Carmine seethes. “Oooh, that REALLY gets my blood boiling!”

  Grandpa stands, rising from the bench. “In the end, the mask maker chose to protect his descendants- us- by keeping his mouth shut. However, he kept the truth alive- passed down fro generation to generation as a family secret.”

  Carmine nods slowly. “I see… Kiki doesn’t know the whole story yet, does he?”

  Grandpa frowns. “He shouldn’t, no. I’ve certainly never spoken to him about this. Why do you ask?”

  Carmine shrugs. “I dunno. He just really seems to like the ogre… he’s practically obsessed. And he’s been trying to one-up me. As if he knows more about Ogerpon than I do.”

  Grandpa shakes his head slowly. “Well, I can’t say what’s going on with the boy… but he always was a sensitive child. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s somehow intuited the truth. I promise to tell Kieran the whole story when the time is right. Until then, take care not to breathe a word of the truth to anybody!”

  We both say, simultaneously, “Okay, Grandpa…”

  Carmine groans. “Now I REALLY can’t tell Kiki we met the ogre…”

  Grandpa turns to me. “And, about that mask you showed me. I noticed that the jewel on its forehead was chipped. I might be able to fix it. Would you mind leaving the mask with me for a little while?”

  I nod. “Yeah. I think Ogerpon would appreciate that.”

  I hand the mask over. Carmine’s smiling that cute and nice smile again. She really wears her heart on her sleeve, I guess.

  None of us had noticed a certain young boy had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation…

  Carmine sighs, “I wanna see Ogerpon again, but getting her mask fixed will have to come first. For now, we should carry on with the orienteering before Kiki gets suspicious. I bet we’ll find him just killing time somewhere in town!”

  I nod. “Yeah. Let’s go find him.”

  It doesn’t take long, since he’s at Peachy’s, browsing the sweets. He turns as I approach, calling his name.

  “Oh, uh… H-hey, Carmina. So, I was gonna ask. What were you and my sis just, uh… talking about?”

  I smile. “Oh, just girl stuff, I guess we should call it. It’s better not to ask, the things about us mysterious dies might break you!”

  “Oh, I-I see... s-so! About those signs! The st one’s a bit of a hike away. It’s in the Paradise Barrens on the other side of Oni Mountain. We’ll need to head over the mountain and down towards the North-West… you go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

  I nod. “Okay. See you there!”

  As soon as I am completely and totally out of sight, Kieran slumps. “Why… why’d you lie to me…?”

  I finally arrive. Thanks be to Arceus for Rairai’s limitless stamina and ability to climb sheer, vertical surfaces! It could have taken at least a day just to get round to the Paradis Barrens, plus I’d probably be dead from exhaustion and heatstroke. I make sure to give the big scaly friend-shaped Pokémon plenty of scritches as thanks. Turning to find the signboard, I wait for Kieran to arrive. It doesn’t take him long, which I expected. This kid knows the region like the back of his hand; I’d be more surprised if it took him longer.

  I wave. “Hey, there you are!”

  Kieran just looks kinda bummed-out. “These are the Paradise Barrens. Pretty lonely pce, huh? According to the old legends, the ogre used to be seen around here lots. Hey… before we check out the sign… could you… battle me?”

  I shrug. “I guess? If that’s what you want, then sure?”

  Taking up battle positions, I square off with Kieran. He steels his expression. “This time… I’ll win!”

  His first Pokémon is a Yanma, a huge bug-type, and I take it out with Garchomp’s Dragon Cw. His Poliwhirl fares little better, meeting a Boomburst from my Kommo-o, then getting finished off with Scale Shot.

  Kieran sends out a Dipplin, a Pokémon that looks like a candied apple, and my Garchomp’s Earth Power doesn’t even faze it. It fires off a Syrup Bomb, causing Garchomp to get stuck in the thick, cloyingly-sweet goop. Dragon Rush is way more effective, even with the speed reduction, and Dipplin falls. I switch Garchomp out for Rairai, who roars happily at being allowed to py. Collision Course bsts Furret out of the fight, and Kieran’s no longer able to battle. He sighs and sags a little. I can see him clenching his fists surreptitiously.

  “….. we should check out the sign… come on, let’s get this over with…”

  This time, the signboard reads,

  “If you see a shadowy figure approaching you outside the vilge at twilight, be wary. Don a mask at once, and hide your face. Do so, and whether the shadow is man or monster, you will pass each other by as fellow mask wearers. If you should meet the shadow when you have no mask to hand, then pray that it is only a man. If it is, you will live to see another day, and you will remember to never forget your mask again. But if it is the ogre, you will meet your end, as do all humans whose faces are seen by it. Once it sees your face, your soul will be forfeit. And you shall never return to the vilge.”

  I shudder. That’s so creepy. Good ‘stranger danger’ message, though.

  Kieran comments, “In the old days, everyone carried masks everywhere they went. And… the one who made those masks was actually my great-great-great-grandpa’s great-great-great-grandpa… or something.”

  I blink. “So the stories are… true?”

  Kieran shrugs. “I mean, I don’t think any of that stuff about the ogre stealing souls is true or anything, but…it IS true that our family used to make masks. Or family… has a long line of mask makers. Even my gramps can make ‘em. I even heard that the reason we hold the Festival of Masks is ‘cause our ancestors came up with the idea. But I don’t really like what they wrote on this sign here… just because the ogre seemed sorta scary, everyone got all afraid of it and drove it away from the vilge… but I’m pretty sure the ogre must’ve been lonely on its own. Left all alone like that… treated like some kind of outcast…”

  I shrug. “I think you’re right, for what it’s worth. No-one deserves that.”

  Kieran’s face shows a peculiar look. “You think so too… huh, Carmina?”

  He blinks slowly. “Wanna take that st photo?”

  This time, the photo comes out good, but… Kieran’s standing further aside this time, and looking away. As soon as the photo’s been taken, Kieran moves away from me. “Well, we’re all done with our assignment now. But I’ve gotta get stronger with my Pokémon… I’m gonna head home.”

  He walks off without another word. I shrug and head back to the Community Centre. It’s starting to get te, and I’m getting hungry.

  After dinner, I check my Rotom Phone. There are messages from my mum, Penny and Arven, Eri, and Nemona. Smiling, I reply to each of them, happy to be thought of by my friends back in Paldea. Then, I lie back on my bed and close my eyes, setting my phone down and letting myself drift off….

  The next morning, I wake up, dress, and take my meds, washing them down with a couple of mouthfuls of water. Stepping out of my room, I run into a student from Blueberry Academy, his gsses fshing gently in the lights.

  “Good morning, Carmina.” He speaks. “Carmine wanted me to tell you that she’s waiting at her pce. She said, ‘You’d better get a move on- and don’t keep me waiting!’”

  I nod. “Alright. I’m gonna grab a quick bite to eat before I head there. Maybe a sandwich or something.”

  After following through, I head to meet up with Carmine. She’s waiting with her grandpa out front of her home.

  “Carmina! You took your sweet time! We wanted to talk to you before Kiki wakes up.”

  Grandpa adds, “I wanted to fix dear Ogerpon’s mask, but… I’ll need one more material if I want to do a proper job of it.”

  Carmine sighs. “Yeah… according to Grandpa, we need to get a Crystal Cluster from the bottom of the Crystal Pool. I mean, we COULD just return the mask as it is. But I think it would make Ogerpon real happy if we fixed it up first!”

  I nod, smiling. “I like this idea. I’ve partially explored Kitakami, but a Crystal Pool sounds really spectacur…”

  Carmine nods. “Yeah! Especially now that I’ve heard the real story… I just want Ogerpon to be happy, you know?”

  I smile up at the taller girl. Her grandpa nods. “I’m sure Ogerpon will be pleased to know you care so much for it.”

  As we wrap up our secret pn to find this Crystal Pool and retrieve the item we need, Kieran wanders out of the house, yawning.

  “Mornin’, Grandpa.”

  “Ah, good morning, Kieran.” The old man smiles fondly. Carmine approaches her younger brother. “Kiki! You’d better go kill time somewhere-”

  Kieran turns his back on her. “Yeah, yeah. Do whatever you want, Sis.”

  He wanders away. Carmine fumes, “E-Excuse me?! I don’t need that kinda attitude from you!”

  Kieran shrugs, hands in his pockets. “I got stuff to do, okay?” He disappears down the hill.

  Carmine stares after him, flummoxed. “What’s his problem? He’s been all bent out of shape since yesterday.”

  Grandpa shrugs. “I don’t know… he spent the evening in his room without so much as a bite of dinner.”

  Carmine tilts her head. “Must be teen angst or something. it happens!” putting a hand on her hip, she smiles.

  “It woulda been hard to get stuff done with Kiki clinging to you, Carmina. Guess things worked out in our favour! The Crystal Pool’s at the top of Oni Mountain. I’m usually not too keen on outsiders heading up the mountain, but I think we can make an exception for you!”

  I smile up at her. “What say you and I go for a hike to find ourselves a Crystal Cluster?”

  Making my way up the mountain, I follow the paths, carefully wending my way upwards, using my Rotom Phone’s map and the infrequent signage to find the Crystal Pool. It takes all the way to noon, but I manage to find the entrance to the location. Climbing the steps, I find myself stepping out into a small crater at the top of the mountain. There’s a small pond in the centre, with Carmine standing at the shore. There are sparkling crystals glowing underneath the smooth surface of the water, the colours of the crystals shifting and rippling. As I approach, Carmine turns to me, a surprisingly soft smile on her face. She calls, “There you are! Come on, get a load of this view!”

  I stare out at the small ke, drinking in the beautiful sight, sighing in blissful delight.

  Carmine murmurs, “This… is the Crystal Pool. Bet you didn’t expect it to be so pretty, huh? The crystals here are always shining. Isn’t that strange? There’s even a weird rumour that you can meet people here who’ve passed away.”

  I nod. “There’s something about this pce that makes me want to believe that rumour, Carmine… it’s almost…magical…”

  She shrugs. “Now, we’ll just need to get a little bit of the crystal from the bottom of the pool so we can fix the mask properly! And that’s where you come in, Carmina! Go on, then! Jump in! don’t be scared!”

  I blink. “Wait, you want ME to jump in?!”

  Carmine nods. “Well, yeah. I can’t swim. And besides, my clothes would get soaked if I did it. You’ve got a real nifty Pokémon to ride on, right? You’ll be fiiiiiine!”

  The ground shakes, rumbling and trembling, as Carmine and I both stare in all directions. The other girl screams, “What in the-?! An earthquake?!”

  The water in the centre of the Crystal Pool bubbles, and an elegant, serpentine Pokémon bursts out, nding on the shore.

  “Mi-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo!”

  I ready myself, sending out my Garchomp, as Carmine’s Morpeko joins me in battle.

  I sigh, “I’ve always wanted to get a Milotic! And…” I check my Pokédex.

  “Ah! She’s female, too!” I switch my Garchomp for my Galde, banking on False Swipe to keep the Milotic from getting fainted.

  The wild Milotic’s Ice Beam does heavy damage to Carmine’s Pokémon, as I use False Swipe.

  Morpeko uses Thunder Wave, paralyzing the Milotic before another Ice Beam takes it out. Carmine sends out her Swadloon to take part. I use False Swipe again, before Swadloon uses Energy Ball.

  Now that it’s weakened, I reach for my Pokéballs, but Carmine shakes her head sadly. “we…aren’t allowed to catch this one… she’s the guardian of the Crystal Pool…”

  I sigh, then nod. “Alright… we’ll go for a knock-out, then… Galde, use Psycho Cut!”

  With the Milotic knocked out, I recall my Galde. Carmine exhales in relief. “Sheeesh, that surprised me! Now that I think about it, Pokémon like that one do show up here from time to time...”

  She turns to me, a faint flush on her cheeks. “Y’know, you’re pretty handy to have around in a battle, aren’t you?”

  I smile. “Yeah…. Wait, hold on, what’s that, shining over there?”

  I point. Something is sparkling on the ground. Carmine and I step closer, kneeling to get a closer look. The Kitakami native asks, “Hey, is that…?”

  I reach out, picking up the small, shiny object.

  “It is. A Crystal Cluster!” I carefully tuck it into my bag. Carmine blinks. “Huh. Maybe it was stuck to that Milotic we just fought?”

  A voice comes from behind us. “The energy coming from those crystals at the bottom of the pool… Ii knew it!”

  I turn. “Ms. Briar?!”

  The Blueberry Academy teacher smiles. “Hi there, Carmine. And Carmina, too! I thought you were paired with other students. Did you decide to switch things up?”

  Carmine frowns at her teacher. “Uh… I’m sorry, Ms. Briar, but this pce is actually pretty special. I’m not a big fan of outsiders just wandering around up here.”

  Ms. Briar nods. “I’m aware that this is sacred ground, yes. I did get permission from the caretaker, though. Was that not sufficient?”

  I can feel myself getting annoyed by her ckadaisical attitude. Seriously, dy?! Just because you went and got permission, doesn’t mean you can just go gallivanting around doing as you like! I hope you NEVER get authorized to visit Area Zero!

  Carmine huffs. “… Why did you come here?”

  Ms. Briar smiles innocently. “Oh, just doing a bit of field research. I was interested in the properties of the water here. And, well… my hunch was on the money! You see, the Crystal Pool’s waters emit energy of the same wavelength as Terastal energy. Though I have no idea why that is… once I figure that out, Ii might be able to stabilize the Terastal phenomenon in regions other than Paldea!”

  Carmine blinks. “Uh… I see. Well, um… we’ve got somewhere to be, so…” she starts heading to the entrance. “Let’s head back, Carmina!”

  I call, “Coming!”

  I head after the other girl, unwilling to spend much time around the weird teacher. Making my way back to Mossui Town, Carmine and I head for her grandpa’s house. Carmine calls, “Hey, Grandpa! We got the Crystal Cluster you needed!”

  Grandpa looks downcast. “Carmine, Carmina… I’m so sorry.”

  Carmine looks taken aback at her grandpa’s expression. “Huh? Did something happen???”

  Grandpa nods. “Kieran, he… he ran off with the mask.”

  Carmine’s yellow eyes widen, her pupils narrowing, the oddly-vertical slits making her look almost demonic. “What? Why would Kiki do that?!”

  She whirls, focussing those unnerving eyes on me. “Did you tell him about the ogre or something?!”

  I shake my head quickly. “I haven’t said a word to him, I promise!”

  Carmine sighs, her pupils returning to their less-evil look. “Right, I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t just go bbbing to him like that.”

  Grandpa coughs. “I think I saw him heading towards Loyalty Pza with the mask. I couldn’t catch up to him, though… I’m too old and slow… I think it would be best for you two to go after him.”

  I nod. “Thank you, Grandpa. We’ll go get the mask back. You keep this safe, okay?” I pce the Crystal Cluster in his outstretched hands, before mounting up on Rairai and racing off in hot pursuit, Carmine leaping up behind me and clinging onto my waist.

  “Whoa! This guy’s FAST! How do you CONTROL THIS THIIIIIIIIiiiiinnnggggg…?!?!”

  Racing through the Apple Hills, Carmine clinging to my waist, Rairai’s cws digging into the soil as we make high-speed tracks towards the Loyalty Pza. Reaching the pza, I spot Kieran standing right in front of the shrine to the Loyal Three.

  He scowls at us. “Carmina… Sis…”

  Carmine yells at him. “Kiki! What in the world do you think you’re doing?!”

  His scowl deepens. “You two knew, didn’t you? You knew the ogre wasn’t the real bad guy in the stories… the Loyal Three were the real bad guys, but the ogre’s the one that gets treated like an outcast!”

  I start, and Carmine’s voice falters as she stammers, “You… you knew?”

  Kieran’s face twists from a scowl into a furious gre. “And you two did the same thing to me!”

  He clenches his fists. “You treated ME like an outcast when you went an’ met with the ogre!”

  Carmine’s face is gobsmacked. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-!”

  Kieran’s shoulders shake with barely-suppressed emotion. “You’re no different than those vilgers back then… you know how much I love the ogre! You acted like you didn’t know anything, but you were ughing at me behind my back!”

  Carmine and I both start protesting. “That’s not what happened at all!”

  Kieran completely loses it, his fists balled I his hair as she shakes his head furiously.

  “Liars! YOU’RE BOTH LIARS!”

  Carmine gasps, “What’s gotten into you, Kiki?! You’re… acting real off today…”

  Kieran straightens, staring at me, eyes slightly unfocussed.

  “Carmina…. Battle me. If you win, I’ll give you back the mask. So, c’mon… Battle me already!”

  I swallow. His sister’s right. This isn’t like Kieran. He’s acting crazy, and I don’t feel good about this…

  “Are you sure…?”

  “Yeah… let’s do this, then. Get to your position. I’m not gonna hold anything back, you hear me?!”

  I step back, as Kieran draws his first Pokéball. He sends out a Yanmega, a massive dragonfly-looking Bug-type. I send out my Garchomp, taking the lead. “Dragon Cw!”

  “Bug Buzz, Yanmega!”

  The two moves trade damage between us, and I come out of it better, comboing into a Dragon Rush, finishing off Kieran’s first Pokémon. His Dipplin is the next of his team to come out, and I switch Garchomp out for Galde.

  The Supersweet Syrup wafting from Dipplin causes Galde to be less wary, and I hiss. Evasiveness down is NOT good.

  “Sacred Sword, Galde!”

  The blow strikes fiercely, and Dipplin faints, as Kieran sends out his Cramorant to take its pce. The only option I have that makes sense is to send Garchomp back out. My ndshark goes in for a Dragon Rush, burying the Cramorant in furious style.

  Kieran’s Poliwrath comes out, and I bring forth Annihipe. “Annihipe, use Screech!”

  An earsplitting scream bursts from my revenant monster’s lungs, and Poliwrath’s Hydro Pump… bsts right at us! Annihipe leaps, dodging the move, before plunging forwards in a Close Combat. The Poliwrath flies back, utterly out cold in a single flurry of blows. And now, with Kieran’s Gligar on the field, I switch one more time.

  “Go, Kommo-o! this is your moment! Now, Cngorous Soul!”

  “Kommo-o’s scales rattle and chime as it roars, self-inflicting damage on itself as its stats all rise, making its next move way more dangerous. Gligar hits us with a Bulldoze, and I scowl.

  “Kommo-o… use Draco Meteor!”

  Kommo-o’s eyes glow purple, as it roars, summoning down a barrage of half-a-dozen small boulders, bombarding the unfortunate Gligar as it falls, unconscious.

  I sigh, as Kieran sags, his eyes widening.

  “Why….? Why can’t I be as good as you…”

  I recall my Pokémon, as Kieran wipes his nose on his sleeve. “Aw… man… Aaaaaagh!”

  Then, he sprints for the shrine, drawing back a fist, and punches the stone railing. Then, he shakes his fingers, wincing.

  “Owwww….”

  Carmine looks on, concerned. “Kiki, are you alright…?”

  He turns back to me, holding out what we came for.

  “Here. I promised.”

  I sigh, reciming the damaged Teal Mask. Then, Kkieran sighs. “Say hi to the ogre for me.”

  Carmine clears her throat awkwardly. “Hey, listen, Kiki… I should apologize for-”

  “I’m goin’ home.” He brushes her off as he starts walking off. Carmine sighs, patting me on the shoulder.

  “I’m sorry about all that. He’s not normally like this at all. The way he’s acting is a bit scary, honestly… is that just me, or did you feel it too?”

  I nod. “Yeah… he’s like a different person. It’s almost creepy, if you ask me… I hope he’s okay…”

  “Yeah… I sure never let teenage angst go to my head like that. I don’t know what to do with him…”

  Then, something rumbles nearby. Like something… breaking.

  Carmine blinks. “Hey, can yu hear something? … Is it coming from the Loyal Three Monument?”

  We turn to the shrine. The carvings representing the three mystery Pokémon who were sin by Oogerpon are trembling, shuddering and wobbling, as a beam of purple light erupts out from beneath the shrine. Carmine squeaks, “Wh-what’s happening?!”

  As the light fades, a dustcloud billows and swirls, the shrine in pieces. Three shadowy figures shift and stir within the dust. Then, the three beasts approach out of the swirl. A huge, muscur, canine Pokémon on two legs. A small monkey-like Pokémon that crosses its arms and nods confidently. And a bird Pokémon that spreads its wings wide, trilling loudly.

  We stare at them, and they stare back. Then, the trio of Pokémon stomp closer. Carmine splutters, “Huh?! Huh?! What in the world?!”

  The bipedal doglike beast growls. “Grrrific!”

  The monkey-esque one adds, “Mmmkay?”

  The third chimes in, “Yip-ip-ippy…”

  Carmine stammers, “Wh-what d’you want?”

  The three Pokémon seem to mutter and whisper to each other, as Carmine murmurs to me, “What are they doing…?”

  Then, the three creatures cry out at us, before sprinting off towards Oni Mountain. Carmine and I watch them go, as the Kitakami girl shakes her fists, almost filing.

  “Seriously, WHAT is going on?!”

  I sigh, “I have no idea! What was that all about? Were they… the Loyal Tthree?!”

  Carmine startles. “Hey, you’re right! There were three of them, and they looked all sinister! That’s gotta be it! The story said they were id to rest under the statues, right?”

  I nod. Then, an unsettling thought occurs to me. “But… what brought them back to life…?”

  Carmine starts to open her mouth, then freaks out. “Wait! They ran off towards Kitakami Hall! That can’t be good! Let’s go after them! Come on, Carmina!”

  I nod. “I’ll meet you there! C’mon, Rairai! Hyah!”

  I sling myself onto my buddy’s back, leaping off the Pza edge and gliding towards Mossui Town, racing through the streets.

  As I reach the temple of Kitakami Hall, where a crowd are standing around the caretaker, babbling excitedly.

  “Ah, if it isn’t Carmina! If only you’d been here a few minutes earlier!”

  Carmine catches up, impressing me a bit. I’d gone all out to get here as fast as I could, too!

  “Hey, did those lousy three Pokémon come here?!” she gasps, trying to breathe. The caretaker frowns at her.

  “I believe you mean the LOYAL Three, Carmine.”

  She waves a hand in dismissal. “Forget about that silly title!”

  The Caretaker shakes his head in annoyance. “Always with your attitude… but yes, you did miss out on an incredible treat! The Loyal Three were just visiting our humble little hall! It seemed they wished to collect the shining masks we’ve kept safe here at Kitakami Hall... so naturally, we representatives of the hall were happy to return the masks to them with all haste!”