As I watch Kieran jog away, my Rotom phone starts chiming.

  Ro-to-to-to-to-to…!

  I answer it. “Hello?”

  “This is Cvell. Do I have the pleasure of speaking with Miss Carmina?”

  “Oh, hi, Director! Yes, that’s me! So, what can I do for you?”

  “My, my! It certainly does this old heart good to be greeted with such a lively response! Now, if I could take but a moment of you time, there is something we must discuss. Miss Carmina… you’re about to be presented with an incredible opportunity. You already know of the Unova region’s Blueberry Academy, I presume?”

  I smile and nod. “I do, yes. I actually thought of applying there, but I wanted to come to Paldea more!”

  “Ah, that’s good that you’re familiar. In any case, the director of Blueberry Academy has asked me to select an exchange student or two to send to them. Would you be interested?”

  I blink. “Sir, I JUST arrived in Kitakami, and now you’re offering me ANOTHER awesome chance to explore other regions? How could I say no?!”

  “Excellent to hear. Now, I must warn you. The director of Blueberry Academy has requested a face-to-face meeting with the selected students. I’ve scheduled it for when you’ve returned. He is… admittedly a bit of a character, but not to worry- I’ll be there with you when you meet him. Once you return, I ask that you come by my office so we can discuss the specifics together… now, I won’t take up any more of your time. Do take care until we speak again.”

  The connection goes dead, and I slip my Rotom phone back into my skirt pocket. “Welp, time to catch up with Kieran.”

  I follow the path he’s taken, looking around me for any signs of cool and new Pokémon to catch, but nothing seems particurly exciting. The whole region is so lush and green, and I keep hoping to see something wild and powerful roaming the nd, just waiting to join some skilled Trainer’s team. What I find instead, are a strange couple of weirdoes. They’re dressed in gaudy and ostentatious outfits, and the woman is doing that stereotypical “Noblewoman’s ugh” you see in anime.

  “Ooohohoho! Ooohohoho! Oh, the positive energy is positively flowing! I’d just love to buy up all this Kitakami air!”

  Her… boyfriend? I think? Guffaws. “That’s my dearest O’Nare! Even while out in the boonies, your ideas are still purely metropolitan!”

  The woman, O’Nare, giggles coquettishly. “Ooh, I do appreciate your willingness to speak the truth, Billy!”

  Billy smiles warmly. “so, my dearest O’Nare! However shall we waste our time and money today?”

  O’Nare strokes her cheek. “How indeed… Oh! Billy, look! A commoner! They’re staring at us!”

  She points right at me.

  Who are you calling a commoner, you obnoxious bimbo?!

  I bristle slightly, preparing to go over and give them a piece of my mind.

  Billy blinks. “Eh? A commoner? Why, yes, your eyes do not deceive you- that there is almost CERTAINLY a commoner!”

  O’Nare gasps in awe. “As I live and breathe- a commoner! A living, breathing commoner!”

  Okay, these two are completely Golbatshit crazy TOO!

  O’Nare turns her gaze to her equally-gobsmacked partner. “Wh-whatever do we do, Billy?! Is it bad manners to ask to shake their hand? Is it acceptable to ask for an autograph?!”

  Billy decres, “Collect yourself, my dear O’Nare! No need to rush. Look! This commoner isn’t going anywhere!”

  The woman calms down. “My apologies… it’s not every day I come face-to-face with a commoner, you see.”

  Billy runs a hand through his goofy-looking bowl-cut. “Naturally- you ARE the president of Paldea Realty, after all!”

  They turn to me, and I halt. I’d been trying to creep away. O’Nare waves. “Excuse me? yes, you- commoner! Would you be so kind as to indulge me in a duel with your Pokémon? If you can defeat me, then I shall grant you riches beyond your wildest dreams!”

  Billy gasps. “Th-there it is! O’Nare’s favourite pastime… throwing the commonfolk a bone!”

  I grit my teeth. What a pair of absolute, total, irrevocably-insane rich ASSHOLES.

  “Fine, you’re going to be handing over all that rgesse you’ve been babbling about, dy. I’ll take you apart!”

  I step up, and grab one of my Pokéballs, flexing my other hand into a fist.

  “Go, Garchomp!”

  O’Nare’s Pokémon is a Persian, a rge feline that looks like a lioness or something. I snap my fingers. “Garchomp, Dragon Cw!”

  The tone of my voice makes my ndshark crane its head round to stare at me, then roars, clearly putting more effort in than usual. Its charging swipe with all cylinders firing sends O’Nare’s Persian tumbling a dozen metres in a single blow, out cold. O’Nare beams, cpping, before pulling out her purse and riffling through it. It looks ridiculously bulky. She then pulls out a wad of banknotes, and, instead of peeling a few off, she… hands me the whole fat stack of them!

  “So… this is the power of the commonfolk! Most impressive! You’re really something! A commoner a cut above the rest! Now, listen to me, commoner: the most important thing about money is how you use it. Spend that reward on something meaningful- an investment in yourself! That way, you’ll continue to sparkle, even when your money is gone!”

  She turns to her man. “Now, come Billy! I think I’d quite like to see that waterfall in Paldea!” the pair of them march off, and I pause to count the massive wad of bills I’d just been given. “34,840?!?! What… the… FUCK is wrong with those two?! How on Earth can she just hand out that kinda cash without any signs of giving a crap?!”

  I stuff the money into my bag, wondering if I’m going to have to hand that in, or something. Following the path, I try to clear my head, reaching Loyalty Pza and heading for the signboard close to the entrance. Kieran’s waiting for me.

  “That’s the first one… we’re s’posed to read the signboard, yeah?”

  I nod, smiling. “that’s right.”

  Kieran blushes a little and looks away. “Oh, I… I already know the whole story, so… g-go ahead. You should go and check it out.”

  I nod and turn back. It takes me a while to read it all, since there’s a fair amount of writing on the board.

  “Long, long ago, there was a fearsome ogre in the nd of Kitakami. The ogre made its home in the mountain behind the vilge, frightening all who ventured there. One day, the ogre came down from the mountain in a terrible rage, causing great fear in the vilge. By some stroke of luck, Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti all happened to be there as well. The three Pokémon id down their lives to fend off the ogre and send it back to the mountain. In admiration, the people of the vilge bestowed upon this brave trio the title of ‘The Loyal Three’. Their remains were given a proper burial, and statues of the three were erected above the site.”

  I shiver. “this sounds more like a horror-story than I expected…”

  Kieran points. “The Loyal Three Monument is right over there… but don’t you think the ogre in that story sounds kinda… cool?”

  I tilt my head. “You think..?”

  Kieran nods frantically. “C’mon, it was all alone! The battle was three against one, but the ogre still managed to hold its own. That’s way cool! Oh, but…, I guess most people would think that an ogre like that is scary, huh? I don’t think there’s any reason to be afraid…”

  Kieran turns, looking up at the peak. “When I was younger, I went up into the mountain so many times at night-all on my own- an’ I never once met that ogre. Only scary thing that happened was the grown-ups givin’ me a real earful about it…”

  He turns back. “    Oh, umm… so, yeah, we’re s’posed to take a photo in front of the signboard, right? I don’t have a smartphone… could you?”

  I nod and pull my phone out, attaching the Roto-Stick to it and using it to snap a picture of me and Kieran standing beside the sign.

  Kieran looks at the screen. “Wow… that turned out great. you’re even good at taking photos…”

  I smile and hold my phone out. “You wanna try?”

  He flinches. “Oh- N-no, I didn’t mean-! Maybe… n-next time…”

  I smile and tuck my phone away. Kieran bites his lip thoughtfully. “You know… I didn’t wanna have to come and do this whole school trip thing, but… well… it might actually be kinda fun… I get to be out in nature around my hometown… and talk to you, Carmina… hey, i-if you want, maybe we could set up a picnic? Would you like a sandwich-?”

  As if on cue, a familiar red, white and purple Pokémon bursts free from its ball.

  “Agia!”

  Kieran shrieks. “Gyah! Wh-what is that thing?! Some kinda… kaiju or somethin’?!”

  I blink. “A ‘Kaiju’? This is Koraidon! I call it Rairai. It likes sandwiches, and I ride on it to get around!” I give it a scratch under then chin. Kieran calms a little, but his eyes are still wide.

  “It’s called Koraidon? And you ride on it, huh…? I’ve never seen another Pokémon like this… and it seriously comes out whenever it hears the word ‘sandwich’?”

  I nod, giggling ruefully. “Yeah, sandwiches are Rairai’s favourite food.”

  “Agias!”

  Kieran slowly leans in a little, staring at Rairai. “Never thought I’d get to meet such an awesome Pokémon… no wonder you’re so strong, Carmina… you’re… you’re special.”

  I blush a little. Before I can protest, Kieran bolts upright. “Uh! So, the next-! Err, we should go find the next signboard! It’s on the grounds of Kitakami Hall. Um, Kitakami Hall is… well, first, double back to town from here, then there’s this bridge you cross, and from there, you’ll need to climb up the mountainside. I’ll hang back for now an’ meet you there ter!” he dashes off again. Rairai looks disappointed.

  “Agia..?”

  I smile and reach for my bag. “Lucky, Rairai. Here!”

  I dig out a sandwich I’d thrown together from some bits at breakfast. It disappears in seconds, and Rairai licks its chops as I return it to its Pokéball. Then, I head for Kitakami Hall.

  On my way up the mountainside, I spot a very, very rare Pokémon. A Turtwig! What’s a super-rare little beauty like this doing out here? Well, no matter. Come to mama!

  I immediately Quick Ball it, beaming. “Ohhh, Nemona’s gonna be so jealous! Maybe there’s another one around?”

  I spend a little while hunting, hoping for a little bit of luck. I can’t spend too long on this little side-adventure, what with Kieran waiting for me and all. After thirty minutes, I call it quits in disappointment, and make my way to my next destination, scaling the side of the mountain up a curving path. There’s a temple up there, and I pass through the lower level, where people are setting up stalls for some kind of festival. Up the second set of stairs, and I enter the temple grounds themselves. To the back and left, there’s the signboard, with Kieran nervously waiting beside it.

  I approach it, and Kieran waves shyly. “This is the second signboard. Bit tricky to find, isn’t it? Now then… let’s read the sign…”

  I nod and turn my gaze to the words painted on the wood.

  “The ogre possessed four mysterious, glimmering masks. It is said that, depending on the mask the ogre donned, the powers of its cudgel would change.

  When wearing the teal mask, it could bring life back into withered greenery around it. When wearing the crimson mask, it could turn a candle’s fme into a raging inferno. When wearing the azure mask, it could halt the very flow of a river. When wearing the ashen grey mask, it could easily sunder the hardest stone in two.

  Before the Loyal Three fell, they wrested away three of the ogre’s mask, greatly weakening it.”

  Kieran asks, “Did you finish reading it…?”

  I nod, and he expins. “The masks the Loyal Three stole are kept over at Kitakami Hall. Everyone in town is scared of the ogre, but me? I really like it. It was strong… and cool… and it didn’t even care when everyone around shunned it… I’ve always wanted to be like that, ever since I was a kid. I want to be as cool as the ogre. My sis sorta ends up doin’ everything for me… even when we’re at school… I… I wanna try to get stronger. So I can do things for myself, you know? I’m gonna become someone that people can rely on. Then, just maybe… I could be that ogre’s friend.”

  I mull that over. “Oh, yeah. We need to take a picture, right? You wanna take this one?”

  “N-no, it’s fine… you can do it, if you don’t mind, Carmina…”

  I shrug and attach the Roto-Stick, snapping a photo of both of us in front of the sign. Kieran smiles a little awkwardly. “The next signboard… oh,. You know the mountain the stories say the ogre lives on? It’s actually called Oni Mountain. You can climb it from the stairs over there. If you wanted, we could… go see the ogre’s home? Folks call it the Dreaded Den.”

  I get the distinct feeling that Kieran’s going to go on his own. I can’t risk him getting himself into trouble. If anything happens to him, Carmine is gonna kill me!

  I smile. “Yeah, I wanna see it. Let’s go!”

  Kieran brightens. “Yes! I really… wanted you to see it for yourself, Carmina! So… if you climb up, you’ll reach the Inferno Pass. There’s a sign before that… if you turn at the sign, you can get to the Dreaded Den. I’ll head up, then. Come along when you’re ready. An’ be careful!”

  He hurries off, and I sigh. “Alright, let’s go and keep him from getting killed by an ogre or whatever…”

  I check my Pokémon’s status on my phone. Everyone’s looking healthy, so I steel myself, heading for the stairs to ascend the Oni Mountain. There’s a strange, almost… mencholy feel to the air, as if something bad happened here long ago. I don’t know what’s causing it, but it’s creeping me the fuck out…

  The air’s weirdly cold, despite the warmth of the sun. I can feel goosebumps rising on my arms and the back of my neck is prickling.

  However, while I didn’t find another Turtwig, I DID run into a wild Jangmo-o, a powerful Dragon-type covered in nigh-on impenetrable scales. It’s also very close to evolving, too! I can tell because it’s starting to glow during the battle. I’d had to weaken it, using Galde’s False Swipe to bring it into easy-catch range, and, soon enough, my little Jangmo-o has evolved, past its middle evolution, Hakamo-o, and straight to the mighty Kommo-o, a Pokémon on par with Garchomp in terms of speed, power, and bulkiness, a monster capable of crushing almost anything in its way with scales tougher than titanium.

  I add my new partner to my team, giving me something to counterbance Garchomp’s sheer speed and power. An iron-wall defence like Kommo-o’s will bring us victory! … I hope. The trip up the Oni Mountain to reach the Dreaded Den isn’t a long one, thanks to Rairai and its mobility. Kieran’s already there. No surprise, since he clearly knows the route. I join him, and the excitement in his eyes is a little unnerving from such a shy kid.

  “Carmina! Didja have trouble getting here? There it is… the Dreaded Den. This is s’posed to be the ogre’s home… at least, that’s what everyone says. I come here all the time, but I’VE never seen it… maybe a powerful ogre like that would only show up if it heard some kinda battle goin’ on…”

  I can already tell what he’s after. He confirms my suspicions by speaking up. “O-oh yeah… I think I’ve gotten a bit stronger since the st time we battled, so… y’know… if you wanted to…”

  I sigh. “Sure, Kieran, but promise me. If this ogre does show up, and it’s actually dangerous, I want you to run for the town while I keep it busy. I’ll be right behind you as soon as I’m sure you’re safe. Okay?”

  “I promise!” he says, a little too quickly for my liking, but… I guess I have no real choice.

  “Alright, Kieran, let’s do it. I’m ready when you are.”

  We take up positions, and Kieran sends out a Furret. I set Garchomp loose, and stomp the Furret into the dirt with Dragon Cw. His Yanma fares no better, eating the full force of a Dragon Rush and going down like a swatted Beautifly. Last, Kieran sends out… a Poliwhirl.

  I smile. “Now’s as good a time as any. Kommo-o, switch in and show me what you’ve got!”

  The armoured Dragon-type rattles its scales as it nds where Garchomp had been as I recall my other Pokémon. I’d taught it a couple of moves that I’d been making with the TM Machine, and prepare for the impact.

  “Kommo-o…. use DRACO METEOR!”

  The very sky above splits as Kommo-o uses some kind of psychic power to call down a barrage of small comets, bludgeoning Kieran’s Poliwhirl until it falls over. I snap my fingers, and the rain of meteors subsides, leaving little craters everywhere. Kieran groans.

  “Aw man… I lost… I knew it… you really ARE strong, Carmina. How am I ever gonna be able to beat you? If the ogre saw that battle, I’m sure it’d think, “That kid’s got real strength…” See, my school… Blueberry Academy… it’s a school that specializes in teaching the art of Pokémon battling. If I was as strong as you… maybe I could aim to be the best Trainer there. ”

  I shrug. “I dunno. I’m not always the winner, though. My girlfriend’s at least as tough as me, and she beats me about half the time, when she’s using her ultimate team. She’s always training new Pokémon, though, so she doesn’t put 100% in with every battle.”

  Kieran listens, and then, after a minute, coughs slightly. “Let’s, um… go have a look at the ogre’s den.”

  We head inside, and I look around. It’s dark, and Kieran pulls out an old fshlight. “See how dark it is in here? And cramped… even the floor’s all rough and uneven… living all alone in a pce like this would get pretty miserable, don’t you think? Poor ogre… we have plenty of room at our house. I would’ve totally let it stay with us…”

  I smile. “You’re a sweet kid, Kieran. Never lose sight of that kind nature of yours.”

  Kieran gets all flustered. “N-no, I’m not! I’ve just… always liked the stories about the ogre, that’s all… B-but if the ogre really did show up to stay at our pce, I’m sure the whole town would freak out.”

  We spend a little while poking around, and, when we leave, Kieran gasps. “No way… the sun’s already going down? I guess we’ll have to leave the st signboard until tomorrow… Oh! I almost forgot! Today’s the first day of the Festival of Masks over at Kitakami Hall. It’s this big event where everyone puts on masks and runs around celebratin’… I mean, it’s not like you’ve gotta go, or anything, but if you wanted to… y’know… check it out… well, it’d be fun.”

  I nod thoughtfully. “Yeah, that does sound fun. I think I’d like that.”

  Kieran smiles fully, for the first time, a big, happy grin. “I, um… I can show you to it! It’d be great to go together, but… there’s just a few things we’d have to get ready first, so we should swing by my house before heading to the festival. We live in the northwest corner of the vilge. It’s um… let’s see, I could maybe draw a map…”

  I smile. “will this do?”

  My Rotom phone flies out of my pocket, and dispys a map of the local area. Kieran blinks. “Oh, you have a map on your phone, huh? Uh… here!”

  He taps the screen, and a mark appears, indicating his home. “I’ll see you there! I’ll be right behind you, if you wanna head over now.”

  I nod. “I’ll see you there. Don’t make me wait, Kieran, your sister will murderize me if you get hurt or anything.”

  I mount up on Rairai and head back to the vilge at full-speed, sailing through the air and kicking up clods of dirt. The trip to Kieran’s house doesn’t take long at all, and people are thronging the streets, all heading to the festival. I follow the map marker, using side-alleys and avoiding getting caught in the traffic of pedestrians, making it to my intended destination shortly. As I step through the gate, Kieran arrives, rushing up to an elderly man. “Grandpa!”

  The old man smiles. “Welcome home, Kieran. And who’s this with you?”

  He looks at me through his bushy eyebrows. Kieran introduces me. “Oh, this is Carmina… she’s part of the same school trip and me and sis.”

  Grandpa chuckles. “Ohohoho! So, this is a new friend of yours, eh, Kieran?”

  I smile. “I am, sir. It’s nice to meet you!”

  Kieran looks utterly shocked. “Wh-what?! R-really?! We’re friends?! Friends… I feel all tingly and funny hearing that… ehehehe…”

  I smile. Looks like he just needs to break out of his shell a little. He’s not a bad kid, either.

  An elderly woman joins us as Kieran’s grandpa says, “Thank you for befriending our Kieran here, Carmina.”

  The old dy smiles. “Oh? Kieran’s made a friend?”

  The kid starts to smile again. “Y…Yeah! This is Carmina. Carmina, this is my grandma.”

  Grandma almost jumps for joy, despite her advanced age. “Well, fancy that! A friend of Kieran’s! we’re delighted to have you, Carmina.”

  Kieran expins that we’re going to hit the festival, and Grandma decres that she’s getting out some jinbei for us to wear, as well as doing our hair. In what feels like a miniature hurricane, I’m dragged into this, with my crimson hair pulled into a Kitakami style.

  As beautiful as it is, I doubt I’d be able to do it like this myself. I wish Nemona could see me, though… and these clothes! So cute!

  I’m wearing a deep green pair of shorts that reach my knees, and a jacket simir to a short-sleeved kimono top, in the same colour, as well as matching sandals. I bite my lip, then take a couple of selfies to send to my girlfriend ter.

  Outside, Kieran’s wearing his own jinbei, and stares at me when O emerge.

  “Whoa…”

  Grandma chuckles proudly. “It suits you mighty fine. Just as I thought it would!”

  Grandpa joins in the ughter. “Goodness! It’s like I’ve gained another granddaughter! Hohoho!”

  I blush and tuck a strand of hair behind my left ear, bashfully. This… is nice. Kieran’s family’s lovely. And they all think I’m a cisgender woman, too! No prejudice. They’re all so kind…

  Carmine exits. I hadn’t known she was even home. “Hey, gran, d’you know where me-? GAH! What’re YOU doing here?!” she does a double-take when she sees me.

  Kieran stammers, “C-Carmina said… she’d go to the Festival of Masks with me…”

  His sister raises an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Is that so…”

  Kieran actually gets a little waspish. “What’s it even matter, anyway?! What’re YOU doin’ back here?!”

  Carmine remembers her original purpose.

  “Oh, right. Gran, I couldn’t find my mask for the festival.”

  The old woman thinks for a moment. “Oh, the masks? They should be in the shed. I put them there after st year’s festival.it shouldn’t be locked, so you three go ahead and have a rummage, see what you find.”

  Carmine sprints off at a dead run. “Alright! To the shed! First one there wins!”

  Kieran rushes after her. “Wait! Sis! You’re such a cheater!”

  I sigh, and Grandma shakes her head fondly. “Please forgive those two, Carmina. They can be a bit rambunctious.”

  I shrug. “I don’t mind. It’s kinda like having a pair of younger siblings! I’m an only child, so it’s actually quite nice. I’d better catch up, though, or they’ll probably forget about me!”

  I start walking after Kieran and his sister, careful not to put my newly-styled hair all out-of-pce…