Pokemon: A New Path-498

Naoki didn't remain idle. Riding atop Koraidon, he continued carefully surveying the mountain.

The locations of the stakes weren't obvious; some were hidden in inconspicuous spots. If he wasn't meticulous, he could easily overlook them.

From above, Koraidon soared across the sky, and many of the local wild Pokémon gazed up in curiosity.

It took about half an hour for Naoki and Koraidon to circle the mountain several times before they finally spotted the second stake.

By the time they returned to their starting point, the three Pokémon he had sent out had already flown back.

"How did it go? Did you find anything?" Naoki asked.

"Pawmot!" Pawmot eagerly nodded, signaling that it had found a stake nestled in the grass by a small river.

"Awoo..." Dragonite also nodded, indicating that it had located one near the mountain peak.

"Fluu!" Flutter Mane, however, had managed to find two more.

Seeing this, Naoki grinned. Their teamwork had paid off!

Led by his Pokémon, he moved to each location, pulling out the stakes one by one.

With the two he had previously found, they had now removed six stakes in total—only two remained.

When Naoki returned to the Shrine, he was surprised to find that three of the four massive chains sealing the entrance had already vanished.

Only one chain remained.

That meant pulling out the last two stakes would completely unseal the shrine.

Determined, Naoki resumed his search with his Pokémon.

Minutes turned into hours, and soon, it was noon. Despite their best efforts, they still hadn't found the last two stakes.

Feeling a bit exhausted, Naoki decided to pause for a break. He returned to the shrine's entrance, took out the ingredients he had packed in the morning, and started preparing lunch.

As he worked, his Rotom Phone buzzed—Raifort was calling via video.

"How's the search going?" Raifort asked.

Naoki shook his head. "We've been searching all morning but still haven't found the last two stakes. I figured I'd eat first and then keep looking."

"The last two, huh… that's always the toughest part," Raifort sighed. "If the principal didn't have me under watch, I'd be there helping you investigate."

Naoki raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you have classes this afternoon?"

Raifort nodded. "Yeah, two lectures back-to-back."

Naoki sighed. "Alright, alright. Just stay in school and focus on your classes."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

After hanging up, Naoki released Cyclizar and Ogerpon, letting them roam freely around the area while he cooked.

Heating oil in a pan, he placed thick-cut steaks on the sizzling surface. Golden juices bubbled up as a mouthwatering aroma filled the air.

Next, he sliced up fresh tomatoes, then stacked them onto toasted bread with the cooked steak, creating a batch of hearty sandwiches.

Afterward, he took out Poffins and Poké Blocks from his bag, arranging them on a plate.

With sandwiches, Poké Blocks, Poffins, and Moomoo Milk, lunch was ready.

"Come and eat!" Naoki called out.

His Pokémon, who had been playing in the grass, eagerly ran over.

They each grabbed a sandwich, happily munching away.

But just as Ogerpon was about to take a bite, its ears perked up, and it suddenly turned toward the distance. "Pon?"

"Hm? What's wrong?" Naoki followed its gaze.

Standing a short distance away, partially blending in with the trees, was a Pokémon resembling a gnarled bush or tree, with five yellow spots on its belly.

Naoki's eyes widened.

That was—Trevenant?

At that moment, Trevenant was staring hungrily at the Poffins and Poké Blocks Naoki had placed in the basket, drool dripping from its mouth.

So, it was a wild Pokémon drawn in by the delicious aroma?

However, as soon as Trevenant realized it had been spotted by the human and his Pokémon, a look of panic flashed across its face. Then, in a desperate attempt to remain unnoticed, it froze in place, quickly covering its face with its hands—pretending to be a tree.

Naoki: "…"

"Raao?"

"Pawmot?"

At that moment, Cyclizar and Pawmot perked up and turned toward two other directions.

Naoki followed their gaze and saw even more wild Pokémon emerging from the foliage, drawn by the enticing scent of food.

A fully-grown Sawsbuck, accompanied by several Deerling, stood a short distance away, watching cautiously.

A Heracross had also arrived, its eyes locked onto the food with clear excitement.

And, to Naoki's surprise, several Toedscool—which looked like jellyfish but could scuttle across the ground using their root-like tentacles—were also closing in.

Wow! So many Pokémon had gathered at once!

Naoki was a little taken aback. He hadn't even used any Poké Blocks specifically designed to attract Pokémon. How strong was the scent of his cooking?

Peeking through the gaps in its fingers, Trevenant anxiously observed the scene, trying to gauge the human's reaction.

Meanwhile, the Sawsbuck remained calm, while the Deerling behind it bounced curiously in the grass, their noses twitching at the delicious scent.

As for Heracross, it was already drooling. The food smelled even sweeter than the tree sap it usually feasted on.

'I want to eat…'

Its mandibles twitched with anticipation.

But before it could make a move, the Toedscool lost all patience.

They suddenly surged forward, their root-like legs scuttling rapidly as they charged straight at Naoki and his Pokémon, intent on grabbing the food for themselves!

Naoki's eyes widened in alarm.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

The Pokémon around here weren't exactly friendly, were they?

Before Naoki could react, Ogerpon immediately sprang to its feet, stepping forward to block the Toedscool.

However, the wild Pokémon weren't backing down.

The Toedscool opened their mouths and spat out clumps of Mud Shot!

The attack came too fast for Ogerpon to dodge.

Splat!

The sticky mud splattered across its body, leaving it covered in dirt.

There was a brief pause.

Then, Ogerpon's eyes narrowed.

"Pon…!"

Its fur bristled in fury.

It slowly turned its head to look at Naoki.

Naoki met its gaze and gave it a small nod.

"I'll leave this to you."

"Pon."

That was exactly what it wanted to hear.

In the next moment, a vibrant green light surged around it, forming a sturdy vine-wrapped club in its grasp. With a fierce swing, it struck one of the wild Toedscools right across the face.

With a startled cry, the Toedscool was sent flying, tumbling through the air before landing in a heap.

Then, without hesitation, the Grass-type Pokémon rushed toward the remaining Toedscool, brandishing its thorny weapon.

However, after witnessing their companion being launched so effortlessly, the other wild Toedscool shrieked in terror and immediately turned tail, retreating into the underbrush as fast as their wobbly legs could carry them.

A nearby Heracross and a Sawsbuck standing atop the hillside also flinched at the sight.

Having successfully driven away the bandits that had been eyeing their food, the Pokémon contentedly dismissed its weapon, returning to its spot and resuming its lunch as if nothing had happened.

Naoki: "…"

It was quite the sight—such an adorable-looking Pokémon wielding a massive club like a seasoned warrior. The sheer contrast between its cute appearance and overwhelming strength was enough to leave anyone speechless.

However, as he turned his gaze back toward the remaining wild Pokémon, a thought crossed Naoki's mind.

If anyone was familiar with the terrain and layout of the surrounding area, it had to be the Pokémon that had lived here for generations.

Rather than continuing to search blindly, why not enlist their help?

Wasting no time, he rummaged through his backpack, confirming that he still had plenty of Poffins and Poke Blocks to offer as a gesture of goodwill.

Naoki then turned toward the group of wild Pokémon and waved.

The Trevenant, still in the middle of pretending to be a tree, stiffened in surprise. Was that human calling it over?

The Sawsbuck hesitated slightly, but the Deerling surrounding it excitedly bounced forward, their curiosity outweighing their caution.

Heracross, on the other hand, remained wary, side-eyeing the Pokémon that had just violently driven away the Toedscool.

Was it safe to approach? Would it get smacked with a club too?

But when it saw the human kindly sharing delicious-smelling food with the Deerling, its concerns quickly faded.

"Hera!"

Heracross called out enthusiastically before swooping down from the hillside.

The Trevenant and Sawsbuck followed close behind.

As the group of wild Pokémon gathered around him, Naoki couldn't help but marvel inwardly at how convenient the Aura of Viridian was—it significantly boosted his affinity with Pokémon, making interactions far easier.

"Here, eat up!" he said with a warm smile.

Heracross took a Poke block and bit into it. The moment the sweet flavor spread across its tongue, its eyes lit up.

Even sweeter than the nectar it usually collected!

Once the Pokémon had eaten their fill, Naoki seized the opportunity.

"Actually, I need a little help from you all."

Hearing this, the wild Pokémon lifted their heads, their expressions shifting into varying degrees of curiosity.

"Hera?" Heracross tilted its head.

Naoki pulled out his Rotom Phone, quickly navigating to the photo he had taken earlier of the peculiar glowing stake embedded in the ground.

Holding the screen up so the Pokémon could see, he asked, "Have any of you seen something like this around here?"

...

Bonus Chapter @800 PS

Read upto 60 Chapters ahead /Keepsmiling818