Students from Alola

The next morning.

After breakfast, Mingyou packed up and said goodbye to Ogerpon. He told her he would be back by noon, so she shouldn't worry too much.

He mounted Wyrdeer, put Munchlax in a Poké Ball, and headed for the Kitakami Center with them.

But once he was gone, Ogerpon put on the Ogre Mask and quietly followed. Gible saw her, but said nothing.

The Kitakami Center stood nearly five kilometers from Verdant Town. It was Kitakami's shrine grounds, built along Dancing Road.

Behind the shrine lay the starting point of the path into Oni Mountain. That was why all the stalls had been set up here.

As the route everyone had to pass through, the Kitakami Center was practically the entrance to a tourist attraction. It got lively during peak season, and there was a festival coming up, too.

Before long, Mingyou arrived on Wyrdeer. He was fairly early and could see residents having Timburr and Gurdurr carry goods up to the center.

"Lively already!"

Mingyou looked ahead. A long staircase led up from the entrance to the Kitakami Center, flanked by two "stone lions"—statues of Hisuian Growlithe.

Kitakami was close to the Sinnoh Region. Back when the Kitakami Center was built, Sinnoh had still been called Hisui, and Hisuian Growlithe had been fairly common here. They were nowhere to be seen these days.

Wyrdeer climbed the steps and passed through a series of red gates: a corridor of torii. They were said to mark the boundary of sacred ground.

The gates separated the realm where gods dwelled from the human world. Every shrine had them, though whether gods truly existed was another matter.

Many so-called gods might simply be Pokémon. As for what the shrine at the Kitakami Center enshrined, that was hard to say. It could be an ordinary Pokémon—or something nasty...

At the top of the stairs, the view opened up. Many stalls were already set up, with advertisements posted beside them. Each stall had a distinctly local Kitakami style.

There were no tourists yet. Mingyou looked away and began searching for his stall.

"Let's see... Found it!"

He quickly found Stall C1. It really was out of the way, tucked into a row near the back. Whether anyone would even notice it was another question. The stalls lining the central path usually did the best business.

"At least I've got one..."

Mingyou wasn't picky. He went to his stall and started setting up. He stood his sign beside it and, in case no one bought his usual stock again, brought plenty of ordinary apples to make snacks.

A little later, everything was ready. All that remained was to wait for the tourists and the students attending Summer Camp.

He took out a folding chair and sat down, posted a Payment QR Code on the stall, then let Munchlax out of its Poké Ball.

"Munch~"

"Stay here for now. You can go play once more people show up."

Mingyou held Munchlax down so it wouldn't run off and cause a commotion. A Shiny Munchlax stood out too much, especially when there were so few people around.

"Munch~"

Munchlax obediently lay down and went to sleep. It had eaten breakfast; it could worry about getting hungry later.

Once it was asleep, Mingyou stopped fussing over it. He waited for customers while checking his phone and keeping an eye on Magikarp King's business. No one was buying.

After a while, a burst of chatter rose from the stairs. Stall owners began calling out their wares—candied apples, fried noodles, shaved ice...

Then a group of students climbed the last step and entered the Kitakami Center.

The man leading them wore a white baseball cap with a Poké Ball emblem and a white lab coat over his bare chest. His sturdy build and easygoing air made him stand out.

He was Professor Kukui, who had brought the students of Alola's Pokémon School here for Summer Camp!

Behind him, a student in a black hat looked a little unwell. He sneezed, hugged his arms, and said, "I think I got a bit chilled last night..."

"We're close to the Sinnoh Region. Even in summer, the nights can get pretty cold. You should exercise more, Xiao Yang, and pull up the covers when you sleep."

Professor Kukui stopped and turned to the twenty-odd students behind him. They were all from his own class.

There were other classes, too. He had originally wanted to bring them all over together, but they had teachers accompanying them, so he had left those classes in their care.

Professor Kukui put his hands on his hips and smiled. "This Summer Camp is mainly about broadening your horizons. Kitakami has plenty of Pokémon you rarely see in Alola. Each of you will choose one Pokémon, study its ecology, and write a report. That's your summer homework."

"Aww..."

Groans broke out at once. They had thought Summer Camp would be all fun, but there was homework after all. At least they wouldn't return to the Alola Region until the end of next month, so they had plenty of time.

Professor Kukui went on. "One more thing. Like the Paldea Region, Kitakami is full of Terastal Energy. If you have a Tera Orb, you can even use Terastallization here!"

"Terastallization?"

"That's right. You saw those Naranja Academy students in orange uniforms yesterday, didn't you? Some of them might be able to use Terastallization. If you're interested, try challenging them."

"Yeah!"

Several students, Xiao Yang among them, jumped up in excitement. Terastallization! They had only ever heard of it, never seen it with their own eyes. They wondered how it compared to a Z-Move.

But while they celebrated, a blonde girl in a short white skirt and a white sunhat looked less than thrilled. Studying Pokémon ecology sounded way too hard!

Professor Kukui looked over the group, then spread his arms and smiled. "All right, you're free to go. Stay around the Kitakami Center today, and don't wander too far. Some Pokémon in the wild can be pretty scary."

"Don't worry!"

"That's exactly what worries me. Remember, wherever you go in Kitakami, the areas with roads are generally safer. Most powerful Wild Pokémon won't come near places where people gather. And one more thing..."

Professor Kukui glanced at his Rotom Phone. "The Festival of Masks starts in a week. We'll have Summer Camp activities then, so don't forget."

"Don't worry!"

After another breezy answer, the students scattered. Some raced each other toward Oni Mountain, while others browsed the stalls in groups, buying local treats. Professor Kukui was left standing alone.

He took off his cap and wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiling faintly. He wasn't too worried about the students. Kitakami had stationed Trainers around the area for their safety.

He put his cap back on and looked around for somewhere to sit and rest.

Since arriving in Kitakami yesterday, he had also had matters to discuss with the administrator. He had gotten up early today and been busy ever since, without a proper break.

Then he spotted a long stone bench in a quiet corner. It stood beside a railing with a view over Kitakami.

"That'll do!"

He headed toward it, but as he passed a stall, the words on a sign caught his eye. He stopped.

"Eating fruit can teach moves? Am I so tired I'm seeing things... or am I dreaming?"

"No, you're not dreaming."

Mingyou, who had been dozing against Wyrdeer, slowly opened his eyes and answered with a smile...

For anyone asking about the setting: it's a mix of the games and anime, with a little from the manga. Red, Ash, and even Liko will all appear, so don't worry too much about the timeline.