Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 168: Island Vacation



At two o'clock in the afternoon, on the way to Dragonite Island, Naoki rode atop Dragonite, turning his head to glance at Koraidon, who was still lying comfortably on his shoulder. He couldn't help but feel a little speechless.

The sea breeze gently blew against his face.

Before long, small heads began to pop out from the backpack strapped to Naoki's chest. Alcremie, Glaceon, Cyclizar, and Butterfree huddled together, eagerly watching the scene ahead.

"Are you really not going to return to normal size?" Naoki asked, looking down at the tiny Pokémon in front of him.

Earlier, after seeing what Koraidon had done, the other Pokémon decided to shrink themselves too, clinging to Naoki like tiny passengers. When they heard he was heading to Dragonite Island, their faces lit up with excitement, and they insisted on coming along.

Left with no choice, Naoki had asked his Gogoat to guard the ranch and brought the rest of the Pokémon with him on this little adventure.

As they flew over the vast, sparkling ocean, all the Pokémon gazed down at the blue expanse below, their eyes twinkling with amazement.

It was their first time seeing the sea since they had grown up.

Pawmo whispered softly, "Pawmo." (How beautiful.)

Glaceon's icy eyes reflected the shimmering ocean, wide with wonder. It had never imagined such a sight existed-beyond the snowy mountains and icebergs, there was a whole world out there, full of grandeur and warmth.

Cyclizar, who had grown up in a small town before coming to live on the ranch, shared the same feelings. 'This is so beautiful! Even more beautiful than the moon, Dragonite sees!' it thought, eyes wide with awe.

"Mree." (Wow.) Alcremie's eyes sparkled with happy tears, overwhelmed by the beauty around her.

Naoki was about to say something when he noticed the looks on his Pokémon's faces. Smiling to himself, he thought, 'Let's make this a fun afternoon for them!'

Dragonite, true to its nature, flew fast, and soon they arrived at Dragonite Island.

Landing in the center of the island, Dragonite's sharp eyes spotted several Dratini and Dragonair playing in the lake. As soon as they saw Dragonite and Naoki arriving, their eyes lit up, and they leaped out of the water to greet them.

Dragonite, pleased, thought they were coming to greet it. After all, it had helped take care of these Dragonair and Dratini back when it lived on the island, often bringing them fruit to eat. Feeling proud, Dragonite spread its arms, ready to embrace its old friends.

But in the next moment, the group of Dratini and Dragonair ran right past Dragonite, heading straight for Naoki instead!

Dragonite's eyes widened in shock. Furious, it pointed at the group and yelled, "Awooo!" (How rude!)

In a huff, Dragonite rushed over, wrapping its arms protectively around Naoki in front of the others, trying to show them that Naoki was 'its' good partner and trainer, and not theirs.

The Dragonair and Dratini blinked at Dragonite, unimpressed by its childish behavior. One of the Dratini even stuck out its tongue, making a face.

Dragonite: !!!

Naoki: "..."

Naoki patted Dragonite's claw with a sigh. "Alright, calm down. Remember, we're here to take care of some important business today."

Dragonite, realizing it had gotten carried away, reluctantly released Naoki.

Naoki opened his backpack, gently placing Alcremie, Butterfree, Pawmo, Glaceon, and Cyclizar on the ground, letting them run off to play with the Dratini and Dragonair on the island.

Meanwhile, Naoki, Dragonite, and Koraidon headed towards the cliffside.

Standing by the cliff, looking down at the crashing waves below, Naoki turned to Koraidon and asked, "Can you dive?"

Koraidon looked a bit embarrassed: "Raao." (I can swim, but I can't stay underwater for long.)

Naoki smiled knowingly. "I figured as much. In that case, you can wait for us here on the shore. We won't be long."

Koraidon didn't try to insist or act cute to convince Naoki. It nodded, then obediently hopped off his shoulder, returning to its normal size and standing watch on the cliff.

Naoki waved goodbye to Koraidon before pulling out a diving suit from his space backpack. After putting it on, he helped Dragonite dive into the clear blue sea.

Led by Dragonite, they swam swiftly toward the ocean floor beneath Dragonite Island.

Before long, they spotted it-the immense, sleeping figure resting beneath the island's shadow.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Naoki gently patted Dragonite's back, signaling for it to slow down.

Dragonite nodded in understanding and swam toward the massive Dragonite. Letting out a soft, melodic cry, Dragonite began to call out to its slumbering counterpart.

One call, two calls, three...

Just when Naoki thought the giant Dragonite was in too deep a sleep to hear them, the colossal Dragonite's eyes suddenly flickered open, revealing golden orbs. A wave of raw, powerful energy surged from the depths, making the ocean tremble.

Both Naoki and Dragonite were momentarily stunned by the aura.

But soon, the giant Dragonite restrained its intimidating presence, blinking groggily as it focused on the smaller Dragonite and human before it. Its half-asleep gaze was puzzled.

"Roar?" A deep, rumbling sound emerged from its throat.

Naoki gestured for his own Dragonite to translate his intentions.

After a brief exchange, the giant Dragonite looked over, curious.

Naoki pointed upwards, signaling that they should head to the surface to talk.

The giant Dragonite seemed to understand. Slowly, it rose from the ocean floor, its colossal body stirring the water with immense power.

The sudden rush of currents startled Naoki and Dragonite, and they were nearly swept away. But before they could be carried off by the powerful undersea currents, a massive dragon claw scooped them up, lifting them out of the water and onto the surface.

Naoki removed his oxygen mask, taking a deep breath. At that moment, Koraidon, who had been watching from the cliff, flew over, grabbing Naoki's backpack and bringing it to him.

Without saying much, Naoki rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a pumpkin pie. He turned to the giant Dragonite and asked, "Can you open your mouth?"

The giant Dragonite complied, opening its enormous jaws, revealing a cavernous maw.

Naoki hesitated briefly, swallowing nervously at the sight of the massive mouth. With a burst of effort, he threw the pumpkin pie inside.

Given the sheer size of the giant Dragonite, Naoki wondered if the tiny pumpkin pie would

have any effect at all.

"Try thinking about becoming smaller," Naoki suggested tentatively.

The giant Dragonite closed its mouth, contemplating the idea.

And then, something magical happened.

The once-mountainous Dragonite began to shrink, its size decreasing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within moments, it had reduced to a normal-sized Dragonite.

Thankfully, Naoki had been prepared. He quickly hopped onto Dragonite's back before the transformation finished, ensuring he wouldn't fall.

Looking at the now-regular-sized Dragonite, Naoki asked in amazement, "How do you

feel?"

"Roar!" The Dragonite, still astonished by its own transformation, let out a joyful cry. It examined its smaller body and glanced around at the familiar yet now much larger

surroundings.

At that moment, the other Dragonites on Dragonite Island noticed what was happening. Seeing the once-huge Dragonite now shrunk to their size, they hurried over, gathering around in surprise and awe.