Will sat in the truck, fanning himself with a hand. "It's hot." An understatement, it was searing hot. The air shimmered, making the heat clearly visible. Both boys were already sweating. Riven eyed some sandslash that were making their way across the dunes in the distance, the air distorting their image. Some vibrava buzzed by, startling them both.

"Very astute, Will."

"Go die."

"I will one day. And if no one comes back, we're both going to die really soon," Riven hinted, picturing just how bad this situation could really get. Deserts were a hellish place. Being stuck in one was going to be hard. Surviving? Harder still.

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because whenever I'm around, when things could go wrong, they usually do. And not just slightly, but catastrophically and fatally wrong." Riven noticed this quite some time ago, usually during attempted ambushes that always turned out wrong, or mountain hikes that always ended in rock slides or a wild pokemon attack. Apart from that, a swarm of murderous scyther attacking him on his first day in the future reinforced the notion. It was undeniable at this point. Shit was about to go down in about fifty different shades of wrong.

"You don't know that."

"Oh, I do. Trust me."

"Why should I?" Will gave Riven a distrusting look while crossing his arms. He was rightly suspicious of a man who threatened to kill him a day ago. At least he had a healthy sense of doubt. That was leaps higher than most trainers.

"Well, at least your parents taught you correctly. But if you chose not to believe me, that's your issue. Just don't complain when I'm correct." Riven hoped he wasn't.

Will rolled his eyes and clambered out of the truck. He squinted due to the bright glaring desert sun and the reflection of its rays on the sand. The temperature was a sweltering 103 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was only noon. It would get even hotter in the next two hours. Riven joined Will outside, visibly sweating too. He wiped his forehead with his hand, shaking off some of the salty liquid.

The smaller trainer walked to the side of the truck and looked around. "There's sand for miles." Look to the north, sand. Look to the south, sand. West? East? Sand. What's that over there? Fucking sand.

"We're in a desert, did you expect daisies and waterfalls?"

Will huffed at the snide comment. Gray was a jerk."Are all older trainers assholes?"

"You sure you should be using that language?"

"Fuck you."

"Eh, what do I care? I'm not your father. Thank the heavens for that."

"Ugh." Will felt a breeze brush against his face. It was an uncomfortable and dry wind, providing no relief against the desert heat. It didn't feel like the prairie breezes or gentle winds of Petalburg, it was like opening an oven, a rush of hot air. It was a little better than having no wind at all though. "It's kind of windy."

Riven noticed the wind brush against the exposed skin on his arms. He lifted his hands, feeling it further. "You're right. But it's incredibly dry…" Riven felt like he was missing something important here. He thought it would come to him later, so he shoved it to the back of his mind. "Hmmmm, we still got another day to go."

Will looked confused. "Why's that? They left hours ago. They should be back soon." Obviously this Gray bastard was a downer, like those emo kids Will hated back in Slateport. They always sought the negative side of things. That pissed him off.

Riven sighed, this kid knew nothing. "Will, this is a desert." It sounded obvious but the implications of it made the kid's assumption tauros shit.

"Yeah, genius. You said that to me already."

"Think about it." Riven waited, but after receiving a blank stare, he continued with his explanation. "It's hot, and that pidgeot is carrying two people over miles of desert in 103 degree heat. It's going to have to stop to rehydrate and rest. It can't go the full trip that quickly. Plus, the trucker is bringing back vehicles to get us, if it took a day at 90 to get here, it's going to take them a while to get here too. So we may have to stay overnight."

"Out here?"

"Nooooo." Riven placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and waved his free hand in an arc facing the sky. "On the moon." Then gave Will a scowl. "Idiot."

"Asshole."

"You asked a stupid question."

Will hissed and positioned himself under the truck's shade. He was short enough to do it. Riven wasn't, unfortunately. He had to crouch to get under its shade, for now it was too small for him, but later it would get larger with the position of the sun. Will's face twisted in disgust. "Why are you here? This is my spot."

"You don't own the shade. And it's the only spot with some protection from the sun."

"Fine, just don't touch me or anything, you're all sweaty." Will wiped his face with his sleeve, and took off his hat, which was making his head itchy. His hair was damp and his shirt was beginning to accumulate sweat at the collar. Riven noticed.

"So are you."

"Shut up."

Both trainers remained this way for quite a while, before Riven went back to the truck and brought out a mini gallon of water to drink out of. Will was drinking a bottle of water, it wasn't nearly that big. Will caught sight of the gallon and turned back to staring at a sand dune in the distance. Then he did a double take and stared back at it. Riven noticed the smaller boy staring at him and raised a brow.

"What?"

Will pointed to Riven's gallon. "Did you have to bring that much?"

"This? I brought four of those, and several bottles in my bag."

Will's jaw dropped. Either this guy was crazy prepared or went overboard on everything. "WHAT? Why so much?"

"Because I had a feeling something unfortunate and potentially full of suck could happen. And the most crucial thing in a desert is water. Food is well and good, but no water means you slow down. Slowing down means death," Riven stated simply, taking another gulp.

"You're paranoid."

"You have no idea."

It was now three in the afternoon, and the temperature had risen to 107. The winds got a little stronger. Will noticed it and pointed out the change again. "The wind got stronger." He kicked some sand with his foot.

"Yes." Riven drank some water again, staring at the same dune that Will was staring at. He swore it was getting smaller. That feeling of missing something came back again, but stronger. He couldn't quite place it. A sandshrew rolled down the dune into a depression and out of sight.

"Is that dune getting smaller?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Must be the wind."

"Probably."

They sat under the shade a few more minutes, sipping water and eating some snacks to keep hunger away. Meanwhile they were eating, the wind picked up a little more. Sand blew onto the makeshift road, landing at the trainers' feet. Riven munched lazily, staring ahead in a blank daze.

"Hmmm, the wind got stronger. That's most curious…."

Something still didn't feel right. The dune had disappeared and the sands were shifting due to the wind. Riven and Will exchanged glances and continued eating. Then the sand started blowing a little harder, it bothered Will and he cursed at it. Riven wasn't really disturbed and finished his jerky. The wind picked up once again, sand brushing a bit more harshly against their face.

"Why is the wind getting stronger? This is a desert," Will complained, blocking some sand from his face with his sleeve. It was getting annoying and some sand was getting in his sandwiches. "Go away!"

Riven froze. "Wait, wait, WAIT."

"What, what, what?"

"The wind keeps getting stronger."

"Well, duh. It's been doing that."

Riven's visible eye widened and he drank a bigger gulp of water before closing the gallon up in a hurry. "Will, what happens when it gets really windy in the desert?"

"Annoying sand in your face?"

"No. I mean yes!" Riven ran a hand through damp hair and nervously scratched his head. "Oh, shit."

"What? What's going on? Why are you freaking out?"

Riven took out a small pokeball and enlarged it. It opened and White Queen emerged, looking confused. She noticed the desert environment and started to complain. "Ab! Absol, sol-so!" Riven held up a finger and waited. Then, she tensed and sank low to the floor. Her pupil's dilated and her neck stiffened, her horn tingled fiercely. "Absol! Absol! Absol!" Her trainer nodded and returned her. He gulped slowly and cursed.

"What was that about?" Will asked, unaware of the impending danger. Why did he summon his stupid absol anyway?

"Will, get inside the truck. Now," Riven warned, looking out at the desert.

"Why? I don't have to listen to you."

"Now isn't the time to be hostile. This just became serious." Riven's tone unnerved Will, the older trainer's last sentence sent shivers through his spine. "You can hate me all you want, if we want to survive, you are going to listen to me. I've been through this before, and I know what's coming. So work with me, I don't care what you do after."

"F-fine." Will could feel an ominous vibe coming from Gray, it scared him. "What's the danger?"

"Something is coming, something really, really, nasty."

Will quickly hopped into the truck again, joined moments later by the older trainer. Gray started to take out goggles and rags, unwrapping his right eye and counting his water. Will couldn't help but take notice of the sudden change in the guy's behavior. "What's going-"

"Quiet." Will stopped talking. "Will, I need you to be calm. Can you do that?"

"Y-yeah."

"Good, because we're going to need to be very calm."

"Tell me what's going on!" Will demanded, tired of the vagueness and cryptic warnings.

Riven looked at him with both eyes, his brown and blue eye. There was a seriousness in them that indicated that he was not messing around. "There's an enormous sandstorm coming." Will paled, he had heard of the storms from people in Mauville, they were nothing to scoff about. He didn't think he'd get caught in one. He started to panic.

"I told you to be calm!" Riven scolded, holding the boy in place. The winds outside began to pick up further, sand blowing into the road a bit harder now. Will calmed down, still breathing a little harder than usual. "A sandstorm will hit us soon, it's better to stay inside here. That canvas is tough and might protect us, moving about in a sandstorm is dangerous. Any exposed skin might get roughed up by the sand and random rocks can outright end you if they're being flung fast enough."

Riven looked at the boy and then at his bag. "Do you have desert goggles and a bandana with you?"

Will nodded. "Yeah." He dug through his bag and took them out.

"Alright. Put them on. Make sure the bandana is tight and covers your nose and mouth. The goggles will protect you from any sand getting in your eyes." Riven put on his own. "Wear your jacket, don't take it off. Cover as much skin as best you can. Also, drink water now." The boy listened and drank more water than usual. The wind started to whip against the canvas.

"It's going to be loud, it's going to be dark. Breathe slowly. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, but why?"

"Sand is going to be everywhere, if you breathe too quickly, you could inhale it and clog your lungs with sand. Then you'll choke and die. It's not a pleasant way to go. Even if you do survive, you might have trouble breathing for a while. If you breathe slowly and hold the bandana tight around your mouth, you should be fine. Wet it first though." Riven pointed at his backpack. "Use that to cover your face, it will lessen exposure to sand. And one last thing, make sure to keep warm, it's going to get very cold."

Will nodded furiously and put on his jacket and pulled over his hood, pulling on the strings to tighten it. Riven did the same with his hoodie and used some cloth that the trucker had in the back to cover his arms. Sand traveling at high speed chafed and scratched skin ruthlessly and painfully, he didn't want to live through that. He also needed to keep as warm as possible, the sand would block out the sun, which would cause the temperature to plummet. Hypothermia could kill just as well as dehydration.

The wind began to howl and Riven peered outside momentarily, seeing a wall of dust hundreds of feet high rapidly approaching them. He turned back to the frightened young boy and motioned for him to calm down. "It's coming. Brace. It might hit the truck hard. It's one of the biggest I've ever seen." Riven retreated next to Will and held on, hearing the wind steadily increase in volume. It howled and screeched before the roaring of sand could be heard. Both trainers breathed in and prepared themselves.

The sandstorm passed over them and hit the truck with a slam. Sand poured inside the back, coating both trainers from head to toe in sand. The howling of wind blocked out any and all sound, Riven reassured Will with a grasp from his right hand, lightly squeezing to calm him down. The sand kept assaulting the interior and eventually, the truck began to creak and tilt. Riven and Will held their breath, unable to suspect what would happen next. The wind slammed back into the truck, harder this time, tilting it and sending it over into a dune.

It rolled and flipped, tossing Riven and Will around inside, leaving them bruised in various places. The sandstorm still didn't let up, both trainers lay flat on their stomachs now, watching the sandstorm wreak havoc outside. The truck had flipped over and was now upside down. Riven and Will would have to crawl out of the space now. They had minor injuries and their supplies were entirely intact. However, Will's pokenav had fallen out in the tumble and was currently being buried by the barrage of sand outside.

The storm continued on for quite some time. It was terrifying, seeing nature create such freakish storms. It made human destruction look miniscule and petty in comparison. The canvas had been damaged and was ripped in places. There was no way the truck would be useful again. Sand got into the engine parts and exhaust pipes. It was completely dead. The temperature had dropped significantly and visibility was next to nothing. After the storm stopped, Will and Riven crawled out. They stood up and kept their masks on, the air was still heavy and thick with dust.

"What now? I-I-It-t's freezing!" Will said, teeth chattering.

Riven opened up his pokenav, asking Will to find the temperature gadget. It would take him too long to find it himself, so he had the younger boy do it. He did and the reading was at a twenty eight degrees Fahrenheit. Riven was shivering himself, having much lighter clothing and no jacket, unlike Will. It was incredibly dark, and even he had trouble seeing much of anything. The only light anywhere was the pokenav's screen. They needed a fire.

Taking out his knife, Riven cut away strips of the canvas for future use before Will lit up some flammable items with a lighter. They sat in one spot and huddled around the small fire, it kept the cold away, even though it wouldn't last long.

Will spoke first, breaking the eerie silence. "So what happens now?"

"Let's wait until morning." Riven grimaced, he was going to hate breaking the news to the boy. He was going to hate what would come next even more though. His pokenav was on low battery. They used it as a light source and the sun wouldn't shine through the dust cloud for a day or more. It was likely going to die soon. And the lack of sun would prevent them from charging it.

Morning came, less dusty but still cold. A bit warmer, which was an improvement, but by no means good. The day was as cold as night, and it would get even colder in the night if things continued this way. Luckily, most of the dust cloud was dispersing, but visibility was still at critically low levels.

Will tugged on Riven's shirt. "Can't we just use a fire pokemon to keep us warm?"

"No."

"Why?"

"If they breathe in the sand, they can choke too. We also have to conserve our water and food from now on."

"What? You're saying that like…."

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." Riven hesitated, but persisted anyway. The kid had to face reality. This was going to be struggle for survival. "Will, no one is coming. This time for sure. No one on a bird goes out in the middle of sandstorms and a dust cloud. It's suicide. They won't come until it clears and until the sandstorms pass. It might be days before the cloud disperses completely, and who knows if another sandstorm might hit. If there's flooding, it's even worse."

"Floods?"

"Yes. They occur often. And fast. If we get caught in one, we need to get to the highest possible ground and hope lightning doesn't hit us." Will didn't imagine ending up in a place like this. He was trembling, thinking about his parents and his sister back home. He started to think about death and was an inch away from crying when Riven shook him.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"I know what you're thinking. Cut it out. We have to try and survive this the best we can. No way am I dying out here. You got a family right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then stop it. This is what happens in the wild, you're a trainer, you better get used to it. Life is not sunshine and rainbows. This is your reality check, be glad it happened sooner rather than later." Riven's tone could cut through ice. It was harsh but necessary. Trainers had to know what they were getting into. The world was not a safe place, they had to accept that. They were lucky they didn't go through what he did, and with fortune, they would never have to.

Will looked down to where his feet were supposed to be when he felt droplets on his back. He was about to speak up before Gray told him to pack his things and hurry the fuck up. Gray stuffed the mini-gallons in his bag and carried others over his back on a strap before jolting Will upwards. They ran frantically to the highest dune they could find.

Water began pouring down, filling the inside of the pit they were stuck in. The water completely engulfed the truck and a rising pool of water began to approach them. Gray dragged Will along at high speed, running up the dune to avoid the water.

Riven cursed. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Need to move. Can't let the water get to us. He reached the top of the dune and let Will catch his breath. The water stopped ten feet below them. They both waited for the water to recede before sighing in relief.

"That was a flash flood?"

"Yes."

"That was freaking scary."

"Tell me about it." Cold and wet was just a formula for hypothermic death. The water could suck out the heat from a body and make conditions even worse than they already were. The water was also undrinkable due to being infested with sand particles. Not to mention the danger of falling in a basin and drowning. This was turning out to be a nightmare, both for him and for Will.

A few hours later and some sunlight managed to sneak through some of the dust. It was still extremely dark but Riven could see somewhat and was acting as Will's guide, who couldn't see a thing. The temperature rose slightly but remained largely unchanged, the dust was still too concentrated to be able to breathe safely. The water had gathered in basins and pits and their clothes had partially dried already. Riven's pokenav had also died. They were completely guideless, no stars to keep track off, no GPS, and no road to follow. It had been swept away by the sandstorm. All that was left was sand.

The pair had no idea what way was north to Lavaridge and decided to walk in a direction. Any fucking direction. It was better than waiting for help that wasn't going to come for days if not weeks. They walked for a few hours, seeing some dry plants scattered about. Riven gathered the brush and stuffed it into his bag. It would be useful fuel for burning. They resumed walking for even more time, until they decided to rest and start another small fire with the brush they had collected.

Riven and Will sat on opposite ends of the fire, staring into the flames. Will chuckled. The older boy looked at him with a confused expression behind his goggles and mask."What's with the laugh?"

"It's funny."

"What is?"

Will continued chuckling, holding out his quilava's pokeball. "You know, I never wanted to be a trainer." He had always wanted to be a racer. Like those guys who drove really fast cars and raced around Slateport. That looked really cool.

Riven's eyebrows climbed nearly to his hairline, even if Will couldn't quite see his facial expressions and vice versa. "Really? Then why are you a trainer?" If he didn't want to be one, then why was he even doing it now? Much less collecting badges.

"Mom forced me." He stopped playing with the pokeball, only holding it and staring at it. His foot kicked a bit of sand out of the way.

"Why would she do that?"

"You remember when I blew up your room in Petalburg?" Will asked, trembling from the cold, tightening his hoodie again.

"Are you mocking me or asking me a legitimate question?" It didn't sound like mocking. Of course he remembered, no one forgets nearly jumping out of their skin after a wall next to them decides to explode.

"Second one."

"Then yes, I do remember."

"Well, imagine that, but like every week." Will looked down at his feet with shame.

Riven paused, thought about it, and winced. "Yes, if I was your mother, I'd ship you off to become a trainer too. Do you always randomly set things on fire?"

"I don't try to! It's just…Quil loves setting things on fire."

"That's your quilava correct?"

"Yeah…"

"Sounds like he has an obsession with fire. Isn't surprising. My combusken sets things on fire when she's excited." Slateport came to mind. Also, part of Irene's hair. He didn't want to think about the untold destruction she would cause if she became a blaziken and didn't mellow down.

"Quil does it for fun." Riven gave him a skeptical glance, even through the goggles and facemask. Will continued, "He laughed when he set an abandoned cottage on fire."

"Joyful laugh or?"

"More like mua-ha-ha-ha."

"A fire type with pyromania. That's a dangerous mix. Could lead to…mishaps." Accidental forest fire anyone? How about accidental burning building?

"Yeah." Will paused and Gray stayed silent, until the older boy suddenly stated something strange.

"My kirlia's a pervert." Will wasn't expecting that. He thought his team was weird. Maybe all trainers had strange pokemon.

"Really?"

"Yes. He shoves his face in whatever modestly sized chest he can find. He also uses psychic to lift skirts. That's one of the reasons why I didn't let him out in Slateport. There's only so many slaps a man can take before his cheek falls off." Riven snorted and Will snickered also. It was ironic, having two people making jokes and laughing while they were caught in one of the worst situations imaginable, next to being stranded in the ocean.

The laughs died down and Will looked up at Riven. "How did you become a trainer?"

"Accident."

"How does that work?"

"I was looking around Littleroot and had my absol and kirlia following me around. They weren't mine at the time and only followed me because I was a food source. Birch saw me and then signed me up for the league without even letting me get a say in the matter. Then I saw the opportunity that training presented so I took it and went traveling since. It's a pleasant change of pace. And battles are satisfying." Training was a nice excuse to travel and actually gave him something he could do, which was beat other trainers into the ground and take their money.

"Yeah, they are."

Both trainers then stood silent for a while. Riven looked up at the orange sky and sighed."We should get some sleep, stay close to the fire. We need to cover more ground tomorrow." Will nodded and both of them huddled close to the fire again. They fell asleep quickly.

They spent the next few days walking and making camp fires while the dust started to clear. It was rapidly getting hotter again and they started to sweat again. They could breathe better now and didn't need the facemask so much, but they still wore the goggles to keep sand out of their eyes. Will had managed to fall in a quicksand pit and Riven lost his pokenav trying to save him. At least Will managed to capture a trapinch by smacking one with a pokeball. He got angry and maximized the pokeball before chucking it randomly. Somehow it hit the trapinch and caught it. Will rejoiced for much of the day after that.

"I'm going to name it Maximus Prime!" Will announced, raising the great ball in the air with a triumphant tone. He looked overjoyed at the fact that he randomly chucked a pokeball and managed to catch a pokemon. Riven wished he had that luck. Then again, Will was also stuck in the desert with him. Maybe it wasn't worth it, he took back the wish instantly. The universe could have been listening.

"Calm down there. Maximus Prime is a mouthful. And what if it's a female?"

"Fine, Rika."

"That sounds much shorter. I approve."

"I wasn't asking for your approval."

"Alright, fine. It's your pokemon. Let's keep walking. Don't have to get so defensive."

"My feet hurt."

"I know. Keep walking."

It was day six and the sun was scorching hot. Both of the trainers were red in the face and sweating profusely. Will was about to take a huge gulp of water when Riven's hand stopped him.

"What the hell! I need to drink water!"

"Don't be stupid. Drink small sips instead of huge gulps. It makes the water last longer and can save you later on. Conserve your water. And don't discard the water bottles when they're empty."

"Why the water bottles?"

"In case we ever need any…extra hydration."

It took a few moments for Will to understand what Gray was implying. Oh no. He had seen this on Man vs Wild. He was…no. "You are not going to tell me what I think you're going to tell me." Gray formed a ghost of a smirk before taking a sip of water. He looked back at will before saying what Will hoped he wouldn't say.

"Urine has water in it."

The younger trainer's face fell into a mix of horror, disgust, and incredulous gaping. He couldn't think about drinking his own piss, it was yellow and icky. "Doesn't it taste awful?" He shuddered thinking about such a thing. It smelled terrible, so it must taste terrible too.

"Will, sometimes we need to do things to survive. Many of those things aren't going to be pleasant. But it's better than being dead. And they do make for impressive survival stories."

Will looked downwards and started to complain. Riven shook his head and just kept walking. The sand was blazing hot, the heat could be felt even through their shoes. Both of them had been walking on blisters and the heat made the rubbing unbearably worse. They stuffed rags inside to reduce the rubbing. It seemed to help and made walking bearable. They couldn't stop, or else the sun would bake them even further. There was no shade anywhere, just sand and dry brush here and there. However, the desert pokemon didn't seem to mind.

They crossed into an area of the desert that was a bit more rocky than the sandy dunes behind them. There was more vegetation there and burnable brush but the temperature was by no means cooler. Strange shaped cacti were motionless and spread out around the area. Of course they were motionless, they were just a bunch of cactus. Riven and Will eyed them strangely, getting goosebumps and an uneasy feeling when around them.

Night descended and they set up a fire as usual, using the collected brush from earlier. They sat silently next to the fire, the night was colder than usual. The heat of the fire helped ease the cold. They would have to collect much more if they wanted to travel further. Will and Riven more filling meals. They couldn't take on pokemon by themselves, and they didn't want to waste more water on their pokemon. The pokeballs protected them from the conditions of the desert. Plus, if their pokemon got hurt, there wouldn't be a center for miles. Then they could die from blood loss or poison. Both of them didn't want to risk that.

Will took out a jar of peanut butter. Riven stared at it. "What is it?"

"Peanut butter. It's a good trainer food. Lots of people told me to get it, it has protein and fat which is good for someone in the wild. Try it." Will let Gray get a spoonful and watched him taste it. He waited to see his reaction. Gray simply nodded in approval.

"It's sticky but it has an agreeable taste. Not too bad at all." It did taste good, Riven would have to buy some the next time he encountered a market. If it was as useful as other trainers made it out to be, it would prove an invaluable source of nourishment for any extended period of time in the wilderness. "You should save it, don't eat too much."

"I know. You scolded me for that already, dad." He took a spoon of peanut butter and put the jar back into his bag. Will then turned around and stared behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, so were the ones on his arms. And it wasn't just from the cold.

"What?"

Will turned back to Gray and shifted his eyes around the surrounding area. "You ever get the feeling that you're being watched?" It was like someone or something was watching them. From every single direction. And not just any small little sandshrew or trapinch either.

"Will. On a scale of completely alone to the entire bloody desert feels like it's watching us, it feels like the latter option right now. I know what you mean, but I can't see anything moving about." The light from the fire made it difficult to make anything out, only a bunch of cactus, rocks, and plants. Nothing was moving out there... why did it feel like something was watching them? "You know what? Let's sleep in shifts. You sleep for a bit and I'll keep watch. Then you watch and I'll get some sleep. I'll take the early ones."

"Ok." Will didn't want to argue with him, he felt creeped out. He didn't want something to kill him in his sleep either, at least with another person awake they stood a chance. Will curled up next to the fire and fell asleep.

Riven's paranoia came back full force and he surveyed the surrounding darkness with extreme vigilance. He took out his knife and kept it close to him. Anything that came after them was going to take a stab to the jugular. Whether it be pokemon or man. He wasn't taking chances. He kept watch for a couple of hours, then nudged Will awake for his shift. Riven slept until morning, until the sun rose and started to bake the land again. Will shoved him awake, looking nervous and jittery.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

The smaller boy pointed towards the direction of the dunes."Is it just me, or did some of the cactus move?" He swore that they moved. Maybe Gray's paranoia was contagious.

Both trainers looked around the surrounding area. Some of the strangely shaped cactuses appeared to look closer. Or were they? Were they there before? They weren't sure. They exchanged looks and packed up quickly. They didn't plan on sticking around to find out. Their paranoia meters were on overcharge now and they wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

"Let's get moving, this place feels wrong."

"No kidding. That was the most paranoid I've ever felt in my life," Will stated, twitching after he remembered last night.

Riven nodded and made a mental note of his remaining water. He was glad he brought along excess, which certainly made a difference. It's a good thing he was overly paranoid and always packed more than he needed most of the time. If he hadn't, he'd be in a much dire situation than he was in now. However, Will didn't bring quite enough with him. He was down to his last bottle. Soon, he would run out of water. Their food supply was also dwindling quickly and dangerously low. They would have to tear into the pokemon food if this kept up. The longer they spent, the more they would have to ration.

They had to get out of this place, the clock was ticking.