September 28, Year 204 of the League Calendar.
There were still three days left before the Masters Eight Replacement Battle.
Ever since the true identity of the mysterious "Cyclizar Mask" had been revealed, it caused a worldwide sensation.
Countless netizens were buzzing about it online, especially those from the Hoenn region. No one was more grateful to Cyclizar Mask than they were.
One comment quickly stood out:
[Thorny Seadra of the Sea]:
"I'm just an ordinary girl living on a coastal town in the Hoenn region. On the day of the disaster, heavy rain and storm surges shut down all transportation to other cities. The sea level rose, flooding our entire town. We were forced to take shelter on the rooftops, and just as the water was about to swallow us whole… the rain and waves suddenly stopped.
It wasn't until later that we found out that Cyclizar Mask had appeared at the critical moment and stopped the clash between Groudon and Kyogre. That's why we're still alive today.It might've been just a small act to him, but for everyone in our town… he was our savior.
Now that I know who he really is, I just want to say thank you. I've wanted to for so long. And I'm not the only one, so many people in town feel the same way!"
The post immediately went viral and struck a chord with readers all over.
Because beyond the well-known cities of Hoenn, there were also countless tiny villages and coastal towns scattered across the region. Many of them had been affected by Groudon and Kyogre's clash, and their survival, too, was thanks to Cyclizar Mask's intervention.
Before long, a wave of admiration and gratitude spread. People from all over were expressing their desire to visit the Paldea region to personally thank the hero.
And that wasn't all, Naoki's store, the Treehouse Ranch, suddenly exploded in popularity. Online traffic surged, and product orders were flooded in almost instantly.
Comments poured into the store page:
[No way! So this is Cyclizar Mask's shop?!]
[Now I get it, no wonder he uses Dragonite for deliveries!]
[Just placed my order! Gotta support Mr. Cyclizar Mask's ranch!]
Back at the ranch, the hardworking Dragonite delivery team was nearly buried in the mountain of new orders.
Naoki's phone buzzed with notifications from Rotom. He glanced at the screen, looked up at the chaos on the ranch, and muttered with a helpless sigh,
"Figures."
He was just about to think through how to handle the workload when, suddenly, a whole wave of deliveries arrived at the ranch.
Multiple Wingull and Pidgeot couriers descended from the sky, carefully dropping packages onto the front lawn.
Naoki blinked in confusion.
Neither he nor Iono had ordered anything recently.
Curious, he stepped over and picked up one of the boxes. The delivery slip was clear.
Sender: Town of Mushui, Hoenn Region.
Recipient: Cyclizar Mask.
Naoki's face flushed. That nickname the internet had given him was just too embarrassing.
Opening the package cautiously, he found a bundle of letters… and several childlike drawings done in crayon.
The first picture showed a small town submerged by rain and rising sea levels. People were standing on rooftops, clinging to hope.
The second picture depicted a person riding a flying Pokémon through the stormy skies. Below them, two giant Pokémon, clearly Groudon and Kyogre, were locked in fierce battle.
The third drawing showed the same flying figure descending triumphantly between the two legends, halting their clash. The skies cleared, the sun peeked through, and peace returned to the town.
Naoki raised an eyebrow and opened another letter.
It read:
[To Mr. Cyclizar Mask,
I'm Mia from Duskwater Town! Thanks to you, everyone in Duskwater Town was saved from the terrible tsunami. This is a picture my friends and I drew for you. When we grow up, we want to become Trainers as strong as you!]
Naoki was taken aback for a moment. Then it all clicked.
He opened several more letters and found that they all expressed similar feelings of gratitude.
So he really had saved so many people that day, by stopping the battle between Groudon and Kyogre?
Quietly, Naoki took out his Rotom Phone and snapped a few photos of the letters.
Just then, a call came in. Mayor Thomas was on the line.
Naoki answered, and the mayor's slightly anxious face appeared on the screen.
"What's going on, Mayor Thomas?" Naoki asked.
"Naoki! A huge number of people have suddenly arrived in town. They're all here to see you!" Mayor Thomas said, visibly flustered.
Naoki sighed.
Exactly what he was afraid of had happened.
To avoid overwhelming his daughter, Elara, he asked the three Legendary Beasts, Entei, Suicune, and Raikou, to take her to play near the World Tree for a while.
Meanwhile, he stayed behind to deal with the growing number of visitors arriving because of his sudden fame.
After finally seeing one crowd off with great effort… another wave would arrive the very next day.
Naoki, now exhausted and helpless, opened his Tree House Ranch store's official account, took a deep breath, and posted a message along with the photos he had taken earlier:
[I received all of your letters. I'm truly happy that I could help. But recently, too many visitors have come, and it's caused trouble for me and my family. We're just ordinary people hoping for a peaceful life here.
Please don't go out of your way to make the trip just to see me.
Of course, if you're interested in joining the ranch's Pokémon Trials, you'll always be welcome.]
Thanks to the efforts of a few level-headed netizens, the craze of rushing to Paldea to see Cyclizar Mask began to cool down by the next day.
Gradually, peace returned to Naoki's home.
Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Just in time, too, for the Masters Eight Replacement Battle was about to begin.
With excitement shifting back to the World Championship, fans around the world turned their attention to the next major showdown.
October 1, Year 204 of the League Calendar.
Naoki, ranked 9th, was about to face off against Flint, the Trainer currently holding the 8th spot among the Masters Eight.
If Naoki won, he would officially enter the ranks of the Masters Eight and earn the right to participate in the Masters Tournament alongside the other seven elite Trainers, each one battling for the ultimate title of Champion.
At Galar's Wyndon Stadium, the atmosphere was electric.
Both inside and outside the stadium, the crowd buzzed with excitement. Waves of cheering filled the air as fans chanted Naoki's name at the top of their lungs.
Flint stood across from him, palm resting on his forehead, clearly exasperated.
"The crowd's fired up because of you, huh?" he said with a helpless smile.
Naoki grinned and looked at the young man with the blazing red afro across from him.
"Mr. Flint, I look forward to learning from you!"
Flint, one of Sinnoh's Elite Four and the region's renowned Fire-type specialist, was no pushover. For most challengers, he was an opponent to be feared.
The more Flint thought about it, the more hopeless it all seemed.
He knew all too well about Tobias, the trainer who had stormed the Sinnoh League, defeating gym leaders one after another, and clinching the championship of the regional conference.
Afterward, Tobias challenged the Champion Road, sweeping through the Elite Four, Flint included, to finally face Sinnoh's reigning Champion, Cynthia.
And yet that same Tobias had been crushed by this man, Naoki.
Flint clenched his fists. If he had been defeated by Tobias, and Tobias had been dismantled by Naoki… then what hope did he have?
His heart sank with dread.
But no, he couldn't let himself spiral. Not here, not now.
He shook his head and grinned, fiery determination burning back into his eyes.
Running from fear wouldn't change anything. Better to burn out in the flames than freeze in despair.
This was a rare chance, to battle a Trainer who could command legendary Pokémon. Even in defeat, he could grow stronger.
For someone chasing true power, this kind of battle was a gift.
"If you want to become one of the Masters Eight," Flint shouted, raising his voice to match the roar of the crowd, "then show me how fiercely your fire burns!"
With that, he drew his Poké Ball.
"It looks like Flint is ready!" The announcer's voice echoed from the commentary box high above. "What kind of performance will Naoki deliver today? Let's find out together!"
...
Bonus @2000
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