Silas watched Steven and Uncle Sebas ride off atop Bastiodon, the steel-plated giant vanishing into the waves of yellow sand.
Before leaving, Steven had invited him to travel together.
Silas declined with a polite smile.
"Our routes don't match. I'll only slow you down."
Seeing his insistence, Steven didn't push further.
Once they were gone, the desert regained its oppressive silence.
Silas exhaled, tightened the straps on his pack, and continued onward with his team.
If nothing unexpected happened, he estimated they would leave the desert in just a few hours.
...
Training in the Harsh Heat
Crawdaunt scuttled beside him, uncomfortable in the dry air.
The desert had no natural moisture, and even breathing felt harsh.
But Silas treated it as training.
"Crawdaunt - Rain Dance."
"Craaaw-daunt!"
The red crustacean lifted both claws to the sky.
A few dark clouds flickered into existence… only to dissolve within seconds.
Not even a drop of water fell.
"Yeah… Rain Dance in a desert is way too hard."
Normally, Crawdaunt could summon a light shower with no problem.
But here, the environment itself resisted it -heat, dryness, and unstable air.
Floating beside them, Silas's Castform explained the mechanics, and Crawdaunt tried again.
Meanwhile, Umbreon and Murkrow patrolled the area.
Since evolving, Umbreon had grown colder, quieter, less playful.
Silas still wasn't used to it - though it was natural. Most Pokémon changed temperament upon evolving.
Even so, Silas always had a place for Umbreon in his arms.
Whenever the dark fox grew tired, she would abandon her pride and curl up against him.
....
The Ambush
"Umbreon," Silas warned suddenly, "look ahead. The sand is moving."
A raised patch of sand shot toward them like a drifting bubble.
"Umbreon - Shadow Ball!"
Bwom!
A dark orb slammed into the sand, kicking up dust.
Before Silas could identify the attacker-
Sharp stone spikes erupted outward in all directions-
straight toward him.
"Murkrow! Tailwind!"
"Kraaa!"
Wind surged.
Silas's team converged instantly, throwing up Protect in front of him.
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"You picked the wrong target…"
"Murkrow, blow the sand away! Crawdaunt, Aqua Jet ,Then use Razor Shell!"
The sandstorm exploded outward.
The attacker was finally revealed-
A bipedal crocodile with sunglasses-shaped eyes and serrated ridges running down its back.
A Sandile.
Silas's face hardened.
Where there is one Sandile, there are always more.
"Umbreon - maintain perimeter.
Murkrow - support Crawdaunt."
In the distance, Crawdaunt was already fighting the first Sandile head-on. With type advantage and superior training, it pushed the wild Pokémon back quickly.
But just as Silas expected-
Several more sand mounds appeared at high speed.
"Here we go…"
"Murkrow! Gust at that one!"
The raven swooped, sending a chopping wind blast across the sand.
Another Sandile was flushed out, roaring and pounding its chest angrily.
Its aura suddenly exploded upward.
"…Damn. Anger Point triggered."
(Anger Point: When hit in a vital spot, the Pokémon becomes enraged and its Attack maxes out.)
Silas didn't hesitate.
"Crawdaunt -return!
Umbreon - return!
Murkrow, grab me. We're leaving!"
"Kraaa!"
Murkrow's talons hooked onto Silas's arm, dragging him skyward.
He wasn't strong enough to carry him fully but he could pull him into the air long enough to escape.
Fortunately, the Sandile group had no ranged moves.
From the sky, Silas looked down at the furious crocodiles thrashing across the dunes.
"Sandile bury prey as emergency food storage… but it could also mean—"
Either:
• they were protecting territory,
• guarding stored prey,
• or worst of all…
"…there may be eggs buried under there."
He inhaled.
"Murkrow, land on that dune."
They touched down on a tall ridge. Silas immediately released his team again and began tending to Murkrow's wings.
But his mind was elsewhere.
...
"My team right now… other than Umbreon, everyone gets destroyed by Electric-types."
Crawdaunt, Murkrow, Castform - all weak to Electric.
But Krookodile's line?
A powerful Ground/Dark-type.
Immune to Electric.
Hits extremely hard.
Amazing defensive synergy with the rest of his team.
Silas's eyes narrowed with interest.
"I wasn't planning to catch a second-stage Pokémon - wild evolved ones are nearly impossible to tame…"
He smirked.
"But a high-quality Sandile?
That's a different story."
Especially remembering the Krookodile from Unova's anime - a beast among beasts.
Silas looked back toward the sands where the Sandile had vanished.
"This opportunity came to me on its own. I'm not letting it go."
His eyes glinted with ambition.
This desert wasn't done giving him surprises yet.
<><><><><><>
(End of chapter)