"Of course!"
Everett found this statement a bit strange, but he didn't think much of it and instead said enthusiastically:
"Pokemon battles have to be bone-crunching to be exciting! The scars left on muscles will also become badges of honor! Come on, Naoki, show me those powerful muscles of yours!"
As he spoke, he struck a pose like a contestant in a bodybuilding competition, showing off his muscles.
Perhaps due to spending so much time together, the Incineroar and others were somewhat influenced by their trainer.
Upon hearing Everett's words, they all uniformly began to flex their muscles, emitting low growls from their mouths.
"Roar! Ha! Hey!"
Naoki: "..."
At that moment, it was as if a prompt saying "Muscleman Everett has come to challenge you!" popped into his mind.
However...
He didn't even know what moves Koraidon could use, let alone how to command it in battle.
After a moment of silence, Naoki glanced at Koraidon.
Koraidon didn't have any problems.
Without needing Naoki to speak, it stood up from its sprinting posture on all fours, taking a few steps forward to stand in front of Naoki, gazing at the Incineroar opposite.
"Aaaahhh!"
Naoki's gaze followed, meeting Everett's in mid-air.
The moment the trainers' eyes met, the battle was about to begin!
Everett, full of fighting spirit, pointed forward: "Incineroar, use Roar!"
The command was given, and Incineroar lifted its head and chest, letting out an intimidating roar towards Koraidon.
"Awoooo!"
Koraidon: ?
It stood there, somewhat puzzled, looking at the opponent.
As the roar ended, Incineroar moved.
Its sharp claws suddenly unsheathed from its pads, and its strong leg muscles powered it forward, lunging at Koraidon.
Watching the charging Incineroar, Koraidon slightly sidestepped, easily dodging its claws that swiped past.
"What? That speed?!" Everett's eyes widened in shock.
Then, Koraidon moved.
It leaped up from the snowy ground, its body glowing with a crimson light, the tendrils on its head transforming into wing-like shapes, changing form as it descended ferociously.
"Danger!" Alarms blared in Everett's mind as he quickly warned, "Dodge quickly!"
But it was too late.
Noticing the movement behind, Incineroar turned around immediately.
The next second, its body was enveloped by an ancient and fierce aura.
With a thunderous boom, a violent explosion erupted in the snowy area.
The noise was tremendous, causing the snow on the nearby pine trees to fall in a flurry.
Moments later, the disturbed snow gently settled back to the ground.
When everything calmed down, the first thing in view was Koraidon's towering crimson figure.
Incineroar, on the other hand, lay motionless on the ground, clearly having lost its ability to battle.
Everett stared at the scene, his face full of disbelief.
Defeated in one move?
Was that Pokemon's strength too exaggerated?!
At this moment, Everett suddenly understood the meaning behind Naoki's earlier question, "Are you sure?"
He asked cautiously, "Hold on!"
Naoki patted Koraidon's head next to him and, upon hearing Everett's words, was a bit puzzled: "What?"
Everett exclaimed, "You're not one of the Gym Leaders or an Elite from the Paldea Region, are you?"
"Uh..." Naoki replied frankly, "Would you believe me if I said I'm just a countryside farmer?"
Everett shook his head repeatedly.
No way?
He thought to himself, how could a countryside farmer raise such a powerful Pokemon?
Naoki offered no further explanation, simply saying, "If you head south of Glaseado Mountain, there's Naoki Ranch west of Porto Marinada Town, selling fresh milk that helps Pokemon grow stronger. If you're interested, you can check it out."
This was a marketing technique he learned from Keri.
Seeing he wasn't joking, Everett was even more shocked.
"No way, are you serious?"
"Mhm." Naoki nodded, then pointed at Koraidon's muscles, striking a muscle-flexing pose with its arm: "See these muscles? They're from drinking milk every day."
Koraidon seemed a bit reluctant but still cooperated with Naoki's actions.
Everett looked utterly stunned.
If that's true, Paldea people are terrifying...
A mere countryside farmer with such strong power.
"Sigh, alright, I lost." Everett sighed, "It seems your trained muscles are far superior; we're still a long way off..."
He retrieved Incineroar into its Poke Ball to let it rest.
Having lost convincingly, Everett realized from the first glance that Koraidon was not an ordinary Pokemon.
Now it seemed, he wasn't wrong at all!
In its standing form, its muscles were even more robust, and upon closer look, one could see the fine red scales covering its muscles.
Taking a deep breath, Everett quickly regained his composure:
"Well then, let me tell you the location of Glaceon!"
He took out a map, unfolded it on a folding stool.
Naoki leaned in to examine it.
Everett pointed to a marked spot on the map and said:
"That's where you'll find Glaceon. Head south from the camp, and you'll see Glaseado's Grasp, one of the top ten sights in Paldea. It's a Three-Point Pass, with a cave beneath the cliffs. I spotted Glaceon around there before."
Glaseado's Grasp...
Naoki nodded, memorizing the location.
Then, he mounted Koraidon and bid farewell to Everett.
Watching him, Everett was a bit perplexed: "The terrain there is very steep; it's hard for Pokemon to run on."
Naoki didn't say much but merely smiled. He gently patted Koraidon's neck.
The next second, the flashy feathers on Koraidon's head transformed into wings.
With a forceful push from its hind legs, its massive body leaped high into the air, the wings naturally spreading, beginning to soar southward.
Everett stared wide-eyed at this scene.
Is that even possible?
That Pokemon is just too versatile!
Not only is it powerful and muscular, but it can also run, jump, and even carry the trainer in flight.
Plus, judging by the air sac on its chest, swimming might not be a challenge for it either.
Envy washed over Everett.
How could there be such a perfect Pokemon in this world?!
He yearned for one too...
At this moment, Naoki in mid-air waved down at Everett: "Goodbye, Everett!"
Hearing this voice, Everett snapped back to reality.
Recalling the events of the day and Naoki's words, he couldn't help but murmur:
"Naoki Ranch, huh? No, I must verify it for myself!"
He still didn't quite believe Naoki was just a countryside farmer.