Caleb was definitely struggling: emotionally, as much as physically.[break][break]
The last time he'd ventured into this harsh landscape, angelo vestri had been with him. These days, it seemed as if the universe wanted to hammer into his heart the absence of the Nautica pilot. His hunt for Latios and Latias had not produced much of anything - merely a glimpse of hope on a swiftly darkening horizon - and now he was back here, in this awful desert, reminded of the question Angelo had asked him here, that he had not yet found the answer to.[break][break]
Do you want to be? A hero?[break][break]
Even if he knew what to say to that, he'd never get a chance to tell Angelo now. The regret burned through him like the blinding sun bearing down upon them, unrelenting.[break][break]
But he wasn't alone, not now: Jihaia, his Garchomp, was by his side, and a familiar woman battled the sandstorm ahead of them both. He knew her, but didn't really know her. This was meant to be his first real chance to spend some quality time with ollie morales's sister, all these years since Kanto. She'd always felt out of his league back then, the sort of person people would describe as "destined for great things." And she had accomplished many impressive feats, he knew. He'd volunteered to accompany her out of a desire to tether himself to another thread of purpose, another way to help Hoenn endure.[break][break]
A past version of himself might have questioned his usefulness to the Head Professor, but thanks to freya morningstar's influence lately, he now believed that worrying about his worth was a tremendous waste of time. What mattered were his actions. He wasn't going to sit still and let his world get destroyed - by his brother, by whoever the DRK Triad were, by Rocket, by anyone.[break][break]
Except...first, he needed to find some goddamn shade.[break][break]
Luckily, Eva had spotted a cave. Grunting in agreement, he trudged through the waste-high sand until he'd reached the entrance. Once inside, he ripped off the cloth protecting his face, pulled down his jacket's hood, and sucked in a deep breath of sand-free air. It was blessedly cool inside of the cave. He wiped at the sweat pouring down the back of his neck with his discarded cloth, then turned to face his companion.[break][break]
"Not exactly a welcoming place, is it?" He flashed Eva a wry smile. Then he glanced at Jihaia, who seemed utterly unaffected by the sandstorm. Her toothy maw gaped open in a wide grin, eyes shining with a keen excitement. She actually liked it here, he realized.[break][break]
"I guess we should look around this cave," he suggested, resisting the urge to drain his entire water canteen in one gulp. "Maybe there's something of - "[break][break]
He stopped short, as a glint of something shiny caught his eye. It was too dark to make out exactly what it was, but it was further into the cave...a Tera crystal, perhaps? They grew everywhere these days, infecting Hoenn's landscape like an insidious fungus. He took a hesitant step forward, peering through shadows.[break][break]
"I think there's some kind of...passage?" His brow furrowed. He didn't love the idea of getting trapped underground in a remote desert, but it seemed worth investigating. "And something else too? I don't know. Thought I saw something down there."

TAGS – Eva Morales[break]
NOTES – ULTRA DESERT #1[break]
Prompt 13 - involve quicksand, secret passages, or being buried alive.

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