Ursaluna awoke from its unconsciousness to a long-lost warmth. The burning campfire reflected in its eyes, and it hadn't yet realized its appearance was slowly changing.
A small orange creature lay beside it, sound asleep without any hint of vigilance.
Ursaluna's nose twitched, and its keen sense of smell detected a sweet scent—it was berries, a pile of fresh berries!
Its stomach growled loudly, hunger overwhelming its willpower, and drool flowed continuously from its mouth. Ursaluna couldn't bear it any longer and began devouring the berries wildly.
The noise woke up the sleeping Ogerpon, who, upon seeing the large bear consuming the berries that it and Summer had painstakingly collected, angrily grabbed its Thorn Whip.
"Gaao! Gaao!"
Ogerpon ran up to Ursaluna, waving the whip in strong protest.
Having nearly finished the berries, Ursaluna regained its senses. It noticed that the wounds on its arms were covered with herbs. Was it this little one that saved me?
It glanced at the few remaining berries on the ground and its now-full belly, realizing it had eaten the food of its saviors. Ursaluna showed an apologetic expression.
"Awake, huh? Your appetite is just as I imagined," a sturdy man with golden hair and a large sack of berries wrapped in tattered cloth said with a friendly smile.
Ogerpon showed a helpless expression. The man, despite his imposing presence, always appeared kind-hearted, which is why the villagers often bullied him. If Ogerpon were the man, it would have taught them a lesson with its whip long ago.
He's human, but a good human, Ursaluna quickly concluded. Yes, there are good and bad humans. How could I indiscriminately seek revenge against all humans?
Revenge? Why would I think that? Ursaluna quickly dismissed the thought. The urgent task now was to repay the man and the little one.
Although its wounds still ached, Ursaluna had long been accustomed to it. It ran into the depths of the forest, grabbing berries whenever it saw them. It didn't realize its way of walking had changed.
Due to its fierce appearance and massive body, the Pokémon of the Eternal Forest fled at the sight of it, making it easy for Ursaluna to collect berries.
Following the scent back to the man's camp, Ogerpon couldn't stay angry seeing the bear's honest smile and its arms full of fresh berries.
After a short time together, the man and Ogerpon returned to Oni Mountain, their original home. Ursaluna didn't follow, as it needed to heal, and the peaceful, food-rich Eternal Forest was the perfect place.
In the days that followed, Ursaluna constantly hoped for the return of the man and Ogerpon, but they never came. Ogerpon also isolated itself, never leaving Oni Mountain.
Unable to bear the loneliness, Ursaluna set out to find them. It left the Eternal Forest, following the scent. At dusk, the villagers, holding the Festival of Mask, fled in terror upon seeing such a fearsome Pokémon.
Ursaluna ignored the villagers, considering them evil for ostracizing the man and Ogerpon, just like the youths had once ostracized it.
Villagers fleeing down the steep mountain path, unable to see the road clearly at night, fell off cliffs. The ominous red moon, linking Ursaluna with the once-raging Ogerpon in the village, made them believe this was the true face of the ogre.
They believed it was heading to Oni Mountain, the ogre's residence. Those who died from falling off the cliffs, missing heads, made the superstitious villagers think the ogre had devoured them and their souls, deepening their fear of the ogre.
The ogre would reveal its true form when the mask was removed—a red-mooned ogre. The unfortunate, lost in the mist, ultimately became the ogre's food.
Ursaluna, unaware of this, only wanted to find its benefactors. Then it saw Ogerpon crying in a narrow cave, the man's figure gone, with a faint smell of blood.
It didn't comfort Ogerpon, immediately thinking of the villagers. The long-repressed desire for revenge erupted, and it ran to the village below the mountain.
Ursaluna couldn't recall the process clearly. It only knew it caused havoc before returning to the Eternal Forest, which no human dared to enter again.
So, seeing Summer and Ogerpon now made Ursaluna so happy. These were some of the few good people it knew, and seeing Ogerpon looking happy meant it had overcome its sadness, which was definitely worth celebrating.
"Yes, I need to tell you, Ursaluna, this is the Eternal Forest, but not Kitakami."
"?"
Ursaluna showed a puzzled expression. It's not Kitakami but the Eternal Forest. Has the entire forest been moved? But the power of space belongs only to the great god of Hisui, doesn't it?
"Actually, it's hard for me to explain. But since you've come to this forest, you're now a resident of Sunset Forest, and as a ranger, you're my responsibility," Summer said.
"So, here's a welcome gift. It's the berries I once gave you."
A sapling appeared out of thin air in Summer's hand, which he planted in the ground. Stepping back, the sapling rapidly grew under the green light from Summer's hand, soon bearing ripe berries.
Ogerpon and Ursaluna were both stunned. They had never seen Summer use this ability before.
Ogerpon closely observed Summer. This ability, similar to its Teal Mask, made it wonder if Summer also had a mask and where he hid it.
Ursaluna widened its eyes. The power of time? But isn't that the power of the great god of Hisui? No, Ursaluna suddenly realized humans couldn't remain young forever.
Summer, who exactly are you?
But Ursaluna's thoughts were quickly distracted by the sweet berry scent. With Summer's permission, it picked a berry and ate it. The familiar taste exploded in its mouth, reminding it of its childhood.
Seeing Ursaluna enjoying the berry, Ogerpon forgot about the mask and wanted some berries too.
Stopping Ogerpon from hitting the tree with its Thorn Whip, Summer picked the berries himself and handed them to Ogerpon. Watching its happy expression, Summer wiped the sweat from his forehead, having feared Ogerpon might break the tree with its whip.
"You can come here for these berries anytime. It's okay to leave the forest too; there are various forests outside. Just consider this your home, Ursaluna," Summer said gently.
Home. How long has it been since Ursaluna heard this word? Ah, meeting good humans again is truly wonderful.
(End of Chapter)