Pokemon: A New Path

Inside the Weather Institute, the team of scientists and executives watching the live satellite feed shot up from their seats in astonishment.

"T-That's…!"

"The Legendary Sky High Pokémon—Rayquaza!"

"Wait a minute! Did that mysterious trainer just summon Rayquaza?!"

The satellite screen zoomed in, confirming what they had suspected.

Steven Stone was in shock.

Rayquaza. The masked trainer—Gold King—had summoned Rayquaza!

Countless theories flashed through Steven's mind in an instant.

Had Gold King actually tamed Rayquaza? Or—was he a descendant of the legendary Draconid Clan?

Either possibility was equally unbelievable. But there was no time to dwell on it.

Above the storm-ravaged sea, Rayquaza had officially entered the battle.

Groudon and Kyogre immediately noticed the newcomer's presence.

Their once-relentless aggression suddenly wavered, their eyes filled with newfound caution.

They knew Rayquaza. And they knew what it meant when Rayquaza arrived.

Up in the sky, Rayquaza turned its gaze toward Groudon and Kyogre, its serpentine body coiling in midair like a warrior preparing for battle.

The image of Dragonite and the group of Pokémon calling it a hero appeared in its mind, and it felt extremely excited.

And now, standing before it, were two legendary Pokémon wreaking havoc.

"ROAR"

A deep, resounding roar tore through the heavens.

Rayquaza would show Dragonite exactly why it was a hero.

Under the gaze of countless onlookers, a powerful surge of golden energy erupted from Rayquaza's body.

Its long, sinuous form shimmered with blazing golden light.

And then—

BOOM.

Rayquaza shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, tearing through the sky with unimaginable speed. A streak of golden light cut across the stormy battlefield, and in an instant.

BANG!

Rayquaza's impact pierced through both Groudon and Kyogre at once!

The two legendary titans reeled from the devastating strike. Their massive bodies trembled as explosions of energy burst across their forms.

And before Kyogre could recover, the furious Giratina followed closely behind, quietly emerging from the swirling void of its Distortion World, Giratina lashed out with its spectral claws, slashing Kyogre's body with relentless force.

Kyogre let out a piercing wail, its colossal form shuddering in pain.

Defeated and exhausted, it turned tail and dove into the ocean depths, retreating without a second thought.

Groudon, still reeling from Rayquaza's assault, let out a final growl before turning and stomping away, heading back toward the land.

Giratina flew to Naoki's side and couldn't help laughing at the two guys who were fleeing in a panic.

Naoki: "…"

The storm clouds that had loomed over the Hoenn region for so long finally began to break apart.

The endless downpour ceased and the scorching sun dimmed.

Temperatures gradually returned to normal. This catastrophic battle, one that had nearly torn Hoenn apart had finally come to an end.

Naoki exhaled deeply, relief washing over him.

'Some things are better left to the professionals.'

As the tension dissipated, Giratina and Rayquaza hovered beside Naoki and Dragonite.

Dragonite, still buzzing with excitement, turned to Rayquaza with wide, admiring eyes.

"Awoo!" (As expected from the mighty Rayquaza senpai! That was amazing!)

Rayquaza, sensing Dragonite's admiration, let out a proud, deep roar in response.

Dragonite's wings fluttered as it eagerly extended an invitation:

"Awoo!" (Senpai, please come to the ranch next time. I will treat you with delicious food!!)

Rayquaza's eyes locked onto Dragonite for a moment then, with a low rumble of approval, it nodded.

"Roar!" (Deal.)

With one final glance at Naoki, Dragonite, and Giratina, Rayquaza turned its gaze to the sky. Then like an arrow being drawn into the heavens, it soared upward, disappearing into the clouds.

Giratina watched Rayquaza vanish into the sky, its voice a deep rumble.

"That one… is powerful."

Naoki couldn't help but agree.

In the movies, Rayquaza had taken on seven opponents at once—and still held its own. As Naoki turned his gaze back toward the ocean, he realized, Kyogre was gone, and Groudon was slowly making its way back to its domain.

"It was finally over."

He was just about to follow Groudon—curious to see where it would go—when something caught his eye.

A helicopter was hovering nearby.

The helicopters from both Violet Television and the Hoenn Alliance hovered high in the now-clear sky. One of them was beginning to approach.

Naoki observed it in silence for a moment before turning to Giratina.

"Let's go back."

He had only come here to help—nothing more. He had no interest in taking advantage of the situation to gain worldwide recognition. If he had, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of hiding his identity in the first place.

Now that the battle was over and the excitement had passed, there was no reason to stay.

Stretching lazily, Giratina let out a satisfied growl before opening a portal to the Distortion World.

Naoki took one last glance at Steven Stone below. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment.

He gave Steven a small nod and then, without another word, he stepped through the portal alongside Giratina.

In an instant, they were gone.

The Hoenn Alliance members stood in stunned silence.

"Did… did he just disappear?"

"What a mysterious trainer!"

"A shame! We didn't even get the chance to thank him!"

"No matter what, he's the great hero who saved our Hoenn region!"

Steven slowly got back on his feet, brushing off the lingering ice from his clothes. He reached for his Rotom Phone, opened his chat, and typed a short message:

[Steven: Thank you.]

There was no immediate reply.

Steven absentmindedly scrolled through their past conversations, his gaze lingering on one particular message:

[Me? I'm just a rancher.]

Steven froze, staring at the words. The sheer contrast between this statement and what had just happened was unbelievable.

This was a man who had:

Tamed Giratina, the ruler of the Distortion World. Summoned Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokémon. Single-handedly stopped the battle between Groudon and Kyogre.

And yet—he called himself a rancher?

Steven's expression twisted into one of utter disbelief.

"What kind of rancher does this?!"

In the aftermath of the legendary battle, the Hoenn region lay in ruins.

Gym Leaders from all across the region, alongside Hoenn Alliance officials, worked tirelessly to lead recovery efforts and help citizens rebuild their homes.

Meanwhile, the catastrophe that had nearly devastated Hoenn became a major topic of discussion across every region.

But more than anything—people were fascinated by the mysterious trainer who had arrived out of nowhere with Giratina.

The heroic image of the masked trainer riding Giratina quickly spread across the internet. Before long, netizens from other regions recognized the inspiration behind the mask he wore.

It was shaped like Cyclizar, a Pokémon from Paldea.

Because of this, people affectionately dubbed the mysterious figure "Cyclizar Mask."

Meanwhile, Naoki was completely unaware of his new online nickname.

At that moment, he had just returned to the ranch and was changing out of his soaking-wet clothes from the rain.

His cloak had been specially prepared by Sister Indeedee.

After she learned of his plan, she insisted on making him a hero's cloak, believing that every hero should have one.

Even though Naoki had repeatedly argued that he wasn't a hero, sister Indeedee had ignored his protests and prepared the cloak anyway.

In the end, he had no choice but to wear it.

But now—it was all over.

Not long after returning home, Naoki caught a cold from being out in the rain for too long.

After taking a hot bath, he wrapped himself in a blanket and sipped on ginger tea brewed by sister Indeedee.

Koraidon, however, stood beside him, pouting with resentment.

"Raaoo…"

It was clearly upset that Naoki hadn't brought it along this time.

Naoki sniffled and sighed. "There was no way, Koraidon. You're too recognizable."

"Raao…" Koraidon drooped its head, sulking.

Naoki chuckled softly, reached out, and ruffled Koraidon's crest affectionately.

"Alright, alright! Next time, if I get the chance, I promise I'll bring you along, okay?"

Koraidon perked up instantly.

Just as Naoki was soothing his sulking Pokémon, a knock came at the door.

He opened it—only to find Iono standing there, holding a bag of gifts.

"Hey, Naoki! Good afternoon!"

Naoki blinked in surprise. "Huh? What are you doing here all of a sudden?"

Iono grinned. "I promised you last time that I'd bring you some specialties from Levincia! Look, I got you some Levincia seaweed and crispy shrimp floss!"

She lifted the bag proudly.

Naoki chuckled, stepping aside. "Come on in!"

As soon as she entered the living room, her gaze landed on something lying on the coffee table.

It was the Cyclizar-themed mask—casually left out in the open.

Naoki's heart nearly stopped.

Before Iono could get a closer look, he quickly walked forward, sat down on the couch, and casually slid the mask behind him.

Luckily, Iono didn't seem to notice.

Instead, she excitedly launched into a conversation about the Hoenn incident and the mysterious "Cyclizar Mask" that had suddenly appeared.

"That masked trainer was SO cool! He must be an incredible Pokémon Trainer, right?! It was SO scary back then—those two legendary Pokémon were insanely powerful!"

Iono shuddered dramatically. "I can't even imagine what kind of disaster it would be if they showed up here in Paldea!"

She then turned back to Naoki, noticing his slightly sluggish demeanor.

"By the way, did you watch the live broadcast?"

Naoki snapped back to attention, subtly tucking the mask further behind him.

"Ah—yeah! Of course, I saw it."

Iono's eyes sparkled. "Don't you think that guy was from Paldea?!"

Naoki kept his expression neutral and shrugged.

"Who knows? Cyclizar isn't exclusive to Paldea. Maybe it was a trainer from Galar? I've seen Cyclizar there before."

It wasn't a lie. Many trainers from other regions brought Paldean Pokémon with them when traveling. Over time, Pokémon like Cyclizar and Sprigatito had become popular in other regions, too.

...

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