Pokemon: A New Path-Chapter 514: Chien-Pao
Naoki stood frozen for a moment, staring at the now-still Poké Ball, completely at a loss for words.
'Did I just… get a Happiny for free?'
He could vaguely guess what had happened, Happiny must have mistaken the Poké Ball for a round stone and dived right into it.
But still, catching a Pokémon this way was a bit too absurd, wasn't it?
Shaking his head in amusement, Naoki decided to deal with the situation later.
Right now, there was still one more matter to settle.
He pulled out a fresh Poké Ball and threw it at Chien-Pao.
This time, there were no surprises.
With its strength completely drained, Chien-Pao offered no resistance. The Poké Ball only wobbled slightly before settling down with a quiet click.
"Phew…"
Naoki let out a sigh of relief.
With that, all four Treasures of Ruin were finally secured.
He stepped forward and picked up both Poké Balls.
Carefully placing Chien-Pao's Poké Ball away, he made a mental note to reverse its Ruinous energy once he returned to the ranch.
Then, with a small smile, he took the other Poké Ball and tossed it into the air.
"Come on out, Happiny."
With a flash of white light, the tiny pink Pokémon appeared, landing on the grass in front of him.
"Happi?"
Happiny blinked in confusion, looking around the area as if trying to figure out what had just happened.
Naoki raised the Poké Ball in his hand.
The moment Happiny's gaze landed on it, its eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Happy!"
It happily bounced up, snatched the round Poké Ball, and tucked it into the pouch on its belly.
"Happy~!"
It let out a satisfied sigh as if its life was now complete.
Naoki chuckled. "Do you even know what that is?"
Happiny tilted its head and looked down at the "round stone" nestled in its pouch.
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"Happy?"
"That's a Poké Ball," Naoki explained. "I was in the middle of capturing another Pokémon, but you suddenly jumped in and got caught instead."
Happiny blinked in confusion. It still didn't quite understand.
"So basically," Naoki continued, "that means you're technically my Pokémon now."
"Happy?"
Happiny stared at him blankly.
"It means you belong to me," Naoki clarified. "Because only Pokémon who willingly choose a trainer will enter a Poké Ball on their own."
Happiny stared at him for a long moment, deep in thought.
Naoki smiled and crouched down to meet its gaze.
"Would you like to come with me?" he asked. "You can live with us from now on."
Happiny paused.
It actually felt comfortable around this human and his Pokémon.
After all, they had been so kind, helping it escape from those Mankeys and even trying to find its lost stone.
Even though they didn't find it, the effort meant a lot.
After a few moments, Happiny finally spoke.
"Happy…?" (Can I… keep this round stone?)
Naoki blinked in surprise.
That was it? That was its only condition?
He laughed. "Of course! The moment you entered that Poké Ball, it became yours."
Hearing this, Happiny's hesitation vanished instantly.
"Happy!"
With a cheerful cry, it nodded eagerly, it was officially on board!
"Ah, gah…"
Koraidon let out a small huff, shaking its head.
This pokemon was something else.
Naoki grinned. "Welcome to the team, Happiny."
...
After securing both Poké Balls, Naoki turned his attention back to the Pokémon who had helped him.
As promised, he distributed Poffins and Poke Blocks to every Pokémon that had assisted in finding the sealing stakes and locating the shrine.
The wild Pokémon were absolutely thrilled.
Phanpy couldn't even wait, it immediately began munching away on a Poffin right on the spot.
Others, however, chose to save their food.
Like Gumshoos.
Naoki noticed that instead of eating, Gumshoos simply lifted the lid of the box, peeked inside, and then carefully sealed it shut.
Curious, Naoki turned to the Pokémon.
"Gumshoos, aren't you going to eat?"
"Sho!"
Gumshoos shook its head.
Through the power of Viridian, Naoki sensed its thoughts.
It was saving the food… for its children.
Naoki's expression softened.
He was silent for a moment before smiling warmly.
"You're an amazing mother."
"Shoo~"
Gumshoos, the vigilant Pokémon, touched its head, looking a little embarrassed.
Naoki opened his backpack, only to find that he had already handed out all the Poffins and Poke Blocks to the Pokémon who helped him.
The only thing left inside…
Two sandwiches.
After a moment of thought, Naoki took them out and handed them to Gumshoos.
"Here, take these back for your kids. Consider them a gift from me," Naoki said with a warm smile.
"Shoo?!"
Gumshoos was visibly surprised. It stared at Naoki for a few seconds, then at the sandwiches in its paws.
It wasn't used to such kindness.
The human didn't ask for anything in return, he simply smiled, turned around, and rode off on his red-scaled Pokémon.
As the wind carried them away, Gumshoos stood motionless for a moment, watching the fading figure of the human who had treated it with such warmth.
Then, as if snapping out of a daze, it quickly raised its paw and waved it vigorously in Naoki's direction.
"Shoo!"
The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows on the golden grass.
With a heart full of gratitude, Gumshoos turned around and hurried home, where a group of small, eager Yungoos were waiting for their mother to return.
...
By the time Naoki and Koraidon landed at the ranch, it was already three in the afternoon.
Before he even stepped off Koraidon's back, two familiar Pokémon had already rushed over to greet him.
Ting-Lu and Chi-Yu.
It seemed they had been watching over the ranch in his absence.
As for Wo-Chien…
It was still curled up on the grass, blissfully basking in the warm sunlight.
Ting-Lu turned around and took one look at the sleeping snail, and immediately looked away in disappointment.
"Moo..." (I can't watch this anymore…)
Chi-Yu, however, took a more direct approach.
It suddenly leaped into the air, spinning its body before launching itself directly at the bronze cauldron atop Ting-Lu's head, colliding with a loud clang!
BZZZZZZ!!
The sudden impact sent a deep, resonating vibration through the cauldron, creating a sound so loud that it shook the entire field.
"Wo?!"
Wo-Chien's entire body trembled as it snapped awake from its deep slumber.
The world around it blurred for a second, its head buzzing from the loud noise.
Still groggy, it turned to look at the two Pokémon standing in front of it with puzzled confusion.
"Wo…?!" (What happened?! What's going on?!)
Chi-Yu rolled its eyes and flicked its fiery tail.
"Yuu!" (Naoki is back!)
"Wo?"
For a moment, Wo-Chien's sluggish brain struggled to process what it had just heard.
Then, suddenly, It perked up.
"Wo?!" (Wait, did Naoki bring that Chien-Pao guy back with him?!)
Ting-Lu's expression darkened immediately.
"Moo!" (Idiot!)
...
Meanwhile, Naoki was already on a call with Raifort, speaking through his Rotom Phone.
"Yeah, I caught Chien-Pao," he confirmed. "Now, all four of the Treasures of Ruin are safe at my ranch."
On the other side of the screen, Raifort's face lit up with excitement.
"That's amazing!" she exclaimed.
Her voice carried a genuine sense of relief.
"I've been dreaming of this for years… and now, it's finally happening."
Raifort's eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke.
"For the sake of finding them, do you have any idea how many ancient ruins I had to dig through?" she exclaimed. "I don't even know how many tombs I explored before finally piecing together the clues about the Treasures of Ruin!"
"Ahhh! I spent so much time and money, but it was all worth it!"
She began pacing back and forth, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
Then, as if a sudden thought struck her, she leaned closer to the screen and said urgently,
"Naoki, bring them to the academy right now! I'll cover your food and lodging in Mesagoza today!"
"Uh…"
Naoki felt a drop of cold sweat roll down his forehead.
"Did you just admit to something extremely illegal?"
"Hm?"
Raifort blinked and took a step back.
"What do you mean?"
Naoki: "…"
(Yeah, she totally did.)
With a small sigh, Naoki shook his head and said,
"I have some things I need to take care of here first, so I won't be able to make it today. I'll bring them over to Mesagoza tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning…"
Raifort paused for a moment, a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to see the Treasures of Ruin immediately.
But after thinking it over, she realized it didn't really matter when she saw them, as long as she got to see them at all.
So, she nodded and said,
"Alright, that works! I'll take the day off tomorrow so I can properly host you!"
"Sounds good. That's all for now, I've got something else to do, so I'll be heading off. See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow!"
With that, the call ended.
As Naoki put away his Rotom Phone, he turned to see Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, and Wo-Chien standing before him.
He reached into his bag and retrieved the Poké Ball containing Chien-Pao.
With a press of the button, the ball clicked open, and a flash of white light illuminated the area.
In the next moment, Chien-Pao emerged, its sleek, snow-white body radiating waves of icy energy.
