Not a trainer this time

"Here we are, here is where the three companion Pokémon are buried."

The two of them continued along the path of Apple Hill, and finally arrived at an open and flat clearing.

The open space is circular and surrounded by wooden fences. Beautiful park chairs are placed on the edge. Some townspeople are sitting on the chairs with their children and Pokémon to rest.

In the innermost part of the square, there stood a small shrine, with three statues of different Pokémon placed in the shrine.

Naoki looked at them. It was obvious that these three were the companion Pokémon that the mayor said.

"Thanks to them, we protected the town from the ghosts and saved everyone in the town." The mayor's tone was full of gratitude.

Naoki asked with great interest: "Are their remains down here?"

"Yes." The mayor nodded. When he saw a stain on the shrine, he stepped forward and cleaned it up.

At this time, a villager ran over from behind and shouted: "Administrator, it's bad! The truck transporting apples fell into the ditch!"

"What?" The mayor was shocked and quickly said to Naoki: "That's it for today's exchange activities! You can take a walk around the area as you like, and I'll go over there to check on the situation."

"Do you need my help?" Naoki asked.

The township chief thanked him, then smiled and shook his head: "Thank you very much, but there are staff in the town who are responsible for handling this kind of thing, so I won't trouble you."

Seeing this, Naoki didn't force it. He watched the mayor leave in a hurry, and then turned his attention again to the shrine in front of him that enshrined the Three Treasures Companion.

There are three very small statues placed in the shrine. The statues alone make it impossible to see the original appearance of these three treasure companions.

At this time, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind.

Zhi Shu turned his head and saw Helian running in from outside excitedly: "Zhi Shu? Are you here to see Samboban's grave too?"

"Huh?" Naoki was a little surprised: "I thought you had left Kitakami Township and returned to the Sinnoh region!"

"Don't worry, my practice this time has ended, so I plan to take a stroll here and enjoy the pastoral scenery of this place." Helian said.

"I see."

Naoki nodded, and then he and Helian looked at the shrine in front of them.

On the right side of the shrine stands a stone tablet, which records the heroic deeds of the three treasure companions.

""Pokémon Statue"——The brave Pokémon who guarded Verdant Town a long time ago fought fiercely with the ghosts who attacked the village, and eventually died unfortunately.

Their fallen remains were buried under the statues and solemnly commemorated. "

Helian read it out word for word.

Naoki listened and watched silently.

So, could the green Pokémon he saw on the back mountain yesterday be a ghost?

But it’s impossible! That Pokémon seemed so timid, how could it possibly wreak havoc in the town and kill three of its companion Pokémon.

All kinds of doubts arose in Naoki's heart.

After thinking for a short time, he decided to go to that place again to take a look.

Thinking of this, Zhi Shu said goodbye to Helian, turned around and told Gu Ledun his plan.

"Ah gah!"

Upon hearing this, Guluton immediately walked to Naoki and asked him to ride on him.

After Naoki sat firmly, Guluton jumped up, the wings on his head suddenly spread out, and flew towards the ghost mountain filled with a terrifying atmosphere.

Ten minutes later, Zhi Shu came to the entrance of Ghost Teeth Cave again.

Going further, passing through the narrow suspended mountain road, we arrived at the cave where the mysterious Pokémon lived yesterday.

The situation from yesterday came to mind, and Naoki felt that the reason why the Pokémon was so scared that it ran out of the door was probably because of fear.

After all, Guluton, who was summoned from ancient times, looked too ferocious.

To modern Pokémon, its existence is like the dinosaurs living in the Jurassic era to modern hens.

"Wait for me here, and I'll go over alone to verify it." Zhi Shu placed Gulton in a large bush.

So Leton obediently agreed, and squatted obediently behind the bushes, with only half of his head exposed, looking pitifully at Naoki's back.

After confirming that Guluton would not be discovered, Zhi Shu walked towards the cave.

As soon as he got closer, he saw the figure of yesterday's Pokémon.

As if hearing the movement outside, the Pokémon immediately looked over nervously.

The next second, the eyes of one person and one Pokémon met in mid-air.

Naoki tried his best to express his kindness: "Hello, do you still remember me? I was here yesterday."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, a panicked expression appeared on the Pokémon's face, and his little hands hurriedly took out the remaining green grass mask from under his coat and put it on his face.

Once the mask is on, all of this Pokémon's emotions are hidden behind it.

Naoki was very surprised when he looked at this scene, because he found that this mask unexpectedly suited this Pokémon!

Based on past experience, a guess quickly emerged in his mind - "Is it possible that this mask, like Dialga's Diamond Orb, is an exclusive prop for this Pokémon?"

Naoki looked at the mysterious Pokémon wearing a mask. Fortunately, this time the Pokémon didn't run away after seeing him like it did yesterday.

Naoki was very happy, thinking that his guess was indeed correct, this Pokémon was afraid of Gulton!

"Don't worry, I don't mean any harm and I won't hurt you."

To avoid scaring the Pokémon, he lowered his voice while observing the mask.

I don’t know what this Pokémon encountered before, but there were several damages on the mask. It looked very old, as if it had been made for a long time.

While Naoki was observing this Pokémon, the Pokémon was also looking at him quietly.

However, its face was completely hidden behind the mask, making it impossible to see its emotions.

Zhi Shu moved his eyes away and looked at the stone table. The berries placed on it were visibly missing. It was obviously eaten by this Pokémon.

And that Pokémon also noticed what he was looking at, and its movements immediately became a little panicked, even a little cautious.

Naoki noticed this keenly, shook his head and said:

"Don't be nervous, those are gifts that Babu and I gave you. Do you remember Babu? It's the pink Pokémon from yesterday."

The mysterious Pokémon hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"That's good." A smile appeared on Naoki's face, but he was full of thoughts in his heart.

Is this the masked ghost described in the legend circulating in the town?

He didn't speak again, and the atmosphere in the air fell into silence for a while.

Naoki suddenly remembered the stone bed and table in this cave, and asked: "Have you always lived here alone?"

But he never thought that after hearing this, this Pokémon suddenly felt a strong sense of sadness.

Naoki was slightly stunned.

At this moment, all kinds of thoughts came to his mind.

Could it be that someone or other Pokémon lived here with this Pokémon before?

But this topic seemed to make the Pokémon feel sad, so Naoki didn't go any further.

The purpose of this trip has been achieved. He stood up suddenly, and the Pokémon in front of him also became visibly nervous, looking at him through the mask.

Naoki was stunned for a moment, and quickly explained: "Don't be nervous, I just have to go back, so I won't bother you here anymore."

As he spoke, he took off his backpack, took out a bottle of the ranch's specialty milk and a few pieces of poffin and placed them on the stone table: "This is a gift for you, goodbye!"

After doing this, Naoki turned around and left the hidden cave.

He found Gulton hiding behind the bushes, touched its head and said, "Let's go!"

Gu Leton looked at the direction behind Zhishu, and then took him out of Ghost Teeth Cave and returned to Emerald Town.

Unknowingly, the time has come to noon.

The more Naoki thought about it, the more something was wrong. There seemed to be a problem with the legend in Emerald Town, but he didn't have any clue.

In desperation, he could only go to have lunch first and talk about the specific matters later.

Today's lunch at the public hall was very sumptuous, and Zhi Shu felt as if he had experienced a farmhouse.

Both the food and the environment are full of rural customs.

After lunch, Naoki planned to take the Pokémon to take a rest and take a nap.

However, as soon as he returned to the room, released a few Pokémon from the Poké Balls and fed them Poffins, he heard a knock on the door.

Opening the door, an old lady with white hair was standing outside the door with a complicated expression.

Naoki was very surprised to see the visitor: "Grandma Yukiko?"

Xuezi nodded and asked straight to the point: "You broke into the Ghost Teeth Cave yesterday. Did you see a ghost there?"

Naoki was stunned: "How did you know?"

Yukiko: "This matter has spread throughout the town! You are so brave, you dare to go to that place!"

Naoki: "..." That's the bad thing about the countryside. You can't hide anything.

Naoki originally thought that Xuezi, like the mayor, had come to persuade him not to enter the Ghost Teeth Cave again, but what he said next was beyond his expectation.

Xuezi asked with a complicated expression: "Have you seen a ghost with your own eyes? How is it?"

Naoki's intuition was that something was not right: "I saw it, but it seems a little different from the ghost described in the legend..."

"Oh, it's true." Xuezi sighed, and then said: "Come with me! My husband has something he wants to tell you."

Naoki was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and followed decisively.

He took Guluton and the others and followed Xuezi out of the public hall and came to a house on the outskirts of the town.

Under the eaves, an old man with a stooped back, a wrinkled face, and a middle-parted comb was waiting.

"Let's talk in the house!" said the old man.

Naoki nodded, and then walked into the living room with Gullton and the others.

A few people sat down on the sofa. The old man looked at him and Gulton for a long time before he asked, "Did you see a ghost in the Terror Cave?"

Naoki was a little confused: "If the green Pokémon wearing the mask is a ghost."

"As expected!" Upon hearing this, the old man understood: "I can't believe that a ghost is willing to take the initiative to appear in front of you. It seems it's time!"

Naoki: "..."

He said to himself that he didn't take the initiative to appear in front of him. If Gu Ledun hadn't discovered the other party vigilantly, he might not have known anything!

"Have you heard about the ghost legends circulating in the town?" the old man asked.

Naoki nodded: "I heard."

"Then what do you think of the legend of ghosts?" the old man asked again.

Naoki was stunned for a moment, what do you think...

"I suspect the masked Pokémon I encountered wasn't a ghost."

Otherwise, the ghost has two personalities, one is timid and fearful, and the other is ferocious and decisive in killing.

Just like Nightshade in Legend of Sword and Fairy.

However, the old man shook his head: "No, it is a ghost. That incident also happened in history. It is just different in the records. The real history is the opposite!"

"On the contrary...? What do you mean?"

"Since you have already encountered a ghost... no, it should be called the ghost. Let's tell it to you together! Let me tell you the true history of our family that has been passed down from generation to generation!" The old man looked serious and said slowly. Said slowly.

"I also heard this story from my father. This is a real story. You must not tell other people in the village! If it weren't for the ghost willing to appear in front of you, I... that's all. You must never tell this story. No external reports!"

Seeing the seriousness on the old man's face, Naoki nodded and agreed, "I promise."

The Motorized Lizards and Babu Woodchucks that followed them also nodded.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, falling through the cracks in the living room, leaving mottled shadows on the floor.

A large amount of dust floated slowly in the beam, and the old man's voice was heavy and simple, as if an ancient book was slowly unfolding in front of Naoki.

"A long, long time ago, there was a man and a ghost from a foreign country who came to Beishang Township because they got lost."

"People in the village were afraid of their appearance, which was different from their own... so they did not allow men and ghosts to come near their villages."

"The man and the ghost felt sad because they were not welcomed by the villagers, but as long as they could be together, they were happy."

"So they left the village and lived a simple life in the caves in the back mountains."

"Only the mask craftsmen in the village thought they were pitiful, so they made several masks for men and ghosts."

"The mask is decorated with gems brought by men and ghosts from foreign countries. It is sparkling and extremely gorgeous."

"As long as you put on the mask, you can hide your face and get along well with the people in the village. The men and ghosts are very happy because of the kindness of the mask craftsman, and they are very grateful to the craftsman."

"From then on, men and ghosts would wear masks and secretly participate in village celebrations."

"However, those masks were so ingenious that they quickly became popular and the news spread to many distant countries."

"Perhaps after hearing rumors about the rare shining mask in this world, a few greedy Pokémon came to Beishang Township..."

"They sneaked into the residence of the man and the ghost, trying to take away the carefully kept mask. The man happened to be present and barely managed to save a mask."

"But he was more than willing, and the remaining three masks were taken away by those Pokémon, and the man was seriously injured and lost his life."

"A few hours later, when the ghost returned to the cave, he witnessed all this..."

"Finally, it went down the mountain to the village wearing the only remaining green mask, and then killed all the Pokémon who were happily holding their shiny masks."

"The unsuspecting villagers were completely confused about what was happening. All they saw was the angry appearance of the ghost, and they were very frightened by it."

"The villagers thought that the three Pokémon protected the village from the clutches of ghosts, so they affectionately called them treasure companions and buried them generously."

"The injured ghost was immersed in sorrow and returned to the cave in the back mountain alone."

"Our ancestor, the mask craftsman, tried his best to tell everyone the truth, but not only did no one pay attention, but he was regarded as a heretic and was brutally persecuted."

Naoki became more and more silent. At the end, he couldn't help but said: "How could such a thing happen..."

Gullton and Motorized Lizard on the side lowered their heads sadly.

Baboo clenched the small hammer in his hand, thinking of the Pokémon he saw yesterday, his face filled with anger.

Even the fluttering hair floating in mid-air showed its small fangs, and it let out an angry roar.

The old man looked at their reactions and then said:

"Since Ergui is willing to appear in front of you, it means that it has a good impression of you, so I hope you can leave here with Ergui and go live somewhere else."

"Rather than continue to stay in Beishang Township and suffer the disgust and hatred of the people here for nothing."