At the North Square, Naoki and Yukito arrived to find Kieran and Carmianding defiantly in front of the town administrator and several vilge guards. The siblings' faces burned with anger, but they held their ground.

  The administrator's expression was grim, his frown deepening. In a quiet, close-knit town like this, theft was no trivial matter. "Kieran, Carmine, why did you steal these masks? They are sacred relics, left behind by the three Pokémon who once protected the vilge!"

  Carmihe masks tightly against her chest, her eyes bzing with fury. Kieran stood just behind her, clutg her sleeve for support but too afraid to speak.

  Finally, Carmine snapped, her voice trembling with emotion. "These masks don't belong to those three! They were stolen from Ogerpon! It was the three Pokémon who took them in the first pce—they were the bad ones!"

  The administrator's eyes widened in shock before his expression darkened further. "That's nonsense! Who told you such lies? Everyone knows the three Pokémon were heroes who saved the vilge from Ogerpon!"

  Carmiomped her foot, her frustration bubbling over. Around them, more vilgers gathered, their murmurs and curious whispers adding to the temosphere. She turo face the crowd, but the sheer number of onlookers only made her feel ered.

  At that moment, Naoki and Yukito pushed their way through the crowd, steppiween the siblings and the guards. Yukito immediately took the frightened children into his arms, casting them a stern look.

  "This was reckless," Yukito whispered harshly, his tone a mix of worry a.

  The administrataze shifted to Yukito. "Yukito, what's going on here?" he demanded, his patience wearing thin.

  With a heavy sigh, Yukito addressed the crowd. "It's time the truth came out. Administrator, the legend of Ogerpon and the Three Loyal Pokémon isn't what you've been told—it's the opposite."

  Gasps rippled through the onlookers as Yukito tinued. "The three Pokémon killed Ogerpon's caretaker to steal its masks. Ogerpon only retaliated to aves loved o never harmed anyone in the vilge."

  The murmurs of the vilgers grew louder, fusion and disbelief etched across their faces.

  Ogerpon, who had been hiding behind Naoki, shrank further into the shadows, trembling with fear at the growing crowd. Sensing its unease, Naoki k down and whispered gently, "It's okay. I'm here. Don't be afraid."

  "Pon…" Ogerpon murmured softly, its body still quivering.

  The administrator, however, looked increasingly agitated. "This is absurd! Everyone saw what happened back then. The three Pokémon were killed by Ogerpon—it's a dangerous creature! Yukito, you're stirring up trouble with these lies!"

  He paused, his tone growing cold and authoritative. "Besides, it doesn't matter now. The truth is irrelevant. The Three Loyal Pokémon are a symbol of Kitakami, and they've brought prosperity to the town. This discussion ends here. No one is to speak of this again!"

  The administrator's harsh gre swept over the crowd, sileng many of the murmurs. But before the tension could settle, a otion broke out in the distance.

  Shrill screams pierced the air, drawing everyone's attention. The vilgers turoward the sound, and what they saw left them frozen in shock.

  Three Pokémon approached rapidly, each exuding an ominous aura. One was a hulking, e-like Pokémon with a menag gait. Another, a simian figure, darted forward with a sly, malevolent grin. The third, an avian Pokémon with fiery plumage, fpped its vibrant wings as it soared through the air.

  The vilgers recoiled in fear. "Is that… the Three Loyal Pokémon?" someone whispered.

  "But they're supposed to be dead! How are they here?"

  "Why do they look so terrifying?"

  Ogerpon peeked out from behind Naoki. As its gaze nded on the approag Pokémon, its entire body stiffened. Reition dawned in its eyes, followed by a wave of suppressed fury.

  "Oge… pon!" it growled, its voice trembling with anger.

  Naoki's sharp eyes studied the three Pokémon as they closed the distahough he didn't fully uand how they had e back to life, he quickly pieced together the situation. He leaned down and asked Ogerpon softly, "Are those the ones?"

  Ogerpon's glowing eyes narrowed, and it nodded with a fierce determination. "Oge!"

  Ogerpon ched its tiny fists, and in a surge of fury, vibrant green energy began swirling around its hands. The energy quickly coalesced, f an enormous thorned club that pulsed with raw power.

  Naoki blinked in astonishment. 'Is this Ogerpon's ability?' Despite his surprise, he gently reached out, pg a hand on Ogerpon's shoulder to calm it.

  Ogerpon turo Naoki, its expression fused, as if asking why he stopped it. Before Naoki could expin, Koraidon stepped forward, letting out a sharp, anding cry. "Raao!"

  Naoki smiled and nodded. "Let's do this together. You're not alohis time."

  Ogerpoated for a moment, then nodded resolutely, its determinatiourning. "Pon!"

  Meanwhile, the administrator stared wide-eyed at the sight of the three reanimated Pokémon. "Those are the Three Loyal Pokémon!" he excimed.

  But before he could say more, Koraidon roared a into a. Its crimson body glowed as it released a surge of primal energy. The sunlight above intensified, bathing the field in a golden hue. With a burst of speed, Koraidon charged at Okidogi, its energy-irike sending the foe flying across the square. The defeated Pokémon nded with a heavy thud, motionless.

  Gasps erupted from the crowd. Kieran and Carmine exged excited looks, g their fists. "Great job, Koraidon!" Carmine cheered.

  The administrator, however, was ed. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.

  Naoki crossed his arms, his tone calm yet firm. "Helping my Pokémon release some of its anger."

  "Anger?" The administrator blinked in fusion, his gaze shifting to Ogerpon. For the first time, he took a closer look at the masked creature standing beside Naoki. His expression shifted as realization dawned.

  "It's… the oni?" he muttered, his voice trembling.

  The vilgers murmured uneasily, many stepping bastinctively. The figure they had mistaken for a human in a mask was revealed to be somethiirely different. Their earlier fiden the legend began to waver as Yukito's words echoed in their minds.

  Naoki, however, remained focused. He g the battlefield where Koraidon had already dispatched the sed Pokémon, Munkidori, leaving only the Fezandipiti still standing.

  Fezandipiti., however, was smarter than its panions. Realizing the battle was lost, it screeched and turail, fpping its wings furiously as it took to the air.

  "It's running away!" Carmine shouted, pointing at the fleeing Pokémon.

  Naoki immediately mounted Koraidon, motioning ferpon to follow. "Let's go!" he called, chasing after the esg foe.

  Kieran and Carmine followed closely behind, their determination spurring them on. "We 't let it get away!" Kieran yelled, his voice carrying above the otion.

  Fezandipiti's flight path led straight toward Mossui Town. The vilgers left behind stood frozen, unsure of what to do. The administrator's voice broke through the fusion.

  "The Three Loyal Pokémon are key to our town's tourism and identity. We 't let them die like this! Someone, go feturse Joy for help immediately!"

  "Yes, sir!" a guard replied, hurrying off toward the Pokémoer.

  The fleeing Fezandipiti didn't travel far. It nded in Mossui Town, just outside the Momozawa Store, attrag the bewildered stares of passersby.

  When Naoki arrived with Koraidon and Ogerpon, Fezandipiti was already on the ground, clutg a dusty, purple doll in its talons. It shook the doll frantically, as though pleading or praying to it.

  "Raao?" Koraidon tilted its head, clearly puzzled by the peculiar behavior.

  "What's it doing?" Carmine asked breathlessly as she caught up.

  "I have no idea," Naoki replied.

  At that moment, the strange purple doll held by the Fezandipiti began to move unnaturally.

  Suddenly, the doll split in half, revealing a bizarre, eerie creature hidden inside.

  Fezandipiti's expression shifted to one of apparent surprise, as though even it hadn't expected this oute.

  Naoki's eyes widened slightly. 'Is that... another Pokémon?' he wondered.

  "Pon!" Ogerpon growled, its voice low and filled with anger as it poi the newly revealed Pokémon.

  Naoki quickly uood. This creature must have wronged Ogerpon in the past.

  "Koraidon, strike it!" Naoki ordered without hesitation.

  "Raao!"

  Koraidon roared, leaping forward, its powerful legs propelling it toward the target. But before Koraidon could reach it, a shimmering purple light enveloped the mysterious Pokémon.

  In a fsh, the creature darted behind the shopkeeper standing nearby, using her as a shield.

  Koraidon skidded to a halt, its cws scraping the ground as it stopped just short of hitting the shopkeeper.

  "Move out of the way!" Carmine shouted, her voice frantic.

  But the elderly shopkeeper stood motionless, her posture stiff and unnatural.

  Naoki's eyes narrowed. Something was off.

  Then, to his shock, she opened her mouth, her voice slow and monotone as she uttered a single, chilling word: "Pech…"

  Meanwhile, at the North Shrihe administrator and several vilgers tending to the fallen Pokémon froze in pce.

  The vilgers watched in fusion as the administrator and his group slowly straighteheir eyes dull and vat, their movements stiff.

  "Vilge chief? Are you okay?" one vilger asked hesitantly.

  The administrator did not respond. Instead, he began muttering the same word over and over: "Pech… Pech…"

  As if in a trance, he and the others began desding the mountain in unison, their steps meical and eerie.

  All across Kitakami, simir ses unfolded. Vilgers in Mossui Town abandoned whatever they were doing—some leaving their meals half-eaten, others walking out of bathrooms or beds. With bnk expressions and stiff movements, they verged toward the Momozawa Store, f a growing circle around Naoki and his group.

  Back at the store, the crowd thied, their lifeless eyes trained on Naoki and the others. The shopkeeper, still uhe creature's trol, stood motionless as more vilgers joined her.

  "What's happening to everyone?!" Carmine asked, panic creeping into her voice.

  Naoki's expression darkened. "That Pokémon… it's trolling them."

  The realization hit like a bolt of lightning. The creature wasn't just hiding behind the vilgers—it was using them as human shields to protect itself.

  More vilgers closed in. Some reached for Kieran's legs, grabbing him with surprising strength and attempting to pull him down.

  "Sister!" Kieran cried out in fear, struggling against the grasping hands.

  "Hold on!" Carmine shouted, diving in to free him. She grabbed his arms, pulling with all her might to break him loose.

  Naoki's frown deepened. He reached into his belt and pulled out two Poké Balls. "Dragonite, Flutter Mane—e out!" he called.

  With twin fshes of white light, the Pokémon materialized. Dragoretched its wings, quickly sing the chaotic se. Uanding immediately, it let out a determined cry.

  "Oou!"

  Dragonite surged forward, knog back the encroag crowd with a powerful sweep of its tail. It grabbed Kieran and Carmih its cws, lifting them safely into the air.

  "Nice work, Dragonite!" Naoki called. He then turo Ogerpon and Koraidon. "Let's follow them!"

  Koraidon gave a fierce roar, croug low. Naoki helped Ogerpon climb onto its back before mounting himself. In an instant, Koraidon leaped into the air, its powerful legs propelling them skyward.

  From above, Naoki spotted Fezandipiti. It had not fled far and was now flyiically toward Mossui Town, as though trying to escape the chaos.

  Suddenly, it screeched and veered sharply, turning to charge at Koraidon mid-air. Its sharp beak glinted as it dived with surprising speed and precision.

  "Watch out!" Carmine shouted from above.

  Koraidon growled, its body tensing. In its current form, dealing with the airboracker was tricky. Just as the Fezandipiti was about to collide with them, Flutter Mane sprang into a. Its spectral wings shimmered with ghostly energy as it unched a surprise attack, intercepting the oning foe with precise and swift movements.

  A powerful force materialized instantly, crashing into the Fezandipiti like a tidal wave. Its attack was halted mid-charge as it was sent spiraling backward.

  "Pem!" Naoki anded, his voice firm.

  Flutter Mane responded without a sound. It vanished in an instant, reappearing behind the Fezandipiti in a spectral blur. A dazzling beam of prismatic light shot forth, striking the Fezandipiti directly and enveloping it in a radiant explosion.

  From a distance, Dragonite unleashed a Drage, its fierergy r through the air and hitting the Fezandipiti squarely.

  Fezandipiti let out a shrill cry before plummeting to the ground, its body limp like a kite with a broken string. It hit the earth with a thud, unmoving.

  Naoki sed the area below, his eyes narrowing as he noticed that the strange purple Pokémon had vanished entirely.

  His expression darkened. 'Another Pokémon I've never seen before…' he thought. 'It's uling not knowing anything about it.'

  Dragonite and Flutter Mauro Naoki's side, their expressions alert. Below, Kieran and Carmine looked nervously at the crowd of vilgers, who tio stretch out their arms and stumble forward like mindless puppets.

  "What's happening to everyone?" Kieran asked, his voice trembling. "Why are they ag like this?"

  "Grandpa and Grandma are still at the North Shrine," Carmine added, panic creeping into her tone. "I don't know if they're okay…"

  The siblings turo Naoki, their eyes pleading fuidance.

  Naoki sidered the situation for a moment before asking, "Did either of you see that purple Pokémon earlier?"

  Kieran and Carmine shook their heads. "No…" Kieran admitted.

  Naoki turo Ogerpon. "What about you? Did y?"

  "Pon!" Ogerpon's voice was filled with rage, its small fists ched tightly at its sides.

  Naoki frowned but quickly pieced together the situation. "Is it ected to those three Pokémon panions?" he asked.

  "Pon!" Ogerpon nodded vigorously. Though its face was obscured by its mask, its anger radiated clearly.

  Naoki cast a g the vilgers below, their arms g at the air as they tried to reach him and his panions. The sight was eerily remi of a se from The Walking Dead, and the realizatio a chill down his spine.

  Suddenly, a new wave of trolled vilgers appeared, shuffling into view. Among them, Naoki spotted Yukito, Hideko, and the vilge chief, their movements just as stiff and lifeless as the others.

  "Grandpa!" Kieran shouted, his voice breaking.

  "What do we do?" Kieran turo Carmine, his face pale.

  Even Carmine, usually bold and brash, seemed at a loss for words. She looked to Naoki, silently begging for a pn.

  Naoki's gaze hardened. "We o find that purple Pokémon," he said decisively. "I think it's using some kind of ability to trol the people in town."

  But for now, retreat was their only option. The sheer number of trolled vilgers made it impossible to front the problem head-on.

  "Let's get out of here," Naoki said. He directed Koraidon to circle around Mossui Town, searg for a safe pce troup.

  Eventually, they nded on the rooftop of the Civiter, high above the chaos. The sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky darkened, casting long shadows over the town.

  A strange purple fog began to spread aossui Town, bing the streets in an eerie haze. Vilgers uhe Pokémon's trol wandered aimlessly like zombies, low growls esg their throats. The sight was uling, to say the least.

  Naoki observed the se with an incredulous expression.

  'Seriously, when did this turn from the Pokémon world into a horror movie?'

  The atmosphere was unnervingly intense, and it made him shudder.

  'Yeah, this town is definitely not fun.'

  Naoki resolved right then and there: once he left, he wouldn't be ing back.

  But not all was bleak—thankfully, not everyone in town seemed to be uhe Pokémon's trol. Here and there, he spotted a few vilgers darting through the fog, carefully avoiding the possessed and slipping into their homes to bolt the doors and windows.

  'So the Pokémon's trol isn't absolute. There must be specifiditions needed for it to take over,' Naoki reasoned.

  At that moment, Kieran and Carmine suddenly remembered the masks they were holding. They quickly pced the three recovered masks on the ground in front of Ogerpon.

  "ht! The masks!" Carmine excimed. "Ogerpon, we brought these back for you!"

  Ogerpon stared at the masks and the two siblings in fusion. "Pon…?"

  "Take them!" Carmine urged. "Now that all the masks are back, you finally leave this pce with 'uncle' Naoki without any worries!"

  Naoki: "..."

  Ogerpon looked at the children thoughtfully, remembering how they had defe earlier in the day. Its heart swelled with gratitude.

  Kieran grinned. "Don't be scared! We're your friends now!"

  Ogerpon's expression softened, and it chirped happily. "Pon~"

  These past few days had been the happiest time ferpon in years. Meeting Naoki, as well as Kieran and Carmiwo people willing to fight for it—was something it would treasure forever.

  "By the way, Unaoki," Kieran begaantly.

  "Hm?" Naoki raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

  "When I grow up…" Kieran faltered but then gathered his ce. " I visit your rand see Ogerpon?"

  Naoki blinked in surprise before a kind smile. "Of course. When I leave, I'll tell you exactly where I live. You're wele to visit anytime."

  "Pon~!" Ogerpon chimed in, its small face lighting up with a smile.

  The brief moment of joy didn't st long, though. Carmine's expression grew anxious again.

  "Unaoki," she said, her tone ced with frustration, "what do we do now? That purple Pokémon is awful! It's using the townspeople as shields to protect itself!"

  Naoki sighed, rubbing his temples. "First off, stop calling me 'Uncle.' I'm only, like, fourteen years older than you. I'm not that old."

  Carmine looked annoyed but held back a retort, while Kieran couldn't help but be impressed. 'As expected of an adult,' he thought. 'He's so calm, even in a situation like this!'

  Naoki crossed his arms, thinking over his options. "As for what to do…"

  Option one: he could rely on Flutter Mahe a Ghost-type was a natural predator, adept at trag and stealth. Using Phantom Forbsp;it could remain ued while searg for the purple Pokémon.

  Option two: he could summon Sister Indeedee from the rand have it use Lunar Danbsp;to try purifying the vilgers affected by the Pokémon's trol.

  Option three: he could go all out and summon Calyrex. With Calyrex's immense power, they could perform a rge-scale purification of Mossui Town. Not only would this solve the immediate problem, but Calyrex's presence could also potentially inspire faith and awe among the townspeople.