Battles on the Ship

Blaziken had always especially hated washing up. It avoided the "troublesome matter" of cleaning its body whenever possible, and it particularly hated the feeling of water or sand getting into its feathers.

"All right, stop pretending to look. There's nothing outside but the sea and sky." Xinhai stepped forward and patted Blaziken's arm, hard as iron and warm to the touch. "You're covered in dust and grime. How can you not get cleaned up?"

"Blazi..." Blaziken finally turned its head unwillingly, its eyes carrying a trace of embarrassment at being found out and a bargaining look, as if asking, "Can't I just wipe myself down with a towel?"

"No negotiation!" Xinhai deliberately put on a stern face, though he could not hide the amusement in his eyes. "The cruise ship has a dedicated sand bath room. The sand has been disinfected and screened, so it's very clean. It won't trap dirt as easily as wild sand. And after you're done, I'll carefully clean all the sand out of your feathers. I guarantee you'll feel comfortable. How about it?"

He then looked at Sandile. "Sandile, you too. A sand bath is good for your skin."

"Heh-oh!" Sandile was quite obedient. It immediately moved its little short legs and headed voluntarily toward the small sand bath room inside the cabin, separated off by frosted glass.

Blaziken looked at its "traitorous" teammate, then at Xinhai's unquestionable expression. In the end, it drooped its head as if resigning itself to fate and trudged toward the sand bath room, half-pushed and half-coaxed by Xinhai.

"Vee~" Eevee let out a gleeful call from the bed as it watched Blaziken looking as though it were marching bravely to its death. Gardevoir gently tapped its little head with Psychic type power, signaling it not to be naughty.

The