Arus

At this moment, the voice of the system suddenly sounded.

[ Host, the system can provide translations for you. ]

Yuga asked in surprise, "You understand this?"

The system replied, [ Yes. We, the Gold Finger, automatically interact with the world and adapt ourselves to it while traversing. ]

[ For instance, in my case, when I initially entered the Pokémon world, I didn't have any information about Pokémon. It was only after entering here that I evolved into my current form. The tasks and rewards of the system also became related to the Pokémon world, all thanks to this information interaction. ]

[ That's why I also know the ancient texts of the Pokémon world. ]

Yuga realized, "I see. Even though I don't know how you perform this information interaction and how you evolved, you're indeed impressive. I'll rely on you then."

With the system's translation, Yuga finally understood the origin of this place.

In ancient times, the vast Hoenn Desert that exists now was not present; instead, there was a country named Arus.

This country was abundant and beautiful, making it the envy of neighboring nations.

However, no country dared to oppose Arus, as they possessed a powerful army of Monsters that could sweep across the entire continent.

The intricate and sprawling maze they were in was the very place where these Monsters were bred and their army was trained.

Back then, these Monsters were not referred to as Pokémon; people called them "Monsters."

Arus excelled in cultivating three types of Monsters, the three most frequently depicted in the murals: Gliscor, Flygon, and Aggron.

The murals on the walls celebrated the wise and heroic deeds of King Bruce at that time, which was why Yuga saw so many depictions of people worshiping him.

The stone figurines Yuga had seen earlier were prisoners captured by the king of Arus. This king was incredibly ruthless, sealing these captives alive within the stone figurines, letting them die in agony as punishment for their offenses.

The text also recorded that Arus's formidable army was reliant on a certain treasure, although it didn't mention what kind of treasure it was.

After hearing the translation, Yuga sighed. He hadn't realized that this place was once a prosperous nation, not a desert. Truly, how times had changed.

However, Yuga was intrigued by the treasure that could sustain an entire army. Unfortunately, the text didn't mention what it was or where it could be found.

Now Yuga understood why he could find so many Gliscor here. Apparently, they were a legacy of Arus.

Yet, most of the Gliscor left behind by the Arus army must have died or migrated. Otherwise, there would be more than just a few left. After all, these Monsters could conquer a continent; one can imagine their numbers.

According to records, Arus bred more than just Gliscor, Flygon, and Aggron; there were many other types.

As for why their traces weren't seen here, Yuga speculated that they either perished or migrated elsewhere. After so many years, the rich country had transformed into an endless desert. However, how many Monsters could survive in a desert? Aggron, for example, couldn't.

Indeed, not long after, Yuga found a significant number of Aggron remains in another cave.

Speaking of which, King Arus was truly capricious. To raise Monsters like Aggron, maintaining a full army of them, without a country's support, it would have collapsed long ago.

Even the Pokémon League wouldn't go about things this way. It's not that the League doesn't have the resources like King Arus did, but the present-day League values democracy, whereas King Arus ruled with an iron fist.

Yuga collected all the armor left behind by the deceased Aron, Lairon, and Aggron. These were valuable items, highly prized.

These armors weren't just materials for many Pokémon items; they could also serve as food for many Steel-type and Rock-type Pokémon, particularly an excellent supplement for Steel-types.

Fortunately, Yuga's system backpack was large enough; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to carry so much.

Of the three primary Monsters Arus's army cultivated, Yuga had already encountered Gliscor and Aggron. The only one he hadn't found yet was his current target, Flygon.

Logically, Flygon, being more adapted to desert environments than Gliscor, should have been easier to find. They were native to deserts, so their disappearance was puzzling.

Despite searching for quite a while with his companions, Yuga couldn't find any trace of Flygon.

Feeling that continuing this way was futile, Yuga said to his companions, "Let's find the way out first. We can set aside the matter of Flygon for now."

Although Yuga's objective for this journey was Gigantamach, having obtained so many Gliscor was already good progress. They were excellent Pokémon, so this trip wasn't a failure.

His companions nodded in agreement with Yuga's decision.

Yuga took out his direction indicator and observed it. He said, "Since we don't know the way, let's follow the direction indicated by this device and head north. That should increase our chances of finding the exit."

However, Yuga quickly realized this approach was in vain. The labyrinth had too many intersections, and before long, they were lost.

If King Arus were alive and appeared before Yuga now, Yuga would likely tear his heart out.

You built this place like this, could you even find your way around it?

In the end, Yuga checked the time and realized it was probably already night outside. So, he found an empty cave, released all his Pokémon, and prepared to spend the night there, making plans for the next day.

"To my dear companions, Audino, Swellow, and Linoone, I'm truly grateful for the three of you today. Without you, I don't even know what would have happened!"

Yuga genuinely felt lucky to have recruited these three "staff members" before coming here. Otherwise, he might have been reduced to a mere pile of bones now. He also realized he had been overly reckless. Despite being a fledgling Pokémon Trainer, he dared to venture into such a dangerous place as Hoenn Desert.