With the flying speed of the two, by afternoon, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Hoenn Great Desert.
Located in the middle of Route 111, the sky was filled with swirling yellow sand, and the landscape stretched endlessly in shades of gold. Finding anyone in such a place would be incredibly difficult.
Aoki pulled out a set of desert survival gear—protective clothing, goggles, and other essentials—from his storage space. Steven, clearly prepared as well, had even more advanced equipment than Aoki's.
"Aoki, tell me, if you were fleeing into the Hoenn Desert, where would you go?" Steven asked suddenly.
"..." Aoki was momentarily speechless.
But after a moment of thought, he remembered that the Hoenn Desert wasn't just an endless wasteland—it held numerous ancient ruins. If someone had fled into the desert, they likely had an escape route planned or had discovered a hidden ruin only they knew about. Otherwise, most would choose the ocean over the desert's harsh conditions.
"Probably… they'd have a prearranged escape route, maybe a ruin only they've found. Otherwise, no one would willingly run into a desert like this," Aoki finally replied.
"That's what I thought too. So, if we want to find them, we should focus on the less obvious ruins, right?" Steven mused.
Many ruins in the Hoenn Desert had already been explored, their treasures long removed. These sites, well-documented by the League, posed little danger—and were unlikely hiding spots. That left only the undiscovered ones.
After adjusting their gear, the two ventured into the desert together.
"By the way, what's the battle format for the Sinnoh League Tournament?" Aoki asked suddenly.
As the heir to the Stone family, Steven had access to more information than Aoki.
"From what I've heard, it's divided into multiple rounds with no participant limit. Anyone who's collected eight badges can enter, regardless of region. Before the Top 16, battles are likely capped at three Pokémon. After that, the rules are unclear—Sinnoh hasn't revealed them yet."
Steven paused, then added, "But I suspect it'll shift to full six-on-six battles in the later stages."
It was just a guess, but a reasonable one. Aoki nodded in agreement.
"Then, do you have six Pokémon ready? You don't actually think you can take on full teams with just three, do you?"
"That's the problem. I've been so focused on training my Metagross that I haven't had time to develop a full team. No matter how strong Metagross is, it can't solo six Pokémon from trainers of similar skill—especially Cynthia. As the host, she's definitely competing." Beneath his goggles and mask, Steven's expression turned wry.
"Well, there's still time to improve. This desert trip is a test, but also a good training opportunity. Have you decided on your training approach?" Aoki pressed.
Steven nodded and released two Pokémon: an Anorith and a Lileep. Both met his strict standards and had been steadily growing under his care. With Aoki's customized training methods and specialized Pokéblocks, their progress had been remarkable—Anorith was now Level 25, and Lileep had reached Level 28.
Seeing this, Aoki tossed two Pokéballs of his own. Out came a freshly evolved Poliwhirl (Level 25) and a Marshtomp (Level 21). Poliwhirl was still a bit sluggish post-evolution, but it could handle non-intensive battles.
Steven's eyes lit up. "You came prepared. These two are perfect for the desert."
Aoki shrugged. "As a Water-type Gym Leader, relying solely on Slowking isn't sustainable. These two have potential—if trained well, they'll be strong assets."
Steven agreed. "Poliwhirl, as a water type Pokemon, has the swift swim ability. And Marshtomp, as a Hoenn starter, evolves into the formidable Swampert—great typing and bulk."
(Steven didn't know Poliwhirl had an alternate evolution, and Aoki wasn't sharing—that could be a future surprise.)
"Let's treat this as training while we search. If we can't find the target in a month, we'll leave. The League won't hold it against us," Aoki said, stepping deeper into the desert with his Pokémon.
"True, but failing after a month would make us look incompetent," Steven replied, following.
"Let the gossipers try surviving here themselves," Aoki said flatly.
The Hoenn League valued them highly—enough to bend rules for their Senior Investigator promotions. Even if they failed, the League wouldn't penalize them, especially with the Sinnoh Tournament approaching. They'd likely be recalled regardless.
Fact was, few in Hoenn rivaled their strength. Steven, Aoki, Wallace, and Phoebe were arguably the region's top talents.
With Anorith and Lileep's Rock-typing, sandstorms were no issue. Marshtomp and Poliwhirl, however, needed help—Aoki had them coat themselves in a thin veil of water vapor to block the abrasive sand.
"Steven, even with these two, you're still one Pokémon short of a full team, right?" Aoki asked.
"Huh?" Steven blinked, then nodded. "Right. Aggron, Skarmory, Lairon, Anorith, and Lileep… only five. Still one short."