With the flying speed of both trainers, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Great Desert of Hoenn by the afternoon.
Situated in the middle of Route 111, the vast sea of sand and endless golden landscape made it clear that finding a single person there would be incredibly difficult.
Cain retrieved desert survival gear from his storage space, including protective goggles and other essential items for enduring such conditions.
Steven, of course, was equally prepared, though his equipment was noticeably of higher quality than Cain's.
"Cain, if you were to flee into the Great Desert of Hoenn, where would you go?" Steven suddenly asked.
Cain was momentarily speechless.
After pondering for a bit, he recalled that the Hoenn desert wasn't merely an endless expanse of sand; it was also home to remnants of ancient civilizations.
If this fugitive had escaped into the desert, it was likely they had pre-planned their route, possibly discovering ruins known only to them.
"They probably prepared their escape route in advance, perhaps finding ruins known only to the fugitive. Otherwise, anyone would prefer fleeing to the ocean over hiding in the desert," Cain replied after some thought.
"That's what I thought, too," Steven said. "So if we want to find them, we just need to focus on those less-obvious ruins."
The Great Desert of Hoenn was filled with ancient ruins. Some had already been discovered and undoubtedly looted entirely, meaning they no longer posed significant dangers. These ruins had been recorded by the League, and it was unlikely that the fugitive would be foolish enough to hide there.
That left only the undiscovered ruins.
After adjusting their equipment, the two ventured into the desert.
"By the way, how's the battle system going to work for the Sinnoh Tournament?" Cain suddenly asked.
As the heir to the Stone family, Steven had access to more privileged information than Cain.
"Apparently, there will be several rounds, with no restrictions on the number of participants. Anyone who's earned the eight badges can compete, regardless of their region. Before the Top 16, trainers will be limited to three Pokémon in one-on-one battles. As for the Top 16, the rules haven't been revealed yet, but it's likely to be full battles with six Pokémon."
Steven paused before continuing:
"However, I'm almost certain it'll be full battles with a maximum of six Pokémon."
Steven's guess was quite reasonable.
Cain nodded in agreement.
"So, do you have your six Pokémon ready? You're not planning to defeat six of someone else's Pokémon with just three, are you?"
"That's exactly my problem," Steven replied with a bitter smile.
"As you know, I've always focused on training Metagross due to lack of time. While Metagross is powerful, it can't take on six Pokémon of the same level by itself. And besides, I'm sure Cynthia, as the host of the tournament, will also participate."
Beneath his goggles and protective mask, Steven's expression looked somewhat troubled.
"Don't worry. You still have time to improve. This desert expedition is both a test and an opportunity to train your Pokémon. Have you decided on your training focus?" Cain asked.
Steven nodded and pulled out two Pokéballs, summoning two of his Pokémon.
They were Anorith and Lileep, two fossil Pokémon that met Steven's high standards and had recently become part of his training focus.
Thanks to the training methods and special Pokéblocks Cain had developed for them, their growth had been remarkably swift.
Anorith had reached Level 25, and Lileep Level 28.
Their progress was truly impressive.
Seeing Steven release two of his Pokémon, Cain also tossed out two Pokéballs, revealing his recently evolved Level 25 Poliwhirl and Level 21 Marshtomp.
Poliwhirl still appeared a bit fatigued but was much better than when it had first evolved. As long as it avoided intense battles, it would be fine.
When Steven saw these two Pokémon, his eyes lit up, and he said to Cain:
"I see you came well-prepared. These two are perfect for the desert."
Cain shrugged and replied with resignation:
"I don't have much choice. As a Water-type Gym Leader, having only a competent Slowking would be odd. These two have quite a bit of potential. If I train them properly, they won't be weak in the future."
Steven nodded in agreement.
"Poliwhirl, a Pokémon from the Kanto region, evolves into Poliwrath, and combined with the move Rain Dance, its power increases significantly."
"Marshtomp, on the other hand, is one of Hoenn's starters, and its final evolution, Swampert, is renowned for its excellent typing and resistances."
Steven didn't know that Poliwhirl had another evolutionary path, and Cain didn't plan on telling him just yet. Perhaps it would be a surprise for the future.
"Let's consider this both training for our Pokémon and a search for the criminal. If we can't find them within a month, we'll leave. I'm sure the League won't hold it against us," Cain said as he ventured deeper into the desert with his Pokémon.
"They won't blame us, but if we fail to find someone in a month, won't we look a bit too incompetent?" Steven followed.
"If anyone has something to say, let them come here and try. Let's see them survive a month in the desert," Cain replied nonchalantly.
The Hoenn League valued them highly, even granting them Advanced Researcher ranks under extraordinary circumstances.
Failing one task wouldn't cause them trouble, and with the Sinnoh Tournament approaching, the League would pull them out of the desert even if they wanted to stay.
Besides, Cain didn't believe many in Hoenn had more skill than them.
It seemed Cain, Steven, Wallace, and Phoebe were the most talented and powerful of their generation in Hoenn.
Anorith and Lileep, as Rock-types, didn't have to worry about sandstorms. However, Marshtomp and Poliwhirl were somewhat affected.
At Cain's suggestion, both Pokémon coated their bodies with a light layer of water, allowing them to resist the sand's damage unless the storms became too severe.
"Steven, even counting these two Pokémon, you're still one short of a six-member team, aren't you?" Cain suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Steven looked momentarily confused.
Then he nodded and replied:
"Yes, Metagross, Skarmory, Aggron, and now Anorith and Lileep... I only have five Pokémon."
(End of Chapter)