Pokemon: A New Path-Chapter 513: Happiny

According to the location provided by Raifort, the shrine where Chien-Pao was sealed was situated in the foothills of western Paldea.

Naoki once again adopted the same strategy as before—using his connection with nature and food to enlist the help of local wild Pokémon in finding the shrine and the eight sealing stakes.

Boldore, Phanpy, Mudbray, Numel, Watchog, Hariyama.

Tempted by the delicious food Naoki had prepared, this group of wild Pokémon eagerly agreed to help.

They all scattered in different directions, beginning their search for the items Naoki was looking for.

"As expected, the Pokémon living in the mountains are completely different from those on the grasslands," Naoki mused, watching them leave.

Pokémon like Boldore and Slowpoke were practically nonexistent near Cortondo.

He even spotted Rockruff.

Rockruff, a Pokémon native to Alola, could evolve into three different forms: Midday, Midnight, and Dusk.

In the Pokémon anime, Ash once had a striking Dusk Form Lycanroc, an incredibly strong Pokémon.

As the wild Pokémon set out to search for the Frozen Shrine, Naoki decided to explore the mountain area and study the different Pokémon that lived nearby.

If his memory served him correctly, this area was home to some rare and powerful Pokémon in the games, including:

Riolu, Larvitar, Bagon, Gible.

Each of these Pokémon evolved into fearsome pseudo-legendaries:

Tyranitar (from Larvitar), Salamence (from Bagon, and) Garchomp (from Gible)

All of them were among the strongest Pokémon in Paldea.

With that in mind, Naoki set out through the mountain path atop Koraidon.

As they ventured through the rugged terrain, Naoki spotted a dense woodland nestled within the valley below.

There, a large group of Pokémon with light yellow fur, brown limbs, and pink pig-like noses were swinging from the trees.

Mankey.

They clung effortlessly to the branches, chattering loudly in their usual wild and rowdy way.

"There are so many Mankey!" Naoki whispered in surprise.

Koraidon turned its head to glance at the restless group of Fighting-type Pokémon.

"Ah, gah?"

Naoki immediately raised a finger to his lips. "Shhh! Keep your voice down—don't provoke them!"

Pokémon like Mankey were notoriously short-tempered. Once one got angry, the entire group would follow suit, creating a chain reaction that was almost impossible to stop.

More importantly, if one Mankey attacked, the rest would join in—leading to a never-ending spiral of rage and chaos.

Koraidon huffed, raising its head proudly.

"Agahi!" (I can take them all on!)

Naoki chuckled, patting the Paradox Pokémon's head.

"I know you can, but let's not cause unnecessary trouble. What if some of them target me while you're busy fighting the others?"

Despite Naoki's warning, Koraidon remained confident, puffing out its chest.

"Ah, gah!" (I'm not the same as before! No matter how many of them there are, I'll win!)

Naoki: "…"

He could only sigh and gently nudge Koraidon forward.

"Okay, okay. Let's just go. They haven't bothered us yet, so there's no need to start a fight."

"Ah, gah…" (Fine…)

Koraidon reluctantly agreed.

As they traveled further, Naoki recognized a familiar Pokémon species.

"Oh? That's a… Stonjourner?"

Up ahead, a large Pokémon was perched high above the mountain path, looking down from its elevated position.

But Naoki's attention was quickly drawn elsewhere.

From above, he noticed another Pokémon—a big, vulture-like creature—dropping large stones down the mountain slope.

A Braviary.

This Braviary was enjoying itself, tossing boulders down the cliffs as if it were a game.

Naoki's eyes widened as he followed the path of the falling rock.

It was rolling straight into the forest… where the Mankey were.

The boulder crashed into the middle of the troop, and in an instant, the entire group of Mankey erupted in fury.

The Mankey troop howled furiously, pounding their fists against their chests before charging toward the Braviary's territory in a wild frenzy.

A full-scale territorial battle between wild Pokémon was about to erupt!

Seeing this, Naoki quickly climbed onto Koraidon's back, eager to escape before getting caught in the chaos.

As he soared through the air, he watched from a safe distance as the enraged Mankey stormed into Braviary's territory. However, Braviary remained airborne, completely out of their reach. The Mankey screeched in frustration, stomping their feet in anger before resorting to picking up small stones from the ground and hurling them at the bird Pokémon.

Naoki: "…"

At that moment, nearly all the available rocks had been thrown. One of the Mankey, unable to find any more stones, anxiously looked around.

Its gaze soon locked onto something.

Following the Mankey's line of sight, Naoki's eyes widened as he spotted a Pokémon walking unsuspectingly toward them. It had a soft pink body, stubby arms, and a round lower half that made it look like it was wearing a diaper.

That was… a Happiny?!

Before Naoki could react, the Mankey lunged forward, snatching the round, egg-like stone from Happiny's pouch. Then, without hesitation, it sprinted back beneath Braviary and hurled the stolen object at the airborne Pokémon.

"Happyyyyy!!"

The moment Happiny realized what had happened, it froze as if struck by lightning. Then, after a brief moment of shock, it let out an enraged cry and stormed toward the Mankey in a furious attempt to reclaim its precious stone.

However, before Happiny could even get close, another Mankey grabbed it and flung it high into the air—straight toward Braviary's flight path!

"Happ-yyyy!!"

Happiny shrieked in panic.

Realizing the situation was dire, Naoki immediately shouted, "Koraidon, catch it!"

"Raao!!"

Koraidon wasted no time. It swiftly tucked in its wings, dived downward, and caught the terrified Happiny just in time before it hit the ground.

Still trembling, Happiny opened its eyes cautiously and found itself safely cradled in Koraidon's grasp. Looking up, it saw a human and a strange dragon-like Pokémon had rescued it.

"Happy…?" It blinked in confusion.

"It's okay now. You're safe," Naoki reassured it gently.

Judging by its appearance, Happiny didn't seem to have a Trainer. That meant it was likely a wild Pokémon!

Chansey, the evolved form of Happiny, was known for its incredible healing abilities. In Pokémon Centers and medical facilities, Chansey and Blissey served as the most trusted assistants to Nurse Joy and Pokémon doctors.

Thinking of this, Naoki's eyes lit up.

The World Tree's Pokémon Hospital had been missing a proper medical staff.

And now, he might have just found the perfect doctor for the job.

"Let's land first," Naoki decided, surveying the commotion below.

The battle between the Mankey troop and the Braviary flock was still raging when Koraidon slowly descended onto another mountain peak.

As soon as they landed, Happiny hopped out of Koraidon's arms and anxiously glanced toward the ongoing scuffle.

"Happy!"

The little Happiny then turned back, looked at Naoki and Koraidon—the ones who had just rescued it—then suddenly spun around and dashed away.

Naoki quickly called after it, "Happiny, wait!"

"Happy!" Happiny responded from a distance, but it never looked back.

Naoki blinked in confusion.

Why did it run back after barely escaping?

Thankfully, the fight between the Mankey and Braviary was finally over.

Exhausted from their prolonged tantrum, the Mankey troop realized their rock-throwing had done nothing to the airborne Braviary. In a final burst of frustration, several of them suddenly began to glow white—triggering their evolution!

In an instant, several Mankey evolved into Primeape. Blue veins of anger throbbed on their foreheads, but since they still couldn't fly, they had no choice but to scoop up their unconscious comrades and storm back to their territory, grumbling all the way.

Happiny, ignoring all of this, dashed to the battlefield and began searching frantically through the scattered debris.

Seeing this, Naoki quickly realized what was happening—Happiny was looking for its round stone!

It had been snatched by one of the Mankey during the chaos!

Happiny, like all of its kind, had a deep love for round, egg-like objects. Since it was still young and couldn't yet produce eggs like Chansey or Blissey, it would instead cherish a small white stone, treating it as its own precious treasure.

In fact, Pokémon researchers had long observed that wild Happiny would collect smooth, round stones and carefully place them into the pouch on their belly. Some Happiny even hoarded so many stones that they could barely move!

Truly… what a strange and endearing habit.

For a moment, Naoki didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.

He and Koraidon followed as Happiny searched desperately. But after a few minutes of fruitless searching, the tiny Pokémon suddenly plopped down onto the ground and began crying loudly.

"Aghhh…" Koraidon flinched at the ear-piercing wails, clearly overwhelmed by the noise.

Naoki scanned the area and noticed the steep valleys and rugged cliffs surrounding the mountain path. It was likely that the stolen stone had rolled down into the valley below.

Seeing Happiny's big teary eyes and trembling lips, Naoki sighed and quickly pulled out a Pokeblock to console it.

"There, there. Don't cry," he coaxed gently. "Your stone must have fallen into the valley below. I'll have Koraidon fly us down so we can look for it."

As expected, Happiny immediately stopped crying and looked up at him with hopeful, watery eyes.

"Happy?"

Naoki smiled and nodded. "I promise."

Happiny's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Happy!"

Seeing that it was still early, Naoki checked his Rotom Phone and decided there was enough time. Without further delay, he and Koraidon took to the skies, flying toward the base of the mountain with Happiny in tow.

As soon as they landed, Happiny leaped down and began searching frantically, scanning every inch of the ground for its precious stone.

Naoki and Koraidon also joined the search, combing through the underbrush and checking behind rocks.

But no matter how long they looked, the round stone was nowhere to be found.

"Happy…"

Realization slowly dawned upon Happiny—it might never find its treasured stone again.

The tiny Pokémon slumped in disappointment, its entire demeanor resembling that of a laid-off office worker coming to terms with reality.

Naoki and Koraidon exchanged glances. Trying to lift its spirits, Naoki gently reassured, "Don't give up yet. If we keep looking carefully, we might still find it."

But Happiny remained motionless.

Then, as if accepting its fate, it turned dejectedly and shuffled away.

No matter how many times Naoki called after it, Happiny didn't respond. It just kept walking, its tiny frame looking oddly melancholic.

Naoki: "…"

At that moment, a Phanpy suddenly rushed over, trumpeting excitedly.

It had found a glowing stake!

Hearing this, Naoki hesitated, looking between the retreating Happiny and the eager Phanpy.

But for now, dealing with the shrine was more urgent.

He sighed, making a mental note to check on Happiny later, then followed Phanpy toward the stake's location.

Meanwhile…

Happiny wandered aimlessly until it reached a strange-looking place.

Before it stood an ancient, ominous structure—sealed shut by four massive chains.

Happiny looked up at it for a moment, then climbed to the top of a nearby cliff and sat there, staring blankly at the horizon.

It looked utterly lost.

...

Naoki had underestimated just how efficient the Pokémon in this area were.

In just two hours, with the help of the local Pokémon, he had managed to pull out five of the eight stakes sealing the Frozen Shrine, where Chien-Pao lay dormant.

The sun was now directly overhead.

Naoki glanced up at the clear blue sky and decided it was a good time to pause for lunch before continuing.

But just as he was about to settle down, three more Pokémon rushed over—a Gumshoos, Mudbray, and Camerupt.

"You guys found more stakes?" Naoki asked.

The three Pokémon nodded enthusiastically, all excitedly motioning toward different directions.

Naoki was taken aback. That fast?!

For a split second, he was tempted to immediately head off and pull out the remaining stakes.

But before he could make up his mind, he suddenly heard loud growls—coming from the stomachs of the Pokémon in front of him.

"…Ah."

Naoki chuckled. 'Right.'

They had been running around all morning to help him. It would be too heartless to make them keep working on an empty stomach.

With that thought, he slung his spatial backpack off his shoulder and rummaged inside. A moment later, he pulled out Poke Blocks and Poffins, handing them out to the adorable, hardworking Pokémon in front of him.

Gumshoos, Greedent, Phanpy, and the rest of the wild Pokémon stared eagerly at the Poffins and Poke Blocks before them, the enticing aroma filling the air.

At that moment, a single thought crossed their minds—all that hard work this morning was totally worth it!

Greedent carefully picked up a Poffin with its tiny paws and took a deliberate bite.

Woohoo, this is amazing!

The delicious flavors exploded in its mouth, and soon, it was munching away at full speed.

Meanwhile, Naoki handed a sandwich to Koraidon and kept one for himself.

As he watched the Pokémon happily devouring their treats, he couldn't help but think—wild Pokémon had it tough.

If they never encountered a trainer, they might never get the chance to experience food this delicious in their entire lives.

Maybe that's why so many Dragonites kept showing up at the ranch to work?

After lunch, Naoki followed the Pokémon to remove the last three stakes sealing the shrine.

When he finally pulled out the last one, he wasted no time—he mounted Koraidon and rushed toward the Frozen Shrine.

By the time they arrived, Chien-Pao had just leapt out from the ancient shrine and was stretching its body on the frozen ground.

Instantly, the temperature plummeted.

A sudden snowfall began to drift from the sky.

Chien-Pao locked eyes with Naoki, its icy-blue gaze filled with sharpness and hostility.

The next moment, an overwhelming surge of Ice-type energy erupted from its body.

An avalanche of snow and ice roared toward Naoki in a terrifying surge.

"Koraidon, Flamethrower!" Naoki commanded.

"Raao!"

Koraidon unleashed a scorching blaze, its fire forming into the shape of a serpentine dragon that surged forward to meet the avalanche head-on.

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The intense heat instantly melted the incoming snow, sending clouds of mist into the air.

Naoki saw his chance.

"Go all out! Attack!"

A flicker of battle instinct flashed in Koraidon's golden pupils.

With a powerful kick, it launched itself high into the air.

A ferocious battle aura surged from its massive frame as it dived down at full force toward Chien-Pao.

Chien-Pao, weakened by its quadruple weakness to Fighting-type attacks, stood no chance.

The moment Koraidon's attack collided, an explosive shockwave erupted across the battlefield.

When the dust settled, Chien-Pao lay sprawled on the ground—completely defeated.

Without hesitation, Naoki pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket.

This was it—the last of the Treasures of Ruin.

Just as he was about to throw the Pokéball, something unexpected happened.

The snowfall suddenly stopped.

A warm beam of sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the battlefield.

And then—

From atop a nearby cliff, Happiny blinked in surprise.

The round, shiny Poké Ball immediately caught its attention.

Happiny's mind froze for a moment.

It was round.

It was smooth.

It was exactly what I had been looking for!

At that moment, a single thought filled Happiny's entire brain—

"I WANT THAT ROUND THING!!!"

And before anyone could react, Happiny leapt off the cliff. Right toward the Poké Ball.

From Naoki's perspective, it all happened in a blur.

One second, he was throwing the Poké Ball toward Chien-Pao.

The next second, a tiny pink blur dropped from the sky—colliding mid-air with the Poké Ball.

Snap!

The Poké Ball popped open, and in a flash of white light, the Pokémon was captured.

The ball hit the ground and began to shake.

Once. Twice…

The red light on the Poké Ball flickered and then faded.

The Poké Ball stopped moving.

Naoki froze.

"…Wait." "Did I just…?

He slowly approached the Poké Ball, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.

"Did I just catch Happiny instead of Chien-Pao?!"

...

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