Next, under the slightly complicated yet curious gazes of Steven and Aiden, the aggressive Iron Treads swiftly subdued the previously ferocious Great Tusk in just a few moves.
Faced with Iron Treads' occasional super metallic sounds, Great Tusk could only droop its trunk, taking on a "I've been good, please let me go" posture.
The family hierarchy was clear as day.
After dealing with the wild Great Tusk outside, Iron Treads soon noticed there were two human spectators around.
As Steven instinctively frowned, thinking another big battle was inevitable and subconsciously reached into his pocket to grab another Poké Ball...
Iron Treads showed no intention of standing up for the injured Great Tusk. Instead, its mechanical face revealed an obvious smile, waving its trunk friendly towards them and pointing its nose in a certain direction.
Then, it quickly curled up its body again, transforming into the high-speed tire shape from before, and took off in one direction.
"Roar—!"
The once passionate battle interrupted and having witnessed its embarrassing moment, Great Tusk instantly lost interest in continuing the fight.
After issuing a warning growl towards Aiden and Steven, it obediently used Rollout again to catch up with Iron Treads.
"It's warning us not to talk about what just happened, right?"
Steven immediately understood Great Tusk' meaning, looking at the direction the two Pokémon had left, marveling.
"If Great Tusk is a Pokémon from the past, then this Iron Treads should be a Pokémon that exists only in the future, right?"
"These two Pokémon crossed time to arrive in today's Paldea and unexpectedly sparked love between them—it's truly moving!"
"Indeed, bonds are something intangible yet real, capable of forming deep connections even across species!"
Steven couldn't help but sigh.
Initially, he did have the idea of capturing Great Tusk, but after witnessing this "destined" couple, he decisively abandoned the thought.
Clearly, they had no intention of traveling with humans for a while; they just wanted to live their own lives.
Steven naturally wouldn't force them.
"So, it wasn't an escape but an elopement?"
Aiden silently clicked his tongue.
After this incident, he finally understood why these two supposedly extremely dangerous Pokémon had escaped from Area Zero together and quietly hidden in the Asado Desert without any further news.
Perhaps they had grown tired of the battles in Area Zero and chose to come here to protect each other, living peacefully ever since?
And for Pokémon of their size, even deliberately hiding their tracks would be very difficult.
So, perhaps the people of nearby Cascarrafa City had long discovered this and tacitly gave them enough space to live, allowing these two special guests to happily reside in Paldea?
Cascarrafa Gym Leader Kofu was a rugged yet thoughtful uncle who was good at caring for others.
Perhaps he had something to do with it?
On second thought, it was hard to believe that a Gym Leader hadn't discovered two Titan Pokémon near his city for over half a year, right?
Moreover, he often trekked across the Asado Desert just to buy fresh ingredients for cooking…
Kofu probably also concealed the truth after learning about the relationship between these two Paradox Pokémon, just like them?
The people of Paldea were indeed pure and kind-hearted, which was why the region's Pokémon weren't afraid of humans and often appeared in human settlements asking for food.
This harmonious ecological relationship allowed Paldea to attract such a diverse range of Pokémon.
And for these two unfamiliar giants, the residents of Cascarrafa City didn't feel scared but instead actively chose to keep their secret…
A story that sounded like a fairy tale was indeed common in the Pokémon world.
Although it seemed like Great Tusk might have some regrets.
After the honeymoon period ended, it quickly became henpecked; even going out for a stroll on a rainy day to blow off some steam resulted in being scolded by Iron Treads…
No wonder, as a wild ancient Pokémon, Great Tusk had no record of harming humans.
After all, Iron Treads was a future species; their brains generally worked better, and they rationally considered whether to engage in battle.
Given that humans were clearly the masters of this era where the gods slept and technology rapidly advanced, they deliberately avoided contact with humans, right?
Aiden shook his head helplessly and waved at Steven, who still wore a gawking expression.
"Let's go, we need to follow them."
"Why?"
"Iron Treads' hint when leaving was pretty obvious; it seems they want us to follow them."
After saying this, Aiden threw Miraidon's Poké Ball, releasing it.
"Gao?"
Miraidon squinted its eyes, looked around, confirmed there was no danger, and then turned to Aiden with a confused expression.
...
Riding Miraidon, Aiden and Steven quickly followed the trail left by Iron Treads and Great Tusk, arriving at a giant rock at least ten meters high.
The exterior of the rock bore clear traces of carving, seemingly dug out by Great Tusk and Iron Treads using their massive tusks, slowly processed into their current dwelling?
After recalling the already stopped, embarrassed motorcycle back into its ball, Aiden cautiously entered through the entrance.
As he suspected, the interior of the rock had been hollowed out by the two giants, turning into a super large villa that could shield against wind and rain and withstand the desert heat.
Iron Treads, the master of the house, stood guard in the center, behind it were Great Tusk' hind legs kneeling on the ground, seemingly punished in some kneeling posture.
Upon seeing the two arrive, Great Tusk immediately closed its eyes, trying to minimize its presence.
Aiden and Steven walked forward while observing the scene inside.
It was unclear how Iron Treads and Great Tusk managed it, but the space inside was astonishingly large, even divided into several different areas.
Besides these two giants, there were two types of Pokémon Aiden recognized well.
Phanpy and Nacli.
Phanpy he could understand since evolving into Donphan, they were somewhat related.
But how did Nacli end up in the elephant herd?
Perhaps because most of them were kind-hearted and willing to share their generated salt crystals, and before evolving, they had little combat power and were easily bullied by other wild Pokémon, so they were kept together?
In a sense, these two Titans were now the leaders of the Asado Desert, and under their protection, Naclstack could evolve more safely into Garganacl.
Steven's gaze quickly noticed these cute little guys too.
But for some reason, facing these seemingly harmless, even somewhat adorable Nacli, Steven couldn't help but shiver.
"Why do I always feel these little guys will be troublesome..."
Steven's subconscious complaint made Aiden burst into laughter.
What was this, Spider-Sense?
"They are Nacli, a Rock-type Pokémon distributed throughout Paldea."
"You may not be familiar with this name, but..."
"Steven, do you know about the battle I had with Wallace in the game recently?"
"Yes, he was utterly crushed by you, and I laughed at him for a while."
Because it was so memorable, Steven immediately recalled it, and his lips couldn't help but curl slightly.
Not many people could make Wallace suffer, let alone in such an absurd way.
Wait…?
Steven suddenly realized and widened his eyes.
"You mean..."
"That's right, Nacli's final evolution form is Garganacl~"
Aiden revealed a "kind" smile.
Salt King Garganacl's brine attack targeted not only Wallace's Water-types but also Steven's Steel Legion.
In a sense, Garganacl could be called a targeted attack tool against Steven/Wallace.
"…"
Steven's lips twitched.
When he looked at Nacli again, he no longer found these little guys cute at all but rather felt a bit physiologically uncomfortable.
How could there be such evil Pokémon!
However…
If he captured one, wouldn't he be able to thoroughly disgust Wallace during their sparring matches?
Moreover, Teacher Azure seemed very familiar with how to raise them, and he could directly get tips to quickly train a main Pokémon!
As long as Garganacl was on his side, it would be the most reliable backup!
While Steven's thoughts gradually diverged, Aiden had already stepped forward to Iron Treads.
"Roar—"
Iron Treads growled and pointed its trunk towards a large patch of land with plants growing beside it.
It must be said, the brains of future species were indeed sharp.
Who knew how it managed it, but it created a nursery in the desert specifically to cultivate Herba Mystica.
Wait…
Nacli theoretically could absorb soil salt content and generate suitable soil for farming, right?
Was there such a usage?
"Are you letting me take some as a gift for helping bring back Great Tusk?"
Aiden instinctively spoke, then remembered that theoretically, both future and ancient species couldn't understand human language.
However, to his surprise, Iron Treads quickly nodded, seeming to understand his meaning.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of Iron Treads and Steven, Aiden quickly stepped forward and plucked a few plants.
One seasoning plant was enough to last a long time, and the rest could be taken back for Ogerpon to grow more, achieving seasoning freedom.
If he remembered correctly, this should be sour seasoning?
Only one Titan remained, hidden in the Casseroya Lake, to complete the set of five Herba Mystica and summon the dragon.
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