Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 348: Lance



The commands were given, and both Pokémon responded simultaneously.

Goomy, its small, slime-like body quivering with effort, began to harness the water energy within it, releasing a stream of sparkling bubbles that flew toward Alcremie.

Meanwhile, Alcremie stood steadfast, gently waving its fingers in a playful yet focused manner.

Some trainers watching the battle immediately recognized the move.

"That's Metronome!" one of them said.

"I wonder what move it'll randomly select this time," another mused.

Metronome is a unique move-essentially unpredictable. It has no inherent power or effects of its own but can trigger any known move across all Pokémon. Researchers have long tried to unravel its mysteries, only to conclude that its randomness might be nothing short of divine intervention.

The iridescent bubbles floated toward Alcremie, their fragile forms seemingly harmless but deceptive. Alcremie remained poised, her little face full of determination as she continued to wiggle her fingers.

Suddenly, her movements stopped. A melodic "Mree!" escaped her lips, and in an instant, countless sharp green leaves materialized and spiraled around her, glinting like tiny blades.

It was Leaf Blade.

The shimmering leaves surged forward, meeting Goomy's bubble attack mid-air. The fragile bubbles popped instantly on contact with the sharp leaves. But the assault didn't stop there- the remaining leaves sped onward toward Goomy.

"Quick, Goomy! Use Protect!" shouted Nemona, her voice filled with urgency.

Goomy quickly curled itself into a defensive ball, creating a translucent shield around it. The flying leaves collided with the barrier, scattering harmlessly in all directions.

"Nice block, Goomy!" Nemona cheered. "That was close! This battle is so exciting! Let's go for another attack! Use Water Gun!"

Naoki smiled faintly. It was clear that Alcremie was capable of overpowering Goomy at any moment with a well-placed Fairy-type move. However, he decided to continue with Metronome-it was unpredictable enough to level the playing field.

"Alcremie, use Metronome again."

"Mree!" Alcremie waved her fingers once more, summoning an aura of energy around her.

Goomy fired a steady stream of water, which shot toward Alcremie. At the last moment, Alcremie's Metronome activated, summoning a swirling barrier of water energy that perfectly deflected the Water Gun.

Nemona clenched her fists, her excitement growing. "Alright, Goomy, it's time to get serious! Use Iron Tail!"

Goomy's soft, gelatinous body seemed to tense as it focused energy into its tail. The tail hardened, gleaming with a metallic sheen, and Goomy propelled itself forward with surprising speed.

"Alcremie, Metronome!" Naoki commanded.

"Mree!" Alcremie waved her fingers once more. This time, an immense surge of water energy erupted around her, forming countless glowing rings of light in the air.

It was Hydro Cannon.

In a breathtaking display, brilliant bluish-white beams shot from the rings, converging on Goomy with overwhelming force. The battlefield was bathed in dazzling light, and the trainers watching gasped in awe.

When the light faded, Goomy lay motionless on the ground, fainted.

The referee, a uniformed waiter, stepped forward to inspect Goomy before announcing the results. "Goomy is unable to battle! The winner is Naoki and his Alcremie!"

Nemona, far from being upset, jumped up and down with excitement. "That was amazing, Mr. Naoki! I've never seen anything like it!"

Naoki scratched his head, smiling awkwardly. "One day, Nemona, you'll get there too."

Nemona rushed over, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What move was that? It was so cool!"

Naoki chuckled. "Honestly, I'm not sure. That's the thing about Metronome-you never know what you're going to get."

The surrounding trainers nodded in understanding. Metronome's unpredictability was its charm, often leading to moves even the trainers hadn't seen before.

As the crowd's attention shifted, Naoki exhaled a sigh of relief. It felt almost unfair to pit a child against such overwhelming power, even if it was unintentional.

Still, he smiled at Nemona. "Do you want to go another round?" he asked, knowing her boundless energy would likely prompt a "yes."

Nemona, ever the battle enthusiast, agreed without hesitation. "Okay, okay!"

She sent out her Pokémon, Rockruff, onto the battlefield. Naoki, in turn, gave Koraidon a subtle look.

Understanding the signal, Koraidon lumbered onto the stage with a dramatic flair to support Naoki's plan. After several exchanges, Koraidon deliberately allowed itself to be hit by Rockruff's attack in a critical spot. With a theatrical slump, it lay on the ground, motionless, signaling its "defeat."

Nemona's eyes widened with disbelief. "Mr. Naoki, even you?"

Naoki responded with an unbothered tone, "Nemona, you're just too strong." Internally, he reassured himself that this wasn't bullying a child-it was all in good fun.

To lighten the mood, Naoki quickly stepped forward, pulling a bottle of goat milk from his bag. "Here, let's focus on helping your Goomy recover its strength," he said, deftly changing

the subject.

As the watching trainers began to disperse, drawn to other intense battles nearby, Nemona retrieved the Poké Ball containing her Goomy and released it. The little Pokémon appeared with its eyes half-open, visibly weak from the battle.

Naoki handed the goat milk to Nemona. "Go ahead, feed this to Goomy."

With a sip of the goat milk, Goomy's injuries began to heal instantly, the recovery evident even to the naked eye.

Nemona gasped, her eyes sparkling with amazement. "Wow, that's incredible!"

Naoki grinned. "Pretty great, huh? This is a special product from my ranch. No matter how severe the injury, one bottle of this will restore a Pokémon completely."

"Wow!" Nemona exclaimed, clearly captivated by the goat milk's miraculous effects. Her childlike enthusiasm was unmistakable.

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind them.

"Did Alder's Volcarona recover its injuries with this kind of goat milk?"

Turning around, Naoki spotted Caitlin, Shauntal, and Cynthia standing a short distance away,

their gazes curious and intrigued.

Shauntal offered a gentle smile, her tone slightly apologetic. "Sorry, we didn't mean to eavesdrop. We were at the back of the garden and overheard by accident."

"It's no problem," Naoki replied with a smile. Seizing the moment, he added, "If you're interested, you can always place an order with my ranch."

Alder's Volcarona served as living proof of the goat milk's efficacy, and Naoki wasn't going to

miss the chance to market it.

"How fascinating," Caitlin remarked, her interest clearly piqued. "I've never seen anything

like this before."

Naoki gave a confident grin. "It's one of a kind!"

"So, you're a rancher?" Caitlin asked, redirecting her attention to Naoki.

"That's correct," he confirmed with a nod.

Shauntal tilted her head, intrigued. "Then why does Mr. Alder refer to you as a champion?"

Naoki sighed inwardly, feeling a familiar sense of helplessness rise.

While he had gradually accepted his role as a trainer, given the time he'd spent raising and training his Pokémon, calling himself a regional champion still felt like an exaggeration. Unless he officially took the championship assessment and passed-which seemed pointless -it would remain a title that didn't quite fit.

Naoki wasn't entirely sure what Alder was thinking.

After a brief moment of reflection, he began to explain, "Maybe Mr. Alder misunderstood

something!"

Shauntal and Caitlin nodded in understanding and let the matter drop.

However, Cynthia, standing nearby, seemed genuinely intrigued and asked, "Where is your

ranch located, and what's its name?"

Now, this was a question Naoki could confidently answer! If Cynthia showed interest, she might even become a customer in the future!

Naoki's enthusiasm bubbled to the surface. "It's in the Paldea region, Kosaji Town-Naoki

Ranch!"

"I'll remember that," Cynthia replied with a soft smile.

The trio didn't linger long after exchanging pleasantries. With polite goodbyes, they turned

and walked away.

Left alone in the garden with Nemona, Naoki turned to her, intending to speak. But as he did,

he noticed a shift in her demeanor-she looked upset.

Surprised, Naoki asked gently, "What's wrong?"

Nemona glanced toward the adults mingling in the distance, their laughter mingling with the clinking of glasses. She muttered, "I don't like being in places like this."

Naoki raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Nearby Pokémon paused, watching Nemona curiously.

"Is it because the adults are drinking?" Naoki asked, trying to guess.

"No," Nemona replied, her tone a mix of frustration and sadness. "It's because everyone

always goes easy on me in Pokémon battles because of who I am. They never take me seriously they always let me win."

Her voice grew softer. "I'm still just Nemona. I don't want to be treated differently because

I'm a rich girl or because people call me a genius. I just want to be like everyone else. That's

why... when Mr. Naoki fought me seriously earlier, I was so happy. But then, in the end, you did the same thing as everyone else."

Naoki froze for a moment, caught off guard by her words. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he

explained, "I wasn't thinking of it like that at all. I was just worried others might think I was bullying a kid."

Despite being a wealthy young lady, Nemona's straightforward, lively personality made it hard to see her in the same light as other heirs to fortune.

Nemona spun around. "Really?"

"Of course it's true!" Naoki said with a confident nod. "Besides, whether it's me or anyone

else at this party, we're all a lot older than you. When you're our age, I bet you'll be such an

incredible trainer that we'd all have a hard time beating you, even if we went all out." Nemo listened intently, her expression gradually brightening. Her eyes sparkled with renewed determination. "You're right! I'm going to become an amazing trainer!" Naoki smiled at her, nodding. "That's the spirit. Go for it!" The future Champion of Paldea, he

thought to himself.

Nemona's usual cheerful energy returned as she exclaimed, "Let's battle again, Mr. Naoki!"

Naoki felt a headache coming on. Battling Nemona with his current lineup of Pokémon felt a bit unfair-almost cruel. Koraidon, Pawmot, Dragonite, Fluttermane, Cyclizar, Ogerpon, and Glaceon... any one of them could easily overpower her team in a single move.

Choosing his words carefully, Naoki said, "Right now, the strength difference between my Pokémon and yours is pretty significant. They wouldn't make great opponents for you. But

one day, when you've grown stronger, we'll battle again. I promise!"

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the party.

Alder, Clay, and Nikar were engaged in a conversation about their experiences raising

daughters.

As the evening progressed, Alder reached into his pocket and handed a document to Nikar.

"Here, this is something a friend of mine asked me to give you," Alder said casually. "Please

take a look."

"A friend?" Nikar asked, intrigued. He accepted the document and began flipping through the pages as Clay looked on curiously.

The first thing that caught Nikar's eye was a pencil sketch of an electronic device shaped like Rotom. The title beneath it read: Rotom Smartphone.

"Rotom Smartphone?" Nikar read the name aloud, raising an eyebrow.

Clay leaned in with interest. "Rotom Smartphone? What's that? I've only ever heard of Rotom being used in appliances like refrigerators or washing machines."

"I'm not sure yet," Nikar replied, his voice tinged with intrigue. He continued reading, his

eyes widening with every line.

The proposal detailed a fully intelligent touchscreen device that incorporated a built-in Pokémon Encyclopedia app, enabling trainers to communicate over long distances via the Internet. Features included video calls, navigation, online shopping, food delivery, and even real-time battle tracking. Most impressively, the phone would house a Rotom that would function as an AI assistant, capable of voice-guided navigation, Pokémon information

queries, and more.

Nikar's brows furrowed as he concentrated, soaking in the details. As the head of Rotom Technologies, he was intimately familiar with communication tools like videophones. But this? This was a game-changer.

The more he read, the more i became clear-this wasn't just another gadget. This concept had the potential to revolutionize communication, especially for trainers on their journeys. With the information age looming on the horizon, Nikar realized that such a device could dominate the market, becoming indispensable for trainers and Pokémon enthusiasts alike. "This... this is incredible," Nikar murmured, his voice laced with excitement. He looked up, his face alight with inspiration. "Who wrote this proposal?"

Alder was caught off guard by Nikar's enthusiasm. Scratching his head, he replied honestly,

"The young man you just met-Naoki."

Nikar froze for a moment as he processed Alder's words. Slowly, the image of the young man who had been following Alder around earlier flashed in his mind. "That was him?!" Nikar exclaimed, the realization hitting him like a thunderbolt. Meanwhile, in the courtyard garden, Naoki and Nemona were quietly observing Lance from a

distance.

Lance stood in front of a cluster of neatly trimmed bushes, his arms folded and his expression serious, as if lost in deep thought. His flowing, distinctive cape draped behind him, shrouding half his body in shadow, gave him an air of elegance and authority that made him look both

handsome and formidable.

Lance rarely attended such social gatherings, and Nemona had never seen him before. Her

curiosity got the better of her as she turned to Naoki and asked, "Mr. Naoki, do you know who that is?" Naoki nodded. "His name is Lance. He's known as the Dragon Master of the Kanto region, and he's also the Champion there. He's renowned for his skill in using Dragon-type Pokémon." "Wow!" Nemona exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with awe. She glanced at Naoki, then back at Lance. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Mr. Naoki, do you want to go talk to him?"

Naoki hesitated, then shook his head. "Not really. I've heard his ace Pokémon is a Dragonite too. What I'd really like is to battle him someday-to see how my Dragonite measures up against his. It'd be a good way to gauge our progress."

"A battle?" Nemona's interest peaked instantly. Her voice brimmed with excitement as she

asked, "Will you go all out, Mr. Naoki?"

"Maybe," Naoki admitted. "But... I wouldn't even know how to approach him. Imagine walking up and challenging him out of nowhere-it'd be so awkward if he declined."

After all, to Lance, he was probably just another nameless trainer among many. Nemona, however, was undeterred. "Leave it to me!" she declared, her tone brimming with

confidence. Before Naoki could stop her, she ran forward, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted:

"Hey! Big brother over there! Come and have a Pokémon battle with us!"

Naoki froze in place. "!!!"

What just happened? His mind reeled as Nemo's voice echoed across the garden, drawing the

attention of trainers and wealthy guests alike. Conversations paused, and heads turned, their gazes fixed on Naoki and Nemona.

Naoki groaned inwardly, feeling the heat rush to his face. He covered his face with one hand,

barely able to process the embarrassment. 'Why is she like this?'

There was no way to undo it now. With a deep breath, Naoki resigned himself to his fate.

Under Lance's slightly curious gaze, he stepped forward to join Nemona.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

...

Sigh Since everyone's been asking for a bonus chapter, here it is! [] Starting next week, I'll

release bonus chapters regularly. This week, though, I was swamped with Christmas and

New Year preparations-hope you all understand! ☐☐

...

You can support me on patreon and read upto chapter 387 at patreon.com/Keepsmiling818