Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 279: Mew and World Tree



Teddiursa looked up at Naoki and chirped excitedly, "Ursa, ursa!" (This is a gift from the Farfetch'd that the hero and I helped! It's its favorite onion!)

Naoki nodded, understanding Teddiursa's excitement. Pokémon like Farfetch'd are particularly fond of these special leeks, and the Pokédex even describes Farfetch'd as only living in places where these stem-like plants grow.

He looked down at the bundle of leeks in his arms, realizing that these "stem-like plants" were indeed just large green onions. For some reason, the leeks in this world were unusually big-far larger than any he'd ever seen, even sturdy enough to be wielded like a sword.

Curious, Naoki pulled one out and swung it through the air like a blade. The leek sliced through with a soft, whooshing sound.

Teddiursa watched him and nodded in excitement. "Ursa!" (That's right! That's how Farfetch'd swings its leek!)

Naoki chuckled, picturing a Farfetch'd battling with such an enormous leek-it was amusing and strangely impressive.

However, he knew that wild leeks like these were becoming scarce, which had made life increasingly difficult for Farfetch'd. Since Farfetch'd couldn't survive without its leek, it would fiercely defend it against anyone who tried to take it away.

In some areas, people had even started cultivating these leeks in the hope of attracting wild Farfetch'd to settle nearby.

"Farfetch'd, huh?" Naoki mused, imagining having a few of these rare Pokémon on the ranch. But Farfetch'd only inhabited areas where leeks grew naturally, and sadly, there didn't seem to be any in Paldea.

He sighed with a hint of disappointment, setting the bundle of leeks aside. Just then, he noticed Indeedee, the elder sibling, watching Teddiursa and Mew with curiosity.

Naoki remembered that the Indeedees had joined the ranch after Teddiursa and Mew left on their journey, so they hadn't yet met each other.

Realizing this, he began introducing Teddiursa and Mew.

"After you left, we welcomed many new friends to the ranch."

"Ursa?" Teddiursa looked at Indeedee with curiosity and greeted him cheerfully. "Ursa!" (Hello!)

Indeedee seemed a bit surprised by the warm greeting but managed to respond with a shy, "Indeedee..." (Hello... to you, too.)

Naoki smiled, "This is Elder Indeedee. He and his sister take care of the ranch and help keep everything running smoothly. Even if I'm not around, they make sure everything is in order." Hearing Naoki's sincere praise, Indeedee looked slightly embarrassed but grateful. These responsibilities were simply part of the job, but Naoki's acknowledgment clearly meant a lot. Teddiursa's eyes shone with admiration. "Ursa!" (That's amazing!)

Indeedee, feeling even more flattered, gave a modest smile.

"Besides Indeedee, there are many other new friends, too," Naoki continued. "But they're all busy playing hide-and-seek in the maze outside. I'll introduce you to them later."

Naoki paused, then asked gently, "You both must be very tired from all your travels. Would you like to take a nap?"

Teddiursa and Mew were indeed feeling a bit worn out. After making the decision to return to the ranch that very day, they'd rushed back from the distant Johto region without a moment's rest. They'd crossed oceans, climbed mountains, and endured many hardships to make it back here.

Having expended so much energy-and now cozy and full from their recent meal-the warmth of the room only intensified their drowsiness.

"I'm so sleepy..." Teddiursa murmured.

"Mew..." (I want to sleep too...) whispered Mew.

Seeing this, Naoki smiled warmly. "Then go ahead and rest."

He led the two little Pokémon back to their room, helping them settle into their soft beds.

Teddiursa lay on the plush mattress, the faint scent of fresh pine filling the room. Feeling safe and warm, Teddiursa's sleepy eyes drifted toward Naoki, and with a soft, drowsy voice, murmured, "Ursa..." (I'm so glad I found you, Naoki...)

"What was that?" Naoki asked, leaning in, but Teddiursa's eyes had already closed, drifting into a peaceful sleep.

Beside him, Mew was also dozing off, mumbling incoherently, "Mew...mew..."

Before long, both Pokémon were fast asleep.

Watching their peaceful faces, Naoki's heart melted. He gently adjusted the temperature in the room to keep them comfortable, then quietly slipped out and closed the door behind him. In the living room, Dragonite, who'd been playing outside all morning, returned, looking energized.

Seeing Dragonite and the other Pokémon, Naoki remembered what he'd been planning to discuss with them.

First, he poured warm juice and milk for the Pokémon and for Arven to help everyone warm up. Then he turned to Dragonite and Pawmot with a determined look.

"Do you want to get stronger?" Naoki asked.

"Awoo?"

"Pawmot?"

Though the effect of the translation seeds had worn off and Naoki couldn't fully understand their words, their expressions said it all.

With a smile, Naoki continued, "I've got an idea." He went on to explain his concept for the Lightning Trial and the Storm Trial.

"Just like the Gogoats who hold the Grass Trial, you'd get to challenge visiting trainers, battling their Pokémon and gaining experience. That will help you both grow stronger."

"Awoo!" (I'm in!) Dragonite cheered, its eyes shining.

"Pawmot!" Pawmot barked in agreement, hopping up with excitement.

Both Pokémon had seen the Gogoats' Grass Trial before. They admired how skilled and powerful the Gogoats had become, and the thought of reaching that level themselves thrilled

nem.

"Perfect." Naoki nodded with satisfaction. He'd been sure they'd be on board.

The exact details of the trials—the strategies and move combinations for Dragonite and Pawmot-would come later, but for now, he was glad they were excited about this.

Although Naoki wasn't a professional trainer, his past experiences from the games offered him some tactical insight that could guide Dragonite and Pawmot in their training.

At that moment, some of the other Pokémon in the living room overheard his conversation with Dragonite.

Alcremie perked up, looking at Naoki with eager eyes. "Mree?" (Will I get my own trial, too?)

"Uh..." Naoki hesitated, feeling a bit awkward.

After all, Alcremie wasn't exactly suited for battles. If he were to create a trial for her...

Would it be a "Buttercream Swirl Challenge"?

Or maybe a "Metronome Luck Test"?

Neither seemed quite right.

After thinking it over, Naoki replied, "I haven't decided yet. Give me a little time to come up

with something fitting."

Alcremie nodded enthusiastically, clearly excited at the idea. "Mree~" When the time came, she'd use her special Metronome move to surprise her opponents!

Seeing her excitement, Naoki suspected that Alcremie just wanted to join in on the fun and

wasn't all that interested in actual battling.

"Why not?" he thought with a chuckle. "Since she's excited, let her have a little trial

experience too."

Just then, Naoki noticed Cyclizar looking up at him with equal anticipation.

Naoki: "..."

Come to think of it, Cyclizar didn't have any standout battle qualities at the moment.

Sure, eating birthday treats could potentially increase his stats, but this was only his first

year, so it wasn't yet clear what effects that would bring.

But seeing Cyclizar's hopeful gaze, Naoki thought for a moment and said, "I'll figure something out for you too."

"Gaoo~" Cyclizar beamed with joy.

As for Koraidon...

Naoki glanced at Koraidon, who lay lazily nearby, clearly content to watch rather than participate. Unlike the other Pokémon, this legendary creature had no desire for competition.

But that was probably for the best. Given Koraidon's power, it would be nearly impossible for

ordinary trainers to challenge him successfully.

...

By the time Mew and Teddiursa woke up, it was already three in the afternoon. The two Pokémon slowly opened their eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the cozy surroundings. For a moment, they thought they were still resting in a tree hollow outside.

Then, as they took in the familiar setting, they realized-oh, they had returned to the ranch! "Teddi?" Teddiursa looked around, immediately searching for Naoki.

Leaping off the bed, it dashed out of the bedroom with Mew floating close behind. When they didn't find Naoki in the living room, Teddiursa continued its search outside.

Sure enough, there he was, working in the pasture.

Naoki was guiding a group of Pokémon as they cleared snow from the paths.

The snow didn't seem like much trouble now, but soon enough, it would start freezing over, turning into slippery ice that could make it difficult to walk.

To prepare for that, they were clearing pathways ahead of time, leading to the Pokémon House, the Chicken Coop, the Orchard, the Greenhouse, the Tavern, the Stables, and even the

Underground Cave.

Arven was also there, lending a hand. He was watching Naoki closely, and as he observed him, Arven began to suspect that Mr. Naoki could somehow understand what the Pokémon were

saying.

"Of course, it's Mr. Naoki-we should expect nothing less!" Arven thought, feeling

impressed.

Just then, he noticed a soft pink glow approaching from a distance and looked up, astonished. "Mr. Naoki, what is that Pokémon?!"

Naoki glanced over and smiled warmly. "Them? That's Mew and Teddiursa."

Arven had read about Teddiursa in the Pokémon Encyclopedia but had never seen anything

quite like Mew before.

Watching the small, floating pink creature with wide eyes, he murmured, "Mew?"

"Yes, that's Mew," Naoki replied with a nod. "According to legend, Mew is an incredibly rare

Pokémon. It's said they've been in this world since ancient times. Some scholars even believe

that Mew might be the ancestor of all Pokémon."

Arven's eyes widened. "An ancestor?"

Naoki continued, "Mew's genes contain traces of every Pokémon, allowing it to use every

known move."

"Wow... that's incredible!" Arven exclaimed, amazed that such a Pokémon existed in the

world.

"Of course, it might just be a legend," Naoki said with a smile. "This Mew isn't my Pokémon,

after all. It's a friend of Teddiursa's."

Just then, Mew and Teddiursa arrived in front of them.

"Teddi!" Teddiursa looked up, its bright black eyes shining with excitement.

Naoki knelt down, gently patting its head. "I'm just clearing the snow! I left some sandwiches

for you in the living room. If you're hungry, feel free to help yourself."

"Ursa" Teddiursa nodded eagerly.

At that moment, Mew, who had been curiously glancing around, seemed to spot something

interesting. Tilting its head, it fixed its innocent blue eyes on something off in the distance.

"Mew?"

"What's up?" Naoki asked, a bit surprised.

But Mew was already floating toward the spot it had noticed.

Naoki and Teddiursa turned in the direction Mew was heading. There, they spotted a small

sapling with bright green leaves sprouting up through the snow-covered ground.

It was the World Tree sapling!

Mew hovered around the sapling, circling it with fascination, chirping in delight and wonder.

"Mew!"

"Teddi?" Teddiursa looked on in confusion, eyes wide.

Naoki watched in amazement too, thinking, 'Does Mew really have such an affinity for the

World Tree?'n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Recalling the connection between Mew and the World Tree in 'Lucario and the Mystery of

Mew', Naoki couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Mew's fascination than he knew.

"Mew!" Mew let out another cheerful cry, filled with joy.

Naoki, with Teddiursa close beside him, walked up to join Mew. Turning to them, Mew

chirped happily, "Mew!"

Teddiursa's eyes widened in awe. "Ursa?"

Naoki was baffled by what Mew was trying to convey, so he quickly called out to Koraidon to

fetch some translation seed crisps.

"Raao..." Koraidon sighed, though it dutifully went to retrieve the crisps.

Soon enough, Koraidon returned with the translation seed crisps. Naoki took a piece, and as

he ate it, Mew's voice became clear to him:

"Mew!" (There's an incredible life energy in this tree! I really love it here!) Teddiursa, however, didn't seem to sense it. Looking at the sapling with a puzzled

expression, he murmured, "Ursa..." (What kind of tree is this...)

Mew shook its head. "Mew." (I'm not sure either.)

Despite its curiosity, Mew could feel that the tree's vibrant life energy made it an ideal and

welcoming place for Pokémon.

Seeing that Mew didn't know what type of tree it was, Teddiursa turned to Naoki. "Ursa?" (Do you know what kind of tree this is, Naoki?)

Mew looked over as well, clearly eager for an answer.

Naoki smiled and said, "This is the World Tree."

"Mew?" (World Tree?)

Mew had never heard of such a tree before.

'It seems not every Mew has a connection with the World Tree,' Naoki thought. 'This Mew is

likely drawn to it because it can sense the same life energy that Calyrex is attuned to.' "Yes, the World Tree," Naoki explained. "It will take quite some time to grow, but eventually,

it will be enormous-larger than the entire ranch. When it's fully grown, you'll all be able to live in it."

Hearing this, Mew and Teddiursa's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Mew immediately began imagining a secret base for their Hero Expedition Team nestled

within the World Tree, while Teddiursa thought joyfully about inviting Zapdos to visit. "Mew!" (That's a great idea!)

Naoki raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Zapdos?"

Teddiursa nodded enthusiastically. "Ursa! Ursa!" (We met Zapdos at an old power plant!

Zapdos told us that it was often disturbed by humans and attacked by their Pokémon. It said it

would love to live somewhere peaceful where it wouldn't be bothered.) Hearing this, Naoki's heart softened. "Then we should absolutely invite it to stay here!"

Teddiursa beamed with joy, thrilled that Naoki was open to welcoming its friends to the

ranch.

Naoki chuckled and added, "But we'll need to wait until the World Tree has fully grown, which will take about four years. Once it's big enough, you're welcome to invite any good friends you make on your travels to live here in the World Tree."

"Like Zapdos, or even Farfetch'd."

The World Tree would be vast, with plenty of room for all sorts of Pokémon to settle and

make it their home.

'It's like building a living encyclopedia of Pokémon,' Naoki thought with a rush of excitement. Just imagining a whole community of Pokémon living in the World Tree filled

him with joy.

Hearing this, Mew and Teddiursa's eyes sparkled with newfound excitement. "Ursa!" (Naoki, you're amazing!) Naoki just smiled, feeling warm inside.

"Raao..." Koraidon sighed from the side, clearly amused by the whole exchange.

It could almost hear the gears turning in Naoki's head, calculating this grand plan.