Chapter 54:

The Desert Mother

Location: Desert Resort

With Larvesta in my Party, I trudged back through the sandstorm Route 4 to find Relic Castle again. I was sure that a Sage would be down there; I hoped Looker was right. But he seemed capable. I knew at the very least that Lorcan would be right though.

"Welcome home Larvesta," I said to its Pokéball as I went into the Relic Castle.


Location: Relic Castle

There was a lot of things differentiating this trip to the Relic Castle over the last one, but I'll just share two. First, there were no Team Plasma Grunts on the levels I was going through. I was confident that a Sage was there to. Secondly, I knew which quicksand pits to go down. Therefore, I won't repeat myself when I say that I went down deeper into the Castle.


I reached the bottom room, the same one where Ghetsis was waiting in the last trip.

"Now where could this Pokémon and the Sage be?" I thought. I had a look around the room, and noticed something that wasn't there before; a door on a large mound of sand. "That's weird. This wasn't here before." Well, with a room I hadn't visited yet, I had to venture in.


Through the door was a corridor. On the walls were hieroglyphics that I didn't know how to pronounce. They probably go into some deep lore from our ancestors or something like that, I didn't know. They looked different to Unown ones.

What I did know however was, I had company. At the other end of the corridor was a Team Plasma Grunt.

"Hey!" I said. "What are you doing down here?"

The Grunt didn't say a word; he ran off. I ran after him.


I ran down some stairs and into another small room with multiple doors. "Great. Now where could he have got to?" First though, I needed to choose a door. "Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a Tympole by the toe, which will stay and which will go, eenie meenie miney," I pointed to the southernmost door. "Mo! That one it is!"


In the next room was the Grunt. He noticed me and ran through another door.

"Get back here!" I said.

Before I reached the door though, I was attacked by a yellow Pokémon with sharp claws and brown spikes on its back.


Sandslash (サンドパン)

028 (National)

Ground Type

Mouse Pokémon

3'03" (1 m)

65 lbs (29.5 kg)

It curls up, then rolls into foes with its back. Its sharp spines inflict severe damage.

Sandshrew -Lv 22- Sandslash


"Samurott, come out!" I yelled. "Surf!" Samurott made a wave that washed away most of Sandslash's health. Sandslash came back with a Slash attack. "One more Surf!" Samurott did so, and Sandslash was finished. "That might have wasted some time. Come on, we need to find that Grunt before any trouble can be caused, if none has happened already." I got out a Max Repel and sprayed it all around; that would keep the Pokémon away from me.


I ran through each of the rooms and kept seeing the Grunt. As he noticed me in each, he ran away.

"Can't catch me!" he shouted. If he thought this was a game, I wasn't having fun.


Eventually, we came to a room with a grander entrance. At this point, the Grunt was exhausted. So was I.

"End of the line!" I huffed. "What are you doing here? Answer me or you'll be beat!"

The Grunt started shaking his head madly. "No, no no! You'll be beat!"


Hilbert Vs. Team Plasma Grunt M

"I choose Krookodile!" shouted the Grunt.

"Excadrill, go!" I replied. "X-Scissor!" Excadrill slashed Krookodile for Super Effective damage.

"Krookodile, Earthquake!"

"Don't!" I shouted. "If you use Earthquake here, the castle will potentially cave in!"

The Grunt gritted his teeth. "As much I hate to say it, you're right. Fine. Krookodile, Low Sweep instead!" Krookodile swept Excadrill off its feet, lowering its speed in the process. "Now use Crunch!" Krookodile chomped down on Excadrill whilst it was vulnerable.

"X-Scissor one more time!" Excadrill slashed Krookodile one last time. It knocked it out.

"PLLLAAAASSSSMAAA!" shouted the Grunt.


"Alright, that's enough," I said. "Why are you here?"

"I won't say anything!" the Grunt responded.

"Don't worry," said a voice from the door. "I will say everything."

Ryoku emerged from the door. I texted Looker through the C-Gear to tell him that another Sage was found.

The Sage started speaking. "If you want to know the truth, I was trying to impress Ghetsis. There is a strong Pokémon here called Volcarona."

"If I may ask," I said. I wasn't too keen on asking a Sage for advice, but he seemed to know more about Relic Castle than me. "It wouldn't so happen to be the evolved form of Larvesta?" I sent out the Bug Type. "I believe this Larvesta is the child of Volcarona. Yes, I'm planning on releasing it. It was stolen by poachers."

Ryoku stroked his white beard. "Hmm. Well, if you insist. I just wanted to bring the Sages together again. We were once one big family, but now it seems in just two weeks, we have become the most separate in our history."

"You will gladly meet them again!" I said. "In prison!"

Just then, we heard a loud rumbling sound. One of the walls broke open. It was Looker on a long Pokémon made up of rocks.


Onix (イワーク)

095 (National)

Rock/Ground Type

Rock Snake Pokémon

28'10" (8.8 m)

463 lbs (210 kg)

It burrows through the ground at a speed of 50mph (80.5 kph) while feeding on large boulders.


"We have one in custody, and you will meet him again. That, or you can answer to Onix." Onix roared in response.

"Eep!" the Grunt said. "Okay, just don't crush me!"

Ryoku sighed. "Well, I guess that's my cue as well. Take me in Looker, and good luck at finding the other Sages."

Looker came down and put both Ryoku and the Sage in cuffs. "You leaving now with me?" Looker asked. "It's a thrill ride on Onix."

"Thanks, but I still have to return Larvesta," I replied. "I'll find my own way."

Looker saluted. "That's very bold of you. Come on you lot. Your last breath of outdoor air will be a fun one on Onix at least." Onix went back through the hole in the wall.

"Let's get ya home!" I told Larvesta.


The two of us went through the entrance. This room was the biggest yet. The art on the walls were the most impressive depicting Legendary Pokémon such as Reshiram and Zekrom, and of course there was bits of sand everywhere. It was home to, of course, Volcarona. There it flew, with its white fuzzy front and its six orange wings. I felt a warm wind coming off of it.


Volcarona (ウルガモサ)

143 (Unova)

Bug/Fire Type

Sun Pokémon

5'03" (1.6 m)

101.4 lbs (46 kg)

When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona's fire provided a replacement for the sun.

Larvesta -Lv 59- Volcarona


"Volcarona," I said. "I return to you, your child."

Volcarona looked at Larvesta. Larvesta looked back gleefully. Slowly, Larvesta scuttled to Volcarona, and it was lifted onto it's back. Volcarona flew over to me and started edging me onto its back. "Okay," I said. Suddenly, we were whooshed through the ceiling, out the Relic Castle and into the sky.

Volcarona gave me a grand view of the Unova region from this height.

"Look at this!" I shouted. Volcarona flew down and over the desert. Riding on Onix was one thing, flying on Volcorona is another.

Volcorona flew me past the police helicopter that Looker was in with Team Plasma. I gave him a wave before Volcorona flew me down to Nimbasa City.


Location: Nimbasa City

"Wow. That was amazing," I said as Volcorona flew off. "Time for a rest."


With another Sage taken in, I felt like my new quest was going well! And tomorrow, I will take a quest in a new part of Unova if I am able to.