But for a Pokémon to participate in the World Coronation Series, they couldn't just enter on their own. They needed a Trainer, someone to guide and command them in battle.

And Giratina already knew exactly who that trainer would be.

With a twist of its massive, serpentine body, Giratina launched itself into the sky and flew toward the mysterious lake that connected to Naoki's ranch.

Its body shimmered with a dim, ghostly light, and the moment it passed through the surface of the lake, Giratina transformed, shifting from its towering Origin Forme into the grounded, armored Altered Forme, landing with four legs solidly planted on the ground.

Giratina spotted Naoki in the distance, surrounded by a crowd of eager Pokémon. It didn't bother waiting and descended directly toward them, its massive body casting a long shadow as it gently landed.

Naoki, who had just been explaining the rules of the World Championship to the Pokémon, blinked in surprise when he saw the massive Renegade Pokémon appear.

"Giratina? What are you doing here?" Naoki asked, puzzled.

Giratina puffed itself up, eyes glowing with pride. "Naoki! I've made up my mind, I'm going to participate in the World Championship! I want the whole world to witness the awesome power of Giratina!"

Naoki's expression froze for a moment.

"Wait... what?" he stammered. "You want to join the World Championship too?!"

"Of course!" Giratina said with overwhelming confidence, standing tall as if it already saw itself as the winner of the entire tournament.

Naoki fell silent.

He had originally planned to join the competition casually, just to let the Pokémon on the ranch stretch their legs, learn something from other trainers, and enjoy the atmosphere. But if he brought Giratina along… wouldn't that just blow his cover?

Unless he wore a mask again, like the time during the Battle Royal Dome event in the Alola Region a few years ago.

But now, the situation was different.

Many of his Pokémon had become famous in their own right. Their strategies and battle styles were regularly featured in online forums, thanks to the students of Paldea Academy who had challenged the ranch trials and posted walkthroughs online.

The Lightning Trial of Pawmot, The Storm Trial of Dragonite, The Metronome Trial of Alcremie, The Green Grass Trial of Gogoat, Even the Ancient Double Battle with Koraidon and Fluttermane…

All of them had been uploaded and discussed, some videos had over a million views!

Now, even Alcremie, Pawmot, and the others wanted to compete in the World Championship alongside Giratina.

If Pokémon like Giratina appeared under the command of the same person on the main stage… well…

In a world obsessed with Pokémon battles, the World Coronation Series drew far more attention than any regional league.

We're talking hundreds of millions of viewers tuning in online, every battle under the spotlight.

And among them, there were bound to be fans who'd heard whispers about the hidden boss of Paldea.

Once they connected the dots between the signature Pokémon of Cyclizar Mask and the Pokémon from Naoki's ranch, it'd be game over.

His secret identity would be exposed.

The thought alone made Naoki feel a bit dizzy.

He glanced around at the excited, expectant Pokémon in front of him, and then up at Giratina's glowing eyes, eyes that absolutely refused to accept no for an answer.

With a weary sigh, Naoki closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead, and after a long pause, slowly opened them again.

Forget it. Let everything happen naturally.

Naoki sighed inwardly. At this point, plenty of people had already come looking for him, hoping to challenge the so-called hidden boss of Paldea. If a few more figured it out, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

With that thought, he made up his mind.

Naoki looked at Giratina and gave a small nod. "Alright then. You can come with me this time."

The moment the words left his mouth, Giratina grinned, revealing a fierce, almost predatory smile.

The title of the world's strongest Pokémon? It had already claimed it in advance.

Satisfied, Giratina disappeared into the lake once again, returning to the Reverse World to await Naoki's call.

At the same time, it eagerly opened the legendary Pokémon group chat and couldn't resist showing off.

[Giratina]: @AllMembers Guess what? I've got big news, soon, I, Giratina, will become the strongest Pokémon in the world!

[Mewtwo]: ?

[Rayquaza]: When?

[Giratina]: Soon! I'm entering the World Championships with Naoki. Once I win, the title of 'World's Strongest Pokémon' will be mine!

[Calyrex]: Congrats.

Giratina froze when it saw Calyrex's calm reply.

Its eyes twitched.

It still remembered the events of the Hoopa incident, when Calyrex alone had taken on multiple opponents and pierced through Dialga, Palkia, and even itself with a gleaming snow spear.

That moment still haunted it.

'Thank goodness Calyrex's not interested in tournaments', Giratina comforted itself.

'Otherwise, my dream of becoming the strongest would be shattered instantly!'

Suddenly panicking, Giratina yelled at Rotom, "Quick, turn off group chat notifications!"

Rotom complied. Giratina ignored the flood of follow-up messages.

'No way! I forgot there are tons of Pokémon in this chat group even stronger than me!'

'If they decide to join the World Championship too, I'll never take first place…'

'That must not happen!'

Meanwhile, completely unaware of Giratina's private panic, Naoki was busy organizing the Pokémon at the ranch.

The World Coronation Series didn't follow a fixed format. Most matches were determined by draw, so even the Advanced Class rounds could include 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 formats.

With so many Pokémon at the ranch, Naoki didn't plan to use a single, consistent team like most trainers.

Instead, he intended to rotate his roster frequently, allowing every Pokémon a chance to fight, at least once.

In the early matches, when his rank was still low and opponents weren't too strong, he would send in partner Eevee, Butterfree, and Miltank to enjoy the experience.

Even if they lost, stronger Pokémon could step in later and help recover the ranking.

As he climbed the leaderboard, he'd bring out more seasoned battlers, Fluttermane and Alcremie.

And when he approached the Master Class, then the real heavy-hitters would take the stage:

Dragonite, Pawmot, and Cyclizar.

If everything went according to plan, Naoki could climb all the way to the Masters Eight, and one day stand on the battlefield with Lance, Steven, Cynthia, and the others, competing for the title of World Champion.

At that point, it would come down to the strength of his most trusted partners.

This way, every Pokémon at the ranch would get a taste of what it felt like to participate in a grand, global competition.

Having made up his mind, Naoki told Iono about his plan that evening.

She was fully supportive.

"Alright! When you make it to the finals, I'll take a day off from the Gym and bring Elara to watch you battle in person!"

Naoki chuckled. "You really believe I can make it that far?"

"Of course I do!" Iono replied with a bright smile.

With the full support of his wife and daughter, Naoki's confidence soared.