Pokemon: A New Path

Naoki paid the money, and Kora efficiently directed a Machamp to load the power generation facility onto the truck. She then climbed into the driver's seat and called out to Naoki, "You go ahead; I'll follow you!"

"OK!" Naoki responded, hopping onto his Pokemon and heading back to the ranch.

After a short while, Kora arrived at the ranch with the equipment. Machamp unloaded the power generation unit from the truck, and Kora looked around the property before asking, "Where would you like this installed? It should ideally be connected directly to the main power supply."

Naoki led the way, "Follow me!" He planned to place the generator in the utility room at the back of the house, where the power box was located.

Kora, displaying impressive expertise, began installing the power generation facility and connecting the wires with ease. Naoki watched her work, surprised by her skill. "I didn't expect you to be so skilled at this," he remarked.

Kora explained with a shrug, "I've lived alone since I was a child, so I had to learn these things over time."

Naoki hesitated before asking, "Where are your parents?"

Kora's expression remained calm. "They passed away twenty years ago. They were carpenters in the town, so it was only natural for me to take over the business when I grew up."

Naoki felt a pang of guilt and apologized, "I'm sorry."

Kora shook her head with a small smile. "Birth, aging, illness, and death are all part of life. There's no need to apologize for something so natural. I'm doing well now. I run a store with my own hands, and I have Machamp to help me. I think if my parents were still around, they'd be proud of me. Their daughter turned out pretty amazing!"

Naoki was slightly taken aback by her resilience and nodded in admiration, "Yes, you are amazing!"

After the installation was completed, Kora stood up and walked over to the cave where Naoki had been growing mushrooms. She glanced inside and then turned to him, "Do you still need these mushroom culture dishes? If not, I can recycle them for you."

"Recycle?" Naoki asked.

Kora nodded. "Yes, I can take them off your hands. While it won't fetch the same price as when you bought them, it's better than leaving them here to collect dust."

Naoki considered it for a moment. Mushrooms required very specific conditions to grow, and with the cave being converted into an ice cellar, there wouldn't be any suitable place left on the ranch for them. "Alright, I'll give them to you," he agreed.

Kora smiled, and with Machamp's help, she began moving the mushroom culture dishes into the truck. Once they were done, Kora pulled out her wallet from the driver's seat and handed Naoki a few Poke Dollars as payment.

"See you later!" she called, driving away with the truck.

Naoki began preparations for his trip to Glaseado Mountain with Koraidon. He placed the lunch he had prepared earlier in the refrigerator and asked Cyclizar to distribute the food to the other Pokémon at noon.

Cyclizar nodded, agreeing to the task.

Satisfied, Naoki packed his cold-weather gear, along with some juice and Milk to restore his energy, into his backpack. The environment at Glaseado Mountain was harsh, and the temperature there would likely be very low.

As he considered the upcoming trip, Naoki suddenly recalled the first dish he had made after arriving in this world—hot soup noodles. 'That might be just what we need in such a cold place,' he thought.

'If he remembered correctly, the effect of that dish was just cold-resistant, which would be of great help in the place they were going next,' Naoki thought.

With that in mind, Naoki put down his backpack again, catching Koraidon's puzzled gaze, and headed to the refrigerator. He took out the relevant ingredients and started cooking.

He cut the green onion into sections, prepared two poached eggs in advance, then set the pot on the fire, waiting for the water to boil before adding the noodles. He sprinkled a layer of chopped green onions on top, placed the two poached eggs in the bowl, and finally added a few drops of sesame oil.

Soon, a complete bowl of hot soup noodles was ready.

Naoki looked down at the steaming bowl, and the effect of the hot noodle soup emerged in his mind.

[Hot Soup Noodles (B+): A simple dish, but a good choice to warm the spleen and stomach on a cold winter day.

Cooking effect: Cold resistance protection level 3, provides the ability to withstand severe cold. After drinking it, the body will become warm, and the effect lasts for 6 hours.

Evaluation: omitted]

'Sure enough, if the ingredients and toppings are complete, the cooking effect will be improved,' Naoki thought.

A B+ rating was a full level and a half higher than the original C-. The duration of cold resistance had increased from level 1 to level 3, and the duration extended from 30 minutes to 6 hours.

"Try it?" Naoki asked, placing the bowl of noodles in front of Koraidon.

Koraidon, sniffing the rich aroma, couldn't resist swallowing a bit of saliva. "Raao?" Koraidon wondered, 'This bowl of noodles seems different from last time?'

Under Naoki's encouraging gaze, Koraidon picked up the bowl and quickly devoured the soup and noodles. Immediately, it felt warmth spreading through its entire body. 

'So, this is the magical effect of this bowl of noodles,' Koraidon realized, feeling the warmth protect it against the cold.

Looking at Koraidon swallowing the food without a second thought, Naoki felt a bit speechless.

He quickly finished his own bowl of hot soup noodles, then took out two lucky puddings from the refrigerator—one for himself and one for Koraidon.

'I hope we're lucky enough today to encounter the Ice-type Pokémon we're looking for,' Naoki thought as he prepared for their journey.

Once everything was ready, Naoki mounted Koraidon, and they headed toward Glaseado Mountain.

Koraidon was quite familiar with this road, having accompanied Naoki on a fishing trip at the end of this path just two months ago.

There lay Casseroya Lake, with Frost Mountain—known as Glaseado Mountain—located to the east of the lake.

Glaseado Mountain is the highest peak in the Paldea region, and due to its high altitude, the temperature remained low year-round. Snowflakes continually fell from its summit, covering the expansive mountain range in a thick layer of snow.

This weather had a profound effect on the lifestyle of the people living nearby. The town was even named Montenevera Town, symbolizing a place of eternal snow and tranquility.

The unique geographical environment of the mountain also fostered a special Pokémon ecosystem, with most of the Pokémon inhabiting the area being Ice-type.

Koraidon moved swiftly, its scarlet silhouette slicing through the sky as they soon arrived at lake.

Naoki looked up at the mist-shrouded mountain in the distance and asked Koraidon, "Are you scared?"

Koraidon shook its head confidently, "Raao!"

"Very good, let's keep going!"

Koraidon quickened its pace, rushing into the mountain. Its scarlet figure stood out starkly against the vast, white expanse of snow and ice.