Once upon a somewhere

[Karber]

I went through the scrapyard in tourmaline desert and I found the place "Once upon a somewhere", which seems to be endless. Am I required to go through this place? 

[Autumn Zephyr]

Once Upon a Somehwere (A.K.A. Once Upon a Waste of Time) is actually one of the Gyms, so it is most definitely required. Eventually a golden staircase will spawn- I don't remember the exact conditions for it, though I think running south is involved); that'll be your ticket to continue forward. Thankfully, most of the rest of the area is more straightforward.

[Nicocchi]

I typically find the staircase by running north and ever so slightly east.

[Sirrobert]

Find the stairs in the middle, and go up.