Pokemon: A New Path-A New Trial at Naoki Ranch?[516]

Naoki glanced down as they approached their destination.

With a smooth descent, Koraidon landed gracefully in the spacious plaza in front of Naranja Academy's grand entrance.

Standing in the crowd, Raifort was already waiting for them.

Thanks to her keen eyesight, honed from years of exploring ancient ruins, she quickly spotted Naoki and Koraidon.

"Over here! Over here!" Raifort waved enthusiastically.

"Ah, gah?"

Hearing her voice, Koraidon lifted its head before sprinting over to her with Naoki still on its back.

"Long time no see, Miss Raifort!" Naoki greeted as he hopped off Koraidon.

"Yeah, it's been a while." Raifort nodded, but her attention quickly shifted elsewhere. "So? Did you bring the Treasures of Ruin?"

Naoki chuckled. "Of course."

"Then let's head to my place!" Raifort spun around and motioned for him to follow. "Come on!"

Inside Naranja Academy

The two passed through the towering academy gates and entered the main hall, which was lined with towering bookshelves stacked with books.

The striped marble floor reflected the warm glow of the ceiling lights, and in the corners, comfortable sofas and round tables were arranged for students who wanted to read or study.

Multiple floors stretched upward, each filled with even more bookshelves, staircases, and study areas.

Students in school uniforms wandered around, flipping through books or chatting with their Pokémon companions.

Naoki's gaze swept across the familiar scene.

"This place looks exactly like the game..." He thought to himself in amazement.

Before he could take it all in, Raifort's voice rang out beside him.

"If you want a tour of Naranja Academy, I can show you around later. But first," her expression turned eager, "let me see the four Pokémon!"

Naoki: "…"

He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Raifort really has an obsession with these Pokémon, huh?"

Still, there was no helping it.

Without further delay, he followed her deeper into the academy.

Under Raifort's guidance, they soon arrived at an empty classroom, free from distractions.

As soon as the door was shut, Raifort turned expectantly toward Naoki, barely able to contain her excitement.

Naoki simply smiled and pulled out four Poké Balls.

Click.

With a few flashes of brilliant white light, the four legendary Pokémon she had long dreamed of stood before her.

Ting-Lu, Chien-Pao, Chi-Yu, and Wo-Chien.

"Whoa..." Raifort's eyes sparkled with excitement. "You actually did it!"

Naoki chuckled before turning toward the legendary Pokémon.

"This is the person I told you about. Thanks to her help, I was able to find all of you."

The four Pokémon turned to look at Raifort.

However, before they could even process the introduction, Raifort had already rushed forward in the blink of an eye.

Her face was glowing with enthusiasm, her eyes darting between them as she excitedly examined every detail.

She circled around the Pokémon, taking in every intricate pattern, marking, and aura they radiated.

The four legendary Pokémon froze instantly under her intense gaze.

Raifort's eyes shone with excitement as she stepped forward to examine Ting-Lu.

"So this is Ting-Lu... what a massive cauldron! Judging by its design and sheer size, this vessel likely wasn't an everyday item. It was probably a ceremonial artifact—perhaps used in ancient rituals to honor deities."

She thoughtfully ran her fingers along the aged, weathered engravings on Ting-Lu's massive stone cauldron before quickly pulling out a camera.

Click! Click!

She snapped multiple photos, eager to analyze them later for clues about its origins.

Then, her attention shifted toward Chien-Pao.

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The snow leopard Pokémon gazed at her with its majestic, ice-blue eyes, radiating an aura of silent regality.

"Chien-Pao..." Raifort murmured, stepping closer. "So its fangs, one blade forming the left, the other forming the right, actually make up an entire broken sword? That's fascinating…"

She narrowed her eyes in thought.

"But wait… how did it break? Did this sword already have fractures before it became a Pokémon? Or did the damage happen afterward?"

Her brows furrowed as she considered another possibility.

"No, that wouldn't make sense. Why would an ancient king wield a broken weapon? Unless…"

She paused, staring at the twin sword-like fangs again.

"Maybe it was originally forged this way—designed to be incomplete from the start?"

That, too, was a mystery worth solving.

Click! Click!

She quickly captured the intricate details of Chien-Pao's fangs before moving on.

Next, Raifort turned to Wo-Chien, marveling at its snail-like body, composed of countless wooden tablets strung together.

She let out an audible gasp.

"So many wooden plaques… what an intricate masterpiece of craftsmanship!"

Hearing this, Naoki perked up with curiosity.

"Wait… does that mean there was once writing on Wo-Chien's body?"

Raifort nodded immediately.

"Exactly! These wooden slips were often used in ancient times for recording historical texts. Judging by their arrangement, they might have contained religious teachings, decrees, or perhaps even secrets of the kingdom."

Naoki glanced at Wo-Chien's aged, worn planks, where faint traces of ancient inscriptions were still visible.

But time had taken its toll.

The characters had faded beyond recognition, their original meanings lost to history.

Even Naoki's special Reverse Cooking ability couldn't restore them.

"I wonder…" Raifort mused. "What kind of scripture was once written on these wooden slips that fascinated a ruler enough to bind them into a Pokémon?"

Naoki, too, found himself contemplating the past.

Finally, Raifort turned to Chi-Yu, the small but radiant fish Pokémon, its body engulfed in gentle, shimmering flames.

She observed the four magatama-shaped beads adorning its body and whispered,

"Magatama have long been regarded as sacred artifacts. They were often worn as protective charms… but most people in ancient times only carried a single magatama as a pendant around their necks."

She narrowed her eyes as she studied Chi-Yu's four jewels.

"Yet, this Pokémon bears not just one, but four magatama…"

Her mind raced with possibilities.

"Could this be part of an elaborate ritual? Were these beads meant to represent multiple participants, perhaps four priests performing a sacred ceremony together?"

"What could have happened to this sacred magatama—once revered for warding off evil—to instead become a symbol of disaster?"

Her voice trembled with curiosity.

"The deeper I dig, the more questions I uncover... Oh my! My thirst for knowledge is finally being quenched!"

She quickly snapped another photo, making sure to capture every detail of Chi-Yu's shimmering jade-like beads.

With that, she exhaled in satisfaction.

"This concludes my research on the Treasures of Ruin!"

She scrolled through the photos on her camera, nodding in approval, then turned to Naoki.

"There are still a lot of unanswered mysteries, but from here on out, I'll continue my own interpretations. Thank you so much for your help, Naoki."

Naoki gave a small smile. "No problem."

To be honest, he had gained something just as valuable.

Not only had he learned more about these legendary Pokémon, but he had also brought four new powerful Pokémon to his ranch—each capable of bringing good fortune.

This was a win-win.

Raifort chuckled softly before speaking again.

"To be honest, I originally wanted to study the Treasures of Ruin myself... and maybe even claim them as my own."

Naoki blinked, surprised by her frankness.

"But in the end, I realized that my own obsession with them wasn't enough to unseal their shrines."

She sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her hip.

"You, on the other hand, managed to break every seal simply by approaching with a clear and unselfish heart. So I suppose it's only fitting that these Pokémon stay with you!"

Naoki was about to respond when—

Knock! Knock!

There was a sudden knock on the classroom door.

Naoki paused.

Then, to his complete bewilderment, he saw...

Raifort walking in from outside.

Naoki's mind short-circuited for a second.

"Wait... huh?"

He turned back to the Raifort standing beside him.

Still there.

Then back to the Raifort at the doorway.

Also there.

"What?"

Raifort —the one beside him—grinned and turned toward her doppelgänger.

"Class is over? You didn't get caught, did you?"

The other Raifort nodded.

And then—her body shimmered with light.

The next second, the illusion vanished—

Revealing a Zoroark standing in her place.

Naoki's jaw nearly dropped.

"Wait a second—was that Zoroark disguised as you the whole time?!"

Naoki suddenly realized what had happened.

As a history teacher at Naranja Academy, Raifort had Zoroark disguise itself as her to handle her lectures—while she snuck away to study ancient artifacts and Pokémon.

"You're a menace."

Raifort smirked as she tucked her Rotom Phone back into her pocket.

"But anyway, my classes are over for the day, and I don't have any others scheduled. How about I take you on a tour of Naranja Academy?"

Naoki, intrigued by the idea of visiting one of the oldest institutions in Paldea, nodded.

"Sounds good to me."

After recalling the Treasures of Ruin into their Poké Balls, he hopped onto Koraidon and followed Raifort through the grand entrance of the academy.

As they strolled through the academy's historic halls, Raifort began to explain.

"Naranja Academy was founded over 800 years ago. Since its establishment, the school has been divided into two academies."

"One is Naranja Academy, and the other is Uva Academy. While they have different names and colors, their curriculum is exactly the same."

"Every year, the two academies host a grand Pokémon battle tournament to determine which school produces the strongest trainers."

"In addition, there's also the academy's strongest trainer tournament, which is open to both students and teachers. It's always a big deal."

Naoki listened with great interest, mentally comparing the academy's tournaments to the Battle Tower challenges from other regions.

As they continued walking, he noticed that students had started gathering around him, whispering excitedly.

It didn't take long for some of them to recognize him.

"Wait, isn't that Mr. Naoki?!"

"It really is him!"

Naoki turned to see a young student staring at him with wide eyes.

He vaguely recognized them, so he nodded politely.

"Long time no see."

"Yeah!" The student beamed.

Soon, more and more students began crowding around, eager to meet the legendary ranch owner of Paldea—a man whose Pokémon trials had challenged and inspired countless trainers.

Before he knew it, Naoki and Koraidon were completely surrounded.

Raifort, watching from the side, couldn't hold back her laughter.

"You're really popular, huh?"

Naoki sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Guess so."

Then, a curious student spoke up.

"Mr. Naoki, have you added any new trials to your ranch?"

Naoki raised an eyebrow.

"Are the existing ones not enough for you guys? As far as I know, no one has beaten the Green Grass Trial yet."

The crowd groaned in frustration.

"That trial is way too difficult!" one student admitted.

Another raised their hand eagerly.

"Are there any trials that are a little easier for beginner trainers?"

Naoki thought for a moment.

"Well… I guess you could battle my Miltank, but…"

Halfway through his sentence, he stopped.

He realized that his Miltank—after practicing Rollout training on the ranch—had become far stronger than most trainers expected.

At this point, his Miltank's Rollout attack was flawless—rolling with such force and precision that it never lost momentum.

But before he could warn them, the students had already formed their own assumptions.

"A Miltank that produces milk? That's not even a battle Pokémon!" one of them scoffed.

"Yeah! If we use trained Pokémon, wouldn't it be unfair to the Miltank?"

Naoki's lips curled into a mysterious smile.

"If you're so confident, you're welcome to come and challenge it."

A brave student raised their hand.

"Is there a prize for passing the trials?"

Naoki nodded.

"Of course. I have a stockpile of fruit wine on the ranch. Even if 500 trainers come, I have enough rewards prepared."

The students' eyes lit up with excitement.

"Amazing! I'll definitely try it later!"

Rumors had already been spreading that Naoki's trials rewarded trainers with rare items and stat-boosting gifts—items that could help Pokémon grow stronger.

Another student eagerly asked, "Besides Miltank, do you have any new trials?"

Naoki was about to say no, but then he remembered:

The Four Treasures of Ruin were now residing on his ranch.

His Kubfu was also training under the legendary Groudon and Kyogre.

With a confident smirk, he changed his answer.

"Actually, yes. There are now two brand-new trials at the ranch."

"One is called the Martial Arts Trial."

"The other is called the Four Auspicious Trials."

The students erupted in excitement.

"We're definitely coming to challenge them!"

Naoki chuckled, nodding in approval.

"I'll be sure to give you all a warm welcome."

...

60 chapters 👉/Keepsmiling818