Pokemon: A New Path

To help Farfetch'd with its training, Naoki immediately visited Kelly's workshop after leaving the Pokémon Center and ordered nine wooden dummies.

Kelly nodded in understanding, explaining that other trainers had ordered similar dummies from her in the past for Pokémon training.

"I'll bring them over when I come by tomorrow to install the heating pipes for the Slugma," Kelly added.

"Good," Naoki replied, satisfied with the arrangement. He then rode Koraidon back to the ranch.

Evening at the Ranch

Exhausted from days of traveling, Naoki leaned back on the sofa to rest and asked sister Indeedee to prepare dinner. Outside, the night enveloped the ranch, with only the occasional calls of bird Pokémon breaking the silence.

Inside the warm living room, the atmosphere was lively. The Slugma enjoyed a plate of Poffins by the fireplace, occasionally letting out cheerful chirps as it ate. Glaceon and Cyclizar lay nearby, watching the Slugma with curious expressions.

Pawmot and Alcremie were tired from their daytime adventures. They lay on the sofa, flanking Calyrex, who was watching television, their bodies completely at ease.

On the coffee table, Sinistea and Polteageist dozed lightly. Flutter Mane hovered near the ceiling, drowsy due to its adjusted schedule. Meanwhile, Arboliva rested on the sofa with its eyes closed.

Naoki's gaze swept over his Pokémon family, and a sense of contentment filled him.

Ogerpon sat obediently beside him, its eyes sparkling like stars as it glanced around.

"Oge…" Ogerpon whispered, its voice soft with wonder.

Everything about this ranch seemed like a dream to it—the warm camaraderie of the Pokémon, the kindness they showed. Glaceon taking it to pick flowers, Alcremie sharing its sweet cream, Pawmot showing it the chicken coop, and Cyclizar sneaking it berries—all these acts made Ogerpon feel deeply welcome.

For the first time, Ogerpon didn't feel the need to wear a mask to conceal itself. The mayor had even invited it to visit the town. These were moments it could never have imagined back in Kitakami.

Thinking of this, Ogerpon's eyes welled up with tears.

Naoki noticed right away. Concerned, he asked, "What's wrong?"

The other Pokémon gathered quickly, their voices filled with worry. They asked if Ogerpon had been bullied and assured it they'd stand up for it if needed.

Hearing their kindness, Ogerpon chuckled through its tears and shook its head. "Pon~" (I'm just happy.)

Naoki watched the scene unfold and felt a swell of pride. These kind-hearted Pokémon had all grown up under his care.

After dinner, Naoki prepared a room for Ogerpon on the second floor, right next to the Indeedee siblings. As the house quieted, Ogerpon lay on its soft bed, listening to the faint sounds of Pokémon settling in downstairs.

The quiet eventually gave way to sleep, but Ogerpon couldn't rest. It got up and approached the bookshelf, where four masks were displayed. Its gaze lingered on the green grass mask, adorned with a shard of Terastal energy that Naoki had salvaged from a crystal pool.

"Oge~" it murmured softly, its emotions a mix of gratitude and hope.

...

The Next Morning

At nine o'clock, Kelly arrived at the ranch in her truck. Her workers quickly unloaded square heating pipes and the wooden dummies.

After ensuring all the materials were accounted for, Kelly turned to Naoki and asked, "Where should we set up the wooden dummies?"

"Let me check," Naoki replied, scanning the ranch. However, no suitable space seemed available. Most of the ranch was already occupied, leaving little room for new installations.

The chicken coop, the large Pokemon House, the former salt storage house, the stable, the orchard, the World Tree, the flower field, the sheepfold for Gogoat, the glass greenhouse, the Pokémon tavern, and the sprawling farmland.

Naoki looked around the ranch, suddenly realizing just how much it had grown.

Unconsciously, it had developed into something much bigger than he had ever anticipated.

Naoki hesitated, unsure of where to place the new equipment.

Kelly, who hadn't visited the ranch in some time, glanced around and smiled. "It looks like your ranch is getting busier and more prosperous!"

Naoki's gaze fell on the empty space next to the stable. He pointed and said, "Let's put it there."

That was the only remaining open space. Other areas, like the grasslands, were reserved for the Glastrier, Spectrier, and Miltank to roam and roll freely. Losing that space would deprive them of their freedom to run, an essential part of their happiness and health. Without exercise, they would grow restless and despondent.

"Got it!" Kelly nodded, directing her workers to move the materials to the designated area.

Under Kelly's supervision, the workers hammered and secured the wooden dummies. When everything was done, a dedicated practice zone for Farfetch'd was completed.

The setup consisted of nine wooden dummies arranged neatly in three rows of three.

Naoki recalled the agreement he made with Farfetch'd the previous night. To prevent it from overeating and risking its health, Naoki had limited it to six servings of the fruit platter daily—two servings each in the morning, noon, and evening.

However, Farfetch'd had objected vehemently, fluffing its feathers and insisting it could handle more. Naoki reluctantly increased the limit to nine servings per day.

Even so, Farfetch'd couldn't stop thinking about the fruit platters. After the ordeal it went through the previous day, it was determined to master a god-level sword skill. Otherwise, all its suffering would have been for nothing.

Calling Farfetch'd, who was staring intently at a piece of fruit, Naoki gestured toward the practice zone. "You can practice your moves here."

Farfetch'd, holding its leek with a look of fierce determination, nodded. After a night of rest, it had regained its usual swordsman-like demeanor.

Without hesitation, it raised its leek high and struck a wooden dummy with precision. The satisfying thud reverberated in the air as Farfetch'd tested its strength against the sturdy dummies.

Pleased with the setup, Farfetch'd nodded at Naoki and continued to dart skillfully between the dummies, delivering swift and calculated strikes.

Naoki watched silently, his lips parting as though to say something, but he stopped himself. He wanted to suggest that Farfetch'd wait until it had mastered some new moves from the fruit platter before resuming its rigorous training. After all, it currently only knew the move Sword Dance, so there wasn't much to lose if it forgot it temporarily.

But seeing the intensity and dedication in Farfetch'd's actions, Naoki decided against interrupting. 

Let it practice, he thought. Repeated training would only enhance its proficiency. Once it mastered these techniques to perfection, relearning them—even if forgotten—would be far easier.

Kelly, watching from the side, commented with admiration, "That's one hardworking Pokémon."

Naoki smiled knowingly, thinking back to the previous day. This determined Farfetch'd had consumed nearly forty berries in a single sitting, all in its quest to learn powerful moves. It had pushed itself to the brink of exhaustion in its pursuit of greatness.

The two turned and walked back toward the house, leaving Farfetch'd to its training.

Next, it was time to help the Slugma build its new home.

On the way, Kelly gazed into the distance, her eyes settling on the land across the river. She suddenly turned to Naoki and said, "Have you ever thought about expanding your ranch? That way, your Pokémon would have more space to roam, and you could raise even more of them."

Naoki was momentarily surprised. "Expand the ranch? How would I do that?"

He followed Kelly's gaze and saw the open fields on the other side of the river.

Understanding dawned on him, and he asked excitedly, "Can that land be purchased?"

"Of course," Kelly nodded with a smile. "It might cost a fair amount, but once you buy it, the land will be yours. It's perfect for ranchers like you who want to expand their operations."

Naoki felt a surge of excitement.

If he bought that land, he could raise more Pokémon!

He had always wanted to raise some Wooloo and Tropius, among others.

But due to the limited size of his ranch, these ideas had never come to fruition.

And now...

Naoki's excitement was evident, but he soon calmed down as he considered some important details.

"What about property rights?" Naoki asked.

"Property rights?" Kelly looked puzzled.

Naoki explained, "If I buy that land, is there a time limit? Like, after 70 years, does the land no longer belong to me?"

"How could that be?" Kelly was a bit confused but clarified, "Once you buy the land, it's yours! The Pokémon League will issue you a land deed and register the information online."

"Even when you're older, you can pass it on to your descendants. It will always be yours. If someone tries to take over your land, you can report it to the League, and they'll help you handle it."

"Permanent ownership?" Naoki felt his heart skip a beat.

"Unless you decide to sell it," Kelly laughed.

"Where do I go to buy it?" Naoki asked eagerly.

"That's easy—you can talk to Mayor Thomas. As the mayor, he can help you with the process," Kelly suggested.

"Got it, thanks!" Naoki was ready to head straight to Mayor Thomas to incorporate the land across the river into his ranch.

Then he could hire a few more Diglett to help with the work and cultivate plots of land to plant berry trees, crops, and flowers, creating an area like the lush orchards in the nearby towns.

In addition to farming, he could also raise more productive Pokémon.

For example, Tropius.

Tropius has fruits growing around its neck that ripen twice a year. Although the fruits it produces might not be as plentiful as what it eats, it's a Pokémon! Whether it makes money or not doesn't matter—as long as it's happy at home.

That's probably the greatest joy for a collector!

Watching various Pokémon living on your farm, helping out, or producing goods.

The lively, vibrant, and prosperous scene made him happy just imagining it.

He could also plant a leek garden for Farfetch'd, raise a flock of fluffy Wooloo, collect Eevee of all types, and create an Eevee paradise with slides, swings, and seesaws for them to play on...

And he would feel joyful just sitting there, watching the happy smiles of the Eevee.

Kelly led the Machamps into the house to install the heating pipes.

The job required breaking down parts of the walls and embedding the pipes inside. To prevent accidents, the power supply to the ranch was temporarily shut off.

Without electricity, Calyrex could no longer watch TV. Left with no choice, he settled in the garden with Sinistea and Polteageist for a quiet tea session.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Pokémon on the ranch played and frolicked on the grassy fields.

Naoki, worried that Calyrex might grow bored, decided to keep him company.

"In a couple of years, I'll buy you a mobile phone. Then you'll be able to watch whatever shows you want, whenever you want!" Naoki said enthusiastically.

Calyrex, startled by the mention of a mobile phone, used telepathy to ask, "Mobile phone? What is that?"

Naoki, momentarily caught off guard by his own excitement, paused to think before replying.

"It's a human invention—kind of like a combination of a small television and a videophone," Naoki explained. "With a mobile phone, and as long as there's internet, you can connect with people from all over the world. You can even use it to search for cartoons and watch whatever you like without being interrupted by ads."

Naoki hoped the video software in this world wouldn't require membership. But even if it did, he resolved to buy a lifetime membership for Calyrex.

Hearing this, Calyrex's eyes lit up with excitement. "A device like that exists?"

Naoki nodded. "That's right! For example, if Zacian and Zamazenta also had mobile phones, you'd be able to video call them from here in Paldea to check in on how they're doing. It's incredibly convenient, don't you think?"

Calyrex nodded, impressed by the concept. A faint blush of embarrassment crossed his face as he admitted, "I… I want a mobile phone."

Seeing Calyrex's eagerness, Naoki chuckled softly and cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, this kind of phone hasn't been invented yet. It'll probably take another two years for it to be developed."

Calyrex's eyes dimmed slightly with disappointment, but his spirits quickly lifted. "I've lived in this world for thousands of years. What's two more? I can wait!"

Naoki smiled warmly and promised, "Alright, then. As soon as it's available, I'll make sure you're the first one to have it."

Calyrex's heart swelled with gratitude for Naoki's kindness, while Naoki himself sank into deep thought.

There was so much to do.

He needed to finalize the plan to expand the ranch, raise more Pokémon, and check on the progress of Nemona's father's company to potentially invest and offer research suggestions for developing mobile phones.

Just as his thoughts were spiraling, the ground beneath Naoki's feet suddenly began to shake.

Startled, he looked down to see Dugtrio poking their heads out of the soil, chittering anxiously.

"Hm?" Naoki crouched down to their level and asked, "What's wrong?"

The Dugtrio squeaked in their characteristic high-pitched tones, their little bodies twitching with urgency.

Calyrex, sensing their distress, translated their words through telepathy. "They've found something strange in the underground cave," he explained.