Chapter 489: The Hardcore Homebody
Oases in the desert mostly exist due to underground rivers. If the river changes its course, the location of the oasis will shift. And the course of an underground river can change without any visible signs on the surface. That's why desert maps rarely remain accurate for long; they usually need to be redrawn every few years. The fact that the oasis was almost exactly where the map said it would be was quite lucky for them.
From one of the vehicles, someone sighed, "Finally, some shade."
In the desert, even when they had encountered vegetation, it was usually low-lying shrubs or large cacti, rarely anything with leaves that could offer shelter. Now, in the distance, they could finally see a tall, leafy plant.
But the closer they got, the more Arthur felt that something was off about that "tree." When the vehicles finally pulled up, they realized it wasn't a leafy plant at all—it was an Alolan Exeggutor.
Alolan Exeggutor have incredibly long necks, making them look like towering, hundred-foot-tall trees from a distance. Below its neck was a round body, two legs, and a tail. But this particular Exeggutor was sitting on the ground, its legs and the lower part of its body completely covered by vines and grass. It had clearly been a very, very long time since it had last stood up.
However, as the three vehicles and several Dodrio approached, it rustled the leaves on its head, as if to welcome them and to prove that it was, in fact, still a living creature and not just a petrified tree.
Seeing this Exeggutor, Amani and the other researchers grew excited. They immediately took out their equipment to take photos and even wanted to get closer to measure its height. "I can't believe there's an Exeggutor in the desert! This is a huge discovery. We've never encountered one during previous surveys."
Skarner warned, "Be careful."
Arthur wasn't too worried. He didn't sense any hostility from the Exeggutor; it actually seemed quite friendly toward humans. This was later confirmed through communication with his Pokémon. "This is an Exeggutor that once belonged to a human. After its master died in the war, it has remained in the desert ever since."
It even pointed out the location of a nearby underground spring for the research team, right near where it was sitting. Exeggutor from temperate regions are Grass/Psychic, while those from the tropics are Grass/Dragon. But even the Dragon-type Exeggutor knew many Psychic-type moves. It would sit here and use its psychic powers to draw water from the nearby spring to drink.
When the Exeggutor demonstrated its psychic powers for them, everyone was stunned. "This Exeggutor is incredibly strong!"
Arthur gave the "tree" a serious look. The tangible psychic waves it emitted made even Old Flame feel a sense of unease. "This is likely a Champion-level Exeggutor, almost on par with Specter and the others in their prime."
But it seemed incredibly lazy. If it could use its psychic powers to grab things, it couldn't be bothered to move an inch. Its body was exceptionally large, and its legs were so short it looked like it could barely stand. The fruit-like heads on top of its long neck all wore a perpetually sleepy, languid expression. Occasionally, it would wag its tail or rustle its leaves to prove it was still alive. A true hardcore homebody.
Arthur guessed its strength likely came from its long life. This Exeggutor had probably been sitting here for several hundred years.
He asked Amani, "Did you not find it when you last mapped this oasis?"
Amani shook her head. "No. A large part of our map is based on aerial photography. We can only survey a small number of areas on foot. The aerial survey team probably didn't even notice that this tree was a Pokémon."
Looking at the Exeggutor, whose heads were already starting to doze off again in front of everyone after the initial novelty wore off, Arthur had to agree. "Yeah... that's probably what happened."
Several researchers were still gathered around the Exeggutor, taking measurements, but it seemed to have fallen asleep again, completely unconcerned that they might have ill intentions. It was hard to tell if this was confidence or just plain carelessness.
Arthur smiled. "Well, this is good. With it here, your safety is much more guaranteed." He didn't know the exact strength of the Seven Chieftains, but he guessed they were likely no match for this Exeggutor. And since this lazy... Exeggutor... seemed friendly toward humans, there was probably no safer place in the surrounding thousands of square kilometers.
Amani understood what he meant. "Yes, you can go without worry. We need to collect water samples and run a lot of analyses here anyway, so we won't be leaving anytime soon."
"Alright."
The research team released the Cacturne and Maractus and began to set up camp. Arthur helped them pitch the tents, and once the camp was established, he and Skarner set off in one of the vehicles.
Skarner drove, with Arthur in the passenger seat. Greninja and the Sandslash sat in the back, flanking the still-captive Krookodile sub-leader. The sub-leader was miserable. I haven't had any meat in two days! You can't treat a crocodile like this!
But there was nothing it could do. Arthur had released the other Krookodile, but he couldn't let this one go. Firstly, he was afraid it would just gather another group and cause more trouble. Secondly, they still needed it to explain the misunderstanding when they met the Chieftain. Arthur really did not want a repeat of the previous night's fiasco. Since the Krookodile wouldn't listen to a Sandslash, he'd let one of their own do the talking.
The sub-leader had protested, of course. But after Arthur had his Pokémon take turns "sparring" with it last night, it had become much more obedient.
From the sub-leader's performance, Arthur was able to estimate that the strength of a regular pack leader in the desert was around the main player level. He wasn't sure if there were any captain-level leaders, but he guessed that even if there were, they were rare. As for the Chieftain itself, he still had too little information, but he suspected it wouldn't be at the Champion level.
After setting off, they drove for several more hours. That afternoon, from a high dune, they finally spotted the largest Krookodile settlement in the area.
From a distance, it looked like a city built of stone. The Pokémon had used giant rocks to form a circular wall to protect against the wind and sand. Gaps between the rocks formed natural gates. Inside the city were hundreds of semi-spherical sand castles, which served as the Krookodile's nests. Krookodile liked to live in sand burrows, finding it comfortable to be half-buried, so their dwellings didn't rise much above the ground. But even so, the sight of the hundreds of sand domes spread out like stars was truly breathtaking.
There was also a spring from an underground river in the city. From their high vantage point, they could see the sunlight glinting off the water's surface. The city even had a pen of camels, kept as a food reserve for the tribe. The scene was nothing short of a wonder.
"You really can't underestimate the creativity of wild Pokémon," Arthur remarked with rare sentiment.
Soon, their position was discovered. A Sigilyph flew out from the city toward them.
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