Pokemon: A New Path
Papa [692]

Helping the Gogoat with milking, harvesting vegetables, stacking produce in the barn, picking berries from the trees...

By the time Naoki had finished all his morning chores, it was already eleven o'clock.

He glanced at the time and did a quick calculation. Iono would be finishing work soon.

Wiping his hands, Naoki headed toward the World Tree to pick up Elara.

She was still fast asleep. When Naoki gently lifted her from Entei's side, she stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open.

"Go ahead and sleep, Daddy's taking you home," Naoki whispered softly.

Recognizing the familiar voice and warmth, Elara closed her eyes again, nestling against his chest and falling back into a peaceful slumber.

It was as if the morning's emotional chaos had never happened.

Naoki let out a quiet sigh of relief.

So she didn't hold a grudge after all, not even for being denied her usual milk.

"Sleep well, baby girl."

He leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead.

His daughter really was the best child in the world, sweet, forgiving, and full of love.

By the time they arrived back at the ranch, Iono had just returned from work at the Glimmerlight Dojo.

Spotting the two of them, she walked over with a curious smile. "Well? How did the weaning go?"

Naoki hesitated. "...Not super smoothly."

He recounted the morning's events, including Elara's teary protest and the Legendary Beasts' unexpected help.

"At least Entei and the others kept her distracted at the World Tree," he added. "She calmed down a lot."

Still, Elara was such a gentle little soul. She'd get through this soon, he was sure of it.

Naoki brought her into the room and gently placed her in her crib to continue her nap.

But just as he turned to leave, Elara's sleepy eyes opened again.

She looked up at him, rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists, and said softly, "Pa Pa!"

Naoki froze.

"Sweetheart… what did you just say?"

Elara blinked, then repeated it.

"Pa Pa!"

Joy surged through his chest. She said it she really said it!

Without wasting a second, he spun around and shouted, "Honey! Come here, quick! Elara just said 'Daddy!"

Moments later, Iono came rushing in. The couple leaned over the crib, eyes wide with anticipation.

Naoki coaxed gently, "Elara, can you say it again for Daddy?"

"Pa Pa!"

"It's true!" Iono gasped. "Now, Elara, can you say who I am? I'm Mom!"

Elara turned toward her and chirped happily, "Mom!"

Iono's jaw dropped.

"Say it again?"

"Mom!"

"You amazing baby!" Iono cheered, scooping Elara into her arms, pressing their foreheads together and tickling her nose.

Elara broke into giggles.

Naoki, standing by, suddenly felt a little deflated. "How come she says 'Mom' so clearly, but 'Dad' is still 'Pa Pa'?"

Iono grinned, "That's because Mommy and Elara are totally in sync!"

Naoki: "..."

Fine. He'd go make lunch.

...

Now that Elara could say both "Papa" and "Mom," Naoki decided to teach her more words every day.

Once Iono left for work, the ranch was quiet again, just him, Elara, and their many Pokémon companions.

He started with the basics, pointing to familiar friends as they strolled the property.

"This," he said, lifting Elara into his arms and pointing ahead, "is Cyclizar."

"Mo…mo!" Elara tried, but her words came out incomplete.

Still, Cyclizar seemed thrilled. "Gaaao!" it chirped back, clearly delighted just to be acknowledged.

Naoki smiled and stretched the syllables out slowly for her, "This is Koraidon. Ko-rai-don."

Elara stared, trying to mimic the sound, but after a long pause, she couldn't quite get it out.

Koraidon didn't mind. It simply let out a happy grunt, "Gah…"

Just then, Pawmot waddled over and blinked at Elara before giving her a gentle hug.

"Aww, looks like Elara really likes you, Pawmot," Naoki said with a chuckle.

"Bammo\~!" Pawmot replied with a happy hum.

Naoki then turned his attention to the towering orange dragon nearby. "Next up is Dragonite. Elara, can you say Dra-go-nite?"

Elara babbled in response, but it was just a stream of baby talk.

"Ooooo…" she murmured.

Dragonite looked a little disappointed, drooping its antennae slightly.

"Don't be sad," Naoki reassured it, patting its head affectionately. "She's still a baby, but she's practicing. I'm sure she'll say your name soon."

"Awoooo~" Dragonite let out a joyful sound and promptly wrapped Naoki in a warm hug.

"Alright, alright!" Naoki laughed. "Let's all sit down and play together!"

After going through all the introductions, Naoki made an amusing discovery.

Elara could only pronounce sounds that resembled "Papa" and "Mom."

Because of this, she could somewhat mimic the names of Pokémon like Cyclizar, Pawmot, Butterfree, and Glaceon—names that had smoother syllables or repeated sounds.

But for Pokémon with names like Entei, Koraidon, Miltank, or Urshifu, Elara could only babble vague sounds like "wooo," "aaah," or "umm-umm."

Still, this was just the first step of her genius journey.

Naoki believed that by this time next year, Elara would be able to clearly name every Pokémon on the ranch.

And when that time came, he would begin teaching her to understand the power of Viridian and the power of Dragon.

When time allows, I take Elara and the Pokémon on adventures around the world, so she can see it with her own eyes and grow up with nature.

We visit the icy tundras of the north to see playful Seal rolling across the snow, dive deep into the sapphire ocean to swim alongside graceful Luvdisc, trek through golden deserts where Sandile and Trapinch roam, and explore peaceful bamboo forests where Pancham wrestle playfully among the stalks.

Just imagining this kind of life fills my heart with joy.

One sunny afternoon, Naoki stood quietly by the pasture, watching Elara laugh and tumble with the Pokémon. The sun bathed everything in a warm, golden light.

In that moment, surrounded by family and Pokémon, Naoki felt a deep, fulfilling peace unlike anything he had known before.

This was it.

They would live on this ranch forever, happy, together.

A life filled with laughter, love, and harmony. A life worth everything.

...

Bonus @500 PS

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...

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