Keiko called over her two companions, and the three of them excitedly took photos of Dratini from every angle. Only after a long while did they finally return it to Sam, completely satisfied.
"Thank you, Sam."
Her face was full of joy. Just imagining the number of views and followers she'd gain after uploading the footage made it impossible for her to stop smiling.
Finally freed, Dratini let out a small sigh of relief. Even it had been overwhelmed by Keiko's enthusiasm.
Holding Dratini again, Sam carefully examined the Dragon Fang hanging from its neck.
The item, rewarded by the system, had noticeably shrunk. Most of its energy had already been absorbed by Dratini.
Recently, Dratini had been shedding more frequently—
A clear sign that it was close to evolving into Dragonair.
That mattered.
Sam had invested more resources into Dratini than any of his other Pokémon.
If he hadn't become the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym, easing his financial burden, raising Dratini would have been extremely difficult.
A custom diet.
Daily body care using water infused with a Water Stone.
Everything about raising it required time, effort, and money.
Training a pseudo-legendary Pokémon wasn't just hard—
It was exhausting.
For most Trainers, even raising a starter Pokémon was already a challenge. Compared to that, pseudo-legendaries demanded far more, despite only having slightly higher potential.
---
Preparing for the Desert
The Hoenn Desert wasn't a place you could enter casually.
Every year, many overconfident Trainers ventured in unprepared—
And never came back.
Learning from those mistakes, Sam and the group made thorough preparations.
Water, sun-protection gear, goggles, tents, emergency supplies—
Everything was essential.
After arriving in Mauville City, they headed straight to the department store.
Keiko and her team clearly had experience. They already had a detailed checklist and moved efficiently through the store.
Watching them, Sam nodded.
These people knew what they were doing.
---
"Eevee, we're finally going into the desert! Aren't you excited?"
The only one still full of energy was Millie.
Her excitement was practically overflowing.
"Eevee…"
In contrast, Eevee looked completely drained, responding weakly.
Sam almost laughed.
If he guessed correctly, this Eevee had an ability similar to danger prediction.
It could sense strength—
And danger.
Which explained everything.
It had already sensed something terrifying waiting in the desert.
No wonder it looked like it had lost the will to live.
This poor Eevee probably just wanted to stay home, lying on the couch—
Not march into a deadly desert.
---
Crossing the Desert
The desert stretched endlessly before them—
Nothing but yellow sand in every direction.
The monotony was exhausting.
Even though they hadn't been walking long, it felt like hours had passed.
The blazing sun pressed down relentlessly.
Sam wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I hope we find Regirock soon…"
Aside from that—
Nothing here interested him.
"How much longer?" he finally asked.
His voice carried a hint of fatigue.
"Yeah… how much longer?" Millie added hoarsely.
Unlike the others, she was just a kid. The fact that she had lasted this long was already impressive.
Keiko rolled her eyes.
"I told you not to come. This isn't a game."
Still, she pulled out her map and studied it carefully.
After a moment, she pointed northeast.
"We're close. Just a little further."
In terms of battle strength, Sam far surpassed them.
But when it came to survival in the wild—
They were the experts.
So he said nothing more, took a sip of water, and followed.
---
A Sign of Life
After what felt like an eternity—
Something changed.
A patch of green appeared in the distance.
Sam's eyes narrowed.
"…What is that?"
At first glance, it looked like trees—
But they were moving.
"That's Cacnea!" Keiko said immediately.
"We're on the right path. The destination is close!"
"Cacnea…" Sam nodded in realization.
Seeing them here was a good sign.
Large groups of Cacnea required water to survive—
Which meant only one thing.
There was a water source nearby.
And where there was water—
There might also be answers.
---------------Author---------------
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