Chapter 40: Desert Discoveries
"We finally made it!" Ash shouted. After a long trip the group finally got their first look at the Red Sands Desert, the location of the first Area Boss. Standing on top of a nearby hill gave them the perfect view of the sheer size of the desert. For as far as they could see there was nothing but red sand stretching seemingly endlessly.
"(It's huge,)" Buneary commented. "(Just how are we supposed to find the Area Boss in there?)" Ash wondered that as well, so he took out his Pokécomm and looked at the map. A red blip was flashing close to the center of the desert.
"I guess we follow this," he suggested.
"That looks like our best option at the moment," Nikki agreed. With his Area Boss battle closer than ever Ash's excitement level began to build up.
"Okay! Let's get going!" he shouted. Nikki shook her head as he and Pikachu continued on ahead.
"Never short on enthusiasm, is he," she commented.
"(Nope,)" Buneary answered. Not wanting to be left behind the two of them quickly caught up to Ash and Pikachu.
Shortly after entering the Red Sands Desert Ash, Nikki and their Pokémon were introduced to the area's major downside… the extreme heat. Since there were no clouds in the sky the sun was free to beat down on them mercilessly. Both the trainers and their Pokémon were sweating profusely as they pressed on.
"Oh man… I'm burning up out here," Nikki complained.
"I guess that's why it's called a desert," Ash stated, taking a moment to wipe his brow. He grabbed a water bottle and opened it up, but to his horror the bottle was empty.
"No… my bottle's empty," he said. Nikki then grabbed hers and checked it.
"Mine too," she added. "What are we going to do now?"
"Well, without any water… we need to find a way… out of the sun," Ash stated. Nikki nodded as the group began searching for any shelter from the unforgiving sun. Unfortunately there didn't appear to be anything that would provide them with said cover. Everywhere they looked only had endless miles of sand, completely void of any shade-providing rocks or trees.
"This is… crazy. We… can't keep… going on… like… this," Ash panted. Shortly after saying that Pikachu and Buneary passed out, the heat becoming too much for the two Pokémon.
"Oh no"! Nikki gasped.
"This is… getting bad," Ash said. "We'll have to… carry them." He picked up Pikachu while Nikki picked up Buneary.
"Okay… let's keep moving." The two of them managed to take a few more steps before Nikki collapsed.
"Nikki!" Ash shouted.
"I… I can't… I can't… go on…" she wheezed.
"No, Nikki! You… can't give in!" he urged. He desperately tried to pull her to her feet, but in his current state Ash was just barely able to keep himself standing.
"You… still have to… win the… Grand… Festival!" he said. "You… can't give up now… not… without… achieving… your… dream…" Eventually Ash's strength gave out on him as well. Just as Nikki and the Pokémon before him he too collapsed onto the sand. Under the unforgiving sun the four of them would surely perish before long, but as they laid there a cloud of dust was fast approaching. And at the head of that dust cloud was a single vehicle.
"Oh… my aching head…" A few more groans escaped Ash's mouth as his eyes slowly opened. Once his eyes had time to adjust he sat up and looked around at his surroundings. Instead of the middle of a desert he appeared to be in the middle of a rather large tent.
"How did I get here?" he wondered.
"(Ash! You're awake!)" The Pallet Town trainer barely had enough time to prepared before a yellow blur dove into his chest.
"Pikachu! You're okay!" Ash exclaimed as he hugged his Pokémon partner. "Where are Nikki and Buneary?"
"We're right here." Standing near the tent entrance were Nikki and Buneary.
"You two okay?" he asked.
"We're both just fine," Nikki replied. Ash was relieved to see they were alright, but he was also curious to know where they were, and how they got there.
"The last thing I remember is passing out in the desert, and then waking up here," Nikki recalled.
"Same here," Ash said. "But how did we go from the desert to here?"
"I brought you here." Both of them were a bit startled by the new person that entered the tent, a young blonde haired man who dressed in a white t-shirt, tan vest, cargo shorts and hiking boots.
"You brought us here?" Nikki questioned.
"That's right. My crew and I were on our way back to our base camp when we came across you passed out in the desert, and let me tell you it was fortunate for you that we did. Any longer and you all wouldn't have survived," he explained.
"Wow. Looks like we owe you your lives," Ash said.
"Yeah. Thanks," Nikki added.
"Think nothing of it," the man responded. "I would like to know what you were doing in the desert in the first place. Not many people travel through here, much less on foot."
"We were looking for the Area Boss. We think he's somewhere around here," Ash explained. That explanation seemed to pique the man's interest.
"The Area Boss, you say," he commented. "Are you looking to qualify for the Legenda League?"
"That's right," Ash answered. "I've already got two badges, so now I can compete for my first Area Crest." HHe then took out his badge case and opened it, letting the man see the two badges he earned so far.
"Hmm… very impressive," he commented. "I think you'd be a worthy challenger… umm…" Right then Ash realized neither he nor Nikki had introduced themselves yet.
"Sorry. It's Ash. Ash Ketchum," Ash said.
"And I'm Nikki," Nikki added.
"And my name is Heath, archeologist and the Area Boss you are looking for," the man said. Both Ash and Nikki were stunned by the man's declaration.
"You're the Area Boss?" Ash asked.
"That I am," Heath answered.
"Who knew the guy who rescued us in the desert would be the very one we were looking for," Nikki stated.
"(Talk about a lucky break,)" Pikachu added.
"It was lucky indeed. I must say, Ash, I am curious to see just how strong you and your Pokémon are," Heath commented.
"So… does that mean…"
"It does. I, Heath, hereby accept your challenge," he announced. Now that Ash knew he would be facing off against his first Area Boss he felt a surge of strength run through his body.
"Oh yeah! I can't wait!" he cheered.
"But first, I'd like to show you the battlefield we'll be using," Heath said.
"Is there something special about it?" Nikki wondered.
"Follow me and you'll see," Heath suggested. They were both curious to know if there was something special about the battlefield, so they took his advice and followed him out of the tent.
"Hold on. Are we still in the Red Sands Desert?" Upon exiting the tent Ash and Nikki were having a difficult time believing they were still in a desert. Instead of a desolate landscape devoid of any kind of life they saw a small lake surrounded by plenty of trees.
"We can't still be in the desert… can we?" Nikki wondered.
"You'd think that, but we in fact still are," Heath stated. "What you see here is an oasis in the middle of the desert that my team and I decided to make our base camp in."
"Base camp?" Ash questioned.
"That's right. There are some interesting ruins nearby that my team and I are studying," Heath explained. Continuing to look around Ash and Nikki saw many tents similar to the one they were just inside, along with men and women dressed just like Heath was running from one tent to another, each one carrying something in their hands.
"Is all that things that have to do with those ruins?" Nikki wondered.
"Yes. In the short time since we've discovered them they have provided some fascinating information about the people and Pokémon that inhabited this area in the distant past," Heath said. "In fact, if you look out that way you can see the ruins." Ash and Nikki looked to where Heath was pointing. Just as he said they could make out the ruins in the distance.
"I wonder what they look like up close," Nikki commented. Shortly after saying that they stopped next to a jeep.
"You'll soon find out. That's where we're heading," Heath announced.
"But I thought you wanted to show us the battlefield we'd be using," Ash stated.
"You'll see that as well because the battlefield is at the ruins," Heath said. Now Ash and Nikki were highly curious to see where they were going. They quickly piled into the jeep and drove off towards the ruins.
The trip to the ruins was quicker than Ash and Nikki expected. Within a minute they were following Heath through the ruins. Despite the fact that many of the structures had nearly completely crumbled the ruins themselves were still an impressive sight.
"Wow… would you get a load of this place," Nikki commented.
"Yeah. This is really something," Ash added as he brushed his hand against a sand-covered stone. "I wonder how old they are."
"We're still trying to determine that ourselves," Heath answered. "However, based on the discoveries we've made so far we can say with absolute certainty that these ruins are at least 1000 years old, making them some of the oldest ruins in the entire Legenda region."
"1000 years?! This place was around that long ago?!" Ash gasped.
"Indeed it was," Heath confirmed. "We haven't explored every area, though, so these ruins may in fact be older than that."
"Incredible," Ash said.
"Have you made any interesting discoveries?" Nikki inquired.
"As a matter of fact we did make one ground-breaking discovery," Heath stated. "A while back we uncovered some ancient scrolls. After some time we were able to translate them, and what we found was nothing short of mind-blowing."
"(What was it?)" Buneary asked.
"From what we translated these ruins were part of one of the first kingdoms of the Legenda region," Heath announced. As soon as he said that Ash and Nikki's faces were ones of pure shock.
"One of the first?" Nikki repeated, almost as if she were making sure he heard him correctly.
"That's right," Heath confirmed.
"But this is in the middle of a desert. How could a place like this support a kingdom?" Ash wondered.
"It's a desert now, but it wasn't always like this," Heath informed them. "According to the scrolls this was once the sight of a large and lush forest."
"A forest? I find that a little hard to believe," Nikki said.
"So did I at first, but studies of the land itself revealed that at one point it did have to potential to support life, which means that a forest could have very well been here long ago," Heath explained. By this time the group arrived at a rather large structure. Heath reached into his backpack and pulled out a flashlight. He then motioned for Ash and Nikki to follow him inside, which they did.
"If a forest really was here at one point then I wonder what happened to it," Ash commented.
"Well, according to the scrolls there was a massive war that took place here long ago, and because of that war the forest was wiped out," Heath said. "The war was so devastating that even after it ended the land was in such horrible condition that nothing would grow there anymore, and thus the Red Sands Desert was created."
"So the entire desert was once a forest?" Ash questioned. Heath nodded.
"But the desert is enormous. How in the world could one war do enough damage to wipe it out entirely?" Nikki inquired.
"We're not completely sure about that ourselves," Heath responded. "As we speak we're still researching various artifacts we've excavated from these ruins. Hopefully we'll have the answer to that question and others we have very soon." Ash they continued to walk Ash and Nikki began to notice something.
"Is it just me or is it getting hotter?" Ash commented.
"It's not just you. I've noticed that as well," Nikki said.
"That means we're nearing the battlefield," Heath announced. Hearing this raised Ash's excitement level. Finally, within a few short moments, he would discover where he would be battling for his first Area Crest. As they continued on they stopped in front of a large stone door.
"Well, here we are," Heath announced. "The battlefield is just beyond this door." He placed his hand on the wall next to the door and pressed a pressure plate. Immediately the doors opened, though what was on the other side was something neither Ash nor Nikki were expecting.
"That's the battlefield?" Ash questioned.
"That's right," Heath confirmed. The battlefield was suspended in the air by a series of chains, but it was what was below the battlefield that had Ash concerned.
"(That looks like… lava!)" Pikachu gasped.
"It is. As far as we could tell this was where the kingdom's trainers would come to test their skills against one another," Heath explained.
"Over a pit of lava? Isn't that a bit dangerous for the Pokémon?" Nikki inquired.
"Normally you'd be right, but another thing we discovered was that the type of Pokémon that the kingdom possessed were perfectly suited for this kind of combat," Heath retorted.
"What do you mean?" Ash wondered.
"Wait a minute… are you saying what I think you're saying?" Nikki inquired.
"That's right. This kingdom specialized in Fire types," Heath confirmed.
"So that means we'll be battling with Fire types, right?" Ash assumed.
"You got it," Heath once again confirmed.
"I see. Because they're Fire types it'll be safe for them to battle here because the lava won't hurt them," Nikki said.
"Exactly," Heath said.
"How many Pokémon will we use?" Ash wondered.
"It will be a full six-on-six battle," Heath answered. "So Ash, do you have enough Fire types?" Right then Ash went through his head thinking about the Fire type Pokémon he had.
"Let's see… Charizard, Arcanine, Magmar, Typhlosion, Torkoal and Infernape… yeah, I have enough," Ash said. "Of course I need to get some of them sent over from Professor Oak's ranch.
"We can take care of that once we get back to base camp," Heath told him.
"That's good. I need to make sure my team is ready," Ash said. He then glanced at the battlefield and the pit of lava beneath it. This would be unlike any battle he had waged before, and he knew he had to come up with a strategy unlike any he had before.
"Alright, gang! Looking good!" When they returned back to Heath's base camp later in the day Ash immediately called up Professor Oak and had him send over all his Fire types. To help them prepare for the Area Boss battle Ash had them pair off against each other in training battles. Typhlosion was paired with Arcanine, Charizard with Infernape and Magmar with Torkoal.
"Remember Charizard, you won't be able to fly, so make sure to work on ground combat," Ash instructed.
"(Gotcha,)" Charizard agreed. Looking around Ash was pleased with all the progress his Pokémon were making, but the one who impressed him the most was Magmar. This was the first time Ash had spent time training the Spitfire Pokémon, and though he already had an idea on how strong Magmar was his true potential was still an unknown.
"Magmar's really showing his stuff today," Nikki commented as she watched the Spitfire Pokémon show off the power of his Flamethrower.
"I'll say. He's going to fit in real well with everyone else," Ash said. As Ash's Fire types continued to train Heath approached them.
"Are these the Pokémon you'll be using?" he inquired.
"Yeah. These are them," Ash confirmed. "Some of them I just recently caught, but a few have been with me for years."
"I must say they all look very powerful," Heath complimented. As he looked them over his eyes landed on Magmar.
"How long have you had that Magmar?" he wondered.
"Magmar was actually the last one I caught, so not very long," Ash answered. "Still, he's impressed me with how strong he his. I can only imagine how strong he'll eventually become."
"You know, Ash, you could make him stronger right now," Heath informed him.
"How would I do that?" Ash inquired.
"Evolve him," Heath said. By this time everyone had gathered around to hear what the two of them were talking about.
"Evolve him?" Ash asked.
"Yes. As a Magmortar he'd be much stronger than he is now," Heath explained. The thought of instantly becoming stronger intrigued Magmar.
"Wait. Why would you want to help Ash's Pokémon get stronger when you're going to be facing him in battle?" Nikki wondered.
"As an Area Boss I want to bring out the very best in my opponents. All of the Pokémon Ash will be using are in their final forms except for Magmar, and I want to help resolve that," Heath explained. "Of course I can only offer to help evolve him. It will be up to Ash to decide whether to evolve him or not." With the possibility of evolution in front of him Ash turned to Magmar.
"Well, what do you say? Do you want to evolve?" he asked. Magmar had to think about it for a while. It was strange that he was given the choice of whether to evolve or not rather than it being decided for him, but he did appreciate that fact that he had a say in it.
"(I do want to get stronger, strong enough to help you achieve your goals,)" the Spitfire Pokémon said.
"So does that mean?" Ash inquired.
"(Yes, I will evolve,)" Magmar confirmed. Ash was glad that Magmar decided to evolve. With the decision made he turned back to Heath.
"Magmar accepts your offer," he said.
"Excellent," Heath replied. "You know, you continue to amaze me. I haven't met many trainers who would leave the decision to evolve up to their Pokémon."
"Well, I figured that since they'll be the ones most affected by the decision then it should be up to them," Ash explained.
"I see. That's an interesting way to view things, but one I feel more trainers should adopt," Heath commented. "As for your Magmar he'll need this to evolve." He reached into his bag and pulled out a red box.
"What's that?" Ash inquired.
"It a Magmizer. It's needed to evolve a Magmar into a Magmortar," Heath explained. He handed the box to Ash. As soon as he touched it Ash could feel the heat it was giving off, and while not hot enough to burn it was hot enough to be noticed. However, there was one question on Ash's mind.
"How do I use this?" he asked.
"Once you give it to Magmar all he'll have to do is generate enough power to make the Magmizer react," Heath instructed. With nothing else to go on Ash did as Heath said and gave it to Magmar. The Spitfire Pokémon took it and stared at it.
"(Well… here goes nothing.)" Magmar concentrated and began focusing his energy in his hands, hoping to get a response from the Magmizer. For a while it didn't appear as though anything was happening.
"Maybe Magmar isn't generating enough power," Nikki suggested. As soon as she said that the Magmizer began to give off a bright white glow. That glow quickly spread to Magmar, indicating that his evolution had begun.
"(Here we go,)" Pikachu said. Magmar's body grew bigger, becoming bulkier than it already was. His arms changed shape as well, the ends becoming almost cone-like. The light faded quickly, revealing a newly-evolved Magmortar.
"There. Now he's ready for our battle," Heath commented.
"He certainly looks stronger," Nikki said as she scanned him with her Pokécomm.
Name: Magmortar
Species: The Blast Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: When shooting 3,600 degree F fireballs from its arms, its body takes on a whitish hue from the intense heat.
"Oh yeah, I'd say he's ready," Nikki commented. Ash, however, didn't share her sentiments.
"No, not yet. In fact none of us are ready yet," he retorted.
"Huh? Why not?" Nikki inquired.
"(I think I may know why,)" Pikachu announced. "(It's the same as it was back when you challenged Fiona in Treetop Town, right?)"
"Right. Before we challenge Heath we're going to need to go over everyone's moves and see what needs to be improved on," Ash explained. "I hope you don't mind waiting a few days."
"Not at all. I want you and your Pokémon at your best, so take all the time you need," Heath said. "Of course I'll be preparing my Pokémon as well."
"That's fine with me. I want you at your best too," Ash said. "You heat that, everyone? We've got some work to do!" The Pokémon let out a chorus of excited roars and cries. The next few days leading up to Ash's Area Boss battle would be busy.
By a stroke of luck Ash and Nikki have found the first Area Boss, Heath. Now with the day of the battle soon approaching what strategies will Ash come up with, and will they be good enough to earn him his first Area Crest? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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