Toa Solaric: Hello again, everyone! I'm back again in my realm of dream today of do an one-shot.
I don't own anything here.
Pokemon: My Teal Mask Conclusion
"We're so sorry, dear ogre!"
"Ogerpon is so cute!"
"Stop…" Ryuga muttered quietly.
The more he hears of their apologies to Ogerpon, he can't help but remembered what Carmine's grandfather told them about the truth behind Ogerpon. And now, the villagers hear the same story and go out to apologize to Ogerpon when three come back with Kieran.
Ryuga, the boy from the Paldea region, couldn't help feeling a surge of anger boiling within himself. Did the villagers really think that a simple apology would fix everything that their village had done to Ogerpon?
They took her masks… the last remnants of her memories with her former master.
They make Ogre Ousting to advertise the so-called 'heroes' who chased Ogerpon when she was nothing more than a victim.
"We're so sorry, dear ogre!"
"Ogerpon is so cute!"
"Stop... stop toying with Ogerpon's life!" The young boy from Paldea has enough of the sugarcoating that they are giving to Ogerpon.
This made everyone including Carmine, Ogerpon, and Kieran look onward in shock and disbelief at the young boy from Paldea.
"What are you doing-" The villager tried to question before Ryuga glared at them intensely.
"I am calling you all hypocrites! All of you!" Ryuga growls menacing, making them flinch. "All Ogerpon ever wanted was her wish to be realized! Your village turned everything into a game! You used Ogerpon to advertise your bloody village without any regard to how she felt, or see how she suffered! You don't care she isn't alive!" he snapped with furious in his tone.
Carmine tried to calm Ryuga down. "Wait, Ryuga! Please calm-"
*SLAP!*
Carmine looks stunned when the young boy slaps her hand from him.
"Don't get in my way..." Ryuga said in a rare cold tone, "These apologies that the villagers making are nothing more than sugarcoating their actions and it pissed me off. I want to bring this place down for living off Ogerpon's suffering for years. All those years they stole from her when she could be happier…"
Carmine can't help, but remain where she was. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, some parts of Ryuga's words were true.
Kieran tried to interfere when he saw Ryuga berating the village. "Wait, that is not true! I have always loved the Ogre from the—"
Suddenly a bright light got in Kieran's way as Skeledirge, Toxtricity, Corviknight, Gallade, and Baxcalibur standing in the way. However, they have more rage expressions upon their face as they let out a union roar as they resonate with their trainer's anger for the injustice actions to Ogerpon.
Kieran and the villagers couldn't help but move slowly back from the sight of these angry pokemon as Ryuga stared hard at Kieran and the villagers.
"Do you know why she stay around Kitakami after everything happened to her, Kieran? The Masks… this village is stolen from her was here and her hope of reclaiming them without resorting to violence toward the village after what happened… but that will never happen as long as the village continues to hold this wicked tradition." Ryuga asked, making the young boy flinched.
"Her Masks…?" It wasn't just Kieran, but Carmine was also in shock when she wondered when Ryuga had the time to ask Ogerpon the question.
"Her Masks are her last link with her friend whom she lost tragedy and why she always lurking around the mountain and watching from below. But you never have the gut to asks when you flee yourself back to your village when Carmine offered you. You are just like them." Ryuga continued calmly.
"You think that you are worthy of her… because you think you're a hero in a story?!" Kieran snapped in angry and mostly jealousy as this shocked most of the villagers including his family.
This made the boy from Paldea narrow his eyebrows at him.
"A hero? Do you really need a special position in order to save someone or anyone? Do you really need that position so everyone can praised for beating up someone who just wanted to get their precious items back? Do you really need that special position to get everyone to listen to you about the whole truth? The truth that they used a kind pokemon as a scapegoat and made her bullies heroes for generations?" Ryuga retorted seriously. "Do you really need that special position by waiting for her to come back so you can impress her when you should stand beside her in her distress? If that is your standard of being a hero… then I rejected all of them!" Ryuga declared, making Kieran flinch in shock.
"Even though this field trip is going to be short, I will fight my way out of here. After all, my Champion Rank isn't for show." Ryuga added.
And at that, Koraidon appeared from his Pokeball and also looked ready to fight.
This made the young boy look slightly surprised. "Oh? You also want action this time? Well after facing the other one I doubt many things can scare you." Ryuga replied with a smirk.
"Giiiiias!"
Ogerpon just looks surprised at the boy from Paldea. "Pon…?"
Ryuga looks softly at her. "Ogerpon you have chosen to go with me, so as a member of my team I assure you: You will have nothing to fear with us around... though I know you are very strong yourself, and yet you haven't unleashed your rage against this village... you really are kindhearted." He added sincerity before he turned and glared at Kieran and the villagers.
"You make me laugh, Kieran. You wanted Ogerpon here where she will suffered more loneliness and despair by being your prized possession? That will never happen as long as we're around." Ryuga stated defiantly. "If you continue to treat Ogerpon as your valuable prize rather than a living being… then we show you no mercy!" he declared with resolve.
(Few days later)
"I see… So the lore of the three Loyal Pokemons was false…" Director Clavell finished after hearing Ryuga's account about what happened.
"And the village was living off of Ogerpon's suffering," Ryuga added calmly, sitting on the opposite of Director's desk.
The Director took a moment to recollect everything he heard and got up before making his way forward to Ryuga.
"After I heard your accounts of what happened in Kitakami and the origin, I had no right to be angry with you in the slightest. If I was the one who found out the truth, I would brought the village's tradition down years ago and give Ogerpon a home in Paldea." Clavell said truthfully.
"I see. So what… happens now?" Ryuga asked.
"Unlike what happens in Area Zero, this news is something I can bring forward to the public… but there is one thing that concerns me," Clavell said, making the young boy raise an eyebrow.
"And what is that?" The young boy asked.
"Those three Pokemons… you mentioned were brought back to life from their gravesite, correct?" Clavell inquired seriously. That is one part of Ryuga's story that doesn't make any sense to the director.
"Yeah, it was unbelievable when that happened after Kieran left their grave," Ryuga said.
"Did you think that Kieran revived them somehow with Ogerpon's mask?" Clavell asked.
The young boy ponders the question before shaking his head.
"I don't think so… Ogerpon's Teal Mask can only revive plant lives, Director Clavell." Ryuga answered truthfully.
"I see…" Clavell muttered. 'If it is not the Kieran boy, then—Impossible. Considered who 'she' is and why she wants to go down there. There is no doubt that 'she' being the one responsible for bringing them back to live, then that also means the lore about the lake on the mountain is genuine…' He pondered.
"Director, do you have an idea on how they were brought back?" Ryuga asked.
"I have a theory, but I don't have enough evidence to proved if it is true or not. I will let you know the staff and I will get to the bottom of this mystery." Clavell said that this is a promise to one of the students who helped save Paldea.
"I see…" Ryuga said.
"Master Ryuga, how is Ogerpon doing?" Clavell inquired about the new pokemon Ryuga has.
"She is doing fine. But still not used to new people besides me and my Pokemon after we came back here." Ryuga replied, gesturing to the friend ball on his belt. Clavell nodded.
"That is understandable for what happens to her. But there is no doubt that there are those who refused to accept the truth about Ogerpon, you have a heavy responsibility for her to show the world that." The director said.
"I know that when she chooses to be with me, I won't give up on her." Ryuga said with a smirk. Clavell smiled.
"I won't hold you here for any further. I'm positive that your friends would want to see you after your return from the short field trip. And should you ever need to speak about this, feel free to come to my office and talk to me." The Director spoke as he went and opened the door for his student.
The young boy got off his chair and waved his hand to the Director before heading out of the front door. The young boy soon wandered down the hallway.
"I wonder what should I show her?" Ryuga pondered about his planning of showing Ogerpon around Paldea and what places he might start.
Just then he hears footsteps making their way toward him, Ryuga turns around to see his friends Arven, Penny, and Nemona.
"Hey guys," Ryuga greeted casually.
"Pero bueno! Ryuga, when did you come back and what happened to the field trip?" Nemona questioned with a surprised expression.
"And why were you in Clavell's office?" Arven asked with a worried expression.
"I decided to end the trip shortly, guys." Ryuga answered truthfully. After everything they went together in Area Zero, he can at least be honest with them about what happened.
"What do you mean shortly…? What did you do?" Penny asked carefully.
"How about I get some snacks first before we head to my dorm room? It will take some time… Talking about it with Director Clavell was exhausting." Ryuga suggested. Not to mention the memories of what happened in Kitakami were still fresh on his mind.
(Few hours later)
"And that is why I came back here earlier with the field trip canceled." Ryuga finished his story.
They were sitting scatter around in Ryuga's dorm room. But Penny, Arven, and Nemona were completely silent after Ryuga just finished telling his account. Not that Ryuga wasn't surprised by his friends' reaction since he was like them when finding out everything about Kitakami lore being a lie.
"So that's why you came back earlier after you fight their village?" Arven asked.
"So all Ogerpon wanted was getting her masks back… but was treated as a monster while her bullies become heroes?" Nemona asked slightly shocked before becoming angry. "What in the world is wrong with them?"
"So the lore of Kitakami was nothing more the lies and they used to build an advertisement for their village." Penny scoffed. For some, the true story of Ogerpon was something that resonated with her and Team Star.
Ryuga nodded while eating his snack.
"But seriously, did you have to pull a reckless stun like that in the field trip?" Penny continued, glaring at Ryuga.
Ryuga looks at the blue and red-haired girl. "Ever since I hear the truth story about Ogerpon… I can't help but feel a sense of disgust over how I felt over the village and how they used her suffering for profit. That is why I volunteered to help get Ogerpon's masks back and know her better. By the time we returned to the village after retrieving the masks, I couldn't help but feel angry at the villagers. Angry that the villagers were trying to sugarcoat what they were using Ogerpon's suffering as a way to profit their village and that they were fine by it. Angry at Kieran for trying to use this method to get Ogerpon when he didn't come with us. I can't simply let them near Ogerpon again, or they would simply treat her as a prize rather than a living being with feelings and emotions. My pokemons feel the same as I did." Ryuga replied honestly as this made his friends felt sympathize with him.
"So… can we see her, Bud?" Arven asked, feeling really curious about his friend's new Pokemon and someone who Ryuga was willing to protect from Kitakami people.
"Sure… but she is rather shy around new people," Ryuga said before getting out the friend ball and summoning Ogerpon out.
"Poni?" Ogerpon stirred up from her sleep on the floor. She suddenly became startled by the appearance of Ryuga's friends before she placed on her teal mask to cover her face.
"So that Ogerpon?" Penny asked, as she and others looked amazed and intrigued of the new pokemon.
"Ay, Dios Mios! She is so cute!" Nemona said before trying to hug Ogerpon. But the mask pokemon leaped out of the way and went to the safest spot… behind Ryuga's back.
"You really need to know when to read the mood, Prez." Arven said, pinching the arch of his nose.
"What was that?!" Nemona retorted with a tick mark.
Ryuga gently petted Ogerpon and offered some snacks to her. "Don't worry. No one here is going to hurt you." He said softly.
"Pon…" Ogerpon whispered before careful eat the snacks under her mask.
"So what Director says about the truth behind Ogerpon?" Penny asked curious.
"He thinks that it will take some time to publish the story but there are those who might refuse to accept it. But I don't really care. Ogerpon is a kindhearted pokemon than what they say. She has more chance of being happier here than Kitakami. I'm going to make sure of that." Ryuga replied smiling.
"You mean us," Nemona interjected. "We can work on battling to help her overcome her shyness now!" she proposes her new plan to help Ogerpon open up to everyone.
This made Ryuga chuckle, "Sure… but I warned you, Ogerpon is really strong." He pointed out as she lasted longer than any one his team faced before.
"My team can take whatever she throws at!" Nemona said with a grin.
Ryuga then turns toward Ogerpon who stares back at him with her teal mask on. "Do you want a battle? I am sure Nemona and her pokemons would be great practice for you until you can comfortably stand in front of a crowd." He offered kindly.
The mask pokemon thought about it carefully before she nodded.
"Great," Nemona said, feeling excited to fight against Ogerpon.
AN: That is the end of this one shot. This is based a something I thought after playing the new Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon S/V. Something that I wished could happened when the villagers found out the truth and something that I wished they allowed our player character to speak. Even if the village apologized after what Kieran told them about Ogerpon, it is still not enough to justify the fact that they have been living on the suffering and scandalized Ogerpon had to endure for a very long time. Their ancestors basically built wealth upon a misunderstanding and scandalization they placed on Ogerpon! There could be a chance that the truth will create something very negative. But I understand why the game company might not turn the DLC much darker, or it will make the game's rating up.
Even though this is a short one-shot, it is a great message to many about how deeply Ogerpon had been abused in Kitakami and shouldn't be allowed to get away with what they did.