Pokémon Court C.212: Hoenn’s enormous desert

Then they discovered… that Hoenn’s Frontier Brain, Mr. Brandon the Pyramid King… had actually accomplished the feat of capturing the Regi Trio!

As they learned more, they found out that a high-spirited talented Trainer had challenged Mr. Brandon after achieving a hundred-win streak in the Battle Tower, only to suffer an unprecedented defeat!

“A hundred-win streak…” The two smiled wryly. They were strong in the beginner area, but in the advanced area, while they had a chance to win a round, they couldn’t maintain that advantage.

“Achieving a hundred-win streak in the advanced area, even if luck is involved, means they’re not far from the level of the Elite Four. But even such a person suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Mr. Brandon… and the Pokémon Mr. Brandon used were the Regi Trio,” Albert said.

The three members of the Adventure Team fell silent. Maki said, “I know Mr. Brandon. His reputation is indeed on par with the Elite Four and even the Champions. He is also a veteran in the adventuring world. Anyone who has been around in the adventuring world should know about Mr. Brandon.”

“I actually challenged Mr. Brandon too,” Arvin suddenly said, “but I didn’t win.”

“Mr. Brandon didn’t use the Regi Trio when he battled me, but thinking back now, he must have been going easy on me…I was just too disappointing, failing to gain his recognition even when he held back,” Arvin sighed.

“Don’t be discouraged. Failure is normal. Even an Elite Four can’t guarantee victory against Mr. Brandon when he goes all out. To gain his recognition… you must have a personality that suits his tastes.”

“That might be true…” Albert said. “That Trainer was too arrogant… which is why Mr. Brandon gave him a harsh lesson.”

“But because of that, we can understand the terrifying power of a Legendary Pokémon. And this Regirock sleeping in the Hoenn desert might be even older than the one Mr. Brandon has…”

As they continued talking, the two began to hesitate.

“Don’t worry. This is different from traditional battles. We just need to record the battle video. Believe in the three of us. While we may not be strong Trainers, when it comes to adventuring in the wild,” Ishi, Maki, and Arvin said confidently. “We don’t believe we would lose to anyone!”

“Next, we’ll teach you how to use the numbers and tactics to your advantage in actual battles in the wild, especially when facing stronger Pokémon!”

Terrance watched the three with great interest, looking forward to the upcoming journey to the desert.

He thought the same as them. There’s no need to decide a winner. If they can’t win, they can always run away, right?

If things go south, they could recall their Pokémon and hop on a Flying Type Pokémon’s back to escape with a “whoosh.” Even if Regirock is a Legendary Pokémon… it can’t be faster than a Flying Type Pokémon.

After Maki and the other two reassured them, Albert and the earring-wearing Trainer finally relaxed. After all, the allure of Legendary Pokémon is enormous for Trainers. The vast Hoenn mainland has only about a dozen Legendary Pokémon, so encountering one is incredibly rare.

“Hey… is it possible for us to capture this Regirock?” Arvin asked. “I mean, if it’s been asleep for too long and can’t use its full power when we wake it… hey, don’t hit me.”

“Stop dreaming! Even if you capture it, can you command it and ensure you can keep it?” Ishi glared at him, and Arvin immediately fell silent. He remembered Team Magma searching for Groudon and Team Aqua for Kyogre… besides the official forces, adventurers like them had the most contact with these secret organizations.

Their frequent ventures into dangerous places brought them into contact with Hoenn’s two major illegal organizations, Team Magma and Team Aqua, many times!

They even had conflicts with them due to certain incidents. However, at that time, Team Magma and Team Aqua were still in hiding and hadn’t openly violated the League’s laws, making it hard to deal with adventurers like Maki and the others, ensuring their safety.

That said, Ishi and the others understood the true power of these organizations. If targeted by them, their small Adventure Team couldn’t protect a Legendary Pokémon. It would be taken away and dissected.

“Unless you have the strength of Mr. Brandon!” Maki glanced at him like he was a fool.

Terrance laughed as he looked at Arvin. Strength alone isn’t enough. He also knew about Mr. Brandon. Although the reports were vague, Terrance could tell that there was a huge force behind Mr. Brandon.

The huge pyramid that was constantly being rebuilt, modified, and upgraded couldn’t be managed by a Trainer’s strength alone.

“The Hoenn Desert is closest to Mauville City. No wonder Maki suggested I participate in the Mauville City Pokémon Contest next time.” On their way to Mauville City, since they were traveling by vehicle, Terrance didn’t have the opportunity to let out his Pokémon and train them.

However, during this time, something excited Terrance. Castform had successfully absorbed all the energy from the Dragon Orb, transforming it into its own power!

The Dragon Orb contained the power of Dragonair to control the weather. Castform absorbed only a part of it; the rest dissipated into nature. This was unavoidable, and Terrance couldn’t stop it. If he didn’t let Castform absorb it, even more of the energy would have been wasted.

“Castform’s ability to control Rainy Day must have improved again…” Terrance thought to himself.

There was no place to verify this now, but Terrance was itching to try. He kept imagining how impressive it would be if Castform’s prowess in Sunny Day and Hail now matched its control over rain…

It could make most Pokémon lose the will to fight in the face of such power of weather….

Hoenn Desert, while not as fearsome as restricted dangerous areas, was still not a good place. Entering the desert unprepared could be deadly. Water, heat protection, goggles, and various emergency supplies… all needed to be prepared when crossing the Hoenn Desert.

Along with maps and other essentials; the six began their procurement after arriving in Mauville City. However, the Adventure Team handled most of the shopping since they already had most of the things prepared; only a few things needed to be bought on the spot. They had enough experience regarding these matters.

Terrance observed secretly and found that they were indeed thorough. If it were decades ago, the Trainers that Mr. Looker and Professor Julian talked about dying in the wild… it definitely wouldn’t have been them, provided they didn’t act so recklessly like now.

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