Silas couldn't shake the idea.
The more he thought about it, the more an itch spread in his heart until he finally began to construct a meticulous plan in his mind.
He rested on the sand dune the entire day, waiting for the sun to fall and the desert to cool. Only when night descended did he gear up and quietly head out.
"Sandile, Krokorok, Krookodile… these species hate the cold," Silas murmured. "At night, when desert temperatures drop sharply, they won't roam. They hide deep under the sand."
Wearing his dark night-travel clothes, he retraced the path from earlier that day, returning to the location where he had been ambushed.
The dunes had been reshaped by shifting wind, but faint traces of the earlier battle remained.
Silas crouched behind a stone outcrop, keeping low. Even at night he didn't dare reveal himself openly - because crocodilian Pokémon had uniquely evolved eyes.
Krokorok line had a special transparent membrane covering their eyes-shielding them from sandstorms while allowing them to detect heat signatures like thermal goggles.
A natural thermal-vision night-sight.
Which meant… even in darkness, they could "see" extremely clearly.
"Alright… time to drag you out."
Silas pressed himself low to the ground and whispered:
"Castform-full-power Rain Dance, right over this whole area."
Castform,shot from the Poké Ball in a blur - her cloud-like body drifting like a ghost.
With a soft "Yoyo~", her body shifted into Rainy Form. Within seconds, dark clouds churned into existence overhead.her cloudy body darkening as storm energy gathered.
Drip… drip… dripdripdrip
Fine droplets grew into sheets of rain. Soon, a full desert downpour hammered the sands, soaking deep beneath the surface.Then it transformed into a roaring downpour, water crashing onto the dune like a storm river.
Castform floated back with a proud grin on her little cloudy face.
Silas flicked her head lightly while snorting. "Alright, alright-good work. When we return,I'll give you a bottle of Sunny-Rain Essence later."
The Castform wiggled happily hearing of her treat.
After recalling Castform, he focused on the soaked desert.
Moments later-
RUMBLE-!
Several Sandile ,krokorok erupted out of the wet ground, thrashing furiously.
"Kroooh-!"
"San-dile!"
They beat their chests with their small claws, stomping and hissing with sharp, angry roars. Their jaws gaped, showing rows of pointed fangs.
Perfect.
Silas retrieved a small aromatic sachet-the one infused with Ludicolo's Sweet Aroma, enhanced with extra spices. To wild Pokémon, the scent was irresistibly enticing.
"Murkrow," Silas whispered. "Take it and fly far, far out. Lure them away."
"Kraaaw!"
Murkrow grabbed the pouch in his beak and darted into the night.
The moment the fragrance drifted across the wet sand…
"krooooo!!"
The enraged Krokorok pack turned instantly, stampeding after the scent and completely abandoning the area.
Silas grinned wickedly.
"Heh… perfect. Now let's see what's buried under this sand."
With the Krokorok and sandile gone, he rushed out and pulled a compact alloy shovel -the same one he used in Rustboro Tunnel and began digging like a madman.
'Please be eggs. PLEASE be eggs. Don't be… stored food.'
His Pokémon joined in, digging carefully with weakened Dig, Water Gun, and other low-impact moves.
"If it's a Pokémon egg, even a scratch would be a tragedy."
Minutes passed. Sweat dripped down Silas's forehead.
They couldn't risk breaking anything precious.
Then-
From a corner of the sand…
A single dark eye slowly opened beneath the surface.
Cold. Cruel. Watching.
But Silas didn't notice - because his own instincts suddenly flared.
Silas froze, eyes narrowing.
"Something's here! Dig deeper-slowly!"
He shoved his shovel down, sand spraying aside.
Clunk.
Something solid.
With trembling hands, Silas brushed away the last layer of sand-
A yellowish-brown Pokémon egg emerged.
A Sandile Egg.
Silas's eyes widened with shocked joy.
"One egg means… there must be more."
Ground-raised species like Sandile usually buried several eggs together in one clutch.
He dug faster, adrenaline firing through his veins.
Soon—
Two eggs.
Four.
Six…
"Seven… there are actually seven!!"
By the time the seventh egg was unearthed, Silas was panting, drenched in sweat, but grinning uncontrollably.
"We're rich… we're rich…"
His breath quickened-maybe from exhaustion, maybe overwhelming excitement-probably both.
Suddenly-
"GRAAH!!"
A furious cry exploded behind him.
Silas froze.
Every hair on his body stood up.
Silas spun around.
A lone Krokorok ,glared at him from the darkness, eyes burning with murderous rage.
"One stayed behind…?!"
Silas shoved the seven eggs into his spatial backpack instantly.
"Crawdaunt-Aqua Jet!"
"Umbreon-Shadow Ball!"
He leapt back as his Pokémon dashed in.
Crawdaunt's body exploded into a stream of water, shooting forward like a harpoon, slamming into Krokorok's face.
BANG!!
The Krokorok slammed its claws into the sand
SWWRRRSH—!!
A massive Sand Tomb wall erupted upward, forming a defensive barrier.
"Crawdaunt-Razor shell! Cut it down!"
SHING!!
Water surged along Crawdaunt's claws, forming the razor-edged Shell Blade.
One clean horizontal slash-
And the sand wall split open instantly.
At that exact moment
FWUP-BOOM!
Umbreon's Shadow Ball struck Krokorok square in the chest, sending it crashing backward.
A direct hit.
Krokorok stumbled, collapsing onto the sand.
Silas's eyes sharpened.
"Finish it,Razor shell!"
Crawdaunt raised its gleaming claw and charged forward to strike the decisive blow-
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(End of chapter)