Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 255: Father and Son

 n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Buzzwole's muscles bulged wildly, as though molten energy surged beneath its crimson skin. Power rippled along its massive arms, each vein glowing with intensity. Its momentum surged, escalating rapidly with raw strength.

With a thunderous roar, Buzzwole swung its fist straight into the sky filled with ghostly, dark purple flames, as if it intended to punch the ominous fire away.

But the moment its fist made contact with the phosphorescent flames, Buzzwole's eyes widened in shock, and it let out a pained screech.

"BUZZ...WOLE!" (It hurts!)

It stared at its fist in disbelief, realizing the spectral fire clung to its skin like an unrelenting parasite, draining the very essence of its vitality.

More flames fell, igniting Buzzwole's back, arms, and abdomen in a cascade of purple fire. A searing sensation coursed through its body as the spectral blaze spread across its form.

Buzzwole thrashed about in agony, roaring as it tried to extinguish the fire. It rolled frantically in the snow, desperate to snuff out the relentless flames.

However, these were no ordinary flames-they were infused with the ghostly power of Spectrier, impervious to simple efforts.

From atop Spectrier's back, Calyrex observed the Ultra Beast's struggle with composed dignity.

Gradually, Buzzwole's wild thrashing slowed, its strength drained by the relentless energy consuming it. Exhausted, the Ultra Beast collapsed, lying motionless on the snow, its massive chest heaving with labored breaths.

Mark, the Galar League officer, stood frozen in disbelief, his eyes wide at the sight before him. He stared at the mysterious Pokémon that had defeated Buzzwole so effortlessly.

Suddenly, a voice crackled through the communicator in Mark's ear.

"Mark, report! What's going on out there?!"

Mark jolted back to his senses, quickly pressing the device on his ear. "We've found the target! But... there's been an unexpected situation!"

"What kind of situation?" the voice on the other end demanded.

Mark glanced nervously at the collapsed Snorlax. "The Ultra Beast drained my Snorlax dry. But

a trainer-no, several Pokémon I've never seen-arrived just in time to stop it."

As he continued the report, Mark noticed Calyrex riding Spectrier, slowly approaching Buzzwole's limp form.

"Wait! That Pokémon... it's healing the Ultra Beast!" Mark exclaimed in disbelief, sprinting forward.

A soothing aura emanated from Calyrex, enveloping Buzzwole in a gentle glow. Slowly but surely, the spectral fire faded, replaced by a warm energy that mended the damage.

Mark hurried over, shouting in alarm, "Stop! It's dangerous!"

Naoki, still calm, glanced at the badge pinned to Mark's uniform and realized the man was with the Galar League.

"Relax," Naoki said reassuringly.

Before Mark could protest further, Buzzwole's injuries were fully healed. The Ultra Beast slowly stood, wobbling slightly as it regained its footing. Its eyes, now filled with fear, locked onto Calyrex.

Calyrex gazed at Buzzwole with calm authority. "Your offense is forgiven. Now, return to where you belong."

Buzzwole paused, seemingly lost in thought. It raised one arm and scratched its head, looking perplexed.

"Buzz...wole..." (I... don't know where to go...)

Calyrex remained silent, watching the Ultra Beast with a serene but curious expression.

After a brief moment, the king of harvests asked gently, "Where are you from?"

Buzzwole puffed up its chest slightly and bellowed, "BUZZ...WOLE!"

At that moment, the effect of Naoki's translation seeds wore off, leaving him unable to understand Buzzwole's speech.

Naoki paused for a moment, then turned toward Mark, curious about the earlier exchange between Buzzwole and Calyrex. "Do you know where it came from?"

Mark blinked, slightly caught off guard, then answered reflexively, "From a complicated cave."

Hearing this, Naoki nodded thoughtfully.

"Just as I suspected-Buzzwole must have escaped from an Ultra Wormhole."

He recalled that in both the games and the anime, there was mention of an Ultra Wormhole appearing in the Galar region.

Specifically, this wormhole could be found deep within the Crown Tundra's cavernous depths -the very same cave where trainers embark on Dynamax Adventures.

In the Pokémon anime, Lillie's father, Mohn, had also disappeared through an Ultra Wormhole, only to eventually resurface.

After mulling it over for a moment, Naoki said, "It looks like Buzzwole lost its way. We should help it find its way back to the wormhole."

Mark stared at Naoki, his expression a mixture of awe and confusion. "Wait... you can understand Pokémon speech?"

Naoki gave a subtle smile, neither confirming nor denying it. "One of my Pokémon is telepathic," he said casually.

"Oh, that makes sense!" Mark said with sudden realization.

However, with a nervous glance at Buzzwole, he added, "Could you... help me get it back to

the cave? I mean, before it causes more trouble?"

Naoki popped a translation seed crisp-into his mouth and turned to Calyrex.

Before Naoki could respond to Mark, Calyrex said, "I intended to head there anyway. That unusual energy I sensed earlier-it's coming from the same place."

Naoki nodded. "Alright. Let's go together."

With that, Calyrex shifted his gaze toward the collapsed Snorlax.

Riding gracefully on Spectrier, Calyrex extended his right hand. A vibrant, green energy began

to flow from his palm, radiating life into Snorlax's deflated form.

In mere moments, the once-withered Snorlax began to reinflate like a balloon, its body

slowly returning to its original, round shape.

Mark stood there, mouth agape, utterly stunned by what he had just witnessed.

He glanced at Naoki, then at Koraidon, and finally at Calyrex and Spectrier. "A-are they all

your Pokémon?"

Naoki gave a small nod. "Yes."

Mark's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's... incredible!

As a League staff member and trainer, Mark knew well that there was no record of such Pokémon in the Galar region. This could only mean that the powerful trainer standing before him must have come from another region!

Mark led the group forward, glancing back curiously. "May I ask where you're from?"

Naoki smiled. "Of course. I'm from Paldea and just arrived in the Galar region not too long

ago."

Paldea! Mark's interest instantly peaked.

That means the Pokémon accompanying Naoki-ones he had never seen before-were also from the Paldea region!

Looking at their well-trained and lively appearance, Mark couldn't help but marvel, "That's incredible! You must be a really skilled trainer!"

Naoki: "..." Here we go again.

With a polite smile, Naoki responded, "No, I'm actually just a farmer."

Mark blinked, stunned. "A farmer? That can't be right!"

How could a simple farmer raise such powerful Pokémon?!

Seeing Mark's disbelief, Naoki sighed inwardly. Why did no one ever believe him when he said

he was just a farmer?

Mark, unaware of Naoki's thoughts, kept sneaking glances at him as they walked. After a

moment, Mark suddenly exclaimed, "I've got it!"

Naoki: "?"

What exactly did he figure out?

Before Naoki could question him further, they reached their destination.

They had arrived in a secluded area surrounded by steep cliffs. Various police cars and

helicopters were parked on the snowy terrain.

Naoki noticed some of the vehicles were scorched and still smoldering as if a major explosion

had taken place recently.

Mark gestured toward the scene. "All this destruction... it was caused by that mysterious Pokemon. It's strong enough to send a car flying with a single punch. We had to deploy a lot of

people to handle it."

A group of officers standing nearby noticed their arrival and shifted their attention toward Naoki, Calyrex, and Koraidon.

Naoki expected that someone among them might recognize Calyrex, the former King of Bountiful Harvests.

But to his surprise-nothing. Not a single flicker of recognition crossed their faces. Calyrex glanced at the ominous, gaping cave ahead. His expression was serious as he spoke. "I

can sense that the strange energy is coming from that cave. It seems to connect to a world

beyond our understanding."

Naoki blinked, suddenly realizing what Calyrex meant.

The "strange energy" must be the presence of an Ultra Wormhole. The unfamiliar world

Calyrex sensed must be Ultra Space-the home of the Ultra Beasts.

"It's just that it's very weak now and will disappear soon," said Calyrex.

Hearing this, Buzzwole became visibly anxious.

"Buzz...wole" (What?!)

(Was it really going to disappear and never return?)

Naoki was speechless. "Why did you come here if you knew you couldn't stay?"

Buzzwole scratched its head, flexing its muscles absentmindedly. "Buzz..wole..." (Curious...)

Naoki sighed.

It was a shame, really. Naoki thought to himself: 'If only it had been Pheromosa instead-I'd have taken that one home for sure.'

As for Buzzwole, Naoki glanced at the muscle-bound Pokémon and shook his head. While its physique was impressive, it didn't quite compare to the likes of Kommo-o or Urshifu.

Besides.

He could already imagine the chaos if Buzzwole ever got loose on the ranch. It might end up draining the poor chickens dry without a second thought.

'Yeah, no. Definitely not worth the trouble,' Naoki concluded.

Just then, Mark finished his report and returned to Naoki's side.

"All set. Now we just need to send it back underground!" Mark announced confidently.

Naoki blinked. "What do you mean... underground?"

Mark looked confused. "Isn't this one of those Pokémon that crawled up from deep

underground?"

Naoki: 'They really have no idea about the Ultra Wormholes, huh?'

Rather than explaining, Naoki decided to leave it alone. Some things were better left unsaid.

He and Calyrex watched as Buzzwole flexed one last time before lumbering off under the

guidance of the Galar staff.

"Farewell, big guy," Naoki muttered with an amused smile.

Calyrex, standing beside him, narrowed his eyes briefly. "The energy from that portal has

vanished."

Naoki nodded in agreement. "Looks like the Ultra Wormhole finally closed."

At that moment, a group of Galar League officials rushed out of the cave in a frenzy.

"It's gone!" "That muscle-bound Pokémon ran into a glowing portal and just disappeared!"

"So... it wasn't from underground, but from another world?"

Watching the scene unfold, Naoki turned to Calyrex. "Well, that's our cue. I think the train

station should be operational again by now."

Calyrex gave a small, knowing nod.

Naoki rode on Spectrier, following closely behind Koraidon as they galloped across the

snowfield, the icy winds trailing in their wake.

Mark and the other Galar League staff watched in stunned silence, realizing too late that the

mysterious trainer had already vanished into the distance. "Wait! He's gone?" Mark exclaimed.

The staff exchanged puzzled glances.

"It's strange... That Pokémon could actually ride on another Pokémon to fight?"

"Yeah. And according to your report, it only took one move to defeat that Pokemon."

"To capture such powerful Pokémon, that guy from Paldea must be an incredible trainer.

What a shame-we missed the chance to thank him. It would've been great to make friends

with him!"

...

The Next Day - Postwick Town

Postwick Town was a quiet, peaceful place nestled in the outskirts of the region. The streets were calm, with only the occasional sound of wild Pokémon calling in the distance.

Since Calyrex wished to visit the slumbering Weald to search for Zacian and Zamazenta, Naoki

decided to take the train here, disembarking at Postwick Town Station.

Their plan was to travel south to Postwick Town, where the mystical forest was located

nearby.

Walking down the main street, Naoki strolled alongside Koraidon and Calyrex, while Glastrier and Spectrier rested inside their Poké Balls.

Koraidon curiously looked around, taking in the unfamiliar sights, and marveling at the lively

streets. Everything felt new and exciting to it.

Calyrex also gazed thoughtfully at his surroundings.

"This world has changed so much compared to the one I knew." He mused aloud, his voice

carrying a hint of nostalgia.

Naoki nodded, keeping pace with him. "Yeah, it really has."

Naoki had done some research on the ancient history of the Pokémon world, and he couldn't

help but sigh: "There was a time when humans saw Pokémon as monsters or tools of war. But with the advancements of science, Pokémon have become a natural part of human life."

Calyrex gave a small, approving nod. A soft smile formed on his face. "I like the way the world

is now."

Naoki grinned. "Yeah, me too."

At that moment, Koraidon beside Naoki suddenly perked up, its eyes widening in surprise. "Raao?" Koraidon called, alerting Naoki and Calyrex.

The two followed its gaze to see a crowd gathering on the road just ahead. "Huh?" Naoki tilted his head in curiosity, instinctively stepping closer to get a better look.

Pushing through the small crowd, they came upon a Urshifu standing in the middle of the

street, holding a young boy in its arms. The Pokémon looked visibly anxious, clutching the

child close to its chest as if protecting him. "Raao!" (Let me see!)

Koraidon also wanted to squeeze in to take a look.

Just then, an elderly woman with silver hair approached the scene. Her gentle expression and

calm demeanor instantly stood out. Naoki recognized her at once. "Professor Magnolia!" Naoki exclaimed softly. She was the renowned researcher of Dynamax phenomena in the Galar region.

Magnolia leaned over to examine the boy cradled in Urshifu's arms. After a quick assessment,

she turned toward the towering Pokémon.

"Are you this boy's Pokémon?" she asked, her voice steady yet concerned. "This child has a high fever. He's seriously ill and needs medical care at once!"

To Naoki's utter shock, Urshifu responded: "Shifu!" (No, I'm his father!)

Naoki blinked in disbelief.

'Wait... what?'

Before Naoki could process what he had just heard, the bear Pokémon shifted the boy in its

arms and hurriedly followed Professor Magnolia down the street. It seemed they were

heading toward the Pokémon Center.

The crowd slowly began to disperse, though a few people lingered, casting curious glances at Naoki, Calyrex, and Koraidon. Naoki stood frozen for a moment, still trying to wrap his head around what he had just witnessed. He finally turned to Calyrex and Koraidon, his confusion written all over his face.

"Did... did I hear that correctly? That Pokémon said it's the kid's father?" Naoki asked

incredulously.

Koraidon nodded enthusiastically. "Raao!" (Yup, you heard it!)

Calyrex also gave a small nod, his expression calm. "It seems the Urshifu has indeed raised

that human child as its own."

Naoki's mind immediately flashed to the story of Zarude and Koko from the movie Secrets of

the Jungle.

"Oh no... Could this be another case like Koko and Zarude?" Naoki muttered, rubbing his

temples.

It was hard to believe. Could this boy really have been raised by an Urshifu?