Pokemon: A New Path-579

Sylveon delicately wrapped a ribbon around her cup and brought it to her mouth, her beautiful blue eyes filled with anticipation.

Flutterman picked up her cup with her winged claws, looking unusually serious. In her memory, anything with such a strange color was probably not safe to drink.

But Naoki said it was fine, so it should be okay, right?

Glaceon sat quietly on the floor. She didn't have any particular feelings about the blue watermelon juice, she simply thought the color was really beautiful.

Alcremie was thrilled just to be drinking juice together with everyone. She used her tiny hands to lift the cup, which was almost as tall as she was, and cheered happily.

Dragonite wasn't picky at all. If Naoki said it was drinkable, then it was good enough. Without a second of hesitation, it scooped up the cup with its large claws and poured the juice straight into its mouth.

Cyclizar looked left and right, waiting patiently to drink alongside everyone.

Calyrex picked up his cup, sniffed it cautiously, expecting it to smell strange, but to his surprise, it actually smelled good.

Koraidon casually grabbed his cup without much thought.

"Alright, let's drink together!"

Following Naoki's cue, all the Pokémon in front of him lifted their cups and drank.

Naoki closely observed them.

Compared to other dishes he had prepared before, this frozen watermelon juice didn't cause any obvious glowing effects or dramatic changes after drinking it.

"It seems the enhancement is hidden," Naoki thought to himself.

Just then, Sylveon looked down at her body and asked excitedly, "Bu-i-bu-i?!" (Can I become a hero who defeats dragons?!)

Naoki paused for a moment.

"That's just an old fairy tale from the Galar region," he said helplessly. "And anyway, there aren't any dragons around here."

Hearing this, Sylveon immediately turned her gaze toward Koraidon, the Cyclizar, and Dragonite.

Dragonite quickly spoke up to defend himself, "Awoo!" (I'm not a dragon Pokémon!)

Cyclizar tilted his head in confusion, "Gaao?" (Am I a dragon?)

Koraidon looked annoyed, "Aga…" (Seriously?)

Naoki felt just as exasperated as Koraidon. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Maybe things like that happened a long time ago."

"Booee?" Sylveon tilted her head, puzzled.

Naoki explained patiently, "A long, long time ago, humans and Pokémon weren't as close as they are now. Back then, humans called Pokémon 'magical beasts' and thought they were terrifying. They stayed away from them, and Pokémon were mostly wary of humans too."

"So when humans encountered Dragon-type Pokémon, they would sometimes be attacked. Maybe that's why humans started calling them dragons."

"Booee?" Sylveon asked anxiously. Were there still dragon Pokémon that attacked humans now?

"I don't know about that," Naoki said. "But the dragon Pokémon I've met, Koraidon, Cyclizar, and Dragonite, are all very gentle."

"Plus, in today's world, humans and Pokémon have already grown used to living together. Things like Poké Balls and Pokémon Trainers are already deeply ingrained in both Pokémon's instincts and humans' way of life."

Hearing this, Sylveon's ears drooped slightly. She looked disappointed. She had really wanted to use her own power to defeat a dragon and become a hero!

Naoki couldn't help but smile helplessly at her expression.

"Well, there might not be any dragons to battle around here," he said. "At least, I haven't seen any."

He thought for a second and added, "Maybe if you traveled far away, you could find some. Like Hydreigon, for example, a naturally ferocious Dragon-type Pokémon. But you won't find many of those around Paldea."

"Boo-ee…" Sylveon pouted in disappointment.

...

After playing with the other Eevee at the ranch for a while, Sylveon headed toward the World Tree.

Jirachi, who lived at the World Tree, was very fond of the Eeveelutions from Naoki's ranch. When it saw them visiting the Expedition Team Guild again, it eagerly flew down to join in the fun.

There was the energetic Flareon, the graceful Espeon, the gentle Leafeon, and the short-tempered Jolteon

Everyone was playing together just like always, laughing and chasing each other across the grass.

But then, Jirachi noticed Sylveon.

Sylveon was lying quietly in the grass, her ribbons drooping lifelessly beside her, looking thoroughly downcast.

Concerned, Jirachi floated over, circled around Sylveon, and asked gently, "Sylveon, what's wrong?"

"Boo-ee..." Sylveon sighed heavily.

Huh? Dragon Pokémon?

Jirachi blinked in confusion, then asked curiously, "You want to defeat a Dragon and become a hero?"

"Bu-yi!" Sylveon nodded with bright determination, but just as quickly, she flopped back onto the grass, sighing sadly, "Bu-yi..." (But Naoki said there aren't any Dragons around anymore...)

Dragon.

Seeing this, Jirachi thought hard for a moment. Then its eyes lit up, and it said excitedly:

"That's not necessarily true! Let's go ask Ho-Oh! Ho-Oh has traveled all over the world, he must know something!"

"Bu-yi?!" Sylveon's ears perked up in surprise.

Without wasting a moment, Sylveon left the group of Eeveelutions and, following Jirachi's lead, made her way up to the top of the World Tree.

There, on a thick branch shaded by enormous leaves, Sylveon spotted Ho-Oh.

The Rainbow Pokémon was perched firmly on the branch with his powerful talons, eyes closed, appearing to be resting. The dark lines beneath his eyes made him look almost like he had heavy dark circles from just waking up.

Sensing someone approaching, Ho-Oh suddenly opened his eyes and turned toward them.

"What brings you two here?" Ho-Oh asked in a calm, dignified voice.

He had only just returned to the World Tree from his latest travels, planning to rest a while, and also to quietly help Naoki, the human he had chosen and recognized as worthy to become a Rainbow Hero.

Once that task was done, he would embark on another journey, seeking new humans to whom he could entrust his Rainbow Feather.

"We have something we want to ask you, Ho-Oh!" Jirachi said brightly.

"Oh?" Ho-Oh glanced at Jirachi, then at the small Pokémon perched timidly beside him.

"It's about Dragon!" Jirachi explained. "Sylveon wants to defeat a Dragon and become a great hero! But Naoki said there aren't any dragons left around here, so we came to ask you!"

Ho-Oh was slightly taken aback by the question.

"Dragon?"

"Yes!" Jirachi nodded vigorously.

"Boo-ee..." Sylveon looked up at the majestic Legendary Pokémon, hesitating for a moment before nodding shyly.

Ho-Oh wore an expression that seemed to see through everything. He closed his eyes, deep in thought, carefully recalling the experiences from his long travels.

Sylveon and Jirachi waited quietly beside him, full of anticipation.

After a long moment, Ho-Oh finally spoke.

"I have indeed heard of such a dragon."

At his words, Sylveon's and Jirachi's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

The Rainbow Pokémon continued, "It's a Dragon Pokémon said to dwell deep in the mountains. Legend has it that wherever it appears, a blizzard follows. It is said to prey on the children of nearby towns. Not only that, it wields the power of ice, freezing humans and Pokémon alike into sculptures of frost, making no one dare approach its territory." ƒreewebɳovel.com

"Bu-yi..."

The majestic voice of Ho-Oh painted a chilling scene in Sylveon's mind.

She imagined a snow-covered town late at night, shrouded in howling winds. Through the storm, a huge dragon with glowing red eyes descended.

The terrified townspeople fled in every direction, the ice making it almost impossible to run. Some children, slipping and stumbling on the frozen ground, were separated from their parents.

And the dragon, looming through the blizzard, swooped down to swallow the lost children whole...

"Boo!" Sylveon shivered, trembling at the terrifying image.

Back when Naoki told her stories, he would always gloss over the scary parts with a laugh or a comforting smile. But Ho-Oh's vivid and solemn storytelling made it feel like Sylveon was witnessing it firsthand.

"Even so," Ho-Oh said, his golden eyes fixed on her, "do you still wish to challenge it?"

Sylveon hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. Fear gripped her tightly—but after a moment's struggle, she finally nodded, her ribbon tips trembling.

"Bu... Bu!" (Yes!)

Yes, she still wanted to try. She wanted to defeat the terrifying dragon, rescue the frozen humans, and become a true hero, just like the one in the stories Naoki once told her.

Even so, Sylveon's heart was full of fear. It was one thing to talk about being brave. It was another thing entirely to stand before a monster like that.

Could she really defeat such a dragon?

What if she failed? What if she was swallowed whole and never got to return home, never saw Naoki or her friends again?

Sensing her wavering heart, Ho-Oh smiled gently and said:

"You still carry doubts within you. That's fine. When your heart is ready, when your resolve is unshakable, come back to me."

"Bu-yi..." Sylveon whispered softly.