Summer walked through the Eternal Forest, surrounded by the web-spinning String Balls hanging from the trees, the Caterpie poking its head out of the soil, and the Vulpix leaving a crimson shadow as it moved through the woods.
His impression of this forest was singular: an untouched primeval forest.
Since this forest was a replica of Kitakami's primeval forest, the Eternal Forest of Kitakami should be similar.
Summer wondered why the residents of Meadow Town, despite their small number, hadn't ventured into such a resource-rich forest. It seemed strange unless...
This forest harbored extremely dangerous entities, much like Oni Mountain, where the legend of the ogres made villagers avoid the back mountains where ogres lived.
"Ogerpon, stay alert. This forest might have dangerous creatures," Summer said, observing his surroundings closely. It was strange; the area was becoming increasingly quiet, and the number of Pokémon was decreasing.
Ogerpon mimicked Summer's actions, placing its hand on its forehead to look around, and indeed, it sensed a powerful presence.
"Gao!" it alerted Summer.
"Oh, I feel it too. That sound of footsteps must belong to a big Pokémon," Summer inhaled deeply. "I hope it's a gentle giant…"
Thud! Thud! Thud! The ground trembled more violently. Ogerpon pressed close to Summer, gripping its Thorn Whip tightly, and stared intently in the direction of the footsteps.
"What exactly is this mist…"
Dense mist rose around them. Could it be a Pokémon that controls mist? And its size… Summer couldn't pinpoint it from memory.
In the silent surroundings, the only sound was the approaching footsteps. Suddenly, the noise ceased, and a crimson moon appeared in the mist. No, it was a Pokémon!
As the giant Pokémon breathed heavily, Summer finally saw its appearance. It was an Ursaluna?
The Ursaluna, which was originally quadrupedal, stood up, exuding an imposing presence. The main difference between this Ursaluna and the ordinary one was the red moon on its head, which radiated an ominous aura compared to the original yellow moon.
Its fur was lighter than a regular Ursaluna's, with iron-like soil covering most of its head, shoulders, chest, and lower legs. Its left eye was particularly unusual, with a piercing green pupil that seemed to see through everything.
"Gao?"
The seemingly fierce special Ursaluna opened its mouth in surprise.
"Gao!"
Ogerpon, wearing the Teal Mask, made a threatening sound. Though the sound it produced was somewhat cute, the Thorn Whip it wielded was anything but.
"Gawu, gawu!"
The Ursaluna imitated human gestures, pointing at itself with an anxious expression, as if asking, "Don't you recognize me?"
It then glanced at its huge form and seemed to realize how much it had changed.
"Do you recognize us?" Summer asked softly.
"Gao! Gao!" The Ursaluna nodded vigorously, confirming it.
So, it must be something I did in the future? Summer concluded, as he had never encountered an Ursaluna before.
"Ogerpon!"
Ogerpon tilted its head thoughtfully and suddenly had a revelation. It remembered saving a large bear with its close friend a long time ago. At that time, the bear was covered in wounds, its body cold and dirty.
Seeing Ogerpon recall the past, the Ursaluna grinned, showing its sharp teeth. Despite its smile, it still had a fierce appearance.
"Ogerpon, do you know it?" Summer asked.
"Gao!"
Ogerpon's affirmation filled Summer with questions. The Ursaluna's earlier gaze seemed to be inquiring about Ogerpon and him.
Not recognizing Summer, the Ursaluna showed a lonely expression. It still recalled what Summer had said back then:
"Delicious, grow up healthily, and then become the next king, roaming this vast Hisui land."
Thinking of these words made it even more melancholic. Sitting down, it plucked a fruit from a tree and began to eat it. Only the sweet taste could alleviate its sorrow.
As Summer watched the Ursaluna eat the fruit, he suddenly remembered distributing fruit to a group of bear cubs when he traveled to Hisui in the past. One of them liked sitting on the ground, hugging and eating fruit.
"Were you one of those bear cubs?"
"Gaga Gao!" The Ursaluna showed an excited expression, clearly thrilled that Summer remembered it.
Among its siblings, it was the smallest. Summer had fairly distributed fruit to them, allowing it to taste the best fruit ever and casually mentioned such an unattainable goal, sparking its desire to become stronger.
That's why it survived through such a crisis. But humans are indeed both good and bad.
So, this Ursaluna had remembered him from the distant Hisui era, simply because he had once given it a fruit. Summer felt a mix of confusion and emotion.
If you treat Pokémon well, Pokémon will reciprocate with the most sincere feelings. This saying is indeed true.
The Ursaluna looked at Ogerpon, recalling the bad people it had met before. After the death of its previous king, it relied on its immense power to become the new king. But in just a few decades, human attitudes towards them changed drastically.
A group of young people who commanded Pokémon shouted that the Sinnoh land no longer needed kings and began pursuing it. To avoid harming its kin, it constantly ran across the land, with wounds continuously increasing.
When new wounds appeared, it filled them with soil from its homeland. If people despised it, it stayed away from them. Plop, the Ursaluna leaped into the sea, struggling to paddle with its front paws, surrounded by the laughter of the young people.
In their view, the Ursaluna couldn't swim, so its fate was only death.
But the Ursaluna survived. The cold sea water could not freeze its will to live. It continued to use soil from its homeland to block the sea's onslaught, the iron in it reacting wonderfully with its will.
It developed an indestructible hard armor. Its will was tempered in the sea, becoming stronger, but the physical toll from the sea was irreversible. It lost its strong physique, and its fur became dull.
On the bright side, its mental strength surpassed limits, far exceeding that of ordinary Pokémon.
On land, after a long drift, it finally reached new land. Driven by its will to survive, it moved ashore, searching for food to replenish its lost energy.
Unbeknownst to the Ursaluna, its wish had reached the ears of some existence on this land. The red moon fell onto its forehead, and its eyes could still see everything in the darkness.
Survive, and then seek revenge, just like this ominous red moon!
But that existence didn't expect it to be a gentle Ursaluna willing to sacrifice for its family. It didn't expect that once, a human had shown kindness in its heart. It didn't expect it to encounter the man and Ogerpon searching for food in the Eternal Forest.
(End of Chapter)