Pokémon Court

However, this was not the right time for Terrance to delve into the secrets of the Smooth Rock's origin. He didn't have the time, nor was he certain about anything. The reason for others' hesitation was probably the same as his own concern.

If he wasn't fully prepared, he wouldn't act recklessly.

After experimenting with Castform and Beautifly a few more times, they took note of the location and quietly withdrew.

Now, Beautifly is able to perform Quiver Dance even within a small-scale sandstorm, taking only about three breaths of time. In battles, for such an abnormal move like Quiver Dance, shortening the time to this extent is already quite terrifying.

"There's not much time left."

Calculating the time remaining before the Grand Festival, Terrance estimated that staying here for one more week was the limit.

"Let's head to the nearby ruins; from there, we can make our way back to Mauville City."

The vast desert stretched endlessly, rolling with dunes. Amid it, a person seemed so small. Under the scorching sun, the desert emitted waves of heat, making it hard even to breathe.

Terrance's figure, like a tiny dot, moved steadily under the blistering heat.

In the desert, timing your actions is crucial. Heatstroke and dehydration were deadly threats in the desert.

"Altaria, I'll need your help."

After walking for some time, whenever the heat became unbearable, Terrance would call out Altaria. It would use Ice Beam to create a large block of ice, which Terrance would then fashion into a makeshift "bolster", absorbing the chill as he continued onward.

"I….fu*k…!"

Just as Terrance was making his way forward, he suddenly stopped and tossed the ice block aside, his whole face contorting...

The relentless sun blazed down like fire, roasting the desert like a furnace. Suddenly, a whirlwind appeared in the distance, lifting the sand high into the air like a rising column of smoke, spinning wildly across the desert. Waves of sand surged forward as if an invisible giant hand was peeling away the desert layer by layer.

"A massive sandstorm…"

Ruffling his golden hair, Terrance revealed an exasperated expression. He quickly took out Altaria's Poké Ball and bolted.

Leaping onto Altaria's back, the two dashed quickly in the direction they had come from.

Massive sandstorms were rare occurrences in the Hoenn Desert. Running into such weather, Terrance's way forward was blocked—his luck couldn't have been worse. Had he done something to anger the heavens?

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~

Altaria flew swiftly, carrying Terrance through the countless grains of sand in the air. While high-speed flight through the desert wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, it was far better than facing the enormous sandstorm.

...

...

Three days later, Terrance hid in the ruins where he had originally taken shelter, not daring to venture out. He wasn't sure if the sandstorm had passed.

Generally, storms of this scale only lasted a few days, no more than ten at most. Staying in a building should keep him safe...

The ruins were quite durable, making it difficult to damage from the outside, which was why they had stood tall in the desert for hundreds of years without any problems.

Terrance sent out Mismagius again to scout. That seemed to be its mission, but no other Pokémon was more suited to the task.

Thanks to the structure of a Ghost-type Pokémon's body, Mismagius could easily pass through the solid stone walls.

Whether it was avoiding danger or protecting itself in the wild, Mismagius was better at it than any of Terrance's other Pokémon.

In another place...

"Mis~magius~?"

Mismagius, gliding along the walls of the ruins, suddenly froze, hearing several footsteps.

It quickly concealed itself, observing every movement around it.

"Shinji, why did we come to this godforsaken place?"

"Don't you want to make money?!"

Shinji shot a mocking glance and said, "This is valuable information. I'm giving you a chance by bringing you along."

"Tch~ You probably can't handle this alone, huh?"

"Not long ago, someone spotted a Trapinch in a ruin within the desert. Trapinch's final evolution, Flygon, is an extremely rare Pokémon. Even its first form, Trapinch, can fetch a price on the black market that can rival a Starter Pokémon issued by the Hoenn League."

"Trapinch?!" Shugo exclaimed in surprise, but then shook his head and said, "It's no secret that Trapinch lives in this desert. Many people have come here to look for them. Is there any point in us coming too?"

"Of course, I have solid information!" Shinji responded. "Trying to find a single Trapinch in such a vast desert is nothing but a fool's dream. However, the ruin I mentioned is home to a whole group of Trapinch—there are at least dozens of them!"

"Even if we only manage to capture half of them, that would be enough for us to make a good profit!"

"But that ruin is difficult to find. I only learned of this place by chance. It's said that this ruin appears and disappears on its own, never staying in one fixed location. While many Trapinch live there, no one outside knows about it."

"If it weren't for the recent commotion that brought a lot of Trainers here, this secret might still be unknown."

"Then... Brother Shinji, have you found the exact location of that disappearing ruin?!" Shugo asked excitedly.

"No, but I do know what makes this ruin different from the others. Even if people enter it, they might think it's just an ordinary ruin, not realizing... well, let's call it 'Mirage Ruins' for now."

"This information came from two people who accidentally entered the Mirage Ruins twice. When they came out for a quick drink of water, the massive ruin they had been leaning against suddenly vanished with a loud noise. From this, it's clear that the difference isn't on the outside of the ruin, but within. Inside the Mirage Ruins live Pokémon unlike those found in other ruins!"

"As long as we confirm that we've entered the Mirage Ruins, if we stay inside for a while, we'll eventually find the Trapinch that live there."

"That's amazing."

While the two were talking, Shinji's expression suddenly changed. "Someone's spying on us."

Beneath Shinji's feet, a Gengar that had been hiding in his shadow suddenly leapt out, and then with a wicked and eerie smile, it formed a Shadow Ball and hurled it toward the wall ahead.

The Pokémon on the wall, sensing the threat, quickly retaliated by forming its own Shadow Ball and launched it as a counter attack. At the same time, an incantation was cast, causing Shinji and Shugo to cry out in surprise as they covered their eyes, suddenly unable to move. Panicking, they shouted, "Gengar, protect us!"

Meanwhile, the hidden Pokémon took the opportunity to quickly fly off into the distance.

Chapter 294 "Mirage Ruins"

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