Pokemon: A New Path

Kitakami Township? Sweet black tea?

Naoki caught onto a key detail in Madame Dantes' words. If he remembered correctly, Kitakami Township was a map from the Pokémon Vermilion DLC. However, during his time, that content hadn't been released yet.

Intrigued, Naoki took a sip of the tea.

A delightful sweetness, balanced by a light milky aroma, spread through his mouth.

'Wow! This sweet black tea is incredible,! Naoki thought, raising his eyebrows in pleasant surprise.

Noticing his reaction, Mrs. Dantes smiled. "It's good, isn't it? This is a specialty from Kitakami Township! You can't find it anywhere else!"

Naoki nodded in agreement, savoring the unique flavor.

Just then, an elderly man with gray hair and a healthy, rosy complexion, despite his age, walked in from the backyard. He wore a brown vest and carried himself with a surprising vigor.

Seeing the newcomers, Mrs. Dantes introduced them:

"This is the new rancher, Naoki, I mentioned before."

Then, turning to the man, she said, "And this is my husband, Wright. He had been bedridden, but thanks to your goat milk, he's able to walk again!"

Wright approached and extended his hand to Naoki. "Hello, Naoki. Is this the first time we're meeting? Thank you so much. If you have time in the future, you should come visit us often."

Madame Dantes nodded in agreement, adding with a smile, "I'll treat you to the best sweet black tea then."

Naoki was initially surprised that the milk from his Skiddo could have such a medicinal effect, but then he smiled and replied, "I'll look forward to it. Thank you in advance."

He was genuinely happy that the products from his ranch could help others.

'Maybe this is what makes relationships between people truly meaningful', Naoki thought. There's no pretense, no lies, no deception—just sincerity and gratitude.

After finishing his tea, Naoki said goodbye to the two elders and returned to the ranch, feeling uplifted for the day.

However, the aftermath of the typhoon was evident. The storm had caused considerable damage to the ranch.

The crops in the fields had been battered, and a fruit tree that had grown to about half a meter in height had been snapped in half, leaving Naoki feeling disheartened.

The fences around the sheepfold where the Skiddo lived had been blown down, and the awning had been damaged, with parts of the roof torn off by the wind.

Fortunately, Naoki had transferred the Skiddo into their Poké Balls the previous day, preventing any greater losses.

By comparison, the chicken coop, salt house, and Pokémon house had been sturdily built and suffered no damage.

Thanks to Naoki's foresight in locking the doors and windows of the chicken coop, the hens and chicks inside had spent the night safely.

As he surveyed the damage, Naoki set to work repairing the fences.

Naoki retrieved tools from the utility room and set to work repairing the damage. He used a hammer and nails to fix the fence that had been blown down by the wind. Then, with Koraidon's help, they lifted the roof that had been torn off and carefully restored it to its original state.

By the time they finished, it was already noon.

Naoki turned on the TV and started preparing lunch for everyone. As he chopped vegetables, he listened to the news program playing in the background.

The anchor's voice caught his attention:

"It is reported that Typhoon [Nuya], which was originally expected to impact Paldea for five days, mysteriously disappeared early this morning."

"We don't know exactly what caused this, but it may be good news for the Paldea region."

"Typhoon [Rampage] has caused some damage to the Pokémon ecosystem in coastal areas, and many wild Pokémon have been affected. Currently, Pokémon Centers in nearby towns are treating those Pokémon."

Listening to the broadcast, Naoki's intuition told him that something wasn't adding up.

'How could a typhoon just disappear like that?' he thought. 'That's the raw power of nature. It's nearly impossible to just dispel a typhoon unless someone or something with absolute strength was involved.'

He recalled the scars on Dragonite's body—sharp, almost as if they had been caused by a powerful storm.

'Did Dragonite go to the heart of the typhoon?' Naoki wondered. There had to be something more to the story, something that perhaps only Dragonite knew.

Naoki also remembered the two moves Dragonite had used earlier. While learning Hurricane made sense, mastering Dragon Dance in such a short time was unusual.

'Could it have been because Dragonite ate the lucky pudding before setting off?' he mused.

Determined to find out, Naoki waited until Dragonite woke up. As soon as it did, he rushed over and asked about the typhoon.

"Did you go to the typhoon last night?" Naoki asked.

"Ouch!" Dragonite nodded, confirming it had indeed ventured into the storm.

'That makes sense,' Naoki thought, momentarily at a loss for words. He then continued, "Do you know how the typhoon disappeared?"

He explained what the news report had said about the sudden end of the storm.

Upon hearing this, Dragonite blinked, then widened its eyes in shock. "Ouch!" it exclaimed, as if suddenly realizing something.

"What?" Naoki asked, confused by Dragonite's reaction.

Dragonite began to excitedly recount its experience, gesturing and making noises that Naoki tried to follow. "Awoo, awoo, awoo!"

Naoki: "..."

Naoki suddenly felt an almost comical barrier of communication between himself and Dragonite, like trying to decipher an ancient language without a key.

"If only I had Aura," Naoki muttered regretfully, wishing he could understand Pokémon speech more clearly.

Dragonite began to hum again, eagerly trying to recount its experience from the previous night. Naoki listened intently but struggled to grasp the meaning. He could see the shock, admiration, and excitement in Dragonite's eyes and suddenly had an idea. "Did you meet other humans there?"

'Humans? A trainer, perhaps'?

'What kind of trainer could dispel a typhoon?' Naoki wondered. 'A champion? Maybe even a legendary figure?'

But Dragonite shook its head in denial. "Ouch!" it insisted, first shaking its head and then pointing at itself.

"Another Dragonite?" Naoki guessed, thinking of the giant Dragonite rumored to be at Masaki Lighthouse in the Kanto region.

But Dragonite shook its head again.

"It's not Dragonite, nor is it a human." Naoki's mind raced as he considered another possibility. "Was it another Pokémon?"

"Ouch!" Dragonite nodded enthusiastically. This time, Naoki had guessed correctly.

Dragonite conveyed that it had encountered a very powerful Pokémon, one that didn't need to act—just its presence alone had been enough to make the typhoon vanish.

"A Pokémon." Naoki fell deep into thought.

A Pokémon capable of making a typhoon disappear was certainly not ordinary. Could it have been a legendary Pokémon? The idea stirred Naoki's curiosity.

He thought of several Pokémon associated with wind, ocean currents, and cyclones.

'Could it have been Lugia or Rayquaza?' Naoki wondered.

He described the appearance of both Pokémon to Dragonite.

When Naoki described Lugia, Dragonite showed no reaction. But when he mentioned Rayquaza, Dragonite's eyes lit up, and it nodded repeatedly.

'That's it! But, the colors don't match.' Naoki thought.

Dragonite frowned, clearly conflicted. It looked around and then pointed its chubby paw at Naoki's black leather boots.

"Ouch!" Dragonite exclaimed. 'It was this color!'

Naoki's eyes widened in realization.

Black Rayquaza!

He couldn't help but gasp in amazement.