Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 144: Dragonite Delivery Company



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Naoki's thoughts wandered back to Bell, the young girl suffering from paranoia. He casually asked, "How is Bell doing these days?"

Hugh sighed, "Still the same. She stays in her room all day, drawing. She hardly comes out, except for meals."

Naoki nodded thoughtfully, and an idea came to him. "I think I might have a way to help, though I'm not sure if it will work."

"Hmm?" Hugh asked eagerly, "What is it? Please tell me!"

Naoki explained, "It might help if you let your daughter raise a Pokémon from an egg."

"I don't think she's just afraid of Pokémon, she's scared of the outside world in general. As you said, her childhood experiences left her with deep psychological trauma, making her believe that everything outside is full of danger."

"In this kind of situation, we can't expect immediate success. It needs to be a gradual process. Start by giving her a Pokémon egg to take care of."

"A Pokémon egg is harmless and probably won't scare her. It's just an egg, after all."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Once she's used to the egg, and if she manages to hatch it, she might not be as frightened by the Pokémon. In fact, she could feel connected to the Pokémon, having nurtured it from the start."

Hugh nodded enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up. "Why didn't I think of that? It's a wonderful idea!"

Naoki smiled. "It's just a suggestion. Hopefully, it might help."

Hugh thought about it for a moment and then asked, "But what kind of Pokémon egg should I give?"

Naoki considered this carefully. "First, it shouldn't be something intimidating like a Scyther's egg, nor should it be a Pokémon that grows too large or aggressive."

"Agreed," Hugh said. "What else?"

"It should be a Pokémon that's easy to get along with and won't cause trouble by breathing fire or discharging electricity. For instance, a Pikachu might not be suitable because it could discharge electricity when startled."

Hugh nodded again.

Naoki thought of a few options and suggested, "A Ralts might be a good choice. It's small, humanoid, and sensitive to its trainer's emotions, using its psychic powers to understand them."

He continued, "Other options could be Vulpix, Togepi, Sunkern, Slowpoke, or Eevee."

But then, Naoki realized that Pokémon like Ralts and Vulpix were quite rare, and it might be difficult for an ordinary person to obtain their eggs.

After a moment of reflection, he concluded, "I think Eevee would be the best choice."

"Eevee is harmless, easy to care for, and very popular as a companion Pokémon. Many families raise Eevee as pets."

Hugh hummed in excitement and said, "I understand now. Thank you so much for your advice, Naoki!"

Naoki smiled, watching as Hugh prepared to leave. He then asked Dragonite to accompany him to familiarize itself with the route to the town, as it would begin delivering milk to the seed shop starting tomorrow morning.

Dragonite had no objections, nodding enthusiastically before following Hugh.

As Naoki watched them leave, he couldn't help but wonder what he would do if more people started ordering milk from the ranch in the future. Would Dragonite be able to handle the deliveries alone?

The image of Dragonite Island popped into his mind.

'Could I hire more Dragonite from the island to help with deliveries?' he thought.

Naoki remembered his last visit to Dragonite Island, where several Dragonites had expressed interest in joining him. The idea seemed feasible, but he would need to consult Dragonite before making any decisions.

Taking advantage of the free time, Naoki headed off to wash up. After drying his hair and returning to the house, he was surprised to see Dragonite already back at the ranch.

He noticed Dragonite holding a package in its arms. "What's that?" Naoki asked, curious. "Awoo~" Dragonite responded cheerfully, placing the bundle on the table.

Naoki opened it to reveal a pile of fresh berries. He raised an eyebrow, "Did Hugh give these to you?"

"Awoo!" Dragonite nodded.

"Alright," Naoki smiled. He knew Hugh was likely thanking him for the advice about Bell. It would be impolite to refuse such a gesture, so Naoki accepted the berries and set them aside as a snack for the Pokémon.

As the sky darkened, Dragonite, ready to head outside to watch the fireflies and stars, was unexpectedly stopped by Naoki.

Dragonite looked confused. "Awoo?"

Naoki smiled and asked, "Dragonite, what do you think of the group of Dragonites on Dragonite Island?"

Immediately, Dragonite's mood shifted to alertness. 'What was Naoki talking about?' it thought. 'Did Naoki want another Dragonite?' No way! Naoki was its trainer! Having one Dragonite should be enough!

With a serious expression, Dragonite shook its head, clearly unhappy, and started speaking ill of the Dragonites from the island. "Awoo!" "Awooo," "Awoo".

Naoki stood there, blinking. Although he couldn't understand Dragonite's exact words, he could tell from its tone what was going on.

His Pokémon was jealous.

After thinking for a moment, Naoki clarified, "I'm not looking to raise them. I want to hire them to help out on the ranch."

Dragonite tilted its head in confusion. "Awoo?"

"I'm thinking that if more people start ordering milk in the future, you won't be able to manage all the deliveries by yourself. You could ask the Dragonites from the island to help

deliver the milk."

Naoki continued, "Plus, they probably don't know much about the world outside the island. You could be their leader, introduce them to the outside world, and guide them in delivering

goods to the town."

Dragonite thought about it, and a vision formed in its mind: Itself as the king of all Dragonites, leading a mighty fleet of them across the skies, delivering milk far and wide. The once weakest Dragonite, now the leader of them all! The more it thought about it, the more it

liked the idea.

Seeing Dragonite's expression relax, Naoki quickly asked, "So, what do you think? Want to give it a try? And if they can't handle the job, we can fire them."

Dragonite blinked. "Awoo?" What does 'fire them' mean?'

"It means they'll stop delivering goods and go back to Dragonite Island."

"Awoo!" 'That sounds fine!'

"So, it's settled?" Naoki asked.

Dragonite nodded excitedly before happily hugging Naoki. 'Naoki is so kind! He was worried

that I might get tired, so he wanted to get other Dragonites to help me!' Dragonite was deeply touched by the thought.

Naoki patted Dragonite's back with a smile. "Alright, let's not rush into it. Go enjoy your time

outside!"

This was all just a plan for the future. Right now, there were only two customers ordering milk, and Dragonite could handle the job just fine.

Besides, the ranch was still in the early stages of development. Bringing in dozens of Dragonites at once would drain his resources quickly. 'If only there were dishes that provided a

lasting feeling of fullness.'

That thought reminded Naoki of something. In the Pokémon anime, May once made "May's Purple Surprise," a special recipe given to her by Professor Oak. It was a very special type of poke block, one that could fill up even Snorlax, known for its massive appetite.

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