The Festival of Masks Begins

After lunch, the afternoon seemed to arrive in a blink.

Mingyou began packing what he planned to sell that day. He picked out a few Waterheart Peaches, along with some white green plums and apples that had no added effects.

Those would be easier to sell, and peaches that big were sure to draw attention. He wasn't going to charge much, either. He'd chosen only C-quality ones, whose effects were weaker.

He had already made arrangements for the Festival of Masks, too. Ogerpon would stay in her Poké Ball for a while. The festival hadn't started yet, but once evening came, they wouldn't have to worry so much.

"Then let's get going!"

He climbed onto Wyrdeer. Latias had wanted to ride along, but in the end she changed back to her original form and decided to fly after them.

She needed to bring Gible with her. They had managed to talk the little shark into coming, but Gible would have resisted if Mingyou had tried to take him...

Before long, Mingyou reached Kitakami Center on Wyrdeer's back. The Festival of Masks started at five, still two hours away, but the festive mood was already in full swing. Plenty of people had gathered.

"So many people today. It's a great day for business."

Mingyou began setting up his stall. It was the biggest crowd he'd seen there in days, and many people were already wearing masks.

Masks weren't required for the Festival of Masks, but everyone bought one to get into the spirit of things. They weren't particularly expensive, anyway.

"I'll need to buy a few later..."

He had barely finished speaking when Latias turned into a little girl and appeared behind him with Gible. The lively scene was too much for her to resist. She wanted to join in.

Mingyou caught her before she could run off. "Don't wander around. Stay here for a bit, and I'll take you to buy masks once I'm ready."

"Mm..."

Latias pouted, took his folding chair, and sat down beside the stall.

Gible looked around curiously. He had lived in a big city before, so a bustling place like this was nothing new to him. This time felt entirely different, though. He even found himself looking forward to it.

Wyrdeer lay down to rest. Festivals like this didn't interest him. A banquet at the Manor sounded much better; he preferred that sort of atmosphere.

Once everything was ready, Mingyou let Munchlax out of his Poké Ball, then turned to Wyrdeer. "Sorry for the trouble, but could you watch the stall for a bit? We'll be back soon."

"Wyr~"

Mingyou left with Munchlax and Latias. After a moment's hesitation, Gible followed on his short little legs.

Just after they left, a tea canister suddenly appeared beneath the stall. Wyrdeer opened one eye to look at it, then closed it again...

Kitakami Center was packed with people and Pokémon that day. Even the street stalls had lines. Mingyou couldn't help feeling a little envious.

Latias kept looking around, curious about everything. It was her first time somewhere like this, and the food stalls especially made her want to stop and eat.

"Mmm!"

She pointed to a stall selling grilled squid beneath an Inkay sign. She wanted some.

Mingyou glanced at the long line and said helplessly, "There are too many people. Let's come back after we buy masks."

"Mm..."

"Just be patient. I'll buy you whatever you want to eat later."

As Mingyou coaxed the little girl, he felt for a moment as though he were back at the orphanage where he had worked in his previous life, soothing children every day.

They arrived at a mask stall. A few people were browsing there, but compared with the other stalls, it was fairly quiet.

After a short wait, it was their turn.

The mask seller was a bald, middle-aged man. He recognized Mingyou as a fellow stallholder and greeted him. "Here for masks? I've sold loads today, so this is all I have left. Pick whichever ones you like."

"Mm."

Mingyou nodded and looked over the selection. There were masks of the Loyal Three and Ogre Masks. To his surprise, plenty of the former remained, while only two Ogre Masks were left.

"Are Ogre Masks that popular?"

"Yeah. People used to buy more Loyal Three masks, but at some point, tourists started going for Ogre Masks because they think the ogre looks cool. The Loyal Three are clearly cooler."

The seller sounded put out. Mingyou smiled and bought an Ogre Mask, then turned to the others. "You pick some too. They have masks for Pokémon."

"Munch?"

Munchlax studied the masks for a while before picking one of himself. Latias chose a Clefairy mask because it was cute.

Finally, Mingyou looked at Gible and smiled. "You should pick one too."

"Gib?"

Gible froze. He hadn't expected Mingyou to buy him one as well... Munchlax lifted him up so he could search the display, and he chose a Dragonite mask.

"Dragonite? That suits you."

"Gib..."

That left Gible a little embarrassed.

"Let's go, then."

Mingyou started leading them back to his stall, only to notice that Latias couldn't figure out how to put on her mask. She fiddled with it for ages and grew so frustrated she nearly tried biting it. How could she be this clumsy?

With a sigh, he crouched down and set the mask at an angle on her head.

Just then, several people approached, and a familiar voice called out, "Aren't you the Fruit stall owner? We've run into you again. The professor's been so busy studying your Fruit lately that we hardly see him."

"So, are you here to buy Fruit?"

Mingyou looked up with a smile. Sure enough, it was Lana. Besides her and Mallow, two other girls were with them: a blonde young lady wearing a Clefairy mask, and a bob-haired girl wearing a Rowlet mask.

All four wore light festival kimonos, as did many others nearby. It was traditional Kitakami attire. Mingyou, still in his everyday clothes, looked a little out of place.

Mallow introduced the other two as Lillie and Selene. Mingyou hardly needed the introductions, though; he had recognized them at a glance.

Then Mallow noticed the masked little girl beside him. "She's adorable. Is she your little sister?"

"Yep. That's right."

Mingyou admitted it without hesitation. He and Latias had already agreed that when they went out, he would be her older brother so no one would get suspicious.

But after studying them for a moment, Lana asked, "How come you don't look alike at all? My two little sisters look just like me, and all three of us look like our mom."

"Not everyone has kids with an Everstone."

"Fair enough... So, little one, want to come have fun with us?"

"..."

Latias froze at the question. She didn't know what to do; she couldn't answer.

Fortunately, Mingyou reacted quickly. "She'd rather stay with me. She gets scared when I'm not around."

"That's a shame..."

Mallow and Lana looked disappointed. Seeing that Latias wore the same mask as her, Lillie stepped forward to say hello.

But the instant her hand touched Latias's head, Lillie flinched as though some instinct had taken over.

"What's wrong?"

Selene quickly asked, pulling her away.

"I... I don't know."

Lillie shook her head, looking rattled. The person in front of her was just a little girl, so why had her body reacted as it did when she touched a Pokémon? Had her condition gotten worse?

Mingyou watched with a smile, then said, "We'll get going. If you want Fruit, come by my stall. I'm selling green plums and peaches today, and they're pretty cheap."

"Not right now. We still want to look around the festival. Maybe when we make it over there."

"I see. That's too bad..."

Mingyou shook his head and watched them leave. Then he queued up to buy Latias several servings of grilled squid before returning to his stall.

Finally getting her grilled squid, Latias settled down like a child who had just been given KFC. She sat on Wyrdeer's back and dug in.

Munchlax and Gible each got a serving, and Mingyou tried some too. It was pretty good. The stall used real squid, not Inkay—there were ordinary animals in this world, after all.

Mingyou glanced around, then quietly let Ogerpon out of her Poké Ball. He couldn't leave the poor girl alone in there the whole time.

The moment Ogerpon came out, she thought the Festival of Masks had begun. When Mingyou told her there was still an hour to go, her spirits sank.

"Here, try this first."

Mingyou gave her his serving. Her smile returned, and she picked up a piece and ate it.

"Mmm~"

Not bad. It tasted great~

Mingyou patted her head. "If you like it, eat it all. Remember to wear your mask, and stay here for now. We'll go together later."

"Mmm~"

Ogerpon crouched behind the stall, hidden from view. But with Latias and the others there, she didn't feel lonely at all. She was delighted.

Mingyou stayed beside them, looking after them. Unfortunately, he hadn't sold any Fruit. Even so, he wore a smile just like Ogerpon's.

At last, five o'clock arrived. A bell rang out from the shrine, signaling that the Festival of Masks had begun!