Pokemon Paldea [325-326]

Chapter 325: The Roar of the Earth!

"A tilted watchtower."

Seeing the tower-like structure Raifort had sketched by hand in the sand, Lucas frowned slightly.

He remembered that in the game, these watchtowers were basically landing points for the flying taxi you used to fast-travel while map-running. There were some items at the top, and a kind of Pokémon called Gimmighoul lived there, that was all.

But who built the watchtowers and what purpose they originally served was unclear.

Personally, judging from the degree of ruin on some watchtowers, Lucas felt they might be relics of the ancient Paldean Empire.

So Raifort was saying that beneath the Tilted Watchtower in the Asado Desert lay that official's tomb?

Then what about the other watchtowers...?

Seemingly reading Lucas's thoughts, Raifort smiled and explained, "The other watchtowers were probably just structures built by soldiers of the ancient Paldean Empire to monitor the surroundings and guard against invasion, deliberately placed where the view was wide."

"There are very few watchtowers left on the land of Paldea now, and quite a few are already half-ruined like the Tilted Watchtower."

"Others like the watchtower in South Province Area Two, or in West Province Area One, have avoided collapsing from age only because League-hired experts maintain them."

"What's special is this Asado Desert, not the Tilted Watchtower. The tower is merely a reference point for pinpointing the tomb's location."

Raifort explained things to Lucas very clearly, probably because she knew he was only helping out on a whim.

To Raifort, spending some words to give Lucas background was no burden—everything was for uncovering the truth behind old legends.

Next, Lucas and Raifort discussed many operational details and finalized a plan.

After finishing Raifort's matters—since they'd be acting together—Raifort grew curious about what exactly Lucas needed a whole day to do.

Was he going to catch rare Pokémon?

 Or, more mundanely, try his luck seeking treasure the Paldean emperor might have left in this desert?

 But Lucas's answer stunned Raifort for a moment.

"There's a widespread but unconfirmed rumor in Cascarrafa."

"Somewhere in the Asado Desert, there are creatures never before seen that can trigger earthquakes. Their stomps make the earth ring, and their movements whip up sandstorms..."

"I'm tracking signs of these mysterious beings."

As he spoke, Lucas showed Raifort the worn map Terry had given him.

Raifort took the map; as a professional, she immediately recognized it as a general map of the Asado Desert—with remarkably high accuracy.

But the most shocking thing was the messy red line drawn across it.

Raifort murmured, "Is this... a movement path, or an activity trajectory?"

To locate the tomb, Raifort had naturally also heard in Cascarrafa about the rumor of the great mysterious creatures.

She'd initially thought Lucas's idea was nonsense—trying to find nearly-unseen giant mysterious beings in this vast desert without gathering any intel first was far too naive.

But seeing this map, she instantly understood what Lucas was relying on.

"A friend gave it to me."

Lucas smiled slightly. Though he planned to head straight to the lairs of Iron Treads and Great Tusk, since he was temporarily letting Raifort join his team, he might as well offer a convenient pretext.

"I've verified most of the routes and thoroughly filtered them, so I'm confident asking you to wait just one day, rather than until I find them."

…

Night fell, and the desert cooled.

Lucas and Raifort had the Pokémon who could rest in their Poké Balls during the day take turns keeping watch, to prevent wild Pokémon from raiding the camp.

The two of them then returned to the tent, lay in warm sleeping bags, and drifted off to the crackle and pop of the campfire.

Raifort, meanwhile, curled up in the somewhat cramped space relative to the size of the off-roader, covering herself with several thick layers of clothing to sleep.

Before sleeping, Raifort had looked a little enviously at the tent. To carry enough supplies for desert travel, the seating space of the off-road vehicle had been compressed to the limit. She couldn't even stretch her limbs, let alone take out a sleeping bag.

By contrast, Lucas's place was both spacious and comfortable—truly enviable. If not for maintaining a woman's reserve, she would have shamelessly squeezed into his tent.

A calm night passed without incident.

…

The next morning.

The engine of the 4WD roared thunderously, the huge tires spun fast, and deep ruts were left behind.

The next moment—

With sand billowing everywhere, the off-roader shot forward like a bellowing beast under Raifort's driving, speeding toward Lucas's target location.

As the vehicle moved, many wild Pokémon fixed their gaze on the big machine, but showed no intention of attacking.

Some Pokémon, like Cyclizar, even seemed to race the off-roader, swarming alongside it.

If they'd had Mudsdale make this trip, it might have been evening before they reached Lucas's predicted destination.

But driven by the off-roader's wheels, the travel time was greatly reduced.

By around midday, less than ten kilometers remained to the target.

And that's when trouble struck.

At first, only a wisp of fine yellow sand drifted lightly in the wind.

In an instant, the force swelled, like a raging beast roaring through the desert. In just a few breaths, a sandstorm swept the surroundings, dyeing the sky a murky yellow.

Outside the windows the wind howled, the sand surged like a tide, pelting the vehicle with a hiss and scrape.

"A sandstorm."

Lucas and Raifort's faces grew solemn. After a smooth day, they hadn't expected to hit a natural disaster—just as they were nearing the target zone.

With visibility swallowed by sand and no sense of direction, moving rashly would be foolish.

Fortunately, before heading into the desert, Raifort had paid handsomely to upgrade and retrofit her beloved off-roader, so it wouldn't leak sand through window gaps or vents to foul the cabin air.

"Looks like we can only hunker down here for now."

Hands on the wheel, Raifort lifted one foot from the accelerator, hit the brakes, and yanked the handbrake, preventing the off-roader from being shoved around by the gale.

Lucas knew this was no time to force a march. He nodded, planning to wait out the sandstorm before deciding the next move.

He knew he could call out Dragonite, have it punch up through the sandstorm in one go, and shield him with a Windstorm Barrier while continuing on.

But considering Raifort had come with him deep into the Asado Desert, and that some wild Pokémon could still operate and strike opportunistically in a sandstorm, Lucas ultimately refrained.

After all, he'd come to the Asado Desert out of interest in what would happen if the two earth-shaking Titans were in the same desert, and for their lair's Herba Mystica and that mysterious evolution item.

Risking life and limb wasn't necessary.

Luckily, Raifort's custom off-roader was sturdy and heavy, and the sandstorm hadn't intensified to the point of flipping it.

The body swayed slightly from gales on all sides, but not too much. They should be fine riding this one out.

While waiting, Lucas and Raifort talked about the Treasures of Ruin she was interested in.

Legend says that in the time of the Paldean Empire, a visiting merchant had an audience with the emperor.

He brought four treasures from the eastern lands: a vessel, a sword, a scroll, and a jade.

He sold them to the emperor at an exorbitant price.

But that very night, the four treasures turned into four Pokémon and wreaked havoc in the imperial capital, directly causing its destruction.

The truth behind the chaos was that, as those treasures passed through many hands, human desire and curses gradually clung to them.

Then, under the final straw of the emperor's boundless greed, they became calamities and destroyed the capital.

If the emperor hadn't later called upon a renowned Pokémon envoy to quell the disasters after a fierce battle to protect Paldea, the region's legacy might have ended with that generation.

"These are fairy tales passed down among Paldeans. Their truth is uncertain. That's why I'm doing everything I can to verify the tale—the legend."

"Do you think it's fictional?"

Raifort asked Lucas in a slightly lost tone.

To investigate the authenticity of this tale, this legend, she had made many efforts.

She'd washed her hands of tomb raiding, properly earned a degree as an archaeologist, and even applied to teach history at Naranja Academy to access the largest library in Paldea.

She had spent a great deal of time, all for that seemingly nebulous story.

To her question, Lucas was silent for a while before speaking: "I think—"

Before he could finish, several massive booms detonated in the distance, and then the ground began to quake violently, as if trying to overturn the desert—like the earth-dragon turning over in the story.

Even Cascarrafa outside the Asado Desert was shrouded in a fierce earthquake. The streets were in chaos, some ranch fences collapsed, ordinary cattle and sheep bolted in fright, and Pokémon huddled together to calm their terror.

…

Asado Desert, inside the off-roader.

As the roaring drew nearer, Lucas and Raifort finally saw the culprits rolling at incredible speed and causing the quakes.

Raifort stared in shock at the two hulking silhouettes, faint through the storm but at least three to four meters tall, and whispered, "That shape... could those be Donphan?"

"But would there really be Donphan that gigantic?"

"No, those aren't Donphan!" Fixing his gaze on the two massive figures barreling like racers, Lucas spoke with iron certainty. "Their names are Iron Treads and Great Tusk!"

Chapter 326: Here to Break Up the Fight!

"Great Tusk, Iron Treads..."

The oppressive aura of the behemoths left Raifort slightly pale.

She glanced sideways at Lucas in doubt, not understanding how he knew those two.

Hadn't he said he was searching for them based on rumors?

 Even in danger, Raifort's meticulous mind didn't stall. She immediately caught the contradiction.

Lucas didn't intend to explain. He kept his eyes locked on the two huge shapes in the yellow sand and warned gravely, "They seem to be racing... Judging by their roll path, there's a high chance they'll pass right along this road!"

Raifort: !!!

 Indeed, the route she and Lucas had chosen was the flattest stretch in the Asado Desert.

Even those two Donphan-like giants Lucas called Great Tusk and Iron Treads would choose flatter terrain to roll on to keep balance and avoid wiping out.

Which meant this off-roader in their way was likely to be—!!!

"Hold on!"

Raifort gripped the wheel one-handed, eyes fixed on the sand-choked rear view. She took a deep breath, slammed it into reverse, and floored the gas. The engine roared like a beast—she chose to back away at full speed from the two oncoming colossi!

 At the same time, a Poké Ball at Raifort's waist popped open. In the already cramped cabin, a Pokémon with two pearls on its head appeared—Grumpig!

Ignoring the violent shaking, Grumpig levitated in the tight space.

The two black pearls on its head and the one on its belly glowed with a blue halo. Mysterious ripples spread out, steadying the swaying off-roader and preventing a rollover.

Meanwhile, Grumpig's psychic power twisted part of the sandstorm, letting Raifort see behind and make use of her decent driving skills.

Lucas glanced at the Grumpig, whose breathing had grown heavy as it channeled psychic power.

Grumpig is a Psychic-type Pokémon, and those black pearls are curious tools it uses to store power and amplify its psychic waves.

From its practiced movements, it clearly cooperated with Raifort often.

With Grumpig and Raifort working in tandem, the off-roader swung up a fairly steep dune and successfully avoided the rolling path of Iron Treads and Great Tusk.

As the two rumbling titans thundered past the off-roader, the danger was averted by Raifort's quick thinking.

"Good work. Go rest."

Raifort patted the pale-faced, clearly overtaxed Grumpig and recalled it.

Keeping the vehicle from tipping while also countering a sandstorm classified as a natural disaster and providing Raifort with a view—lasting two and a half minutes was already excellent.

After recalling Grumpig, Raifort slumped back in relief with a long exhale, her mind replaying flashes of what she'd just glimpsed.

Like that "Donphan" with truly magnificent tusks and a terrifying, primeval aura—Great Tusk.

And the one whose body shone with eerie red light, as if made entirely of unknown metal, giving off a cold, mechanical feel—Iron Treads.

All were "monsters" she'd never known, as if the legends of Area Zero from the ancient Paldean era had been made flesh...

 Just then, the off-roader's door opened. Raifort looked out at Lucas without surprise.

Having just scouted, Lucas nodded slightly to Raifort. "The sandstorm is moving away from us... Hm, probably kicked up by those two."

"Do we give chase?" Raifort asked directly.

"We do." Lucas got back in, buckled up deftly. "You know my goal is to find them—and what's in their lairs."

"Even if I intercepted them just now, I'd still have to let them go in order to find their lairs in this vast desert."

"So let's save the effort—tail Great Tusk and Iron Treads to their lairs."

That cleared up Raifort's last doubt.

Of course.

As the champion-tier trainer who had subdued the legendary birds, those two might look terrifying, but nowhere near enough to make Lucas hesitant.

As for how Lucas knew the names of the two "Donphan," Raifort couldn't be bothered to dig. He was a champion-tier trainer; knowing inside information was only natural.

With that, she said nothing more, hit the gas, and sent the off-roader speeding over the Asado sands.

This time Raifort didn't need Lucas to guide her, because—

All they had to do was follow the moving sandstorm!

 Lucas glanced at Raifort's focused driving, then returned his attention to the shifting storm ahead.

In truth, there was another reason he hadn't stopped the two earthshaking Titans, Iron Treads and Great Tusk.

In the game, you had to fight a titan twice to get the Herba Mystica.

If you wanted to catch them, you even had a third battle.

The first battle was a wild encounter. As you were about to defeat the titan, it would flee back to its lair and eat "something," then fully recover, and you'd fight again.

Lucas guessed that the "something" the titans ate was likely mature Herba Mystica.

Perhaps because the titans consumed so much Herba Mystica to recover, the Herba he and Arven harvested afterward was only enough to make a single sandwich.

Lucas wanted to see if he could solve the problem at its root—for example, defeating them at the lair entrance to harvest more Herba Mystica, as well as that "evolution item."

Hopefully, the fact that both an Iron Treads and a Great Tusk existed in the Asado Desert at once hadn't already caused deeper, wider impacts.

As for whether to leave Great Tusk and Iron Treads in the desert after defeating them, or capture them and hand them over to Geeta to return them to Area Zero since their mere presence disrupts the ecosystem—

He would decide after meeting the Pokémon.

Raifort's tracking skills were excellent.

Even Iron Treads and Great Tusk had no idea a car was tailing them.

Along the way, comparing the map to their present position, Lucas noticed that Great Tusk and Iron Treads were moving according to the routes marked on the map.

There might be some deviations, but their destination was undoubtedly their lair.

After about two hours on the move—now afternoon—the sandstorm ahead began to collapse. Lucas and Raifort knew Iron Treads and Great Tusk had stopped rolling and switched to normal movement.

Their lair must be nearby.

Raifort eased off the gas and looked out the window.

Several rocky hills loomed here, and the diverse wild Pokémon of the Asado Desert had vanished.

Only a group of Donphan and Phanpy were gathered nearby...

 What connection did they have to Great Tusk and Iron Treads?

 By habit as a tomb ra—no, archaeologist, Raifort carefully analyzed all intel based on the scene.

Lucas unbuckled, opened the door, and jumped down. His desert boots pressed into the sand, kicking up a small puff.

The door caught the attention of many Donphan and Phanpy who'd already been boldly watching the off-roader, but uncertain of the big machine's threat, they chose only to stare.

Before closing the door, Lucas asked Raifort inside, "Can you ensure your safety around here? If not, I'll leave a Pokémon to protect you."

Raifort smiled slightly and waved him on. "While I can't handle a Golurk or those two big ones, I can look after myself among these Donphan. Don't underestimate me."

"Once, I even dove to the very bottom of an undersea ruin in one go!"

Lucas nodded, sent out Dragonite, and shot into the sky. Guided by the system, he flew toward Great Tusk and Iron Treads.

In just a few minutes, Lucas and Dragonite saw two hulking figures grappling on a wide sandy flat among several huge rock hills.

One Pokémon, with terrifying mammoth-like tusks and a savage, primordial aura—that was Great Tusk.

The other, with much shorter tusks, fought less ferociously than Great Tusk, calmer and more calculating—that was Iron Treads.

Their battle made the ground shudder with ease, sand billowing high. Every move put on full display the paradox Pokemon power that could wreck the outside ecosystem.

Not far from them yawned a huge cave mouth about five meters high. Lucas guessed that was where his targets lay—the mature Herba Mystica and the unknown evolution item!

"Come on, let's break up this fight before they mess up my beloved Herba Mystica!"

Lucas patted Dragonite beneath him, then pulled out another Poké Ball, excited.

Dragonite glanced helplessly at its slightly thick-skinned trainer, resignedly dropped altitude, and gathered a Dragon Pulse in its mouth.

The next instant—

A tri-colored dragon of blue, violet, and red reared and roared, spearing into the center of the two titans' battlefield and detonating in a burst of energy!

Through the dust, the two battling giants simultaneously turned their gaze skyward.