Pokemon: A New Path-Dragon Nemesis[578]

Naoki cleared his throat and said seriously, "The opponent we're about to face is very powerful."

Hearing this, all the Pokémon immediately cried out in determination.

As long as they worked together, no difficulty was too great to overcome!

Naoki continued, "This opponent is none other than the god who created this world—Arceus."

'The god... who created this world?'

The Pokémon in front of him froze, their eyes widening in shock.

They had never even imagined such a being existed. Just the thought of it was enough to leave them trembling.

Charizard stepped forward, roaring curiously, "Aargh?" (Can Mewtwo defeat it?)

Naoki shook his head solemnly. "Even with all of Mewtwo's power, it wouldn't stand a chance alone."

"Wuuu?" Milotic flicked its tail anxiously. (What about Rayquaza then?)

To it, Rayquaza was the strongest being on the entire World Tree.

But Naoki shook his head again. "No. Not even Rayquaza."

At that, a heavy silence fell over the gathering.

The Creator God... it sounded impossibly terrifying.

But then,

"Tatsu!" One of the Tatsugiri cried out bravely. (No matter how scary it is, if we all work together, we'll win!)

Encouraged, the others joined in too, rallying their spirits.

No matter what, they wouldn't let Naoki face danger alone!

Watching their determination, Naoki smiled warmly.

"Okay, okay," he said gently. "I really appreciate it. But don't worry. With Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and Calyrex on our side, everything will be fine."

Then, Naoki patiently explained the truth to them.

"We're not fighting Arceus. Something caused him to lose his mind, and he's trying to punish humans. We're going to stop him and protect both Pokémon and humans. That's all."

"Pikachu..."

Pikachu's ears drooped slightly. So they had misunderstood after all.

All the Pokémon turned to look accusingly at Jirachi.

Jirachi immediately panicked. "I didn't say Naoki was going to war!"

It had only told Tropius that Naoki needed lots of help!

Tropius shook its head awkwardly. Upon thinking back carefully, it realized... it might have jumped to conclusions.

Seeing the two scramble, Naoki couldn't help but laugh.

"It's fine. At least the misunderstanding is cleared up."

Still, he was secretly impressed.

Even though it was all a misunderstanding, the logistics team and combat team they organized were incredibly well thought out.

The logistics Pokémon were in charge of gathering Berries, cooking meals, and treating injuries.

The combat Pokémon were trained to defend the World Tree if needed.

If only there were an actual dungeon to explore... they could really form a Rescue Team, explore mazes, and hunt for rare treasures together.

The logistics team would stay back at the Expedition Guild to handle supplies and dispatch missions, just like a real guild!

...

June 7th, Year 201, Alliance Calendar — Early Summer

The heat of summer had arrived in full force.

This year was especially brutal, with daytime temperatures soaring as high as 35°C (95°F). Most of the Pokémon at the ranch stayed indoors, lounging in air-conditioned rooms and refusing to budge.

Only a few Pokémon who weren't bothered by the heat could still be seen running and playing happily around the ranch.

The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue, and the sun blazed mercilessly over the land.

Only in the evenings did the temperature finally cool enough for everyone to come outside.

When the sun dipped low, the Pokémon would pour out of the house, basking in the refreshing evening breeze.

Taking advantage of the cooler weather, Naoki headed out to the fields.

Dragonite floated beside him, flapping its small wings eagerly.

"Can you help water the fields?" Naoki asked.

"Awoo!"

Dragonite agreed at once.

With a small flutter of its wings, it summoned a cloud overhead. Light drizzle began to fall, softening the sun-scorched earth and refreshing the parched crops.

Naoki checked the fields carefully, inspecting the plants as he walked between the rows.

The crops had grown particularly well this year.

Thanks to the stable weather around Kosaji Town, there had been good harvests year after year.

The townsfolk attributed the town's prosperity to the blessings of the Calyrex. But Naoki knew the real reason: it was thanks to the group of Dragonite and Dragonair living atop the World Tree.

In the evening, even the Pokémon living underground came out to enjoy the cool breeze.

Dugtrio popped their heads out of the ground and lingered near the farmland, quietly watching the drifting clouds and light rain above.

Nearby, a group of Garganacl huddled under a large tree, leaning back-to-back for shade. Perched on their shoulders was an Alcremie, gently swaying and looking perfectly relaxed.

Pokémon could be seen everywhere across the ranch.

No matter where Naoki looked, a Pokémon would wander across his field of view—laughing, running, basking in the evening sun.

Everyone lived peacefully and happily, making friends, playing together, and simply enjoying life. Just watching this everyday scene filled Naoki's heart with warmth.

Summer is the perfect season for eating watermelon.

It just so happened that the melons had ripened yesterday. Naoki decided it was the perfect time to pick a few and treat everyone!

After Dragonite finished watering the fields, Naoki strolled into the melon patch.

Koraidon followed closely behind, ready to help—but halfway there, its gaze drifted toward the grassy clearing not far away.

There, Urshifu was practicing diligently as always, refining its flowing martial arts.

"Raao..." Koraidon let out a soft rumble of admiration.

What a hardworking and serious Pokémon.

At that moment, Naoki's quiet "Huh?" caught Koraidon's attention.

It turned its head and saw Naoki holding up a large, ice-blue watermelon he had just pulled from the field.

"Is this a mutated watermelon?" Naoki murmured.

As soon as he touched it, a notification popped up in his mind:

[Frozen Watermelon]: A special crop. Mutated from an ordinary watermelon. After being prepared into a dish, it may produce magical effects.

"Frozen Watermelon..."

Naoki's eyes lit up in surprise.

It had been a long time since any useful mutant crops had appeared on the ranch. Sure, there had been some before... but they were usually things like peas that could shoot people, potatoes that exploded, or corn that glowed.

Nothing truly useful.

"Well, I'm free now anyway. Let's see what this watermelon can do!"

Handing the frozen melon to Koraidon to carry, Naoki picked a few more ripe, normal watermelons and brought them back to the house.

After washing and slicing them up, he stepped outside and gave a loud call.

In no time at all, a crowd of happy Pokémon came running.

Naoki handed out slices of watermelon to everyone.

The Pokémon all plopped down under the eaves, munching happily on the sweet fruit, laughing and playing as the cool evening breeze passed by.

Watching them, Naoki smiled warmly.

Then he turned and returned to the kitchen, ready to experiment with the special melon.

First, he carefully peeled the skin from the frozen watermelon.

Then he placed the shimmering blue flesh into the juicer.

A few moments later, a small cup of icy blue juice was ready.

Naoki lifted it curiously, and the details appeared before him:

[Frozen Watermelon Juice (B+)]: Special Dish. A drink made from the juice of a Frozen Watermelon. The energy contained within may have mysterious effects.

Cooking Effect: Dragon Nemesis. Special Attack against Dragon-type Pokémon. After use, Ice-, Fairy-, and Dragon-type Pokémon gain a boost to the power of their moves that are super-effective against Dragon-types.

Evaluation: Ideal for taking down tough Dragon-types! Rumored to be a favorite treat of a certain Ice-type Champion.

Naoki stared at the description, speechless.

"Dragon Nemesis? Heh, that sounds exactly like something WarGreymon from the Digimon world next door studio would use with his Dramon Destroyers!"

Still, Naoki's eyes sharpened as he carefully reread the details.

He had originally thought the effect would only work for Ice-types. But now it seemed Fairy-types and even Dragon-types themselves could benefit too, as long as they had moves strong against Dragons.

"Looks like as long as you have a type advantage against Dragons, it'll work," Naoki muttered thoughtfully.

Among the Pokémon at the ranch:

Ice-types: Glaceon and Glastrier.

Fairy-types: Sylveon, Alcremie, and Flutter Mane.

Dragon-types: Koraidon, Dragonite, and Cyclizar.

Quite a few candidates.

However... despite the frozen watermelon's impressive size, after juicing it, he had barely gotten two cups of icy blue juice.

That wouldn't be enough for everyone.

After thinking for a moment, Naoki grabbed several smaller cups and divided the juice evenly into them.

Now at least everyone would get a taste, even if it was just a sip!

Naoki looked at the strange blue juice in the tiny cups and smiled in satisfaction, even though the color was a little unsettling.

Five minutes later.

At the long dining table, Sylveon, Flutter Mane, Glaceon, Koraidon, Cyclizar, Alcremie, and Dragonite gathered around, staring curiously at the suspicious-looking drinks.

Sylveon tilted its head and murmured:

"Buee?" (If I drink this watermelon juice... can I become a Dragon Hero?)

Naoki blinked, confused.

"Dragon Hero?"

Sylveon immediately perked up and pointed its paw at him excitedly:

"Buee!" (The story you told me before!)

It still remembered vividly. A long time ago, Naoki had told a story about a brave Sylveon who defeated a terrible Dragon and saved an entire town.

Inspired by that tale, Evee had chosen to evolve into a Sylveon in the first place.

As if worried that Naoki had forgotten, Sylveon hurriedly recounted the story again, its ribbon-like feelers waving animatedly.

"Buee, Buee, Buee!"

Naoki rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Of course I remember! I just didn't catch what you meant at first."

He smiled, then said:

"And yeah, this is kinda similar. After drinking this watermelon juice, your moves will be even more powerful against Dragon-types, just like the Sylveon Warrior from the story."

After all, it was the Dragon Nemesis effect.

Hearing that, Sylveon's eyes lit up like stars.

"Bueeeeeee!"

It bounced happily on the spot, its tail ribbons waving in excitement.