Pokemon: A New Path Chapter 457: Reunion

After deciding to create a disguise, Naoki wasted no ti.

That very afternoon, he ordered all the necessary materials for the mask from an online marketplace.

Three days later, his package finally arrived.

May 2nd, Year 200 of the Alliance Calendar.

A Pelipper, carrying a large delivery satchel, descended from the sky, landing in the open fields of Naoki's ranch.

However, sothing was off.

Unlike the usual swift and energetic delivery birds, this Pelipper looked exhausted, its feathers ruffled and its eyes weary.

Naoki frowned, stepping forward.

"What happened to you?"

Upon inquiring, he quickly learned the reason for the delay—

The Pelipper had been attacked by wild Pokémon during its journey!

Despite the struggle, it had fought off its assailants and protected the package with all its might.

Naoki was taken aback.

Even though Pokémon Couriers like Pelipper were trained for safe deliveries, unexpected attacks weren't uncommon.

But this poor Pelipper had clearly gone through a rough ti.

It was so shaken that it refused to take the sa route back.

Naoki sighed. "You did great. Here, let take care of you first."

He carefully took the package, then pulled out a dical kit, gently treating the Pelipper's wounds with an Antidote and so healing balm.

The grateful Pelipper squawked in appreciation before taking off, heading back ho through a safer route.

Watching it disappear into the horizon, Naoki exhaled.

"…Well, that was unexpected."

Shaking his head, he turned back to the World Tree, where wtwo awaited.

Upon arriving at the World Tree, Naoki handed the package of materials to wtwo.

The Pokémon took one glance at them before its deep, telepathic voice resonated in Naoki's mind:

"What shape do you want it to take?"

Naoki paused.

'What should the mask look like?'

The first thing that ca to mind was the Blaziken Mask worn by yer.

That disguise had not only included a mask, but also a cloak and bodysuit, all designed after Blaziken.

That ant Naoki should also base his mask on a Pokémon.

But… which one?

His gaze instinctively drifted to Koraidon, who had followed him to the World Tree.

"…No, no, Koraidon would be way too obvious."

Naoki quickly dismissed the idea.

There were only two Koraidon in the world.

One was being studied in Area Zero, and the other was right here, with him.

If he ran around in a Koraidon-thed mask, people would imdiately make the connection!

It had to be sothing common.

Sothing familiar in the Paldea Region.

Then, inspiration struck—

Cyclizar!

Cyclizar was one of the most common Pokémon in Paldea.

They were an important mode of transportation, used by thousands of people every day.

If he made a Cyclizar mask, it wouldn't seem unusual at all!

"Cyclizar!" Naoki declared confidently.

wtwo, who had seen Cyclizar before, simply nodded.

With a wave of its hand, the mask materials floated into the air, enveloped in a soft purple aura.

Then—

A miracle unfolded before Naoki's eyes.

Under wtwo's telekinetic control, the raw materials began reshaping themselves, bending and molding as if obeying an invisible sculptor.

Within monts—

The pieces fused together, forming a sleek, black-and-green mask shaped just like Cyclizar's face.

The craftsmanship was perfect.

Even the texture looked authentic, as though it had been handcrafted by a master artisan.

"It's done." wtwo announced.

Naoki carefully picked up the mask and examined it.

It was stunning.

The contours, the design—flawless. It fit perfectly over his face, covering his identity without obstructing his vision.

"This is amazing. Thanks, wtwo!"

wtwo simply gave a small nod before turning away, already returning to its other tasks.

Naoki, now ard with his new disguise, grinned.

From now on—

When he wore the mask, he would be the "Cyclizar Mask."

And when he took it off?

He would go back to being nothing more than an ordinary rancher.

With a satisfied smirk, he turned to Koraidon.

"Alright, let's head back!"

As Naoki and Koraidon left the Distortion World and returned to the ranch, he imdiately noticed sothing unexpected.

Sitting in the grass, tail flicking lazily, was a familiar figure.

Sprigatito.

The sa jealous little cat Pokémon from before.

Naoki absentmindedly munched on a few translation seed crisps from his pocket as he approached the familiar green-furred feline.

"Well? Did my advice work last ti?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sprigatito, however, looked anything but happy.

With a dramatic flick of its tail, it angrily recounted its latest troubles to Naoki and Koraidon.

"Spiri!" (This is unforgivable! Nothing I did worked!)

Sprigatito stomped its tiny paws against the ground in frustration.

"Spiri-ha!" (And while I was gone, he went and caught another Pokémon! He completely ignored ! He doesn't care about at all!)

Naoki: "…"

That… was a bit much.

His brows furrowed as he thought about it. If what Sprigatito said was true, then its trainer really was being neglectful.

"…So, you ran away again today?"

The Grass Cat Pokémon huffed, its ears twitching with irritation.

"Spiri!" (I'm never going back!)

Naoki's eyes widened in surprise.

"…Wait, are you saying you're abandoning your trainer?"

He had heard of trainers abandoning their Pokémon before—that, unfortunately, wasn't rare.

Take Paul from Sinnoh, for example.

He only captured Pokémon with high potential, releasing any that didn't et his expectations. Even Pokémon like Charmander had been abandoned in the past by careless trainers.

But for a Pokémon to abandon its trainer? That was extrely uncommon.

Sprigatito, however, looked completely serious as it nodded with determination.

"Spiri-ha!" (That's right!)

Naoki opened his mouth to respond, but at that very mont—

A boy, no older than ten, appeared at the entrance to the ranch.

The mont Sprigatito caught his scent, its fur bristled. Without hesitation, the feline turned tail and ran, diving straight into the tall grass.

Within seconds, it had vanished, blending perfectly into the green surroundings.

Naoki blinked.

'That was fast.'

The boy did not notice it and instead turned his gaze to Naoki who was standing there.

He looked worried—his expression a mix of anxiety and determination.

"Um, excuse … have you seen a Sprigatito around here?"

Naoki: "…"

His gaze flickered toward the tall grass, where he knew the very Sprigatito in question was hiding.

But all he saw were a few other Pokémon—Butterfree, Alcremie, and Cyclizar—none of which were green-furred cats.

'…So this is its trainer.'

Studying the boy carefully, Naoki noted the genuine concern on his face.

After a brief pause, he finally spoke.

"Sprigatito?" he echoed, pretending to think. "I did see one earlier. It was drinking from the river and nibbling on berries this morning. Are you its trainer?"

At Naoki's words, the boy's face lit up with relief.

"Yes! I am!"

However, his expression quickly darkened, and his shoulders sagged.

"I… don't know what's going on lately. Sprigatito keeps sneaking out and disappearing for days. I don't know why, but every ti I find it, it just runs off again…"

He sighed, clearly troubled.

Naoki almost chuckled.

'Kid… your Pokémon is this close to completely ditching you, and you don't even realize it?'

From what he could tell, Sprigatito was probably just angry. It wanted its trainer's attention but felt jealous and replaced—so it was throwing a tantrum.

Maybe not a very reasonable tantrum, but a tantrum nonetheless.

Still, Sprigatito was likely speaking out of frustration rather than truly wanting to leave its trainer forever.

Naoki humd in thought before offering a suggestion.

"Well, don't worry too much. If it's been coming around here lately, it might show up again."

The boy looked up hopefully.

"You think so?"

Naoki nodded.

"There aren't many houses nearby. If it gets hungry, it'll probably co back to the ranch to look for food. Do you want to wait here?"

The boy brightened imdiately.

"Really?! Thank you so much, Mr. Rancher!"

Then, with a polite bow, he introduced himself.

"My na is Astro! I'm from Cabo Poco, and I'm traveling around Paldea with my Pokémon!"

Naoki smiled.

Naoki handed the Cyclizar Mask to Koraidon for safekeeping before inviting Astro into the living room.

As the young trainer took a seat, Naoki poured him a glass of water.

Astro had been chasing after Sprigatito for who knows how long, and in his anxiety, he had completely forgotten to hydrate.

The boy gratefully accepted the drink, gulping it down in one go before exhaling in relief.

"Thank you so much!" he said earnestly.

Naoki smiled. "No problem. If you don't mind, could you tell what's been going on with your Sprigatito?"

anwhile, just outside the door, Sprigatito had crept up silently under the eaves. It pricked up its ears, keenly listening in on their conversation.

So of the Pokémon on the ranch noticed its presence, tilting their heads in curiosity. But Sprigatito paid them no mind.

It wanted to hear what its trainer had to say.

Inside, Astro nodded at Naoki's request and began explaining.

"This is my first year as a Pokémon Trainer," he started. "I received Sprigatito as my starter from the director of the academy, and we did everything together—attending classes, eating als, even joining extracurricular activities. It was great at first."

Naoki listened attentively, nodding along.

"But then… I don't know what happened," Astro frowned. "One day, Sprigatito just got mad at and ran away. I wasn't even doing anything different!"

His brows furrowed.

"And it's not the first ti, either. This is the fifth ti it's run away from ho."

Naoki: "…"

'Yep. That sounded exactly like a Sprigatito.'

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Do you rember when it first started acting like this?"

Astro blinked. "The first ti…?"

His face scrunched up in thought, trying to recall.

"Hmm… it was about three months ago," he said. "I had just graduated from Uva Academy and was super excited to finally start my journey as a real Trainer. So, the first thing I did after leaving school was head straight to the grasslands outside sagoza to catch my second Pokémon."

Astro grinned proudly, clearly reliving the mont.

"I managed to catch a Bounsweet!"

"And after that," Naoki continued, "what happened next?"

Astro rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Uh… well… after catching Bounsweet, I also caught Skiploom, Espurr, Wattrel, Marill, and Psyduck."

Naoki blinked.

"…All in one day?"

Astro waved his hands frantically. "No, no! It took a week!"

He puffed out his chest in excitent. "I've been dreaming about becoming a Pokémon Trainer for so long! The mont I finally got my first Pokémon, I just couldn't stop catching more!"

Naoki: "…"

"I think I know why Spirigatito ran away from ho," he said.

Astro was stunned: "Huh?"

"Pokémon like Sprigatito are very possessive of their trainers," he explained. "They don't like sharing their trainers' attention with others."

Astro's eyes widened slightly.

Naoki continued.

"Let guess—after catching those Pokémon, you fed them sandwiches, played with them, and petted them, right?"

"Well… yeah," Astro admitted. "That's how you bond with Pokémon, isn't it?"

At that mont, realization dawned on his face.

His mouth fell open in shock.

"Wait… Are you saying Sprigatito ran away because I caught too many Pokémon?!"

Naoki nodded. "Exactly."

"Pokémon, just like humans, have deep emotions," he said. "They feel happy when their trainer praises them… and they feel sad when they're ignored."

Astro sat there, stunned.

Naoki sat back, watching Astro process everything.

"Sotis, a trainer has to learn self-restraint," Naoki said gently. "There's only one trainer, but when too many Pokémon are caught at once, it becos difficult to give each of them the care and attention they deserve."

Astro listened intently.

"In a situation like that," Naoki continued, "so Pokémon will inevitably feel neglected—just like Sprigatito."

Astro's expression shifted. "So… Sprigatito ran away because it felt ignored…"

For the first ti, he truly understood.

His starter Pokémon had run away five tis, and each ti, it stayed away longer and longer.

If this continued…

Would there co a day when Sprigatito gave up on him entirely—never coming back?

A cold sense of fear crept up his spine at the thought.

His mories flooded back, clear as day.

—The mont he first saw Sprigatito, he imdiately chose it over Fuecoco and Quaxly.

—Their ti at Uva Academy, sitting in classes together, running side by side on the school field, racing until they were both exhausted.

—Enjoying als at the cafeteria, staying up late in the dorm, and falling asleep with Sprigatito curled up beside him.

He clenched his fists.

anwhile, Naoki had already noticed the small green figure lurking outside the door.

Sprigatito's ears twitched slightly as it continued to eavesdrop.

Naoki exchanged a brief glance with Koraidon, then turned back to Astro and asked,

"Astro, is Sprigatito important to you?"

"Of course it is!" Astro answered imdiately, without hesitation.

At those words, Sprigatito's heart trembled.

"Spiri…" (Really?)

Naoki nodded, then followed up with another question.

"If you could see Sprigatito again right now… what would you say?"

Astro didn't even need to think.

"I would apologize." His voice was firm. "I ignored it for too long. From now on, I'll be more careful with its feelings. I'll never let it feel abandoned again!"

Naoki smiled.

He glanced toward the doorway.

"Did you hear that, Sprigatito?"

"Huh?!"

Astro whipped his head around in shock.

And there, standing in the doorway, was Sprigatito.

The Grass Cat Pokémon had an awkward look on its face, as if it hadn't planned on getting caught listening in.

"Sprigatito!"

Astro sprang to his feet, rushing forward. He scooped up his Pokémon, holding it tightly in his arms.

"I'm sorry!" he said sincerely. "I shouldn't have ignored you! I promise—I'll never do that again!"

Sprigatito blinked up at him in surprise. After a mont, its ears twitched, and it let out a soft purr.

"Spirii!"

...

A little later, Astro had finally cald down.

Naoki briefly recounted everything that had happened after Sprigatito arrived at the ranch.

"So that's what happened…" Astro murmured, looking down at his Pokémon.

Then, he turned back to Naoki, bowing deeply.

"Mr. Naoki, thank you so much for looking after Sprigatito!"

Naoki waved a hand dismissively. "No need for thanks."

He glanced at the feline Pokémon. "Actually, Sprigatito still has sothing to say to you. Want to translate?"

"Huh? What do you an?"

Naoki grinned.

"It said that it likes you a lot and wants to stay by your side forever."

Astro froze. His mouth opened slightly, eyes widening in shock.

Sprigatito, sitting on his shoulder, tilted its head away, looking embarrassed.

Naoki chuckled and stretched.

"So, in the future… don't ignore its feelings."

With that, Naoki turned, waving as he walked back toward the ranch.

"Safe travels, you two!"

Astro and Sprigatito watched his figure disappear down the road, standing there for a long mont.

Then, Astro smiled.

"Sprigatito, let's continue our journey!"

"Spiri!" (Yeah! Let's go!)

The trainer and his Pokémon set off down the dirt path, disappearing over the horizon.

Back at the ranch, Naoki was about to head inside when Koraidon suddenly approached him. It held out a small, round object.

Naoki blinked. "Huh? What's this?"

"Raao." (Sothing Sprigatito left behind.) Koraidon explained.

Naoki's eyes widened slightly.

Sprigatito… left sothing for him?

He took the small object in his hand, examining it carefully.

Suddenly, a strange feeling washed over him, and information appeared in his mind.

[Gratitude Seeds: Special seeds given by Sprigatito, infused with deep gratitude. When planted, they will grow into a unique crop.]

...

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