Chapter 11: Desert
Team Galaxy arrived at the Northern Desert.
"Alright, let's search for a Time Gear," Andy said.
"Let's do it." Steve nodded and they proceeded forward.
Sand was everywhere on the ground, being a desert. The air was hot and dry, and the sun was blazing hot overhead.
Cubone, a small, skull‑wearing Pokémon, were encountered in this dungeon. Wielding clubs, they attacked the explorers. They also absorbed electricity like an Electrike, so Andy had to resort to physical moves.
Sandstorms were a common occurrence. Steve and Andy would get hurt by the all the sand flying around and it was difficult to see. They had to close their eyes most of the time.
Residents of the desert, being adapted to this environment, weren't bothered by the sand. Sandshrew, a yellow shrew-like Pokémon, frequently surprised the explorers by hiding in the storms, then jumping out.
They were grateful when they got out of another sandstorm, and the sun was going down. The place cooled a bit and sandstorms didn't show up as much.
Steve rummaged through the bag for an apple, and took one out. "Thank goodness our stuff is still in good condition." He proceeded to eat the apple. Andy pulled out one and did the same. They continued further under the setting sun.
Ground and steel‑types kept pestering the explorers, and Steve knocked out every single one. After several fights, he was getting exhausted. The sandstorms and the heat of the sun weren't helping matters much.
"Let me take care of them for now." Andy took the lead. "You must be really tired."
"Alright…" Steve panted. "I really need to catch my breath…"
Later, the two explorers arrived at a clearing. Nothing but rock cliffs and more sand ahead. Steve was about to walk forward when Andy held out an arm.
"Hey, watch it! That's quicksand!"
Steve glanced back at the sand and sure enough, there was swirling quicksand, waiting for the careless to step into them.
This… all looks familiar to me somehow… Wait, it's just like at Foggy Forest! I've never been here, but I swear I know this place!
"Hello? Anybody in there?" Andy lightly tapped Steve's head, causing the Riolu to lose his train of thought. "Daydreaming again? There's nothing here, so let's get back to the guild." They turned around and headed home.
It was late when Steve and Andy returned to the guild. Everyone else was already back.
"What?" Andy was disappointed to hear the others had no luck. "No one else found anything?"
"We searched Eastern Forest, and there was nothing but trees there, hey, hey," Corphish said.
"Looked around Crystal Cave," Bidoof said. "Mighty pretty cave, I tell ya, but no sign of a Time Gear there. I did get this crystal though. He fiddled with his prize in his paws.
"I didn't even notice you pick that up!" Sunflora said in surprise.
"We turned up nothing there, and yet you have the nerve to go collecting souvenirs?" Dugtrio yelled. "Who do you think you are?"
Dusknoir looked dejected, Chatot sharing the same expression.
"Hmm… I thought those locations would hold promise, but it appears I was mistaken. This is my fault…" Dusknoir shook his head, ashamed of himself.
"Please, you're not to blame," Chatot said. "Why, we wouldn't have thought of those locations without your help!"
"Yet we have failed to turn up anything," Dusknoir replied, looking frustrated.
Chatot sighed. "Very well, we will call it a night for today and continue our efforts tomorrow."
After a quick dinner, the guild headed to bed.
The next morning, Chatot announced their new plans on how to proceed.
"Dusknoir and I are discussing further ideas for places to investigate. All of you will continue with personal investigations for today. That is all!"
As everyone headed out, Chatot and Dusknoir discussed their plans.
"So, where are we gonna check, Steve?" Andy said, turning to his partner. Steve rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
That place felt familiar to me, just like Foggy Forest. Maybe there's more to that quicksand area than meets the eye.
"You in there?" Andy waved a paw in Steve's face. "What's with you lately?"
"Sorry," Steve said. "I'm just thinking about that quicksand area we went to yesterday."
"What about it?"
"That place felt familiar to me like at Foggy Forest, which is why I think there might be something more there."
Andy nodded. "Okay, let's go back to the desert, then."
After packing their things, they headed back to the desert.
Team Galaxy took a shortcut through the Northern Desert to get to the quicksand zone.
"We're back here." Andy glanced around. "Nothing."
"There's nothing here…" After staring at the quicksand for a several moments, an idea began to form in Steve's head. "Andy, I think there's something under the quicksand. We gotta jump into the quicksand."
"For real? Jump into the quicksand?" Andy gaped at his partner, flabbergasted by such a suggestion. "That's sounds totally insane!" His arms flew up into the air.
"About as insane as jumping into a waterfall." Steve smirked. "We could've smacked into a rock wall or something…"
Andy was speechless. He blinked and glanced back towards the quicksand.
"Alright," he said firmly. "I gonna trust you on this, again. Let's jump into the quicksand."
"My visions and I have gotten us this far," Steve said. "We can't give up."
Andy nodded and they faced the quicksand, ready to dive in.
"On three, ready?" Andy said and Steve nodded. "One… two…"
"Three!" Steve leapt into the quicksand. "WOOOO!" he yelled before he disappeared under the sand.
Andy jumped in after him. "This is totally CRAZY!" he screamed before his head went under.
Steve sunk for a long time, the sound of the flowing sand all around him. Then, he got loose from the sand and fell several feet below.
"Oof!" Steve fell to solid ground. He felt warm, dry air.
Andy soon arrived and landed on the Riolu's back.
"Ow! Get off me!"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Andy quickly hopped off, and Steve stood up.
They were in a cavern. A rock ceiling was above their heads, leaking small amounts of sand pouring into the room. Steve couldn't believe it. There actually was something down here.
"You were right, Steve!" Andy jumped in delight. "Under the quicksand is a cave! C'mon!"
Steve nodded, his heart pounding. Determined to unearth its mysteries, they charged into the cave.
Quicksand Cave had many more Pokémon, as some preferred the cooler underground than being up in the blazing sun.
Sandslash were yellow and brown hedgehog‑like Pokémon with sharp tunneling claws. They often blended in with the sand often filling up the air, making them hard to hit.
Pupitar, rock Pokémon in a cocoon shape, were sleeping, so the team didn't have to bother with them.
Both of them were relieved when they reached a waypoint. These rooms never had any enemies. They took a while to rest.
"How deep does this cave go?" Steve munched on an apple.
"I think there's still a little more to go," Andy replied, eating his own apple.
"We'd better hurry." Steve stood up. "Grovyle could've already been here. But if not…"
"Then let's go find that Time Gear!" Andy said and they continued down.
Deeper in the cave was when things got cooler, being far away from the surface. Hippo‑like Pokémon called Hippopotas that seemed to be made of sand, swept up sandstorms in the corridors of the cavern. Sandslash were still encountered frequently, and the sandstorms made it worse fighting them.
"Whew." Steve wiped his forehead, after having a close call with a Sandslash.
Then the king of Quicksand Cave appeared: Tyranitar.
They were large, rocky dinosaur‑like Pokémon that had come from the Pupitar the team had seen earlier. They weren't happy to see Team Galaxy trespassing in their home.
Steve dodged an attack from a Tyranitar, then used Force Palm. It was super‑effective on them!
"Nice," Andy commented as it fainted.
Steve cracked his knuckles. "Too easy."
Another Tyranitar came, and Steve used the same strategy as last time to deal with it. Only this time, the Tyranitar managed to land a hit on the Riolu, knocking him down. Before it could stomp on him, Andy Quick Attacked it, and it fell.
"Ow," Steve groaned, standing up. "Thanks."
"You said they were easy," Andy pointed out.
"Meh, they still are."
Finally reaching the bottom, Steve and Andy stared in wonder at the sight greeting them. A wide, pristine lake was sitting underground in tranquility. It wasn't Fogbound Lake, but it was certainly a stark contrast to the rest of the cave. A blue light shined from the center of the lake.
"Is that the Time Gear?" Andy glanced at his partner.
"I guess so."
"Let's get a closer look-"
"What? Who's there?"a female voice yelled in their heads.
"Huh?" Andy said, as both explorers looked around for the source.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"We're Team Galaxy, and we're here looking for a Time Gear," Steve explained to the air.
"Go back!"
"But-" Andy started, as a Pokémon burst from the lake with a big splash.
"I am Mesprit! I won't allow you to steal the Time Gear!" she yelled and attacked.
Mesprit was teal, with two tails, just like Uxie. But Mesprit had a pink head that wasn't dome‑shaped and her fierce, golden eyes were wide open. She looked like she was wearing some kind of headdress because of several tendrils trailing her head.
"You're the guardian of the-" Steve jumped out of the way of Mesprit's attack. She turned to look at Steve and blasted him with a psychic attack. He screamed, falling to the ground from the sudden pain.
Andy cried out, unleashing his lightning. It struck Mesprit, and she yelped. Steve had gotten up and was readying a Force Palm.
"Hold on!" Andy shouted, but Steve slammed Mesprit with his paw, and she recoiled, before sending another psychic attack his way. It hit, and Steve clutched his head tightly, still standing. Andy tackled the guardian to the ground before she could harm the Steve further.
"Will you just wait a minute?" Andy said desperately. "We're not here to steal the Time Gear!"
"Agh!" Mesprit shook the Pikachu off. "Lies!" she shouted, already worn out by the fight. "I know what happened at Fogbound Lake! Uxie told me through telepathy!"
"Uxie told you… through telepathy?" Andy was surprised by the news. Fogbound Lake had to be incredibly far away and they were underground here. Evidently, they could communicate telepathically even at long distances.
"He told me that the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake had been stolen! It was you two, wasn't it?" Mesprit said, accusing.
"It wasn't us!" Steve shouted immediately.
"Then who is the one responsible?" Mesprit said, breathing hard. Someone behind the explorers answered.
"That would probably be… me."
Steve and Andy whirled around to face the speaker.
It was Grovyle.
The Grass‑type was rather imposing in person, and they stepped back. Mesprit hovered forward.
"It was you?" she asked, looking for confirmation.
"Yes," Grovyle said calmly. "I have no quarrel with any of you, so if you'll be so kind to move out of the way-"
"No!" Mesprit got ready to fight, even though she was exhausted from the earlier battle.
Grovyle sighed. "Very well." He suddenly lashed out with one hand and smacked Mesprit aside, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"You've already lost a fight. Don't push it." Grovyle stepped towards the lake, but Steve and Andy blocked his path.
"You're not getting past us!" Andy said.
"Alright… sorry about this…" Grovyle lashed out at the two of them and sent Andy sprawling to the ground by the blindingly‑fast attack. Steve managed to grab Grovyle's fist, however, and elbowed the thief in the face. Grovyle hopped back in surprise.
Deciding he should get this over with, Grovyle struck the Riolu again, who was unprepared this time. Steve collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Hmph." Grovyle wasted no time in running to the edge and diving into the lake.
"Sorry I accused the two of you," Mesprit said to the two explorers, her tone sincere. "He must be the thief who stole the Time Gear from Uxie."
An earthquake started as the three Pokémon managed to get up.
"Oh, no…" Mesprit's eyes darted around in fear.
"What's happening?" Andy shouted over the rumbling.
Then a wave of energy swept over the walls of the cave, turning everything a dull grey color.
"That thief's taken the Time Gear!" Mesprit yelled. "Time's freezing rapidly here! We'll be trapped in time! Move!"
All of them fled quickly before the wave of energy could consume them.
Team Galaxy escorted Mesprit back to the guild, and Officer Magnezone took her into protective custody. Steve and Andy explained how they had found the Time Gear and how it had been stolen. Everyone at the guild listened to their story. Chatot hopped forward after they were done.
"A lake under the desert?" Chatot said, mystified. "That's simply amazing!"
Andy groaned. "Yeah, but we couldn't protect the Time Gear…"
"But it's amazing that you found a Time Gear there, out of all places!" Sunflora said, impressed.
"Hey, hey, a shame we're back to square one…"
"We have no idea where Grovyle will strike next…" Dugtrio murmured.
Dusknoir, who was present, hovered forward. "Maybe not. We know the location of where two Time Gears were stolen. They were at lakes in both cases, and they were in highly unusual places."
"Mesprit also told us that Uxie told her through telepathy of what happened at Fogbound Lake." Steve remembered what she had told them.
Everyone, astonished at this news, murmured among themselves.
Dusknoir nodded. "It is said that Uxie and Mesprit represent knowledge and emotion, respectively. There are three Pokémon that represent the spiritual world. I believe the third one's name is Azelf. I believe he will be guarding the final gear, and it too, will be at a lake."
"Oh my gosh!" Sunflora hopped up and down excitedly. "That lake will be somewhere strange too, right? So maybe there's a lake hidden in one of the places we explored already, like Crystal Cave or the Eastern Forest!"
"Ah…" Dusknoir smiled. "That gives me an idea. Bidoof."
Bidoof, slightly startled by being called on by Dusknoir, responded.
"Yup, yup, what'cha want with me?" he asked.
"That crystal you picked up at Crystal Cave. May I borrow it a moment?"
"Oof, my crystal?" Bidoof stepped back. It's my little personal treasure from the cave!" he said as if Dusknoir was going to steal it from him.
"I understand…" Dusknoir gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm not going to take it from you or anything of the sort. All I want…" He turned to the Riolu. "...is for you to touch it, Steve."
Steve instantly realized what Dusknoir wanted.
The Dimensional Scream.
"If there is a Time Gear there, touching that crystal may trigger a vision!" Dusknoir said.
Most of the guild members were unaware of Steve's ability. Dusknoir's words drew many confused looks from the group.
"The Dimensional SCREAM? What's THAT?" Loudred asked.
Andy loudly cleared his throat and explained to everyone about how Steve would touch something, get a dizzy‑spell, and see visions of the past or future.
"Wow, I never knew that Pokémon other than Psychic‑types could get visions!" Sunflora said, amazed.
"So, Bidoof. Will you allow us to use your crystal?" Dusknoir asked again. Bidoof crumbled under the many stares of the apprentices.
"Oof, well, I can't go against a reason like that." He walked over to Steve, holding out the small crystal.
Steve took a deep breath and braced himself for a vision.
"Here goes nothing…" He laid a paw on the crystal. Dizziness immediately set in.
A flash.
A scene at a place filled with crystals came into his view. On the ground was a Pokémon that looked much like Uxie and Mesprit, only with a blue head. He was lying on the ground, panting and weak as Grovyle stepped to the water.
"No… you can't…" the figure said.
"I'll take the Time Gear!" Grovyle dived into the lake.
Steve was brought back to the present by another flash.
"What did you see?" Andy asked as Steve blinked.
"I saw… a Pokémon that looked like Uxie and Mesprit… Beaten up by Grovyle. He was about to steal the Time Gear…"
"Oof, I can't believe you got all that from this little crystal," Bidoof said, astonished.
"Was the Pokémon Azelf?" Sunflora asked.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure."
"I have a question," Chimecho spoke. "Was that vision you had from the past… or the future?"
I've never thought about that before... Steve thought. Did the vision show me the past or the future?
"Sorry, I don't know," he finally said.
"If that's the case," Dugtrio said, "then the Time Gear may have already been stolen, if that was a past event."
Worry swept across the room.
Dusknoir spoke up again. "Perhaps… or perhaps not. Steve, you said Uxie contacted Mesprit and told her that the Time Gear had been stolen, correct?" Steve nodded in response.
"Did she mention anything about Azelf?"
"No, the first time we heard about Azelf was right here from you, Dusknoir, sir," Andy answered.
Dusknoir slammed a fist into his palm as he recognized the conclusion.
"Then there's still hope! If that were a past event, then Mesprit would have mentioned Azelf. Since she did not, the Time Gear must be still be at Crystal Cave! If we move out now, we may be able to stop Grovyle!"
Steve nodded. "I get it. We have to get there and protect the Time Gear!"
With Crystal Cave their destination, the apprentices cheered and headed out.
Steve and Andy took their time to prepare while everyone else headed out to Crystal Cave.