Chapter 488: Even Experts Can Stumble
At that moment, about a dozen kilometers away from Arthur's team, a particularly large Krookodile was pacing restlessly in the sand. It would let out a sudden roar for no reason, then slam its tail into the ground, sending clouds of dust flying.
This was one of the infamous Seven Chieftains, the strongest Krookodile in the entire desert. Looking at its size, it was no exaggeration to call it a tyrant. It was a full size larger than a normal Krookodile, standing nearly ten feet tall. Its arms and legs were incredibly thick, visibly brimming with explosive power.
Unfortunately, this desert overlord, who ruled over thousands of square kilometers, was now trapped in a state of constant rage and frustration. He was getting old.
Beast-type Pokémon generally didn't have long lifespans, and Krookodile was no exception. At over forty years old, the Chieftain was now entering its twilight years. And recently, his most promising heir had been captured by humans. This was driving him mad.
None of the Chieftain's other offspring had ever truly satisfied him. While a few of them had decent strength, they were still a far cry from being able to inherit his vast territory. Then, a few months ago, one of his grandchildren had a miraculous awakening. It claimed to have received a divine revelation, and not only did its strength skyrocket, but its intelligence also blossomed.
At first, the Chieftain was skeptical. But that was quickly followed by ecstatic joy. Thank Arceus, he finally had a worthy successor!
The lineup of the Seven Chieftains in the Ashen Desert wasn't set in stone. Aside from the Duraludon in the south, which had held its position due to its long lifespan, the other Chieftains were replaced every few decades. Sometimes, even the species would change. The great Krookodile clearly remembered that just a few decades ago, the largest oasis in the southwest had belonged to a tribe of Scrafty. But in recent years, it had been taken over by a Nidoking and Nidoqueen. The Scrafty had been struck from the list of the Seven Chieftains, replaced by the Nidoking.
The Ashen Desert was a cruel place. The Pokémon here were never united, and loyalty was a foreign concept. The moment a leader's strength failed to command respect, their position could be usurped by another species in an instant. The aging Krookodile Chieftain had reached the age where he had to worry about his successor.
He had finally found a suitable heir of his own kind, a young crocodile of exceptional talent. Two happy events, coming together, should have resulted in a dream-like, double portion of joy. But why had it turned out like this?!
Humans! It was all the fault of humans!
"ROAR!!"
As he threw his head back and roared in impotent rage, a Sigilyph flew in with a report. A group of humans was entering his territory. They were very strong. And they had captured one of his sub-leaders.
Could he tolerate this?! "ROAR!"
With another roar, the great Krookodile decided to summon his forces and teach these insolent humans a lesson.
Meanwhile, Arthur's convoy was still zig-zagging its way across the Krookodile's territory. They weren't heading straight for the center, but were instead trying to survey the ecosystem of the region as thoroughly as possible. Whenever they came across a relatively lush area, the convoy would stop, and Amani's research team would get out to collect data and samples.
Although his mind was on his little dragonfly, Arthur hadn't forgotten his promise to Dr. Zeratano. He had his own code of honor: a promise made was a promise kept, and a mission accepted was a mission completed.
But after a day of this, on the second day, Arthur proposed a new plan. He pointed to a spot on the map. "There's a small oasis marked here. Let's head there. If the oasis hasn't moved, you all can rest there while I go deeper into the territory to meet with the Krookodile Chieftain."
He had finally decided to go alone. Meeting the Chieftain could be dangerous, and bringing a research team would be inconvenient. Besides, their mission was to survey the desert ecosystem; they had no need to interact with the Chieftain.
"Will it be dangerous?" Amani asked, concerned.
Arthur pointed to the few Flygon that had been following them, mooching food. "It's fine. Even after I leave, they can protect you for a while."
Flygon truly were a free-spirited species. They had fought against Arthur just a short while ago, and after the other Pokémon had fled, they were the only ones who had stayed behind. And because they had managed to get some rations from the researchers, they had decided not to leave at all. As expected of a ranger species that roamed the desert, bumming meals wherever they went. But this was good. After Arthur left, as long as Amani could keep these gluttons happy with food, they wouldn't be short on bodyguards for the time being. The evolution rate of Trapinch was very low; any Flygon that had successfully evolved in the wild was bound to be strong.
To his surprise, Amani just shot him a look, which was surprisingly charming. "I was worried about you, you ungrateful person."
"Uh." Arthur rubbed his nose. "You don't need to worry about me."
"But that's one of the Seven Chieftains! Don't be reckless!"
Skarner also spoke up. "I'll go with you."
"You really don't have to. I think I can handle it on my own."
This wasn't just boasting. He had plenty of Pokémon now. He was no longer the desperate young man in the Star Brilliance Alliance with only two baby Pokémon, who had to carve a path for himself with nothing but a single sword. For a wild battle expert like him, every additional main Pokémon was a significant boost to his combat power. The concerns that others might have, like being unable to command multiple Pokémon at once or coordination issues, simply didn't exist for him. He was the authority in this field.
But his confidence was immediately shattered by Skarner's next sentence. "You don't know how to drive."
"..."
"Riding a Dodrio isn't as fast as a car. And you have to bring the Krookodile sub-leader and the Sandslash with you."
"..."
"And at least three days' worth of food and water."
"..."
"And—"
"Alright, say no more. You can come with me."
It turns out that being an expert in one field doesn't make you an expert in all of them. The Arthur of this world had never learned to drive. This was something he really couldn't handle.
Skarner had easily convinced him, which made Amani smile. For some reason, seeing Arthur stumble like this was actually quite cute. Hmph, she thought later, serves you right for always acting so mature. A teenager should act like a teenager.
Arthur was helpless. It's not like he was trying to act mature.
A short while later, they reached the oasis. Fortunately, its location was not far from where it was marked on the map.
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