Chapter 448: Subduing He He Yue's Ursaluna and the Mask of the Okidogi

At this moment, the Ursaluna was enveloped in white light, as if employing some kind of move.

Judging by the details of its movements and its momentum, it was not hard to see that this move should be a Normal-type physical attack—Skull Bash.

Perhaps due to the Ursaluna's size, its Skull Bash carried exceptional momentum, as if boosted by a same-type attack bonus.

This led Luo Mu to judge that even after transforming into the form of He He Yue, the Ursaluna remained a Ground and Normal-type Pokémon.

A massive creature weighing five or six hundred jin descended directly from the sky to crush down; while an ordinary Pokémon would surely panic, the Serperior's mind remained perfectly calm.

It aimed the tip of its tail at the empty space above the lake, channelled Grass-type energy, and once again unleashed Leaf Storm.

Empowered by four stacked layers of increased Special Attack, the momentum of this Leaf Storm was terrifying; the howling wind grew increasingly shrill, making the aquatic Pokémon below even more afraid to show themselves.

Fortunately, the Serperior never intended for this move to cause damage; it merely borrowed the thrust generated at the moment of the move's eruption to propel itself directly out of the Ursaluna's Skull Bash range!

With a loud boom, the Ursaluna slammed into the ground, causing spiderweb-like cracks to instantly spread across the surrounding terrain; before it could even feel frustration that its attack had missed again, the Serperior executed a smooth turn and smashed its Iron Tail directly onto the bear's waist!

"Roar—!"

Having endured the Serperior's full-force Iron Tail strike, the Ursaluna couldn't help but let out another pained roar, its gaze toward the Serperior now filled with fury.

Why does it keep attacking the belly and the kidneys specifically!? Even with skin as thick and rough as mine, I can't withstand this forever.

Taking a few seconds to stand back up and feeling the pain periodically shooting through its body, the Ursaluna was forced to consider a problem.

It seemed that even without holding back, the opponent was fighting with ease; until now, it hadn't managed to land a single hit on that Serperior! Retaining some habits from its time as an ordinary Ursaluna, it had leaned toward close combat, but that didn't mean it was foolish; precisely because it had encountered many opponents difficult to resolve through melee, it had gradually evolved its specialty in energy attacks, and when it was time to switch fighting styles, the Ursaluna would not hesitate.

Stepping back several paces as if wary, the Ursaluna made up its mind.

Even with its thick, rough skin, it now felt immense pressure; if this continued, the Serperior would clear this challenge without taking any damage, so where would its dignity as the big bear be placed!?

Luo Mu naturally did not miss the Ursaluna's abnormal reaction, thinking that this appearance suggested it was about to enter its second phase.

However, no matter what the Ursaluna did, it no longer mattered.

With a Grass-type Legendary Pokémon hanging around all day, the Serperior had been silently amassing great fortune.

The Serperior had now completed its warm-up; the +6 Special Attack state stacked from three Leaf Storms was sufficient for it to trade blows for a while with the ace Pokémon of an ordinary Champion, and given the type advantage, creating a miracle under successful positioning was not impossible.

Even without being able to absorb solar energy to enhance itself internally, the Serperior, whose strength was already a notch above the Ursaluna's, had no possibility of losing.

Now Luo Mu was only curious about one thing: what relationship did the Ursaluna have with the Blood Moon and the mist, and would it unleash moves containing related elements? Before Luo Mu could finish thinking, the Ursaluna struck first.

After creating distance, it began to display without reservation its talent for energy attacks, which was far greater than its physical attacks.

The unreserved Hyper Voice even caused the surface of the lake in the Eternal Forest to ripple violently; the instant after the Serperior blocked it with Grass Pledge, the Hyper Beam the Ursaluna had been charging up erupted forth!

A pillar of black-purple energy pierced through the mist, carrying terrifying energy fluctuations as it shot straight toward the Serperior.

Luo Mu sighed in his heart.

What a fellow, it even knows how to feint! At this moment, the Serperior had just released Grass Pledge and had almost no time to dodge the Hyper Beam, which the Ursaluna would definitely adjust the angle of.

There was no choice but to take it head-on!

Fortunately, the Serperior had a small reserve of solar energy accumulated during the day; consuming it all, and under Luo Mu's command, a Solar Beam with almost no wind-up likewise erupted forth!

A violet-red beam and an emerald-green beam collided in mid-air; violent energy fluctuations burst open, and the rolling shockwaves and impact force even snapped several nearby trees.

In the end, the Serperior's raw strength proved superior; the Solar Beam slowly suppressed the Hyper Beam, then slammed into the Ursaluna! Another fierce explosion occurred, and this time, the Ursaluna's aura clearly became unstable and withered.

No matter how thick its skin was or how many battles it had endured, there was still a limit.

Seizing the opportunity, Shalier quickly snapped several photos of the Ursaluna, muttering to herself, "Oh~ this style of being thoroughly defeated is quite nice too!"

"Poni."

The Okidogi, which was no longer crouching with its head covered in defense, also let out a surprised cry.

Defeating the Gyarados was one thing, but to think it couldn't even defeat this Ursaluna; Luo Mu and his partner were far stronger than the Okidogi had imagined!

Just as Shalier and the Okidogi thought the outcome was no longer in doubt, and that the Ursaluna, stiffened after using Hyper Beam and with stamina like a candle in the wind, had no capital left to turn the tables—

The Blood Moon in the sky turned an even deeper crimson.

The richness of that red hue seemed as if it would turn into liquid and drip down at any moment; Luo Mu and the Serperior also noticed the sudden anomaly, their gazes simultaneously fixing on the stiffened Ursaluna.

Whether inferred from clues or guessed by intuition, the anomaly of the Blood Moon was definitely related to the Ursaluna.

As expected, after the buffer period Luo Mu had deliberately provided, the green glow rising in the Ursaluna's eyes completely transformed into red light; it roared once more, a scarlet light bloomed atop its head, then shot straight into the clouds, connecting with that Blood Moon.

Immediately after, an illusory Blood Moon formed above the Ursaluna's head, emitting energy fluctuations that made one's heart palpitate, dimming the surrounding light by several degrees, as numerous lines of sight were captured by that scarlet radiance.

The power of this move made Shalier's scalp go numb; if she truly encountered He He Yue, her Noctowl, Leafeon, and the filler Growlithe would likely be wiped out instantly.

The next instant.

When the brightness reached its peak, a terrifying beam of blood-red light poured down like a dam releasing its floodgates, shooting straight toward the Serperior.

These special effects definitely indicate a signature move! Luo Mu's expression became even more excited as he said without hesitation, "Leaf Storm, no need to hold back!"

The Serperior nodded slightly, its tail coiling up a funnel-shaped hurricane surrounded by sharp green leaves, sweeping toward the beam without a trace of fear.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

Amidst the collision of moves, thunder-like tremors continuously roared, violent energy ripples constantly spread outward, and even the air emitted an overburdened humming sound due to the clash of such powerful techniques.

A moment later.

Perhaps the Ursaluna had reached its limit, or perhaps the Serperior's current power was simply too overwhelming; the Leaf Storm gradually swallowed the dazzling red beam blooming from the Blood Moon, as if assimilating part of its energy, causing the emerald glow of the Leaf Storm to be stained with a touch of blood color, exuding an even stronger sense of killing intent.

Under the Ursaluna's incredulous expression, the Leaf Storm completely engulfed it; facing this full-power Leaf Storm from the Serperior, its already meager stamina was inevitably drained completely, and its massive body collapsed heavily to the ground.

Until the moment it lost consciousness, the Ursaluna was still wondering if its brain had malfunctioned today; it had only come over to drink some water, so how did it end up fighting these two plagues?

Thinking itself invincible in the Eternal Forest, it experienced for the first time what it meant to have an enemy descend from the heavens.

Seeing the Ursaluna fall, Luo Mu did not hesitate; he rummaged through his backpack for a moment and pulled out several Poké Balls.

There were ordinary red-and-white Poké Balls, higher-performance Great Balls, and also a Friend Ball he had casually purchased earlier when exchanging a Level Ball for Victini.

Picking up the Friend Ball, Luo Mu paused for a second, looked at the Okidogi hiding under a tree nearby and peeking out stealthily, and unexpectedly felt that their colors matched quite well. Then he picked up the Great Ball again; normally when catching Pokémon he wouldn't use a Great Ball, as a red-and-white ball was sufficient, since anyway, on the farm they were all out of their Poké Balls twenty-four hours a day.

But this Ursaluna was a bit fierce, just like Meng Lei Gu; to be on the safe side, it was better to contain it in a higher-performance Great Ball.

Thinking thus, Luo Mu pressed the enlargement button and threw the Great Ball toward the Ursaluna with extreme precision; accompanied by three shakes and the flash of a yellow star, the Ursaluna in the form of He He Yue was successfully caught!

When a hint of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon, Luo Mu and Shalier had already packed up their camping gear and set off to leave the Eternal Forest.

On the road.

Sha Li leaned forward slightly, eagerly massaging Luo Mu's shoulders as she pleaded, "Just agree to it, okay? Please~"

Luo Mu was somewhat speechless; pressing a hand to his forehead in headache, he said, "We'll see what the Blood Moon Ursaluna's temperament is like when the time comes. I can't forcibly compel it to cooperate with you for photos."

Blood Moon Ursaluna was the name Luo Mu had given to his Ursaluna, intended to distinguish it from other Ursaluna.

After all, he still held ten Peat Blocks capable of evolving his Ursaring; if multiple Ursaluna were present at the scene later, calling out to them would be very inconvenient.

Luo Mu had also named the Ursaluna's final flashy move "Blood Moon," which fit the reality perfectly.

As for the matter Sha Li had entrusted to him, it stemmed entirely from her feeling that the night was too dark, and combined with the obstruction of the move's light effects, she hadn't captured a single satisfactory photo; she wanted Luo Mu, having caught the Ursaluna, to have it cooperate for a picture.

Just as Luo Mu had answered, he needed to ascertain the Ursaluna's temperament and seek its consent first; he couldn't simply agree outright.

Fortunately, Sha Li was clearly reasonable; since Luo Mu put it that way, she did not continue to pester him.

The two turned a corner, heading first to Ghost Mountain, intending to send Okidogi home.

Walking along the road, Okidogi kept its head bowed, as if burdened by some worry.

Once they arrived at Ghost Mountain, it finally could not hold back; removing the mask it wore, it immediately grabbed Luo Mu's trouser leg.

"Poni!"

From the scattered words exchanged between Luo Mu and Sha Li last night, Okidogi had learned that Luo Mu was not a native of the Kitakami region; if it did not take the initiative, this outsider would depart directly with those crystal shards! Having once come from outside itself, Okidogi had even thought that perhaps it and Luo Mu were fellow townspeople.

Seeing the anxiety in Okidogi's brow, Luo Mu squatted down; just as he was about to ask Okidogi what was wrong, aided by the light, he saw clearly every detail of Okidogi's removed mask.

"It's damaged?"

To be honest, because the lighting had been dim from start to finish, he truly hadn't examined Okidogi's mask closely.

Looking at it this way, it indeed seemed somewhat damaged.

Seeing that Luo Mu had noticed this point, Okidogi's eyes lit up, and it immediately began dancing with joy.

Luo Mu struggled to understand for quite a while; only with Serperior's assistance did he finally grasp what Okidogi was trying to convey.

Rummaging through his backpack for a good while, he finally took out those several shimmering crystal shards and asked, "You need these?"

"Poni!"

Okidogi nodded happily.

Since he didn't know what use these things had anyway—they were merely a bonus item from catching Gyarados—Luo Mu generously said, "Then I'll just give them to you."

Saying this, he handed the crystal shards over to Okidogi.

Just as his hand reached halfway, Luo Mu suddenly remembered something and asked again, "You want these... not to repair this mask, are you?"

Looking closely, these crystal shards seemed very similar to the gems embedded in Okidogi's mask, and the mask's most significant damage lay precisely in those gems.

Hearing Luo Mu's question, Okidogi nodded.

It was indeed for repairing the mask! Otherwise, how could it have summoned the courage to approach humans? Yet Luo Mu's next spontaneous question stumped Okidogi.

"Do you know how to repair the mask?"

Okidogi froze.

What it had always considered before was simply gathering the materials to repair the mask; it truly hadn't considered how to actually perform the repair once the materials were assembled.

Seeing that Okidogi could not answer, Luo Mu understood.

Pondering briefly, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "How about this: if you trust me, temporarily entrust the mask to me first; I will go into Verdant Town and ask around to see if there is any craftsman capable of repairing it."

He then smoothly added another sentence.

"After all, your status makes it difficult for you to enter the town."

Okidogi fell silent.

Just as Luo Mu had said, it was difficult for it to enter the village; otherwise, it wouldn't have remained unable to retrieve the other three masks lost outside for so long.

But, could it truly trust Luo Mu?

Okidogi lifted its head, its starry eyes locking gaze with Luo Mu.

After a long while, Okidogi made up its mind and handed the mask over to Luo Mu.

It wanted to trust once more.

This had nothing to do with the person who had once adopted it; it was simply that Luo Mu had displayed before it a temperament and charm sufficient to earn its trust, and nothing more.

Putting on the mask, Luo Mu and Sha Li temporarily bade farewell to Okidogi, who resided within Ghost Mountain, and returned to Verdant Town.

On the way, Sha Li remarked with slight emotion, "I truly never expected that the ghost depicted in that story was actually Okidogi; looking at it in reality, it isn't nearly as ferocious as the story described."

"For nothing, I initially imagined the ghost as a green-faced, fanged, broad-shouldered and burly giant..."

Luo Mu laughed helplessly, "I thought much the same as you."

Sha Li nodded gently, her gaze distant, "Now that we've actually seen Okidogi, do you think the story told in the legend of the Kitakami's Three Treasures is true?"

Luo Mu remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "History has always been written by the victors; setting aside the outcome of the battle between Okidogi and the Three Treasures, the ones who recorded the story were humans. As the saying goes, 'a single leaf blocks the view'; perhaps someone misunderstood something, or perhaps someone deliberately wrote the story into its current version."

"Rather than investigating the truth of the story, we should first ask Mr. Xue Zhong to inquire whether there is any craftsman in Verdant Town capable of repairing the mask; the other townsfolk are not very trustworthy."

Sha Li also nodded in agreement.

(End of Chapter)