Disclaimer: We don't own Loud House or Pokemon. All rights to Loud House belong to Nickelodeon. All rights to Pokemon belong to Nintendo and Game Freak.
Truth Revealed
Early the next morning, Lincoln and Clyde wake up, get dressed in the jinbei they wore last night, had something quick to eat, and head out to Reveler's Road.
"What are we gonna do now, Lincoln?" Clyde asked his best friend.
"I'm gonna work off all the calories from the food I ate last night." said Lincoln.
"Why?" asked Clyde.
"If by some chance Ms. Dendra was watching Iono's livestream of us at the festival and saw everything we ate, she's gonna probably make us do another rigorous workout routine." said Lincoln, making Clyde shudder. "I'd rather do that myself without her blowing that whistle of hers in my ear while I do so."
"I'll join you." said Clyde. He and Lincoln then run up and down the hill of Reveler's Road up to Kitakami Hall five times, then do fifty sit-ups, push-ups, and jumping jacks. After they were done, they take a small rest.
"I'm not nearly as tired as I was when I first started doing Ms. Dendra's workouts." said Lincoln.
"Maybe our bodies are getting used to them." said Clyde.
"Probably." said Lincoln.
"Let's train up our Chimchar and Turtwig for a while." suggested Clyde.
"Yeah, we should have them get caught up with our other Pokemon." said Lincoln.
The two begin to train their Chimchar and Turtwig for a little while; shortly after they do, Lincoln's Chimchar freezes up and starts to glow.
"He's evolving!" said Lincoln.
"That was fast!" said Clyde. The two watch as Chimchar started to change before their eyes; when he was done, he was taller, his fur was a paler shade of orange, around his eyes was a blue, masklike brow that framed most of them, he had a yellow stripe around each of his upper arms, he had a collar of white fur around his neck, and he had a long tail with a flame on the end of it.
"Cool!" said Lincoln as he takes out his Rotom Phone and points it towards his newly evolved Chimchar.
"Monferno, the Playful Pokemon, and the evolved form of Chimchar. It skillfully controls the intensity of the fire on its tail to keep its foes at an ideal distance." said Lincoln's Rotom Phone.
"Awesome!" said Lincoln. "And this says he's part fire and part fighting type now, and he learned Mach Punch after evolving!"
"I wonder how close my Turtwig is to evolving." said Clyde.
"Let's keep training. Maybe he's close." said Lincoln.
The two continue to train their Pokemon for a while. Lincoln's Monferno learned Fury Swipes, and Turtwig learned Curse; shortly after he did, he froze up and started to glow.
"Now Turtwig's evolving." said Clyde. Turtwig began to change shape; when the glowing stopped, Turtwig was bigger, his shell was yellow and had two trees on it, a yellow lower jaw, and yellow feet. Clyde takes out his Rotom Phone and points it at his newly evolved Turtwig.
"Grotle, the Grove Pokemon. Grotle live in the forest. Each is said to have its own secret place for getting clean springwater." said Clyde's Rotom Phone.
"Yes!" cheered Clyde.
"Wanna head back to the town?" asked Lincoln.
"Sure, our Pokemon can use a break." said Clyde. The two make their way back to Mossui Town and head over to the community center; to their surprise, they see Carmine in front of it as if she's waiting for someone; she turns towards the two boys when she hears them approaching.
"There you two are!" said Carmine as she runs over to Lincoln and Clyde.
"Were you looking for us?" Clyde asked Carmine.
"Yeah!" Carmine replied who then notices Lincoln was avoiding eye contact with her while blushing a bit. "What's with Linky?" Clyde looks at his friends and sees his awkward expression.
"He... probably still remembers last night." said Clyde, making Carmine blush a bit.
"Was that kiss really a big deal to you? Not that I'd blame you if you thought so." said Carmine.
"W-Was there a reason you were looking for us?" asked Lincoln as his blush fades a bit.
"Yeah, uh, I wanted to talk to you for a bit." said Carmine.
"What about?" asked Lincoln.
"You haven't told anybody about, y'know... the thing that happened yesterday. Right?!" asked Carmine.
"Could you be more specific?" asked Clyde with a smirk as Lincoln blushes some more.
"Not the kiss, the other thing." said Carmine.
"Oh, that." said Clyde.
"We just got up a couple hours ago, and you're the first person we interacted with so far today." said Lincoln.
"Good." said Carmine. "Anyway, you still have that thing you picked up by the stairs?"
"The mask?" asked Clyde.
"Yeah, you still have it?" asked Carmine.
"It's in my bag." said Clyde as he tugs on his satchel's strap.
"Good." said Carmine. "My grandpa knows a lot about the village's should go talk to him about what happened yesterday!"
"I guess if you believe there's no harm in doing so, then I guess it's a good idea." said Lincoln.
"Thanks, Linky." said Carmine while winking at Lincoln, making him blush. "You know where my house is, right? See you there, and don't keep me waiting."
"We can head there together right now so we don't do that." said Lincoln.
"You're so smart, cutie." said Carmine. "And we'll show Grandpa the... y'know, the thing we found."
"Lead the way." said Clyde. The three head over to Carmine and Kieran's grandparents' house and soon get there to see Kieran and Carmine's grandfather standing outside.
"Good morning, sir." said Lincoln and Clyde in unison.
"Good morning to you too, boys." said the grandfather. Just then, Kieran comes out of the house and notices Lincoln and Clyde.
"Hey, Lincoln and Clyde! G'mornin'!" said Kieran.
"Morning, Kieran!" said Lincoln.
"Tsk. You're awake, huh." Carmine says to Kieran.
"Wanna go see the last signboard, Lincoln?" asked Kieran.
"Kiki, go find someplace else to be!" Carmine shouts to her younger brother before she grabs Lincoln and holds him tight to her body, making him blush. "Linky has business with me to discuss!"
"Sheesh! He's been spending all his time with you... That's so unfair! You can be such a jerk!" said Kieran.
"What did you just call me?!" Carmine replied.
"Hmph!" Kieran grunts before he runs off somewhere.
"I'll meet up with you when she's done with me!" Lincoln shouts out to him.
"Okay! I'll meet you by the market!" said Kieran before he disappears out of sight.
"What's his deal?" asked Carmine. "She should know better than to talk back to me like that?!"
"That's enough, Carmine!" said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "Be kind to your younger brother."
"I WAS being kind! It's not like I hit him or anything!" said Carmine.
"C-Carmine." said Lincoln. "I think you can let go of me now." Carmine quickly releases Lincoln while both of them blush.
"A-Anyway, we've got more important things to discuss, right, Lincoln?" asked Carmine. "C'mon! You gotta show Grandpa that thing Clyde has!"
"Okay." said Clyde as he pulls the mask he got from the ogre last night and shows it to Kieran and Carmine's grandpa whose eyes widen when he sees it.
"Could it be..." Carmine and Kieran's grandfather started to say. "This mask; it belongs to that poor ogre! Where did you find this?!"
"Last night at the Festival of Masks." said Lincoln. "The ogre dropped it after we talked to him."
"I never would've thought that the ogre would still be gracing our festival with its presence." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa.
"Huh?" Carmine replied. "What do you mean "still"? I thought the ogre was a scoundrel that attacked the village."
"I suppose it's time I told you, Carmine..." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "You see, the truth of what happened with that ogre... is the other way around."
"What?" replied Lincoln, Clyde, and Carmine.
"The other way around? What do you mean?!" asked Carmine.
"You two should hear this also." Carmine and Kieran's grandpa says to Lincoln and Clyde. "You also met the poor ogre, or Ogerpon as it's rightly named."
"Ogerpon?" asked Lincoln.
"Yes; let me tell the true story, as passed through our family for generations." said the grandfather. "It's going to be a long story to tell."
"I'm sure we have time to spare." said Lincoln.
"Very well." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "This story has been passed down from word of mouth. I learned it from my father. It's a story of truths, a story that must never be told to the rest of the village. You must never speak it to others."
"Okay." replied Carmine.
"Very well." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "A long, long time ago, a man and an ogre came to Kitakami from a foreign land. The people of the village feared the man and the ogre, who looked different from them, and they refused to let the travelers come anywhere near the village."
"That's not fair!" shouted Lincoln. "What gave the villagers back then the right to treat someone poorly just because of how they looked?!"
"The man and the ogre were saddened that the villagers did not welcome them." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "But they were happy just to have each other; they settled quietly in a cave on the mountain."
"You think that cave was the Dreaded Den?" Clyde asked Lincoln.
"Probably." replied Lincoln.
"There was only one man who pitied the two travelers; the village mask maker." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "He made several masks for the man and ogre; the masks were brilliant works, adorned with gems the man brought from somewhere far away."
"By wearing the masks, the travelers can hide their true faces and mingle with the villagers." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "The man and the ogre were overjoyed; they thanked the mask maker for his kindness. Wearing the masks, the man and the ogre started secretly joining the village festival; the mysterious pair soon became the talk of the village because of their brilliant masks. In fact, rumors about them quickly spread far and wide, even to distant lands."
"But rumors of exquisite, shining masks attract more than just innocent curiosity." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "A group of greedy Pokemon soon made their way to the land of Kitakami; these Pokemon sneaked into the cave in which the man and ogre lived and tried to make off with the masks, which were carefully stored away. The man happened to be there; he managed to hold on to one of the masks, but he was not strong enough to protect them all. The Pokemon stole the other three masks."
"Several hours later, when the ogre returned to the cave, it found its beloved home in ruins." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "All that was left were the signs of a struggle and a teal mask. The ogre donned that mask and went down to the village, perhaps to search for its friend."
"It found the greedy Pokemon there, gloating over their stolen masks, and defeated them." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "The villagers, of course had no idea what was happening nor why; all they saw was the raging ogre, and they felt great fear."
"The villagers thought the three Pokemon had fallen trying to protect the village from the ogre." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "To honor their sacrifice, the villagers named them the Loyal Three and interred them with care. Wounded and weak, the ogre returned to its cave, alone and with great sadness."
Lincoln, Clyde, and Carmine were shocked at what was revealed to them.
"That's terrible!" said Carmine. "Ogerpon didn't deserve that, and the Loyal Three, they're the worst!"
"Yeah! I wish I wore an ogre mask at the festival last night instead!" said Lincoln.
"I'm going to have to disinfect my face after wearing a Loyal Three mask!" said Clyde.
"Maybe I'll exchange the Loyal Three masks I got for my sisters and get ogre masks for them instead!" shouts Lincoln.
"The story everyone's been told is the complete opposite of the truth!" said Carmine. "They gotta hear about this!"
"Yeah!" shouted Lincoln and Clyde in agreement.
"Calm yourselves, you three." said Carmine and Kieran's grandfather. "I told you kids to keep it to yourselves!"
"Why?!" asked Lincoln.
"But, Grandpa..." Carmine started to say.
"The villagers believe their own version of history." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "They revere the Loyal Three; so how would they react to being told that they've got it all wrong?"
"They'd probably get... angry?" Carmine replied.
"Exactly." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "Back when all this first occured, the mask maker; that is to say, our ancestor, tried desperately to tell the truth of the matter; but no one took him seriously. In fact, it's said he was persecuted as a heretic."
"It's still not right!" said Clyde.
"Oooh, that REALLY gets my blood boiling!" said Carmine.
"That makes two of us!" said Lincoln.
"Make it three!" shouted Clyde.
"In the end, the mask maker chose to protect his descendants, us, by keeping his mouth shut." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "However, he kept the truth alive, passed down from generation to generation as a family secret."
"I see." said Carmine. "Kiki doesn't know the whole story yet, does he?"
"He shouldn't, no; I've certainly never spoken to him about it. Why do you ask?" asked Carmine and Kieran's grandfather.
"I dunno." said Carmine. "He just really seems to like the ogre... He's practically obsessed."
"Yeah, but he was right to like Ogerpon instead of the Loyal Three." said Lincoln.
"Anyway, he's been trying to one-up me; as if he knows more about Ogerpon than I do." said Carmine.
"Well, I can't say what's going on with that boy... but he always was a sensitive child. It wouldn't surprise me if he's somehow intuited the truth." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "I promise to tell Kieran the whole story when the time is right. Until then, take care not to breath a word to anybody!"
"Okay, Grandpa." said Carmine. "Now I REALLY can't tell Kiki we met the ogre."
"His or her name's Ogerpon." said Lincoln with a frown.
"You're right, cutie." said Carmine with a smile, making Lincoln blush a bit.
"About that mask you showed me." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "I noticed the jewel on its forehead was chipped."
"Yeah, when it fell off Ogrepon's face, it fell down some stairs." said Lincoln.
"I might be able to fix it." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "Would you mind leaving the mask with me for a while?"
"Not at all, sir." said Clyde.
"Yeah, let's get it all nice and fixed up before we give it back to Ogerpon!" said Carmine.
"Yeah!" said Lincoln and Clyde. Clyde then gives the mask to Carmine and Kieran's grandpa.
"Don't you worry." said Carmine and Kieran's grandpa. "I'll be sure to take good care of this."
"Thank you, sir." said Lincoln.
What they all didn't know was that on the other side of the wall near the gate in front of the house, Kieran was eavesdropping on what was revealed; after a while, he walks away.
"I wanna see Ogerpon again, but getting the mask fixed will have to come first." said Carmine.
"Good idea." said Lincoln.
"For now, we should carry on with the orienteering before Kiki gets suspicious." said Carmine. "I bet we'll find Kiki killing time somewhere in town!"
"Let's go look for him." said Lincoln.
"I'm gonna stay here and help Grandpa best I can." said Carmine.
"I'll just go along with Lincoln and Kieran to the next signboard." said Clyde.
"Okay." said Carmine. "Sorry that I won't get to take a picture with you, Linky." Lincoln blushes in response.
"We'll come back after we get to the third signboard and see how the mask repairs are coming along." said Clyde.
"Okay." said Carmine.
"Let's go, Clyde." said Lincoln.
Lincoln, Clyde, Carmine, and Kieran now know the truth about Ogerpon and the Loyal Three. What else will Lincoln and Clyde discover as their Kitakami trip continues?
End of Chapter 49
Pokemon on Lincoln's team: Floragato (M), Pawmot (F), Charcadet (M), Lycanroc Dusk Form (M) Finizen (M), Monferno (M)
Pokemon in Lincoln's collection: Floragato (M), Pawmot (F), Spidops (M), Hoppip (F), Vivillon (F), Oinkologne (M), Fletchling (F), Wooper (Paldean, F), Psyduck (M), Buizel (M), Wiglett (M), Magikarp (F), Sunkern (F), Flamigo (M), Ralts (M), Pachirisu (F), Skwovet (M), Deerling (F), Happiny (F), Pichu (F), Azurill (M), Igglypuff (F), Bonsly (M), Surskit (M), Bounsweet (F), Fidough (M), Drowzee (M), Greavard (F), Shellder (F), Venonat (M), Shroomish (M), Klawf (F), Tinkatink (F), Bronzor (genderless), Charcadet (M), Eevee (shiny M), Lycanroc Dusk Form (M), Crabrawler (shiny F), Grimer (F), Gulpin (F), Magnemite (no gender), Tandemaus (no gender), Cyclizar (M), Teddiursa (F), Finizen (M), Impidimp (M), Spinarak (M), Cutiefly (F), Heracross (M), Vulpix (F), Monferno (M), Duskull (F), Salandit (F), Phantump (F), Volbeat (M), and Illumise (F).
Pokemon on Clyde's Team: Quaxwell (M), Kirlia (M), Dachsbun (F), Naclstack (F), Litleo (M), and Grotle (M).
Pokemon in Clyde's collection: Quaxwell (M), Kirlia (M), Skiploom (F), Dachsbun (F), Swablu (M), Naclstack (F), Starly (F), Klawf (M), Mareep (M), Smoliv (M), Gimmighoul (no gender), Fletchling (F), Eevee (F), Litleo (M), Combee (F), Spoink (F), Cyclizar (F), Sewaddle (M). Bellsprout (F), Seedot (M), Grotle (M), and Timburr (M).
