Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 458: The Nurturing Tree House and the Dragonites

Naoki stared at the seeds in his palm, still surprised by the unexpected gift.

"Raao?"

Koraidon, standing beside him, tilted its head in curiosity.

Naoki glanced at Koraidon before carefully tucking the seeds away. "Well, there's only one way to find out—let's plant them."

With nothing pressing at the moment, Naoki grabbed a shovel and found a good spot in the pasture. He dug a small hole, carefully placed the seeds inside, and covered them with soil.

Once that was done, he called for Calyrex to come over.

Calmly, Calyrex lifted a hand, and a soft blue glow radiated from the soil. The energy pulsed, seeping into the ground like shimmering water.

Then, something miraculous happened.

The soil cracked ever so slightly, and from within, a tiny sapling sprouted. It grew at a visible speed, its trunk thickening, its branches stretching outward, until it became a towering five-meter tree with strong, sturdy bark.

At first glance, it looked no different from any ordinary tree. But as Naoki stepped closer, he noticed something strange. Embedded within the trunk was a perfectly round hole, just large enough for a small Pokémon to enter.

It was as if the opening had been naturally carved out, its walls and floor smoothly polished, not rough like he had expected. Naoki narrowed his eyes, sensing something special about this tree.

At that moment, information about the tree appeared in his mind.

[Nurturing Tree House]

Type: Special Crop

Description: A unique tree that simulates a natural incubation environment.

If a Pokémon Egg is placed inside, the Nurturing Tree House will absorb nutrients from the earth and sky, ensuring safe and accelerated hatching. Pokémon hatched within the tree will be healthier, stronger, and their natural potential will be greatly enhanced. Increases talent growth and learning aptitude of newly hatched Pokémon. 

Naoki froze.

"A Nurturing Tree House…" he murmured, reading the description again.

This was no ordinary tree.

This was a living, self-sustaining incubator—a natural hatching chamber that not only nurtured Pokémon Eggs but enhanced the abilities of any Pokémon born inside.

"This is insane!"

If this existed in the games, it would mean every Pokémon born here would have perfect stats! Higher comprehension meant they could learn new moves faster.

Higher innate talent meant they could reach incredible heights in strength.

This was a breeding dream come true.

Naoki couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

"If only this had been here sooner…" he sighed.

If this tree had existed earlier, he could have placed all those Eevee and Dragonite eggs inside and raised them to their absolute peak potential.

But… it wasn't too late.

There were plenty of Pokémon at the ranch and even more on the World Tree. Sooner or later, new life would be born. When that happened, this tree would become an invaluable treasure.

Eager to see the tree in action, Naoki turned towards Koraidon.

But there was a problem—Paradox Pokémon, at least in the games, couldn't breed.

Naoki glanced at Koraidon, who was staring back at him, confused by the intense gaze.

"Raao?"

Naoki chuckled. "Never mind."

Instead, he turned his gaze across the ranch,

It looked at its new companions, blinked once, and then happily agreed.

"Woo!"

At that moment, several Dragonite caught the scent of the Poffins and Poke Blocks.

Their eyes widened, and they turned to stare at Dragonite's bag, filled with the enticing treats. Dragonite immediately noticed their stares and instinctively clutched its bag tightly.

"Awoo!" (If you want to eat, you have to  for it!)

The wild Dragonites blinked in surprise. This wasn't the first time they had heard the word .

They had heard it many times before from their fellow Dragonites—the ones that left the island every morning and returned only in the evening.

Those Dragonites always came back carrying large boxes of delicious Poffins, sometimes sharing a few pieces with the others.

The Poffins had been so delicious that the wild Dragonite had never forgotten their taste.

And so, every afternoon, they would patiently wait on Dragonite Island, hoping to snag a few leftovers from their working companions.

At first, the working Dragonites had been generous and shared their spoils.

But as time passed, they had stopped offering, saying:

The wild Dragonites had never really understood what  was… but now, hearing it again, they exchanged glances with each other.

Then, an idea formed in their minds.

They turned to Dragonite and asked, "Awoo?" (Can we also go to the ranch and work for Poffins like you?)

Dragonite nodded firmly. "Awoo!" (That's right!)

Hearing this, the wild Dragonites didn't hesitate.

Five minutes later, a  of Dragonite soared into the sky, leaving the Reverse World behind.

Naoki, who had been peacefully weeding his farmland, was suddenly interrupted by Cyclizar.

Looking up, he saw what could only be described as an —a  of Dragonite descending from above.

They circled overhead, scanning their surroundings before finally locking their sights on him.

Within seconds, more than a dozen Dragonites landed around the farmland.

Naoki: "???"

The leader of the group, a confident and heroic-looking Dragonite, stepped forward and let out a proud cry.

"Awoo!"

Rotom Phone, floating nearby, automatically translated:

"[We want to work part-time, too!]"

Naoki: "…"

He had  too much experience handling these situations. After confirming their intentions, Naoki sighed and pulled out his Rotom Phone.

He quickly contacted his own Dragonite and told it to return immediately. Then, Naoki efficiently equipped each Dragonite with a Rotom Phone.

...

With the arrival of twelve new recruits, Dragonite Express officially expanded its operations.

The next morning, a flock of Dragonite, each carrying a backpack and a Rotom Phone, soared into the sky from the ranch, setting off in different directions across the Paldea region to deliver packages.

Standing on the ranch, Naoki watched this impressive sight unfold and couldn't help but sigh.

Dragonite Island only had a limited number of residents, yet somehow, most of them had now signed up to work at his ranch.

According to Dragonite, even the young Dratini and Dragonairs back at the island were eagerly looking forward to growing up just so they could join Dragonite Express and enjoy a life of work, Poffins, and luxury.

It was absurd.

As the number of Dragonite employees increased, new challenges arose. More Dragonite meant a much higher demand for Poffins.

With over thirty Dragonite now working for Dragonite Express, Naoki and sister Indeedee, had to prepare over forty boxes of Poffins daily.

After all, it wasn't just Dragonite—the other Pokémon at the ranch also needed their share.

Even with Indeedee's help, the workload was starting to become overwhelming.

After careful thought, Naoki came up with a solution.

Instead of making all the Poffins themselves, he decided to prepare only a portion each day and outsource the rest.

As a staple snack in the Pokémon world, Poffins were quite affordable—a large box cost just 500 Poké Dollars.

This way, he wouldn't have to worry about running out of stock or failing to pay the Dragonite their well-earned wages.

With that in mind, Naoki began browsing online for reputable dessert shops.

Eventually, he struck a deal with a bakery called "Bulbasaur's Dessert Shop," arranging for a daily delivery of freshly baked Poffins.

The shop was located near Glass Bottle Market.

Originally, the bakery used Toucannon Courier Services for deliveries, but Naoki found them a bit too slow.

So instead, he decided to handle the pickup himself.

Every afternoon at three o'clock, he would send a team of Dragonite to collect the ordered Poffins. Then, when the Dragonite returned from their shifts at five o'clock, he would distribute their well-earned rewards.

With this system in place, Dragonite Express could continue its operations smoothly, and Naoki no longer had to worry about a Dragonite labor strike due to unpaid wages.

Finally, everything was under control.

...

By five o'clock in the afternoon, Dragonite Express had wrapped up for the day.

The Dragonite, having completed their deliveries early, returned to the ranch just in time to receive their daily salary.

As the freshly delivered boxes of Poffins were placed in front of them, the dozen or so new employees couldn't contain their excitement.

Each delivery took them at most half an hour, leaving the rest of the day free to play, nap, and sunbathe in the pasture.

Back in the wild, they had to fly across vast oceans, spending far more time in the air than they did now while working.

Compared to that exhausting lifestyle, this job was a dream come true!

At that moment, the new Dragonite employees felt one overwhelming regret—