Nova said, "I found a spatial rift, and behind it lies a secret realm with an ancient ecosystem."
Mort said, "I thought it was something big, but it's just a... a what?"
Nova said, "See, I told you not to get excited, Old Man."
Mort snapped, "Cut the nonsense! What did you find, kid? Say it again!"
Nova took a breath and spoke slowly and clearly in standard Norlandia, repeating his report word for word. "I found a spatial rift. Behind it is a secret realm with an ancient ecosystem. I suspect it may be a new entrance to the Hisui Secret Realm."
Before he could finish, he heard Mort let out the loudest, sharpest yell of his entire life through the phone.
"No way!!!"
It was almost pleasant to hear. The last time the old man had shown this much energy was when Growlithe tried to chew up his prized collector's edition discs.
"Send me your coordinates!"
Nova immediately had the Rotom handling the communication transmit his current location to Mort's phone.
Mort said, "Stay exactly where you are and don't move an inch. I don't care who shows up, if anyone comes near, drive them off by whatever means necessary! I'll take full responsibility for anything that happens. Your Martial Uncle and I will be there in two hours. Until then, nobody gets close!"
Nova wanted to joke and ask whether standing perfectly still would turn him into a statue.
But Mort didn't give him the chance to ramble and hung up right away.
Nova figured the old man really couldn't take a joke. He'd told him not to get too excited, and yet judging by how flustered he sounded, his blood pressure was probably through the roof.
With the call finished, Nova considered his job done for now. He was starting to feel hungry, since with everything going on, he still hadn't eaten lunch.
While Nova calmly prepared a late lunch for his Pokemon partners, things back at Layered Peaks Gym were in an uproar.
Gilbert's brow furrowed as he listened to Mort's frantic explanation. "Is this for real?"
Mort said, "Do you think I have nothing better to do at noon than mess with you? Never mind that, are you coming or not?"
Gilbert said, "Of course I'm coming! But something this important, and you didn't even ask Nova more questions? What's the situation like inside the secret realm? What supplies and gear do we need to bring? You didn't ask any of that. Are we supposed to walk in blind?"
Mort said, "By the time you're finished preparing, the opportunity will already be gone! Right now, the priority is meeting up with Nova and staking Layered Peaks Gym's claim on that spot. Once the territory is ours, we can plan the exploration and development however we like, whenever we like. We'll be the ones setting the terms."
This was the difference between how the two fellow disciples approached things. Mort always leaned toward bold, immediate action, valuing speed above everything else.
Gilbert was better suited to long-term planning, always making sure they were ready for any possibility.
Neither approach was wrong here.
The place Nova had found was well hidden, tucked away in a remote Uninhabited Area roughly seventy kilometers from Forest City. Hardly anyone passed through there in months, sometimes even a year, so even if they waited for Gilbert to finish his preparations before setting out, they wouldn't be too late.
What's more, after decades of running the Gym, Gilbert had plenty of capable Elite Trainers he could rely on. Even if the two Masters left immediately, the Gym back home could still organize an expedition team afterward to bring the necessary supplies into the desert.
After thinking it over for a moment, Gilbert admitted both approaches could work, but this time his Senior Brother's plan was clearly the safer choice.
So he changed his mind at once. He made a few quick calls to delegate several key responsibilities, then gathered the essentials for a trip into the desert.
The two of them finished getting ready in record time, hurried downstairs, and released their respective Garchomp to take to the sky.
Two sonic booms rang out over the Gym, and the two Ground-type Masters were gone in an instant.
One hour and forty-five minutes later, Mort and Gilbert touched down near the oasis.
Nova couldn't help but be impressed. Garchomp truly lived up to their reputation as one of the fastest flying Pokemon species around. When they said two hours, they meant two hours, if anything, they'd only ever arrive early, never late.
The two Garchomp, both with Gold Talent, stood on either side of the small oasis, giving off such an overwhelming sense of security that it made Nova green with envy.
When would he finally be able to raise such an imposing Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon of his own?
He thought back to the Pseudo-Legendary opportunity Mort had offered him before, one he'd turned down again and again simply because he couldn't afford the cost. Now, with the wealth he stood to gain from this ancient secret realm, Nova was already picturing himself raising whatever Pokemon he wanted.
I'll raise one myself! It has to be a Pseudo-Legendary! If it doesn't cost a fortune, I won't even bother!
As soon as they reached Nova, Mort and Gilbert asked him to explain the situation.
Trusting that his two seniors were far more experienced in handling matters like this, Nova didn't hold anything back.
Starting from his encounter with the group of Rhyhorn, he laid out everything in order: how he had taken down the three bandits, how he had found the abandoned desert off-roader, how he had located the oasis, and finally, how his scouting trip inside had led him to discover the white-striped Basculin.
He also told them what Corviknight's aerial scouting had revealed. The secret realm appeared to stretch on for a great distance, since Corviknight hadn't spotted any clear edge to the space.
After hearing Nova's account, Mort thought for a moment before turning to his junior. "What do you think?"
Gilbert said, "Everything else checks out. Nova handled it cleanly, and those three men are dead, which spares us some trouble. The only issue is this old explorer who found the secret realm first."
Mort said, "Speak plainly."
Gilbert said, "It's not good. It leaves us open to criticism. A discovery like this already draws jealousy, and people with bad intentions could easily pin a charge of murder for profit on Layered Peaks Gym."
Mort said, "Then there's no other option. It's a shame. The man clearly had passion for his work, but in the end, his discovery can't be made public. He'll simply be recorded as someone who went missing in the desert."
Gilbert said, "Senior Brother, Nova is the one who found this place, so it belongs to Layered Peaks Gym. No one can argue otherwise. As for the old explorer, I'll have our people look after his family. That's the most we can reasonably do."
Mort said, "Understood. I'm only worried that Nova carrying the credit for discovering this secret realm might not turn out to be a good thing. The tallest tree in the forest is always the first to catch the wind."