Autumn Sands, Chapter 58

"You sure you don't want to stay another day?"

"Sorry, Flannery, but I really need to be moving on," I said, this time moving towards the town exit as I spoke. It had been two days since the events at Mt Chimney already, and I feared my short break would allow Maxie to start working on a new plan. It wasn't entirely up to me to stop him, but I couldn't just leave the job unfinished. I was also trying my best to forget he wanted me dead.

"Please? We had so much fun yesterday!" She pleaded, trying to stand in my way. She was right, I did have a great time the previous day, just relaxing by the hot springs on a rather cold day. I also gave my Pokemon a chance to relax outside their Pokeballs, something I hadn't done in a while. Still, my mind was set, and I needed to be moving on. Without my bike, which had been deemed a lost cause by Flannery's friend, I'd have to walk the rest of the journey. I couldn't afford a new bike on my salary.

"I'm sure we'll meet again. I have a pass to the Battle Frontier," I said, showing her the signed brochure Roxanne had given me. "If you're going, we can meet up there!"

"Really? That's great! How did you get an entry pass?" She took the brochure from me, and read Roxanne's name and the few notes she had jotted down. Her expression suddenly darkened. "Roxanne gave you this?"

"Yeah, she was real nice. Why?" I so foolishly asked.

"Nothing, no reason at all," she said coldly, almost forcing the brochure back into my hands. "I guess we'll see each other at the frontier later."

"O-Okay," I said, not sure if I wanted to ask what the history between her and Roxanne was. Flannery was about to fill me in on those details, regardless.

"We know each other, you know? We're the same age, actually. She was the smarty pants in class, while I kinda toughed it out to get by, ya know?"

"I thought you lived here your entire life?"

"Oh I did, but I also went to school in Rustboro. Lavaridge doesn't exactly have the best schools. Anyway, we were friends at first, but she went all study study, while I left at ten to become a trainer. That didn't last long, as you could guess, but last I heard she became a teacher of the school! A teenager, can you believe it!?" I was starting to see why she didn't like Roxanne.

"Yeah, who would believe that?" I said.

"Well, I thought I'd finally beaten her when I became a gym leader! Then I learn she'd been one for a long time! The nerve!" I could tell Flannery was only getting more and more agitated, though why I couldn't quite figure out.

"Well! Look at the time! I'd best be moving, so I'll see you at the Battle Frontier, okay? Bye, Flannery!"

I didn't give her a chance to properly cool down and bid me farewell. I'd later learn she continued to seethe about Roxanne for at least a few more hours after I left. From that day on, I made a mental note never to bring up Roxanne while around her.

~o~

It was practically the middle of autumn. Trees were more of the reds and yellows, and the overall temperatures were consistently dropping. So why was the desert on Route 111 so darned hot? Not only that, but sand kept getting in between my feet and sandals, which was a sticky annoyance I had to live with. If I took them off and walked barefoot, I'd burn my poor feet. Still I trudged on, all the while considering turning right around and going the extreme long way, back through Meteor Falls, if need be. Then I remembered all the craziness that happened the first time I went through there, and I pushed the thought out of my mind.

Still, it wasn't an entirely bad experience. The desert was home to a few rare kinds of Pokemon, one of which piqued my interest enough to attempt a capture. Until I remembered I was out of Pokeballs again. I'd already lost count of how many towns I'd passed through and not purchased any Pokeballs. The one where Mightyena was held was out of the question, as it was destroyed when he forced himself out during the fight on Mt Chimney. I had to settle for scanning the critter.

"Cacnea, the Cactus Pokemon. The more arid and harsh the environment, the more pretty and fragrant a flower Cacnea grows. This Pokemon battles by wildly swinging its thorny arms."

Once I had scanned the Pokemon, it scurried off into the desert, vanishing into the sandy dunes. According to my Pokenav, it was a short trip through actual desert before the road cleared up again, though it was also really easy to get lost along the way. As the hours marched on, I began to fear I was lost in the desert myself.

"Vulpix, can't you smell your way out of here or something?" I looked down at my furry traveling companion, who wasn't at all fazed by the heat. She pointed her nose high, taking in deep breaths, but to no avail. She wasn't a Growlithe, after all.

"It's okay, let's just keep moving. I stay still for too long and I'll start to melt."

Had it still been the middle of summer, I probably would've passed out somewhere in the sand from the heat. But because it was closer to winter, and the desert area itself wasn't too vast, cool winds blew in from the mountains that surrounded us. It was by these mountains that I also navigated, until I saw something resembling a house in the distance. At first I thought it could be a mirage, like you commonly hear about on TV, but as we got closer, it became clearer. It wasn't a house, after all, but some kind of cave in the middle of the desert.

I peeked inside, hoping I didn't run into any angry wild Pokemon inside. To my surprise, it was silent within, and the wild Pokemon of the desert seemed to keep their distance. I wasn't stupid, of course, and knew this meant there was something especially dangerous living within. Still, shade was shade, and as long as I didn't wander too far in I'd be safe, I reasoned with myself. I took a seat inside, just by the entrance. My body was drenched in sweat, which made my dress all the more uncomfortable to wear. I was grateful for the shade, but I would've seriously preferred an oasis instead.

After a short rest inside, Vulpix's ears perked up. I noticed right away, but wasn't able to keep her mouth shut in time. She got out one bark into the darkness of the cave, which echoed loudly for a few seconds. My heart raced for the few tense seconds to follow, praying she hadn't angered or awakened whatever made the cave its home. The last thing I wanted to do was flee across the desert to safety.

A minute passed, then another. There wasn't a sound coming from inside the cave. Vulpix had been fidgeting the entire time, desperate to escape my vicegrip. After I let her go, she ran off to the other end of the cave exit, but kept quiet. With the sun starting to set outside, the light came in through the cave exit at an angle, illuminating the deeper end of the cave better. Curious, I stood up and slowly walked over, allowing the sunset to light the way. I didn't go very far, as a huge stone door blocked the way. Etched into the door were a bunch of small holes.

"Looks like a puzzle or something, right? Wonder how you're supposed to solve it?" I stuck my fingers into a few of the holes, but as far as I could tell, it wasn't a simple trick switch puzzle. Whatever was on the other side of the door probably wasn't meant to be released. And I wasn't looking to find out what it was or why.

"Looks like we'll be safe in here for the night, Vulpix. Let's set up camp; we'll get an early start tomorrow out of this stupid desert."

I slept soundly enough that night. Though I swear I kept hearing something stomping around on the other side of the stone door. And whatever it was, it was huge.

~o~

Before sunrise, I was marching north again. I made sure to study the map so crudely displayed on my Pokenav's screen before setting out this time, and learned that the mountain range surrounding the desert would lead me back to Route 111 proper. This in mind, I prepared myself mentally and physically for another march in the sand. As a bit of a side note, the desert before sunrise was amazingly cold. Once the sun was up, however, the temperature seemed to jump within minutes.

Without boring you with the uneventful march, I found my way back to Route 111, and kissed the dirt road leading to Mauville City. I'd quickly come to regret this action.

"Here you have it, folks! The young and adorable trainer that's been MIA for some time now! Star, could I have a minute?" If you didn't guess, it was Gaby, the reporter I met back in Slateport.

"Gaby?"

"Was there a reason for kissing the ground? Are you trying to spread a new eco-friendly message to your fans?" She put the mic to my lips, but I was at a loss for words.

"What?"

"Ty, be sure to get all this! Star wants all you Hoenn viewers to respect the environment! After all, without it, we couldn't live in this wonderful region! We don't want to become the next Orre, now! No offense to any residents from there!" Ty gave us both a thumbs up, signaling Gaby to spin around back to me.

"So, any parting words for us, Star? Make it something inspirational!" Again, the mic was directed to my mouth.

"Is that a Mudkip?" I pointed to Ty, where sure enough, there was a wild Mudkip walking by. Caught by surprise, Ty jumped at the sight, nearly dropping his camera to the ground. Gaby also let out a shriek, though the Mudkip looked more scared of us, and took off.

"Well, that was certainly a bit of excitement. Thank you for the interview, Star. You can watch it tonight on channel 5. Ty, let's move!"

Just like that, they ran off back south towards Mauville City. This entire time, Vulpix was sitting nearby, watching the drama unfold. I looked over to her, getting an awkward smile of sorts. I sighed, and signaled for her to follow me. Mauville City couldn't be that far anymore.