https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-389-Beneath-the-Sand-an-Intense-Chase-in-the-Desert-/12537551/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-391-A-Bountiful-Harvest-of-Golden-Coins-/12537553/
Chapter 390: The Lost Underground Nation, Mysterious Fossils? Are they Pokemon?
Chapter 390: The Lost Underground Nation, Mysterious Fossils? Are they Pokemon?
As the sun set over the deserted desert, Lei He drove her off-road vehicle forward, kicking up a trail of dust. The hot, dry wind carried sand, and though it was evening, the temperature had yet to drop, with a lingering heat hanging in the air.
It had been almost ten hours since they entered the desert, stopping only once for a quick meal, spending the rest of the time driving.
Along the way, Naoki beheld a landscape starkly different from the outside world.
The red sun on the horizon painted the entire desert a deep crimson.
The Pokemon that inhabited this place were mostly Ground-types, with none of the Flying or Grass-type Pokemon commonly seen elsewhere.
A herd of Donkarps wandered aimlessly across the desert sands, the young baby Donkarps playfully running around their parents.
Dozens of Hippopotas huddled together, digging holes in the sand to shelter in; the desert nights grew cold, and they intended to sleep in the warmth of the sand.
Towering over the desert were several Gigaliths, standing still as statues, arranged in a natural circle.
If one didn't look closely, they might mistake them for ancient ruins left by a long-forgotten civilization.
"It's breathtaking!" Naoki exclaimed, taking in the vibrant yet alien ecosystem before him.
Lei He nodded in agreement from the driver's seat. "I felt the same awe when I first saw this. Nature is vast, and we are but tiny beings within it." She had once witnessed a terrifying sandstorm, a natural disaster that struck without warning. The sand tornado had connected heaven and earth, as if the entire desert had erupted in fury.
"How much longer until we reach our destination?" Naoki asked.
Lei He glanced at the radar on the vehicle's dashboard. "Five more minutes!"
After five minutes, the off-road vehicle came to a halt behind a sand dune.
Lei He jumped out, efficiently unpacking a set of professional detection equipment from her backpack.
Naoki curiously leaned in for a closer look.
The screen displayed a radar image, with a flashing dot seemingly scanning the area.
"Is this the machine you use for tomb raiding?" Naoki asked.
"It's for archaeology," Lei He corrected.
Naoki fell silent.
At that moment, the radar seemed to have located its target, as a small red dot appeared on the screen.
"Found it!"
Lei He withdrew a Poke Ball from her waist, and with a flash of white light, a sleek Zoroark appeared beside her.
"Zoroark, go scout ahead!" Lei He instructed.
Zoroark silently nodded and turned, skillfully dashing forward and disappearing from view within a few leaps.
"Let's wait here for Zoroark to return," Lei He said.
Naoki nodded, taking the opportunity to start preparing dinner.
He released his Magcargo and placed a frying pan on its back. He then took out some oil and eggs from his backpack.
Soon, a mouthwatering aroma wafted through the desert air.
Garchomp, exhausted from the day's journey, couldn't help but drool.
"Wow, your cooking skills are pretty good!" Lei He exclaimed in surprise.
"It's all thanks to practice," Naoki said as he placed the fried eggs and meat into slices of bread, creating sandwiches.
Naoki distributed the sandwiches to the Pokemon present.
Garchomp eagerly took one and devoured it with delight. Its appetite was impressive, and the way it savored the sandwich as if it were a gourmet meal made onlookers' mouths water.
Lei He took a bite and immediately gave a thumbs-up. "Indeed, I didn't make a mistake in coming to you this time!"
Naoki was speechless. "I didn't sign up to be your personal chef."
Lei He laughed. "I know, I know. Once Zoroark returns, we'll need your and Garchomp's help."
As they spoke, Zoroark reappeared and returned to the campfire.
Lei He handed it a sandwich, asking, "What did you find?"
Zoroark nodded.
This indicated that it had successfully scouted the path forward, and they could now proceed.
Seeing this, Lei He's lips curved into an eager smile. "Great! As soon as you're done eating, we'll set off immediately!"
Naoki felt like Lei He's excitement had gotten the better of her. He glanced up at the darkening sky and reminded her, "It's getting dark."
Lei He's voice rose with enthusiasm. "Don't worry, my Pignite can use Flash to light up even the darkest environments. And don't you think exploring the ruins at night sounds exciting?"
After dinner, the sky had completely darkened.
The desert cooled down during the night, and both Naoki and Lei He changed into warmer clothing.
Naoki was worried that Golurk might get cold, so he specially brought a warm vest for it.
The vest was something he had bought and tailored himself. He cut off the sleeves and removed the extra buttons so that it would fit Golurk perfectly.
As Naoki helped Golurk put on the vest, Lei He also released her Pignite from its Poke Ball.
"Pignite, use Flash!"
At the command, Pignite's body was engulfed in a dazzling light, as if someone had suddenly turned on a powerful flashlight, illuminating the surroundings brightly.
Lei He clapped her hands in satisfaction: "Now we can set off without worry!"
Naoki felt like silently complaining.
Although Lei He looked gentle and bookish, she was actually a real tough girl.
She was the kind of person who could dive straight into the deepest part of the underwater ruins without taking a breath.
With Zoroark leading the way and Pignite providing illumination, Lei He and Naoki followed with Golurk bringing up the rear.
After walking on the sandy ground for about fifteen minutes, Zoroark came to a stop.
The surroundings were spacious and empty, with nothing in sight.
Lei He looked around, puzzled: "Strange... Is there no entrance to the underground?"
Zoroark's gaze fell on the depression ahead.
Lei He took a closer look and immediately noticed something unusual: "It's quicksand terrain! Could the entrance be underneath?"
Zoroark nodded affirmatively.
Lei He immediately became excited: "Great! Put on your goggles and dust masks, let's go down!"
Naoki's eyes widened. Was Lei He planning to jump into the quicksand? Could it really lead straight to the underground ruins? Wouldn't it be dangerous?
"Trust me!" Lei He had already put on her equipment. She recalled Zoroark and Pignite into their Poke Balls, "I'll go first, follow me!"
Without further ado, she jumped into the quicksand.
The quicksand quickly swallowed her, as if a desert monster had devoured her.
Naoki was terrified.
Would Lei He be alright? After all, in the game's storyline, there was no indication that Lei He had ever explored such a place before.
And now, because of his involvement, Lei He boldly ventured here...
Just as Naoki was worrying, he suddenly heard a shout coming from underground.
Upon listening closely, it was Lei He.
"Hey! Come down quickly!"
Naoki breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Lei He was fine, he no longer hesitated. He helped cover Golurk's mouth and nose, and they jumped in together.
The quicksand slowly engulfed them, and soon, Naoki felt a lightness beneath him, followed by a falling sensation. He and Golurk landed on a soft sandpile.
When Naoki opened his eyes, he saw Lei He, Zoroark, and the glowing Pignite standing in front of him with smiling faces.
"Pignite!"
Naoki had swallowed a lot of sand and hurriedly spat it out.
"It's like this the first time." Lei He laughed, "You'll get used to it later."
Naoki's face turned black. After making sure he had spat out all the sand from his mouth, he spoke: "This is the first and last time. After collecting Soclain's gold coins, I will never go tomb-raiding again!"
Upon hearing this, Lei He looked at him with interest: "Oh? Really?"
Naoki stood up and helped brush the sand off Golurk: "Of course."
"Even if tomb-raiding could get you a pile of priceless gold and silver treasures?"
"I don't need the money, and those things wouldn't be of much use to me."
At most, he could just buy a few more villas, but given the current situation, he probably wouldn't be able to leave the Pokemon on the ranch and go on a vacation to the villas unless he brought everyone along.
"I understand." Lei He smiled and stopped asking questions. She turned her head towards the front: "Let's continue!"
There was a whole new world beneath the quicksand. The scenery here was completely different.
Ancient buildings buried in the sand, dilapidated watchtower ruins...
Naoki glanced at them a few more times, but Lei He didn't seem interested in these things.
She continued to make her way down the passage. After walking for an unknown duration, only the light from Pignite's body remained, and the air around them started to thin out.
This indicated that they had reached a very deep place.
Suddenly, Lei He, who was walking in front, came to a halt.
Naoki was slightly startled and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Come and look." Lei He waved at him.
Naoki walked over and saw that the originally narrow and messy tunnel had suddenly come to an end.
Lei He explained, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be an underground cavern formed by tectonic movements two million years ago."
"I remember seeing related information in the library of Padia College. A long, long time ago, an unprecedented earthquake occurred in this area, creating this enormous cavity. It's said that there's more than one such location in the Padia region."
"An underground cavity..." Naoki murmured, repeating her words.
Lei He furrowed her brows in thought. "And during the Padia Empire era, a disaster-causing Pokemon known as an Ancient Stagmoth unleashed an earthquake in the royal capital, causing the ground to split open and the prosperous royal capital to sink into this very place."
Naoki, however, thought of something else.
"Could the tectonic movements from two million years ago have been caused by Regigigas?" he wondered aloud. He recalled Regigigas' Pokedex entry: Regigigas, a colossal Pokemon, is said to have dragged continents with ropes to form the land masses of today.
The timing of Regigigas' actions was unclear, and Naoki couldn't be sure if the earthquake in the Padia region had been influenced by Regigigas.
"It's right below us now!" Lei He suddenly exclaimed. "We need to find a way to get down there."
After a brief moment of contemplation, she reached for another Poke Ball at her waist.
A flash of white light signaled the appearance of a brave, eagle-eyed Braviary.
Lei He recalled her Zoroark and mounted the Braviary, with Pignite in tow.
Naoki, too, climbed onto Golurk's back.
The two descended into the pitch-black cavern, navigating through its intricate terrain filled with cliffs, caves, and bottomless pits.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Braviary and Golurk finally reached the deepest part.
Here, the flash of light from Pignite was insufficient to illuminate their surroundings.
Just as Naoki pondered how to locate the ancient royal capital's ruins, Lei He pulled out two special helmets from her backpack.
"Put them on," she instructed. "They're equipped with night-vision goggles that will let you see clearly in the dark!"
Naoki took one of the helmets and slipped it on. Instantly, their surroundings came into sharp focus.
They were perched atop a protruding cliff. Below them lay an ancient, dilapidated royal capital, nestled amidst the endless darkness.
Perhaps damaged during its fall long ago, the once-grand royal capital now lay in ruins, eroded by the passage of time.
"There it is!" Lei He exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she spotted the ancient ruins in the distance.
She mounted the Braviary and flew toward their destination.
Naoki reluctantly followed suit on Golurk's back. He wasn't as excited as Lei He; the ancient royal capital held little interest for him. His attention, instead, was drawn to the surrounding terrain, imbued with an air of antiquity.
It seemed that this underground cavity had undergone more than one collapse.
Rain and groundwater had eroded the soil and rocks, leading to numerous cave-ins over time.
It was then that Naoki noticed several oddly shaped stones on the ground.
He asked Golurk to land so he could investigate further.
Golurk obliged, and Naoki hopped off, approaching the stones curiously. He picked them up, brushing away the thick layer of dirt and dust that covered them.
As he cleaned them off, he realized what they were.
"Fossils?!"
There was more than one, too! Naoki's eyes widened as he examined the peculiar fossils. Soon, he noticed something peculiar—aside from the first one he had dug up, the others were all incomplete! Some were broken in half, while others had only a fragment remaining.
What puzzled Naoki even more was their shape—they resembled gemstones.
"Strange, are these Pokemon fossils?" he wondered aloud.
But he had never seen fossils like these before. The fossils of Omanyte and Archeops that he knew of looked very different.
"Or are they gems that fell from the royal capital ruins?" Naoki speculated.
But could gems even become fossils? Golurk, standing beside him, looked just as confused.
"Naoki!" Lei He called out from ahead, noticing that he hadn't kept up.
"Coming!" Naoki replied.
He pocketed one relatively intact stone, discarding the broken ones, and climbed back onto Golurk to catch up with Lei He.
(End of Chapter)
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