So, Tatsugiri started learning how to make fruit sushi!

And Dondozo used its mouth to gather the ingredients nearby, supplying them to its “pilot.”

[Herba Mystica · Fruit Sushi (Tatsugiri).]

[Description: A special sushi made with Razz Berries, fish meat, and spicy seasoning. It’s slightly hot, but the light fish meat makes up for the berry’s shortcomings, creating a strangely wonderful flavor. After being seasoned with Dragon Pulse, it contains abundant life energy that speeds up the body’s metabolism. It’s said that after eating this sushi, both Pokémon and people become a little more handsome.]

[Restores half of HP and cures status conditions. If a Pokémon eats it, its catch rate increases by one-third.]

“Handsome… That’s the effect after it’s made into an energy cube. So it shows up in fruit sushi too now? And it even affects humans? If you used it for beauty care, it’d probably be pretty good, huh?”

“Bitter fries, sweet shrimp and crab, grilled teppan, spicy sushi.”

“Tatsu!”

Tatsugiri focused, held its breath—

It worked!

Its eyes flashed with sharp draconic light, forming a perfect contrast to Dondozo’s blank, confused stare!

From today on, it was the “Sushi Immortal Dragon”!

The future was bright!

Watching Tatsugiri obsessively paw at berries, Hikaru planted some Razz Berry seeds on the island. After watering them, he reminded the Titan Pokémon to keep a close eye on the fruit’s growth. Then he clapped his hands and said:

“If the fruit drops to the ground, it’ll automatically grow into a berry tree. Paldea’s soil and climate are great, so you don’t need to worry too much about growth.”

“Alright then, I’m heading for the last seasoning: sour.”

“Perfect timing, too. I need to go to Cortondo Town first.”

“I’ll compete near Cortondo Town, then head back to Medali.”

As for the unknown creature in the Asado Desert, the Quaking Earth Titan was hiding in there. Would it be the ancient dinosaur Great Tusk, the alien weapon Iron Treads, or—like in the special manga—both of them charging side by side?

In the Scarlet & Violet arc of the Special manga, chapter 2 had those two facing off in a full-on Donphan 1v1 in the Asado Desert.

But in terms of typing, the Ground/Steel Iron Treads gets completely walled by the Ground/Fighting Great Tusk.

After all, back when Scarlet & Violet battling first kicked off, Great Tusk got nicknamed “Tusk Saint” because its stats and combat power were so ridiculous.

You, some alien weapon, want to throw hands with my ancient dinosaur? You dare invade Paldea? What a cosmic country bumpkin.

“Raifort, are you still going to look for a possible second batch of the Treasures of Ruin?”

“If you are, be careful. If you cause a huge mess, I will come arrest you.”

Hikaru looked at Raifort-san—who seemed lost in thought—and still gave her a warning.

Don’t go pulling some “battle one million times” distribution stunt and bring out a shiny Four Ruin set or something. That would be insane.

…Honestly, this place might actually have it.

Raifort waved a hand. “Relax, relax. I’m not going to do anything big while you’re serving as an Elite Four member. If I get treasure, I’ll just hide it somewhere so you won’t know. Following you around has gotten me plenty of good stuff too. These seasonings are treasure as well!”

“A woman has her little secrets. Especially when she’s an archaeologist—then those secrets are even more non-negotiable.”

After saying that, she thought for a moment, then smiled in a strange way.

“Mm. Hey—besides the Cleanse Tag… can you give me a bit more of that?”

Hikaru blinked, confused, his expression turning subtly weird. “…What do you want?”

“The charms you gave me before.” Raifort’s glasses flashed. “The three great charms from that ancient Sinnoh legend, remember? If that ‘one glance equals one hundred and fifty years’ old fossil can make them, you should be able to as well, right?”

“You know me. I’m not the type who doesn’t pay. I never short you on the deposit or the final payment. Don’t worry—this money comes from legitimate channels. It’s definitely not grave-robbing money.”

“I want to buy some charms from you. The more the better. I think these charms are way more effective than the Cleanse Tag.”

“I haven’t run into a situation where they activate yet, but my eye for things is sharp, and I trust your product descriptions.”

Hikaru crossed his arms. “Tempting Charm, Survival Charm, Warding Charm. Yeah, I can make them. As for the price… I’ll charge whatever I feel like.”

“Legitimate channels, huh? Well, you do deal with Wan Gu Zhai and that Mr. Bourgeois, so you probably have other antique buyers too. People in your line of work really don’t lack money.”

Raifort nodded. “That’s right. There are antiques that circulate legally, and antiques that don’t. Besides, Paldea’s old kings are all my ancestors. I’m just taking my ancestors’ money.”

Hikaru went silent for a second, then thought it over.

“Alright. I’ll go over the product descriptions one more time.”

“If you want to avoid losing items, use the Tempting Charm. For some reason, when you black out, this mysterious charm disappears before any other item.”

“If you want to pray for toughness, use the Survival Charm. This mysterious charm makes you less likely to black out.”

“If you want to pray for health, use the Warding Charm. This mysterious charm helps you avoid status conditions caused by Pokémon moves.”

Raifort nodded rapidly. “Yes, yes. That’s exactly what I want!”

“Mm. Next, while I’m treasure-hunting, I’m also planning to go to the academy in Mesagoza. Hehe. They’ve got ancient collections there. Paldea Empire records are stored in the old academy. If I take a proper job as cover and read some books on the side, it should be fine, right?”

Raifort really did love reading. In the game, she once said she sat on the steps and read twenty history books in one go, pulling an all-nighter.

Hikaru’s eyes lit up. “You’re going to apply as a history teacher? That’s great. Remember to cover my classes! Next time the League assigns me exchange lessons, I’ll just say the history teacher took my slot.”

Now it was Raifort’s turn to go speechless. “…You think I have the guts to hijack your class? Also, that would be an assignment from Geeta, wouldn’t it?”

Hikaru handed over the charms. At the same time, Raifort transferred the money. The moment she saw the charms, she scratched her head in disbelief.

“You—seriously—had stock on hand?”

Hikaru said calmly, “These are important. Go. With these, you can defeat any wild Pokémon with your bare hands.”

Raifort immediately pushed back. “No, I’m not a superhero. I can’t. I still have to rely on Pokémon battles.”

“And this.” Hikaru weighed an item in his hand and handed it over. “Call it a freebie. Thanks for your patronage.”

Raifort blinked. “This is… an ancient coin?”

Hikaru nodded. “Yeah. An ancient coin from the Relic Castle ruins in Unova, and it’s a high denomination. As for why I have it… that’s a secret.”

“My Gimmighoul stole a whole pile of coins from your Gimmighoul. This limited-edition one is for you as an exchange. Consider the Paldean coins ‘purchased’ on my end.”

“Oh, right—one more thing!”

Hikaru looked at Raifort seriously. “If you ever dig up something like [Legendary Kitchenware], you have to tell me!”

As Hikaru left the secret island, the grass at Raifort’s feet rippled in the wind.

She brushed her hair back and examined the coin carefully.

“Undeniably old—at least three thousand years—and the design is extremely rare. Was it minted by a king but never circulated?”

“Hehe. What an interesting man. The next time we meet… what kind of surprise will he bring me?”

“And ‘legendary kitchenware’… hm. In Eastern records, isn’t a ding literally used for cooking? If that’s not legendary, what is?”

—

Through Genesect, Hikaru sensed Raifort’s mood at that moment.

“Did my bond with Raifort-sensei increase by a huge margin?”

“She really loves ancient things. Wait… does she see me as an antique too?”

“On that night in Artazon, my bond increased greatly with Brassius, Mela, and Rika, and my bond with Iono sprouted.”

“On that night at Glaseado Mountain, my bond increased greatly with Rika, and I formed a bond with Grusha.”

“Mm… as for Geeta, it’s probably better not to form any bond at all. Otherwise it’ll trigger something awful like [I signed you up for a tournament without asking].”

As Genesect flew at extreme speed, it sliced through Paldea’s sea of clouds. Then, a violent wall of sand and dust rose up ahead, blocking everything like a natural barricade!

Crossing the churning surface of Casseroya Lake, vaulting over mountains and rolling hills, passing through lush grasslands—

That desert zone, appearing without warning, cut off the colorful trees and rivers, becoming one of Paldea’s most defining features of varied terrain.

“The Asado Desert… After you pass the long hills and low ridges, you can reach this isolated region in one shot.”

“To the right of the desert are tall mountain ranges, right up against the perilous cliffs formed by the Great Crater of Paldea.”

“And weirdly enough, meltwater from faraway Glaseado Mountain gathers into a river, crosses the plateau, and together with the southern-flowing underground water system from Casseroya Lake, shapes an oasis region in the desert.”

“And that’s the famous Cascarrafa.”

“A town in the desert, yet it’s called a waterside paradise. And because it’s right next to the mountains, the city is split into three tiers, connected by massive elevators. It’s kind of like Motostoke, Galar’s industrial city.”

Along with Mesagoza and Levincia—the city with the Electric-type Gym—Cascarrafa is also one of the very few cities in the region with fully stocked shops.

The city’s Gym Leader is Kofu, known as the “Surging Seafood” chef, and he runs a restaurant called the Kofu Lounge. The fun part is that he seems to specialize in Chinese cuisine.

“If Raifort-sensei wants to hunt for Eastern treasures through old documents, she’d be better off just asking Kofu. He might’ve moved from the East himself. And if he comes from a chef family, it’d be normal for him to know a few historical texts too, right?”

Hikaru glanced in Cascarrafa’s direction, but the Asado Desert’s massive sandstorm made it impossible to see clearly. His view was gradually swallowed up.

Yeah. In the game, when the player battles Kofu in Cascarrafa, the natural weather “sandstorm” can kick in. Sandstorms happen frequently near Cascarrafa and can even affect battles inside the city.

And that’s also because Hippowdon with the Sand Stream Ability live in this desert—so the sandstorms never really stop. It’s not just the desert itself; Pokémon are fanning the flames too.

“Geno!”

Genesect’s eyes glowed red as it searched the sandstorm ahead. Steel-type Pokémon don’t fear sandstorm damage, but those tiny grains are still bad for machinery and joint mechanisms.

“During sandstorm weather, Rock types get 1.5× Special Defense, and Ground and Steel types don’t take sandstorm damage.”

“But Steel-type Pokémon might not be able to see the road in this environment, so let Rock and Ground types help out!”

Hikaru pulled a few small cloaks from his bag and draped them over Riolu, Kubfu, Charcadet, and Victini.

These cloaks reduced sandstorm damage, and the design matched the “Aura Guardian” style. Hikaru had never been to Rota Street, but using his memories of the movie, he’d more or less recreated the look.

Then three Poké Balls flashed in sequence—Poké Ball, Nest Ball, and Master Ball!

Torterra, Aerodactyl, Ting-Lu!

“Two Ground, one Rock! I’m counting on you. Find the Quaking Earth Titan’s location! It looks like a huge-tusked elephant—basically like Donphan!”

“RAAAH!” Aerodactyl beat its wings and shot up into the sky first!

A sandstorm of this level did nothing to Aerodactyl. Its special body structure even let it see farther in harsh conditions!

In weather this bad, even Genesect couldn’t scan very far, and rocket propulsion would be affected too. In times like this, this is the battlefield of my immortal ancient dragon!

“Ding-ding~”

Ting-Lu wobbled its massive vessel and chomped down on the bitter candy Hikaru tossed over. Chewing as it went, it seemed to ask if it should head out too.

“Let’s go together.” Hikaru put on dustproof goggles. “Super moose, I have an idea. While the sandstorm’s going, let Torterra teach you the fundamentals of Iron Defense!”

His team had plenty of Pokémon that knew Iron Defense—Archaludon was a prime example. That thing even learned how to store power while inside the ball: it hits the field already at Iron Defense +6!

Genesect, Kaguya-sama… basically every Steel-type teammate knew Iron Defense. Because Iron Defense is a very “warm” move, after all!

But only Torterra shared the same type as Ting-Lu. Considering Ting-Lu was an absurdly tanky wall of a Pokémon yet couldn’t “shine” with Iron Defense and spread warmth to others, Hikaru felt the cold truth behind it all.

So Torterra—the same type as the super moose—was the best partner to teach Iron Defense!

Everyone’s Ground type. If you can learn it, I’ll teach you the method, then we’ll reinforce it with Prism Star—everyone gets a bright future, and the reason behind it all is a third-degree burn.

“Tor.” Torterra shook its body and munched the long-delayed spicy seasoning.

Its Ground typing meant it didn’t fear the sandstorm, but the plants on its back sure couldn’t take that kind of punishment.

So Torterra nudged Hikaru, indicating it couldn’t stay in the sandstorm too long.

Hikaru rubbed his forehead. “Ah, right. Even if those Herba Mystica plants are precious and tough, a continuous sandstorm will still shred them up…”

“A sandstorm formed by a mix of natural weather and Pokémon power is different from the snowfall on Glaseado Mountain. Even if Volcarona uses Sunny Day to disperse it, it probably won’t be enough.”

“So Torterra can’t run with a sandstorm team anymore. Looks like you’ll have to join a sun team or rain team instead.”

Torterra swung its head.

Anyway, it’s not Rock type, so it doesn’t get the 1.5× Sp. Def boost. Forget the sandstorm squad!

Come on, super moose—let’s smash Steel-type power into each other and train Iron Defense!

“Ding-ding!” Ting-Lu shook its vessel.

Iron Defense… I’ve heard of it, but I always felt like I couldn’t learn it, hmm! If Chi-Yu can learn Scald because of the “soaking incident,” then me learning Iron Defense isn’t impossible either, right?

Candy and Iron Defense? This is a win!

Super moose, time to show your super strength~!

The two massive beasts began ramming each other in the sandstorm!

Normally, Ting-Lu’s weight—699 kg—would be more than double Torterra’s, but Hikaru’s Torterra had grown huge. Its weight had naturally surged too, so the gap between them was almost gone.

Charcadet, wrapped in its cloak, blinked as it watched the two monsters temper their bodies. It patted the faintly glowing, battered armor on itself, then threw out a knightly kick and raised both arms in a defensive stance.

Iron Defense, Iron Defense!

“Come to think of it, Armarouge is also one of the rare Psychic- and Fire-type Pokémon that can learn Iron Defense!”

“Iron Defense, Calm Mind, Stored Power! Then Psychic Terrain—Expanding Force!”

“Expanding Force…” Hikaru stroked his chin. “When Piers mentioned ‘Expanding’ moves before, he didn’t mention Expanding Force. Did nobody discover this move yet?”

“A Pokémon that can naturally learn Expanding Force just by leveling up—ugh. Aside from the Lake Guardians, isn’t Armarouge basically the only one?”

Then he looked over and saw Riolu and Kubfu imitating the motions too—Victini was even doing something completely incomprehensible.

Hikaru helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose.

I mean… if we’re being honest, Lucario and Urshifu really can learn Iron Defense!

But Victini, buddy—no. With that tiny frame, you’re not “Iron Defensing” anything. Go pull the gacha and grind your shooting skill instead.

“I should just let you use the E-shot rifle.”

“Vii?” Victini stared at the E-shot rifle Hikaru handed over, its tiny head filled with huge question marks.

Um, this gun is way too big. I can’t use it!

We need a mini version!

Hikaru figured that with Victini’s infinite power and a strong boost from shooting technique, it could definitely fire better “local suppression rounds” for Fengtu Town.

As for him—

Hikaru removed the C-Gear from his left hand and equipped a brand-new, crimson piece of gear instead.

“For the battle with the Quaking Earth Titan, I’ve decided not to let everyone jump in. I’m going in solo.”

“This is preparation for entering Area Zero. I’ll use the Quaking Earth Titan as a test—my first hunt as a Ranger.”

“The Hunting Cursor… is making its debut!”

(End of Chapter)

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