"Bini bini~~"
The little one held a bag in her arms. When she opened it, the inside was filled with all kinds of crystals.
"Co to think of it, it's pretty strange that Terastal energy shows up in a place like Kitakami."
Sora Kenji suspected the region's unique environnt had sothing to do with the legendary Pokémon Terapagos—the little turtle.
Perhaps it was buried beneath this land.
Or maybe it was still slumbering sowhere below.
For now, however, Sora Kenji had no intention of getting involved.
He would return to Kitakami eventually and deal with all the unfinished matters.
The secrets of the Crystal Pool could wait until then.
"So this is Terastal energy?"
Sora Kenji picked up a Tera Shard from the bag. As soone without special abilities, he couldn't sense the energy contained within it.
At this point in ti, Terastal energy remained largely undeveloped.
Well—Paldea was an exception.
Terastalization had existed there since ancient tis, so the locals naturally understood its secrets.
Sora Kenji had checked the network earlier: in the current era, Paldea had not yet joined the League and remained relatively isolated overseas.
A similar situation existed in the Alola region.
People in regions like Kanto and Sinnoh knew those places existed, and tourism wasn't uncommon—but because they lacked League affiliation, few trainers traveled there.
Research on local Pokémon and their unique battle systems circulated only within those regions and had not spread to other Leagues.
Otherwise, the presence of Terastal energy in Kitakami would have been discovered by the Sinnoh League long ago.
"Honestly, Kitakami is sitting on a mountain of treasure without realizing it. No wonder it's stuck like this."
Sora Kenji had zero interest in helping promote the place.
If anything, he'd rather the villagers stay trapped in their remote valley forever.
After all—
they dared to mistreat his Ponpon.
One day, he would make those troublemakers regret it.
"V, stay here and keep Ponpon company. Lilligant and I are going to Mossui Town for a bit."
It was around 6:30 in the evening—still so ti before bedti.
And darkness was actually helpful.
Under cover of night, Sora Kenji could quietly make contact with Yukitada's family.
"Bini~"
"Ponéun~"
The two little Pokémon stood at the cave entrance, waving goodbye as Sora Kenji departed.
Without realizing it, Ogerpon had already begun to integrate into Sora Kenji's team.
She liked this atmosphere.
"Let's play a ga."
With Sora Kenji gone, Victini happily rummaged through her magical little pouch and pulled out a stack of ga cards.
"Mhm."
Ogerpon stared curiously at the beautifully illustrated cards, her eyes sparkling with fascination.
anwhile, Sora Kenji descended the mountain with Lilligant.
The night was dark, but neither of them felt much fear. Following the path they had taken earlier, they soon arrived at Yukitada's residence.
"We're here."
Sora Kenji looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, then stepped forward quickly.
"Excuse , is this Mr. Yukitada's ho?"
"Oh?"
An elderly woman with a warm, gentle expression imdiately set down her work.
"It sounds like soone is looking for you, old man."
"I heard it too."
The two elders didn't delay and promptly ca out of the house.
"May I ask who you are?"
They didn't recognize Sora Kenji and were understandably puzzled by his visit.
"My na is Sora Kenji. I'm a folklorist traveling through this region."
"I ca here because there's sothing I'd like to ask Mr. Yukitada to help with."
After hearing his explanation, the couple still didn't know how they could assist—but they warmly invited him inside nonetheless.
"Please, have so tea."
Grandma Shuzi brought out tea. Her gaze fell on Lilligant beside him.
"Oh my, what an adorable child. Would you like so candy?"
"Lilligant~~"
Lilligant didn't refuse; she could sense the grandmother's kindness.
"This is my partner, Lilligant. We're from the Unova region."
Seeing that the atmosphere had settled, Sora Kenji spoke directly.
"The reason I ca to Kitakami is because of a Pokémon nad Ogerpon."
"Ogerpon..."
Yukitada's expression remained calm, but waves stirred in his heart.
"You… know her story?"
Being able to call her by na—rather than the 'Oni' label used in local legends—clearly ant Sora Kenji knew sothing.
"Yes."
Sora Kenji nodded.
"In addition to being a folklorist, I'm also an ability user."
"My power allows to foresee events that happen in distant places—and in the past."
"It was through this ability that I saw Ogerpon… and the hardships she endured."
His words left Yukitada and Shuzi deeply astonished.
Living in a remote place like Kitakami, they had rarely traveled outside since their youth. They had little understanding of how the wider world had changed.
Still, they had heard rumors of people with special abilities.
"I never imagined Mr. Sora Kenji was such an extraordinary person."
Grandpa Yukitada sighed.
"Since you already know Ogerpon's story, you must also understand the connection between my ancestor and her."
"I do."
This was both a test—and a final safeguard.
"And that's precisely why I ca to visit."
Sora Kenji took the Teal Mask from his backpack.
The mont Yukitada saw it, his eyes widened.
"This—this is?!"
"There's no mistake."
He accepted the mask, his aged hands gently brushing across its surface.
"My ancestor's craftsmanship. The sa style as the other three masks."
"You've already found her?"
"Yes."
Sora Kenji replied,
"She entrusted this mask to . It's also a promise between us."
"The mask has been damaged."
"She gave it to so I could repair it—and return it to her."
"I see…"
Yukitada couldn't help but smile.
He thought of the many stories of humans and Pokémon eting, understanding one another, and forming bonds.
The eting between Sora Kenji and Ogerpon—and the promise symbolized by the mask—filled the old man with both emotion and relief.
"Don't worry."
"I've faithfully inherited my ancestor's craftsmanship."
"The damage to this mask is serious, but it's still within repairable limits," Yukitada said. "However, the missing gemstones will need to be collected."
Before he could ntion the Crystal Pool, Sora Kenji placed a full bag of Tera crystals on the table.
"You've even prepared these already?"
At this point, Yukitada no longer had the slightest doubt about Sora Kenji's identity as an ability user.
Otherwise—
how could he have found Ogerpon?
How could he have known the story between her and Yukitada's ancestor?
How could he have known the exact materials needed to repair the mask?
If that wasn't foresight, what was?
"Then there's no problem."
Yukitada spoke with confidence.
"Give one night, and I'll return the mask to you—good as new."
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