–+–
Stepping out of the Pokémon Center, Sera felt a flicker of anticipation, but that was quickly replaced by a faint, rhythmic vibration in her palm.
The simulator was signaling that something was happening.
Sera looked left and right before finding a roadside bench to sit on.
She took out her phone, though her focus was entirely on the simulator screen that only she could see.
[Ogerpon feels very afraid.]
The moment she opened the app, the alert that popped up gave Sera a start.
…What’s going on?
Sera quickly scrolled back to find the truth of the situation.
[Due to the commotion on Oni Mountain, villagers came to investigate and accidentally encountered Ogerpon.]
[You have received a new limited-time mission.]
–+–
[Flash Event: Establishing Might]
[To maintain the reputation of the “Ogre,” please defeat the villager alongside Ogerpon.]
[Mission Goal: Defeat the villager]
[Mission Reward: Effort Value +1, Raising Points +10]
–+–
Oh, so it was just a random NPC spawn.
Sera let out a breath of relief.
She knew very well that her little ogre wasn’t particularly brave.
At first, she would even get startled by Sera’s own touch, so it wasn’t surprising that she would be frightened by a villager suddenly popping up.
However.
“Only one Effort Value?”
Sera eyed the rewards.
Mission rewards in the simulator were usually tied to the difficulty.
For instance, the first stage of the “Ogre of Oni Mountain” quest—where she had to defeat ten wild Pokémon—was an easy task that also rewarded a single Effort Value.
In other words, Ogerpon could easily trounce this freshly spawned villager.
Still, an Effort Value was an Effort Value.
[Ogerpon has sensed your presence.]
[Ogerpon is filled with power!]
Good.
The girl smiled and extended her finger, tapping on the pixelated villager whose features were barely distinguishable on the screen.
–+–
Carmine was in a foul mood.
The ogre from the legends…
it actually existed.
And it was standing right in front of her.
The ogre didn’t say a word, but she could tell from the way its face was oriented that it was staring directly at her.
“…Hello?”
Carmine tried to speak up.
But the ogre seemed not to hear, standing there in perfect silence.
The suffocating pressure weighed on Carmine, and her fear gradually transformed into irritation.
Having never been one to stay quiet, she leaned forward, her hand stealthily reaching toward her waist.
Carmine was glad she hadn’t been reckless and had brought a partner before climbing the mountain.
As her fingers brushed against the cold Poké Ball, she snatched it and threw it forward.
“Vulpix!”
A reddish-brown fox kit with six tails landed on the ground.
Carmine felt her resolve harden.
A Fire-type Pokémon, Vulpix.
Based on Carmine’s guess, this ogre was likely a Grass-type; Vulpix had a clear type advantage.
If that was the case…
A crafty plan began to form in Carmine’s mind.
However, the very next moment, her eyes went wide, and she let out a sharp cry.
“Vulpix, dodge it!”
Thud!
A club wrapped in sharp, thorny vines slammed heavily into the spot where Vulpix had been standing just a second ago.
Carmine scrambled backward, but flying debris grazed her cheek, leaving a shallow cut.
She had no time to worry about that, as the ogre, still holding the thorny club, began its next round of attacks.
Thud!!
The crisp sound of wooden feet striking the ground echoed through the air.
The force behind the falling vine club was absolutely terrifying.
Carmine watched helplessly as the club struck Vulpix.
The hit was so powerful that Vulpix let out a whimper and went down, losing consciousness before it even hit the ground.
“Vulpix!”
With lightning-fast reflexes, Carmine raised her hand and recalled Vulpix with its Poké Ball.
Wasn’t that a Grass-type move?
Carmine couldn’t believe it, her mind racing.
The thorny club held by the ogre had radiated the grass-green glow characteristic of Grass-type energy, yet a move like that had cleanly knocked out her Vulpix in one strike.
…This is too insane.
This was definitely not an opponent she could handle.
Carmine stepped back, fighting to steady her nerves.
She noticed the ogre dragging the club loosely on the ground, showing no intent to pursue.
Run!
Without hesitation, Carmine spun around and sprinted down the mountain.
She felt like she had tapped into an unprecedented potential; even back when she was a mischievous kid being chased by her grandfather with a broom across half the village, she had never run this fast.
–+–
[Mission Completed]
[You have received Effort Value +1, Raising Points +10] The source of this chapter is g.com.
Sera watched the villager scramble away in the simulator, and she couldn’t help but find it amusing, knowing these were the very people spreading rumors about Ogerpon being an “ogre.”
Now you know how strong my little ogre is, don’t you?
Through this battle, Sera realized that Ogerpon’s strength had improved significantly.
If that Geodude leader from before were to stand in front of her again, Ogerpon, now recalling the “Ivy Cudgel” move, would surely defeat it with ease.
Ivy Cudgel—truly terrifying.
Sera was finding the move more and more useful.
However, she also had to consider the downsides.
Since villager NPCs were now spawning on Oni Mountain, the speed at which Ogerpon’s reputation as an “ogre” was spreading seemed faster than she had anticipated.
The villager she just dealt with, who used a Vulpix, was a complete novice.
If a Gym Leader, Elite Four member, or even a Champion-level NPC were to come and try to “subdue the ogre,” they certainly couldn’t just brute-force their way through it.
“You have to know when to run,” Sera said to Ogerpon, tapping the screen to convey the importance of caution to her little monster.
“Pon!”
[Ogerpon has sensed your hint!]
It seemed the message got through.
With nine Effort Values now accumulated after completing the mission, Sera felt quite satisfied.
She was absentmindedly fiddling with her phone when she looked up and saw someone walking toward her.
“…Gym Leader Bugsy?”
Bugsy turned at the sound of the greeting.
“Oh, if it isn’t Sera.”
The young Gym Leader beamed, looking like he was in a fantastic mood.
“Fancy running into you here.
Are you at the Pokémon Center for something?”
“Yeah, I just finished handling a request.
What about you, Bugsy?”
“Hahaha!
How did you know I finally caught a Scyther?”
Before Sera could even finish her question, Bugsy had already let the cat out of the bag with a chuckle.
Who even asked you?
Sera thought to herself with a mental eye-roll.
But from his response, she gathered that he’d managed to snag the Scyther he’d been eyeing and was likely bringing it to the center for a check-up.
“By the way, that Fast Ball you gave me worked wonders,” Bugsy said, his smile softening as he got to the point.
“I only had to show a little bit of my strength to the Scyther, and as soon as I tossed the Fast Ball, it dove right in, eager to be caught!”
“I think that probably had more to do with your own skill as a Gym Leader, Bugsy…” Sera replied with practiced modesty.
Bugsy, however, shook his head.
“I know Bug-types better than anyone, and I’m telling you, it wanted to be caught because of the draw of that Apricorn ball.
So, I have to ask—do you have any more of those Apricorn balls?”
–+–