Giratina had never seen this Pokémon before.
Without a doubt, this Pokémon did not exist in the Sinnoh region, at least not in Giratina's memory.
That club swing nearly gave Giratina a concussion, but fortunately, its resistance to Grass-type moves and the blessing from its old father in Shinto were not for nothing. With a shake of its massive head, Giratina flung Ogerpon far away!
"Boponi!"
Ogerpon was extremely nervous. Though she had been knocked down, as soon as she got back up, her gaze wasn't on Giratina—it was searching frantically for that green mask!
That was her most important treasure!
There it was—next to the evil dragon!
Ogerpon's mind went blank from anxiety. She grabbed her Thorned Club and was about to charge again, but Giratina's eyes flashed red, and the golden mask on its face opened wide. With a mighty Roar, it unleashed a sonic shockwave!
Roar: Forces the opponent to switch out, or ends a battle against a wild Pokémon!
An invisible force halted Ogerpon's aggressive posture. She plopped onto the ground, her mind blank, and stared dazedly at Giratina.
"Gaa."
[Calm down!]
[Nameless Pokémon, where did you come from to enter this world?]
[What is your name? Or rather, what do humans call you?]
Giratina inquired without anger over the earlier attack. It no longer lost its temper so easily. Besides, this Pokémon was clearly swept here by Palkia's spatial distortions!
After all, sudden exposure to a strange environment would cause a stress response, no matter how rational a Pokémon was. This instinct was unavoidable and marked an important difference between Pokémon and humans.
Even the lofty Legendary Pokémon often experienced such stress reactions.
Ogerpon stared blankly at Giratina.
How did I get here…
Ah, the mask!
She hurriedly ran over to Giratina, snatched up the green mask, then darted back under a nearby tree. Peeking out from behind it with only half her head showing, she pitifully glanced at the fearsome dragon while wiping the mask clean.
Good, good, the mask is intact… Wait! The mask is broken!
The crystalline ornament on the mask had vanished. Ogerpon's brain momentarily crashed. Feelings of grievance, loss, and bewilderment flooded her, and she slumped behind the tree, not wanting to speak.
Sigh… another lonely Pokémon.
Giratina could tell this Pokémon, who had stumbled into the Distortion World, was dealing with serious emotional issues. Its draconic eyes scanned the surroundings, but disappointingly, the crystal wasn't on this floating island.
Yet the mask had been in the island's center, so unless the crystal wasn't securely fastened, it shouldn't have fallen into the lower depths of the world.
"Bee-gyah…"
Giratina patiently asked about Ogerpon's origins and tried to comfort her. Don't worry, just a crystal. Giratina had plenty of treasures, for example…
Using Psychic, Giratina floated down a brilliant, radiant Platinum Orb before Ogerpon's gaze.
[No matter what the crystal on your mask was, this Platinum Orb should be a far better replacement!]
"Wuuuuh!"
But Ogerpon didn't appreciate it at all. Overwhelmed with emotion, she burst into tears on the spot, muttering incoherently between sobs, "Thank you… but I don't want it…" Her words, interspersed with sobbing, made her look both pitiful and a little funny.
What? My precious orb was rejected?
Hey! Even the craftsmen in Shinto love these Platinum Orbs, and villains are dying to get their hands on them. You… you just don't recognize its value!
Alright, fine! Since you accidentally wandered into this world, I'll help you find your crystal. I know a very capable human who can help you fix the mask!
"Boni? (Really?)"
"Gaaah! (I am a mighty creation god—I don't lie!)"
"Bonio? (Creation god? What's that?)"
Good question!
Giratina's mood immediately lifted. Ogerpon also looked at Giratina with interest.
Yes, that's the attitude!
Giratina began a grandiose speech about its origins and the history of the world's birth, but when it lowered its gaze, it found Ogerpon nodding off, a snot bubble forming as she dozed.
Giratina: "…"
How disrespectful!
You wild Pokémon these days just don't care about how the world came to be. Look at the Skwovet—they listened intently, even dancing and jumping around, eager for Giratina to lead them in a WAAAGH! of conquest!
[Forget it. Just tell me how you got here. You should be calm by now.]
Ogerpon was jolted awake by Giratina's voice. She rubbed her eyes, blinked twice, and started to recall.
Today was supposed to be a summer festival, the Masked Festival celebrated by humans.
She usually snuck out to join, always careful not to get caught, so she left her mountain cave early. But then… she encountered a strange fluctuation?
Her mask disappeared first, and she followed it, chasing it through a small spatial rift, and that's how she ended up in this world!
Giratina understood.
A spatial distortion phenomenon. That only happens when Palkia is active. So that guy really did enter the real world and even peeped into the Distortion World. But there wasn't any malice—most likely, it was drawn by Arceus.
Such distortions, if severe, could forcibly "distort" or even "erase" things from the real world. But under normal circumstances, Palkia's presence wouldn't cause that—unless it was fighting with Dialga. If those two clashed, the Distortion World would generate a massive amount of black clouds.
For now, the rate of black cloud generation remained normal.
But Palkia and Dialga's mental states weren't exactly the brightest. Their movements caused ripples in space-time.
Wait!
If it was just a simple passing-through, it might not have created a distortion. Most likely, the place where this Pokémon lived had objects that also affected space-time—like Sinnoh's Spear Pillar.
"Gaa? (Is there anything near your home related to time and space?)"
Ogerpon blinked in confusion.
Giratina pondered. Looks like this Pokémon didn't understand the concept of time-space. Let's try another approach.
[Are there any special landmarks near your home?]
"Boponi!"
Ogerpon perked up a little.
Yes! There are many interesting landmarks in Northwind Village! At the top of the mountain where I live, there's a shimmering pond, filled with lots of crystals! The humans have some kind of legend about it. There's even a warning sign by the pond, but I can't read human letters, so I never knew what it said!
Ah! The crystal on my mask looks just like the ones from that pond! But actually, it's a special gem brought back by my former owner from our homeland!
[So that's it. A shimmering pond… I've never seen such a place around Sinnoh.]
[Now that I think about it, those wild apple trees I pulled up might've been near Sinnoh too… I see, that must be where this Pokémon lived.]
Giratina had originally planned to send this Pokémon back. It was easy to open a gate from the Distortion World to Sinnoh, as long as there was a lake nearby. But seeing Ogerpon's shifting emotions… she gradually came out of her sadness and started looking around this new world with curiosity.
[You don't have any friends, do you?]
"Boponi… (No. I've always lived alone as a Pokémon.)" Ogerpon shook her head.
Memories of her past life with someone resurfaced, and her emotions sank again.
Giratina sighed.
There really were so many "lonely ones" in this world.
Myself, the Mew at the Shinto Ruins, this Pokémon before me… even the Scizor I dragged into the Distortion World.
[I see… Then climb on.]
Giratina lowered its head, gesturing for Ogerpon to ride on its head. Ogerpon blinked in confusion. Giratina patiently explained:
[I, too, was once alone, dwelling in this broken world… See the darkness in the distance?]
"Boponi!"
[This is the Distortion World that supports reality. Time is frozen here, and space is unstable. I was once banished to this place, but now, I am its pillar.]
[I am the master of the Distortion World—Giratina.]
"Boni-oh! (I'm Ogerpon! Or you can call me Ogre! That's what humans call me!)"
[Ogerpon… a strange name, but names carry meaning.]
[Over the long years, I've made friends too. But the lives of humans and regular Pokémon are too brief, and in the end, I was alone once more.]
[However, let me borrow the words of a friend: "When you live long enough, you'll experience painful partings, but you'll also encounter new meetings. The important people and things in life will never be forgotten, even across an entire lifetime."]
[You are alone, and I was alone too. Since that's the case, let me be your friend. I'll be your friend, and you'll have a brand-new future. Just as I was once saved by someone, now it's my turn to save others.]
[This is the bond Arceus spoke of: when you set out on a journey, lives intertwine—humans with humans, Pokémon with Pokémon. In the end, all lives will meet, and new things will be born.]
[Let me show you this world behind reality. And when you return to your homeland, if you feel lonely, just go to a lake and call for me. This world will always welcome you. There's a workshop left by a friend here, surrounded by apple trees, and the Skwovet live nearby.]
[I'm transforming this world, and my efforts have been recognized by the gods.]
Ogerpon clutched her mask, sitting on Giratina's head. The mighty shadow dragon spiraled through the Distortion World, using Psychic to lift countless "weather instruments" from a floating island.
It floated them nearby and flew into the deeper darkness, installing the instruments onto empty islands. When scorching rocks were placed inside the boxes, suns ignited one after another, lighting up the endless void.
Ogerpon's eyes sparkled like stars as she watched the terrifying black void illuminated by light. In that moment, the darkness and sorrow within her heart were gradually dispelled!
This giant dragon looked so fearsome, yet it was dispelling the night and lighting suns! What a gentle and powerful Pokémon!
And this mighty Pokémon… had once been lonely too. It said it also had a friend!
To befriend a Pokémon like Giratina, that person must be truly incredible!
[Indeed. He is an extraordinary human, an emissary of the gods, and one of the last descendants of an ancient people.]
[His power can soothe rage, sadness, and grant us spirit, courage, and freedom.]
[Some Pokémon follow him on a journey to connect many worlds, so that there will no longer be lonely beings like you and me. These Pokémon will become "heroes" or "champions."]
[The first king has been born, and the heroes will continue to emerge. I am sure of it.]
A journey… Ogerpon thought back to the man she had once traveled with, remembering the feelings they shared when they arrived at their current land.
The people there hadn't exactly welcomed her and the man.
She really did want to make friends with everyone.
Through a long journey, they had found a new land and settled there, but… that incident happened.
Ogerpon hugged her mask tightly, her mind filled with memories.
It takes great courage to venture to other places…
(End of Chapter)
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