The fog from distant space-time was about to disperse. Even Terapagos's power could not allow a person from the past to remain forever.
Time is limited, so we must exchange what information we can. That was what Professor Sada and Professor Turo, who traveled through time in the original plot, would say.
In Kitakami, one could also meet Perrin, a descendant of the Diamond Clan. She too would tell the player, "Time is precious." This was a family motto of Perrin's, an old saying from the Diamond Clan, who revered time.
Here, time seemed to be something one could see and touch.
The foreign man was about to disappear. He was returning to the era where he belonged. Although, with the understanding of his era, he could not fully comprehend what this time travel meant, he still understood that he had reached the "future."
And this suddenly made Ogerpon realize something.
After crossing the sea and coming here to live, she and the man had always been inseparable. Yet on that day, the man had suddenly left.
He had foreseen the arrival of the four poisonous ones because...
Because she had told him with her own mouth?
Although traveling from the future back to the past would cause part of one's memory to be lost, which seemed to be a side effect of Terastal energy, a faint trace could still be remembered.
Because he remembered, he had done that thing. This was a closed loop of space-time.
However, the man understood Ogerpon's heart.
"How long have we been together? It has already been several decades, hasn't it?"
"In truth, I had already noticed them. Those unknown magical beasts that appeared near Oni Mountain. We are strangers in this land, so of course we would be more sensitive to lives that came from another land as well."
"But to see that, hundreds of years later, you can still live happily and safely, and that you have made new friends... my heart is filled with infinite joy because of it."
"When we came to Kitakami, we were not welcomed by the local people. But now, you have become a hero. Surely, you will be accepted and celebrated by them. You will also travel to more places with the great craftsman. Although I do not understand the changes of this era, I feel that this must be a good thing."
Hikaru said, "From a distant place, I once heard these words: 'There is no need to fear the world's changes, for time is always flowing.'"
Laughter came from the man behind the mask. "That is right. Time always moves forward."
"Ogerpon, after several hundred years, you are still exactly as you were before. Let this beautiful and fulfilled time remain upon you forever."
"Ponio?"
The man said, "I am sorry that my death made you suffer for hundreds of years. Truly, I am very sorry. But if all of this was so that the you of several hundred years later could become a hero and continue to live happily and fully, then all of it was worth it."
"The masks hold precious memories. No matter what, I will not let them take those things. This time, I will bring a weapon back to the cave. I will make them pay!"
"If you need a weapon, take this." Hikaru handed the Instant Greatsword to the man. "I don't know whether it can change everything, but if you hold this sword, it can reflect Pokémon attacks."
"Even if you cannot draw out the sword's true power, simply swinging it casually can achieve the same effect. This is a legendary sword from the Sinnoh region."
The man took the Instant Greatsword. The ancient greatsword had no particular shine, but it was unusually heavy and carried tremendous weight in his hands.
The man was amazed.
With his strength, even swinging this sword was somewhat difficult. Yet the young man before him had handed it over with one hand.
"A divine sword brought from the future back to the past... Foreign swordsman, thank you. Thank you for your aid."
"I have also heard of people with mystical arts in distant lands. They can seal violent magical beasts and fight against them with incredible weapons and powers called Aura or telekinesis."
"I will keep this sword safe. Then please, wait here to receive it back. Even if several hundred years pass, I will certainly do it."
The man sincerely thanked Hikaru, then looked toward Ogerpon.
Wearing the Teal Mask, he seemed like eternal joy.
Wearing the Cornerstone Mask, Ogerpon also seemed like eternal happiness.
The man took off the Teal Mask, revealing his true face. His firm, chiseled features showed a relieved smile.
"A human lifespan is limited. Even if I survive, I cannot change the thoughts of the people in the village. At most, in a few decades, I will grow old and die, and you will still miss me as you did before. But this time... I will tell the you of the past."
"There is no need to grieve. There is no need to suffer. All you need to do is wait."
"And my soul will watch over you from the spirit world, praying for you forever."
The fog vanished. The Teal Mask fell onto the gravel with a silent sound.
The person from the past had come from the light, and he vanished into the light as well.
Ogerpon looked toward Terapagos and saw the little turtle nod to her. After letting out an astonished kamekame cry, it too vanished into the light.
"Pokémon summoned by Ranger Signs will return to their original places once the sign is released."
"Some histories will change, while others will not. But Ogerpon, think carefully. Do you remember any new memories?"
At Hikaru's question, Ogerpon, who was still dazed, blinked her starry eyes.
Then, memories that should not have existed appeared.
The past from several hundred years ago. The man's face surfaced once more, and at the same time, one new scene after another appeared in her heart.
Ah... the past had changed. It had really changed somewhat.
In the new memories, Ogerpon saw that this time, the man had brought a weapon back to the Dreaded Den. He swung the greatsword with tremendous force, drove away two Pokémon, and completely recovered all three masks. Then, when she rushed over in a towering rage, she saw the man covered in serious wounds.
But the man did not die. He was still alive.
Carrying the three masks, she swung the Ivy Cudgel and, relying on the battle techniques of Mask Change, chased them all the way into the village, defeating the four poisonous creatures even more easily than before.
However, the people of the village were still the same as before. They looked upon her fury and felt fear. But what was different was...
The village's mask maker went to Oni Mountain.
He helped bandage the man's wounds, brought food, witnessed the true history, and promised to pass down the truth forever.
Afterward, the man survived. He continued living quietly with her on Oni Mountain, and in this way, ten years passed.
"A human body will rapidly age because of injury and illness, until death. This is inevitable. My final wish is to preserve the sword and, at the important moment, return it to that person."
"The mask maker once asked me where that sword came from. Heh. I told him it was a weapon given to me by my friend, a swordsman from a distant foreign land. I am very grateful to him. Ogerpon, you must remember him too. He is right here, always watching the past us."
"The craftsman also remembered the story of the foreign swordsman. Perhaps he will pass it down to his descendants?"
"Humans, even when they live honestly and peacefully, will occasionally be hurt and beaten. Yet precisely because of that, they feel that they are alive. People must always look forward. If one sinks into the past, one cannot move ahead."
"Live on with gratitude and joy. There is no need to suffer for the dead. A human life is limited, while a Pokémon's life is long. I am only a traveler passing through your life. From here on, please continue living happily and carefree."
"Now history has changed, so what is there to grieve over? Masked Rider Ogerpon, smile!"
"The reason I could survive was because I met the future you. Not only that, the foreign swordsman is also waiting for you in the future. I have already witnessed the future where you become a hero and are welcomed by people."
"Ponii, ponio!"
Wearing the Cornerstone Mask and hugging the Teal Mask, Ogerpon let out a voice at Crystal Pool that was both sorrowful and joyful.
The new memories gradually covered the painful memories of the past. Ogerpon gazed at the water of Crystal Pool and continued staring like that.
"Ponii! Goodbye!"
That was both a farewell to the man and a farewell to her past self.
Because her future self had told the man all of this, her past self had also come to know these things. Although she could not understand it before, now she felt a sudden sense of enlightenment.
So, from long ago, the man had been waiting for this day.
So, from long ago, she had been awaited by the people of the future.
So, from long ago, I had already remembered these things.
Therefore, to complete this closed loop, we lived happily for ten years, and then continued on, forever and ever, in joy and happiness.
"Gah-pon!"
In order to wait for this day, I really did grow.
"In that case, the new story spreading through Kitakami has become true as well."
"The righteous masked ogre waited for several hundred years for the day the evil ogre would revive, all so she could defeat it and complete her revenge, until at last she and the foreign swordsman resolved everything."
Hikaru turned around. After the fog vanished, the Instant Greatsword reappeared in his hand.
In only an instant, it had endured the erosion of several hundred years. It looked much more ancient and weathered.
Hikaru murmured, "My friend, you truly preserved the sword well. Now this sword has gained a history, a story, and a legend of its own."
"Then, let's go, Ogerpon. Do you want to ride with me, or go into a Poké Ball? Although everyone saw you more than once in the dream, they all want to chat with you again."
"Ponio!" Ogerpon raised her little hand.
Then I want to choose a Poké Ball with colors similar to mine.
"Is that so? Then I think a Friend Ball should suit you best. In the past, only Mr. Kurt could make this Ball, but now, with the Item Printer and the secret technique, I can make one too."
The sunlight pierced the night, and dawn quietly crossed the horizon.
The people of Mossui Town were collecting themselves. The town had been made a mess by the battle between the evil ogre and the Pokémon. Fortunately, no valuables had been lost. The caretaker was also busily contacting a construction crew. At the same time, he had already decided to erect a statue for Ogerpon and, while he was at it, build a shrine in Loyalty Plaza to suppress the evil ogre.
In order to fully recreate the Nine Great Masks, the caretaker immediately consulted Yukito. Yukito said that with his skill, while he could not create a perfect one-to-one replica, restoring them to seventy or eighty percent was still no problem.
They had to use the nine masks as references for carving the statues.
The caretaker said, "There's no helping it! All the public messaging and promotion need to be changed. All of it!"
"But nine statues, each corresponding to one of the nine emotions, and then... I need to think of nine slogans that can bring people luck. That way, our tourism industry can recover. And we'll have a few more attractions too. It's the best of both worlds!"
"Also, because of what happened last night, I mentioned this proposal to the villagers, and they all thought it was very feasible. Then I took the opportunity to propose a fundraiser. Heh, in just one hour, we raised one million!"
The caretaker was extremely happy. Although that one million had all come from people in their own village, this time it was being used to suppress the evil ogre and worship the righteous ogre, so no one complained.
They did not want to experience the same thing again. Even those villagers who had originally not been very interested in the legend and did not care who was right or wrong donated very actively.
"Someone said that a one-thousand-year seal is still too short. If we can meet that swordsman again in the future, could we ask him to extend the sealing time? We can raise money for it. What do you think of a price of one million?"
After saying this, the caretaker hurried off again once the discussion was finished.
As for recreating the masks, that would also be a craftsmanship challenge for Grandpa Yukito.
Because his grandson Kieran had obtained a real mask... no, it should be called a perfect replica of one of the real masks. After Yukito looked it over, he felt his own craftsmanship was still far behind.
So he began digging through the mask-carving materials left behind by his ancestors. They were something like a secret manual.
As a descendant of mask makers, of course his family had such a thing. However, Yukito had not reopened that secret manual to study it in a very long time. Learning seventy percent of the craft was enough to make a living, but learning one hundred percent was extremely difficult.
"Hm? What is this?"
When Yukito dug out the secret manual again, he unexpectedly found an ancient scroll.
He did not understand why his ancestor would have left something like this behind.
And when he opened the scroll, he saw the contents recorded inside.
The foreign swordsman gave the man a treasured sword capable of defeating the evil ogre. From the distant past, he had always been watching the people here, and together with the Masked Ogre, he waited for the chance to completely defeat the evil ogre.
"Huh?! Huh?!"
Grandpa Yukito was dumbfounded.
This was somewhat different from the legend his ancestors had left behind before. Instead, it matched what the foreign swordsman had said earlier.
Wait. Did that mean the swordsman, who was dressed quite modernly and whom he still did not know was living or dead, had really existed for hundreds of years?
Beyond Kitakami, across endless mountains and plateaus.
Along the way, it was difficult to see large human settlements, and no region seemed to exist here.
After crossing the high mountain forests, they arrived at the final stop along the ancient migration route once taken by the ancestors of Sinnoh.
Ahead lay the Kanto region and the Johto region!
(End of Chapter)
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