Chapter 444: The Timeless Forest, The Legend of Ogerpon!

Outside the Treasure Companion Plaza.

"Thanks for bailing me out."

Luo Mu thanked Little Sha Li, whom he hadn't seen in quite some time, standing before him.

Although he had originally intended to feign alarm just enough to make that man forcing donations back off, one thing at a time; before he could order Mimikyu to act, Little Sha Li, accompanied by her Noctowl, had already teased that fellow, indirectly helping Luo Mu escape the moral coercion.

By both sentiment and reason, he owed her a thank you.

Little Sha Li, however, was quite carefree about it; waving a hand, she said with an indifferent expression, "You're just too nice; if you aren't a bit tougher, those people will just climb right up the pole."

As if remembering something, Little Sha Li asked again with an excited face, "By the way, I just snapped a few photos of you looking awkward; want to see?!"

"... Delete them."

"Okay!"

Knowing she needed a favor from Luo Mu, Little Sha Li deleted the photos with great alacrity.

At this moment.

DanYu and Uli, standing nearby, finally found an opportunity to interject; with faces flushed red from embarrassment and expressions full of apology, they said, "We're sorry; the villagers of Mossui Town went too far."

Now that they had shaken off those people and cast the unpleasantness aside, Luo Mu naturally wouldn't make things difficult for these two children, who couldn't influence the entire town's atmosphere, and shook his head, saying, "This has nothing to do with you two."

Perhaps due to attending Blueberry Academy, DanYu and Uli had broadened their horizons enough to realize just how wrong the behavior of the villagers, which had seemed perfectly normal in their childhood, actually was.

Luo Mu was merely traveling to the Kitakami region, helping Little Sha Li investigate the legend of Ogerpon along the way, and additionally planning to use the apple tree on Apple Hill in Kitakami, which stably produces evolution items for Applin, to help his Applin evolve.

In a few days, he would leave; as for troublesome matters like reforming the villagers' mindset... he couldn't be bothered to care.

Seeing that Luo Mu didn't blame them, the siblings exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.

Putting the unpleasantness at Treasure Companion Plaza behind them, the group returned together to the guesthouse run by Mr. Dengshan, enjoyed another lavish lunch, and then planned to part ways.

Uli and DanYu needed to prepare, as Blueberry Academy would be starting again in a few days.

Blueberry Academy was an institution that emphasized Pokémon battles; even during holidays, they did not forget to improve their own strength and that of their Pokémon—DanYu wanted to maintain her mid-tier standing in the Battle Club, while Uli wanted to shed his status as the bottom of the class.

Fortunately, after that half-day journey of mountain climbing and battling, Luo Mu had pointed out many of their shortcomings; as long as they remedied these and improved themselves according to Luo Mu's suggestions, they were confident they could achieve a small leap in strength before school started.

Their one-and-a-half-day career as tour guides came to a temporary halt.

After thanking Luo Mu one by one, just before leaving, Uli summoned his courage, found Luo Mu alone, and requested in a low voice, "Mr. Luo, if you have any news about the ogre, could you share it with me?"

His sister DanYu also found Luo Mu alone, but her request was vastly different from Uli's: "Mr. Luo, if you have any news about the ogre, could you keep it from A-Li?... He likes the ogre too much; if he rushes into the mountains chasing its tracks because of some news, it will be very dangerous."

The siblings' thoughts were completely different; regarding this, Luo Mu promised neither of them, simply nodding and saying he understood.

After the siblings departed, Luo Mu discussed plans with Little Sha Li again, deciding to split up.

Little Sha Li would go purchase the necessities needed for staying in the wilds of the Timeless Forest for the next few days, preparing for a protracted struggle.

As for Luo Mu, he would stay on the second floor of the guesthouse to sleep!

He had fished for half the night, and then, due to excitement, had only managed to doze off briefly just before dawn; since Little Sha Li said the investigation of Ogerpon needed to be conducted at night, during her preparation time, Luo Mu could catch up on sleep and then depart once night fell! Once asleep, time passed very quickly.

By the time Little Sha Li, having returned from her errands, shook Luo Mu awake, it was already sunset.

Luo Mu tidied up and washed, even taking a bath.

After all, opportunities to bathe would be scarce over the next few days in the wild.

Once the sky had completely darkened, the two bid farewell to Mr. Dengshan and Aunt Kibi before leaving Mossui Town and heading toward Luo Mu's primary destination for this trip to the Kitakami region.

Along the way, Luo Mu shared with Little Sha Li his experiences from the past few days in Mossui Town.

Upon hearing that Luo Mu had not only taken many photos at the Crystal Pool but also caught a Gyarados that had attacked him.

Beyond her surprise, Little Sha Li's expression immediately turned peculiar.

She asked, "Did you only catch that Gyarados?"

"?"

Several question marks appeared above Luo Mu's head, his face showing confusion.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Little Sha Li widened her eyes and gasped sharply, "The problem is huge!"

"Don't you know? That Gyarados has a companion!"

"A companion?" Luo Mu frowned. "Didn't that Gyarados fly to the mountaintop on its own and occupy the Crystal Pool?"

"Or are you referring to those Magikarp in the Crystal Pool?"

In Luo Mu's impression, Gyarados were not the kind of Pokémon that protected their own kind.

To them, they and Magikarp were no longer the same species; temperamental Gyarados would even choose to attack Magikarp within their territory and drive them out.

Knowing Luo Mu had misunderstood, Little Sha Li pondered for a few seconds before speaking: "I heard this story from a villager who is usually responsible for protecting and repairing the Crystal Pool and often stays there."

"In reality, that Gyarados was not native to the Crystal Pool; it entered the pool via a hidden cave containing a pond, located behind a massive rock by the lakeside of the Crystal Pool."

"Furthermore, when that Gyarados arrived at the Crystal Pool, it was merely an extremely ordinary Magikarp."

"Compared to the other Magikarp in the Crystal Pool, the Magikarp that would become Gyarados had a decisive difference."

"It had a friend of a different species."

"Perhaps 'friend' is the wrong term; in fact, that person didn't know the true nature of their relationship—it could be friends, siblings, lovers, or even boss and subordinate; no one knows the truth."

"In short, to summarize: after the Magikarp and its 'friend' moved to the Crystal Pool, the friend, far stronger than the Magikarp, took charge of food for both Pokémon, snatching aquatic plants and grabbing berries that flying bird Pokémon accidentally dropped into the pool... the ultimate result was that the Magikarp successfully evolved into a Gyarados, becoming the undisputed ruler of this Crystal Pool."

After speaking such a long passage, Little Sha Li felt her mouth dry; she took a thermos cup from her backpack's mesh pocket, drank some warm water to moisten her throat, and continued speaking.

"After the Magikarp evolved, the status between the two did not change; it was just that the Gyarados would often fly out of the Crystal Pool to the mountainside to pick some berries, bringing them back to the pool for its companion."

"And that companion of the Gyarados... its name is Feebas; according to that person, the Feebas seems to be a relatively rare Shiny Pokémon." "There's still time; we can go to Ogre Mountain first. Knowing your personality, you surely wouldn't be cruel enough to let two Pokémon who depend on each other be separated, right?"

To prevent the two Pokémon from being separated, Little Sha Li was even willing to delay her own objective, even though tonight might have been her chance to encounter Ogerpon.

Fortunately, the concern she harbored seemed to have been unfounded from the start.

With a peculiar expression, Luo Mu took out two Poké Balls and said, "Um... I've already caught that Feebas too."

Saying this, Luo Mu directly pressed the button on the Poké Balls, releasing the Gyarados and the Feebas in front of a small puddle.

Just as Sha Li had said, the moment it left its Poké Ball, the Gyarados sensed a familiar presence nearby; the innate ferocity on its face faded considerably, and with a joyful expression, it swam over to the Feebas lying in the shallow puddle, staring blankly like a salted fish.

But the Feebas showed no appreciation whatsoever; its dull eyes instantly turned sharp.

Even though the Gyarados's huge, fishy maw—gaped wide like a Golbat's—could swallow it whole in one bite, it still swiftly and accurately drove its robust fish body, whipping its tail to slap the Gyarados.

"Bas!" (You idiot, I even had to figure out a way to find you!)

Even after taking the hit, the Gyarados wasn't angry in the least; it only let out a grieved cry.

"Roar~!" (How was I supposed to know that human was so powerful~!)

Not far away.

Watching the two Pokémon interact, Sha Li rarely fell silent, her face wearing an expression of wanting to speak but holding back.

As for Luo Mu, he shook his head with a smile; it seemed Sha Li was indeed right—these two Pokémon truly knew each other.

Thinking about it this way, the Feebas's clingy behavior suddenly made sense.

Because the puddle was too shallow and he worried the Feebas would be uncomfortable, Luo Mu stepped forward and recalled both Pokémon into their Poké Balls.

Throughout the entire process, neither the Gyarados nor the Feebas resisted; they seemed to have already accepted the fact that they had been caught by Luo Mu.

The two continued advancing toward the direction of the Eternal Forest; quite a while later, Sha Li finally reacted, giving Luo Mu a thumbs-up with a shocked expression and teasing, "Just like you—eating and taking everything!"

The Eternal Forest is located in the northeast corner of Kitakami, surrounded by the Kitakami Wild Area.

According to Sha Li, the people of Kitakami almost never venture into this Eternal Forest; at most, they merely wander around Ghost Mountain.

The primary reason is that the Eternal Forest, as a true deep wilderness, sees a dramatic increase in the strength of wild Pokémon, far beyond what ordinary villagers can handle.

The closer one gets to the Eternal Forest, the more danger lurks everywhere; Luo Mu released his Feng Su Gou and the Mimikyu keeping covert watch, while Sha Li released her Noctowl, which had bailed Luo Mu out earlier that day, along with her long-unseen Growlithe.

Upon seeing the Feng Su Gou, Sha Li's eyes immediately lit up.

"Wow, wow, wow! Is this what a Growlithe looks like after evolving?"

"Even though I already knew, seeing it with my own eyes from such close range is still incredibly moving!"

Unable to resist, Sha Li asked for permission from both Luo Mu and the Feng Su Gou before carefully stroking its mane.

"Mm, amazing! Just looking at it, my inspiration is constantly surging forth!"

Sha Li wiped the corner of her mouth; at this moment, her expression truly looked somewhat lecherous.

Sha Li's own Hisuian Growlithe also excitedly circled around the Feng Su Gou, looking enviously at this long-unseen companion's spirited appearance.

Quite a while later, Sha Li's emotions finally calmed down; seeing they were nearly at the boundaries of the Eternal Forest, she directly took a small device from her backpack and began fiddling with it.

The device seemed capable of analyzing certain data; after tinkering with it for a while, her eyes glowed slightly as she exclaimed, "Luo Mu, you truly are my lucky star!"

"Why do you say that?"

Luo Mu blinked, somewhat puzzled.

Sha Li wagged her index finger, making eye contact with Luo Mu through the lens of her camera.

"According to the data collected by the detection device, the probability of fog forming in the Eternal Forest tonight is as high as 77.114 percent!"

"And our target, 'Crimson Moon,' according to eyewitness reports, only becomes active in the heavy fog that permeates the entire Eternal Forest!"

"Therefore, I conclude!"

"I stayed in this cursed place for nearly a month without encountering 'Crimson Moon,' yet you might meet it on your very first day here; doesn't that make you my lucky star?"

Luo Mu nodded thoughtfully, directing his Feng Su Gou to send away an Ariados attacking from overhead, then asked again, "Crimson Moon, Crimson Moon—you've mentioned Crimson Moon so many times; have you finally figured out what kind of Pokémon it is?"

In response to Luo Mu's question, Sha Li, who had long been prepared, nodded slightly and said, "Of course I've investigated it clearly; through data passed down from my ancestors, along with numerous eyewitness accounts and clues, the true identity of Crimson Moon is no longer a mystery to me."

"The real difficulty lies only in how to actually meet Crimson Moon."

Sha Li paused briefly, then continued speaking:

"The so-called 'Crimson Moon' is merely an alias for a Pokémon called Ursaluna that I am searching for."

"Have you heard of it? It is said that long, long ago, there were quite a few Ursaluna; these Pokémon usually have a yellow moon pattern on their foreheads, but Crimson Moon is different—that fellow's moon is red."

"It looks just like a crimson blood moon dyed in blood, so many who have seen it call it 'Crimson Moon'."

"Crimson Moon is a Pokémon that existed even when my homeland was still called the Hisui region; for some unknown reason and at some unknown time, it arrived in Kitakami and settled here."

"Perhaps due to changes in the regional climate, or perhaps due to transformations occurring after a long journey or even crossing the sea, an ordinary Ursaluna became 'Crimson Moon'."

"My goal is simply to photograph Crimson Moon; it is very strong, so if a conflict arises, I have no objection to you catching it."

Listening quietly to Sha Li's account, having now arrived at the edge entrance of the Eternal Forest, Luo Mu suddenly felt as though a fog had lifted from his mind.

So that was it.

The so-called "Crimson Moon" was simply an Ursaluna of a different appearance.

Was it a regional form, or perhaps a further evolution?

Luo Mu felt very curious and expectant about this, which also filled him with motivation for the upcoming mystery-solving endeavor.

Just as he and Sha Li were about to formally enter the Eternal Forest, a cry filled with panic suddenly rang out from behind them.

(End of Chapter)