Chapter 228: Ogerpon’s Potential

Ogerpon's revenge was too brutal. Summer couldn't bear to watch after a while. The result? Pecharunt's two outer shells were shattered into several pieces, and its core was nearly split in half.

When its shell broke apart, the energy that leaked out naturally condensed into two shining purple crystals, bearing a striking resemblance to Tera crystals.

But Summer didn't have the time to investigate them yet. After sealing the half-dead Pecharunt inside a Poké Ball, he let out a long sigh.

Taking down Pecharunt had gone surprisingly smoothly—but dealing with the aftermath was a headache. Looking at the unconscious students and villagers, as well as the ones Carmine and Kieran's Pokémon had carried back, Summer sighed again. This Pecharunt had really stirred up a mess.

Then, things got even more complicated.

Just as Summer was wondering how to handle everything, Blueberry Academy's field trip leader, Briar, returned—right in time to witness the aftermath.

For a moment, Summer thought, Well… I'm screwed.

But to his surprise, she completely ignored the unconscious students.

Instead, she ran straight toward the glowing purple crystals, eyes wide with excitement. Checking her Rotom Phone one moment, examining the crystals the next, she was absolutely giddy—practically glowing with joy.

After learning about her true personality, Summer couldn't help but feel worried for these students' futures. This isn't a teacher… This is just a full-blown research fanatic!

In fact, she even offered to help with cleanup—just so she could study the crystals longer.

Since having extra hands made the job easier, Summer had no reason to refuse.

Briar proved to be a huge help, offering up the students' assigned lodging locations. Summer and Kieran carried the boys back, while Briar and Carmine handled the girls. The unconscious villagers were also returned to their homes.

By tomorrow morning, everyone would probably just think they fell asleep early and had some weird, vivid dreams.

By the time the cleanup was mostly finished, it was already past midnight. Briar immediately dove into her research, completely engrossed. Since Summer had already promised the crystals as payment, he didn't stop her.

Carmine stretched, yawning. "Man, our teacher's really something, huh?"

"Yaaawn~ Briar's alright, I guess," she said, rubbing her eyes. "But the second she gets into research mode, it's like she's possessed… Mm~! Still, I gotta say—this trip turned out way more fun than I expected~"

Despite the exhaustion, she was grinning ear to ear. The thrill of the battle, the chaos of the night, and getting to beat up those two annoying classmates—it had all been pretty exciting.

Kieran, however, looked uneasy. "Uh… Summer, the town square has security cameras. What if the administrator sees all this?"

Summer followed Kieran's gaze to the still-active surveillance cameras. Then he chuckled.

"No problem. I'll just tell him the truth tomorrow."

"Wait… what?!"

Summer smirked. "He personally fed those toxic mochi to the students. You think he's gonna go around telling people about it? Not a chance."

Carmine burst out laughing. "HAH! Summer, I never took you for the blackmailing type! Ooooh, just imagining the look on the old man's face… His last few beard hairs are so falling out!"

Kieran nodded. "Yeah! You've got, like… total crime boss energy right now!"

"…Do I?" Summer tilted his head. "Eh, whatever. The situation's settled now. You two should head home and get some rest. And don't worry about your grandparents—Hatterene checked on them. They're totally fine. Just exhausted. Might wake up with some sore muscles, though."

Carmine and Kieran nodded. "Alright. See ya tomorrow, Summer."

As they left, Summer turned his attention to Briar.

She was still completely absorbed in the glowing crystals.

"Oooh! Without a doubt, these are Poison Tera Crystals! They hold dense Tera energy and pure poison-type essence! But this unique energy signature… How fascinating!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Summer cleared his throat. "Ahem. Briar-sensei, right?"

Briar glanced up, nodding absentmindedly. "That's me!"

Then, as if something clicked, she clapped her hands together in realization.

"Oooh, I know! You must be here to explain how these crystals formed, right?! I'd love to hear it! Maybe this could help me unravel the mystery of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero!"

"…The what?"

Briar's eyes gleamed. "Yes! It's all connected! The truth behind Tera energy!"

She pulled a thick red book from her bag, flipping to an ancient, illustrated page. Holding it up to Summer, she let him read aloud:

"The Disk Pokémon. I have temporarily named it Terapagos. I hypothesize that the light emitted by Pokémon and their crystalline transformations originate from its body."

"…So this 'Hidden Treasure' is linked to Tera energy?"

Briar nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, exactly! My ancestor explored Area Zero and discovered Terapagos! I firmly believe it slumbers deep within the Great Crater of Paldea! Everyone dismissed his research as nonsense, but I will prove he was right!"

"…Wait. The Great Crater?"

Briar tilted her head. "Oh? Not from Paldea, huh? Then let me put it another way—do you know about the Great Pit?"

Summer's expression darkened.

The Great Pit. The same accursed pit that drove Paldea's kings mad with greed. The same pit that led to Ogerpon's suffering.

The same pit that the ancient king wanted to send Ogerpon into, hoping to plunder its riches.

"…Yeah. I know it."

Briar didn't seem to notice his change in tone.

"Mhm! In fact, Tera Orbs were invented using technology from the Great Pit! And my main reason for coming to Kitakami was to study the local Tera phenomena!"

"After all, the Tera energy here is exactly the same as in Paldea! Isn't that just so exciting?!"

Summer took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "Okay. So let me get this straight… If this Terapagos is the source of Tera energy, and it's sleeping in the Great Pit—then why is Kitakami experiencing Tera phenomena?"

Briar grinned. "Great question! The answer is simple—"

She raised a finger.

"The energy output and influence range are completely different. If there was a Terapagos as powerful as the one in Area Zero, half of Sinnoh and Johto would be covered in Tera phenomena! Now wouldn't that be amazing?"

"…Right."

"Oh! Speaking of which—Summer-kun, you still haven't told me where these Poison Tera Crystals came from!" Briar's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Summer glanced down at the two purple crystals… and suddenly noticed something.

A line of text appeared, and the voice of his Ranger Assistant echoed in his mind.

[Dread Crystals: Formed from Pecharunt's fear and poison-type energy, mixed with the concentrated Tera energy gathered by Ogerpon's attacks.]

[Ogerpon's Potential: —— has changed.]

[New Potential: Tera Resonance. Ogerpon can imprint emotions onto Tera Crystals of different types. When it Terastallizes, items embedded with these crystals will resonate with Ogerpon, granting it unique Tera Forms.]

[Notes: 1. This ability only activates when Ogerpon believes the item and emotion are truly connected. 2. Ogerpon can also wield Tera Crystals imprinted with emotions from others.]

[Currently activated items: Teal Mask (Grass/Joy), Hearthflame Mask (Fire/Anger), Wellspring Mask (Water/Sorrow), Cornerstone Mask (Rock/Happiness).]

Summer's eyes widened in realization.

Finally… he understood the source of Ogerpon's power.

And if it could use crystals imprinted by others' emotions…

Then that meant—

Ogerpon could gain a brand-new mask.

A Poison Mask.

(End of Chapter)