Charizard's personality was, without a doubt, once rebellious and untamable.
But that was all in the past.
After its final evolution, a crushing defeat, opening its heart to Ash, and realizing in Charicific Valley that it was just a malnourished, frail member of its own kind, Charizard's sharp edges gradually softened. While it hadn't become completely docile, it no longer foolishly challenged everyone it met.
In short, Charizard had matured and grown up.
This was why it was able to put aside its pride and seek out Moltres.
It wanted to give Ash a helping hand at the Silver Conference, didn't want Ash to fall short at the quarterfinals again, and wanted to stand at the top of Charicific Valley.
Some researchers once studied the Kanto starter Pokémon, especially the Charmander line.
Let's skip the process and look at the conclusion.
All Pokémon in the Charmander line share a unique feature—the flame burning at the tip of their tails.
Academically, this flame is known as the "Flame of Life" for Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard. The temperature and intensity of this flame reflect their health, strength, and even mood.
When emotions run high and they become battle-hungry, Charizard's tail flame flickers violently, and the orange-red fire at the tip gradually turns blue-white.
Charizard was in just such a state now—
As a fellow Fire-type Pokémon—and a legendary one at that—Moltres couldn't help but notice Charizard's transformation.
However...
Moltres raised an eyebrow. There was no way it would engage in a fierce battle with Charizard.
If it accidentally activated the "Sacred Fire" within it—a rainbow-colored flame Lucas once mentioned—that would be a real problem.
After all, the Calyrex had been out these past days. If things got out of hand, the consequences could be dire.
Still, perhaps due to their shared Fire-type nature, Moltres didn't dislike Charizard's request. In fact, it rather admired its determination.
According to Arcanine, Charizard had even fought that fake Entei before?
That's it!
Moltres' eyes lit up with an idea.
While it wasn't convenient for Moltres to fight, its "good son" Arcanine was free!
That lazy fellow strutted around every day with nothing better to do; giving it something useful sounded great.
Without hesitation, Moltres looked at the slightly nervous Charizard, raised its head, and cried out.
"Screech!"
Follow me!
Charizard's eyes sparkled and it followed Moltres like a duckling trailing after its mother.
…
Meanwhile.
Agricultural Area
"Da-ne!"
Bulbasaur listened intently to Eldegoss and Comfey explaining things, nodding earnestly from time to time.
Grassy Terrain—amazing!
"Beli…"
Beside them, Bayleef was a bit listless, wondering when it would finally get to see Ash again.
…
Orchard
"Snorlax."
This place is heaven.
Lying in the shade, Snorlax squinted its eyes, grabbing piles of fruit and berries from a small mountain of snacks next to it and tossing them into its mouth.
Every bite burst with delicious juice—some tangy-sweet, some refreshingly sweet, with some even carrying a hint of green astringency.
The food Professor Oak provided couldn't compare!
That food filled emptiness, but this brought pure satisfaction!
Nearby, Primeape and Heracross looked resigned. Since being assigned here, they'd spent the whole day picking fruit for Snorlax.
Heracross didn't mind; Appletun promised that after today's work, it could taste the honey secreted from its back.
Just thinking about tasting that honey gave Heracross all the motivation it needed.
Primeape, on the other hand, was about to explode with rage.
How could anyone eat this much?!
Already hot-tempered to begin with, if it weren't for the chance to spar with the Poliwrath gang later, Primeape would have quit on the spot.
Still, the anger simmered in a corner of its heart.
…
"I'm heading out with Ogerpon. You can nap with Larvitar or take Pikachu out to explore and catch any Pokémon you like, but remember to come back for meals, okay?"
Lucas, carrying an enormous three-layer bento box in his left hand and leading Ogerpon with his right, reminded Ash, who looked excited.
"Okay, I got it!"
Ash nodded vigorously, grabbed his hat from the coat rack, and dashed out the door.
Whether he really listened or not was anyone's guess.
Lucas rubbed his brow, feeling a headache coming on.
He vaguely recalled that in the anime, Ash—and even Brock and Misty—were, in a sense, all directionally challenged.
Still worried, Lucas called to his shadow, "Mimikyu, please follow them. No need to intervene unless they get lost. Just give them a hint if they do."
"And don't play pranks on Pikachu."
Mimikyu jumped from Lucas's shadow, nodded, and quickly followed after Ash and Pikachu.
Hiding silently in Pikachu's shadow, Mimikyu mused to itself.
If it were before the day Lucas bought it as a discounted toy among a pile of new plushies, it might have felt jealous and resentful of the shiny, popular Pikachu, even wanting revenge.
But things were different now.
Mimikyu knew it was loved—one person was enough—and with that, it was content.
Pikachu? Hmph, not important at all!
Rather than playing pranks on Pikachu, Mimikyu was more excited about the "super cute" new handmade plush outfit Lucas promised it!
Just thinking about it made Mimikyu bubble over with happiness.
…
Meanwhile.
Seeing Mimikyu had caught up to Ash and Pikachu, Lucas set off with Ogerpon toward the small hill behind the farm.
Along the way, Ogerpon hummed a cheerful tune, eyes glued to the three-layer bento box Lucas was carrying, full of anticipation.
Ogerpon's thoughts were easy to read—everything showed on its face, pure and simple.
It reminded Lucas of the Victini he'd met in Eindoak Town.
Unfortunately, after seeing the wider world, Victini's innocence had been tainted.
Lucas truly hoped Ogerpon could stay just as pure and unspoiled—a simple country girl.
"We'll have another friend joining us for lunch, so don't be impatient."
Lucas smiled at Ogerpon and looked ahead, estimating how much longer it would take to climb the hill.
Today, as usual, he was visiting Tinkatink.
But today, unlike his regular visits, Lucas had a new purpose:
To see if Tinkatink wanted to join the farm.
Calyrex had gone to survey the environment and mineral deposits near Kitakami Town.
Once it returned, Lucas would need to consider contracting a mine in Kitakami.
According to Calyrex, reforging the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield not only required "one-eyed giant" Melmetal's steel but also common ore and metal—and in large quantities.
That was why Calyrex personally went to inspect the mines.
Once preparations for materials began, it was about time to secure a craftsman.
Training a craftsman was a long process; even with talent, it would take quite some time, according to Calyrex.
The only good news was that Eternatus wouldn't awaken for quite a while.
Ash's journey had just reached the Silver Conference in Johto. At his usual pace of half a year per region, even in the worst-case scenario, there were still two or three years before "Darkest Day" awakened.
With future plans in mind, Lucas and Ogerpon pressed on toward Tinkatink's home.
They occasionally encountered wild Pokémon leaping from the grass, but Ogerpon could handle them all.
From Lucas's recent observations, Ogerpon was quite a unique Pokémon.
With its mask on, it seemed to draw power from it, overturning Lucas's impression of it as "weak."
Not only had it soloed Pecharunt and finished off the Loyal Three, but in Lucas's tests, Ogerpon's strength was astonishing—easily smashing huge rocks.
Its four masks were also quite mysterious.
With the green "Teal Maskk," Ogerpon remained pure Grass-type, and its ability was "Defiant"—its attack rose dramatically if its stats were lowered.
Wearing the "Hearthflame Mask," its cloak changed color, its type became Grass/Fire, and its ability switched to "Mold Breaker."
The "Wellspring Mask" gave it Grass/Water and the "Water Absorb" ability, and the "Cornerstone Mask" gave it Grass/Rock and "Sturdy."
Who could imagine a Pokémon could switch between so many types and abilities?
Lucas was stunned when he confirmed the results.
And he discovered something even more astonishing.
He'd intended to test whether, when Ogerpon switched masks (and thus types), its Tera Type would remain Grass or change to match the mask.
But when the Tera energy shone on Ogerpon, something unprecedented happened.
Ogerpon itself didn't Terastallize—the mask did!
Lucas was nearly shocked out of his skin seeing the mask Terastallize.
It was as if you were walking at night and suddenly ran into a "yellow weasel" demanding tribute—a true jump scare.
After rigorous testing, with data from Geeta's research lab and Calyrex's help, they discovered the mask's Terastallization effects.
First, Ogerpon's ability changed again when Terastallized.
Calyrex named the new ability "Mask Reflection"—quite a poetic name.
But when it came to Cosmog, Calyrex only called it "little one" or "little star."
Depending on the mask, after Terastallizing, Ogerpon's stats increased: Speed with the Teal Maskk, Special Defense with the Wellspring Mask, Attack with the Hearthflame Mask, and Defense with the Cornerstone Mask.
A very unique kind of Terastallization. Sometimes Lucas wondered if this resembled Gigantamaxing or exclusive Z-Moves.
He wondered if any other Terastallized Pokémon had such special traits.
With a mask, Ogerpon was formidable. The Hearthflame Mask especially—with its flaming spiked club—was terrifying.
With Ogerpon around, Lucas wasn't worried about wild Pokémon attacks.
Around 4 PM, Lucas and Ogerpon arrived at Tinkatink's cave home.
Lucas was in luck—Tinkatink was home, hammering away at its forging skills.
It was Tinkatink's diligence that made Lucas want to invite it to the farm.
Noticing Lucas's arrival, Tinkatink immediately dropped its work and greeted him warmly.
With a "clang," the hammer landed on a stone table. Before sitting down, Lucas noticed the material beneath the hammer and paused.
A black feather... it looked familiar.
Feathers strong enough to be forging material likely belonged to either Skarmory or Corviknight.
Except for rare individuals, Skarmory were almost never seen in Paldea, and the black feather narrowed it down—definitely Corviknight.
But…
Where did Tinkatink get a Corviknight feather? It shouldn't be able to bother wild Corviknight yet. Or could it—
Just as Lucas thought he was about to figure it out, two worried cries interrupted him.
"Kanū?"
"Boni?"
It was the concerned Ogerpon and Tinkatink, who was using tree leaves as "plates" to serve some berries.
"It's fine, let's have a picnic first."
Lucas shook his head, cleared his thoughts, and smiled at the two Pokémon.
Tinkatink was used to Lucas showing up with different "bodyguard" Pokémon, and Ogerpon, aside from being a bit shy, was very well-behaved. The two got along well.
Lucas opened the three-layer bento. Exquisite dishes were set before the two Pokémon.
"Boni!"
Ogerpon let out a delighted cry.
Even Tinkatink was amazed; today's food was completely different from Lucas's previous offerings.
The first layer was vibrant appetizers and side dishes—fresh sashimi, tempting with its fatty glisten, perfectly pickled sakura blossoms, and delicate small plates.
The second layer held all sorts of main dishes: hand-formed sushi, perfectly grilled eel with a soulful sauce, tamagoyaki, fried chicken, and more.
The third layer was fruit and desserts made with Alcremie—each one delicate and appetizing.
Unlike the bewildered Tinkatink, Ogerpon was already teary-eyed.
It knew Lucas had learned to make this Japanese-style bento just for it!
Both its old home and the new Kitakami region kept this food tradition.
It had thought it would never taste food like this again. But now…
Ogerpon was glad it had accepted Lucas's invitation to start a new life in Paldea.
Here, there was no discrimination—only friends, delicious meals, and a loving family!
..
…
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