After everything was over, the hassle of the aftermath felt endless.
At this moment, Lucas was more convinced of this than ever.
Looking at the peach-shaped doll, the dog sculpture, the monkey sculpture, and the pheasant sculpture laid out in front of him, Lucas's expression was slightly troubled.
After Ogerpon delivered a final thorny-vine blow to the four Pokémon who had committed countless evil acts, their life force instantly vanished, and they turned into what was in front of him now.
How should he put it—could this be the reason why the Loyal Three could revive again after so many years?
Lucas recalled the sculptures of the Loyal Three enshrined in the shrine at Loyalty Plaza.
Could these guys also absorb the power of faith, like Calyrex does?
If so, he couldn't let these forms, into which those Pokémon had transformed, be picked up again by the townsfolk of Mossui Town.
Based on what he knew of these people, even after learning the truth and experiencing the horrifying zombie incident, they'd likely keep worshipping those three sculptures and even the peach-shaped doll of Pecharunt—all for the sake of making money.
"All just for profit…"
"Hm, what should I do?"
Lucas considered letting Ursaluna dig a deep pit and simply bury these four things. But it still felt unsafe.
He'd had Ogerpon try smashing the peach-shaped doll with its thorny-vine bat, but couldn't break it at all.
If that didn't work, he'd have to consider calling Calyrex and see if it could seal them.
At that moment—
Hoofbeats approached. Lucas looked up and saw Spectrier walking over.
"Niiegh Ssswoo"
Spectrier nuzzled Lucas's face, indicating it could handle this.
It even lifted its hind leg, as if hinting at something.
Lucas's gaze fell on Spectrier's hind leg, shrouded in purple mist.
In a flash, a memory surfaced:
"It's said that anyone kicked by Spectrier might have their soul leave their body."
"You want to try your ability?" Lucas asked, eyes wide.
Spectrier snorted and nodded.
"Let's do it, then!"
Lucas didn't hesitate.
He remembered clearly that Spectrier possessed a unique power called "Aura," closely tied to its Ghost-type nature.
When Calyrex rides Spectrier, it greatly amplifies this Aura with psychic power, enabling all sorts of feats.
Maybe Spectrier's power would work unexpectedly well against these things?
No sooner said than done.
Lucas had Arcanine and Ursaluna keep watch nearby, so no one could interfere.
Mr. Yukito and his family, escorted by Mimikyu, had already left, planning to tell the villagers the truth and expose the evil behind the so-called Loyal Three.
Lucas wasn't optimistic, but didn't stop them.
Once all preparations were done, Lucas and Ogerpon stepped back, then looked at Spectrier.
Spectrier nodded and stepped forward, the ghostly purple mist around its hooves thickening. Without hesitation, it kicked the peach-shaped doll!
In an instant, Aura erupted.
Other than leaving a large pit in the ground and the doll remaining intact, Lucas faintly heard a miserable scream.
Unseen by Lucas, only Spectrier could sense it—something so light as to be almost weightless was kicked out of the doll, frantically trying to return.
Spectrier snorted inwardly. It would never give that thing a chance.
Spirit force surged, wrapping around the doll. The thing Spectrier kicked out rammed into a metaphorical brick wall—unable to return!
Without returning, revival was impossible. It would remain sealed nearby, forever.
Spectrier repeated the process for the three Loyal Three sculptures, then nodded to Lucas.
"Whinny~!"
Go ahead and bury them now—they won't be coming back!
Lucas's eyes lit up. "Let's find a remote place for this!"
After handling all the aftermath, when Lucas returned to Mossui Town, the sun was already high in the sky, almost lunchtime.
Having recalled his three exuberant Pokémon, Lucas decided to give them an extra meal back at the farm. He took Ogerpon by the hand and openly entered Mossui Town through the main gate.
Along the way, they received many complex looks from townsfolk—especially those just freed from the mind control.
On one hand, their views on "ghosts" wouldn't change overnight. On the other, after hearing from others what they'd done under the mind control, they were furious at Pecharunt and the Loyal Three for manipulating them.
But anger was just personal. If given a choice, they'd still continue to promote the Loyal Three.
At worst, just build new shrines and sculptures. After all, "it doesn't matter if it's a black cat or a white cat—as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat."
Lucas and Ogerpon didn't care about their looks, since Lucas had already agreed with Perrin that they would leave Mossui Town today.
When they arrived at Mr. Yukito's inn, Lucas found not only Mr. Yukito, Aunt Hideko, Carmine, and Kieran, but also Perrin and the mayor of Mossui Town.
The house was tense. Yukito and Hideko glared at the mayor, Carmine and Kieran were also angry, and Perrin kept rolling her eyes at him.
When Lucas entered with Ogerpon, the mayor's eyes flashed with displeasure, but since he needed help, he stifled his anger, lowered his voice, and tried to sound official:
"Ahem. Mr. Lucas, is it? As for you letting that Luxray and Serperior attack the townsfolk—let's let bygones be bygones. Pecharunt, Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti are legendary Pokémon enshrined by our Kitakami Village."
"We ask that you return their transformed sculptures to us. Kitakami Village has the right to handle them. Otherwise, we'll report this to Officer Jenny and the League."
He thought he sounded very diplomatic—showing Kitakami's tolerance, stating his demands, and hinting that if they reported Lucas, he'd be a criminal who made Pokémon attack people.
"Gah-Ogerpon!"
Ogerpon glared at the mayor angrily, thorny-vine bat appearing in its hand.
How could someone be so shameless!
The mayor was startled, pointing at Lucas, his bravado crumbling: "Y-you—you want to sic a ghost on me!?"
"…"
Lucas was speechless.
He patted Ogerpon's head to soothe it, then his expression turned cold as he looked at the mayor.
"First, it's not a ghost. It's a Pokémon with a name—Ogerpon!"
"You want to know where Pecharunt and the Loyal Three are? No matter how you twist words or throw mud at me, I'll be blunt: you're out of luck."
"As for accusing me of commanding Luxray and Serperior to attack the townsfolk—go ahead."
"If you want to sue, I'll be waiting for you at the Paldea League. Come as you please."
With that, Lucas ignored the mayor, whose face had turned dark, and led Ogerpon straight upstairs, as if knowing the mayor could only make threats and couldn't actually stop him.
Luckily, there wasn't much to pack. In just a few minutes, Lucas and Ogerpon were back downstairs with their bags.
The mayor was nowhere to be seen—probably stormed off in anger or went to find backup.
But none of that mattered.
As soon as Lucas came down, Kieran rushed over, eyes shining with admiration: "Mr. Lucas, you were so cool just now!"
His sister Carmine nodded in agreement, and Perrin gave Lucas a double thumbs-up, feeling much happier after seeing Lucas put the mayor in his place.
Lucas patted Kieran's slightly long hair, his expression softening, speaking earnestly: "Thank you for your praise. You and your sister are the only two students in Mossui Town who made it into Blueberry Academy. In the future, you'll be able to go far beyond this little town."
"Now that your family is here, the mayor and others will probably try to make things difficult for you. If you get the chance and are willing, consider moving away."
"The world out there is huge—you both know that well."
Kieran paused, looking instinctively at his sister and grandparents.
Yukito and Hideko exchanged glances and smiled.
They didn't regret telling the real story when Pecharunt and the Loyal Three caused chaos in town.
It made them truly disappointed in many townsfolk, but that was a good thing—it meant they wouldn't hesitate when making future decisions.
They said expectantly: "Once Carmine and Kieran become outstanding trainers, we'll look forward to you taking us out of Mossui Town!"
"Yeah!"
Kieran and Carmine nodded seriously, warmth in their hearts.
They were determined: they'd become someone great and take their grandparents out of Kitakami Village in these mountains!
After a joyful chat, while Lucas and Perrin hadn't yet left, Kieran mustered his courage and walked up to Ogerpon.
He stammered: "Ogerpon, you were super—cool when you beat Pecharunt!"
"I-I've admired you since I was a kid!"
"Boni?"
Ogerpon covered its mouth in surprise, wide-eyed.
Ogerpon actually had a fan!?
This confession seemed to use up all of Kieran's courage.
He mumbled: "H-have fun in Paldea…"
He didn't dare meet Ogerpon's eyes, worried Ogerpon would find him too forward.
But just then, a small hand took his.
Kieran looked up and saw Ogerpon's starry eyes smiling at him.
"Boni!" (Come visit Ogerpon in Paldea if you get the chance!)
Ogerpon gave Kieran a big, bright smile.
Miraculously, Kieran seemed to understand. Eyes sparkling with tears, he nodded hard.
"Yeah!"
Kieran thought, his judgment had been correct.
The coolest Ogerpon and the coolest trainer—they made the most awesome team!
After their farewells, Lucas and Perrin left Mossui Town, heading to the nearest city with an airport.
On the way, Perrin handed Lucas a stack of developed photos she'd taken.
As she did, she joked: "Looks like you gained a lot in Kitakami Village—not only Gyarados and a shiny Feebas, but Ursaluna and little Ogerpon, and even two little fans!"
"That boy Kieran said he'd work hard to get qualified for the next Blueberry–Naranja Academy exchange, right?"
"Popular people really are different!"
Perrin said, a little sour, and nudged Lucas with her elbow.
"Aren't you going to thank me for inviting you here?"
"Thank you, Perrin."
Lucas was in a good mood and played along, smiling at her.
"Hmph, that's better."
Perrin's nose turned up.
Of course, besides banter, Perrin didn't forget the serious business.
She asked worriedly: "That matter—are you really okay?"
Lucas knew what she meant and shook his head. "Not a big problem. That mayor can only throw his weight around in Mossui Town."
"Outside, he can't influence the police or touch me. Besides, your camera still has evidence of their lies."
"If I'm worried about anything, it's whether they'll make things hard for Mr. Yukito's family after we leave."
Perrin fumed, waving her fists: "Seriously, what era is this? How can there still be such xenophobic towns with such stubborn leaders?"
"You'd think we'd traveled back in time to the ancient days—a bunch of backward bumpkins!"
After ranting, Perrin looked worried again.
"I think your concern is justified—they definitely might do something."
But Lucas was prepared, looking confident: "Don't worry, I have connections."
"Kieran and Carmine are definitely talented as trainers. The League President is eager for talent, and Mr. Yukito is a craftsman who can make special masks."
Perrin's eyes went wide. "You're planning to…"
Lucas just smiled.
Why else would he leave that talent behind?
Perrin, being sharp, gasped in realization.
Goodness, Lucas was planning to poach Blueberry Academy's best!
As she guessed, if Kieran and Carmine really got into the Blueberry–Naranja exchange, with evidence in hand, Lucas could approach Geeta and she'd handle everything.
Changing residency, financial aid, even arranging housing for special talents—schooling would all be taken care of.
Of course, most of the work would probably fall to old Larry.
After some more small talk—
Perrin grumbled, "Still feels a bit too easy for that mayor and those people."
She imagined how, after they left, the townsfolk would hide the truth, continue worshipping fake Loyal Three statues, probably add a Pecharunt statue, and keep slandering Ogerpon.
Just the thought made her angry.
"It's fine."
Lucas shook his head, took an apple from his backpack—one Mr. Yukito's family had insisted on giving them—and took a bite.
Perrin was confused at first.
But seeing the apple, and remembering Lucas's true profession, she suddenly realized something, gasping in shock.
"Hiss…"
No way… Was Lucas planning to single-handedly snatch the entire world-famous Kitakami apple market!?
…
…
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