"Naoki?"
Upon hearing this name, Geeta thought she might have misheard. Was it the Naoki she knew?
Seeing Geeta's expression, Leon knew she indeed recognized this person. "That's right, it's Naoki!"
To avoid confusion, Leon added, "Besides Calyrex, he also has a very powerful red Pokemon by his side. Its name seems to be Koraidon? Both of them should be Pokemon unique to the Paldea Region, right?"
Geeta: "…"
Koraidon is indeed a Pokemon from the Paldea Region, but Calyrex is not.
She had previously heard Naoki say that Calyrex used to live in the Galar Region, where people treated it as a king, but it was later forgotten over time.
And now, judging by Leon's expression, he seemingly had no idea that Calyrex is a Legendary Pokemon from the Galar Region?
Thinking about this, Geeta was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a brief moment of thought, she gradually sorted out her thoughts
—Last year, Naoki went to the Galar Region and found the forgotten Calyrex. He captured it and then used Calyrex to participate in a competition.
Coincidentally, Leon was also there, but for some reason, Naoki withdrew from the competition halfway through, leaving Leon, intrigued by the strong trainer, longing for a match with him.
So, he requested a visit through the Paldea League and came to the Paldea Region.
It's just…
"Naoki is not a trainer of the Paldea League," Geeta frankly admitted. "He also doesn't work for the Paldea League."
Leon was stunned, "What?"
Geeta looked at the cheerful and straightforward young man in front of her and explained to him:
"Naoki is currently running a ranch in a small countryside town in the Paldea Region. If you want to find him, I can tell you his exact location."
Hearing this, Leon seemed a bit dumbfounded.
Ranch, rancher?
Geeta was familiar with this feeling; she smiled gently and said, "I was also quite surprised when I first heard about this!"
"But later I learned that Naoki used to travel to various regions and only returned to Paldea last spring. He then inherited his late grandfather's ranch and settled there with a group of Pokemon."
"No wonder!" Leon finally understood, making sense of it all.
Retired champion back to rural employment? Just like his mentor Mustard running a dojo on an island.
Living a new life, leisurely running a ranch with a group of Pokemon, sounds like a brilliant choice!
Given that, he decided to visit him there!
Seeing Leon's expression, Geeta guessed what was on his mind.
"Porto Marinada Town, Naoki's ranch is in Porto Marinada Town. When you get there, just ask the locals, and they will guide you. After all, the Naoki Ranch is quite famous there!" Geeta said.
"Great! Thanks a lot!" Leon laughed heartily, then stood up and walked toward the door.
Geeta saw him off to the door.
Leon took out a Poke Ball, and in a flash of white light, a robust, keen-eyed Charizard appeared in front of the League Headquarters.
Leon took out a map and meticulously checked the specific location of Porto Marinada Town on it.
Standing behind him, Geeta couldn't help but remind him, "… Mr. Leon, it seems your map is upside down."
"Ah? Oh!" Leon quickly turned the map right side up. After confirming the direction to Porto Marinada Town, he climbed onto Charizard's back, indicating the direction to it.
"Roar!"
Charizard let out a deep growl, then flapped its mighty wings and soared into the sky.
Geeta stood in the corridor watching Leon gradually disappear into the distance, suddenly understanding why Leon had arrived so late.
*
As time passed unknowingly, it was now nighttime. After a nap, Flutter Mane had fully regained its strength.
Naoki was once again woken up from his sleep by it.
"Flutter Mane?"
He glanced at the clock. It was already 11 PM.
Koraidon and the others were still in a deep sleep, occasionally smacking their lips in satisfaction, dreaming of something pleasant.
With its bright red eyes, Flutter Mane gazed at the human in the dark, thinking: Shouldn't we go hunting tonight? Otherwise, all the food would be eaten up.
"Dream?"
Naoki resignedly got out of bed, went to the kitchen, and grabbed some food from the refrigerator to feed Flutter Mane.
However, even after eating, Flutter Mane did not abandon its plan to go out.
It floated around the room, looking anxious.
Naoki was somewhat bewildered and turned to look outside, asking, "Do you want to go out?"
Flutter Mane nodded, as its instincts drove it to hunt, lest they run out of food and go hungry.
Hunger would lead to weakness, and if other Pokemon took advantage of this moment, they could be in a precarious situation.
This was why Flutter Mane was so restless.
Seeing this, Naoki fell into deep thought.
Perplexed by Flutter Mane's behavior, he deliberated for a while, then decided to go out and see what Flutter Mane wanted to do.
Naoki opened the door and followed Flutter Mane outside.