"An actual Ursaluna in the Timeless Woods? And this is no hoax?" Perfuma asked.
"Yep. We're putting a team together with Mahiru to catch it." Hope said.
"Indeed, considering this is a Pokémon from the distant past, we'd best be respectful to it and show we mean no harm." Natyal said.
"A Pokémon from the distant past… Why does that seem so…familiar?" Glacius asked.
"Hey…maybe if you guys catch Ursaluna and bring it back so Glacius and Esmerelda can see, it might trigger some memories they lost." Frosta recommended.
"It's worth a try at least." Hope said.
"Forgive us. We know we definitely have been somewhere with Pokémon, but… It doesn't seem like we brought any back with us." Glacius said. "Forgive our intrusion, but I'm afraid neither Esmeralda or I will be of much help."
"Plus this was a full-scale wipe. We're not going to be able to bring back any of their memories." Ethox said.
"Even so…I think I do want to get a better picture of the Bloodmoon Beast." Mahiru said.
"Even after it left you scared stiff last time?" David asked.
"Photographer's dignity." Mahiru said.
"Okay…" Twilight said. "Let's get going."
It didn't take long for the group to enter the Timeless Woods to start their search.
"Now…while we're scouring, be sure to note any places where you see Pokémon." Mahiru said.
"Don't worry. We'll be…" Mark said before seeing an Ariados and some Spinarak in a tree. "Found some."
"Oh, Ariados and Spinarak from the Johto region." Cure Starlight noticed. "Those look cool, but I'm gonna refrain from catching either of them unless I wanna get hit by Poison Sting."
"Excellent. If we document what Pokémon live in the forest, it should help narrow down where the beast roams." Mahiru said.
"Oh…my gosh." Scott said.
"What? Find something?" Ramona asked.
"Yep." Scott said, pointing to a Volbeat flying to an Illumise.
"Volbeat and Illumise from the Hoenn region. Those two are quite the pair from what I saw and heard." Zi-O remarked.
"Aw, they look just like you two." Mermista said to Scott and Ramona.
"So true." Scott said.
"So, what's this Ursaluna look like anyway?" Mermista asked.
"Well…unlike the Ursaluna we saw in Hisui, this one stood on two legs instead of four." Hope said.
"Oh…I think I hear muttering over…" Dhar said only to look in disappointment to see a couple of Hatenna.
"Just Hatenna." Mari said.
"How cute!" Serena smiled. "Which region is that Pokémon from?"
"The Galar region, Serena, which is basically the Pokémon version of the UK." Shirabe answered.
"Still can't believe such a comparison exists in this world." Cecilia remarked.
"We're definitely learning something of the ecosystem here." Mahiru said.
"Yeah, well we aren't even close to finding a…" Eddy said as a skull looked at him as he shrieked before flying past him was a Duskull.
"Well, that was certainly surprising." Elisabeth said.
"Whoa! Check out this!" Mermista said, finding some Basculin with white stripes.
"White Striped Basculin. Originally from the Hisui region. Guess they migrated here when the times changed." Hope said.
"I'm gonna catch one." Mermista said. "I so want a Basculegion on my team, I'm not even kidding."
"You're gonna need this." Zi-O pulled out a Hisuian Ultra Ball.
"Don't worry. I…eh, what the heck? Go with the theme." Mermista said, taking it before tossing it at one of the Basculin and captured it. "Nice!"
"Yeah…we're doing real…ah!" Theo said as he tripped on a Geodude. "Seriously?" he said as the Geodude went off.
Elisabeth looked around as something small skittered by. "What is…" she said, seeing a small Ralts moving about. "Such innocence in your eyes, perhaps you would like to accompany me?" she said smiling as the Ralts shyly approached and stood next to her.
"Oh, a Ralts!" Serena recognized. "I caught that one before and evolved it into Gardevoir, and our bond became stronger ever since."
"Okay…we're narrowing it down to…" Mahiru said as she saw the large hulking figure of the Bloodmoon Ursaluna roaming about. "Guys!" she said quickly as they looked over. "It's even more amazing to look at than I remember. Now…" she said, setting up for a picture before snapping it as the flash went off. "Damn it. Forgot about the flash." she said as the Ursaluna roared.
"Mahiru, look out!" Natyal said as she went to stop its attack.
"Thank you. Now how about a little help before this thing decides to dice me up?" Mahiru asked as she ran from it.
"Don't worry, we're on it." Mayumi said as she sent out Honchkrow.
"Hey big guy, over here!" Mermista said as Cramorant hit Bloodmoon Ursaluna with a super effective Dive, getting its attention off Mahiru and to the others. "That got its attention. Now it's after us."
"Honchkrow, Dark Pulse!" Mayumi said as Honchkrow fired a dark blast at Ursaluna.
Ursaluna roared as it gathered lunar energy in its claws before unleashing it as it knocked both bird Pokémon into the trees.
"Yikes. That was one powerful blast." Mayumi said.
"It must be a move that this Ursaluna perfected in its time here." Twilight said.
"Well, it's definitely not a Ground-type move, as it managed to hit them." Mayumi said. "But this thing is very tough, that is for sure."
"It's gotta be a Normal Type move then." Titanica said. "We'll need to keep hitting it until it's weak enough for capture."
"Hmm… I got an idea." David said as he sent out Froslass. "Ice Punch!" he said as Froslass went to strike Ursaluna with an icy fist.
"Ah, that's right. Ground types are weak against Ice." Twilight said.
"And since that attack it used is Normal-type, and Froslass is a Ghost-type, Ursaluna won't be able to use it on her." David said.
Ursaluna roared as it performed a Slash attack, but to Froslass's surprise, the attack landed a hit on it.
"Ow…" Froslass said as she slowly got up.
"I thought Normal moves don't work on Ghosts." Mark said.
"They don't. Unless…this Ursaluna has a unique ability that ignores the usual type ineffectiveness." Twilight said.
"Well, this just became a problem. You okay?" David said.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Froslass said. "First time I've ever been hit with a Normal Type move. This one…it really is a fierce beast."
"Yeah. We might just have our hands full with this one." David said.
"Like I was trying to say before, we need to attack it all together." Titanica said.
"She's right." Mermista said. "Let's all attack on 3."
"Ready when you are." Mayumi said as Honchkrow recovered.
"Yeah. I'm all prepped." Titanica said, sending out Appletun.
"And…go!" they all said as all four Pokémon ganged up on the beast as it battled for a bit before collapsing on one knee.
"Its weakened. Let's catch it now!" Titanica said.
"Let me!" Hope said, tossing a regular Pokeball at the Bloodmoon Beast. The ball shook for a bit as everyone was on edge. However, they calmed down as soon as the click was heard.
"We…we did it." Titanica said.
"Yeah but…who actually gets this Ursaluna?" Twilight asked.
"You know what? I think we should all share it." Hope said. "It took all of us to bring it down, and I'm sure it can learn a lot from each of us observing it."
"Wow…that is actually very kind of you." Jexi said.
"Hey, I wasn't gonna keep this guy to myself. We all made the journey through Hisui, so it's only fair Ursaluna belongs to all of us." Hope said.
Jexi's comm then rang. "That was Hayase. He's finished repairing the mask." he said.
"Alright! With the Teal Mask repaired, we can approach Ogerpon as friends." Makoto said.
The group returned to the village after the long battle as they found the town abuzz with gossip.
"Huh…things are certainly lively." Starlight said. "Hey, uh…what's going on?"
"You don't know? The Loyal Three have returned to us from the dead!" one of the villagers said as said villager went to Kitakami Hall.
"Guys!" Carmine said running to them. "Did you hear…"
"Yeah…just did." Theo said as they all rushed to Kitakami Hall. "Hey, where are those no good three?"
"Uh…I think you mean the Loyal Three. It seems a trio of good samaritans went out of their way to revive them from the dead." the village elder said. "They wanted to come here at the Loyal Three's behest. The Loyal Three wanted the ogres masks we were keeping here, so…we gave them to them."
"You what?!" Carmine asked.
"Not only that, but we treated both trios to a feast of mochi so they should be all healed up and maybe stronger than ever." the elder said.
"And you FED them?!" Carmine asked again.
"Where did they go after?" Nami asked.
"They went up Oni Mountain to finish off the Ogre. Such a dutiful lot." the elder said.
"Oni Mountain…they're going to take revenge on Ogerpon!" Ethox said.
"And Esther's gonna get caught in the crossfire!" Brief realized in shock.
"Oh, hell no!" Panty said.
"To the mountain!" Simon said.
A little bit earlier…
"(Okay, little one.)" Ogerpon said to Esther as it carried her. "(We're about to go on a little trip to the spring above for a nice little bath.)" they said as Esther giggled but not before Ogerpon was knocked back by a chain. "(What the?)" Ogerpon said before seeing three familiar faces.
"(Well well…if it isn't the ogre who did us in.)" Okidogi said.
"(You look like you've seen a ghost. Course, not surprising for someone so slow-witted.)" Munkidori snickered.
"(Of course, you're going to become a spirit pretty soon.)" Fezandipiti said.
"(How are you three alive?! I should've…)" Ogerpon said before Okidogi knocked it to the ground.
"(The how doesn't matter. Point is, we're back. And this time, we're not gonna let you ruin our fun or our thievery.)" Okidogi said.
Esther started to whimper and cry as she saw this.
"(Well, you've taken to raising a human baby now? Makes sense to replace the old one we broke.)" Munkidori said.
"(But it's so shrimpy. Let's try and toughen it up.)" Okidogi said, raising a foot to stomp on her, only for Ogerpon to take the hit. "(Move!)"
"(I don't care what you do to me. You can hurt me, beat me up, maybe even take my life. But…this female human is…family. I…I WON'T LET A SINGLE THING HAPPEN TO HER!)" Ogerpon called out.
"(Fine. Then you can die with her!)" Okidogi said.
"ESTHER!" the Pokémon heard a voice shout in horror. Turning towards the source, they saw Mark, Panty, Stocking, and the rest of the group running towards them.
"(Hey, you jerks!)" Margaret shouted as the Galarian Three charged ahead. "(Stay away from Esther! And Ogrepon too!)"
"(Huh? Who're they?)" Okidogi asked.
"(That boy…)" Ogerpon said, looking at Mark. "(He's the one from the festival…)" she said as Esther was reaching for him. "(So that is your family. They came for you.)" Ogerpon smiled.
"(They must be the 'Hero Alliance' those humans told us about.)" Munkidori said. "(We're definitely outnumbered here.)"
"(Well….luckily…we have a bargaining chip.)" Fezandipiti said, emerging from the cave and holding the seven bracelets in its talons.
"The bracelets!" Sectonia said.
"(To any of you who can understand us. If you approach us, I'll drop the bracelets off the mountain and into the river below. You'll never find them again as they wash off this land and into the sea.)" Fezandipiti said.
"(You think we'll let you do that?!)" Margaret said, raring to fight.
"(What can you all do? We're the heroes of this island. That means everything on it belongs to us. The food, the shiny things…even the hearts of all who live on it!)" Okidogi said.
"(And all we have to do is say you all are evil accomplices of the ogre and we can get away with anything we do.)" Munkidori laughed.
"(It's amazing how humans can be so trusting and so stupid at the same time.)" Fezandipiti said as the trio started laughing.
Margaret was about to make a move before Titanica's Cinderace raced past her and landed a strike on the bird, forcing him to drop the bracelets before Cinderace kicked them all back to the group.
"Whew… Nice one." David said.
"Thanks." Titanica said.
"(Tch. So much for that. Scatter!)" Fezandipiti said as the trio spread out across the land.
"Well, that's one mistake they've made. They've split up." Zi-O said. "Meaning they won't be able to gang up on us."
"They won't get far. We'll catch them eventually." Simon said.
"Least we got…wait…" Alear said, looking over the bracelets. "No. My ring isn't here!"
"Marth must still be with Flux." Hope said.
"We'll go after Marth later. Let's focus on those three Pokémon first." Geiz stated.
"Esther!" Panty said, running up to where Ogrepon and her daughter were, scooping the latter into her arms. "Thank freaking God you're okay…" she said as she hugged Esther, the baby girl sighing happily.
Meanwhile, Mark walked up to Ogrepon, his Pokémon alongside him.
"(You. You were taking care of Esther all this time?)" Asura asked.
"(Well…yes. I was. We were like family for the last couple of days.)" Ogerpon said. "(I would give up my life to protect that child. Just like my friend would have once upon a time.)"
"(...I see. You have our thanks.)" Deus nodded. "(In return, we have something for you.)"
Mark then pulled out the teal mask and handed it to Ogrepon. "Here, you dropped this during the festival. ...Thank you for taking care of my sister."
"(My mask…)" Ogerpon said as she took it.
"(Come to think of it, those three lowlives still have your other masks, don't they?)" Skeledirge said.
"(They won't have them for long!)" Mithra said.
"(You're…willing to risk your lives…to get back those masks for me? Why? You barely even know me.)" Ogerpon asked.
"(You saved Esther from the Universal Villains. Took care of her, even at your own expense. Protected her from those lowlives.)" Deus said. "(You have earned your place as a member of this kingdom…of this family.)"
"(And we all look out for family, no matter what!)" Margaret added.
Ogerpon was stunned upon hearing all of this. She had spent so many uncounted years alone, she never thought of having any other near her. But, this moment changed right before her eyes.
"(Thank…you.)" she spoke with a soft smile.
"Looks like we've got a new mission. Get the other three masks back for our girl Ogerpon." Glimmer said.
"Yeah, we… wait, Ogerpon's a girl?" DW typed. "I thought the bird was the chick in this story!"
"Nope. Totally wasn't." David said.
"Huh, the more you know." Kiana blinked in surprise.
"Okay, first things first, we need to figure out where each of the three went." Jexi said.
"We might be able to figure it out by asking around town. With the village idolizing them, they should be able to tell us what we want to know." David said.
"It's the only lead we have right now." Al said.
"First we need to know who's who." Adora said.
"I think I might be able to get a read." Shun'ei said getting out his Pokédex. "Okay, let's see…"
"Okidogi, the Retainer Pokémon! A Poison and Fighting Type! After all its muscles were stimulated by the toxic chain around its neck, Okidogi transformed and gained a powerful physique."
"So the buff-looking green dog is Okidogi. Makes sense. What about the monkey with the giant head?" Stocking asked.
"Munkidori, the Retainer Pokémon! A Poison and Psychic Type! Munkidori keeps itself somewhere safe while it toys with its foes, using psychokinesis to induce intense dizziness."
"And the pheasant?" Simon asked.
"Fezandipiti, the Retainer Pokémon! A Poison and Fairy Type! Fezandipiti owes its beautiful looks and lovely voice to the toxic stimulants emanating from the chain wrapped around its body."
"Sheesh… talk about vain. That one looks like a total FPG." Panty said.
"A what?" Bow asked.
"I don't think we want to know what that means." David said.
"Yeah… I'm not translating that." Cure Starlight sweatdropped.
"Right…Did anyone manage to get trackers on them?" Bardock asked.
"They were so quick to scatter, there wasn't enough time." Titanica said.
"Well, guess we're going with David's idea. Ask around town and see if anyone knows where they went." Shun'ei said.
"Yeah…let's go." Jexi said.
They headed towards the village as Ogerpon stood outside.
"(I'll…just stay here.)" Ogerpon said, very scared about entering the village.
"That's okay. We understand why you don't want to." Hope said.
"Yeah, the people of the village are ostracizing her. She can't come in without getting lashings." David said.
"I'd like to think the people have become a bit nicer than that these days…but best not to risk it." Cap-P agreed.
"Fair enough." Houki noted. "Stay safe, Ogerpon."
They moved across the village and started gathering as much info as possible before regrouping.
"Okay…from what we learned…Okidogi is roaming around the Paradise Barrens. Munkidori is keeping itself safe near the lake in the Wistful Fields. As for Fezandipiti, he's still flying around somewhere on the mountain." Twilight said.
"And with that mochi the elder said he fed them, they're gonna be tougher to deal with than normally." David said.
"But we'll be able to defeat them. No matter what they've got up their sleeves." Hope said.
"Yeah, you're right. They may have gotten stronger, but at the end of the day, they're still Pokémon, just like all the others." David said.
"And like all Pokémon, there isn't a single one that can't be caught." Adora said.
"Just a reminder that beating the three of them and taking back the masks is the priority." Jexi said.
"That won't be a problem." Simon said.
"Munkidori's the closest one of them near Mossui Town, so let's get him first." Glimmer said.
"Put us down for Okidogi next!" Makoto said.
"Saving Fezandipiti for last, eh? Alright. Sounds good." David said.
"Or we could just split up and handle them at the same time." Titanica said.
"Yeah, I think that may be the better option." David said.
"Oh, and guys?" Mark spoke up, the group turning to look at him. "These three tried to hurt Esther. There's no need to be gentle."
"You don't need to tell us twice. Leave Fezandipiti to me. My team can handle him no problem." David said.
"I've got Munkidori. I don't know why, but he kind of reminds me of Kokichi." Himiko said.
"Guess that leaves me with Okidogi. You guys don't mind, right?" Shun'ei asked.
"Then it's settled. And remember, we're doing this for Ogerpon." Jexi said as they all nodded.
"Yes sir!" The three aforementioned Trainers said.
Zi-O punched his open fist with confidence. "Time for some payback."