.

~~**III**~~

A Sandile Gusher of Change

Gwen and Iris left the Pokemon Center together the next morning. Gwen felt extremely uncomfortable as Iris took the same path she did. They walked next to each other in complete silence. She didn't branch off to the forest, nor did she even say where she was headed. She just began tagging along with Gwen.

When Gwen traveled through Kanto and Johto, she never had a companion other than her Pokemon. Sure she battled other Trainers and met people along her journeys, but she never actually made lasting friends. She met a few people who she eventually came to trust with her Pokemon, but when it came to her actual travels, it was always just her and her Pokemon.

Now she had to keep and effort not to look at Iris from the corner of her eye. Where was this girl going? Why didn't she say anything? Did it just so happen that they were headed in the same direction?

Besides, it was hardly like they were friends. They got off to a rough start and it's been a bit rocky ever since. Sure they could have conversations, but other times Iris was just criticizing. That wasn't someone Gwen was interested in traveling with.

Gwen decided to finally break the awkward silence. "So Iris, why are you coming along with me, anyway?"

She turned to her and glared. "Excuse me, but it's not that I'm coming along with you. It's that you're coming along with me. Get it?"

What? Since when was Gwen following Iris? "Yeah right?" Gwen shot back.

"Well, it's true!" She bit back. She took a few paces forward, stepping in front of Gwen.

Letting out a frustrate groan, Gwen quickened her pace, passing Iris. In turn, Iris sped up as well. "Would you get off my tail?" Gwen snapped.

"Excuse me!" Iris snapped back. "You're in my way!"

Gwen started running forward, hoping to get away from Iris. But she grabbed her arm, yanking her back. "Hey!"

"Who said you could walk in front of me?" Iris reprimanded.

Gwen scoffed. "What, is this your road? You can't tell me how and where I can't walk."

She crossed her arms and glared. "Look! I figured since you don't know the Unova region, I'd help you out. But what do I get for trying to be nice? Obviously not even a thank you."

Gwen shook her head in disbelief, growing more and more agitated by the second. "I don't need a babysitter. I travel fine on my own. Been doing it for five years."

"Sure," Iris snapped, putting her hands on her hips. "Go ahead and act like a tough girl. You're such a kid!"

Gwen snarled. "Oh yeah?! You're such a kid, too!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"You have some nerve saying that to me!" Iris shrieked.

Gwen clenched her fist, wanting to punch the lights out of this girl. She'd been nothing but a pain since Gwen met her. And to think she actually thought to travel with her and Pikachu!

"Oshawott!"

Snapping her head down, Gwen noticed Oshawott at their ankles. He grinned at finally getting their attention. "Osha osha oshawott!"

Gwen recognized him from yesterday. "It's you."

"Pika!" Pikachu recognized him as well.

"Oshawott!" Iris gasped.

Gwen smiled at their brave friend from yesterday. Rescuing Pikachu and Axew when coming out of nowhere. She pulled out her PokeDex, holding out toward Oshawott. Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokemon. Oshawott attacks and defends using the scalchop that can be removed from its stomach.

"Thanks for helping us out back there," Gwen told him. Oshawott smiled gleefully. "Though what are you doing here now?"

Oshawott began speaking, but Gwen can't quite understand him, not used to his word choice. Pikachu exclaimed, explaining to Gwen what Oshawott was trying to convey.

Gwen turned back to Oshawott. "Oh, so you were following us?"

Nodding, Oshawott affirmed Pikachu's statement. "Oshawott! Oshawott!"

Iris squealed, pushing Gwen to the side and kneeling in front of Oshawott. "You're so cute! And you were following me!" She grabbed Oshawott and squeezed him against her, just as she did with Pikachu yesterday. Oshawott seemed as thrilled as Pikachu was. "If your skin was any softer and you cheeks and squishier, I couldn't stand it! Of course, since you can't live without me, I promise I'll keep you as my very own Pokemon!"

Gwen quirked a brow, hardly thinking that Oshawott was so passionate about her. That, and the girl called her a kid when she acted like this toward Pokemon? This girl was something else.

But Oshawott jumped out of her arms and shook his head. Iris seemed confused. "Huh?" Oshawott moved over to Gwen and climbed up to her shoulder.

Gwen was slightly startled. The only other Pokemon to have done so besides Pikachu was her Chikorita. "Huh? What are you doing, Oshawott?" Pikachu was suddenly lifted off her shoulder and tossed to the ground. "Pikachu!"

Oshawott is perched on her shoulder now, looking quite pleased with himself. At least by being on Gwen's shoulder. "Oshawott!"

Iris quirked a brow. "Are you saying you like Gwen?"

Oshawott nodded, hopping of Gwen's shoulder. He gave her a winning smile, as if hoping Gwen would consider.

Angry at being pushed off Gwen's shoulder, Pikachu made to attack Oshawott with Thunderbolt. Oshawott held his scalchop in front him which deflected the attack to Gwen, shocking her and knocking her off her feet and skwering her glasses.

Gwen struggled to rise, the Thunderbolt being quite a strong one. Pikachu was more angry that she thought. "What was that for?!" she called to both Pikachu and Oshawott, readjusting her glasses on her face. Pikachu looks apologetic and Oshawott steps closer to her, tears gleaming in his eyes. It seemed impossible to stay mad it him.

Iris spoke up. "Hey, Gwen, I'm getting the feeling that this Oshawott would like to be caught by you."

Gwen blinked, a slow smile curling on her lips. Catching Oshawott! She remembered the one at Professor Juniper's lab and how adorable he was! Yes, if she had to choose one of the three starters, it would have been Oshawott. And here one was! She rose to her feet, looking down at Oshawott. "Is that right, Oshawott?" she asked.

Oshawott nodded, stars in his eyes.

Gwen nodded, taking a Pokeball from her bag. "Go Pokeball!" She tossed it right at Oshawott and it bounced right off...but it didn't activate. Wait...why didn't it work?

Oshawott was confused as well. "Oshawott..." It mumbles as it rubs its head.

Gwen wondered why the Pokeball didn't work. It usually happened when a Pokemon already had a Pokeball of its own. But it didn't seem that this Oshawott had a Trainer. Wait..."Did you come from Professor Juniper's lab?" Oshawott nodded. "Then your Pokeball must be there. Does she know where you are?"

Oshawott paused before shaking his head. It didn't seem all that worried that it walked out on her. But not Gwen, she knew that Professor Juniper must be worried sick. And they'd left the Pokemon Center behind quite a few miles back. Gwen turned to Iris. "Is there an outpost anywhere around here?" Outposts usually had PCs for contact.

Iris noddeds. "There should be one less than a mile from here."

The five of them make it to the outpost and Gwen immediately used the PC to call Professor Juniper. Her face popped up on the screen after a couple moments. "Hello Professor," Gwen greeted.

"Hey Gwen," she replied. "Nice to hear from you. How are your travels going? Have you caught any Pokemon?"

"It's going great," Gwen told her. "I've caught a Pidove."

Juniper smiled. "That's wonderful. Pidove is a great choice in Flying-Types. Take good care of it."

Gwen nodded. "I will. But there's a reason I called you. See, yesterday I ran into Oshawott. I didn't know it at the time, but he came from your lab. He's here now. I tried to catch him but my Pokeball didn't work."

Juniper looked shocked. "So that's where Oshawott went!" she sounded relieved. So she was quick to notice, unlike Oshawott, who had no care if he just left his home. "I was so worried when Oshawott left without letting me know."

Gwen chuckled. "Well, looks like he was following me.."

Juniper looks thoughtful. "Gwen, if it wouldn't be too much of a bother, could you take care of Oshawott from now on?"

Gwen grinned. "Really? I'd love to! Are you sure about this?"

Juniper nodded. "Since he's following you, it seems like the perfect decision. I'll send you his Pokeball right now."

A couple moments later, the transporter revealed a Pokeball, having come from the Professor's lab. Gwen grabbed it. "Thank you."

"And Gwen?" Juniper added. "Since Oshawott has a tendency to disappear, keep an eye out. Thanks! See you later!" The PC shut off.

Wait...did he often run off? Gwen turned toward Oshawott...only to find he wasn't there! Gwen raced out of the outpost. "Oshawott, where did you go?" she called.

Iris walked up behind her, smirking. "Well, I guess I'll just have to help you look around."

Gwen rolled her eyes. That's the last thing she'd want. "No thanks," she told her. "I can do it myself. Come on, Pikachu."

"Pika pi." He followed after her.

Iris tsked her tongue. "You don't have to act like such a kid, you know."

Gwen turned on her. "I don't need you help," she said. "I don't even want you around!"

Iris crossed her arms, offended. "You don't have to be rude. You're such a kid."

"Will you stop it with the 'kid' insult!" Gwen snapped. "And you call me rude! Being frustrated over being followed by an annoying little girl does not make me a kid." She walked away.

Iris stomped her foot. "I am not a little girl!" she shrieked.

"Of course you're not!" Gwen mockingly chuckled.

Iris ran up and grabbed Gwen's arm to stop her, but the ground gave out from under them and they crashed into a widely dug hole. It was big enough for the two of them not to crash on top of one another.

"Owww," Gwen muttered, rubbing her knee. She landed hard on it. That was going to leave a bruise. She probably had about a dozen more from the fall. And her glasses became skewered again.

"That hurt!" she heard Iris whine.

Gwen slowly rose to her feet, feeling the aches and bruises. "Where did this hole come from?"

"Sandile."

Iris and Gwen looked up to see a young boy of about ten or eleven years with brown hair hovering over the hole. "Sandile dug this hole," he told the girls. "Hold on, I'll get you out." After several moments, he tossed a rope down into the hole.

Gwen turned to Pikachu. "Hop on, buddy." Pikachu leapt onto her shoulder and she turned to the rope, grabbing it and hauling herself up out of the hole. Iris followed soon after.

"So, you said a Sandile dug this hole?" Gwen asked the boy once she and Iris climbed out. The boy nodded. Gwen took out her PokeDex, searching for Sandile. Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokemon. Its dark membrane protects its eyes from the sun and it buries itself in the sand with its eyes and nose sticking out. The Sandile had a mostly dirt-brown body with thick black stripes on its back and the tip of its tail as well as a pink underbelly. Walking on four legs, it sure looked like a little crocodile with a long snout and complete black circles around its eyes that must be the membranes.

Gwen nodded, returning her PokeDex. She turned back to the boy. "Thank you so much for helping us out. I'm Gwen."

"And I'm Iris," Iris added.

"Hi, my name's Dan," the boy introduced. "My family and I operate a resort spa and hotel not too far from here."

"This is so cool!" Iris cheered. "I adore resort spas!"

Gwen smiled. "So do I!"

Dan's faces fell. "Well, as happy as I am to hear that, I have to tell you that we're closed at the moment. It's because of the Sandile."

"Oh, that's awful," Gwen told him. It's terrible that the Sandile were getting in the way of Dan's family's business. "What happened?"

"Our hot sand spas are our greatest attraction," Dan began. "I was helping my dad out with a couple customers. A Sandile popped up between them. It wasn't that surprising as Sandile would pop up in our sand spas from time to time and since they were never a bother, they were allowed to stay. But these ones began kicking up sand all over, hitting our customers and ruining the nice, even sand." Dan began to make his way toward the resort. "Follow me, I'll show you."

Dan took the girls into the hot sand spa. Several small dug holes were scattered along the space, completely disorienting the sand. There was also a bit of debris scattered around as well, ruining the sand spa.

"This is terrible," Gwen said, gazing around the ruined sand spa. All this done by a bunch of Sandile? Dan said they were friendly before, so what made them become violent?

Dan nodded. "This just happened a few days ago. We've been closed ever since."

"I don't understand why the Sandile would have become so destructive," Iris said.

"I have no idea, either," Dan replied. "None of the Sandile were being mistreated."

"Well," Gwen started, "there's only one thing to do." She took off her pack and tote and set them on the ground, as well as stripped down to her bra and boy shorts. Stepping onto the soft sand, Gwen curled under it and comfortably situated herself. The sand was soft and packed enough to nicely blanket her without sliding off. Pikachu joined in right next to her. Immediately, Gwen felt the tension in her shoulders release, as well as that of her back. The sand created a nice weight that wasn't too heavy on her torso and hugged around her arms and legs. "Oh, I'm in perfect bliss..."

"I give. What are you doing?" she heard Iris ask.

"Getting research," Gwen replied. "You said the Sandile attacked people in the sand spa, so I'm luring them here."

Iris scoffed. "Yeah, right. You just wanted to test out the sand spa."

Gwen grinned. "You could always join me," she told the girl. "It feels wonderful." More shuffling in the sand comes from her right and she saw Axew settled inside next to Pikachu.

"Axew," he sighed.

"Not you, too!" Iris bemoaned.

"Come on, Iris, you're too tense," Gwen told her. "Try out the hot sand."

"Gwen, we're supposed to be looking for Oshawott!" Iris yelled.

Gwen shot up from the hot sand. "Oh no, I totally forgot!" How could she forget about Oshawott? He'd run off a little while ago and could be anywhere by now!

"Oshawott."

Iris and Gwen turned to see Oshawott a little ways away, also buried in the hot sand. His scalchop rested on his head as he relaxed in the hot sand. Gwen rose fully from the sand and walked over to him. "Have you been here this whole time, Oshawott?" Gwen asked.

He nodded. "Oshawott."

Gwen chuckled. "That's one happy Pokemon."

The sound of the sand shifting loudly catches their attention as they turn to see a Sandile poking out from the hot sand.

"That's the leader of the Sandile!" Dan cried, pointing to the Sandile that Gwen now noticed was wearing red sunglasses.

The Sandile leapt out to them and clutched Axew in its jaws.

"No, Axew!" Iris cried.

Gwen nearly called out for Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but then remembered that Axew would get caught in the attack as well. Not only that, but if she guessed right, Sandile was a Ground-Type Pokemon and Electric-Type moves had no effect on them. Instead, she raced up to the Sandile, catching it around te middle so it wouldn't run off. With her other hand, she tried prying open the Sadnile's mouth.

"Let go of Axew!" Gwen shouted.

Iris joined her, trying to ease Axew out of Sadnile's mouth without hurting him. "Let go of my Axew or else!"

Pikachu and Oshawott joined the struggle as well. Gwen called for all of them to pull together and they each pull at Sandile's jaws and Axew. Sandile soon released Axew, but turns to grab Pikachu and Oshawott in his grip. Pikachu's arm is held tight in the Sandile's jaw as well as Oshawott's foot.

"No! Pikachu! Oshawott!" Gwen leapt to her feet and follows Sandile, but halted in her tracks as the Sandile is lifted of its feet. It was lifted up as if by a magnet or something attached to a crane truck. And the drives reveal themselves to be Team Rocket.

"Open your ears, the question indeed," Jessie started their chant.

"The answer to come as we feel the need!" James continued.

We bring the white light of evil into your future.

Hammering justice on the black universe.

Carving our names in the rock of eternity.

The fiery destroyer: Jessie.

With thunderour emotion: I am James.

Wisest of the wise: Meowth.

Now gather under the name of Team Rocket!

Gwen gnashed her teeth at the sight of those three again. "Team Rocket! What are you doing here?!"

"Don't you ever give up!" Iris snapped. "Give us back our Pokemon!"

Jessie leaned out of the truck's window. "There's a huge flaw in your premise since they're now our Pokemon." The truck turned and rolled away with Sandile, Pikachu, and Oshawott still dangling from it. James tossed a canister that spewed out black smoke to cover their leave.

Gwen ran back to her clothes pile, yanking her jeans and shirt back on. She almost fell over while pulling her boots on, but managed to keep balance and she ran after Iris and Dan, who followed after Team Rocket once the smoke cleared. They followed over the mountain range just behind the resort, and spot Team Rocket up the shallow moutain side and climbed it up just as the truck was half buried in the rocks. Team Rocket was nowhere to be found.

The three continue on to find Pikachu and Oshawott along with a group of Sandile as well as a bundle of Pidove, Patrat, and Deerling, all looking very wary.

"There they are," Gwen sounded, relieved to have found her Pokemon, unharmed.

"Yeah, and there are a bunch of wild Pokemon as well as a bunch of Sandile," Iris added. "I wonder what they're all doing here?"

Gwen shrugged, having no answer. But then the ground begins to rumble and in several places, hot water geysers begin to shoot out, one even near the spot behind the rocks where the three are hiding.

"That's odd," Dan commented. "I've never seen a geyser around here."

They then heard the Sandile speaking to the wild Pokemon, gesturing with its paw to start moving higher up the mountain. The other Sandile close in protectively around them. The wild Pokemon do seem a bit less frightened in the close presence of the Sandile.

"It looks like the Sandile with the sunglasses is guiding them all somewhere," Iris said.

Dan stood, a finger to his chin. "I'll bet you the Sandile are trying to protect the other Pokemon!" he exclaimed. It made sense with the trust the other Pokemon are putting in the Sandile. "I'm beginning to wonder that's the reason they came to the sand baths in the first place! That they were really just trying to warn us all about the danger from the geysers."

"Would that be wh Sandile stole Axew?" Iris added. "And then Oshawott and Pikachu?"

Gwenn nodded. "That would make sense. I guess Sandile isn't as bad as we all thought." She then decided to go to her Pokemon. "Pikachu! Oshawott!" They both turn at her call and look pleased to see her. She knelt in front of them, putting a hand on their heads and giving them a gentle, relieved scratch.

The Sandile all turn to her, hearing her behind them and slowly advance toward her. But just as they came close, the ground began rumbling even harder than before. More geysers erupt and crack through the hard ground. The water runs through the newly cracked earth and surround the wild Pokemon on a small island, trapping them. They're so scared that even the Pidove don't fly away.

"They're surrounded by boiling water!" Iris cried. "Now what do we do?"

"There's gonna be trouble is another big one flows!" Dan called. And just their luck, the ground begins rumbling again.

Gwen came closer to the stream of hot water, knowing there was no way she could wade through it. She could feel the heat seap through her clothes already. She turned to the Sandile. "Is there anything you guys can to to help these poor Pokemon?" she asked the leader.

The Sandile with the sunglasses nods and turns to a nearby rock, clenching its jaw around it and lifting itself feet up in the air. The other Sandile follow suit, clamping their jaws around the previous Sandile's tail and making a long chain straight in the air. They then leaned down to make a bridge across the the steaming water.

"Perfect!" Gwen exclaimed, turning toward the wild Pokemon. "Come on, you can get safely across!" But the Pokemon remain on the island, scared and shaking. Gwen moved to the Sandile bridge, easing her foot on it and making sure not to hurt the Sandile. She made her way quickly but carefully over the bridge. She knelt in front of the closest Deerling, gently cupping its chin in her hand. "The bridge is perfectly safe. You can cross it to the other side. The Sandile won't let you get hurt." The Deerling lost a smidgen of its fear and headed to the Sandile bridge, slowly making its way across. The Pidove gain the courage to fly off and the other Pokemon follow the first Deerling.

Gwen watched the last Deeling follow the line but heard a crack from under her and sees the edge of the rock starting to give way under the Sandile. She grabbed it in her arms and held fast. She looked to the Deerling who halted in its tracks upon feeling the bridge unsettle.

"It's alright," Gwen told the Deerling. "Keep going."

Another geyser erupts, curving down straight toward Gwen. She couldn't move unless she dropped Sandile in the boiling water and watched in horror as the boiling water shot straight at her. She then heard Oshawott cry and watched as he jumped up and shot a Water Gun and the boiling water, cooling it considerably before it hit her. Oshawott cheered at his job well done but then starts falling from the air and straight for the boiling stream. Gwen pulled out her Pokeball and returned her Pokemon before it landed in the hot water.

But her other hand, holding Sandile, slipped and Gwen felt herself tumbling down into the boiling water, but a hand grabbed hers before that happens. Gwen looked up to see Iris clinging to the last Sandile, her hand clasping Gwen's. Iris smiled. "That was pretty crazy, Gwen," she said.

Gwen grinned. "That was nothing!" She turned to the Sandile. "How about one more push, Sandile!"

The Sandile began to rise back into a vertical position with Iris and Gwen clinging up top. Moments later, the Sandile all let go and they all tumbled to the ground. While it hurt, Gwen felt more relieved that everyone was okay. Even Sandile, who was splayed on the ground gave a grin.

Dan, Iris, and Gwen waved off the Sandile and wild Pokemon. The Sandile began leading them off the side of the mountain, getting away from the geysers and hopefully helping them relocate into a more safe habitat. At least that was what Pikachu said.

The three slowly made their way back down the mountain. The geysers had left running water flowing steadily down the mountain and they couldn't take the same path they did before. But they made it back down to the resort where Dan's father told them that the sand bath had sprouted a large geyser. No one had been hurt, but there was a pretty big mess of wet, splattered sand.

Iris and Gwen helped Dan and his family, which included his older brother and sister as well as their mom, clean out the sand bath. It didn't take that long before the sand was cleared away and they looked at a beautiful hot spring in the place of their former sand bath.

Gwen and Iris insisted on trying it out and changed into their bathing suits and waded inside, along with Axew, Pikachu, and Oshawott.

Gwen sighed, sinking her shoulders under the water. She could feel the tips of her hair that didn't want to be pulled into the bun at the top of her head coat against her warm skin. Since Iris had so much hair, she didn't bother pulling it up and let it sink into the hot water.

"This feels amazing," Gwen sighed.

"Sure does," Iris added. "Five stars without a doubt."

"Thanks!" Dan exclaimed. "Though, it's unfortunate that we lost our attraction."

Dan's father put a hand on his young son's shoulder. "Yes, but we got a brand new one."