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It was the next day.
"Ha~ Iono, I'm famous again!"
At noon the next day, Mammon, who was eating lunch, immediately heard Iono's excited voice.
"Going crazy so early in the morning, what are you doing?"
Mammon asked Iono, who had run down, in an annoyed tone.
"I'm not going crazy!"
Iono, who had been excited, immediately puffed out her cheeks, but then quickly ran to Mammon's side.
"Handsome, Handsome, look, my video is number one on the hot list!"
Iono showed her phone to Mammon; the top-ranked video was Iono's "Iono's Wondrous Tales: Exploring the Mysteries of Area Zero."
"In just one night, it already has three million views, wow~! Iono, I'm so amazing!"
Iono was incredibly excited.
This was her new personal best!
Mammon took the phone, opened it, and looked at the comment section.
"Are there really so many unseen Pokémon in Area Zero?"
"Wow~ Iono has made it big; she can actually film videos with Mammon now."
"Speaking of which, doesn't anyone think Flutter Mane is super cute? Ahhh! I can't resist fluffy Pokémon like that."
"This research lab is too exaggerated. Is a crystallized research lab like this really normal?"
"What about the next part? What about the next part? Iono, hurry up and release the footage from inside the research lab."
Without a doubt, these viewers were indeed very interested in the sights within Area Zero.
Especially the never-before-seen Paradox Pokémon, and Iono had even specifically explained the basic names and information of each Paradox species that appeared.
However, the video ended right when they reached the Area Zero research lab.
Hmm, Iono was indeed a professional; she successfully piqued everyone's anticipation for the sequel.
"Not bad, but remember to cut out what Professor Sada and the others said."
Mammon returned the phone to Iono.
Although he knew Iono had good judgment, Mammon still reminded her.
"Don't worry, don't worry Iono knows, hehe I didn't expect it to be so popular, hahaha~ Handsome, you really are my lucky star."
"There's still so much material left, Iono will definitely become the world's number one internet celebrity! I won't hold it against you that Handsome secretly touched my leg yesterday."
Iono smiled cheerfully, full of aspirations for the future.
She still had so much material to edit; Iono couldn't even imagine how high her popularity would be next.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Mammon raised an eyebrow at her words.
"Eh?! Where am I talking nonsense? You clearly yesterday…"
Iono was stunned, then puffed out her cheeks. This hateful scoundrel, he touched her, and now he wants to deny it?
"I touched you openly and honestly, okay?" Mammon said righteously.
Well, last night when Iono was massaging Mammon, Mammon's hand just climbed onto Iono's leg by itself.
Iono stared at Mammon, dumbfounded.
"But I have to say, it felt very good."
Mammon even gave Iono a thumbs-up, showing his approval.
"Handsome, you really are thick-skinned~!" Iono snapped back to reality, unable to help but feel admiration.
"Hmph hmph~ Forget it, Iono is happy today, so I won't argue with you."
Then Iono looked at her phone with satisfaction, her brilliant big eyes full of joy.
"By the way, Handsome, where are you planning to go today?"
Then Iono curiously asked Mammon.
"Going out to see the scenery. After all, since I've come to Paldea, seeing the Paldea Ten Views wouldn't be bad."
Mammon leisurely continued eating his breakfast. The famous Paldea Ten Views were worth seeing properly.
"Then Iono will be your guide~!"
Iono patted her chest, volunteering her services.
"That works, but aren't you going to manage your Levincia Gym?" Mammon glanced at Iono.
"Oh, come on~ The regional Tournament has just started, and I've already requested leave from President Geeta, saying I wanted to be your guide, and the President agreed!"
Iono replied with a cheerful smile, very pleased.
"This year, fewer people will definitely challenge the Gyms; most of them are signing up for the World Championship."
Mammon listened and nodded. This was indeed true. Compared to the annual World Championship,
The regional Tournament was indeed a bit lacking. Ambitious people would definitely choose to participate in the World Championship.
After all, the World Championship allows one to clearly know their ranking and accurately understand their own strength.
"Speaking of which, Handsome, who are you planning to challenge next?"
Iono was very curious about Mammon's next challenge target.
"Haven't decided yet; we'll see then."
Mammon replied casually. He wasn't in a hurry about the World Championship rankings, as this year had only just begun.
The Eight Masters would truly be finalized by the end of the year.
Over the next few days, Mammon and the others toured Paldea, though Selene had already left.
After all, she was the Champion of the Alola Region. Although Selene wanted to be a hands-off manager and Lusamine could handle most affairs,
Selene occasionally needed to return, so Selene used Hoopa's spatial golden rings to go back to Alola.
About a week later.
With Geeta personally seeing him off, Mammon was preparing to leave the Paldea Region.
However… "Oh, come on~ I'm not running off with a lover; Iono is on vacation right now. What's wrong with going out to play?"
"Handsome, Handsome, you agree, right?"
Sitting on Reshiram's back, Iono argued with the viewers in her live stream.
Yes, Iono had also come along because, according to Mammon, he planned to visit Kitakami.
Iono immediately became interested. Compared to returning to Levincia, she decisively chose to follow Mammon to see this lively big world.
"Right, right, right."
Mammon looked at the world map without lifting his head.
"No wonder that Ursaluna could cross the sea to Kitakami; that place isn't too far from the Sinnoh Region."
Mammon looked at the location of Kitakami.
Kitakami is the setting that appears in The Teal Mask DLC of scarlet and violet. It doesn't belong to any specific region; it's more like a remote countryside.
Kitakami is very far from the Paldea Region and has a quarter-day time difference.
It's worth mentioning that there's an Ursaluna in Kitakami! And it's an Ursaluna that underwent a form change due to environmental reasons.
That was an Ursaluna that traveled across the sea from the Hisui Region to Kitakami hundreds of years ago, and looking at the map, Kitakami is indeed not particularly far from the Sinnoh Region.
But even so, it's amazing that this Ursaluna could swim from Hisui to Kitakami; it's incredibly powerful.
Mossui Town in Kitakami is currently the most well-known town in Kitakami.
Outside Mossui Town, a magnificent white dragon descended from the sky and landed steadily.
"Finally here."
Getting off Reshiram, Iono couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Sitting on Reshiram for so long was indeed quite tiring.
"Let's go, let's find a place to eat first."
Mammon recalled Reshiram. Mossui Town was actually a small town, inhabited by generations of Kitakami residents.
Overall, they were quite friendly, and their xenophobia was not severe.
"It's so lively. Is there some event happening?"
Platinum curiously looked at the laughing and chatting townspeople around her, and many people were holding masks.
"Because the annual Mask Festival is about to begin, everyone is very happy."
An unfamiliar female voice came from the side.
"What is the Mask Festival? Oh, Kieran, Drayton, it's you guys."
Platinum turned her head and, upon seeing them, exclaimed with pleasant surprise.
What met her eyes were Kieran and Carmine, the siblings, as well as Drayton and Lacey. All four were dressed in casual clothes at the moment.
"Mammon!"
Lacey's eyes sparkled, and she happily trotted over.
"Lacey, and you all, I didn't expect such a coincidence." Mammon smiled and greeted the three of them.
"Yes, we were invited by Kieran and Carmine to see the Mask Festival passed down here."
Lacey nodded continuously.
"I didn't expect Boss to be here too; it seems we're really lucky." Drayton still wore his lazy smile, but he was indeed in a good mood at the moment.
"Yes, it's quite a coincidence. We just returned from Paldea and plan to spend a few days in Kitakami."
Mammon replied with a smile.
"Then Mammon, you've arrived at just the right time! In two days, it will be our town's Mask Festival. This is a cultural tradition passed down in Kitakami, held once a year and very lively."
"Everyone is buying new masks now. You need to wear a mask to participate in the Mask Festival."
Carmine introduced the festival to Mammon and the others.
Because she and Kieran were native residents of Kitakami, they naturally understood the local culture and customs very well.
"I see, it seems we arrived at just the right time." Iono's big eyes lit up.
"Ah~ Mammon, do you have a place to stay? If not, you can stay at my house."
Kieran spoke to Mammon.
"No, thank you, I won't trouble your aunt and uncle. We've already booked a guesthouse; it's fine."
Mammon replied with a smile. Although he understood Kieran's good intentions, it would be more troublesome this way.
"You all go play first. We just arrived here and will go to the guesthouse to rest for a bit."
"Alright~"
They watched Mammon and the others leave.
"I didn't expect such a coincidence; to meet Mammon, what a fate~!"
Lacey happily clasped her hands, her smile never fading.
"Indeed, but now is not the right time to disturb Boss. Let's go buy masks."
Drayton put his hands in his pockets, looking at the masks on a stall not far away.
"Mmm mmm~ I wonder if that 'Ogre' will come to the Mask Festival this year."
Kieran was quite expectant. In fact, in Kitakami, Ogerpon, known as the 'Ogre,' was a being disliked by all the townspeople.
However, Kieran liked Ogerpon because he admired Ogerpon's power to defeat the Loyal Three.
Of course, this world's Kieran had already become strong and gained power by joining Team Rockets early on, so his thoughts about Ogerpon weren't very deep.
It was just a lingering thought, as he really wanted to meet the Ogerpon he used to like so much.
On the other side.
Mammon and the others arrived at the guesthouse they had booked in advance.
"Hehehe~"
Two points of crimson light glowed in Mammon's shadow. The evil-smiling Shiny Gengar emerged from Mammon's shadow, clutching three masks in its chubby little short claws.
"Good job, you worked hard, Gengar."
Mammon took the three masks, a slow smile spreading across his lips.
The Wellspring Mask, the Hearthflame Mask, and the Cornerstone Mask—these were originally sealed in the Kitakami Center shrine, but Mammon had Shiny Gengar go in and retrieve them.
With these three masks, he wasn't afraid that Ogerpon wouldn't come looking for him.