Chapter 57: A Desert Trip, Arranged!

Chapter 57: A Desert Trip, Arranged!

"Hello, Second Aunt!"

Basalt's mom aimed the phone's camera at him. On the screen was a middle-aged woman slightly older than his mom. Basalt quickly greeted her.

"Oh, Basalt, you child, you really are a hidden talent! So quiet and unassuming, yet you've already achieved fourth place in the entire county."

His second aunt brought her large face close to the screen, showering him with praise.

"Second Sister, it's not fourth place. Basalt is in the top four. If he can win the semifinals, he'll be at least the runner-up. If he can also win the finals, then he's the champion." Hearing this, Basalt's mom was immediately unhappy and quickly corrected her. There was a difference between fourth place and being in the top four. Only the worst of the top four would be fourth place. But in his mom's eyes, it went without saying, her own son was champion material.

"Right, right, you're right. Look at this mouth of mine."

His second aunt quickly admitted her mistake, then sighed with emotion. "Sigh, your Basalt is so wonderful. Not like my Faye, she's so worrying. Even though she studies in the city center, her grades are terrible, and her Pokémon battling skills are no good either…"

His second aunt began to complain.

Basalt's second aunt wasn't in South River Province but had been doing business in the northern Prairie Province for many years. Her family's financial situation was the best in the family. While not fabulously wealthy, they were comfortably middle-class. She had a son and a daughter. The eldest son, Liam, had always had good grades and was now in his fourth year of university, having apparently just passed the Senior-rank trainer assessment. The daughter, Faye, was the same age as Basalt but a few months older, making her his cousin. Compared to her older brother, her grades were clearly much worse, just average.

"Hey? Basalt, when you have a holiday, come to Prairie Province. Your aunt will take you to see the great grasslands. You've probably never been to the grasslands of Prairie Province, have you?"

"The grasslands here are so vast. The sky is like a yurt, covering the four wilds. It's simply endless. We can also ride Ponyta and roam the grasslands. The wind on your face, it's very enjoyable."

Suddenly, his second aunt changed the subject and began to invite Basalt to visit Prairie Province, painting a beautiful picture to entice him to agree.

"Go to the great grasslands?"

Basalt was stunned for a moment, but then he instinctively wanted to refuse.

If I have that kind of time, isn't going to the desert better? All those sandstorm Pokémon in the desert are waiting for me to grace them with my presence. What time do I have to go see the grasslands with you? Sorry, but my destiny belongs only to the desert.

"Let's forget it, Second Aunt. Compared to the grasslands, I prefer the great deserts," Basalt said after a moment of silence, choosing to be honest.

As far as he knew, within the country's borders was one of the world's top ten great deserts—the Taklamakan Desert. The Taklamakan Desert was located in the western part of the country, spanning 1,000 kilometers from east to west and 400 kilometers from north to south, with an area of 330,000 square kilometers. It was home to countless desert Pokémon and rare treasures.

However, the core area of the Taklamakan Desert was too dangerous, shrouded in terrifying sandstorms year-round. And with the untamable wild sandstorm Pokémon there, not even a Professional-level trainer could guarantee they would survive.

But Basalt had a brain. With his current strength, he couldn't possibly go exploring the desert alone; that would be suicide. His idea was to just wander around the edges of the desert, see if he could catch a Pokémon he liked, and that would be enough.

"The desert? Basalt, if you like the desert, then you have even more reason to come to Prairie Province. Half of our country's eight great deserts are in Prairie Province."

His second aunt brought her face close to the screen.

"What? Four of the country's eight great deserts are in Prairie Province? Second Aunt, I didn't read many books, don't lie to me!"

Basalt's eyes widened. This seemed a little different from what he had imagined. Weren't deserts all in the western part of the country? How could Prairie Province have more deserts than the west? Shouldn't Prairie Province be all grasslands?

"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, you can check online yourself."

At his aunt's reminder, Basalt took out his Pokédex and logged onto the web.

Then, his brain short-circuited…

His second aunt really hadn't lied to him. Among the eight great deserts of the country, besides the Taklamakan, Gurbantünggüt, and Kumtag Deserts in Xinjiang, and the Qaidam Desert in Zang Province, the remaining Tengger, Badain Jaran, Kubuqi, and Ulan Buh Deserts were all really in Prairie Province.

"What the hell! I accidentally exposed my lack of education."

Basalt rubbed his forehead, lamenting that he had been too presumptuous. He vowed to become the King of Sandstorms, yet he didn't even know where the deserts were. This was a major embarrassment.

"Ahem…"

Basalt coughed to ease the awkwardness, then put on a broad smile. "Second Aunt, then when I have a holiday, I'll come to Prairie Province to visit you! You have to take me to the desert then!"

"Basalt, why do you want to go to the desert so much? In the desert, you can only slide on the sand, ride a Numel, and occasionally look at some sand dunes. It doesn't seem that interesting," his aunt said curiously.

"Numel? Second Aunt, are there Numel in Prairie Province?"

Basalt's eyes instantly lit up.

Numel, a Fire/Ground dual-type Pokémon, evolves into Camerupt, nicknamed "little Groudon." From that nickname, you can probably guess how awesome it is.

"Of course, there are Numel in Prairie Province. This kind of Pokémon should be in every desert, right?" His second aunt blinked. "But I've never been to the four big deserts in Prairie Province. I've only been to Yulong Shahu near Chifeng City. The desert area there is small, but the risk is also small. Unlike those big deserts, where ordinary people aren't allowed in without a Professional-level trainer escort."

In this parallel world, due to Pokémon, many deserts, rainforests, and mountainous areas had become paradises for Pokémon, home to many powerful species. Those wild Pokémon were very wary of humans. If you weren't careful, they would attack, and even kill, humans. Never mind ordinary people; even Professional-level and Gym-leader level trainers were often reported to have failed their expeditions and been killed by wild Pokémon.

Over time, those places became forbidden lands for humans, and few people would venture there.

"Ah…"

Hearing this, Basalt instantly deflated. As a Novice-level trainer, where was he supposed to find a Professional-level trainer to escort him? Even if he found one, he probably couldn't afford the escort fee.

"Basalt, if you want to find Pokémon, you can just go to Yulong Shahu. The desert area there is small and safe, but there are quite a few types of Pokémon."

"Last time I went, I saw wild Cacnea and Skarmory. I heard that deep in the sand lake, there are also Trapinch, Onix, and someone even caught a rare Solrock there…"

His second aunt seemed to really want Basalt to come visit Prairie Province. She was now vigorously promoting the variety of Pokémon in Yulong Shahu, and it did sound like there were quite a few. The key was that these were all sandstorm-compatible Pokémon, which made Basalt drool.

Especially Solrock, that was a rare Pokémon with the Psychic type, and it also had the Rock type. In a sandstorm, its special defense would also be boosted.

"The Psychic type…"

Basalt was truly envious of this type. If he had a Solrock right now, he could go up and crush Luna and her Smoochum, no questions asked. Winning the Seaside County selection tournament would be a piece of cake, no difficulty at all.

And so, Basalt was tempted. He made a deal with his aunt that as soon as the holiday started, he would immediately head to Prairie Province. At the very least, he would have a three-day desert trip.

"I remember, before the Metro City training camp, we get a week to pack and prepare, right? In that case, doesn't it mean I can go to the desert right after the competition is over?" Basalt's eyebrows shot up.

In that case, a happy desert life seemed to be right around the corner.

"I'm so looking forward to it! I wonder if I'll be possessed by the god of luck and run into a wild Larvitar?" Basalt began to daydream. In his dream, there wasn't just a Larvitar, but even a Mega Tyranitar.

…

Although he had everything in his dreams, once he was awake, Basalt still had to hurry up and train. While maintaining his daily training routine, Drilbur began to focus its energy on mastering the move "Screech." Ms. Anya had already taught him the training method for the skill. What Basalt and Drilbur had to do now was train hard and comprehend it seriously.

As the Metal Coating was about to run out, Basalt gradually became anxious. Without the aid of the military-grade special Metal Coating, it would be very difficult for Drilbur to master Screech.

So, in the days leading up to the match, besides cheering for his little mole every day, Basalt was also silently praying, hoping his little mole would master it soon.

"Please, great Arceus, Amitabha, Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable…"

Basalt greeted all the gods in the heavens, just asking for his wish to come true.

"As long as my little mole can learn 'Screech' before the match, I'm willing to not date for a year… oh no, three years is fine too!" Basalt made a great vow. To win the championship, he was even willing to sacrifice love.

He was a ruthless man.

"SCREEEEEEECH~~~"

It's unknown if his sincerity moved the heavens, but the moment he made his grand vow, a hair-raising, piercing sound suddenly erupted from the nearby Drilbur, its volume far exceeding anything before.

The Mole Emperor had really mastered Screech!

"Oh crap! What did I just say?"

Basalt: (_)

Basalt's neck went stiff, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Aba, aba, aba…"

I didn't say anything!