Seeing Naoki's shocked expression, Pawmot beside him tilted its head in fusion.

  The little electrion leaned closer, trying to see what had happened, but Naoki gently covered its eyes with his hand.

  "Pawmot?" Pawmot blinked, puzzled. (What's going on?)

  Naoki shook his head firmly. "This isn't for kids to see."

  The se from a moment ago lingered in Naoki's mind, vivid and uling—it reminded him of Nergigante from the Monster Hunter game, ruthlessly preying on a small, herbivorous dragon.

  Taking a deep breath, Naoki ghrough the telescope again, fog on the hillside where the hunt had taken pbsp;

  There was no sign of R Moon. It had vanished, likely satisfied with its meal. The silence of the night returned, as if nothing had ever happened.

  After a few cautious moments, the group of Donphan and Phanpy crept back to their resting spot, returning to the rge rock where they had been sleeping earlier.

  Naoki sighed quietly, murmuring to himself:

  "It seems like R Moon is at the top of the food here."

  What troubled him most was the unnerving aura that R Moon gave off—somethiirely different from modern Pokémon.

  "It's like a creature from aimes, wild and untamed, with a mind not yet touched by intelligence."

  He stared at the now-quiet valley below, realizing the fual differeween Paradox Pokémon and the Pokémon of today.

  Modern Pokémon, through years of iion with humans, had evolved not only in strength but in temperament—they had adapted to coexist peacefully with people, their instincts shaped toward harmony rather than violenbsp;

  By parison, the Paradox Pokémoures pulled from a distant past—were like beasts untouched by time, living solely by the brutal ws of survival. Their wild, chaotiature stood in stark trast to the domesticated Pokémon of the present day.

  Naoki reflected on the gap betweewo worlds:

  "It's like paring a warriors from the juo office workers iy."

  He shuddered at the thought.

  And it wasn't just R Moon—all Paradox Pokémon carried that same primal energy. Their sheer untamed presence made them uable, and Naoki khey wouldn't be easy to handle.

  "They really are… primitive," Naoki whispered, his earlier excitement now tempered by a sense of unease.

  He realized that he couldn't look at these Pokémon with the same mi as with moderhey weren't just ordinary Pokémon—they were relics of an era long gone.

  Just as he lost the urge to tinue , a thunderous explosion suddenly echoed through the valley below, shaking the quiet night.

  Startled, Naoki snapped out of his thoughts and ran to the edge of the cliff, with Pawmot, Dragonite, and Koraidon following close behind.

  Together, they peered over the edge of the cliff, trying to make sense of the disturbance down in the valley.

  In the midst of the r fmes, a group of small Pokémon scattered in panic, their escape filled with fear and fusion.

  Suddenly, a bzi ray sliced through the air, igniting the dry grass and trees around them. The fmes spread rapidly, blog the fleeing Raichu group from moving forward.

  One Raichu skidded to a halt at the edge of the inferno, sparks crag fiercely on its cheeks. With a defiant cry, it unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt toward the sky, the streak of lightning cutting through the night.

  But it missed.

  Naoki adjusted the telescope, following the path of the Raichu's desperate attabsp;

  In the dark sky, a strange figure floated ominously, its body emanating a fiery glow. The mysterious Pokémon had sleek red horns on its head, a metallic tail that gleamed like silver, and three pairs of glowing wings h behind it like futuristic propellers.

  Naoki's breath hitched as reition dawned. "Iron Moth... the future form of Vola."

  But something was off—it didn't seem to be hunting.

  The Iron Moth hracefully in the air, its cold, meical gaze fixed on the Raichu. It released bursts of heat rays, herding the frightened Pokémon toward a single dire, almost as if it were their behavior.

  The Raichu group had no choice but to keep moving. Before long, they found themselves trapped at the edge of a waterfall, the rushing water below r like an abyss.

  The Iron Moth's metalligs began to glhter, spreading out like the fiery wings of a god of destru. A scorg heat gathered around it, hinting at the overwhelming power it was about to unleash.

  The Raichu below trembled but stood their ground.

  And then—just as humans sometimes show ued strength in the face of dahe Raichu synized their electric powers.

  Suddenly, a blinding burst of electricity erupted from the group, their bined energy resonating in the air. Above them, storm clouds began to gather, swirling ominously until, with a crag boom, a massive bolt of lightning struck the Iron Moth with pinpoint accurabsp;

  The Iron Moth staggered mid-air, sparks flying from its metallic frame as if its meical core had been damaged. Smoke billowed from its body, and with a meical whir, it tumbled helplessly into the depths of the crater below, vanishing from sight.

  The threat was gone, and the Raichu group panted heavily, their bodies trembling with relief. But they didn't linger—after a brief moment of rest, they quickly scampered away, disappearing into the twisting terrain of the crater.

  Watg the se unfold, Naoki exhaled slowly, a wave of relief washing over him.

  "Not bad," he murmured with a smile. "It seems these modern Pokémo entirely defenseless."

  Beside him, Pawmot and Dragoared at the y battlefield, their expressions filled with awe and a hint of nervousness.

  Naoki crouched down to their level, his voice firm but kind. "Did you see that? This pce is dangerous. You o stay close and not wander off."

  "Pawmot!" Pawmot nodded eagerly, determio stick by Naoki's side.

  Naoki couldn't help but notice the uling differeween the a Paradox Pokémon and the futuristies.

  "The iions of the a ones are easy to read," he thought. "They act purely on primal instincts—hunting, surviving."

  But the future species were different. The fusion of high-tech maery and anic life gave them an eerie, detached quality. It was difficult to predict their as or uand their motives.

  "They feel cold," Naoki muttered to himself, "like maes imitating life, with purposes we 't easily grasp."

  The realizatio him uneasy.

  Straightening up, Naoki gave his Pokémon a reassuring look. "That's enough for today. We'll tinue expl tomorrow."

  With a final g the waterfall, Naoki put away his telescope and headed back toward the observatory, his Pokémon following closely behind.

  ---

  The m, the Great Crater of Paldea awoke to the geouch of sunlight. The once-menag ndscape was now bathed in a serene, golden glow, as if the previous night's terrors had been nothing but a bad dream.

  Standing at the observatory's edge, Naoki took in the breathtaking sery, marveling at how the crater's beauty masked the ferocity that came with the night.

  "It's hard to believe," he thought, "that such a beautiful pce turns into a ruthless hunting ground uhe cover of darkness."

  Naoki packed his belongings, slung his travel backpack over his shoulders, and tinued his journey deeper into the Great Crater of Paldea.

  By noon, he and his Pokémon arrived at a forest bathed in colorful crystals.

  As Naoki studied the ndscape, his gaze fell upon the massive tree roots pletely encased in glittering crystal. He murmured thoughtfully, "It seems the crystallized energy has seeped into the trees as well."

  The shimmering crystals reminded him of Terastallization—the phenomenon where Pokémon bee cloaked in sparkling crystal, making their bodies glimmer like finely cut gems and radiate brilliant light.

  Acc to Naoki's uanding, Terastallization was likely ected to the mysterious Terastal energy that flowed from beh the ground in the Paldea region.

  He scratched his head. "Could it be the source of this energy is some a creature… perhaps even the mysterious Terapagos?"

  It was only a guess. Unfortunately, the DLtent for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet hadn't been released before Naoki ulled into this world, so her he nor the locals khe truth behind it.

  "Could Terapagos be slumbering deep underground?" he wondered, brushing his hand against the energy crystals oree. A faint hum of power thrummed beh his fiips, sending a subtle but thrilling jolt through his palm.

  Beside him, Koraidon tilted its head, curiously admiring its own refle in one of the crystals.

  But suddenly, Koraidon spotted something moving behind them in the refle.

  "Raao?"

  Alert, Koraidon spun around, swiping instinctively with its powerful cws.

  WHAM!

  The object hurtled through the air, smming face-first into a tree. It slid dowrunk in a tangled mess, nding awkwardly in the grass.

  Naoki jumped to his feet, his hand instinctively gripping the Poké Balls in his pocket.

  "What was that?" he asked, sing the area cautiously.

  Koraidon gave a fused shake of its head. "Raao...?" (I don't kher.)

  Naoki adjusted his stance, eyes narrowing as the figure in the grass came into focus. Wait a minute—was that… Jigglypuff?

  No. This wasn't an ordinary Jigglypuff—it had wild, untamed features. "Scream Tail?" Naoki whispered to himself in disbelief.

  Memories of R Moon, the savage Paradox Pokémon he saw the night before, fshed through Naoki's mind. His heart raced.

  "Stay alert, Koraidon!" Naoki warned sharply.

  Koraidon tensed, ready for a. "Raao!"

  The Scream Tail Pokémon, having peeled itself off the tree trunk, now stood wobbling on unsteady feet. A red mark streaked across its face from the collision, making it look more ical than threatening.

  With a loud, exaggerated cry—"YAAAAAH!"—R Tail let loose a fierce battle cry, thumping its chest like a wild goril from a prehistoric world.

  Without hesitation, it charged headlong at Koraidon, its small body bursting with untamed energy.

  Koraidon blinked, momentarily stunned by the ferocity of the tiny Pokémon. It instinctively raised a cwed hand, preparing to swat the little savage away.

  But before it could make tact, Scream Tail lunged, sinking its sharp fangs deep into Koraidon's arm.

  "Raao!" Koraidon yelped in surprise, shaking its arm furiously to dislodge the gy creature.

  Despite Koraidon's best efforts, Scream Tail g on with unyieldiermination, its fangs tched tight.

  Naoki rushed forward. "Hang on, Koraidon! I'll help!"

  Grabbing Scream Tail's tiny body, Naoki pulled with all his might, trying to pry the stubborn Pokémon off Koraidon's arm.

  For a moment, Scream Tail's round body stretched ically long, but it stubbornly refused to let go.

  Naoki gritted his teeth, tugging at the a Jigglypuff's body with all his strength. He even actally pulled out a few tufts of its fluffy fur before colpsing onto the grass, panting.

  "Alright, enough of this," Naoki muttered, catg his breath. "If brute force won't work, let's try something else."

  With a quiand, Naoki poioward the persistent Scream Tail. "Koraidon, use Fmethrower!"

  Without hesitation, Koraidon unleashed a seari of fmes, engulfing Scream Tail in a bzing inferno.

  "YAAAAAAAAHHHH!" the Scream Tail screeched, finally letting go of Koraidon's arm.

  Its fur, now singed and smoking, fred as it ran wildly in circles, desperately trying to extinguish the fmes.

  Ohe fire had burned out, a powerful psychiergy exploded from Scream Tail's small frame, sending shockwaves through the air.

  The tiny Pokémon's face twisted in rage, and with a defiant shriek, it roared: "SCREEEEEEEEE!"

  Then, with a burst of power, a solid wave of Psychiergy surged from Scream Tail, aimed directly at Koraidon.

  Naoki's heart raced—there was no way this frontation was going to end peacefully now.

  "Alright, Koraidon! Use Collision Course !" Naoki anded without hesitation.

  He khat Dragon-type moves wouldn't affect Scream Tail and Fighting-type moves would barely scratch it. Collision Course, however, was their best bet—a powerful attack to end the fight decisively.

  With a fierarl, Koraidon's body ignited. Fmes roared to life, enveloping it in a bzing inferno, transf the Pokémon into a fiery et charging toward its target.

  The Psychic bst from Scream Tail smmed into Koraidon mid-charge, but the mighty dragon plowed straight through the attack without faltering.

  BOOM!

  The two collided with a thunderous impabsp;

  The force of the blow sent Scream Tail flying, its body crashing into a nearby tree with a heavy thud. It slumped to the ground, defeated.

  The fmes surrounding Koraidon fizzled out as it exhaled deeply, steam rising from its body.

  Naoki rushed to his partner's side, him a bottle of Moomoo Milk. "Here, buddy. Drink up."

  Koraidon gratefully took the bottle in its cws, tipped it back, and gulped down the milk in one go. "Raao."

  With Koraidon rejuvenated, Naoki approached the unscious Scream Tail, carefully studying the Pokémon lying before him.

  "Except for the massive ponytail on its head, it almost looks like a regur Jigglypuff," Naoki mused, croug down beside it.

  He tilted his head, paring it to the familiar Jigglypuff he knew from the modern world. "No... it's not quite the same. Jigglypuff doesn't have sharp little fangs like these. And it's much smaller."

  The Scream Tail lying before him was at least oer tall, nearly twice the size of a typical Jigglypuff.

  "It's definitely a wild one," Naoki said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "But... pared to R Moon from st night, this one's not so bad."

  He tapped his thoughtfully, sidering his move. "Should I try to catch it?"

  After a brief moment of hesitation, Naoki made his decision. Reag into his backpack, he pulled out ay Poké Ball.

  He gave Koraidon a quiod before carefully pg the Poké Ball on Scream Tail's forehead.

  In the moment, Scream Tail's body transformed into a streak of red light and ulled into the Poké Ball.

  "Bloop! Bloop!"

  The Poké Ball nded on the ground and began to shake violently, the button at its ter fshing with a bright red light.

  Owice, three times...

  The Pokémon iruggled fiercely, causing the Poké Ball to tremble. But soon, the shaking slowed, and the glowing red light dimmed until it stopped entirely.

  Capture plete.

  "Did it work?" Naoki whispered, a bit surprised.

  He cautiously picked up the Poké Ball from the ground. After a moment of hesitation, he pressed the button on the ball, aiming at the empty space beside him.

  In a fsh of white light, Scream Tail reappeared, fully scious despite its weakeate.

  "SCREEEE!"

  Even though it was visibly exhausted, Scream Tail looked just as wild and aggressive as before. Its fangs gleamed as it floated forward, making a beeline for Naoki with an angry snarl.

  Before the a Jigglypuff could get close, Koraidon swatted it away with a quick flick of its cws.

  "Raao!"

  Scream Tail hit the ground with a thud, but it quickly jumped back up, howling fiercely. The high-pitched sound echoed through the forest, making Naoki wince as he clutched his head.

  "That's enough!" Naoki groaned, recalling Scream Tail bato the Poké Ball to end the otion.

  The surroundings returo silence as Naoki stared at the Poké Ball in his hand, deep in thought.

  "Looks like Poké Balls don't have any kind of mind-trol feature..." Naoki mused with a wry smile. "Even after catg a Pokémon, you 't just make it obedient right away."

  He thought back to Scream Tail's erratic behavior and chuckled softly. "Of course, it's a wild Pokémon from aimes. Despite being a Fairy and Psychic type, it seems to prefer biting and brawling over using special attacks like Dazzling Gleam."

  "It acts just like a primitive savage. It's such a shame, though—it looks so cute, but that wild personality is going to be a handful."

  Naoki sighed, running a hand through his hair as he sidered what to do .

  "If I 't properly tame this Scream Tail, it'll be impossible t it back to the ranch," he muttered.

  With its current feral nature, Scream Tail could wreak havo the ranch. If he and Koraidon weren't vigint, the situation could turn dangerous for the other Pokémon in no time.

  Naoki wi the thought of the potential disasters: Alcremie being gobbled up ie, the hens in the coop attacked in the dead of night, or even Pokémon like Dolliv and G being harassed.

  He sighed again, shaking his head. "What a mess..."