Predators in the Sandstorm

Compared to Slaking,

the Rock-type Gigalith was better suited to stand at the cave entrance and defend against the sandstorm.

Although the various unknown objects carried by the natural sandstorm—high-speed flying rocks and plant fragments—would cause Gigalith some damage, its Type Advantage allowed it to face the assault of the sand more easily.

Unfortunately, Gigalith had to devote more of its energy to maintaining this shelter.

Under the sandstorm's violent churning,

neither Tetsuya nor Norman thought the sand dune above their heads could remain intact.

If it collapsed, suffocation and the immense pressure would be far more terrifying than the sandstorm itself.

Fortunately,

Norman's powerful strength had given his Slaking considerable stamina and defense.

With the two Pokemon continuously recovering, nothing serious happened.

Yellow sand howled through the air.

The entire sky had been dyed earthy yellow by this sudden natural change.

Even Pokemon accustomed to living in the desert obediently returned home and hid away at this time.

It was not because they feared nature's power.

Rather,

in a sandstorm like this, even stronger and rarer predators often appeared.

"Wah, wah-wah."

Forty kilometers away from the two of them,

a strange growl suddenly came from beneath the seemingly calm quicksand.

Two dark trails slowly emerged.

"Lii—"

In the sky,

a faint, lingering cry seemed to answer the words of the Pokemon beneath the sea of sand.

After a brief silence,

the black trails slowly sank and vanished. In their place appeared a long movement trail, nearly invisible beneath the cover of the sandstorm.

The yellow sand itself seemed to possess awareness, gathering around that trail, swirling, and moving forward with it.

If one looked directly down from above,

it would not be hard to see that the trail's destination overlapped exactly with Tetsuya and Norman's location.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey."