Even Red, already a top-tier Trainer, couldn't hide his astonishment.

Was this man the one who had gathered all these Legendary Pokémon here in the World Tree?

Though surprised, Red simply nodded in silence.

If experiencing something could be counted as training, then this journey into another world had indeed shown him things he never imagined.

Naoki smiled and said,

"Good. These Pokémon, like humans, have their own thoughts and feelings. If you wish to battle them… then earn their approval."

Approval?

Red stood in thoughtful silence for a long time, then finally gave a small nod.

"All right, sweetie, let's go home," Naoki said as he scooped Elara up in his arms.

But just as he turned to leave, a calm voice rang out behind him.

"Wait a second."

Naoki paused, surprised. He turned around with a stunned expression and looked at Red.

"You can talk?" Naoki narrowed his eyes with a curious smile. 

He had been wondering what it would take to make Red finally speak.

Red didn't answer right away.

After a long moment, he asked softly,

"Am I in this world?"

Naoki blinked in surprise, but he quickly understood what Red meant.

He was asking if there was another Red, a version of himself, in this parallel world.

Red met Naoki's gaze, waiting silently for the answer.

"Yes," Naoki replied after a brief pause, picturing a certain figure in his mind.

"He's from Pallet Town, just like you. He got his first Pokémon from Professor Oak… and he has a very strong Pikachu."

Red's eyes narrowed slightly.

So… his counterpart existed in this world too?

If Lance was still the Dragon Master here, did that mean the other Red had also become Champion, perhaps someone even stronger than he was?

A flicker of curiosity stirred in Red's heart.

He wanted to see that version of himself.

"I want to meet him." 

Naoki raised an eyebrow, then looked at Red with an intrigued smile.

"Sure."

He was curious too. What kind of sparks would fly if Ash and Red, two protagonists from different worlds, stood face to face?

Though Red had become Champion, he was still a teenager. Usually quiet and withdrawn, but deep down, he had a strong spirit.

Naoki smiled again.

"I'll try to invite him over. But you'll have to go down there to meet him."

Red gave a silent nod. That wasn't a problem.

Seeing his quiet agreement, Naoki turned and left the World Tree with Elara in his arms. He wasn't the least bit worried Red would cause any trouble. After all, Red's character was reliable.

Back at the ranch, Naoki gently tucked Elara into a nap and then pulled out his Rotom Phone.

He dialed Ash.

At this moment, Ash and his friends were still exploring the Alola Region, likely busy helping Lusamine as part of the Ultra Guardians.

If Ash came to visit, Lillie, Kiawe, and even Lana or Mallow might come along too.

The Rotom Phone rang twice before the call connected.

Ash's smiling face filled the screen, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, as always.

"Whoa! Mr. Naoki!" Ash said excitedly. "What's up? Didn't expect you to call all of a sudden!"

Naoki smiled warmly. "How's life at school going?"

Ash's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It's been amazing!"

He'd made tons of new friends and caught all sorts of unique Pokémon native to Alola.

"Sounds like your time there has been pretty fulfilling." Naoki chuckled, then got to the point. "So... do you think you'll have time to come to the Paldea region soon?"

"Paldea?" Ash tilted his head slightly. He wasn't the rookie trainer he used to be, he could tell Naoki's question carried more meaning than it seemed. "Something happening over there?"

Naoki gave a knowing smile. "Well, to be honest… there's someone who wants to meet you."

"Someone wants to meet me?" Ash looked surprised.

He'd only visited Paldea a couple of times, mostly to visit Naoki's ranch, and didn't really know anyone else in the region.

"Who is it?" he asked curiously.

"You'll find out when you get here," Naoki replied mysteriously. He decided to keep Red's presence a secret for now.

Ash's interest was instantly piqued. If Mr. Naoki was inviting him, he'd go for sure!

"No problem! Pikachu and I'll grab tickets and head over tomorrow!" he promised eagerly.

After ending the call, Naoki headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch. But as he passed the living room, he noticed Koraidon lying on the couch, looking unusually gloomy.

Naoki blinked, surprised. He crouched beside him, gently stroking the Pokémon's head.

"What's wrong, Koraidon?"

Startled by Naoki's touch, Koraidon jumped up and gave a nervous little cry.

"Ah… gah!"

Then, without warning, he bolted out of the room in a panic.

Naoki stood there, baffled, then turned toward the other Pokémon lounging in the living room.

"What happened to Koraidon?" he asked.

"Bamo?" Pawmot, who was polishing its hammer-like fists on the sofa, glanced toward the door and shook its head. It had no idea.

Maybe… Koraidon did something bad and was afraid of being found out?

That was Alcremie's guess, anyway.

Naoki: "…"

Still confused, he followed the direction Koraidon had gone. When he opened the back door, he saw the mighty dragon lying lazily on the sunlit grass, basking in the warmth, looking absolutely relaxed.

He looked completely fine!

Maybe he was just acting strange because Naoki had been too busy with the tournament lately and hadn't spent much time with him.

Feeling a little guilty, Naoki decided to make something special for lunch, Koraidon's favorite dishes.

But when he checked the fridge, he found that most of the vegetables were gone.

He scribbled a short grocery list and, not wanting to interrupt Koraidon's sunbathing, quietly hopped onto Cyclizar and rode into town.

Back at the ranch, Koraidon lay silently in the grass, his eyes following Naoki's fading silhouette.

Though he was just a Pokémon, and didn't understand the human concept of time, he knew one thing for sure:

That moment was drawing closer.

Once this tournament ended, the event that would transform Cyclizar into Koraidon would not be far behind.

And when that moment came, it would have to reveal everything to Naoki.

The past would be rewritten.

Cyclizar would no longer fall into the time machine. He would vanish entirely.

Naoki would be left in Cyclizar care.

The thought of disappearing, of never seeing Naoki again, weighed heavily on Koraidon's heart.

But there was nothing it could do.

It couldn't bear the idea of watching its past self vanish into the time machine and watching Naoki break down in sorrow.

Would Naoki cry?

Koraidon didn't know. But it feared that answer more than anything else.

...

Ash, Lillie, and their friends arrived in the Paldea region by boat.

Naoki was in the garden, carefully pruning flowers, when he suddenly heard excited voices in the distance.

"Mr. Naoki, we're here!"

"Pikachu!"

He turned and saw a familiar sight. Ash was leading the group, with Lillie, Sophocles, Kiawe, Mallow, and Lana following closely behind.

They stood in a neat row, grinning from ear to ear.

"Welcome!" Naoki called out cheerfully as he stepped forward to greet them.

The group bowed politely.

"Sorry to intrude!"

"Come on in, let's talk inside!" Naoki ushered them into the house.

But just as he was about to continue, he noticed the kids staring at him a little too intently.

"Hmm? Is there something on my face?" Naoki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no, it's nothing like that!" Sophocles waved his hands frantically, the round boy flushed with excitement. "It's just, we didn't know you were that Naoki. The one who stopped the Groudon and Kyogre battle. You're all over the internet!"

Naoki gave a modest chuckle. "It's really not that big a deal. I just happened to be there and calmed them down before things got worse."

Ash smiled. He had already guessed something like this. After all, he had once battled Calyrex at Naoki's ranch.

It just confirmed what he already believed. "As expected of Mr. Naoki…"

Naoki's gaze swept over the group.

It had only been six months, but Kiawe looked more composed, and Lillie especially had matured.

She no longer shrank away from Pokémon. In fact, she now held a small Alolan Vulpix gently in her arms.

Naoki blinked.

He was glad to see Lillie so happy.

Ash, full of curiosity, finally asked the question on everyone's mind.

"By the way, Mr. Naoki, who is it that wants to meet me?"

Naoki smiled and stood up.

"Wait here a moment. I'll go get him."

Then, he turned to elder Indeedee. "Please take care of our guests while I'm out."

'Ai-yi." "Understood," he replied softly.

Naoki left the ranch and took out his Rotom Phone.

He contacted Mewtwo at the World Tree.

"Please let Red know that the one he wanted to meet has arrived. He can come down now."

Mewtwo's response was quick: "OK."

Meanwhile, high atop the World Tree...

Red was in the midst of training.

Suddenly, a flash of brilliant white light flickered before his eyes.

When his vision cleared, a figure stood before him.

Mewtwo.

Seeing the legendary Psychic-type appear without warning startled him.

But before he could speak, Mewtwo's voice echoed directly in his mind.

"The one you wanted to meet has arrived. Follow me."

'He's here?'

Red's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.

Without hesitation, he followed Mewtwo.

They passed through a glowing green light, stepping into a strange, broken space.

The ground was fractured. The air was thick and heavy, as if time itself had shattered.

Red looked around, stunned.

He quickly adapted to the environment, and seeing that Mewtwo hadn't stopped, he hastened to follow.

As he advanced, Red calmly observed his surroundings.

Shattered floating islands, waterfalls flowing in reverse, and a deep, endless void stretched before him.

There was no doubt, this place existed outside of normal time and space.

After walking for some distance, they reached a cluster of islands unlike the others.

Some were covered in vibrant, blooming flowers. Others were filled with fruit trees and tea plants. A few even sparkled with mysterious glowing blossoms.

On one of the flowering islands, Red encountered a strange Pokémon he had never seen before.

He paused in thought, but before he could study it further, the scenery around him shifted suddenly.

In the blink of an eye, the fantastical world disappeared. They now stood in a quiet pasture.

Not far away, the familiar figure of Naoki waited with a calm smile.

Red remained silent.

Naoki didn't mind. He knew Red wasn't one for small talk. With a friendly tone, he said, "He's here. Are you ready?"

Red nodded.

"Then come with me."

Mewtwo had already returned to the World Tree, and Red followed Naoki through the grassy fields to a cozy house nearby.

Naoki pushed open the door and stepped aside.

Hearing the door open, Ash and his friends turned their heads in unison.

Behind Naoki stood a teenage boy in a red cap and a red, high-collared jacket.

And on his left shoulder, just like Ash, sat a Pikachu.

The next moment, Ash and Red's eyes met.

The air between them seemed to freeze.

With one look, Red recognized the boy in front of him as the version of himself from this world.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu on Red's shoulder tilted its head.

The two Pikachus stared at each other, each with wide eyes, equally confused.

Red stayed silent.

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

'Is this the person who wanted to meet him?'

'He had no memory of ever seeing this trainer before.'

But since this person wanted to see him and was a fellow trainer, Ash was naturally delighted.

He took the initiative to introduce himself. "Hello! I'm Ash from Pallet Town. Nice to meet you!"

Red remained silent.

Ash blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Still no reply.

Ash started to panic a little.

'This guy was acting so strange. Why wasn't he saying anything?'

A sudden thought struck Ash like a bolt of lightning.

'Could he be… mute?'

'How sad! How did he command his Pokémon in battle?'

Just as Ash's imagination began to run wild, Naoki chuckled from the side.

Before Ash could spiral further, Red finally opened his mouth.

"Red."

That was all he said.

Ash let out a sigh of relief. "So you can talk! That's good."

He smiled brightly and asked, "So, why did you want to meet me?"

Red stared at him for a moment, then said plainly, "I want to battle you."

A challenge?

Ash's eyes lit up instantly, his excitement flaring like a lit match.

"No problem!" he said with enthusiasm. "Ash from Pallet Town accepts your challenge!"

This was how wild trainers connected. Sometimes, all it took was a single glance and a spark of instinct to ignite a fierce Pokémon battle.

Ash didn't mind that they had just met. A battle was enough to bridge the gap.

Naoki smiled as he watched them. 

"In that case," he added, stepping forward, "let me be your referee."

Ash was no longer the rookie he once was. Last year, he had even become the Champion of the Kalos League.

Even against Red, he had a chance to win.

Of course, there was just one catch, Ash liked to "start over." Every time he traveled to a new region, he only brought Pikachu and caught new Pokémon from scratch.

Still, that just made things more fun to watch.