The moment the Cacnea became enraged, Ange shouted, "Run!"
Espathra and Flareon took off at full speed the moment they heard him.
They had barely escaped when a barrage of Pin Missile moves rained down like raindrops.
Ange looked back at the sand pit, which was now riddled with holes, and said with lingering fear, "It's a good thing you two ran fast."
Pin pin~
Flar flar~
Espathra and Flareon were just as shaken.
"We should probably get going," Ange said, patting Espathra's neck.
Es~ Espathra let out a cry and took off, its long legs carrying it at a sprint in the direction Ange pointed.
Flar flar~ Flareon quickly followed.
After running for some time, Ange suddenly thought he heard a series of beautiful, singing voices.
He asked Espathra and Flareon in confusion, "Did you hear that? Singing!"
Es~
Flar flar~
Espathra and Flareon nodded simultaneously.
The singing was very pleasant, sounding like a beautiful woman's voice, and it carried a power that could captivate a person's spirit.
"Come on, let's go check it out," Ange said to them.
The two Pokémon nodded and began searching for the source of the sound.
About ten minutes later, a sandstorm appeared in their line of sight.
The shadow of something flickered faintly in the center of the storm.
"Could it be... Lucario?" Ange felt a flicker of joy.
The photo sent to him by the internet user had shown Lucario appearing in the middle of a sandstorm.
Ange quickly directed Espathra to charge toward the sandstorm.
Only upon getting close did he realize there seemed to be people inside.
"Solrock, Flamethrower!"
A human voice drifted intermittently from within the storm.
Waa waa~ Aside from human voices, there were also Pokémon cries coming from the storm.
"Let's head in and see," Ange said to his Pokémon.
At that moment, Doublade, having heard the commotion, unwrapped its cloth bindings and flew to the top of Ange's head, looking fully alert.
This was exactly when Ange needed its protection.
When Ange stepped into the sandstorm, he discovered someone was in the middle of a battle with a Pokémon.
One side of the battle was a man in white clothing with a red cape and a red hat, commanding a Solrock; on the other side was a Krookodile.
Solrock unleashed a torrent of flames at Krookodile, but the Krookodile easily evaded it by using Dig.
There was sand everywhere in the desert, making it the perfect place to use the Dig move.
As Krookodile vanished, the man and Solrock observed their surroundings vigilantly.
Waa! Suddenly, Krookodile leaped from underground and struck Solrock hard.
Solrock was caught off guard and sent flying.
Krookodile tried to continue the attack, but the man quickly commanded, "Solrock, Iron Head!"
Solrock stabilized its body using its psychic powers and then collided with Krookodile while glowing with a metallic luster.
Krookodile didn't hesitate to use Dig again to tunnel underground.
Boom~ Solrock's attack missed, leaving a large crater in the ground.
This time, however, the man did not sit idly by. He said to Solrock, "Solrock, Earth Power!"
As he finished speaking, Solrock began to glow with a brilliant golden light.
The light surged into the ground, causing the earth to tremble violently. With a cry of pain, Krookodile tumbled out from the sand.
Just as Solrock prepared to press the advantage, another figure appeared from within the sandstorm.
It darted to Solrock's side, raised its tail, and used Dragon Tail to lash out at Solrock.
Solrock's attention was entirely on Krookodile, and it had no way to react to the surprise attack from another Pokémon.
Just as the tail was about to hit Solrock, Ange's voice suddenly rang out.
"Doublade, Sacred Sword!"
As he spoke, both of Doublade's blades unsheathed simultaneously. Two flashes of cold light flickered, and the sharp sword aura sent the ambushing Pokémon flying.
The Pokémon cried out and fell to the ground as the sandstorm slowly dissipated.
The Pokémon that had ambushed Solrock turned out to be a Flygon, and it was the one that had created the sandstorm.
Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon, Ground and Dragon type, uses the vibration of its wings to create singing sounds in the rising sandstorm, earning it the title of "The Desert Spirit."
So, the singing Ange and his team had heard was actually coming from the Flygon.
When Ange entered the sandstorm, he had already sensed the presence of Pokémon hiding in the shadows through his Aura, though he hadn't expected it to be a Flygon.
He hadn't intended to interfere in the battle between Krookodile and Solrock, but once the hidden Pokémon made its move, he had to act.
Ange's sudden appearance startled the man, but realizing that Ange had saved his Solrock, he shot a grateful glance in Ange's direction.
The two didn't exchange many words, as the battle was not yet over.
Nearby, the Flygon had already recovered and was back in the air, its gaze toward Doublade filled with anger.
With its wings vibrating rapidly, Flygon flickered into position beside Doublade, its mouth aglow with dark energy.
It was using the Crunch move, biting down on Doublade.
Ange didn't tell Doublade to dodge, as it would have been useless.
Doublade's ability is No Guard, meaning its attacks always hit, but it also means it is always hit by incoming attacks, ignoring evasion.
In this situation, one either defends or counters.
Ange chose defense.
"Doublade, Iron Defense!"
As Ange commanded, Doublade began to glow with a metallic luster.
Doublade's defenses were exceptional, and combined with the Eviolite it was holding, even if the Flygon used a Dark-type move—which was super effective against Doublade—it wouldn't be easy to defeat it.
Sure enough, when the Flygon bit down on Doublade, it created a teeth-grinding sound, but it couldn't do much damage.
The moment Doublade was bitten, a dark shadow extended from its back and struck the Flygon's rear, knocking it to the ground.
Doublade had used Shadow Sneak.
"Doublade, Sacred Sword!"
Under Ange's command, Doublade struck with both blades simultaneously. The Flygon, having just left the ground, was knocked back down.
This time, it couldn't get back up.
Not long after Ange defeated the Flygon, the man also defeated the Krookodile with his Solrock.
After storing his Solrock in its Poké Ball, the man walked over to Ange and gratefully thanked him.
"Thank you so much for earlier."
Ange waved a hand. "Don't mention it. I just happened to see the situation here."
The man introduced himself. "My name is Balza. It's nice to meet you!" He extended his right hand.
"I'm Ange," Ange said, shaking Balza's hand.
"Balza, why did you get into a conflict with that Krookodile?" Ange asked in confusion.
"Just Balza is fine," Balza replied.
He then explained the reason to Ange.
As it turned out, he, like Ange, had been drawn in by the Flygon's singing.
He had thought someone was trapped in the sandstorm and walked inside, only to be ambushed by the Krookodile hidden in the sand the moment he stepped in.
The two sides began fighting until Ange appeared.
Balza hadn't sensed the Flygon hiding in the sandstorm at all.
"It seems the Flygon and Krookodile were intentionally luring people in," Ange thought aloud.
"But why?" Balza asked, puzzled.
"I'm not sure," Ange shook his head, then added, "But we can just ask them!"
He took out a Poké Ball and released his Goodra, who knew Life Dew.
"Goodra, could you please use Life Dew to heal them?" Ange asked, gesturing toward the Flygon and Krookodile.
Goo goo~
Goodra nodded, looked up, and gathered a fist-sized blue orb of water, tossing it into the sky.
The orb burst in mid-air, turning into droplets that rained down on the Flygon and Krookodile, as well as on Ange and Balza.
In an instant, Ange and Balza felt all the fatigue from traveling through the desert disappear.
"That feels so good!" Balza couldn't help but say.
Not only did it feel good, but it was also refreshing and cool.
Treated by the Life Dew, the Flygon and Krookodile soon regained consciousness.
Ange quickly returned Goodra to its Poké Ball.
Although Goodra's Life Dew could eliminate fatigue and provide coolness, the scorching sand, dry air, and hot sun were still very uncomfortable for it.
Ange couldn't bear to let his Pokémon suffer.
Once the Flygon and Krookodile were awake, they looked at Ange and Balza with vigilance.
Ange asked, "Tell me, what did you want by luring people here with your singing?"
The Flygon and Krookodile remained silent.
Ange threatened, "If you don't speak, we won't be so polite anymore!"
As he spoke, Doublade slashed out with a blade of light, leaving a deep trench in the sand right in front of the two Pokémon.
Es~ Espathra's eyes also glinted with an oppressive light.
Flareon looked at Doublade, then at Espathra, and decided it should do something too. It dug at the sand with its front paws and bared its teeth in an attempt to intimidate the Flygon and Krookodile.
Flygon: ...
Krookodile: ...
Flareon just looked too cute; it had absolutely no intimidation factor.
Wary of the threat, and under pressure from Ange, the Flygon and Krookodile eventually told the truth.
They used their singing to lure travelers into the desert with the goal of stealing their food.
The desert environment was too harsh, and there were very few ways to obtain food. Since both the Flygon and Krookodile had groups they needed to feed, they targeted travelers.
Ange sternly criticized them after hearing this.
"Have you considered what happens to the travelers whose food you steal?
You are Pokémon that live in the desert, and you have your own strength and ways to find food.
But the travelers in this desert rely entirely on the food they carry. Once you steal it from them, aren't you leaving them to die in the desert?"
Ange's words made the two Pokémon realize the severity of their actions, and they lowered their heads in shame.
Seeing they knew they were wrong, Ange's tone softened. "Don't do this ever again, understand?"
The two Pokémon nodded solemnly.
"Good, as long as you know you were wrong." Ange nodded in satisfaction and then said with a smile, "To reward you for admitting your mistakes, I'll give you a little gift!"
The Flygon and Krookodile looked at Ange in astonishment.
Ange pulled out row after row of cans, all filled with Pokémon food.
These were originally emergency rations he had prepared for his own Pokémon, but he figured he'd give them to the Krookodile and Flygon; he didn't expect to need them much.
Awoo~
Waa waa~
The Flygon and Krookodile were immediately excited, and the Krookodile even shed tears of gratitude.
Considering that the Flygon and Krookodile wouldn't be able to carry so many cans back, Ange said, "Where do you live? I'll send them back for you!"
Waa waa~
Ooh ah~
The Krookodile and Flygon were happy to lead the way for Ange.
Balza said, "I'll help too."
He stepped forward, helping Ange pick up the food one by one and hold them in his arms.
And so, the group followed the Flygon and Krookodile toward their home.
On the way, Balza said in surprise, "Ange, I never expected you to be able to understand Pokémon language."
Ange replied, "Just barely."
Balza didn't ask further but looked worried. "You gave all your own Pokémon food to the Flygon and Krookodile. What are you going to do?"
Ange laughed. "Don't worry, I have extras."
In reality, Ange carried a large amount of ingredients and could make food at any time.
Furthermore, he could send Diancie home to replenish ingredients and food whenever he needed, so there was no reason to worry.
Balza let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, I guess my worry was unnecessary."
Ange laughed. "Thanks for the concern." He knew Balza meant well.
Balza asked again, "Ange, are you here in the desert to adventure? I can see you must be a very strong trainer."
Ange shook his head. "I'm not a trainer, just a chef. I came to this desert to capture a Lucario. People have seen Lucario sightings in this area."
Balza looked surprised; with strength like that, Ange wasn't a trainer!
"Balza, have you seen a Lucario since you've been in the desert?" Ange inquired.
Balza shook his head. "Actually, I haven't been in this desert very long, so I haven't encountered a Lucario."
He was also here looking for something.
"I see..." Ange looked dejected.
Just then, Krookodile, who had heard their conversation, suddenly began to cry out excitedly.
Waa waa~
Ange asked in surprise, "Krookodile, have you encountered Lucario?"
Waa~ Krookodile nodded, pointing toward a distant hill, indicating that Lucario had appeared there before.
Ange exclaimed, "That's great! Krookodile, thank you for the information!"
Krookodile scratched its head, looking a bit embarrassed.
They had attacked Ange, yet Ange had given them so much food, and now it was only providing a little information.
Soon, the group arrived at the home of the Krookodile and Flygon.
Looking at the sand dune in front of them, Ange asked in surprise, "You live here?"
This place didn't look like a nest at all!
Awoo~
Just as the Flygon let out a long cry, Ange and Balza were amazed to see a sand vortex appear on the dune, and in a moment, a tunnel appeared before them.
"Amazing!" Balza said.
Ange nodded. "Pokémon are the most wondrous creatures in the world; nothing that happens with them is strange."
Awoo~ The Flygon called out and dived into the tunnel first.
Waa~ Krookodile followed right behind it.
After exchanging a glance, Ange and Balza jumped into the tunnel one after another.
Yo yo~ Seeing Ange go in, Doublade didn't hesitate to rush in.
Espathra and Flareon also hurried to jump into the tunnel.
Ange and the others slid down along the sand like a slide—it was a lot of fun and quite exciting.
Flar flar~ The sound of Flareon's excited barking echoed in the tunnel.
After sliding for a full ten minutes, the group landed in a pile of sand.
Ange and Balza stood up, dusting the sand off themselves, and then examined their surroundings.
This was an underground cave, and unlike the scorching heat outside, the cave was very cool—it was like two different worlds.
Awoo~
Waa~
As the Flygon and Krookodile let out a few loud cries, the sand in front of them began to churn. In a moment, Trapinch and Sandile heads began to poke out from the sand.
Cough~ cough~
Gro~ gro~
Seeing the Flygon and Krookodile return, they looked up and cried out happily.
Looking at these young Trapinch and Sandile, Ange and Balza finally understood why the Flygon and Krookodile had to struggle to the point of robbing travelers.
Raising so many babies was truly a very difficult task.
Gathered by the Flygon and Krookodile, the Trapinch and Sandile congregated, and Ange and Balza helped distribute the Pokémon food to them.
Watching the Trapinch and Sandile wolfing down their food, Ange sighed, "Nobody has it easy!"
"That's for sure!" Balza nodded.
With the food delivered, Ange and Balza intended to leave.
Just then, the Flygon called out to them.
"What's wrong, Flygon?" Ange asked curiously.
Krookodile walked over to Ange and Balza holding a pile of things and dropped them at their feet.
"Evolution Stones?" Ange asked.
Waa~ Krookodile nodded.
These were evolution stones they had found in the desert of various types, ranging from common ones like Thunder Stones and Fire Stones to rarer ones like Sun Stones and Shiny Stones.
"A gift for us?" Ange asked.
Waa~
Awoo~
Krookodile and Flygon nodded at the same time.
"Then thank you very much." Ange didn't refuse.
"I'll pass; I didn't really help with anything," Balza said, waving a hand in refusal.
Seeing this, Krookodile and Flygon didn't insist.