Outside Loyalty Plaza.
"Thanks for stepping in back there."
Lucas expressed his gratitude to Perrin, whom he hadn't seen for some time.
Though he'd intended to scare off the man who was forcing donations with a little shock, it was Perrin—arriving with her Noctowl—who pranked the man and helped Lucas escape a bout of moral blackmail.
No matter the circumstances, Lucas felt he should say thanks.
Perrin, for her part, just waved it off with a carefree smile. "You're just too nice, you know? If you don't stand up for yourself, people like that will just keep pushing their luck."
Suddenly, she brightened up with excitement. "By the way, I just caught a few candid shots of you looking really flustered—want to see?"
"...Delete them."
"Alright!"
Knowing she needed Lucas's help, Perrin deleted the photos without a fuss.
At that moment, Carmine and Kieran saw an opening to speak up, their faces flushing with embarrassment as they apologized. "Sorry, the people of Mossui Town went too far."
Now that they'd shaken those people off and left the unpleasantness behind, Lucas naturally wouldn't hold it against these two kids, who couldn't possibly influence the entire town's atmosphere. He shook his head. "It's not your fault."
Perhaps because Carmine and Kieran had been attending Blueberry Academy, their horizons had broadened, and they now realized just how problematic some behaviors from their hometown were—things that once seemed normal.
Lucas was only visiting Kitakami Village as a tourist, helping Perrin investigate the legend of the Bloodmoon, and intending to use the apple tree on Apple Hill—famous for producing evolution items for Applin—to help Applin evolve.
He'd be leaving in a few days, so he had no intention of getting involved in the messy business of trying to reform the townspeople's way of thinking.
Seeing Lucas didn't blame them, the siblings exchanged a relieved glance.
Forgetting the unpleasantness at Loyalty Plaza, the group returned to Mr. Yukito's guesthouse for another hearty lunch, after which everyone went their separate ways.
Kieran and Carmine needed to prepare—Blueberry Academy would be starting up again in a few days.
Blueberry Academy was famous for its Pokémon battles, and even during vacation, they kept working on improving their own and their Pokémon's skills. Carmine wanted to maintain her position in the middle ranks of the battle club, while Kieran aimed to shake off his status as a bottom-ranker.
Thankfully, after the previous day's hiking and battling, Lucas had pointed out many of their weaknesses. With some work and following Lucas's suggestions, they were confident they could make some progress before school started.
Thus, their brief careers as tour guides came to an end.
After thanking Lucas, Kieran mustered up his courage and approached Lucas alone. He whispered, "Mr. Lucas, if you ever hear anything about ghosts, could you share it with me?"
His sister Carmine also approached Lucas in private, but her request was very different. "Mr. Lucas, if you hear anything about ghosts, could you keep it from Kieran? He loves ghosts too much. If he hears about one, he'll go off chasing after it in the mountains, and that's dangerous."
The siblings' wishes were completely at odds, so Lucas just nodded and said he understood, making no promises either way.
After the siblings left, Lucas discussed plans with Perrin—they would split up.
Perrin went out to buy supplies for their upcoming stay in the wilds of the Timeless Woods, preparing for a prolonged expedition.
Lucas, on the other hand, stayed at the guesthouse and took a nap!
He'd been up all night fishing, and then got so excited he barely slept at all. Since Perrin said investigating the Bloodmoon had to be done at night, Lucas used this time to catch up on sleep, then set out after dark.
…
Time passed quickly while sleeping.
When Perrin returned and shook him awake, the sun was already setting.
Lucas got up, washed up, and even took a shower—knowing that bathing opportunities would be hard to come by while camping in the wild.
Once it was fully dark, the two said goodbye to Mr. Yukito and Mrs. Hideko, left Mossui Town, and headed for Lucas's main destination in Kitakami Village.
On the way, Lucas shared his recent experiences in Mossui Town with Perrin.
When she heard he'd not only taken a lot of photos at Crystal Pool but also caught a Gyarados that attacked him, Perrin's expression turned odd.
She asked, "Did you only catch that Gyarados?"
"?"
Lucas was baffled, question marks practically hovering over his head. "Is there a problem with that?"
Perrin's eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. "That's a big problem!"
"Didn't you know? That Gyarados has a companion!"
"A companion?" Lucas frowned. "Didn't the Gyarados fly up the mountain and claim Crystal Pool as its own? Or are you talking about those Magikarp in the pool?"
In Lucas's impression, Gyarados weren't known for protecting their own kind. To them, they were practically a different species from Magikarp—and often aggressively drove Magikarp out of their territory.
Perrin realized Lucas misunderstood and pondered for a moment before explaining, "I heard this story from a local who looks after Crystal Pool. That Gyarados isn't a native Pokémon—it came through a hidden cave behind a huge rock by the lakeshore."
"When it arrived, it was just an ordinary Magikarp."
"But unlike most Magikarp, this one had a friend—a different species of Pokémon."
"Maybe 'friend' isn't the right word. No one really knows if they're friends, siblings, mates, or like boss and underling. Anyway, after the Magikarp and its 'friend' moved into Crystal Pool, its much stronger friend handled food—stealing water grass, catching any bird Pokémon that landed in the pool, and so on. Thanks to this, the Magikarp successfully evolved into Gyarados and became the king of Crystal Pool."
After this long explanation, Perrin took a sip of water from her thermos, then continued:
"Even after evolving, the Gyarados's relationship with its companion didn't change. Gyarados often flew up the mountain to pick berries and brought them back for its friend."
"That companion's name is Feebas—and according to my source, it's even a rare shiny one."
"There's still time. We can visit Oni Mountain and reunite the two Pokémon. I don't think you'd want to separate a pair who depend on each other, right?"
Perrin was even willing to delay her own plans to avoid splitting up the two Pokémon, even though she might have a chance to encounter the Bloodmoon tonight.
Fortunately, her concern proved unnecessary.
Lucas, looking awkward, took out two Pokéballs. "Um... I already caught the Feebas too."
As he spoke, he released both Gyarados and Feebas in a small puddle.
Just as Perrin described, as soon as they were out, Gyarados sensed a familiar presence and, its fierce features softening, happily swam over to the dazed, slack-jawed Feebas lying like a dead fish.
But Feebas wasn't having it. Its eyes suddenly sharpened, and despite Gyarados's huge, intimidating jaws, it whipped its tail and smacked Gyarados in the face.
"Basu!" (You dummy! I had to come looking for you!)
Gyarados didn't get angry—instead, it just let out a plaintive roar.
"Hou~!" (How was I supposed to know that human was so strong?)
Not far away, Perrin fell silent, at a loss for words. Lucas just smiled, thinking to himself that Perrin was right—they really did know each other.
Worried the puddle was too shallow for Feebas, Lucas recalled both Pokémon to their Pokéballs.
Neither one resisted, seemingly accepting Lucas as their new trainer.
The two humans continued towards the Timeless Woods. After a while, Perrin finally recovered, giving Lucas a thumbs-up and teasing, "I should've known—you always take everything!"
The Timeless Woods lay in the northeast corner of Kitakami Village, surrounded by the Kitakami Nature Zone.
According to Perrin, hardly anyone from Kitakami Village actually entered the Timeless Woods—at most, they might wander around Oni Mountain.
The main reason was that wild Pokémon in the forest were far too strong for ordinary townsfolk to handle.
The closer they got, the more dangerous things became. Lucas released his Arcanine and had Mimikyu keep watch from the shadows, while Perrin brought out her Noctowl and her long-unseen Hisuian Growlithe.
When Perrin saw Arcanine, her eyes lit up.
"Wow! So this is what Growlithe evolves into?"
"I mean, I knew that, but seeing it up close is so moving!"
Unable to resist, Perrin asked permission from Lucas and Arcanine, then gently stroked its mane.
"Just looking at it, my inspiration is overflowing!"
She wiped the corner of her mouth, looking almost comically obsessed.
Her own Hisuian Growlithe ran circles around Arcanine, staring in awe at its evolved form.
After a while, Perrin calmed down. Seeing they were almost at the forest, she pulled out a small device from her backpack and fiddled with it.
Apparently, the gadget analyzed some sort of data. After a while, her eyes sparkled. "Lucas, you really are my lucky star!"
"How so?" Lucas asked, puzzled.
Perrin shook her finger, holding up her camera. "According to the detector, there's a 77.114% chance of fog in the Timeless Woods tonight!"
"And our target, the 'Bloodmoon,' is only ever seen in dense fog!"
"So, in conclusion: after almost a month in this ghostly place without finding the 'Bloodmoon,' I'll probably encounter it on your first day here. How can I not call you my lucky star?"
Lucas nodded thoughtfully, commanding Arcanine to chase off an Ariados attacking from above. "You keep mentioning the Bloodmoon, but have you figured out what kind of Pokémon it is?"
Perrin nodded. "I've got it figured out, thanks to the records passed down from my ancestors, eyewitness accounts, and clues. The real identity of the Bloodmoon is no longer a mystery to me."
"The real challenge is just how to meet it."
She paused, then continued:
"The so-called 'Bloodmoon' is another name for Ursaluna—the Pokémon I'm looking for."
"You've heard of it, right? Long ago there were many Ursaring with yellow crescent markings on their foreheads—but the Bloodmoon is different. Its moon is red—as if stained with blood. That's why people call it the 'Bloodmoon.'"
"It's existed since my homeland was still called Hisui. No one knows why, or when, it came to Kitakami and settled here."
"Maybe the climate, or a long journey—even crossing the sea—caused ordinary Ursaluna to become the 'Bloodmoon.'"
"My goal is just to photograph it. It's strong, so if there's a confrontation, I have no objection to you catching it."
Listening quietly, Lucas found himself at the edge of the Timeless Woods, suddenly enlightened.
So, the 'Bloodmoon' was just a different form of Ursaluna.
A regional variant, perhaps? Or an even further evolution?
Curiosity and anticipation filled Lucas, motivating him for the upcoming adventure.
Just as he and Perrin were about to enter the forest, a panicked cry sounded from behind them.
…
…
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