Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 454: Baby Bear Picked Up a Treasure

[Steven Stone: You were right. Team Magma and Team Aqua really did attack the Weather Institute and the shipyard in Slateport City.]

Naoki, who had just sat down on his sofa, read the message and replied immediately.

[Stranger No. 1: What was the outcome?]

[Steven Stone: Since we were prepared in advance, we swapped out the real Submarine Explorer 1 at Slateport Shipyard and hid it in a secure location. However, things didn't go as smoothly at the Weather Institute.]

[Steven Stone: Team Magma and Team Aqua infiltrated the institute beforehand, disguising themselves as staff members. While the Hoenn League trainers were stationed outside, thinking they were preventing an attack, the real operation took place from within. As a result, they successfully stole data related to the ancient Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre.]

Reading this, Naoki sighed inwardly.

"As expected," he muttered to himself.

It was no surprise that the Hoenn League had critical information on Groudon and Kyogre.

Both the games and the anime hinted at this fact—Groudon and Kyogre weren't just myths, they were well-documented Pokémon whose movements were closely monitored by the League. If either of them stirred from their slumber, the Hoenn League would be the first to know.

With this in mind, Naoki typed another question.

[Stranger No. 1: What do you think their next move will be?]

There was a short pause before Steven responded.

Steven sat in his study, staring at the message. He was deep in thought.

'This Stranger No. 1… he knows too much.'

His knowledge of Hoenn's history was remarkable. It was evident that he had spent considerable time re

[Stranger No. 1]: Got it. Good luck.

After logging out of the Pokémon Forum, Naoki continued to puzzle over the missing orbs.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with an answer.

At least, not yet.

The Next Morning

Early the next day, a Zapdos with a small backpack swooped down onto the ranch.

The moment Naoki saw it, he knew what was coming. The Expedition Team was back… with another "delivery."

With a sigh, he reached into Zapdos' bag. His fingers brushed against two smooth, round objects. The moment he pulled them out, his entire body stiffened.

Two glowing orbs rested in his hands—one crimson, one deep blue. And then, the system notifications popped up.

[Red Orb: A scarlet-glowing artifact that holds deep ties to Hoenn's ancient legends.]

[Blue Orb: An indigo-glowing artifact linked to Hoenn's legendary Pokémon.]

"...WHAT?!"

Naoki almost dropped them in shock. No wonder Steven couldn't find the orbs.

The Expedition Team had picked them up like a casual souvenir! Just then, his Rotom phone buzzed again.

Seeing the caller ID, Naoki took a deep breath and pressed Answer.

It was Mew and Teddiursa.

The video call connected, and Teddiursa and Mew appeared on the screen, their faces full of excitement.

Through the Rotom Phone, Teddiursa immediately noticed the glowing orbs in Naoki's hands.

With a proud smile, it asked, "Naoki! Do you like them? I found these beautiful treasures in the grass!"

Naoki: "…"

He knew it.

No wonder Steven couldn't find the orbs—Teddiursa's natural ability, Pickup, must have activated!

Seeing that Naoki remained silent, the little bear's expression quickly turned puzzled.

Its ears drooped slightly, and it asked in a softer voice, "You… don't like them?"

Naoki snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "That's not the problem."

It was an absurd coincidence that the Expedition Team had stepped in to help Steven, but now, a bigger issue had surfaced.

You can't just take things that belong to others!

Taking a deep breath, Naoki asked, "Yesterday, you helped an elderly couple on top of a mountain, right?"

At his words, both Teddiursa and Mew were shocked.

"How did you know that?!" they exclaimed in unison.

Their words were automatically translated by Rotom Phone's built-in translator.

Naoki sighed. "Because I heard it from someone else. One of the people you encountered yesterday told me about your appearance. They didn't recognize Mew, but based on their description, I had a feeling it was you."

Understanding dawned on the two Pokémon.

"Ohhh… so that's how you knew!"

Still, Teddiursa was confused.

"But why don't you like them?" It tilted its head.

Naoki patiently explained, "Because these orbs are extremely important to the people who live there. They aren't abandoned treasures."

The realization hit Teddiursa like a Thunderbolt.

It had made a mistake.

The little bear's ears drooped even lower.

Naoki had always taught it never to take things that belong to others, and Teddiursa had always remembered that lesson.

But this time… it messed up.

Somewhere in Hoenn, Steven was probably searching frantically for these two artifacts.

Naoki frowned as he glanced down at the two legendary orbs glowing in his hands.

There was no reason to hide the truth anymore.

Taking out his Rotom Phone, he sent Steven a message.

[Stranger]: The orbs are with me.

Steven's response was immediate.

Naoki rubbed his temples and sent another message.

[Stranger]: It's a long story, let's add another account as a friend.

With that, he sent his ID.

Within seconds, a friend request from Steven Stone appeared.

Naoki pressed Accept and quickly explained everything.

[Gold King]: The Teddiursa from yesterday is my Pokémon. It has the Pickup ability, and when it saw the orbs lying on the ground, it thought they were abandoned treasures and picked them up.

On the other end, Steven fell silent.

This explanation… actually made sense. Pokémon with the Pickup ability were known for collecting random objects they found.

But Steven couldn't shake a feeling of curiosity.

That meant all three of those Pokémon from yesterday belonged to this person.

How had they just so happened to be in the right place at the right time?

And why was this person so informed about everything?

Had he planned all of this?

Steven's thoughts were spinning.

But then, another message popped up.

[Gold King]: Hello, let me properly introduce myself. My name is Naoki, and I currently live in the Paldea region. I've traveled to Hoenn before and have always been fascinated by its history and legends.

Steven blinked in surprise.

Steven: Wait… you're in Paldea?

Naoki had already anticipated his confusion and responded calmly.

[Gold King]: That's right. The Zapdos you saw yesterday flew the orbs to Paldea. It was an accident. Just send me your location, and I'll have my Pokémon deliver them back to you.

Steven hesitated.

It was undeniable that the two orbs weren't safe in Hoenn right now.

If Team Magma and Team Aqua made another attempt, they could succeed.

Perhaps… it would be better to keep the orbs hidden somewhere outside of Hoenn until things calmed down.

But… could he really trust this person? After careful thought, Steven made his decision.

Steven: If possible, I'd like you to hold onto them for now.

Naoki paused, a little surprised.

But he quickly understood why.

[Gold King]: If you trust me, I have no problem keeping them safe.

Steven stared at his screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. There was still one thing he needed to know.

After a moment of hesitation, he typed:

[Steven]: Who exactly are you?

After all, Zapdos wasn't the kind of Pokémon just any trainer could have.

And from what Steven had gathered, Naoki's Pokémon were currently traveling through Hoenn—completely unsupervised.

What kind of trainer has Pokémon like that?

And then… the reply came.

[Naoki]: Me? I'm just a rancher.

Steven: "..."