A week passed, and the preparations for the ruins exploration team were nearly complete.
Just yesterday, Cynthia had returned to the base camp. Rumor had it that she had already gathered all the items needed to break the seal on the ruins and could begin dealing with it at any time.
That very afternoon, Brandon finally led the expedition team out.
With nearly three hundred people, along with a vast array of large and small machinery, the long convoy stretched like a giant dragon as it advanced deep into the desert.
At the moment, Sato was riding comfortably in an off-road vehicle driven by Hughes, traveling with the main group. However, from time to time, he still had to leave the vehicle and rotate shifts with the Trainers patrolling and guarding the perimeter of the convoy.
Once they left the temperature-regulated oasis and entered the desert, everyone quickly felt the harshness of the environment again.
No matter how much water they drank, the moisture seemed unable to stay in their bodies, leaving them constantly thirsty.
There was no helping it. Although traveling through the desert under the blazing sun was exhausting, the dangers of the desert at night were far greater than those during the day.
Therefore, for the safety of the many explorers who possessed little means of self-defense, Brandon insisted on traveling during daylight hours.
"Pikaaa..."
Although Pikachu was wearing a hat, his dense fur caused his body temperature to rise rapidly under the scorching sun. Having only recently left Hughes' air-conditioned vehicle, he was already suffering from the heat and lay sprawled across Sato's shoulder looking utterly miserable.
"Who's to blame for refusing to stay in your PokeBall? Too hot now, isn't it? Hang in there a little longer. The sun will set soon, and by then we should be close to our destination."
Seeing Pikachu's pitiful state, Sato teased him lightly before taking out a water pouch and letting him drink some diluted saline water mixed with a gemstone-grade spicy-and-sour flavored PokeBlock to replenish both fluids and salt.
After drinking it, Pikachu's condition improved dramatically.
Soon, he was once again standing energetically on Sato's shoulder, looking around curiously.
Before long, he spotted something that interested him and became completely engrossed in admiring a beautiful sight in the distance. He looked so captivated that if Kecleon hadn't wrapped its tongue around him and held him back, he might have wandered off without even realizing it.
A convoy of nearly three hundred people inevitably disturbed the wild Pokémon living nearby.
Some of them were not easy to deal with at all and were notoriously aggressive, such as Hippowdon and Lycanroc.
(As a result of globalization, species once unique to specific regions had begun appearing elsewhere. Similar to that one anime episode where a Trainer abandoned a Voltorb in a town that originally had none; before long, large numbers of Voltorb and Electrode appeared there.)
Hippowdon weren't too troublesome. They generally disliked moving around. As long as one left their territory, they would not continue pursuing.
Lycanroc, however, were different.
These desert wolves, hardened by life in the wasteland, traveled in large packs and rarely stayed in one place for long. Once they identified prey, they would follow relentlessly, waiting for a moment of weakness before swarming in for the kill.
Among the expedition's nearly three hundred members, most were ordinary people with little ability to defend themselves, accompanied by Pokémon that lacked proper combat training.
To the Lycanroc pack, the expedition was nothing less than a massive piece of juicy meat.
Not long ago, the ruins exploration team had encountered a gigantic Lycanroc pack numbering over five hundred members.
Although Brandon and Cynthia immediately recognized the danger and drove them away, the desert wolves continuously sent scouts to tail the convoy.
No matter how many times they were chased off, they kept returning.
Anyone experienced in desert travel understood exactly what this meant:
The wolves had already set their sights on the well-supplied expedition team.
As a member of the security force, Sato naturally couldn't ignore the situation. He took the initiative to eliminate the scouts shadowing the convoy.
Every Lycanroc trailing the expedition was in its Midday Form.
This form was exceptionally fast, and most possessed the Sand Rush Ability. Once they used Sandstorm, their movement speed in the desert became almost unmatched by any land-based Pokémon.
"Awooooo—!"
One Lycanroc scout trailing the expedition from afar immediately became alert when it saw Sato approaching.
When Sato came within twenty meters, the Lycanroc seemingly sensed danger.
It instantly let out a howl and retreated without hesitation by using Sandstorm.
In an instant, a miniature sandstorm formed around its body.
Protected by the swirling sands, its speed skyrocketed, and within moments it vanished from Sato's sight.
"Talk about cautious. No hesitation at all. Their discipline is impressive."
Watching the Lycanroc withdraw so decisively, Sato said somewhat disappointedly.
Originally, he had intended to capture a Lycanroc as a mount.
Unfortunately, wild Lycanroc were far too vigilant. Their ability to escape across the desert was first-rate, making them nearly impossible to catch.
"These desert hyenas are incredibly cunning. They never fight battles they aren't confident of winning, and their endurance is terrifying. Just watch—once we leave, that fellow will definitely come back."
"Judging from their habits, they'll probably wait until we're at our most exhausted before launching an attack. Tonight, we'll need to stay on maximum alert."
A dark-skinned, sunburned man walked over and handed Sato a washed snow pear.
While eating another snow pear himself, he watched the distant Lycanroc still stubbornly trailing the convoy.
The man's name was Rug.
He was a League Trainer who had recently joined the escort mission. Like Sato's current identity as Tyler, Rug was also a civilian Trainer.
After learning that Sato was likewise from a civilian background and hearing about his deeds at the oasis, the straightforward and friendly man quickly became close friends with him.
Over the past several days, Rug had practically dragged Sato out every evening for drinks and meals.
Rug had traveled extensively, was highly knowledgeable, and possessed tremendous strength.
He was a peak pseudo Elite-Four Trainer.
In private sparring sessions, Sato's Pokémon under the Tyler identity lost far more often than they won against him.
Even Kuroki Ryo, who was usually arrogant and unruly, had suffered so many defeats at Rug's hands that he no longer dared speak rudely in front of him for fear of getting beaten up.
Sato accepted the pear without ceremony.
Using his psychic power, he split it into three portions.
After eating one portion himself, he gave the remaining two to Pikachu and Kecleon on his shoulder.
The snow pear had just been taken from a refrigerator.
In this sweltering heat, a bite of the chilled fruit instantly dispelled much of the oppressive warmth and left one feeling refreshed and energized.
"The best way to deal with bandits is to capture the king. As long as Mr. Brandon and Miss Cynthia defeat the wolf king, the pack will fall apart. Cleaning them up afterward will be easy."
Sato finished his share of the pear and spoke casually.
Yet despite his relaxed tone, his eyes remained fixed on the direction in which the Lycanroc scout had disappeared.
A trace of deep concern flickered within them.