"This time, this fellow should be able to hold on a little longer," Hoshino Ryosaki whispered, standing on the back of Flygon, flying above the Quicksand Vortex, watching the swiftly escaping sand trenches.
Just as Natsuhiko thought, he wasn't the first person to be used by Hoshino Ryosaki.
Murmuring to himself, Hoshino Ryosaki took out a sophisticated device from his pocket, which was the gadget that could be used to call for help from the Three Elite Kings in this trial, except...
Click.
He pressed the button casually, not worried at all that pressing it would mean he would be eliminated.
He chuckled.
"Heh—Rescue?"
He had long been certain that no one would show up after pressing the device.
Although he didn't know why, such a discovery gave him many bold ideas.
For instance.
Using others as bait to achieve his own goals, even if the other party survived in the end, they wouldn't be able to accuse him of anything because there would be no evidence.
In fact, he would even "fairly" split the spoils with the other party to shut them up.
And it was precisely because of this that he dared to act so recklessly.
Squinting his eyes, the once warm and smiling facade had vanished, replaced by a face full of sinister cunning and shadow.
"Contend to stand out; I don't want to just be a quiet Dojo Leader, have everything disappear when the old man falls. I must fight for everything and anything!"
Don't be fooled by the fact that his grandfather is a current Elite Four, and his father is a Dojo Leader, enjoying infinite glory.
But he knew the old man couldn't hold on for many more years, and his mediocre father couldn't offer much help. If he didn't want to fade into obscurity, he must seize as many resources and get as much attention as possible while the old man was still in the Elite Four position.
The old man had plenty of political rivals too.
He patted the neck of Flygon, watching as most of the Krookodile had gone far away, then swiftly descended from above, aiming straight for the center of the Quicksand Vortex.
Pu—
Under the protection of Flygon, he plunged into the sandy sea.
Before long.
Beside the Quicksand Vortex, Natsuhiko and a few Pokémon slowly appeared.
Watching as the slightly wriggling vortex center quickly returned to its original state, he said nothing, and under the wrap of Yujira's psychic power, he also slowly descended into the vortex center.
They disappeared together into the desert.
The advantage of the quicksand is that no matter how you move it, in just a little while, it will fully recover.
...
...
Looking around.
Dim light radiated from the walls and some crystalline sands on the ground, barely revealing the inside situation.
A passageway.
Every side was built with blocks clearly manufactured and cut by humans, proving this wasn't a natural underground tunnel but a man-made passageway.
Behind was constantly sliding sand, almost filling one end of the passageway, while the unobstructed end ahead led who knew where.
He squatted down.
On the ground were faint footprints, some human, some Pokémon.
This passage wasn't large; Flygon would have difficulty flying with wings spread out inside.
"Doublade," Natsuhiko called out.
"Jiā,"
Doublade emerged from his shadow.
"Go ahead and scout, stay hidden, and if you find that guy, don't act rashly."
"Jiā,"
Doublade nodded, its form once more melting into the shadow, speedily darting down the passageway ahead.
Natsuhiko, along with Beedrill, Yujira, and Togetic, trailed far behind.
This was highly likely an underground relic, the birth of the Quicksand Vortex was a result of a vacuum zone underneath the sand, constantly drawing sand in, forming such a scene.
This relic might be sizable.
The wrapping of psychic power ensured Natsuhiko's movement left no footprints nor made any sound, as he traversed this elongated passage in the dim glow of the luminous sand.
After walking for a while.
Doublade suddenly returned, peeking out its head from the shadows.
"Jiā,"
"Found it? Keep following," Natsuhiko nodded slightly.
In this near pitch-black environment, Doublade's movement was still hard to detect.
He had passed several intersections now, confirming this passageway was indeed like a maze. Without knowing the way, it was hard to tell how long one would wander before reaching the actual relic.
But Hoshino Ryosaki seemed familiar with this place, making choices at intersections without hesitation.
Natsuhiko followed him, utilizing his experience.
Uncertain how much time had passed.
Hoshino Ryosaki stood at a crossroad where the two sides ceased to be plain rock passageways, instead replaced by flowing sand "curtains."
Seeing the two curtains, a relieved expression finally appeared on his face, and he exhaled deeply.
"Thank goodness for my good memory, didn't take a wrong turn."
This was the "end" he had reached on his last visit.
Back then, he chose the left sand curtain, which led to a flowing sand river, getting swept away would return one to the desert.
To reach such a place, who knew how many times he tried, how many wrong paths he walked.
Standing before the right sand curtain, taking a deep breath.
"The right side should lead to the real entrance of the relic."
He remembered clearly what his Elite Four grandfather had told him: ordinary resources, tools, Energy Blocks, etc., didn't matter—only relics, especially undiscovered ones, must be valued.
Because his grandfather had gained benefits from some relic, distancing himself from others, gradually reaching the Elite Four position.
Some relics contained opportunities that could change fate.
This was also why Hoshino Ryosaki was so persistent about this place.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart.
Gritting his teeth, he and Flygon stepped into the sand curtain.
After he entered, Doublade slowly peeked out from the shadows in a corner, blinking its one open eye.
Not long after, Natsuhiko also arrived and learned from Doublade what Hoshino Ryosaki had done after entering the curtain.
"Looks like this is indeed the real entrance to the relic."
He made his choice without much hesitation, seemingly confident about the answer.
"Let's go in and take a look. If it's truly a relic, I should properly 'thank' him."
Hoshino Ryosaki probably never imagined that the guy he used so casually was now, in turn, using him.
Doublade melded into Natsuhiko's shadow, letting Yujira leave a psychic "anchor" and walked inside.
Shā shā shā —
The flowing sand fell on the psychic barrier, bringing minimal impact, appearing gentle. Even without the isolation of psychic powers, the sand wouldn't harm anyone much if it fell on a person.
And this also proved that there was no issue with Hoshino Ryosaki's choice.
——————
The fourth update of today~~