The night wind swept over the dunes, producing a soft, low hum—almost like a quiet melody whispered by the desert itself.
In the distance, the lights of the rest stop gradually shrank into a single blurred point of light before finally vanishing from sight.
As night deepened, the desert winds carried grains of sand that brushed past their ears. Theo and his Pokémon left a staggered trail of deep and shallow footprints across the loose, soft sand.
The journey was far from peaceful as wild Pokémon appeared from time to time.
Fortunately, in the middle of this vast desert, Tyrunt's rock-type instincts and acute senses allowed it to detect potential threats in advance, enabling the group to avoid unnecessary trouble.
It was precisely because of this that many trainers entering the desert deliberately brought along Rock-type or Ground-type Pokémon to scout ahead and act as guardians.
Suddenly, the sand mound in front of Theo quivered faintly, and a Gligar shot its head out from beneath the sand.
Its tail arched high, and the poisonous barb at its tip glimmered with a cold blue chill beneath the faint starlight. Its vigilant gaze locked instantly onto Theo and his group.
Just as the Gligar was about to assume an attacking stance, Tyrunt's muscles tightened all at once, a low growl rumbling from deep within its throat.
The Gligar froze but it did not back down. Instead, it remained perched atop the sand mound, gaze fixed unflinchingly on them.
Theo immediately understood.
Gligar had an extremely strong sense of territoriality. Once provoked, it would chase intruders relentlessly. There was no need for a direct confrontation at all.
He changed direction at once, guiding Tyrunt and Beldum to circle around the area.
Seeing that they were not moving toward its nest, the Gligar hesitated for a moment before finally "swish"—disappearing back into the sand, leaving only a fleeting swirl of loose grains.
…
Tyrunt and Beldum continued staring cautiously in that direction until they were completely certain the threat had vanished. Only then did they relax and follow Theo onward.
Yet Theo had only walked a short distance when—
An abrupt change occurred!
From behind a nearby sand dune, a cluster of green figures suddenly burst out. Over a dozen Cacnea surrounded a larger Cacturne and blocked the path directly ahead.
Their bodies were covered in sharp, hardened spines, making them resemble moving masses of thorny brambles in the darkness. Their intentions were clearly unfriendly.
Theo stiffened.
He had once read a post on the Pokémon forums about nocturnal desert Pokémon. It specifically warned that when traveling through deserts at night, one must remain highly alert around Cacturne.
These Pokémon were extremely active after sundown and were especially fixated on any water that travelers carried. If handled poorly, the situation could easily escalate into a dangerous conflict.
He hadn't expected his luck to be this terrible—encountering such trouble immediately after entering the desert.
As expected, the leading Cacturne shook the headpiece resembling a straw hat atop its head. A few Cacnea immediately stepped forward, adopting a stance to block and threaten.
Theo was still contemplating countermeasures when Tyrunt suddenly took a small step forward.
The innate pressure of a Dragon-type quietly spread outward.
The Cacnea visibly flinched, and even the Cacturne's movement paused. They sensed from Tyrunt's aura a strange sort of oppressive force—
Something vaguely reminiscent of that massive green beast rumored to dwell deep within the desert—a tyrant known as the desert's king.
This faintly similar pressure made them wary and unwilling to act rashly.
After a moment of tense stillness, Cacturne gently tilted the "hat" on its head, seemingly signaling to its underlings.
One Cacnea cautiously moved forward, pointing a sharp spine first at the water flask strapped to the outside of Theo's backpack, then at the road ahead.
The meaning could not have been clearer:
Hand over water, and they would let him pass.
Theo exhaled slowly in relief.
So they were not here to start a fight—they merely desperately needed water.
If a battle really broke out, the commotion would be enormous, and attracting other wild Pokémon would only make the trouble worse.
Need water? That was an easy problem to solve.
Theo immediately threw a Poké Ball.
"Feebas, come out! Use Rain Dance!"
Feebas leapt out in a flash of white light. At Theo's command, a faint blue sheen surrounded its body.
Although Feebas had only recently learned Rain Dance, its excellent control over water-type energy made summoning a small rain cloud more than manageable.
Suspended by streams of water, Feebas flicked its silvery tail fin, gathering the scarce moisture in the surrounding air.
Moments later, a small dark cloud formed above the Cacturne squad.
A drizzle began to fall—fine droplets landing across the sand between the Cacturne and Cacnea.
The desert Pokémon clearly had not expected such a "trade."
They lifted their heads in surprise, eagerly absorbing the precious water. The folds in their spikes slowly smoothed out, and their tense postures softened into docility.
The rain soon ceased.
Having taken in enough moisture, the Cacturne bowed slightly toward Theo, apparently offering thanks.
One small Cacnea hesitated for a moment, then ran up to Theo's feet. A gentle green glow spread across its body, and a small, bright red fruit appeared atop its head.
The leading Cacturne signaled for Theo to accept the fruit, its way of giving a gift in return.
Theo smiled and took it, thinking:
'The forum posts exaggerated a bit. Cacturne aren't nearly as terrifying as the rumors make them out to be.'
He remembered the post claiming that once Cacturne evolved and gained the Dark typing, their personalities became vicious and malevolent.
During the day, they would stand motionless like ordinary cacti.
At night, they would awaken, tracking exhausted prey across the desert, even forming groups to tail travelers, attacking only when the victims were too drained to resist…
But now that he'd encountered them personally, Theo realized these Cacturne were far from as monstrous as described online.
What surprised him even more was that the Cacturne, along with several Cacnea, actually escorted them for quite a long stretch.
Only when the silhouette of a rocky cliff appeared ahead and they confirmed no danger lingered nearby, did they stop.
After bowing to Theo once more, they quietly slipped away into the night with their group.
When Theo finally approached the area, he saw it clearly:
A steep rocky wall, as if a mountain had been split open by a giant axe, standing solidly in the middle of the desert and shielding the land from the howling night wind.
Beneath the rock wall rested a small oasis.
A clear spring seeped from a crack in the stone, gathering into a shallow pool in the sand.
Moonlight scattered across the water's surface, forming shimmering droplets of silver that rippled gently. Several clusters of cactus plants grew around the pool, their bodies adorned with fresh, glistening dew.
This was precisely the marked campsite shown on the map.
Theo chose a spot against the rock wall, sheltered from the wind, and began to set up camp.
Tyrunt obediently crouched down and nudged the backpack strap with its nose. After Theo removed the pack, it trotted off to inspect the area—patrolling around the campsite to ensure safety.
Beldum floated at Theo's side. A faint wave of psychic energy rippled from its body as it delicately lifted scattered tent poles, stakes, and waterproof cloth—
—and handed them one by one into Theo's waiting hands.
With the smooth cooperation between trainer and Pokémon, it took no more than fifteen minutes before the tent frame stood solid and secure.
Finally, after stretching the waterproof tarp over it and tightening the ropes, a sturdy, wind-resistant orange tent stood firmly beneath the rock wall.
"Good job."
Theo rubbed the top of Beldum's small metallic head, and the little Pokémon happily circled the tent twice in response.
(End of Chapter)