was interested in how humans perceived the question.

But before it could explore further, a notification popped up.

Mewtwo recognized the name—Gold King was Naoki's alias in the chat group.

Gold King: "Hey Mewtwo, I have a favor to ask."

"In a few weeks, the World Tree will return to the real world. When that happens, it's bound to cause a massive stir. People will see it, and before long, explorers will start arriving."

"So… could you use your psychic abilities to distort space and create a secret barrier around the World Tree? Something that would make it invisible to outsiders?"

Mewtwo paused.

A concealed space…? A hidden realm?

This was something it had never attempted before, but Naoki's words sparked an idea.

Mewtwo thought about the psychic techniques it had mastered.

If I combine Trick Room, Light Screen, and Psychic Terrain… perhaps it's possible.

It formulated a plan:

First, it would generate a Trick Room, altering the flow of space itself. Next, it would erect a Light Screen to create a transparent yet impenetrable wall. Finally, it would use Psychic Terrain to cast an illusion, erasing the World Tree from outside perception.

In theory, ordinary humans would never be able to detect its presence.

After a brief pause, Mewtwo replied to Naoki's message.

Mewtwo: "I can give it a try."

Seeing Mewtwo's reply, Naoki let out a sigh of relief.

"That takes care of one problem. At least the World Tree won't become a tourist attraction."

Even if some trainers—like Ash Ketchum—somehow stumbled upon it, Naoki figured he could just let them treat it as an adventure.

"But if anyone comes with bad intentions…"

Then they would have to face the guardians.

Calyrex, in its Shadow Rider form, mounted on Spectrier, Giratina, lurking in the shadows. Mewtwo, a being of unmatched intelligence, capable of reading and erasing memories

And when Naoki grew older, he planned to send his three Gogoat to stand guard at the entrance, much like the Regi trio guarding the Kanto World Tree.

That wasn't all.

"Plus, there's the Dragonite Corps."

To even set foot in the World Tree, invaders would first have to defeat the Gogoat guardians.

Then they'd have to fight past Giratina and Koraidon.

And even if they managed to survive all that—

Mewtwo and Calyrex would be waiting for them at the summit.

With this level of protection, it was nearly impossible for any human to reach the World Tree.

…Oh, wait. There was one more thing.

"What about Rayquaza?"

Naoki suddenly recalled the Shiny Rayquaza that Dragonite had once invited to visit the ranch.

"I should talk to Dragonite about Rayquaza. Maybe we can invite it to the World Tree as well."

If successful, this would add yet another layer of defense.

"All that's left now is for the World Tree to finish growing."

...

April 20, Year 200 of the Pokémon League Calendar

Nearly half a month had passed since Mewtwo arrived at the World Tree.

During this time, Naoki made several visits, bringing various supplies to the Pokémon living there.

Naoki had noticed something interesting. Whenever the Pokémon at the World Tree had a problem, they would instantly run to Slowking for advice.

Questions like:

"How do I make more friends?"

"How do we grow stronger seedlings?"

"What's the best way to transport flour?"

At first, Slowking was able to answer most of them, but Naoki worried that some questions might be too complex.

So, to help, he purchased several books from Kosaji Town, including Agriculture & Farming, Animal Husbandry, A World Encyclopedia

And to ensure Slowking could always find answers, Naoki did one more thing—

He gave Slowking a Rotom Phone.

One of the newest additions to the World Tree was a brand-new chicken coop.

Naoki had personally built it, and with Pawmot's parents now managing it, the Pokémon living on the World Tree would have a stable supply of eggs.

However, hens were not Naoki's first choice.

"If possible, I'd rather invite Pokémon like Chansey to live here."

Unlike ordinary eggs, Chansey's eggs were nutrient-rich and abundant—they could even lay multiple eggs a day.

The problem?

Chansey Pokémon were extremely rare.

Once, long ago, Chansey populations thrived in the wild. However, when humans discovered the nutritional benefits of their eggs, mass hunting began.

Over time, wild Chansey became nearly extinct, making it incredibly difficult to find one today.

Still, Naoki had managed to secure some additional food supplies for the World Tree.

He purchased three Miltank and two Alcremie from a town ranch and had them sent to the World Tree.

Now, the Pokémon had a constant supply of milk, eggs, cream, and berries.

Additionally, Arboliva shared its high-quality olive oil with everyone.

Some Pokémon who were interested in cooking began to make cakes and bake desserts in the oven according to the method given by Slowking.

Of course, mistakes happened.

One accident resulted in an oven explosion, nearly setting the guild on fire. Fortunately, a Water-type Pokémon was nearby and quickly extinguished the flames.

Hearing about the incident, Naoki sent them a brand-new oven the very next day.

It had been half a month since Naoki, Mewtwo, and the others planted crops.

And now?

The first batch of crops was nearly ready for harvest.

Perhaps it was due to the rich natural energy of the World Tree, but the crops had grown abnormally fast and were exceptionally high in quality.

Mewtwo even sent Naoki a picture of the fields in full bloom.

"I'll head over in a few days to help with the harvest," Naoki thought.

With time, the World Tree had fully stabilized, evolving into a thriving Pokémon sanctuary.

And after working tirelessly for weeks, Naoki finally had a chance to rest.

...

With the arrival of summer, the weather was getting hotter.

Only mornings and late afternoons remained cool enough for Naoki to do his daily tasks.

During those hours, he would sell fresh produce at the local market or repair wooden fences damaged by wild Pokémon

The rest of the time?

Relaxing at home, playing Pokémon games, and browsing the internet.

Recently, Naoki has been keeping a close eye on news from the Hoenn region.

If his predictions were correct, something big was about to happen this year.

This was the year when Team Magma and Team Aqua would awaken Groudon and Kyogre.

One wanted to expand land. The other wanted to flood the world.

Soon, Groudon and Kyogre would clash in an earth-shattering battle, plunging the Hoenn region into chaos.

With the rise of the internet, information spread faster than ever.

Naoki quickly found a suspicious online post from a self-proclaimed member of Team Aqua.

Username: King of the Sea

Post: "The Hoenn Alliance is weak! Soon, Team Aqua's grand plan will be complete! The world will bow before the sea!"

Posted: Two days ago

Naoki chuckled.

"This guy has a death wish."

Curious, he clicked on the comments section—

And immediately burst out laughing.

Pinned at the top was an official statement from the Hoenn Alliance:

Hoenn Alliance: This individual was arrested by Hoenn police earlier this morning. Upon investigation, they were confirmed to be a member of the criminal organization Team Aqua. The Hoenn Alliance is now actively monitoring Team Aqua's movements. Citizens, please report any suspicious individuals to your local authorities.

"Wow. This guy really jinxed himself. Popped the champagne too early, huh?"

Meanwhile, Team Magma was probably celebrating—with all attention on Team Aqua, their own plans would go much more smoothly.

Still, the thought of Groudon and Kyogre waking up made Naoki a bit uneasy.

"Once they clash, Hoenn will be in serious danger…"

Deep in thought, Naoki suddenly heard a notification from his Rotom Phone.

New Message from a Friend

"Huh? Who could it be?"

He unlocked the screen and saw a small red dot beside Geeta's profile picture.

"…It's her?"

Geeta: "Naoki, summer is just around the corner! As a thank-you for hosting the Paldean Alliance guests, we've arranged a special vacation trip just for you!"

"Private jet, luxury hotel, all meals included.

Destination: Levincia City! It's the perfect summer getaway—sun, beaches, and relaxation!"

Naoki: "…"

Something felt off.

"Why is she being so nice all of a sudden?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Is she trying to win me over? Does she want me to work for the Paldean League?"

Unfortunately, now was the worst possible time.

Naoki had no time for a vacation—he still had to help with the harvest at the World Tree.

After thinking for a moment, he typed a polite response.

Naoki: "Thank you for the generous offer! But I'm currently busy managing the ranch, so I won't be able to leave. Maybe another time."