"…"
Lucas was rendered speechless.
He realized something a bit tragic.
He'd forgotten to add bait to the last cast—meaning this Feebas couldn't have been lured by any bait.
Given its reaction, it was more accurate to say that the shiny Feebas had "offered itself up" and bit onto the empty hook.
All that luck? Not true.
This Feebas had just taken the initiative!
Apparently impatient, Feebas gave Lucas a scornful look, then flapped its powerful tail, locked its blank eyes on the nearby Poké Balls, and leapt over to touch one—capturing itself.
The Poké Ball didn't even wobble three times—just an instant, perfect capture.
Now not only was Lucas speechless, but so were Serperior, Luxray, and the dancing Mimikyu.
It just caught itself!?
…
Morning.
Carmine and Kieran woke up to find Lucas with a very strange expression.
How to describe it—like someone who'd stayed up late, dark circles under his eyes, with a look of conflicted smugness and frustration.
When they asked, Lucas just waved them off, not explaining.
He couldn't very well say that, after finally catching a fish, the fish had actually jumped onto his hook by itself, could he?
He'd lose all face!
Packing up camp and cleaning up, the three hurried down Oni Mountain in one go.
With no wild Pokémon battles, Luxray and the others went all out.
Luxray's muscle-stimulating electricity, Arcanine's Extreme Speed, and Spectrier's own swift pace made the trip down feel like a rollercoaster.
At the foot of the mountain, the three Pokémon were still going strong.
According to Kieran and Carmine, if they hurried, they could catch the Applin evolution contest.
…
A while after the trio left—
In a cave, Ogerpon, hugging its mask and covered in dust and wounds, suddenly woke up.
"Boni…!"
Startled, Ogerpon ignored its aches and quickly pulled aside the camouflaging plants to look outside.
Seeing the bright sun in the sky, its little orange face turned dejected.
It had worked hard to find food last night and gotten hurt, and now, exhausted, had overslept!
By now, that person at the mountaintop was probably long gone.
Ogerpon felt helpless and lost.
Missing this chance, it had no idea how long it would have to wait for another.
Now, with three missing masks and the one it held damaged, it couldn't use its power at all—not even enough to find food. Hope had finally come, only to be missed again.
Tears welled up again.
After a while, Ogerpon cheered itself up, struggled back to the mountaintop, and looked at the now-empty Crystal Pool. As expected, it hung its head.
Would it have to keep waiting?
…
7:00 a.m.
The three arrived at Apple Hill right on time.
Compared to yesterday, arriving early let them see a new sight.
Many Applin came down from their apple trees, gathering in groups toward the giant apple tree at the center.
The townsfolk of Mossui Town, with their Mightyena and Poochyena, drove off wild bird Pokémon trying to attack the Applin.
After all, Applin were Kitakami's treasures and economic lifeblood.
Seeing the townsfolk driving off birds, Kieran looked a little disappointed.
Carmine mused, "Even if there are more Sweet Apples now, the adults must have already taken them away."
Kieran nodded in agreement.
Actually, he'd been lucky to find a Sweet Apple at all.
That night, he'd snuck up Oni Mountain and, coming back empty-handed, was hit on the head by a Sweet Apple while passing Apple Hill.
Blueberry Academy had done research—other apple trees could produce special apples, but the odds were way lower than here.
Lucas didn't mind their regret.
He turned to Applin, who was next to Serperior, and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
"Appli!"
Applin's little eyes were full of determination.
It had thought it over—it was ready!
Seeing this, Lucas smiled helplessly at Carmine and Kieran.
"Looks like the Sweet Apple won't be needed."
After meeting Dipplin and seeing Appletun and Flapple's evolutions, Applin had made its choice.
Serperior sighed, but let Applin join the swarm.
Even among so many similar-looking Applin, Serperior could always spot its own child, and as before, even if Applin's choice wasn't what it wanted, it would support it.
Carmine and Kieran ran off to inform the adults, since the evolution required using apples from the town's tree.
A while later, they returned—actually, Carmine did all the talking, while Kieran just stood by.
Having run, Carmine's face was red, and she was a bit excited. "Mr. Lucas, the orchard manager agreed! As long as your Applin can fight its way through, they're fine with it!"
"He said, if your Applin can make it, they'll gladly help you out!"
"I understand."
Lucas nodded, a bit surprised.
He'd been ready to pay for the chance, but the manager was so generous. Turns out, most people here really were friendly.
But when he heard there was only one Sweet Apple today, he realized why.
No wonder—there was only one prize.
At the base of the giant apple tree, nearly a hundred Applin had gathered—not as many as yesterday, but still a lot.
Even if Lucas's Applin was better trained, the odds were slim.
After all, Applin could only learn so many moves, and before evolving, their stats didn't jump much. At best, one could beat ten or twenty untrained Applin.
But this was no ordinary Applin.
Before coming to Kitakami, Lucas had bought a "Mirror Herb," letting Applin learn Egg Moves like Rollout and Defense Curl from Miltank, and Sucker Punch from Meowscarada.
With all its moves, it was easily the most outstanding Applin in the tree.
And somehow, it had learned to use Defense Curl six times in a row before climbing up, maxing its defense.
Then—
Applin started rolling through the branches like a freight train. Any Applin in its way was sent flying.
Not just Kieran and Carmine—even the townsfolk, who'd hoped to laugh at Lucas and then sell him leftover apples for a high price, were stunned.
How could this Applin be so strong!?
Maxed-out Rollout was terrifying.
In just a few minutes, only Lucas's Applin was left on the tree.
Stopping, it looked around carefully, saw no more rivals, and happily crawled toward the Sweet Apple.
Lucas and Serperior exchanged glances—helpless, but pleased.
This little guy was clever. Must have learned that from Miltank.
Defense Curl plus Rollout was overpowered for these untrained Applin.
Soon, as Applin finished the Sweet Apple and burrowed inside, a dazzling light shone from the tree.
Under Serperior's slightly complicated gaze, the light faded, and a new form dropped down in front of them.
It was Applin—no, now Appletun.
Appletun gave off a sweet scent irresistible to Pokémon and people alike. Serperior, unfazed, patted Appletun's head with her vine.
With fake smiles from the townsfolk, the group left Apple Hill and headed to the Pokémon Plaza in Mossui Town.
The plaza was like a typical small-town park.
In the wide, circular square, townsfolk gathered—old and young.
At the far end, a simple shrine stood, fenced off.
Unlike typical wooden shrines, this one was built from stones and cloth, housing three stone statues: a monkey, a dog, and a bird.
The statues were old and damaged, clearly ancient.
"This is the shrine of the Loyal Three Pokémon," Carmine explained.
Looking at the trio, Lucas blinked. They felt oddly familiar—like something from a fairy tale.
He glanced at the nearby stele and saw that the story matched what he knew. Lucas's expression was strange.
If the "ghost" was really that little green Pokémon, could it really have killed the Loyal Three Pokémon?
He stood at the shrine for a while, then called Carmine and Kieran to leave.
At that moment—
A sharp-looking man suddenly blocked his way.
"Pokémon Companion Love Donation! If you're touched by the story, please donate to help us restore the statues and shrine!"
The man rattled off his lines, holding a donation box, blocking Lucas wherever he tried to go.
Lucas: "…"
Seriously? Forced donations?
It wasn't that he didn't care about the story, but if he wanted to donate, he'd do it on his own. He hated this kind of moral blackmail.
Looking around, he saw other tourists being blocked, too.
Compared to the confused Kieran and Carmine, these people targeted outsiders.
"Excuse me, please let me through," Lucas said coldly.
But the man ignored him and pressed on.
"Sir, everyone else is donating—don't you want to do your part?"
Looking around, indeed, other tourists were awkwardly stuffing bills into the box.
He was getting angry.
He'd been in a good mood, and now he'd run into these half-forced donation scammers.
Just as Lucas was about to have Mimikyu scare the guy out of the way, the man suddenly floated into the air.
"Wah!"
He panicked, clutching his donation box tightly.
Then—
A cheerful girl's voice rang out.
"Oh dear, my Noctowl must have gotten confused and used Sleep Talk again!"
Perrin, still in her breezy crop top, raised her camera and snapped a picture of the flailing man.
On her shoulder, Noctowl's eyes glowed—clearly using a Psychic-type move.
…
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