Building Memories, Mingyou's Starter Pokémon!

"What's wrong?"

Noticing Ogerpon's expression, Mingyou asked with concern. Ogerpon shook its head to say it was nothing, then took his hand and led him over.

At the fruit trees, Ogerpon gazed curiously at the fruits that smelled just like it. It rose onto its tiptoes, instinctively reaching to pick one.

Then it paused and looked at Mingyou. The little look on its face seemed to ask whether it could.

"Haha, I'll pick them for you."

Mingyou smiled and rubbed its head. He picked the fruit, leaving three of each kind on the trees and taking the rest.

After all, he had not tried the other flavors yet. The green Ogerpon Citrus tasted so good that the others surely would too!

"Mm~"

"Here you go."

Mingyou handed it a green Ogerpon Citrus. Ogerpon took it, tilted its head, and examined it curiously. Somehow, the fruit reminded it of a Mask it had lost.

"Mm~"

"What is it? Aren't you going to eat it?"

When Ogerpon looked up at him, Mingyou asked curiously. It shook its head, indicating that it wanted to see the other colors.

"Sure, you can have them all."

If Ogerpon wanted them, Mingyou would not refuse. Without Ogerpon, there would be no Ogerpon Citrus. He kept only one red and one blue, gave it the rest, and told it how the fruits differed.

"Mm~"

Ogerpon took them and followed Mingyou into the living room. Munchlax, who had slept so restlessly on the sofa that it had rolled onto the floor, caught the scent, woke at once, and ran over.

"Munch~"

"Mm~"

Seeing Munchlax, Ogerpon cheerfully told it that it had brought Berries again today. Mingyou set the Berries on the wooden coffee table in front of the sofa.

They could eat as much as they liked and tide themselves over until mealtime.

"Munch..."

Munchlax watched Ogerpon holding four Ogerpon Citrus, its head turning slightly as it followed them with its eyes. Then it looked down at the Berries before it... and suddenly lost its appetite.

Why did it only get Berries while Ogerpon got so many Ogerpon Citrus? Was it not trying hard enough?

It was so jealous...

After sending Munchlax off to eat, Ogerpon continued studying the Ogerpon Citrus in its hands. The longer it looked, the more these fruits resembled the Masks it had lost. It knew they were not the same, yet they felt familiar.

"Mm!"

It chose the red Ogerpon Citrus and bit straight into it without peeling it. Juice burst across its tongue. Ogerpon's eyes went wide, its mouth fell open, and it marveled at the sweet, spicy flavor!

But the next instant, it seemed to remember something. Anger surged in its heart, and it instinctively reached for its Ivy Cudgel...

Seeing its expression, Mingyou smiled. "How does that one taste? Is it good?"

"Mm~"

Delicious~ Ogerpon liked this flavor~

A smile instantly lit Ogerpon's face. The moment it saw Mingyou, the anger in its heart vanished. It did not want to hurt anyone...

Mingyou did not notice the change in its feelings. "Then eat the rest too," he said. "They won't taste as good if you leave them too long."

"Mm~"

Ogerpon nodded gently. Curious about what it had just felt, it put the blue Ogerpon Citrus into its mouth as well, savoring its distinctive flavor with delight.

Yet the taste stirred another faint memory. The smile slowly faded from its face, and tears slipped down its cheeks before it could stop them... Then it threw its arms around Mingyou.

"What's wrong?"

Bewildered by its sudden tears, Mingyou quickly crouched and held it close, trying to comfort it.

Ogerpon did not know why it suddenly wanted to cry. Over the hundreds of years it had spent alone in Kitakami, it seemed to have forgotten so much of its past. Time had taken so much away... Ogerpon was scared...

"It's all right. I'm here. Don't cry. I'll always stay with you."

Mingyou comforted it softly, his heart aching for it. The poor thing had been through so much. Had the Ogerpon Citrus brought back some of its memories?

Only after he had comforted it for a long while did Ogerpon finally settle down. Mingyou wiped away its tears, stroked its head, and smiled. "Don't cry anymore, okay? Whenever something upsets you, come to me."

"Mm~"

Ogerpon nodded gently. Mingyou could sense that its affection for him had grown considerably. Ogerpon truly trusted him and liked him.

He stood and looked at the two Ogerpon Citrus in his hands. After a moment, he murmured, "Fruit that brings back memories?"

He peeled the red one. Its rind was an ordinary thickness, but juice splashed onto his fingers as he pulled it away, leaving him with the strange impression that he had smeared scalding chili oil on them.

Mingyou paid it no mind. The description had mentioned a little spice, and he was curious what a spicy Ogerpon Citrus would taste like.

He eyed the bright-red flesh, swallowed his saliva, broke off a segment, and put it in his mouth.

The instant he bit into it, his eyes flew wide and turned bloodshot. The remaining fruit fell from his hand. His whole body flushed red, and steam even rose from him.

"I... It's too spicy!!!"

Mingyou tried to spit it out, but it was too late. The burst of juice seemed to burn his mouth. Calling it a sting did not come close. The feeling reminded him of...

In his previous life, he had lost a game of truth or dare and eaten a spoonful of level-five extra-hot chili. His entire body had turned red, and he had felt as if he were on fire. He had nearly ended up in the hospital.

It had brought back a memory, all right, but not a good one. This felt much the same as it had then... No, it might have been even worse!

Damn it... I'm going to burst into flames!

"Munch?"

Munchlax had been watching them in secret. When the fruit fell, it rushed over and snatched it up without caring that it had landed on the floor.

It swallowed the fruit in one gulp, afraid someone would take it away. The next second, it unleashed Flamethrower. Even Munchlax could not withstand that heat...

Ogerpon had just eaten the gray Ogerpon Citrus. A happy time had come back to it, and it was smiling when it saw Mingyou and Munchlax, both turned into "Charizard," racing around the living room in search of water.

The two collided in the middle of the room. Munchlax, having eaten far too much, could take no more and fainted from the spice on the spot. Mingyou lay sprawled across it, looking half-dead himself.

"I'm going to die..."

"Mm!"

At those words, Ogerpon froze. The precious memory it had only just recovered seemed to shatter in an instant.

Panic took over its face. It hurried to Mingyou, and its Ogre Mask fell out of its cloak. Hugging him, it shook him over and over, sobbing.

Don't go! Don't leave Ogerpon behind!

It had only just promised not to cry, but Ogerpon could not help it. It did not want to lose anyone else, or go on living alone in Kitakami.

As it shook him, Mingyou barely regained some awareness. With great effort, he raised a hand and pointed to the blue Ogerpon Citrus that had fallen nearby.

"Water..."

"Mm?"

Ogerpon came to its senses, rushed over, and picked up the blue Ogerpon Citrus. It held the fruit to Mingyou's mouth, and he ate it whole, peel and all. Fortunately, the peel was thin and only a little astringent.

The blue fruit's juice burst in his mouth. A coolness like well water in summer swept through him, driving away the scorching heat.

Sweat covered Mingyou's forehead. After taking a moment to recover, he thought, That was close... I got tricked. You call that a little spicy? What kind of "spicy" was that?

He had always liked spicy food, but now...

He coughed twice and sat up against the fallen Munchlax. Then he looked at Ogerpon apologetically. "Sorry I worried you."

"Mm~"

As long as you're okay~

"I didn't expect the flavor to hit that hard. You ate it without any trouble, so maybe our tastes are different. Either way, I can't eat that one."

Hearing this, Ogerpon took out the last green Ogerpon Citrus. It pulled the fruit in two and offered him half.

"Hm?"

"Mm~"

You taught me to share~

"Haha."

Mingyou smiled and took it.

Mingyou and Ogerpon sat beside Munchlax and ate the delicious fruit together in the warm, comforting quiet.

Perhaps because Ogerpon had eaten only half, its effect was weaker. No memories came to it this time, but it was still very happy.

Seeing Ogerpon so happy, Mingyou felt himself grow calm. He thought of the question he had been wrestling with lately: finding his own Starter Pokémon. For one reason or another, he still had not found one.

He was taking the matter seriously. His standards were not especially high, but this would be his first Pokémon. It was not enough for him to decide a Pokémon suited him; that Pokémon had to accept him wholeheartedly too.

Now he wanted to try. They had spent only a short time together, but he truly liked Ogerpon and wanted to take care of it.

Taking a deep breath, Mingyou turned to Ogerpon and asked earnestly, "Um... will you be my companion?"

"Mm?"

Ogerpon tilted its head, puzzled. Companions... Aren't we already?

"No, I mean a companion who can fight by my side. I mean... will you become my Pokémon?"

Mingyou explained what he meant, all the while worrying that Ogerpon might refuse. It was a Legendary Pokémon, after all, unlike an ordinary Pokémon. Unless it accepted him, this would never work.

But his worry was needless. Ogerpon agreed without a moment's hesitation. It could fight beside Mingyou and stay with him always. How could it possibly refuse?

"Mm!"

"You'll do it?"

"Mm~"

Ogerpon stood and swayed happily. Only then did Mingyou fully understand how much it trusted him. He would live up to that trust!

He took a Poké Ball from his pocket. He had bought it at the Momozawa Shop and carried it with him ever since, hoping to find his Starter Pokémon.

Seeing the Poké Ball, Ogerpon reached out of its own accord and touched it gently. Its body turned into red light and vanished. With a click, the Poké Ball completed the capture without so much as a shake.

"..."

Mingyou looked at the Poké Ball in his hand. So many feelings and memories passed through him, but in the end, they came down to one promise...

"I'll take good care of you!"

As he spoke, he noticed the Ogre Mask lying nearby. He bent to pick it up.

Just then, a flash of red light appeared. Ogerpon had let itself back out of the Poké Ball. It was too small inside, and it had felt uncomfortable.

But none of that mattered now. Ogerpon looked at Mingyou, eager to show him how happy it was to be his companion. Before it could make a sound, though, Mingyou held out the Ogre Mask with a smile.

"This Mask is important to you. Don't lose it."

"Mm~"

Ogerpon took the Mask, put it on, and danced with joy. If its old memories were gone, it would start making new ones now!

Starting with this precious Ogre Mask!