Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 415: A God’s Online Fury

Chapter 415: A God’s Online Fury

When Naoki received Rotom's call, he was completely stunned.

'What is going on? Did I hear that right? Giratina is going to confront someone via the internet?'

Rotom's voice, shaky with urgency, interrupted his thoughts. "It's real, Rotom!" the Pokémon exclaimed as it switched to a video call.

The screen instantly displayed Giratina's massive form flying through the shattered and chaotic Reverse World. The surroundings blurred as sky islands rapidly vanished into the distance, pulled away by the dragon's intense speed. Shadows and dark energy swirled around Giratina's body, radiating its boiling fury.

Naoki's heart skipped a beat. He immediately called for Koraidon, leaped onto its back, and dove into the Reverse World to pursue Giratina. As they flew, Naoki pressed Rotom for more details.

From Rotom's hurried explanation, Naoki pieced together the events: Giratina had asked it to look up information about legendary Pokémon in the Sinnoh region. Upon discovering it wasn't mentioned in any records, Giratina became irritated. Things escalated when an unknown netizen dismissed Giratina entirely, triggering the temperamental dragon's wrath. Now, the aggrieved Giratina was determined to track down the netizen and teach them a lesson.

As Rotom relayed the story, it shared a screenshot of the offending comment with Naoki. Reading it, Naoki couldn't help but feel exasperated. 'That netizen couldn't have known they were antagonizing a literal god-like Pokémon...'

However, there was no time to dwell on the absurdity of the situation. If Giratina succeeded in its plan, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Naoki's head throbbed at the memory of Giratina's previous tantrums, which often involved relentless use of its signature moves. "This petty, short-tempered dragon!"

Looking up, Naoki realized Giratina was no longer visible. But thanks to Rotom's tracking feature, he could see Giratina's position on the screen as a glowing red dot.

"Koraidon, we need to speed up!" Naoki urged.

"Raao!" Koraidon roared in response, accelerating to its maximum speed.

The world around them blurred into streaks of color. Even Naoki, whose body was fortified by years of drinking Life Goat Milk, struggled to withstand the intense velocity. But there was no time for comfort; they had to stop Giratina before it was too late.

Naoki kept his eyes on the tracking display. Despite Koraidon's incredible speed, Giratina maintained its lead. Its ability to traverse the Reverse World with ease was proving to be a significant advantage.

Minutes ticked by, each one stretching Naoki's patience. The spatial distortions surrounding them grew more chaotic, a clear sign of Giratina's passage. Just as they were beginning to close the gap, a swirling purple vortex suddenly appeared ahead of Giratina.

Without hesitation, Giratina dove into the vortex and disappeared.

Naoki quickly checked Rotom's display. His stomach dropped. Giratina had emerged in the Sinnoh region—half a world away from their current position in Paldea.

This is ridiculous... Naoki thought, frustration mounting. Is this what being the master of the Reverse World means? Effortlessly traveling vast distances?

Realizing they wouldn't be able to catch up immediately, Naoki decided on a different approach. "Rotom," he said, "try to communicate with Giratina."

Rotom, still perched on Giratina's back, hesitated but ultimately complied. With trembling resolve, it climbed onto Giratina's head and opened the Rotom Phone.

Naoki's voice came through. "Giratina, stop this nonsense right now!"

Giratina growled in response, its anger undiminished. "Don't stop me! That insolent human dared to insult me. I will teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

As if to preempt Naoki from attempting any further persuasion, Giratina immediately ordered Rotom to hang up the call. Rotom trembled but followed the command without hesitation. However, it discreetly left the real-time location tracking active, a small act of rebellion against its intimidating companion.

Satisfied with Rotom's compliance, Giratina softened its tone. "Don't be afraid! Stay by my side. I'll protect you. No one will dare bully you!" 

Rotom felt a twinge of gratitude but still opted to keep the location tracking on.

Meanwhile, Giratina turned its gaze toward the void ahead, a sinister grin spreading across its face. It had arrived.

The bold human who dared to disrespect it would now face the consequences.

.....

In the Sinnoh Region, Eterna City

In a slightly aged apartment building, a young man named Ishihara was scrolling on his Rotom Phone while squatting in the bathroom. Ishihara, a 24-year-old with a penchant for iced black tea and a former obsession with slot games in the Game Corner, had recently shifted his interests toward exploring the internet on his Rotom Phone.

Determined to attract followers and gain online notoriety, Ishihara had recently posted a series of photos featuring the legendary statues of Dialga and Palkia. Along with the photos, he shared the lore surrounding the Twin Gods of Time and Space.

As he had hoped, the post garnered significant attention. The legends of Dialga, who governed time, and Palkia, who controlled space, captivated readers, and the comments section buzzed with enthusiasm.

But that morning, a dissenting comment disrupted the harmony. A netizen asked if he knew of Giratina and claimed it was far superior to the Time and Space deities. Ishihara, a staunch believer in the Twin Gods' supremacy, was incensed.

Hailing from Celestic Town, Ishihara had grown up immersed in the lore of Dialga and Palkia. Their invincibility was a matter of pride. Fueled by conviction, he replied:

"Dialga controls time itself. It could revert Giratina to before it even existed! What could Giratina possibly do against that?"

Ishihara waited for a rebuttal, but none came. The commenter had gone silent. Smugly, Ishihara assumed his argument had left them speechless. "Hah, no comeback? Guess I won that one," he muttered with a grin.

But his self-satisfaction was short-lived.

As Ishihara smirked to himself, the bathroom light flickered ominously. A chilling gust of air swept across the room, sending shivers down his spine. Startled, Ishihara instinctively clamped his legs together and glanced around nervously.

'What's going on? Is the light busted?' he thought.

The flickering grew more erratic before the bulb finally gave out with a loud crack. Darkness consumed the room.

Then, in the mirror before him, two glowing crimson eyes pierced the shadows.

Ishihara froze.

"Ahhhhh! A ghost!" he shrieked, his voice cracking. In his panic, he forgot to pull up his pants and bolted toward the living room.

But his escape was less than graceful. Tripping over his lowered pants, Ishihara tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud.

Back in the mirror, Giratina, observing the chaos from its perch in the Reverse World, snorted disdainfully. 

As Ishihara scrambled to his feet, he saw a swirling vortex materialize in the middle of his living room. His heart pounded as the vortex expanded, revealing a massive, terrifying Pokémon.

A creature with piercing blood-red eyes, an aura of shadowy malevolence, and an overwhelming presence emerged from the swirling portal. Its colossal body radiated destruction and power as it landed with a thud that shook the ground.

Ishihara froze. 

"What... what is this?!" he stammered, his voice trembling. 

He had never encountered such an intimidating Pokémon before, and the way it stared at him sent shivers down his spine. It wasn't just big—it was looking at him with pure hostility. Ishihara's instincts screamed danger.

Giratina stood before him, eyes glinting with malice. Under the faint moonlight filtering through the window, it bared its fangs in a menacing grin. Ishihara crumbled to the floor, paralyzed by fear.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the room. 

"Giratina! Stop this right now!" 

Naoki and Koraidon burst through the vortex just before it closed. They arrived just in time to see Giratina charging a dark, pulsing orb of energy in its mouth—a Shadow Ball aimed directly at Ishihara.

"Don't interfere, Naoki!" Giratina snarled, its voice resonating with fury. "This human dared to insult me. He must pay the price!"

The Shadow Ball shot forward with devastating speed. Ishihara's eyes widened in terror as the attack closed in on him. His legs refused to move, and he braced for the worst. 

At the last second, Koraidon leaped into the path of the attack. The Shadow Ball collided with Koraidon's sturdy frame, dissipating into a burst of dark energy. Koraidon staggered slightly but held firm, protecting Ishihara.

Ishihara gasped, tears welling up in his eyes. He had been saved—by a Pokémon he didn't even know.

Giratina's enraged roar filled the room. 

"Why are you stopping me, Naoki?! This human insulted me! ME!" 

Naoki stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. 

"He didn't mean to insult you, Giratina. He didn't know you existed—most humans don't. I'm sorry this happened, but I can't let you hurt someone over a misunderstanding. If anything, this is my fault for giving you the Rotom Phone." 

Giratina's chest heaved with anger, its shadowy aura intensifying. The words cut deep. It didn't want to hurt Naoki, its first human friend, but seeing Naoki stand with the human who humiliated it felt like betrayal. 

"You dare take his side over mine?!" Giratina roared, its voice filled with hurt and rage. "Very well, Naoki. If you won't stand with me, then bear witness to my wrath!" 

Its crimson eyes locked onto Koraidon, who met Giratina's gaze with unwavering resolve. The air around them crackled with tension. 

In a blur, the two Pokémon shattered the window and shot into the night sky. They collided with explosive force above Celestic Town, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

Naoki's heart sank. He rushed to the window and looked up at the sky.

In the night sky above Celestic Town, a crimson sphere of light, clashed violently with a swirling black shadow. The two forces spiraled together in an intense aerial dance, rising higher and higher with each collision, their energy crackling through the sky.

This dazzling spectacle did not go unnoticed. The residents of Celestic Town gathered outside, their eyes glued to the chaotic display above.

"Look! What's that up there?" a bystander exclaimed.

"Are those Pokémon fighting?" another murmured, shading their eyes as they stared at the sky.

"They're moving so fast!" someone observed, struggling to follow the battle with the naked eye.

A man with a telescope gasped. "What kind of Pokémon are those? I've never seen anything like this before!"

Naoki stood by the window of Ishihara's apartment, his heart pounding.

'Could Koraidon truly match Giratina in combat?' The question lingered in his mind as the battle raged on. He wanted desperately to intervene but was too far away to issue commands. Worse, he couldn't remind Koraidon not to use Fighting-type moves—completely ineffective against Giratina's Ghost typing.

Behind him, Ishihara scrambled to pull his pants back on, his mind racing with fear and confusion. He approached Naoki cautiously, his voice trembling. "W-What kind of Pokémon is that?!" he asked, pointing toward the glowing combatants.

Naoki didn't turn to face him. His voice was calm but firm as he answered, "That's Giratina, the netizen you argued with on the Forum. Your reply angered it, and now it's here."

Ishihara blinked, stunned. 

'Wait...what?! Pokémon...use Rotom Phones to go online?'

Naoki continued, his tone tinged with gravity. "Giratina is a [God] of your Sinnoh region, born alongside Dialga and Palkia. While Dialga governs time and Palkia controls space, Giratina oversees the shadows of the world and ensures the balance between dimensions. It's as great a deity as they are."

Naoki paused, gazing up at the sky. "But Giratina lives in the Distortion World, the reverse side of our reality. Unlike Dialga and Palkia, it rarely interacts with humans. It's a forgotten god, overshadowed by its siblings. All it ever wanted was recognition, the same reverence humans give to Dialga and Palkia. To be ignored...it only deepens its resentment."

Ishihara froze, his guilt mounting with every word. He couldn't process the absurdity of Pokémon using Rotom Phones or even Naoki's mysterious presence. All he knew was that his careless words had provoked this devastating situation.

"I..." Ishihara stammered, unable to finish his thought.

Meanwhile, the aerial battle had reached its climax. Koraidon and Giratina clashed one final time, their opposing forces creating a massive explosion of light and shadow that illuminated the entire town. As the collision subsided, the two Pokemon began to plummet towards the ground.

Naoki's heart sank. He turned from the window and sprinted toward the door, ready to rush to the battlefield. But without another Pokémon to help him, reaching the site in time seemed impossible.

Just then, Ishihara stepped forward, clutching a Poké Ball. "Use my Pokémon!" he exclaimed.

He tossed the ball into the air, releasing two Pokémon: a Staraptor and a Murkrow.

Naoki rode on Staraptor, while Ishihara followed closely on Murkrow. Both Pokémon soared through the sky, leading their riders to the battlefield where Koraidon and Giratina had fallen after their intense clash.

They soon arrived on a vast plain just outside Celestic Town. The scene that greeted them left Naoki speechless.

Both Koraidon and Giratina stood on shaky legs, their bodies battered and bruised. Despite their injuries, they maintained a tense standoff, neither willing to show weakness.

Naoki felt a surge of pride and disbelief.

"Is Koraidon really this strong?" he thought. "It managed to stand its ground against Giratina?"

Koraidon turned its head toward Naoki with a weary expression, letting out a low, dejected growl.

"Raao..."

Understanding its emotions, Naoki walked over and gently placed a hand on Koraidon's head. "You did great," he said with a reassuring smile.

Turning his gaze to Giratina, Naoki hesitated. Giratina's blood-red eyes locked onto him, its expression unreadable.

Naoki began to consider whether it was wise to let Giratina keep its Rotom Phone. The device had allowed the Pokémon to cause this incident in the first place. If something similar happened again, the consequences could be far worse.

But before he could say anything, Ishihara ran up, his face pale but determined.

"I'm sorry!" Ishihara shouted, standing before Giratina. He took a deep breath and bowed deeply.

"This is all my fault! Before today, I didn't know about you or your role in maintaining the balance of the world. I was ignorant, and my words were careless. Please forgive me! I promise never to act so recklessly again!"

Giratina remained silent, its crimson gaze fixed on the groveling human. After a long pause, the imposing Pokémon turned away without a word. Ignoring Naoki and Koraidon, it opened a swirling vortex to the Distortion World. Its shadowy form slipped through the portal, followed by its anxious Rotom Phone.

Then, the vortex slowly closed, leaving Naoki and Koraidon in the Sinnoh region far away from the Padia region.

Naoki: "…"

Koraidon: "..."

Naoki patted the Pokémon gently, checking its injuries. "Let's get you healed up."

He made his way to the Pokémon Center in Celestic Town, where Nurse Joy and her team worked diligently to treat Koraidon's wounds. Once it was fully recovered, Naoki climbed onto Koraidon's back, ready to return to the Paldea region. He was worried about Giratina and wanted to ensure it wouldn't spiral further into resentment.

Before he could leave, Ishihara hesitated and called out to him.

"Wait! Uh… what's your name?"

Naoki turned back, meeting the man's gaze. Ishihara's curiosity was written all over his face.

"You seem to know so much… about Sinnoh's legends, about Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Even the historians who study these myths don't know the things you've said. Who… who are you?"

Naoki gave a faint smile. "My name is Naoki," he replied simply. "And next time, try to avoid unnecessary arguments online. Words have consequences."

With that, he turned back to Koraidon.

"Let's go," he said softly.

"Raao!"

Koraidon responded, leaping into the sky and flying out of the Sinnoh region.

.....

The battle in the skies over Celestic Town did not go unnoticed. The sight of two mysterious Pokémon clashing above the city quickly caught the attention of the Sinnoh League.

The battle between the two powerful Pokémon caused widespread panic in Celestic Town.

Under such tense circumstances, Cynthia, the current Champion of the Sinnoh region, rushed to the city to investigate the situation.

Unfortunately, her thorough search yielded no concrete answers.

It wasn't until an eager resident named Ishihara approached her and recounted the entire incident that she began to piece things together.

"That Pokémon is Giratina," Ishihara explained earnestly. "It was born at the same time as Dialga and Palkia. Giratina lives in the shadowy side of the world, maintaining balance and watching over that realm! I learned this from a mysterious man named Naoki! His Pokémon even fought Giratina in an intense battle!"

Cynthia's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the name.

'Naoki... Could it be the same Naoki she had met before?'

Her thoughts drifted to the first time they had crossed paths at a prestigious dinner party in the Unova region.

She recalled his quiet demeanor and subtle charisma. 'Could he really possess such profound knowledge of Sinnoh's ancient legends?'

Cynthia's mind wandered back to the ancient murals she had once studied in the ruins of Celestic Town.

The murals hinted that Sinnoh's divine legends weren't confined to just Dialga and Palkia. However, despite years of research, Cynthia had never uncovered definitive clues about this third figure.

After careful consideration, Cynthia decided she needed to visit the Paldea region herself.

.....

Meanwhile, Ishihara returned to his newly rented home. His previous house, severely damaged during Giratina's dramatic appearance, was under repair and uninhabitable for the time being.

Sitting on the toilet in his temporary apartment, Ishihara opened his Rotom Phone and logged into the Pokémon forum.

The heated comment thread under his original post was still intact.

Curious, Ishihara navigated to the profile of the account named "The Most Powerful Giratina in the World."

The profile was sparse—completely empty except for the username.

Despite everything he had experienced, Ishihara found it hard to believe that a Pokémon, especially one as legendary as Giratina, could operate a Rotom Phone and surf the internet. And yet, he couldn't deny the truth.

Giratina, the legendary Pokémon from Sinnoh's legends, had wielded this account to interact with the online world. A Pokémon once regarded as a god, born alongside Dialga and Palkia.

Reflecting on the absurdity of it all, Ishihara deleted his earlier offensive comment.

Then, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, he clicked the Follow button on Giratina's profile.

The follower count on "The Most Powerful Giratina in the World" jumped from 0 to 1.

As he stared at the screen, Ishihara couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "I guess… I'm the first fan of a god."

...

I'll be uploading the next five bonus chapters shortly! Keep those stones coming—we're holding strong at #2! Let's see if we can push this all the way to #1!