Pokemon: A New Path

"Wow! Our little Elara built a beautiful sandcastle. Amazing!"

As a Gym Leader and livestreamer, Iono was more than familiar with how to capture the perfect moment on camera.

She approached with her Rotom Phone and aimed it at Elara.

Hearing her mother's voice, Elara looked up and beamed, her face lighting up with a goofy grin.

She pointed a chubby finger at the uneven mound of sand in front of her, its shape barely recognizable, then turned toward the Larvesta on the other side of the structure and exclaimed,"Ah!"

"Huh? Are you saying you and Larvesta built this sandcastle together?" Iono asked with surprised delight.

"Waaah!" Elara nodded vigorously.

Larvesta squinted its eyes with a proud little smile.

"You did great too, Larvesta!"

Iono reached out to gently ruffle her daughter's hair. "You two better stay best friends, okay?"

"Ah!"

Elara immediately turned around and flopped into the soft, snowy fluff of Larvesta's body, hugging its warm frame and burrowing happily into it.

Larvesta didn't mind at all. It remained perfectly still, letting Elara nuzzle against it. If anything, it looked more content than ever.

Watching his daughter cuddle with the Fire-type Pokémon, Naoki let out a soft breath of relief.

It seemed his decision to have a Pokémon accompany Elara as she grew up was absolutely the right one.

A child and her Pokémon, raised together from the very start, their bond and mutual understanding would naturally be deeper than those of a ten-year-old just receiving their first partner.

And when Elara turned ten… she would already be leagues ahead of her peers.

By then, she could take her fully evolved Volcarona, challenge the eight Gyms, beat the Elite Four, and maybe even become the youngest Champion Paldea had ever seen.

Naoki couldn't help but smile as he imagined Elara's bright future.

But before that… it was time for the very first step on the path to greatness, learning to walk!

He grinned, then stepped forward to pick her up.

"My precious little trainer, are you ready? It's time to start walking!"

Elara blinked in confusion as she was lifted off the ground, clearly not understanding what was going on.

She flailed her arms and legs, wiggling to escape from Naoki's hold.

Watching the whole thing unfold, Iono burst into laughter.

"Why are you suddenly teasing her?" she asked, still chuckling.

"I'm not teasing, this is training!" Naoki replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

It was already the end of October. In just a few days, Elara would turn eleven months old. After that, she'd be a year old, it seemed like the perfect time to start teaching her how to walk.

But upon hearing this, Iono's smile twitched as she raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! She can't even stand properly yet! Don't you think it's a bit too early to teach her how to walk?"

"True…" Naoki paused, rubbing his chin. "As they say, haste makes waste."

After thinking it over, he decided to shelve his ambitious plan for now.

As the saying goes: slow and steady wins the race.

After a moment's consideration, he gave up on the walking lesson, for now.

Naoki helped Elara to her feet again, then pointed toward the beach where several Lapras were resting.

"Elara, do you see those Lapras over there? Do you want to go and ride one?"

He had already noticed earlier that the Lapras weren't wild. They were part of a local attraction on the beach near Hau'oli City.

For just 700 Poké Dollars, a child could ride on a Lapras for thirty minutes.

For a child Elara's age, the chance to get close to a cute and gentle Pokémon like Lapras was probably irresistible.

Sure enough, when Elara followed the direction of Naoki's finger and saw the Lapras, her eyes lit up with wonder.

"Alright then! Let's go ride one!" Naoki said cheerfully. He picked her up and gently placed her on his shoulders.

Elara squealed in delight. "Yiyaya!"

The Lapras ride operator was a friendly-looking older man. Naoki handed over the fee, and the man gave him a warm nod before waving toward the sea.

Moments later, a healthy-looking Lapras swam toward them, cutting smoothly through the waves and coming to a stop just in front of the beach.

"Laaa~!" it cried softly, its voice melodic and soothing.

"Hello, Lapras!" Naoki greeted it warmly. Then, carefully, he lifted Elara and set her gently on Lapras's shell before climbing up himself.

Lapras was surprisingly large, almost three meters tall. Its gray, boat-like shell felt sturdy beneath them, as if they were riding a floating raft on the sea.

Even with both of them seated, there was still plenty of room to spare.

No wonder Ash's Lapras had once been able to carry so many people during their adventures.

As soon as they were settled, Lapras gave another gentle cry, as if to signal that the ride was beginning.

With a graceful turn, Lapras began to swim slowly out into the shallow sea, circling peacefully just beyond the edge of the tide.

The sun was shining brightly today, making the ocean shimmer like crystal. The water was so clear that Naoki could see the swaying seaweed and soft white sand below, as well as schools of small Water-type Pokémon darting around the coral reefs.

Holding Elara securely in his lap, Naoki pointed downward and said, "Look! There are the Glowfish!"

Elara peered down. Beneath the gently rippling surface, the little Glowfish sparkled faintly, their scales catching the light as they swam gracefully through the clear water.

Because of their natural behavior, Glowfish often rose near the surface during the daytime to absorb sunlight. At night, they dove deep and lit up the ocean with the sunlight they'd stored, glowing with beautiful, radiant colors.

Elara's eyes sparkled as she reached down with one tiny hand, trying to grab them.

Naoki quickly stopped her with a laugh. "No, no! You'll fall in if you're not careful. Once you're older, we can go swimming with them together!"

Lapras turned its head slightly, glancing back at them with calm, curious eyes.

"Laaa~," it murmured again, as if echoing Naoki's thoughts.

Elara looked up at Lapras.

In response, Lapras lowered its head gently.

Seeing the scene unfold, Naoki immediately realized what Lapras was trying to do.

He gently guided Elara's hand toward Lapras's head, encouraging her to touch it.

Faced with the massive Pokémon in front of her, Elara's wide, round eyes sparkled with curiosity. She stared in awe.

"Ah!"

"This one's called Lapras," Naoki explained softly.

Lapras squinted its eyes contentedly and let out a melodic cry. "Laaa~"

Elara giggled, clapping her hands in delight. "Ah woo woo!" Note from the editor: Always check MV2LEMPYR for corrections.

Seeing that Lapras wasn't pulling away, Elara reached out again and placed her tiny hand directly on its forehead.

But in the very next moment, something unexpected happened.

A bright green light suddenly flared from Elara's palm, radiating into Lapras's body.

Lapras paused, surprised by the sudden energy.

Just as quickly, the glow faded as Elara drew her hand back.

Naoki's heart skipped a beat.

'That green glow... it had to be the Power of Viridian. But how was Elara already using it?

She was still so young. Was it just an accident? Or had something triggered it?'

He glanced at her face. She looked just as confused as he was, blinking at her hand in innocent wonder.

Naoki sighed softly. That was the answer.

Lapras, meanwhile, remained still, its gaze fixed on Elara. Whatever that mysterious power had been, it had piqued the sea Pokémon's curiosity. It tilted its head, almost affectionately, and watched the little girl with bright, intelligent eyes.

Naoki reached out to ruffle Elara's hair and was about to speak when a sudden, piercing scream echoed from the beach.

His head snapped up.

People were scattering, running in all directions.

What's going on?!

Before he could ask aloud, he spotted the cause.

Towering above the panicked crowd was a massive red Pokémon, its body looked like a giant, artificially-built mosquito, with grotesquely bulging muscles rippling across its limbs. Veins of crimson fluid pulsed visibly beneath its glossy red skin, and black, needle-like spikes jutted from its arms and shoulders.

Naoki's eyes narrowed.

Buzzwole... Ultra Beast code-named "UB-02 Absorption."

Lying crumpled at its feet was a Pikachu, drained of all its energy, its limp form flat like a piece of paper.

Behind the fallen Pikachu, its Trainer stood frozen in shock, mouth slightly open, staring at the terrifying creature before them.

Buzzwole slowly turned its gaze toward the boy.

Then, with an eerie pause, it struck a dramatic bodybuilding pose, flexing every muscle as if proudly showing off its massive frame.

Naoki's expression hardened.

"Lapras, take us back!"

Lapras hesitated for only a second but caught the urgency in Naoki's voice. With a strong sweep of its flippers, it turned sharply and began swimming back toward the beach at full speed.

At that moment, the Buzzwole, having proudly flaunted its enormous muscles, began scanning the area for a new opponent.

Its glowing red eyes swept across the beach until they landed on a figure covered in crimson, armor-like scales.

That Pokémon… had muscles too. Big ones.

A primal sense of rivalry suddenly flared within Buzzwole. It couldn't accept this. Not without proving itself!

With a thunderous buzz, it zipped forward and came to a halt in front of the red-scaled Pokémon—Koraidon.

Then, in classic Buzzwole fashion, it struck a dramatic bodybuilding pose, flexing every swollen muscle as it loomed challengingly before Koraidon.

"Ah… gah…" Koraidon let out a rough grunt, twitching the corner of its mouth, visibly unimpressed.

That attitude, so casual, so dismissive, enraged Buzzwole.

It roared in fury. How dare this Pokémon look down on its muscles?!

With a clenched fist brimming with energy, Buzzwole launched a wild punch straight toward Koraidon's face.

Koraidon's golden eyes narrowed. In one swift motion, it lifted a clawed hand and caught the blow cleanly.

The next moment, with an effortless twist of its powerful arm, Koraidon hurled Buzzwole through the air like a ragdoll.

Far above the beach, a sleek modern aircraft hovered in the sky.

Inside were two Aether Foundation field agents, dispatched on urgent orders to track and contain the Ultra Beasts. They both stared at the scene below in stunned silence.

"Did… did that Pokémon just throw UB-02… like it was nothing?" one of them muttered in disbelief.

UB-02 Absorption, Buzzwole, was infamous for its overwhelming strength. It had previously manhandled powerful opponents with ease.

But now?

It had been completely overpowered… and tossed aside like a toy.

Inside the control room at Aether Paradise, Lusamine furrowed her brows at the sudden silence on the communicator.

"What's going on? Which Ultra Beast is it?" she asked sharply.

"Reporting in! It's UB-02!" the agents replied immediately.

UB-02… that muscle-bound monster?

Lusamine conjured the image in her mind.

"One of the Pokémon on the scene stopped UB-02 and threw it aside like it was nothing!" came the urgent report.

"What?!" Lusamine's expression froze in shock.

The researchers quickly transmitted the live feed to headquarters.

As the footage loaded, Lusamine watched with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, back on the beach, Naoki had just arrived behind Koraidon.

"What on earth is that thing? Is it even a Pokémon?" Iono asked, her brow furrowed in confusion as she stared at the Pikachu that had been drained and left as little more than an empty husk.

"It's an Ultra Beast. They come from another world," Naoki replied, shaking his head. Though the situation looked grim, he wasn't too worried. After all, he had brought plenty of strong Pokémon with him today.

Besides Koraidon, he had Pawmot, Ogerpon, Dragonite, Gogoat…

Forget Buzzwole, even if Necrozma showed up, it wouldn't stand a chance against his team.

Just then, the Buzzwole that had been flung away earlier buzzed furiously back into the scene, its muscles rippling with rage. It threw a heavy punch at Koraidon, aiming straight for its face.

Naoki immediately understood what it was doing. "Oh, I get it. You saw Koraidon's muscles and want to have a showdown, huh?"

Buzzwole's fist soared forward, but Koraidon calmly raised a single dragon claw and smacked it away with effortless power.

The impact sent Buzzwole staggering, but it quickly regained its balance mid-air, then charged at Koraidon again, this time even faster.

Its proboscis gleamed with a white aura, transforming into a gleaming spike. It launched a flurry of jabs, stabbing toward Koraidon with astonishing speed, leaving behind trails of afterimages.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sharp jabs landed on Koraidon's armored scales, sending sparks flying as if metal clashed against stone.

Then, a soft squelch.

Buzzwole's proboscis found a gap and pierced into Koraidon's body.

"Uh-oh!" one of the Aether Foundation agents in the hovering aircraft gasped.

Due to UB-02's parasitic ability, once its proboscis penetrated a target, even powerhouses like Snorlax could be drained into skin-and-bone husks in mere seconds.

"That Pokémon's strong, but it doesn't understand UB-02's abilities. This is bad!"

"We have to go now!" one of the agents shouted. "We need to retrieve UB-02 and send it back to the Ultra Wormhole!"

But just as he was about to move, his partner stopped him. "Wait, look!"

They peered through the viewport and saw Naoki raise his hand.

"Collision Course, Koraidon," he commanded calmly.

Koraidon nodded.

In an instant, brilliant flames erupted from its entire body. A fiery blaze wrapped around it like a storm of heat and fury.

Buzzwole, in the middle of trying to drain Koraidon's strength, suddenly shrieked in pain. Its body spasmed from the intense heat. It instinctively yanked back its proboscis and tried to retreat.

Too late.

Koraidon was already moving.

Its entire body now burned like a living meteor, and it launched itself at Buzzwole with terrifying speed.

BOOM!

The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the sand. Buzzwole was blasted backward, crashing into the beach like a boulder hurled from the heavens.

Its massive frame twitched, eyes rolling into its head.

Buzzwole had fainted.

"One-move?!" someone from the Aether Foundation stammered, unable to believe their eyes.

UB-02 Absorption, feared for its overwhelming physical strength and resilience, had been completely overpowered by a single move.

Who in the world was that trainer, and what was that monstrous Pokémon at his side?

...

Bonus @500

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