Pokemon: A New Path

The feather of the Lunar Pokémon, Cresselia.

Naoki hadn't expected that the reward Geeta had mentioned would be something so precious!

Cresselia, known as the embodiment of the crescent moon, is the counterpart to the Pitch-Black Pokémon, Darkrai. While Darkrai causes nightmares, Cresselia brings sweet dreams.

According to legend, sleeping with one of Cresselia's feathers guarantees a night of beautiful dreams. And if someone carries it long-term, it wards off nightmares entirely.

There was no question—this was an incredible gift.

Naoki accepted the feather and thanked Geeta sincerely."Thank you."

May his daughter never be haunted by bad dreams.

Geeta smiled. She leaned in close, gazing at the baby nestled in the crib. In a gentle whisper, she said:

"Elara, grow up healthy and strong, okay?"

Geeta didn't linger long at the ranch. After delivering her gift and checking in on the newborn, she bid farewell to Naoki, explaining that she needed to return to the Paldea League to handle the year's new tasks.

"It's only the first day of the new year," Naoki said with surprise. "Things are already that busy?"

"Well, we finished wrapping up last year's work, but the new year's assignments have piled up quickly. Early January is always a hectic time for the Paldea League," Geeta explained.

With snowstorms frequently blocking roads and increasing the risk of travel accidents, and with wild Pokémon struggling to find food during the harsh winter, sometimes even wandering into towns, these incidents were pouring into the League for response. All those reports had to be processed by various departments across the League.

In short, being the Champion and League President, in Geeta's case, was no small task.

"I see," Naoki nodded, respecting her dedication.

"Well then, I'll see you again soon!"

With that, Geeta turned and left.

Alder, watching her go, couldn't help but sigh. "What a remarkable woman."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naoki asked, a bit puzzled.

Alder's tone was filled with admiration.

"You didn't know? The Champion of Paldea also serves as the President of the entire League. Geeta handles both roles at once. That's no easy feat."

It suddenly dawned on Naoki, he'd never heard of a separate League President in Paldea. So Geeta really was managing everything on her own?

From top to bottom, the Paldea League was built on overwork!

Respect.

Unlike Geeta, Alder wasn't in a rush to leave. So Naoki and Iono invited him to stay for lunch.

Alder happily accepted.

"It's been way too long since I had Naoki's cooking. Finally, I get to enjoy a proper meal again!"

Iono giggled while Naoki smiled.

"Alright then—lunch is on me. I'll make sure you're stuffed."

It was getting late, so Naoki rolled up his sleeves and headed to the kitchen.

Alder relaxed on the couch.

"Oh, by the way," Alder added, "that egg I gave you should hatch soon. Probably within the next few days. Keep an eye on it."

"That fast?" Naoki blinked.

"For a Bug-type, Volcarona's offspring already has slow development. Most Bug Pokémon hatch within a couple of weeks. But Volcarona eggs take several months to mature," Alder explained.

Naoki nodded thoughtfully. As far as he knew, even though Volcarona is classified as a Bug-type Pokémon, its growth cycle was more comparable to that of a pseudo-Legendary.

In the games, Larvesta has to reach level 59 before it can evolve into Volcarona.

Even Dragonair evolves into Dragonite at level 55.

That alone says a lot about how long it takes a Pokémon like Larvesta to mature.

Still, Naoki had expected this. Volcarona was an incredibly rare Pokémon—rarer, even, than Hydreigon, the pseudo-Legendary of the Unova region.

In ancient times, Volcarona was revered as the emissary of the sun. Its glowing wings and fiery presence earned it a divine status, with many calling it the embodiment of the sun itself.

All of this only made the egg Alder had given him even more precious. After all, it was the child of a champion-level Volcarona.

Clearly, Alder was sincerely grateful for his past help.

But to Naoki, what he'd done had felt like a small favor at the time.

He couldn't help but reflect.

Sometimes life is like that, seeds you plant without much thought can blossom one day into towering trees, their roots strong and deep.

Alder's friendship was one of those seeds. And this was its fruit.

That's the magic of the Pokémon world. Strangers meet, bond through Pokémon, and become lifelong friends.

To celebrate their friendship, Naoki cooked a hearty lunch.

Alder enjoyed every bite, and after the meal, he started sharing some of the latest news from the Kalos region.

"Oh right, Naoki—have you heard the rumors coming out of Kalos lately? About something called super evolution?" Alder asked, his eyes gleaming.

"You mean… Mega Evolution?" Naoki paused, caught off guard.

Alder nodded. "Yeah! I think that's what the researchers are calling it. Basically, the three-stage evolution we all know might not be the final step for some Pokémon. They can go beyond that."

"For example, look at Tepig from Unova. First it evolves into Pignite, then Emboar. Normally, we'd say Emboar is its final form, right? But according to researchers in Kalos, Pokémon can go even further, beyond their limits."

Naoki blinked.

So signs of Mega Evolution had already begun surfacing around this time?

That made sense. When Ash began his journey through Kalos, Mega Evolution had already become fairly well known.

"Yes, I've heard of it," Naoki admitted. "That's Professor Sycamore's research, right?"

"That's the name! Sycamore!" Alder grinned. "It's wild, isn't it? The idea is that Pokémon can evolve even further. I wonder if my Volcarona has that potential."

Naoki tilted his head, thinking.

If memory served, Alder's team consisted of: Volcarona, Accelgor, Bouffalant, Druddigon, Vanilluxe, and Escavalier.

"…"

Unfortunately, neither of them had a Pokémon currently known to Mega Evolve.

They shared the same sorrow!

"Anyway," Alder continued, "I've decided I'll head over to Kalos myself. See things with my own eyes. Maybe I'll find a way to help Volcarona Mega Evolve!"

As he spoke, he turned toward Naoki.

"And if I happen to come across a Mega Stone or Key Stone that works for Koraidon, I'll make sure it gets to you right away!"

Naoki: "..."

But in truth, Koraidon couldn't Mega Evolve at all.

Still, he smiled and replied, "Thanks. I hope your journey to the Kalos region goes well."

"Good luck to you too!"

That evening, after Alder had departed and returned to Unova, Naoki returned to the room. There, lying peacefully in the crib, was his daughter Elara, curled up beside the fiery-red Pokémon egg Alder had gifted them.

Naoki reached out and gently touched the egg. A gentle warmth radiated from its shell.

"With this egg next to her, we won't have to worry about Elara catching a cold," Naoki said to Iono, who stood beside him.

The crib was spacious enough to fit both the baby and the egg comfortably.

"Perfect," Iono whispered, her eyes soft as she gazed at her sleeping daughter.

Naoki recalled Alder's mention that the egg would hatch within a few days.

But before that happened, there was one more thing he wanted to do: move the egg to the Breeding Treehouse and let it absorb nature's essence.

It could draw nutrients from the soil and atmosphere, channeling them into Pokémon eggs. This magical process would enhance a Pokémon's vitality, innate potential, and even intelligence before it hatched.

Checking tomorrow's forecast, Naoki saw it would be sunny and warm.

"That settles it," he thought. "I'll take Elara and the egg to the Breeding Treehouse tomorrow morning."

Originally, he had considered asking one of the Dragonite from Dragonite Island to entrust an egg to Elara, perhaps a Dratini who could grow up alongside her.

But then he realized: raising two baby Pokémon alongside a newborn child might be too much. One of them could end up neglected, or worse, tensions might arise between the Pokémon for her attention.

After thinking it through, Naoki made up his mind.

"I'll wait until Elara's older. Then, when she's ready, she can visit Dragonite Island herself. If fate allows, she'll form a bond with a Dratini or even a Dragonite on her own."

He glanced at his daughter again, fast asleep.

"Let her rest peacefully for now."

Iono nodded in agreement, and the two quietly stepped out of the room.

As Naoki gently closed the door behind him, he turned and paused.

Raikou, Entei, and Suicune had gathered in the living room without a sound.

...

Bonus @1000 PS

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