“Looks like we’ve got all the Goomys you need, right?” Carmine asked, and I nodded.

  “Yup, with these and the ones from Paldea we’re ready to begin the experiment.” It’ll be better to have the two groups anyways; less chance scientists are going to point to some pre-existing condition of their original environment as a way to undermine the results. Being charitable, I could recognize that was still an issue that I should look into; I couldn’t just assume that one condition or element encompassed the whole of an experiment.

  And on that note… I scrolled through my phone and looked for the available flights out of Kitakami. There was one available right now if we rushed, but another available for the next day. I clicked on that one. “I’ve got us a flight for tomorrow. And since we have a bit of time, I thought I might explore a bit.”

  Kieran perked up. “Then that means I’ve got time to search for the Ogre! Alright, see you later Nemona!” he cried out, already racing off to Oni Mountain.

  “Kiki!” Carmine shouted before sighing. “Do you want to come with us?” She asked me. “Once we get my little brother off his mad hunt there’s a lot of sightseeing we could do. I still haven’t shown you-”

  I shook my head. “Maybe next time. I really want to check out the Timeless Woods.”

  “That place is pretty dangerous. Grandma and Grampa always tell us not to go there. You can probably handle it though.” She looked torn between watching her brother run over the bridge and then back to me. “Just, go through the Wistful Fields and the Barrens instead of around Fellhorn Gorge, way harder to go that way!” She advised, taking off after Kieran. “And tell me why you needed to go there later!” She shouted before fully turning away from me.

  I will. Hopefully with a new teammate in tow. Taking a deep breath, I began walking away from Mossui town and towards a Pokemon I’d been interested in for some time, but only now felt ready to take on. Bloodmoon Ursaluna, here I come.

  ***

  “Halt! Who goes there?” I jumped, caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of a newcomer jumping out at me from behind a tree. The mask she was wearing didn’t help with that, though I quickly recognized why the Oni-like design was familiar.

  “You’re a member of the Ogre Clan, aren’t you, like Kotetsu?” Silence was my answer, and I would have felt ticked off, but she had asked first. “My name is Nemona Glitterati, Champion ranked Trainer of Paldea.”

  “You can call me Kanemitsu, and I declare here, that you shall not pass!” She struck a bold pose, one hand up in the air, one held out in front of them, towards me.

  “Is this about the Goomys? I got permission from the Caretaker - also, real quick: Is that guy like the mayor of the town? Everyone seems to go along with what he says and he runs the festivals and all, but he always goes by ‘Caretaker–”

  “Silence, fool! The slug-Dragons were not your transgression!” Then, after a beat, she added, “But yes, he is our mayor as well. He just tends to take more enjoyment from the money the inn brings into the town, but is otherwise fairly reliable.” Her admission was rather embarrassed, but that all faded away as she drew one of the four Pokeballs on her belt.

  In response, I did the same, pulling up Dun’s ball. “Four on four. Any rules about switches or the like?”

  “Nay, use whatever tricks you may, the might of Kitikami’s Ogre Clan will burn it to ashes!” With a straight line like that, I wasn’t surprised when we both released our Pokemon and she revealed a Ninetails on the other side. The yellow fox-Pokemon gave a piercing cry as she looked down at Dun, the heat intensifying and becoming as scorching hot as it had been back in the Paradise Wastes.

  Kanemitsu just gave a cry of, “Begin!” Without any preamble and I scrambled to respond.

  “Earthquake!” The ground shook violently, churning up the grass at our feet. Any nearby Pokemon that were hanging around to watch immediately ran further away, not wishing to get accidentally embroiled in the fight. Ninetails, for her part, just seemed to tank the Move, albeit poorly, one of her paws twisted from the assault. A hateful gleam in her eyes revealed what they were really doing, however.

  “Yawn, put them to sleep!” I ordered Dun, hoping it would stop her from getting another boost from Nasty Plot. Dun let out a quick breath, not the Triple or invisible versions which would take longer. Despite that, this Ninetails was incredibly quick, switching it up immediately as her Trainer gave the command:

  “Weather Ball!” The fox Pokemon shot out a ball of fire that annihilated the yellow cloud of soporific gas as it carried through straight at Dun, narrowly missing my starter as he barrel rolled to the side. The ball of flames soared past him, erupting in a conflagration of heat that had me hissing in pain.

  I forgot how dangerous battling at this level can be, especially without an arena to hold off the worst of the splash damage. But I’m not backing down so easily! Just gotta be careful with where the attacks are aimed. “Get close,” I called out, adding a twist of my right wrist to indicate the Move I wanted Dun to perform.

  Without hesitation, he flipped himself around, and began spinning his tail up. Drilling through the ground, he rushed towards Ninetails, kicking up tons of dirt with his Drill Run as he approached. Our foe leapt to the side with ease to avoid the direct thrust of the attack, but a pile of mud smacked into her hard, sending her rolling to the side in a very ungraceful and likely somewhat painful tumble.

  She’s off balance, time to finish her off! Unfortunately, Kanemitsu had the same idea and her order came just before my call for ‘Earthquake’. “Extrasensory, lift them up!”

  The Psychic power seized Dun and tossed him into the air, holding him there and making his thrashing meaningless as he was unable to hit the ground. “Fire Blast,” she continued, and Ninetails showed remarkable control in managing to hold the Extrasensory at the same time as she let loose a torrent of flame in the shape of the kanji for Fire.

  “If they want to support us, that’s fine then. Boomburst!” I called before shielding my own ears with my Aura. The loud, booming sound was still almost too much for me as the Normal Type attack washed over the plain, causing immense pain for Kanemitsu and her Pokemon. It was enough to make her drop him, and I saw how burnt his scales were. He’s been through worse, but I can’t just let him keep on taking her attacks.

  On the bright side, she was looking pretty bad too, standing on shaky feet. “Glare, then AP.” An intense glare had her averting her gaze, which helped avoid Paralysis but left her open to the chunks of rocks pulled from the ground and tossed out like spears at the Fire Type.

  The Ogre Clanswoman called for “Baton Pass” and switched her Ninetails before more damage could be piled atop her. Likely so she can send her back in to set up the harsh sunlight again when it fades. Not that it looked likely to be happening any time soon, the heat beating down upon us. The Heat Rock I spied within Ninetails’ fur likely had something to do with it, but her power is impressive as well.

  Chandelure took the field, swooping down to grasp the baton construct left behind by his teammate. Dun was ready, striking with an Ancient Power again as he did so. Even as Chandelure got the boost from the baton, so did Dun from his own Move, my starter swelling with power.

  Faintly, I heard the woman chuckle, confusing me for an instant before I heard her next command. “Burning Jealousy.” Shaking in rage, Chandelure let out a heat wave that washed across the field, Burning Dun. Even standing off to the side, I felt choked by the sheer strength of those flames. Damn, even Radiance would have trouble matching that power, and that’s with the same boosts they’re under.

  Despite that, somehow (and likely in no small part due to the omni-boost Dun had received) my brave Dudunsparce wasn’t yet out of the fight. “Triple Yawn,” I called, snapping my fingers as I did so. He released three quick breaths out at the Ghost Type, then sighed as I recalled him, the Burn and previous damage having hurt him too much to use him any more in this battle.

  “Alright Notch, show them what you’re made of,” I called out as I released my Mythical Pokemon. Kanemitsu’s face was concealed but from the way she was frozen in shock, I could see that she hadn’t expected to fight a Legendary Pokemon.

  [‘Of course, my Saint.’] Notch responded, twirling around. Diamonds formed in front of them, and any shock faded away as the enemy Trainer snapped into action. Orbs of Distortion floated out from his flames, meeting the diamond shards head on, and exploding violently. None of his attacks got through to Notch, but he was holding off our own assault.

  Flicking a hand up, I gave a signal we’d long since practiced, for what to do when a frontal assault didn’t work. Rocks jutted out of the ground beneath Chandelure in a sharp pillar, the Stone Edge hurting him greatly.

  Kanemitsu called for a Fire Spin, and her Pokemon righted himself in the air and conjured a swirling storm of fire which Notch was too slow to escape from.

  I ignored that for the time being, focusing on setting up some defense against the insane amount of offense the Chandelure could bring to bear right now. Just glad that she doesn’t have a Mega Stone too. “Light Screen, then Sand Tomb.” A barrier flashed into place around Notch’s body, limiting the damage of all of Chandelure’s subsequent attacks, though the flames still licked at them. The whirling sand did the same to Chandelure, chipping away at the Fire Type and locking them in.

  Kanemitsu must have given a signal for him to also use Will O Wisp, but Notch was well used to such tactics from Dun and snuffed out the ghostly flames with a few chunks of diamond conjured around the Move. The storm of Diamonds and Shadow Balls resumed after, but I frowned. We aren’t getting anywhere, and merely trading with them isn’t worth it. I doubted another Stone Edge would surprise them, but we had other cards to play.

  “Get in close and Stomp!” I saw that Kanemitsu was immediately on edge; it would be a strange tactic even when not against a Ghost Type. Of course ‘Stomp’ in this case was short for ‘Stomping Tantrum,’ so when Notch shoved their way past the Shadow Balls, tanking the attacks, the Ground Type energy of the Move they were using let them grip onto Chandelure’s head and smash them into the ground. The frustration from the previous Moves failing only enhanced the attack, hurting Chandelure badly.

  Not enough to knock them out of the fight, however. “Point blank Power Gem,” I called, as Kanemitsu shouted her own attack.

  The Overheat washed over Notch, using the last of the sun, and the flames that he had siphoned off of the Fire Spin as my Pokemon grappled them, to sear Notch. It wasn’t very effective, and Notch was too hardy to fall so quickly, so my Pokemon powered through, blasting Chandelure away with a beam that drove the Fire Type into the ground, making a large furrow across the field.

  Kanemitsu quickly checked on her Pokemon before returning them and sending Ninetails back out. “Diamond Storm,” I called instantly. It didn’t stop the sun resuming it’s scorching intensity across the field, nor Ninetails’ own Psychic attack in Extrasensory shipping away at Notch’s defenses ever so slightly. But it wasn’t enough, and the injured fox-Pokemon swiftly fell to the piercing storm that ripped through the air.

  The Fire Spin faded around Notch, and now I could see several burns scoring their body. Despite that, they floated proudly above the field, giving a little ‘bring it’ sign to Kanemitsu.

  She legitimately growled before sending a wild, white-furred Pokemon, who aggressively shook his leaf fan hands at us. Shiftry, an interesting choice. Given that he's a Grass Type and the Sun is up…

  “Razor Leaf,” she called out, testing Notch’s defenses. They were rock solid, but the quick attack was super effective, still leaving small cuts on their body.

  When the Dark Type handily dodged the Moonblast I called for next, my suspicions were confirmed. Chlorophyll, a massive speed boost for Grass Types in the Sun. Of course, most of them are still weak to the enhanced Fire attacks from it too.

  My hand drifted to the Pokeballs at my side to pull Notch out, but they shook their head. [‘I can handle this one, do not worry.’]

  Trusting them, I decided to switch tactics. “Dazzling Gleam: Field of Brilliance edition.” Notch grinned widely as they conjured diamonds all around the plains, not using them to attack, but to reflect the light from the Dazzling Gleam they created.

  Shiftry was no fool, dodging around the initial attack and striking in hard with a Solar Blade, the powerful Grass attack performed in moments when bolstered by the Sun. The reflected blast hit before Shiftry could follow up however, and two more such blasts pushed him away and cut off a path to get closer.

  The other Trainer carefully took in the battlefield, before shaking her head. She's realized that she can't just memorize a pattern to this; Notch can adjust the diamonds floating in the air to redirect attacks better.

  “Tailwind,” she ordered instead, and Shiftry flapped his fan hands hard, kicking up a mild storm that buoyed… and empowered the Dark Type.

  Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

  “Two Abilities… well done,” I muttered as he went back on the offensive, easily avoiding and tearing through Notch's defense now. Darting down and cutting up, chopping down, attacking left and right, the glowing green blade he conjured cut into Notch's rocky skin, eliciting a small broken chime of pain.

  “Trick, then get out of there.” Focusing, Notch called all of their diamonds back, forging a suit of armor around themself before spreading their hands out and focusing. Within a few moments and three more slashes, the Trick Room settled in around, and Shiftry's lightning fast motions slowed to an aching crawl.

  Letting out a cackle like cracking stone, Notch grabbed Shiftry by his surprisingly skinny arms, tossing him to the ground. Following it up was an elbow drop, but Shiftry called upon a rapid shield to block the Body Press. Notch waited for the Protect to stop before blasting him with a point blank moonblast.

  “Punch it,” Kanemitsu declared, and Shiftry shattered their own (already weakening) barrier, to land the Sucker Punch, not that it did much to stop the Fairy Type. Blasting them again dropped him down even further, and finally my Diancie floated well above, dropping down a very focused Dazzling Gleam… only to run into another Protect.

  I narrowed my eyes, glaring at the woman on the other end of the field. She’s just stalling at this point. Must be to try and wait out the Trick Room, which means her next Pokemon will be a speedster type too. Of course, if Shiftry managed to make it all the way through, he might just take out Notch - while they were showing off their superiority at the moment, those Solar Blades were no joke.

  “Road Roller,” I called, deciding this was the perfect time for that trump card. Creating a massive chunk of diamond vaguely in the shape of a steamroller, Notch flung it down at Shiftry. To his credit, he pulled off another Protect in quick succession to absorb the blow. But just like a certain JoJo, that only let him hold off against the initial assault.

  With their bulky arms, Notch began slamming down upon the diamond, smashing it into Shiftry, hammering away at his barrier. It broke soon after, and large chunks of diamond were still between him and my Pokemon, letting Notch slam him into unconsciousness without ever putting himself at risk. Never realized that Move would actually be useful for something, We might have to practice it more.

  As Kanemitsu recalled her Pokemon, the heat abated, and the Trick Room faded only a few seconds after, leaving Lilligant on the field at full speed. “Sunny Day.” And likely to be even faster too! Not if we have anything to say about it, though.

  “Sandstorm,” I countered. The howling winds kicked up much dust and particulate matter, blotting out the harsh Sun, giving Lilligant barely a moment of faster speed before slowing down once again.

  “Sun Dance.” Sun Dance? That’s not like Rain Dance and Sunny Day, those Moves are complete opposite… ohhh, that vibration to her body. That’s Quiver Dance. Fuck. Her vibrating, ecstatic dance was blowing away the sand and making her go even faster on top of the speed boost the Sun gave her through Chlorophyl.

  I debated for a second of using my Tera or Mega Evolving before discarding the thought. She’s not the main challenge here, Notch needs to conserve their strength. “Switch. Radiance, burn.”

  My Iron Moth burst out onto the field, Booster Energy triggering instantly. In a flash, the Paradox Pokemon raced across the field, fiery streaks trailing behind their six wings as they began their own dance, one of flames that left the green ground charred beneath them.

  The Lilligant, usually graceful and elegant, scrambled backwards, shocked at the foe she faced. With Chlorophyl active and a Quiver Dance boost, they likely thought they were the fastest thing around, and usually that would be true. All our speed training and the booster energy let them chase the Grass Type across the field, zigging and zagging around as she desperately ran away, throwing out Petal Blizzards at them. Radiance ignored the very ineffective attack and burnt the Grass Type with her own.

  Out of the corner of her eye, I saw Kanemitsu whip her head back and forth, barely able to track the battle as it raced across the plain. Despite that, she still leaned into speed, valuing that as the edge to let her win, calling out “Quiver Dance!”

  Foolish, I thought, casting my gaze over to where Lilligant had stopped retreating, going through complex dance. “Storm of Fire,” I called out. Despite the dramatic name, it was really just Hurricane and an amped up Overheat used together, to devastating effect. The winds whipped up the fire and turned it into a deadly cyclone centered on Lilligant.

  I heard a horrifying screech from within and for a moment I feared the worst, wondering if I had overestimated her defensive abilities. Thankfully, the restraint training had Radiance pulling her attacks back as well, revealing the now heavily charred Grass Type, swaying in the center of a scorched crater in the fields.

  Turning my gaze over to Kanemitsu, I saw her bow her head and recall her Pokemon. “This… is your victory.” I opened my mouth to respond, but she scurried off, running back in the direction of the Paradise Barrens, likely to go that way back to the town.

  Rather than recall my Pokemon, I walked up to them, still standing there, hovering in front of the pit of scorched earth. “Good job,” I croaked, still feeling a little shaken but wanting to demonstrate encouragement to Radiance. They sensed my feelings though and turned, staring curiously at me.

  “No, really, you did good. This was on me. I could have noticed that Lilligant’s leaves didn’t look that glossy or shiny after the ‘Sun Dance,’ and that they must not have gotten the boost to their special defense; most hybrid Moves come with drawbacks.”

  They made a few beeping sounds at me, still curious. “You need to be careful, of course. Always as much as you can. But in high level battles like that, holding back means you lose.”

  They shook their wings disdainfully, making a few, slightly more aggressive beeps and boops. “Ha, true, they might not have beaten you.” Mostly due to Typing being vastly stacked in your favor. “But it would have made for a much trickier fight had she gotten that boost off. You would have had to spew poison everywhere, use big attacks to catch her in them or even just clip her…”

  My voice trailed off as I saw the amount of destruction we’d already caused. The ground was covered in sharp diamonds where we’d originally fought, and the pit in front of me, as well as various debris and spillover. Even with all of that, vast amounts of the plain were verdant and bright, relatively untouched by our fight. Glad we didn’t have to go that far. The Pokemon nearby already look terrified of us.

  “But yeah, letting her get a boost that powerful off would have been terrible,” I continued explaining as I began walking away. “It’s a double edged sword, however. That same Move required too much focus to use safely, and so you were able to nuke her. Oh, ‘nuke’? Well, it comes from a weapon designed back in my first life…”

  ***

  We had a pleasant talk, the Paradox Pokemon always appreciating discussions of my world, what it was like to sometimes feel like a stranger in this one, wondering if I’d feel that way if I ever mysteriously ended up back in my original one, and the philosophy surrounding such things. All good things came to an end however, and I recalled them as we left the Wilds and stood at the edge of the Timeless Woods.

  The name is fitting. It feels like these shadow woods have stood in a perpetual twilight for centuries, or perhaps a second. There were ghostly whisperings and laughter echoing from within to add to the spooky atmosphere.

  Which Pokemon should I bring with me? Radiance has a terrible match up here, but I worry about Phantasm acting overly aggressive before we get to him. Maybe Nightwing? While I was deliberating however, once again I was surprised. This time by a dusky skinned man in a purple shirt, running up to my side.

  “Whoa, hold up there, friend,” he called out. As he got closer there was something familiar about the man, but I just couldn’t place what it was. Perhaps I met him the first time I came to Kitikami? He doesn’t stand out, but there’s something about him that puts me on edge.

  He was wearing a purple t-shirt and had a friendly smile, but something about the man made me see him as a threat. “You might be new here, traveller, but those mists can be pretty dangerous. Come back to town and I can show you all the coolest spots round here.” The Kitikami native offered. “We got our six wonders of Kitikami-”

  “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine. I know what I’m getting into here.”

  “Do you? Really now?” He pressed, and I nodded.

  “Bloodmoon Ursaluna lurks within. Same Normal/Ground Typing as regular Ursaluna but a different Ability that lets it hit Ghost Types with Moves they’d otherwise be immune to as well as not losing any accuracy. Hmm, that might be why he comes out in the mists, using them to hamper his foes while his Mind’s Eye lets him pierce through it with ease… But you probably know that already, mister Ogre Clan…?”

  “Muramasa, of the Ogre Clan, and I didn’t, not all of those details at least. To have the Guardian studied so intently, to recognize who I am even when I did my best to conceal my true nature,” he commented wistfully, revealing an oni mask he’d been hiding behind his back. “You’re… kinda crazy, you know that?”

  I laughed openly. “Yeah, I do, though I think we’d differ on the reasons. The fact that you showed up and tried to divert me from my path right after someone else did it was pretty suspicious too, admittedly.” And hopefully you won’t question where the rest of my knowledge came from too hard.

  “I remember seeing you the first time I came to Kitikami, and I knew there was something about you that was far stronger than you portrayed yourself. I’ve got a good eye for these sorts of things.” I took an L-stance, falling back on martial arts instincts even if this would be a Pokemon battle. “It’s not an exact science however, and I’ve gotten tons stronger in the past two years. Still, even if I beat one of you, that was one of the toughest battles I’ve had to date, and you feel even stronger. So why didn’t you lead with trying to beat me down too?”

  “We hear things in Kitikami too, especially with that loud girl boasting to everyone she knows of ‘her friend, the best champion in Paldea.’” He said with a smirk and I made a mental note to tease/thank Carmine for that. “So yeah, maybe we throw down and I win, or maybe you do and you continue on and everything goes to Distortion.”

  “Why’s that exactly? I just wanted to ask Bloodmoon to join my team, maybe tell me about his years living here, and what happened before.”

  “Our Guardian leaving would be the worst thing to happen to this region.”

  “Explain,” I demanded, crossing my arms. I don’t remember anything like that in the games.

  “There’s something, some Pokemon, a monster lurking on the edge of our region.”

  “A monster?” I asked, my eyes flickering to the mask in his hands, clearly stylized after Ogerpon’s mask (or at least, the retellings of her Teal Mask). He shook his head.

  “Nah, not the Ogre. Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re real, but this wasn’t anything like our ‘clan’s’ namesake. None of us ever got a good look at this thing, some of us even thought it might be some force rather than a creature, but I can feel it in my bones; there’s something out there, something with a twisted personality, just waiting at our gates.”

  “And you seem certain this thing isn’t Bloodmoon,” I commented, sensing there was a story behind it. “How do you know?”

  “Because one day, me and my friends thought we’d go and find ‘the Legendary Bloodmoon.’ We were hot Slugmas, thinking we had trained so hard we were the best things around, and what else is there for tough Trainers to do around Kitakami?”

  Muramusa slumped down, sitting at the edge of the woods, gazing out unfocused into the distance. “It was so much tougher than we’d ever faced before. That beast could tear the land asunder with one swipe of his paws, shrug off our toughest blows on that thick, plated hide, and could even change the color of the moon.” His words were awed and hushed, the reverence one would have one speaking of a Legendary.

  “We had trained hard though, we were the best in the village by a mile- you’d need a Heracross’ to Fling anyone close to us! Together, we prevailed, driving the beast back.” He paused for a moment, looking at his mask before stowing it. “We congratulated each other, drank, partied, and were merry. But while we were having our party celebration, something… strange happened in Mossui Town.”

  “Strange how?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “Strange like everybody doing the Torchic Dance in the town square.”

  “What.”

  “Hahaha, yup, we thought they were punking us at first! Would have been quite the trick, that. But no, we soon realized this wasn’t a joke at our expense, the townsfolk weren’t acting; they were all under the control of something strange. They tried to get us to eat this mochi, and when we refused, tried battling us to force us to do so, all while blathering nonsense and dancing around.” He shook his head. “It was kinda dumb, but also incredibly frightening too, ya know?”

  Yeah, I can imagine. Losing control over your body sounds terrifying. “Did any of you eat the, what, mind-control mochi? Did you see who was making it?”

  “Munechika did, yeah, that’s what tipped us off. Then when he went weird and fed it to his team, they all went crazy too. Cept for his Snorlax, he held off the rest of ‘Chika’s team while we fought the town. We were tired from our fight against the Bloodmoon, but like I said, we were pretty good, so we were able to hold them off. No clue who made the mochi but nothing was set up in town to do so, just a bunch of our festival masks scattered everywhere.”

  “It was getting difficult to hold them off and not hurt anyone though, when we heard it. The Bloodmoon’s roar. It echoed throughout the town, and we saw the moon above turn crimson, that dread blast crushing down not far from where we’re standing right now. And then… it ended. Our fight against the townsfolk, everything going back to normal. Whatever it was, the Bloodmoon had struck it down, saving the town. And it only got so far because we injured Bloodmoon to begin with, weakening it enough for them to strike.”

  “The one behind the Trio…” I muttered to myself before shaking my head. “I see. Why does no one in town know about this then?”

  “They all forgot being controlled after they were freed, assumed it was a strange conflux of Glimmora and Weezing gas that drifted down from the mountain top. We didn’t see the need to correct and frighten them. Besides, Bloodmoon ain’t exactly the prettiest face around town. What if they thought he was just some monster like the Ogre? Like we did?” Closer to the truth than you’ll know.

  “I understand. I- I’ll leave him alone. Disturbing him and starting a fight could be bad.” I remember that happening with photographer girl in the DLC, so if he’s so important to the town’s defense, I won’t risk that. “I do have some questions though.”

  “Alright, shoot your best Bullet Punch,” he said, leaning back slightly, a tension dropping from his shoulders.

  “Why not take this force on yourself? Or rather, with the whole Ogre Clan? You’ve got eight Elite level Trainers here, and I’m guessing if anything that experience just inspired you to train harder.”

  “Your guess is on the Pay Day, we’ve been working hard ever since. Nothing like a kick in the pants to push you further. We even set up the Ogre Clan all around to try and challenge the next generation to fight harder, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” he frowned. “Man, ‘next generation,’ how old do I sound?”

  I decided not to answer the rhetorical question and instead offered, “Why don’t you guys challenge Carmine and Kieran next time they come back home? I know Carmine would leap at a fight, and both of them are pretty strong these days.”

  “Interesting…” he spoke with a sharp grin and a gleam in his eyes before turning back to the topic we started with. “Us Ogre Clans don’t lurk around just to challenge other Trainers, we also keep a lookout for that thing. Trouble is in catching the nasty Mandibuzz. Honestly, Scratch that, it gives a bad name to Mandibuzzes, with how that Ghost lurks around and all. And I’m certain it’s a Ghost now,” he added before I could follow up. “They’re able to slip past even Dusky,” he said, patting one of his Pokeballs. “Plusle, you said something about how Bloodmoon was an ‘Ursaluna’ that could hit Ghosts with Normal Type moves, right? How’d you know about that?”

  “I did, and I do a lot of research on the past. Ursalunas were around in ancient Sinnoh, back when it was called Hisui. Following some trails about that time led me here.” I mean, I played Pokemon Legends Arceus and that led to me playing Violet and the DLC, so it sorta counts, right?

  “Now there’s something I’d like you to do for me.” Muramusa’s posture didn’t change, but there was a slight tension in the air. “That story, about a great defender of the town, who might not have looked nice but fought selflessly to protect them… could you spread that story around. Not, the exact details, but just the sentiment.” At his questioning glance, I lamely added, “It’s a good message. One the people here could stand to learn.”

  “If you agree to leave? Sure.” I nodded, and with one last glance at the haunted woods, turned back, marching towards Mossui Town. The trip back was fairly enjoyable all told, Muramusa quite eager to talk about training methods and battles on the way back. Still, part of me wondered about the mysteries surrounding the wilds of Kitakami.

  I don’t think this will be the last I hear of them, but for now, we’re headed back to Blueberry Academy. Time to see if I can bring back a Pokemon from Hisui… on purpose, this time.

  Discord. Thank you, and I hope you're having a great day.

  - Tera Type: Normal

  - Held Item: Expert Belt

  - Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace

  - Moves known:

  - 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type, Friend Ball)

  - Tera Type: Electric

  - Held Item: Life Orb

  - Ability: Levitate

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type, Lure Ball)

  - Tera Type: Water

  - Held Item: Toxic Orb

  - Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Notch' (Diancie, Mega-Evolvable, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type, Dream Ball)

  - Tera Type: Fighting

  - Held Item: Babiri Berry

  - Ability: Clear Body

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zoroark, Female, Normal/Ghost, Fast Ball)

  - Tera Type: Ghost

  - Held Item: Lax Incense

  - Ability: Illusion

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Athena' (Lucario, Mega-Evolveable, Female, Fighting/Steel, Moon Ball)

  - Tera Type: Fighting

  - Held Item: Clear Amulet

  - Ability: Steadfast

  - Moves Known:

  -'Bahamut' (Haxorus, Male, Shiny, Dragon, Level Ball)

  - Tera Type: Dragon

  - Held Item: Dragon Fang

  - Ability: Mold Breaker

  - Moves Known:

  - 'Radiance' (Iron Moth, Genderless, Fire/Poison, Beast Ball)

  - Tera Type: Poison

  - Held Item: Booster Energy

  - Ability: Quark Drive

  - Moves Known:

  -'Anya' (Gothorita, Female, Psychic, Love Ball)

  - Tera Type: Psychic

  - Held Item: Sitrus Berry

  - Ability: Shadow Tag

  - Moves Known:

  -Sunny-side-up (Goomy Egg)

  -Tera Type: ???

  -Held Item: None

  -Ability:???

  -Moves Known: None

  *Custom Moves