"Gardevoir, come back first! Gengar, Space Barrier! Tyranitar, clear a path below!"
Having decided to enter the lower level of the desert, Sato did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately began directing his Pokémon to venture deeper.
Tyranitar let out a roar and used Rock Tomb to temporarily block all the Anorith outside the perimeter. Then, with a heavy stomp, the entire giant hourglass began sinking rapidly.
Gengar was not idle either. It deftly created two semicircular Space Barriers that joined together above and below, enclosing itself and Sato within.
Then, while Tyranitar stomped to accelerate the sand's natural descent, it also drove the sand outward, allowing itself and Sato to sink smoothly.
There was a significant difference between acting voluntarily and passively. Once Sato and the others chose to descend on their own, they were swallowed by the sand in the blink of an eye.
The remaining bonfire was left outside, but the shifting sand gradually smothered and buried it.
The instant the firelight vanished, every Anorith seemed to have been hit by Disable, standing dumbly where they were.
Only after quite a while did the Anorith gradually awaken, clarity returning to their eyes.
They looked around in slight confusion before slowly drilling back into the sand.
Soon, the desert surrounding the boulder fell silent, as though the swarm of insects had never existed.
Crashing sound...
The sound of sand grinding came from all directions. Though Sato had complete faith in Gengar's Space Barrier, the utterly enclosed environment still made his scalp tingle.
Fortunately, Tyranitar moved quickly. Carrying Sato within the Space Barrier, it soon passed through the Sand Layer.
It was still pitch-black, but thanks to Sato's excellent night vision ability, he could clearly make out the surrounding area.
As for Tyranitar and Gengar, both were experts