Chapter 32

Upon arriving at Kieran's house, we reunite with the others, including Luke, Bryce, and Golly. However, to our surprise, there are also two elderly individuals present with Kieran. The elderly man, presumably Kieran's grandfather, warmly inquires, "And who's these with you?"

Kieran, a bit flustered, introduces us, saying, "Oh, um... This is Ash, Serena, and Alice... They're part of the same school trip as me and Sis."

The grandfather responds with a friendly demeanor, "Oho! So these are new friends of yours, eh, Kieran?"

Eager to confirm our newfound friendship, I chime in, "Yeah, we sure are."

Kieran, overwhelmed by the thought of having new friends, stammers and blushes, "What?! R-really?! We're friends? F-friends... I feel all tingly and funny hearing that... Ehehe..."

Kieran's grandfather expresses his gratitude, bowing appreciatively and saying, "Thank you for befriending our Kieran here, Ash, Serena, and Alice."

His grandmother joins in, showing her interest, "Oh? Kieran's made a new friend?"

Kieran, still slightly flustered, introduces us to his grandma, saying, "Y...yeah! This is Ash, Serena, and Alice. This is my grandma."

With a warm smile, Kieran's grandmother extends her hospitality, remarking, "Well, fancy that! A friend of Kieran's! We're delighted to have you, Ash, Serena, Alice."

We respond in unison, conveying our gratitude, "It's nice to meet you." The warm welcome from Kieran's family solidifies the sense of camaraderie and friendship.

Kieran's grandmother suddenly recalls, "Goodness me, I'd nearly forgotten. The Festival of Masks starts tonight, doesn't it?" She's excited and hospitable, saying, "Come now, you Kieran, you six as well. I'll get out some jinbei for you so you can go to the festival all gussied up."

Kieran's enthusiasm is infectious as he cheers, "Hear that? We get to dress up in jinbei! Yay!"

But the grandma has more in store for us, insisting, "Now, now, don't go running off just yet - we have to do up your hair, too!"

Even though we have the convenience of our Ghost Manor outfits, the grandparents' kindness is touching as they provide each of us with jinbei outfits and help us with our hair preparations, making the upcoming festival all the more special and memorable.

Dressed in our colorful jinbei outfits, Kieran is taken aback by the transformation, exclaiming, "Whoa..."

His grandmother beams with delight, commenting, "They suit you mighty fine. Just as I thought they would!"

Kieran's grandfather joins in with his own jovial remark, saying, "Goodness, it's like we've gained some grandchildren! Hoho!"

"I imagine a stylish young thing like yourself could make good use of this too." To add to our festival experience, Kieran's grandmother generously presents us with Teal Style Cards, similar to the ones we received in Galar. We express our gratitude for their kindness and hospitality, feeling even more welcome and cherished as part of their extended family.

As we enjoy the warm hospitality of Kieran's grandparents and prepare for the Festival of Masks, a sudden interruption occurs. Carmine emerges and exclaims, "Hey, Gran, d'you know where my—?"

She then notices us and reacts with surprise, saying, "Gah! What're YOU doing here?"

Kieran, eager to explain, interjects, "Ash and his friends said... they'd go to the Festival of Masks with me..."

Carmine's initial reaction subsides somewhat, and she replies, "Oh, really? Is that so..."

Undeterred, Kieran questions his sister, "What's it matter anyway! What're YOU doin' back here?!"

Amidst the ongoing conversation and potential tension, Carmine suddenly recalls, "Oh, right. Gran, I couldn't find my mask for the festival."

The helpful grandmother offers a solution, stating, "Oh, the masks? They should be in the shed. I put them there after last year's festival."

The grandfather adds some details, saying, "It shouldn't be locked, so you can go have a rummage and see what you find."

With a burst of enthusiasm, Carmine exclaims, "All right! To the shed! First one there wins!" She dashes towards the shed, prompting Kieran to gasp and playfully protest, "Wait—Sis! You're such a cheater!"

The spirited sibling rivalry adds a lighthearted touch to the scene, as we observe the dynamic between Kieran and Carmine in anticipation of the festival.

Kieran's grandfather kindly addresses us, saying, "Please forgive those two. They can be a bit rambunctious."

I reassure him, "Don't worry," understanding that sibling dynamics can be lively.

As we make our way to the shed to join Carmine and Kieran, we find them engaged in a spirited search for masks. Carmine expresses her frustration, exclaiming, "Rrrghhh! But there's gotta be another one!"

Kieran notices our arrival and informs his sister, "Sis, they're here."

Carmine, seemingly irked by our presence, responds with a hint of annoyance, "Tch! Just rolling up like you own the place. Well, it looks like there're only two masks in the shed. Too bad, right? There's nothing I can do 'bout it! Guess you'll just have to do without a mask, eh? First come, first served, and all that!"

Understanding the situation, I respond with a resigned sigh, accepting the mask shortage.

Carmine, always ready for a challenge, suggests an alternative, saying, "C'mon now, don't look so glum! How about instead of a mask, I give you a battle in style? Festival style! Come on! Get in position!"

With the offer on the table, Serena steps forward to accept the challenge. Carmine sends out her team of four Pokémon, starting with Morpeko, while Serena chooses Krookodile as her first battler. Carmine, with a touch of flair, exclaims, "Feel free to be dazzled by how great I look in my jinbei. I'll win while you're distracted!"

The battle unfolds with strategic moves and interesting choices from both sides. Morpeko utilizes Seed Bomb and a Focus Sash to counter Krookodile's Ground-type moves. A Swadloon enters the fray, using Sticky Webs and Trailblaze to slow down Kilowattrel, Serena's Electric-type Pokémon. Mightyena deals substantial damage to Lokix with Fire Fang, but Serena's Pokémon still manage to secure victory against the first three opponents.

Carmine, undaunted by the loss, declares with confidence, "I'm gonna crush you and go to the festival feeling like a WINNER!" She sends out her final Pokémon, a Sinistcha. Serena switches to Ceruledge, who faces additional challenges with an Occa Berry and the Stun Spore move. Despite these disadvantages, Ceruledge ultimately prevails in the battle.

"Hey, you're supposed to be enamored and distracted by my festival style!" Carmine, momentarily disappointed by her inability to distract us with her festival style, eventually concedes, saying, "...Oh well! It's not like beating me was gonna cause another mask to magically appear. Now then, let me get MY mask..."

As they all prepare to wear their masks, Carmine proudly asks, "How's that? Look good, don't I?"

Kieran, showing his considerate nature, suggests, "I-it's OK, Ash... You can just wear my mask."

Carmine, however, quickly intervenes, preventing Kieran from offering his mask. She asserts, "What?! No! I already said it's first come, first served! And besides, that's YOUR ogre mask! You've always loved that mask best!"

"Yeah, but—" Kieran attempts to explain further, but Carmine firmly asserts her decision, saying, "Yeah, but—No buts about it! They can just get their own mask at the festival. They're fine! Now, move it! Let's go!"

Kieran, after Carmine's departure, opens up to us, saying, "Oof... Sorry, guys... I know my sis seems kinda harsh, b-but she's really not all that bad... Actually, she was tearin' the shed apart, tryin' to find a third mask for you before you got there... O-oh, but, uh, don't tell her I told you that!"

Alice empathizes, saying, "She is always like this."

I chip in, "Well, it's a good thing we bought some masks thanks to Serena and Alice." We each take a mask and put it on. Kieran smiles, "The Festival of Masks is held up at Kitakami Hall. W-we should probably get going..."

With our masks in place, we're ready to join the festivities and make the most of our time at the Festival of Masks.

As we arrive at Kitakami Hall, the bustling atmosphere of the Festival of Masks surrounds us. Many people, all wearing masks like us, mill about, and the vendors' stalls are alive with activity. Kieran explains, "This is the Festival of Masks! Today's just the first day. It'll keep going for a while..."

Carmine can't resist teasing, "I bet you don't have any festivals this big over in Paldea or wherever, right?"

Golly chimes in, "We don't, but we're not even from Paldea to begin with."

Carmine then offers to capture the moment with a group photo, suggesting, "I'll snap a photo so you can remember this amazing night forever. Gimme your Roto-Stick for a sec..." As we gather for the group photo, the crowded space leads to a few accidental foot-stepping incidents, but it only adds to the charm of the festival and our shared memories.

"Now that's what I call a nice festival vibe!" As we stroll through the festival, Carmine explains the significance of the Festival of Masks, saying, "The Festival of Masks is held so we can all honor the Loyal Three, the brave heroes of Kitakami! The Loyal Three are the Pokémon that once protected this land from the evil ogre, you know. Most of the kids in town wear masks of the Loyal Three, like me. Did I mention they're our heroes?"

Kieran can't help but chuckle, which irritates Carmine, "What? What're you laughin' at?"

"N-nothin'! I was just thinkin' it was funny that, like...you don't know anything about the ogre..." Kieran replies.

Carmine, getting defensive, retorts, "What?! I know the legends of Kitakami better than anybody! Pretty gutsy of your to laugh at your big sis!"

"S-sorry..." Kieran apologizes.

Carmine continues, "Kiki's still a little baby, so of course he thinks some kind of terrible monster's cool. He likes the ogre more than the Loyal Three."

Kieran quickly changes the subject by pointing out the candy apples at one of the stalls, "Oh, look! They've got candy apples! Let's go check out the stalls!" With that, we follow Kieran to explore the festival stalls, leaving the earlier tension behind.

As we explore the festival stalls, we come across various food and masks, enjoying our time together. Kieran, in particular, stops at the Candy Apple stall and buys seven candy apples, generously sharing them with us.

Luke points out, "You know we can just buy them ourselves."

Kieran responds with a smile, "Grandma gave me some pocket money, so it's no big deal. I love candy apples. You don't get to eat 'em every day, y'know? Grandma always just makes us mochi as a snack... There's even a Pokémon in Kitakami that looks like a little ol' candy apple—didja know that?"

I nod and say, "You mean Dipplin? I have one in my team."

"Already?" Golly chuckles, "That's brother for you." We all share a laugh at the thought of Kieran's quick decisions and preparedness.

We decide to check out the Ogre Oustin' game, where people are riding Stantlers and trying to pop balloons. The staff offers us a chance to participate, and since we're guests, they don't take our money.

Serena decides to give it a shot, saying, "You know, since my Mom is the famous Rider, how about I show my family's skills here?"

Bryce agrees, "That sounds nice. Let's go participate."

Carmine, who just finished her own run, challenges us with a smirk, "You're up for a run of Ogre Oustin', huh? I did one just now. It was pretty easy—for me, that is. My score was 6,390! Think you can do better?"

Kieran cheers for Serena, "Go get 'er, Ash! Serena!"

We decide to team up for the Ogre Oustin' game, with Serena and I riding on Koraidon and Miraidon to pop the balloons and collect the berries inside. We also need to fend off Skwovet and Munchlax trying to steal the berries. The game has four phases, each more challenging than the last, with an increasing number of berries to collect. In the end, we manage to complete the game with a score of 7,420.

Carmine, who had boasted about her earlier score, is shocked at her defeat and vents her frustration, "I, Carmine, Mossui's reigning champion of Ogre Balloon busting... have been defeated?! Aaaagh, I hate losing! I wanna have another go to get even, but I'm all out of pocket money..."

Alice congratulates us with a hug and says, "Way to go, Ash! Serena!"

"Thanks," I reply.

Carmine then commands her brother Kieran, "Kiki, you go and beat them for me!" However, Kieran hesitates and says, "N-no..."

Carmine is not pleased with his response and scolds him, "What's that? You're taking the side of an outsider over your own sister?! That makes me so annoyed I think I'm gonna black out!"

"Ugh... Sorry she's causin' such a scene. Don't worry—I'll deal with her. Why don'tcha go wander around a bit in the meantime?" Kieran then tries the Ogre Ousting on his own.

As we are having fun, I notice a small figure in a green cape observing us from a distance before quickly turning around and leaving. Intrigued, I decide to chase after them, with the others following behind.

"Brother? Where are you going?" Golly asks as we pursue the mysterious figure. I eventually catch up and find the person wearing a teal ogre mask. I approach and greet them, "Hello."

The child responds with excitement, "Hello! Are you enjoying the festival? It's fun!"

"Yeah, it sure is fun." I can see the child jumps up and down. Just then, Carmine arrives and starts talking about Kieran's lack of talent in the Ogre Oustin' game.

Suddenly, the child becomes frightened and rushes up the stairs. I call out to them, "Hey, wait!"

Carmine asks about the mysterious child, but none of us have any idea who they are. We hurry forward, and Carmine shouts, "Wait! You shouldn't run off on your own. Hey, new kid! That goes for you too!"

Suddenly, the child propels themselves upward using a Leaf Storm, catching us by surprise. Serena exclaims, "That's a Leaf Storm!"

As the child lands, the mask falls off, revealing a face that doesn't resemble a human. Luke questions, "A Pokemon?"

I pick up the mask and attempt to return it to her. Carmine also warns, "You should come back! The mountain's dangerous at night!"

However, the child, or perhaps the Pokemon, ignores our calls and swiftly flees into the mountains.

"Who was that? Where did that kid come from...?" Carmine asks, clearly puzzled.

"I don't think it's a kid. It used Leaf Storm, and no ordinary humans can do that," I point out.

"What are you talking about? Wait, do you mean...? That kid we just saw... They ran off toward the mountain... Could that have been the ogre?! From the story on all the signboards? Are you saying that story was TRUE?!" Carmine gasps, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"The Ogre?" We begin to connect the dots and come to the realization that it might indeed be the ogre. I hold up the mask and say, "I mean, they did drop a mask... so they really must be..."

Kieran arrives and asks, "Guys! Sis! What are you guys doing over here?"

Alice starts to explain, but Carmine suddenly covers her mouth and exclaims, "HEY! Wait—stop, stop, stop!"

"Huh? Why are you yelling all of a sudden, Sis?" Kieran inquires with confusion.

"It's nothing! It's nothing you'd be interested in at all, I swear!" Carmine quickly retorts.

"Hmm. Oh, I get it. I bet you were making fun of me behind my back..." Kieran says, his face falling slightly. He then turns and states, "I'm just... gonna head back to the festival..."

After Kieran leaves, Carmine lets out a sigh of relief, "Phew. At least he didn't figure out what we were really talking about."

"What did you do that for?" I ask, my frustration evident.

Carmine defends herself, saying, "Don't scare me like that—blabbing for the whole world to hear! Don't you have any filter? See, Kiki really likes the ogre. Like, really, really, REALLY likes it. So, if he found out we'd seen the ogre without him... I guess I was afraid he'd feel bad, y'know? Feel left out or something... Am I overthinking it? 'Sides, I didn't want him running up the mountain to follow the ogre at this hour, either."

"We don't know if that is the case," Serena points out, rolling her eyes.

Carmine continues, "Well, in any case, we already lied about it, and that's that. Let's keep this whole thing our little secret, OK? And maybe hold off on showing Kiki that mask you just picked up, too." We sigh, realizing she has a point, and reluctantly agree to keep the situation under wraps.

With the events at the Festival of Masks behind us, we make our way back to our respective homes, each of us harboring the secret of the encounter with the mysterious Pokémon that appeared to be the ogre from the legends.

Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, you can see that the group has met the Ogre. I hope you like this chapter.

Ash and Serena's Pokemon:

Charizard x2, Pikachu x2, Primeape, Tauros (Paldean) x3, Lapras, Girafarig, Dunsparce, Steelix (Crystal), Sceptile, Gardevoir (Shiny), Garchomp, Lucario, Krookodile, Zoroark, Bisharp, Greninja, Sylveon, Noivern, Lycanroc (Dusk), Mimikyu (Shiny), Corviknight, Indeedee x2, Kleavor, Sneasler, Floragato, Crocalor, Quaxwell, Oinkologne x2 (Male/Female), Spidops, Lokix, Pawmot, Maushold x2 (Family of four/three), Dachsbun, Dolliv, Squawkabilly x4, Naclstack, Armarouge, Ceruledge, Bellibolt, Kilowattrel, Mabosstiff, Grafaiai, Brambleghast, Toedscruel, Klawf, Scovillain, Rabsca, Flittle, Tinkatuff, Wugtrio, Bombirdier, Finizen, Varoom, Cyclizar, Orthworm, Glimmet, Flamigo, Clodsire, Dipplin, Sinistcha