At this moment, Ursaluna's entire body was shrouded in a white glow, as if it was using some kind of move.
From the details of its movements and aura, it wasn't hard to tell that this was likely a Normal-type physical attack—Body Slam.
Perhaps due to Ursaluna's massive physique, its Body Slam seemed especially intimidating, almost as if it received a same-type attack bonus.
This led Lucas to conclude that, even after transforming into the Bloodmoon form, Ursaluna was still a Ground- and Normal-type Pokémon.
A massive beast, weighing five or six hundred pounds, was plummeting straight towards him. Any ordinary Pokémon would be flustered, but Serperior remained perfectly calm.
It pointed the tip of its tail toward the empty space above the lake, channeling Grass-type energy. Another Leaf Storm erupted.
Boosted by four stacks of increased Special Attack, this Leaf Storm was terrifyingly powerful. The howling wind grew even more piercing, making the Water-type Pokémon below even more afraid to surface.
Fortunately, Serperior hadn't intended to deal any real damage with this move. It just borrowed the explosive force of the move's burst to rocket itself out of Ursaluna's Body Slam range!
With a thunderous crash, Ursaluna hit the ground, instantly fracturing the earth in a web of cracks. Before it could even feel frustrated about missing its target again, Serperior spun gracefully and slammed its Iron Tail into Ursaluna's side!
"Roooar—!"
Taking the full force of Serperior's Iron Tail, Ursaluna couldn't help but roar in pain again, glaring angrily at Serperior.
Why does it keep attacking my belly and waist?
No matter how tough I am, I can't keep taking hits like this!
After a few seconds, Ursaluna staggered back to its feet, feeling the lingering pain in its body. It had to face a reality: even if it wasn't holding back, its opponent was still handling the fight with ease. It hadn't even landed a single hit on that Serperior so far!
Some habits from its days as an ordinary Ursaluna remained, making it prefer close combat. But that didn't mean it was stupid. In fact, after facing many tough melee opponents, it had evolved a talent for energy attacks. And when it was time to change tactics, Ursaluna never hesitated.
With a wary retreat, Ursaluna made up its mind.
Even with its tough hide and brawn, it felt enormous pressure. At this rate, Serperior would walk away unscathed—and where would that leave Ursaluna's pride?
Lucas noticed Ursaluna's change in demeanor and thought, "Looks like it's about to enter phase two."
Still, whatever Ursaluna did didn't matter anymore.
With a Legendary Grass-type partner by his side, Serperior had always been quietly amassing power.
Now, Serperior was fully primed. With +6 Special Attack from three Leaf Storms, it could go toe-to-toe with the ace of a typical Champion. With its type advantage and a well-executed plan, a miracle wasn't out of the question.
Even without absorbing solar energy to power up, Serperior was already a cut above Ursaluna. Losing simply wasn't an option.
Now, Lucas was only curious: what was Ursaluna's connection to the blood moon and the mist? Would it use any moves related to those elements?
Before he could think further, Ursaluna made its move.
After pulling back, it unleashed its true talent—energy attacks far more powerful than its physical moves.
The ear-splitting Hyper Voice sent violent ripples across the surface of the forest's lake. Serperior blocked it with a Grassy Pledge, but in the next instant, Ursaluna, having charged up its power, fired a Hyper Beam!
A pillar of black-purple energy pierced through the mist, carrying a terrifying surge of energy, blasting straight toward Serperior.
Lucas was impressed.
So it can even feint!
At this moment, Serperior had just used Grassy Pledge and had almost no time to dodge. Ursaluna could easily adjust the angle of its Hyper Beam.
There was no choice but to take the hit head-on!
Luckily, Serperior still had some solar energy stored from the day. At Lucas's command, it used all of it—firing a Solar Beam with almost no charge time!
A purple-red and a vibrant green beam collided midair. The resulting energy waves and shockwaves even snapped a few nearby trees.
In the end, Serperior's raw power prevailed. The Solar Beam slowly overpowered the Hyper Beam and slammed into Ursaluna!
Another violent explosion erupted, but this time, Ursaluna's aura clearly faltered, growing unstable and weak.
No matter how tough and battle-hardened it was, even Ursaluna had its limits.
Taking advantage of the moment, Perrin snapped several photos of Ursaluna, muttering, "Whoa~ this destructive style is pretty awesome too!"
"Boni."
Ogerpon, no longer cowering, let out a surprised cry.
It was one thing to lose to Gyarados, but even this Ursaluna couldn't win against Lucas's team. Lucas and his partners were even stronger than Ogerpon had imagined!
Just as Perrin and Ogerpon thought the outcome was settled—Ursaluna was exhausted and unable to recover after Hyper Beam's recoil—the blood moon in the sky grew even redder.
That crimson hue seemed so thick it might drip down like liquid at any moment. Lucas and Serperior both noticed the sudden change and turned their attention to the stunned Ursaluna.
Whether based on clues or instinct, they could tell the blood moon's change was connected to Ursaluna.
Sure enough, after a moment's pause, Ursaluna's green eyes turned entirely red. It let out another furious roar as scarlet light bloomed above its head, shooting into the sky and linking with the blood moon.
Next, an illusory blood moon formed above Ursaluna, radiating unsettling energy that dimmed the surroundings. All eyes were drawn to its scarlet glow.
The sheer force of this move made Perrin's scalp tingle. If she ever met the Bloodmoon herself, her Noctowl, Leafeon, and the backup Growlithe would be wiped out instantly.
The next moment—
When the light reached its peak, a terrifying blood-red beam poured forth like a dam burst, shooting straight at Serperior.
This effect—must be a signature move!
Lucas's expression grew even more excited. He shouted without hesitation, "Leaf Storm—don't hold back!"
Serperior nodded slightly. Its tail whipped up a vortex of razor-sharp leaves and slashed fearlessly at the beam.
Rumble—!
Thunderous tremors boomed as the moves collided, sending waves of energy rippling out. The very air hummed under the strain of their clash.
A moment later—
Perhaps Ursaluna had reached its limit, or maybe Serperior's power was just too overwhelming. Leaf Storm gradually swallowed the blood-red beam, absorbing some of its energy. The vibrant green glow of Leaf Storm was tinged with crimson, now carrying a lethal edge.
With disbelief in its eyes, Ursaluna was completely engulfed by the Leaf Storm. Against Serperior's full-power attack, what little stamina Ursaluna had left was wiped out, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
Even as it lost consciousness, Ursaluna wondered if it had lost its mind today. It just wanted a drink of water—how did it end up fighting these two bringers of calamity?
It always thought it was invincible in the Timeless Woods, but for the first time, it learned what it meant to face a foe from the heavens.
Seeing Ursaluna collapse, Lucas didn't hesitate. He rummaged through his bag and took out several Poké Balls.
There were standard red-and-white Poké Balls, some high-performance Ultra Balls, and even a Friend Ball he'd bought earlier when trading for a Level Ball for Victini.
When Lucas picked up the Friend Ball, he paused and glanced at Ogerpon, who was peeking out from under a tree, thinking the colors matched surprisingly well.
Then he picked up an Ultra Ball. For ordinary Pokémon, he'd use a standard Poké Ball, since on the farm they were out of their balls 24/7 anyway.
But this Ursaluna was a real beast. To be safe, he decided to use the higher-performance Ultra Ball.
With that thought, Lucas pressed the enlarge button and tossed the Ultra Ball at Ursaluna with perfect accuracy. After three shakes and a flash of yellow stars, the Bloodmoon Ursaluna was caught!
By the time the sky started to lighten, Lucas and Perrin had packed up their camp and left the Timeless Woods.
…
On the road—
Perrin, a bit eager to please, massaged Lucas's shoulders and pleaded, "Please, just say yes! Won't you?"
Lucas sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Let's see what Bloodmoon Ursaluna's personality is like first. I can't just force it to pose for your photos."
Bloodmoon Ursaluna was the name Lucas gave it, to distinguish it from other Ursaluna.
After all, he still had ten Peat Blocks to evolve Teddiursa. If there were ever multiple Ursaluna around, calling them would be a hassle.
He also named Ursaluna's final flashy move "Blood Moon"—perfectly fitting.
As for Perrin's request, it was simply because it was too dark at night and the move's special effects made it impossible for her to get a good photo. Now that Lucas had caught Ursaluna, she wanted him to have it pose for her.
But, as Lucas said, he needed to check Ursaluna's personality and get its consent. He couldn't promise outright.
Fortunately, Perrin was reasonable. Since Lucas put it that way, she didn't press the issue.
The two of them made a detour to Oni Mountain, planning to send Ogerpon home.
On the way, Ogerpon kept its head down, as if troubled by something.
When they arrived, Ogerpon finally couldn't hold it in. It took off its mask and grabbed Lucas's pants leg.
"Boni!"
From the snippets of conversation last night, Ogerpon realized Lucas wasn't from the Kitakami Village. If it didn't act now, this outsider would leave with the crystal shards!
Ogerpon, who also once came from outside, thought maybe she and Lucas were actually from the same place.
Seeing the worry on Ogerpon's face, Lucas squatted down, about to ask what was wrong, but under the light, he finally saw the details of Ogerpon's mask.
"It's damaged?"
Honestly, because it was always so dark before, he'd never looked closely at Ogerpon's mask.
Now he could see it was indeed damaged.
When Lucas noticed, Ogerpon's eyes lit up and it gestured excitedly.
Lucas struggled to understand, but with Serperior's help, he finally figured out what Ogerpon wanted.
He searched his backpack for a while and took out the sparkling crystal shards. "Is this what you need?"
"Boni!"
Ogerpon nodded happily.
Lucas, not knowing what use they had and having gotten them as a bonus when catching Gyarados, handed them over generously. "Here, you can have them."
As he stretched out his hand, Lucas suddenly thought of something and asked, "Wait, do you need these… to repair your mask?"
Looking carefully, the shards did resemble the gems embedded in Ogerpon's mask—and the main damage was to those gems.
Hearing this, Ogerpon nodded.
It just wanted to fix its mask!
Why else would it have braved approaching humans?
Lucas's next question stumped Ogerpon.
"Do you know how to repair the mask?"
Ogerpon was stunned.
It had always thought about gathering the materials, but never considered how to actually repair the mask once it had them.
Seeing Ogerpon at a loss, Lucas understood.
After a moment's thought, he raised an eyebrow and said, "How about this—if you trust me, leave the mask with me for now. I'll go to Mossui Town and ask around, see if there are any craftsmen who can repair it."
He added, "After all, it's not easy for you to enter town."
Ogerpon fell silent.
Just as Lucas said, it couldn't enter the village easily. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken so long to recover the other three masks it lost.
But—could it really trust Lucas?
Ogerpon looked up, locking starry eyes with Lucas.
After a long moment, Ogerpon made up its mind and handed the mask to Lucas.
It wanted to trust again.
Not because of the person who once took it in, but because of the trust that Lucas inspired by his actions and character—nothing more.
Mask in hand, Lucas and Perrin said temporary goodbyes to Ogerpon in Oni Mountain and headed back to Mossui Town.
On the way, Perrin remarked, "I never thought the 'ghost' from that old story was actually Ogerpon. In person, it's nothing like the ferocious monster the tale described."
"I used to imagine the ghost as a blue-faced, fanged, burly giant…"
Lucas laughed, "I pictured something similar."
Perrin nodded, her gaze distant. "Now that you've actually met Ogerpon, do you think the legend of the Loyal Three of the Kitakami is true?"
Lucas fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "History is always written by the victors. Whether Ogerpon and the Loyal Three won or lost, the stories were recorded by humans. Sometimes it's just a matter of perspective—maybe someone misunderstood, or maybe the story was deliberately written this way."
"Rather than getting to the bottom of the legend, let's ask Mr. Yukito first if there's a craftsman in Mossui Town who can fix the mask. I don't really trust the other townsfolk."
Perrin nodded in agreement.
...
…
PS: Support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode