"Pokémon are so cute!"
After visiting the Shrine of Abundance, the group began their journey back to the ranch.
Along the way, the children buzzed with excitent, chattering away like a flock of lively bird Pokémon.
"Ah, I can't wait to turn ten and get my very own first Pokémon to start my journey!" a blond boy said with a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Yeah! I want to catch every Pokémon in the world!" another boy exclaid, clenching his fists, his eyes burning with determination. "I'll capture rare and powerful Pokémon and beco the strongest Trainer ever!"
Hearing this, Professor Oak turned around with a surprised smile. His gaze swept over the children as he asked warmly:
"Does everyone here feel the sa way?"
"No!" a girl raised her hand enthusiastically. "I want to be friends with all the Pokémon in the world!"
"You'll never beco a strong Trainer that way!" the boy beside her interrupted. "Even Pokémon of the sa species can vary in strength. If you catch weak ones, you'll be left behind by other Trainers. That's what my brother told !"
"That's not true!" the girl argued back with a frown. "If you catch too many Pokémon, you won't be able to take care of them properly. The bond with your Pokémon will weaken, and that'll affect their strength!"
"Alright, alright," Professor Oak chuckled warmly at the familiar debate. "You're both correct in your own way. Everyone has their own unique approach to caring for Pokémon."
"So people prefer nurturing and spending ti with Pokémon, becoming excellent Pokémon Breeders. Others love battling, so they train rigorously alongside their Pokémon to beco stronger."
"But the most important thing," Professor Oak continued, "is your heart. Let your Pokémon see your true feelings and understand your thoughts. When you earn their trust and recognition, that's when you beco true partners, the best kind there is."
The children listened silently, each of them reflecting on what Pokémon truly ant to them.
"Just like Naoki," Professor Oak added, drawing everyone's attention toward Naoki.
"?" Naoki blinked in surprise.
Professor Oak nodded gently. "No matter how you treat Pokémon, whether through training or nurturing, it doesn't have to be a conflict."
"For example, Naoki runs a ranch filled with many Pokémon. Even though there are occasional small disagreents, every single Pokémon there loves and respects him."
The children fell silent, thinking back to everything they had seen over the past two days:
Koraidon and Cyclizar helping Mr. Naoki with the farmwork, the Indeedee siblings preparing water and towels whenever he got tired, and Pawmot assisting with tending to the ranch's hens.
Every Pokémon worked happily alongside Naoki, and they were all remarkably strong, too.
Looking at Naoki now, the children found a new dream quietly forming in their hearts.
They wanted to beco Pokémon Trainers just like Mr. Naoki, strong, kind, and trusted by Pokémon.
Seeing the determination burning in the children's eyes, Professor Oak smiled warmly.
"It looks like everyone understands now. Yes, this is the bond and future of humans and Pokémon. This is the world we live in."
...
anwhile, on the World Tree.
Urshifu sat cross-legged on the ground, though a bead of cold sweat trickled down his face. Across from him, Groudon sat with a dark expression.
"Shifu?" (Naoki still hasn't replied?) Urshifu asked nervously.
Groudon's face grew even gloomier. It slapped its massive tail against the ground with a heavy thud, its eyes burning with frustration.
"Tell !" Groudon growled. "Why did he ask Kyogre for help and not ? Does he look down on ? Think I'm weaker than that guy?!"
Urshifu hesitated, then said carefully, "Shifu." (No, Master. Naoki treats all Pokémon equally.)
Equally? Groudon wasn't buying it.
It imdiately retorted, "Then why won't he answer my call?!"
Urshifu wiped away a cold sweat nervously. "Shifu." (Maybe Naoki is busy with sothing right now.)
Groudon huffed, clearly not convinced.
After thinking for a mont, Urshifu decided to seriously correct himself.
"Shifu." (Also, Master, you're a little different from us. You're not officially one of Naoki's Pokémon, you live on the World Tree.)
Pokémon like Urshifu, who had their own Poké Balls, were truly Naoki's Pokémon.
There was a big difference.
Groudon fell silent for a mont, then grumbled, "Then he must really be looking down on . Otherwise, he wouldn't have called that guy Kyogre but not . He's doing this on purpose!"
Proud and stubborn, Groudon had spent a lifeti competing with Kyogre, and he wasn't about to back down now.
Urshifu didn't know what to say anymore and quietly closed his mouth.
Just then, a cheerful voice chid from Groudon's Rotom Phone:
"Incoming call! It's Naoki!"
At once, both Pokémon turned to look at the floating Rotom Phone.
Rotom quickly connected the call, and the next second, Naoki's face appeared on the screen.
Naoki had already returned to the ranch. He had found a quiet, deserted spot away from the others to call Groudon.
"What's up? Did you want to talk to about sothing, Groudon?" Naoki asked.
But mid-sentence, Naoki's eyes caught sight of the tall, imposing Pokémon sitting next to Groudon.
His eyes widened instantly.
"!!!
"Kubfu?! You evolved?!"
Urshifu scratched the back of his head, a simple, cheerful smile spreading across his face. He nodded eagerly.
"Shifu!" (That's right!)
Seeing Naoki completely ignoring him, Groudon's expression grew darker and darker.
"Roaaar!" Groudon roared angrily.
The God of the Land's fury shook the very earth. Nearby volcanoes rumbled and erupted, the ground trembled violently, and scalding geysers of steam burst from cracks in the earth.
Only then did Naoki and Urshifu finally turn their attention to Groudon.
"Why did you only call Kyogre and not ?! Are you looking down on ?! What makes that guy better than ?! I'm obviously the strongest Pokémon! If you need help, I can help even more!"
Naoki: "..."
Urshifu: "..."
Naoki was stunned.
Groudon and Kyogre were even fighting over sothing like this?!
Seeing Naoki remain silent, Groudon's temper only flared further.
Suddenly, the volcanoes erupted even higher, and molten lava rained from the sky. In the distance, Naoki saw a startled Moltres burst out of its cave, flapping frantically to escape the chaos.
Panicked, Naoki quickly explained to Groudon:
"It's not what you think! I called Kyogre because the enemy we're about to face is incredibly strong. Ground-type moves can't hurt him. Only Water- and Grass-type attacks can deal effective damage."
"Specifically, Kyogre's Water-type moves and Calyrex's Grass-type moves will work against him."
Groudon: "?"
Groudon snorted coldly, skeptical.
"You really think I'm weaker than that guy?!"
Naoki: "..."
Seeing Groudon's stubborn face, Naoki sighed and decided it was best to tell him everything clearly.
"Alright, listen carefully."
Groudon crossed its arms, its expression saying clearly: "Fine, impress ."
Naoki took a breath and said carefully:
"The opponent we're about to face... is Arceus. The creator of this world."
At those words, Groudon's face darkened.
The creator? It had never even heard of such a thing!
"A long, long ti ago," Naoki continued, "the world was nothing but a void."
Naoki paused, realizing Groudon might not know what a void was.
He added patiently:
"Void ans there was absolutely nothing, no flowers, no trees, no humans, no Pokémon. Just endless nothingness."
"And in that endless nothingness, Arceus existed alone. Maybe it was out of loneliness, or maybe it had its own reasons, but Arceus created the world we now live in."
"At first, the world was barren, only vast oceans and endless land. But soon after... dreams began to be born."
"After creating the world, Arceus fell into a deep sleep," Naoki continued. "This world was born from Arceus, so everything remains under its control. The original power that created the world was transford into Plates, special stone slabs representing each elental type. As long as the Plates remain with Arceus, we can't hurt it."
Hearing this, Groudon frowned suspiciously.
"Then why can Kyogre hurt him?" Groudon asked.
"That's because Arceus has lost several of its Origin Plates," Naoki explained. "And the Water Plate—the one corresponding to Kyogre's Water-type moves—happens to be one of the missing ones."
"Long ago, Arceus was deceived and betrayed by humans with ill intentions. It was gravely injured and fell into a deep slumber because of it."
"And now, Arceus is about to awaken again. But it's still consud by rage. Having lost its reason, it plans to pass judgnt on humanity. That's why I'm gathering Kyogre and Ho-Oh—to help stop Arceus's wrath and calm it down before it's too late."
Groudon narrowed his eyes and caught onto sothing else.
"Then why can Ho-Oh help too?"
Naoki hesitated for a second before answering.
"Because Ho-Oh possesses a unique power, its Sacred Ash can heal any injury, no matter how severe."
Hearing that, Groudon finally pieced together the situation.
Reason and logic aside, though, Groudon couldn't help feeling irritated.
It couldn't accept it! If Kyogre could go, then surely it could too!
What "God of Creation" nonsense?! If Kyogre could fight Arceus, Groudon could fight even better!
"I want to go too! I can help!" Groudon declared firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Naoki and Urshifu: "..."
Well, it wasn't impossible.
In fact, letting Groudon join might actually help. It could act as the perfect frontline shield, drawing Arceus's attention and attacks, making it easier for Kyogre and Calyrex to land their blows.
"Alright," Naoki agreed with a small smile. "In that case, I'll be counting on you too!"
Groudon huffed proudly, finally satisfied.
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