Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

Chapter Fifty-Two: What a coincidence!

Crossing the curtain of quicksand.

The view suddenly widened, as if we had entered a small alternate dimension, but it was actually just a ruin located beneath the desert.

It wasn't completely dark inside; a reddish light emanated from the top, like a small artificial sun, continuously radiating light and heat, illuminating the space of the ruins.

The massive arched dome supports the entire area of ​​the ruins, and sand occasionally slides down from above, making it look like a sand rain at first glance.

Most of the ruins have been covered by sand, with only a few ancient rock pillar structures remaining unburied.

A small desert beneath a larger desert?

Not at all.

Not far away, a huge, dark brown tower with a hint of red light stands, the only structure supporting the dome of this space.

Clearly, this tower is the most valuable building in the ruins and may contain many valuable artifacts.

After taking in the general outline of the ruins, Xia Yan began searching for Hoshino Ryuzaki.

In such an open and well-lit place, it is not an easy thing to conceal one's figure.

really.

Soon, Xia Yan saw Hoshino Ryuzaki standing in the sand, directing his Desert Dragonfly to fight a Sandslash King.

That wild Pangolin must have elite-level strength, but it was being steadily defeated by the Desert Dragonfly and was already at a disadvantage. It was only a matter of time before it was defeated.

Hoshino Ryuzaki, with his back to the entrance, didn't immediately notice Natsuhiko's arrival. He was excitedly directing the Desert Dragonfly, occasionally glancing up at the tower in the central area, dreaming of the wonderful scene of him gaining benefits from the tower and reaching the pinnacle of life.

Unknown, unexplored alternate dimensions, undiscovered ruins—these are all tremendous opportunities.

And now this opportunity is right in front of him.

How could I not be excited?

In fact, Xia Yan could more or less understand his thoughts at that moment.

You'll know once you compare yourself to them.

Xia Yan plundered a large amount of resources in the alternate dimension of Regigigas, obtained a Death Plate that can enhance psychic abilities in the ancient ruins, and even gained the protection of a Pokémon like Dragapult. The changes for him were absolutely enormous, and the benefits were obvious.

The level of this alternate dimension is no less than that of the Regigigas alternate dimension, and there is a high possibility that something extremely valuable is buried within this ruin. If used well, it may make his future path smoother.

"Yongji."

Yongjira suddenly spoke up.

rustling --

The sand beneath Xia Yan's feet suddenly began to flow, and a thin layer of sand slowly rose around him, growing thicker and thicker, gradually forming an area where a sandstorm was about to form.

"Dust-generating characteristics?"

Dust Storm: Able to change the weather into a sandstorm upon entering the battlefield.

It is one of the most crucial characteristics in the Sandstorm team, and Xia Yan is also very familiar with this characteristic.

The sprite beneath the shifting sands had not yet appeared, yet the sandstorm was already rapidly taking shape.

"Cherry blossoms, a bright sunny day."

The only thing that can deal with the weather is the weather itself.

"Aww, baby~"

Sakura, perched on Xia Yan's shoulder, called out softly. Her hands were placed together, and her body emitted a faint, fiery red light like the sun. The bright sunlight slowly dispersed the sand that was being stirred up around her, and before the sandstorm could fully form, she pressed it down.

But the sprite in the quicksand showed no sign of stopping.

Soon, a giant hippopotamus-like creature emerged from the sand, its enormous mouth surpassing even that of the rogue crocodile they had encountered before.

What appeared was a light brown hippopotamus with black around its nose, eyelids, feet, and back. It had six protruding small holes on its back from which swirling sand flowed, and a short black tail that slapped the sand surface.

Ground-type Pokémon, Hippowdon!

Hippopotamuses are known for their volatile and easily angered nature. When they are angry, they become extremely ferocious, and their wide-open mouths are the best proof of their rage, used to flaunt their power to their rivals.

The hippopotamus's prized large mouth is indeed incredibly powerful; even if a human car were placed in front of it, the hippopotamus's mouth could tear it apart and destroy it as easily as it would a piece of wood.

It is said that the ferocious and savage Dragon King Scorpion becomes very docile when facing the hippopotamus beast, and even the equally ferocious rogue crocodiles will obediently give way when they encounter the hippopotamus beast.

This shows what kind of status the hippopotamus, this kind of creature, holds in the desert.

"Roar--"

The hippo roared with its enormous voice, and sand gushed out wildly from the six holes on its back, engulfing Xia Yan's Pokémon and itself.

Quicksand Purgatory!

Meanwhile, the commotion finally caught the attention of Hoshino Ryuzaki in the distance.

In the hazy, infernal sands, he saw Xia Yan's figure.

Disbelief flashed in his eyes, "How is this possible?!"

In his view, even if Xia Yan didn't die, he would be skinned alive by the rogue crocodiles, so how could he possibly have a chance to enter the center of the quicksand vortex?

Moreover, even if one gets in, the intricate, maze-like passageways can be confusing, and one might end up back in the desert with the quicksand after taking a wrong step. He experienced this several times before finally arriving here.

But Xia Yan...

His face quickly darkened, and he clenched his fists. "There's no way this site can be shared with anyone else!"

Enjoying something alone is the best way to maximize benefits; sharing it might mean that neither person gets the maximum benefit.

Moreover, why share?

Just get rid of it!

"Desert dragonfly, move fast!"

"Waaah—"

Natsuhiko didn't notice Hoshino Ryuzaki's changes, but even if he had, they wouldn't have affected him.

He needs to deal with this hippopotamus beast first.

"Double sheaths, sword dance!"

The shadow flew out of the double scabbards, drawing out the two swords. Dark red light swirled around the blades, and as the swords swung back and forth, their edges gradually sharpened.

"Pokémon, Magic Leaf".

“Cha-ke-yi—”

The Togekigu, which flew out of Xia Yan's clothes, waved its hands up and down, and leaves containing special energy appeared around it. With a flick of its little hands, the magic leaves quickly shot towards the hippopotamus.

Clang!

The twin scabbards also completed their sword dance amplification and followed behind the magic leaf, attacking the hippopotamus.

Knock knock knock—

"Roar!!"

Magic Leaf repeatedly hit Hippomon, and the Grass-type move's super-effectiveness caused Hippomon to cry out in pain.

What followed was the huge blue phantom of the double scabbards, mixed with a bluish light.

Combo Slash + Holy Sword!

The hippo's painful cries abruptly stopped as the "Luck Force" Togekigu's Sharp Fangs were triggered, causing it to immediately cower in fear.

Bang! !

The blue phantom sword fell heavily, slamming the hippopotamus's limbs slightly into the sand.

However, this is just the beginning.

The biggest advantage of dual scabbards is that although they don't perform multiple attacks, they can achieve multiple attacks by controlling the body.

As soon as one sword fell, another immediately took its place.

The hippopotamus had recovered from its cowering state, but before it could react, the attack from the twin scabbards came.

Bang! !

The second strike, combining the combo with the Holy Sword, doubled in power!

However, this was still not the end. After the second sword fell, the third sword from the double sheaths was already poised to strike. This was the first time it had used both swords so smoothly to execute a combo attack at the same time.

"Roar!!!"

After taking the second blow, the hippopotamus's ferocity was fully unleashed. It raised its head, and flames shot from its wide-open mouth.

Flame Fang!

only,.....

Swish!

The third sword from the double-sheathed blade, ignoring the hippopotamus's resistance, slammed heavily onto its head, slamming its raised head and massive body to the ground.

bang——

The surrounding sand trembled, and the hippopotamus spread its limbs and embedded itself in the sand.

The three swift and decisive moves yielded remarkable results.

After the hippopotamus lost its fighting ability, the sand from the surrounding quicksand purgatory also fell from the sky.

Noticing something, Xia Yan turned his head and met Hoshino Ryuzaki's cold gaze.

Xia Yan's response, however, was...

He grinned and smiled.

What a coincidence.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Buried Him

Hoshino Ryuzaki felt a sudden tightness in his chest when he saw Natsuhiko's smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the hippopotamus lying in the sandpit, completely incapacitated. That inexplicable feeling intensified.

But the thought of the enormous treasure that might be hidden within these ruins immediately dispelled those inexplicable thoughts in my mind.