Since Raifort said she needed to prepare some tools, she told him to explore the area first.
Carrying a flashlight, Lucas walked over to the leaning watchtower and examined the structure that was said to date back to the ancient Paldea Empire.
The tower's body was built of rough stone. In the flashlight's beam, he could clearly see how the surface, worn by wind and sand, had become smooth and hard. He couldn't tell what kind of stone it was, but after so many years of blazing sun and sandstorms in this scorching desert, it had only tilted a bit, with most of its body buried under the sand.
The tower all but merged with the pitch-black night. If not for the car's headlights earlier and his flashlight now, Lucas might have missed that a watchtower lay buried here—and beneath it, the tomb of an imperial Paldean official.
As he inspected the area around the leaning watchtower, the thick gravel under his feet began to flow—slowly, imperceptibly—guided by some mysterious power.
Atop the leaning tower, a tiny figure only about ten centimeters tall peeked cautiously from the shadows, glancing fearfully toward the sands below.
It wanted to warn the human, but it was afraid of the big thing lurking beneath the sand, and wavered in indecision.
After circling the tower for about ten minutes and getting bored of it, Lucas decided to summon Dragonite and fly up to check the top.
After all, the Paldea League did not maintain the leaning watchtower in the Asado Desert. It wouldn't be surprising if it collapsed at any time. Lucas didn't dare to climb it rashly; getting buried alive wouldn't be fatal for him, but it would be awfully embarrassing.
Just as he lowered his head to take out a Poké Ball, he frowned slightly at the sand beneath his feet.
If he wasn't mistaken, the sand seemed to be moving?
Before he could think it through, Raifort suddenly let out a scream not far away.
"Ah!"
He looked over and saw Raifort, who had been carrying a large box of unknown contents, staring at her legs as they sank into the sand. She let out an involuntary cry of surprise.
Forcing herself to calm down, Raifort quickly realized some Pokémon was behind this. She reached for a Poké Ball, intending to have her Grumpig—now rested and with much of its psychic strength recovered—help free her legs from the sand's grip.
At that moment, an orange shadow streaked across the night sky. Dragonite yanked both Raifort and the big box from the sand and hovered in midair.
"Thank you."
Dragonite brought Raifort back to Lucas's side. Feeling the sand filling her shoes and shifting uncomfortably, she still didn't forget to thank Lucas and Dragonite.
Although Raifort could have saved herself, Lucas and Dragonite did rescue her—that was a fact.
Lucas gave a slight nod, accepting her thanks, and asked, "You okay?"
"I'm fine, but…"
Raifort frowned, looking at the sand that, perhaps because she'd escaped, was flowing faster now. It had already swallowed half of the off-road vehicle's tires and was about to reach the chassis.
"There's something under the sand. It should be a Pokémon."
Lucas nodded slightly. "I know. And it's a Ghost-type especially good at hiding its presence, which is why neither of us noticed it earlier."
Hovering nearby, Dragonite also vaguely sensed a faint presence beneath the sand. It shifted its gaze, searching for the intruder's true location.
At that moment, Lucas finished conferring with his system and learned the identity and position of the Pokémon lurking beneath the sand, trying to swallow Raifort and him.
"Dragonite, Hydro Pump—left rear tire of the off-roader!"
To Raifort's surprise, Lucas suddenly called out a command.
Even more surprising, in the instant after his voice fell, Dragonite had already finished charging. Azure water swirled in its mouth, then burst forth as a thick column, tearing through night and air to strike the precise spot Lucas named.
That level of trust and execution—Raifort admitted that even her constant companion Zoroark might not manage it.
Under the torrent, the sneaky Pokémon let out an eerie shriek and leapt straight out of the sand.
With Dragonite's Hydro Pump washing the area, the sand near the vehicle was quickly blasted away, revealing a brilliant crystal long buried below. It flared with dazzling light, a pillar shooting into the sky like a sword.
"That's… a Tera crystal!?"
Raifort clapped a hand over her mouth, astonished.
As a Naranja Academy history teacher, she knew well the mysterious phenomena long present in Paldea.
When a Pokémon comes into contact with energy leaking from a Tera crystal, it undergoes a transformation called Terastallization, its body gleaming as if plated in faceted gemstone.
It was said the Paldea League planned to roll out controllable Terastallization soon, based on work by Professors Turo and Sada.
"That's right… and over there is a Terastallized Pokémon."
Lucas nodded, then looked at the Pokémon that had jumped out of the sand.
Palossand, a Ghost/Ground-type Pokémon.
Its Tera Type… Grass!
True to its name, Palossand resembled a castle made of yellow sand, composed of three parts: the central body and two arms.
The arch that looked like a gate in the central body was actually its mouth, with pink and blue stones set into the structure and atop its head.
Its mouth went straight through to its back, and there was a red shovel stuck upside down in its head. It was said to function like a radar. While hiding in the sand, Palossand likely relied on that shovel to track Lucas and Raifort's positions.
Ordinarily, Hydro Pump should be Palossand's bane. Hit with too much water, it can't maintain its castle shape.
But perhaps due to Terastallization, the torrent from Dragonite hadn't made it crumble into a heap of sand.
Out of the sand, Palossand screeched in anger, furious that Dragonite dared use its most hated Water-type move.
On the watchtower, the tiny, doll-like Pokémon set down the coin it had been carefully holding, grabbed its head with both hands, and cringed in fear at the shrill cry.
After all, it was because of Palossand that it had been trapped up on this tower.
Palossand had been tyrannizing the area near the leaning watchtower for a long time.
Especially since that strange crystal had formed.
After it touched the crystal and plated its body in a crystalline sheen, Palossand was once struck by a Water-type move in a fight with another Pokémon. Knowing water was its weakness, it thought it was finished—only to find it didn't collapse. The Water-type attack hurt far less than expected.
From that moment, Palossand grasped how powerful the crystal was.
As a Ghost-type, Palossand had excellent energy perception. Noticing that the exposed crystal continually leaked energy, it chose to bury it with sand to slow the leakage.
Since then, Palossand had claimed the crystal and the surrounding area as its territory.
Raifort, Lucas, and Dragonite were intruders—and not only did they refuse to take their beating, they even exposed the Tera crystal it had painstakingly hidden.
Before long, other Pokémon would notice the light pillar and invade.
That infuriated Palossand, who viewed the crystal as its own.
Seething, Palossand's mouth flared with radiance. Empowered by Tera energy, a blazing green beam gushed toward Dragonite, illuminating half the night sky.
A move that unleashed a large portion of stored Tera energy: Tera Tera Blast!
Because Palossand's Tera Type was Grass, this Tera Blast counted as a Grass-type attack.
Dragonite couldn't even be bothered to dodge. It let the Tera Blast erupt across its body.
Lucas's expression grew odd. With Dragonite quadruple-resisting Grass and Multiscale reducing damage… this Palossand didn't seem very well-educated.
When the dazzling flare faded, Dragonite was virtually unscathed. Palossand stared in disbelief, and the little figure on the tower, who had shut its eyes, gaped in shock.
Just days ago it had seen Palossand one-shot a very strong-looking croc with that move!
"Drago~~"
Palossand had been far weaker than Dragonite to begin with, never mind that hilariously mismatched Grass-type Tera Blast.
Dragonite felt as if it had just enjoyed a refreshing rinse, and decided to counterattack. It beat its wind-wreathed wings, and scything gusts tore toward Palossand. With howling winds even more piercing than Palossand's shrieks, the surrounding quicksand blasted apart, and Palossand lost most of its stamina under multiple Hurricanes.
"Crack—"
A crisp snap rang out. In the next instant, not only was Palossand blasted out of Terastallization, but even the Tera crystal buried beneath the sand, with only a sharp edge exposed, shattered into glittering motes and dissolved completely.
"Ding!"
The tiny figure atop the leaning tower cried out in surprise, eyes darting between Dragonite and Lucas.
That super strong Palossand… lost just like that?
...
Bonus chapter at 100 PS