After organizing the parchment notebook containing detailed intelligence and that one scroll that didn't fit with the parchment at all—looking instead like an Eastern-style bamboo slip—Raifort carefully stowed them away in her backpack.
Next, she and Lucas would prepare to head back, leaving the terrifyingly vast burial chamber.
Lucas had no objections. He couldn't read ancient script anyway, and he'd already learned everything he needed to know.
Watching Raifort fret over what exactly "the clear water that purifies all filth" was, Lucas decided he'd discuss the search for the thirty-two stakes sealing the power of calamity with her only after he had actually obtained the purifying water from Tapu Fini.
Otherwise, he suspected that before he'd even set out, Raifort—who was desperate to see the four Treasures of Ruin—might charge off alone to Alola. Given how deeply fixated she was, she could end up in trouble inside Tapu Fini's mist.
The way out was much easier than the way in.
The Golurk that had blocked the path could no longer appear; the Spiritomb that lured people into dead ends hadn't awakened thanks to Lucas's quick reaction; and the trap-filled corridor had long since been disarmed by Raifort.
All they needed to do was follow the marks and head back.
This trip to the tomb had really opened Lucas's eyes—he witnessed the perfect fusion of high technology with tomb-raiding knowledge and techniques passed down through generations.
By the time they returned to above, dawn was just breaking. The rising sun spilled its brilliance without restraint, gilding the yellow sands of the Asado Desert in gold.
For the two who'd spent hours in a dark, gloomy tomb, this sunrise over the desert was breathtakingly beautiful.
Seviper and Grumpig hurried to Raifort's side one after the other, gazing at her with concern and crying out anxiously.
Even Lucas could tell they truly adored Raifort.
For even a chilly, sinister Poison-type like Seviper to show such emotion, it was clear Raifort treated them very well.
This was also why, upon learning Raifort wanted to unseal the Treasures of Ruin, Lucas hadn't immediately subdued her to stop the calamities from rampaging across Paldea again.
After all, even in the game—where purification isn't involved and the Treasures of Ruin are simply unsealed—Raifort's attitude toward the protagonist who captures them is basically, "I'll let you hold on to them for now."
That proved her obsession wasn't at a truly extreme level. And now that she knew there was a way to purify the Treasures of Ruin, she was already thinking about returning to Naranja Academy's library to consult materials.
...
Inside the off-road vehicle.
Having used its innate talent for hiding and suppressing its presence to avoid the two scary-looking Pokémon outside, a Gimmighoul had slipped into the vehicle. Hugging its most precious coin, it enjoyed the sunrise it never got tired of, no matter how many times it saw it.
As the voices outside drew near, Gimmighoul quickly squeezed further into the gap beneath the seat.
To it, the human who commanded that very strong big guy had gotten out of this car, so he would naturally return to it.
When he did, Gimmighoul only had to latch onto his pant leg, and it could leave this desert with no coins, no chests, and danger everywhere.
Once they reached somewhere safe, it could resume its journey to find chests and coins, collect 999 coins, and evolve into the legendary being of its species!
"I'm planning to just drive straight back to Mesagoza, then look up those materials in the academy library."
"You're flying straight back from Asado Desert?"
"With a Dragonite you can cross regions in a day—let alone travel within Paldea."
"I'm so jealous. In a few hours, I'll still be suffering along through endless sand in this car, while you'll be home, showered, and snoozing away."
As the words fell, and with Gimmighoul eagerly listening, Raifort opened the door.
The click of the seatbelt signaled safety, and the engine's beastly roar made Gimmighoul jump—while also heralding bad news Gimmighoul hadn't anticipated.
That human didn't get in the car!?
"Ding!"
Realizing its plan had failed from the start, Gimmighoul let out a wail—but it was only a few decibels louder than a silver needle falling to the floor.
Its tiny cry was drowned out by the engine and didn't even draw Raifort's attention.
And so, unwilling as it was, Gimmighoul was forced onto a trip to Mesagoza.
...
Elsewhere, before leaving Asado Desert, Lucas returned to the slanted watchtower for another look around, but no matter how thoroughly he searched the cracks, he couldn't find Gimmighoul.
After thinking it over, he could only conclude that once he'd left last night, the Gimmighoul—whose hiding spot had been discovered—moved away while he was in the tomb.
That's just how those Pokémon are. The fact that no one in all of Paldea has caught a Gimmighoul yet shows how good they are at hiding and running.
It didn't stop Lucas from feeling regret, though.
To be honest, with the noble Pokédex No. 1000 Gholdengo and No. 999 Gimmighoul—whether from the perspective of needing a Steel-type on the ranch roster and in his own team, or simply from their raw power—Lucas really wanted to catch one.
Since it wasn't meant to be this time, he'd just wait for the next chance.
At noon on July 19, Lucas, dusty and travel-worn, took a long, satisfying shower first thing upon returning to the ranch, then enjoyed a massage from the old butler Oranguru, and finally lay down for a very comfortable nap.
During that time, none of the ranch's Pokémon disturbed him. Any who didn't know better were stopped at the door by Luxray.
Only when night fully draped the sky did Lucas's dead-to-the-world sleep finally end.
Looking out at the utterly quiet night, he realized he might have slept an entire day.
It had been a bit long.
Thankfully, Lucas wasn't depressed; otherwise his first feeling might have been a sense of being out of step with the world.
He didn't see Serperior or Mimikyu, who usually slept on the bed, or Victini at the bedhead either.
Looked like everyone had gone back to their own rooms to sleep, probably not wanting to disturb him—or perhaps they'd been turned away by Luxray.
He quietly opened the door and saw Luxray sprawled on the floor outside. Lucas blinked, wanting to poke it and send it to the indoor cat bed.
But seeing how soundly Luxray slept, he couldn't bring himself to wake it.
Besides, Luxray had barely ever used the cat bed in the bedroom; it always preferred to lie on the wooden floor rather than enter the soft bed.
This puzzled Lucas. Before transmigrating, he'd owned a sometimes-mean cat, and it too preferred the floor over the expensive, adorable cat bed he'd carefully picked out.
Maybe cats are just like that.
Sighing, Lucas gently closed the door, turned on the desk lamp, and rummaged through his spatial pack.
He couldn't sleep anyway; he wanted to inventory the spoils from the Asado Desert trip.
A moment later, staring at eleven peat blocks on the floor and a wooden box on the desk containing three plants of Herba Mystica: Sour Herba, Lucas fell into thought.
He'd already decided how to use the Sour Herba on the way back.
In two days, once the juice brewing inside the Shuckle siblings' shells had finished fermenting, he'd clean their shells and use the herb—whose look and taste matched a seasoning, but which was in its own way a medicinal ingredient—to make a liquid medicine.
In the games, Arven probably just roughly chopped and crushed the Herba Mystica, then used it as literal seasoning on food—basically raw consumption.
Even medicinal cuisine is better than that rough method by a lot.
While many medicinal ingredients can be crushed for topical application or taken orally, in most cases, preparing them as a proper medicine greatly improves efficacy.
Lucas planned to prepare a care package and go consult the mighty Nurse Joy in Los Platos today—no, in the daytime today.
In medicine and nursing, the Joy family are experts among experts.
He could have asked his acquaintance Joy Yumi, but Lucas felt that communication over the internet or phone always suffers some degree of distortion. In a field like pharmaceutics—where millimeters make a difference—that felt too careless.
Rather than rush all the way to Zapapico right after coming home, he preferred the principle of staying local.
With a few borrowed books and some study, he should be able to come up with a formula that, while not brilliant, would at least be safe.
Herba Mystica: Sour Herba can cure fatigue.
Once made into medicine, it should maximize its effects and maybe even amplify them further.
For example… a potion that restores stamina and wipes out battle fatigue with a single sip?
Still, Lucas felt Sour Herba overlapped subtly with Victini's infinite energy.
Both restore fatigue: one requires planting, harvesting, and processing into medicine; the other is on-call, like a portable nuclear power station.
If only he had the salty herb that promotes health, or the bitter herb that boosts immunity.
But since he'd gotten the Sour Herba, he could only hope it would gain some wondrous added effect once crafted into medicine.