The sun was bright and hot on the road, casting long, deep shadows across the landscape. The heat had caused the trees to droop heavily, giving everything a slightly wilted look. It was a relief when they came upon a small, clear lake surrounded by tall reeds. A few people were gathered along the shoreline, fishing poles in hand as they cast their lines out over the water. They looked relaxed and content, enjoying themselves while also catching some fish for supper.
"Finally, a place to relax," sighed Iris as she spread her arms out wide. She let go of her Axew, who leaped onto his feet and scurried off into the tall grasses nearby. "I need something like this after what happened at Striaton."
"You're not wrong." Ash nodded in agreement. Pikachu had jumped off his shoulder, and he was currently running around in circles. "It feels good to stretch like this!"
"Oh, look at the water!" Hilda was already interested in swimming, and she was staring intently at the clear, shimmering water before her. "It looks so nice."
"It sure does," replied Iris as she followed the young girl's gaze. The lake itself sparkled under the bright sunlight, and there were plenty of spots along the shore where you could see all the way to the bottom of the lake.
"You know...I could use a swim!" Hilda stretched her arms, eager to cool off in the lake.
"Same here." Ash would also stretch his arms. Iris felt the need to cool off a bit too. But as they strolled along, all of a sudden, below them, a large hole would form beneath them.
"WAGH!" The trio exclaimed, promptly falling in while Cilan stayed back and watched. Pikachu and Axew obviously fell in too, each of them being caught off guard. Each of them groaned after falling.
"Oh, my." Cilan remarked. "Are you all okay down there?!"
"Y-Yeah...we're fine..." Iris groaned from below.
"Just a little...startled." Hilda added in a groggy voice.
"Is this a trap or something..?" Ash wondered while holding his head.
"Pika..."
"If it is...who could've done this." He had to wonder.
"Sandile." Someone answered it for him. Cilan looked to the side while the others looked up to see a boy approaching, looking down on them. "Sandile's the one responsible. Don't worry, I'll get you out." Already experienced with this, he had a rope ready, and tossed it to them, helping them all up.
Not too far from here, Team Rocket were also strolling on by, ready to get their next mission done. But, first, they would have to find their way to the right destination.
"Slow down, Jess! Why the rush?!" James cried out as he and Meowth were trying to keep up with Jessie who looked excited.
"As if! I heard this place is like a spring resort, and it's right up ahead!" She said, a sparkle in her eye.
"Oh! Dat makes sense! We could all use a lil R n' R after our last encounter with the Twerps!" Meowth grinned.
"Yes...it'd be a lovely place for a nice massage..." James's eyes were sparkling now too.
"So let's stop lagging behind!" She exclaimed. She'd keep walking, but not for too long. Instantly, she, James and Meowth would also drop as hole suddenly opened beneath them, each of them screaming as they fell. The hole that they fell in was deep and narrow, so it didn't take them very far to reach the bottom. They were all groaning after landing.
"Ooough..." Jessie landed flat on her face, groaning as her clothes were instantly dirty. "Why did this...?"
"What the heck is this?" Meowth looked up at the sky, seeing that it was a long way back up.
"This hole looks a lot like a trap. Something we would make..." James commented as well. Suddenly, a shadow casted over all three of them. They slowly turned their heads, seeing a Sandile, smiling down on them. It then barked down on them.
"Sandile."
"Oh! Is that the culprit?!" James pointed up at Sandile.
"Aaagh! How is this fair?! This hole is far too narrow to climb out!" Jessie was getting more furious by the minute. "Let me at him! I'll give that thing a piece of my mind!" The more she shouted, the more Sandile would snarl back
"Dile!" Sandile would then walk away, leaving them to eb trapped down here.
"Doooh! Wait 'till I get out of here!" Jessie barked, trying to climb up, but she couldn't get out. James and Meowth just looked at her.
"You see...there's a Sandile that likes to trap people in pits. And then he leaves them there to fend for themselves. We have no idea why, though. It's like his way of saying, 'stay out of here'. But we're trying to find out exactly what it is that's making him do that." The boy had explained to them after helping them out with the rope.
"Sandile, huh...?" Ash looked up Sandile's data, using the Pokedex to search for it.
"Sandile. The Desert Croc Pokemon. They live buried in the sands of the desert. The sun-warmed sands prevent their body temperature from dropping. It moves along below the sand's surface, except for its nose and eyes. A dark membrane shields its eyes from the sun." Dexter read.
"My name's Dan. Glad you could show up near my family's resort spa and hotel." He introduced himself.
"A resort spa?! Hotel?!" Hilda and Iris said in unison with sparkling eyes. This was already better sounding than the lake itself to them. "Aaaah!" The two of them screamed, getting all giddy about the idea of staying in such a fancy place.
"I've always wanted to be in a spa! Can we book in or something like that?!" Hilda questioned. "Can we?!"
"Well, sorry to say, but we're kinda closed right now...because of Sandile." He pointed at the holes that were in the ground all around them, and there were quite a lot. Some of them were pretty big while others were much smaller. "Our hot-sand spa is our hotel's biggest attraction, unfortunately, now it looks like this."
He drew their attention to the fallen palm trees that were brought down thanks to the holes near them. Yellow tapes had been put around the nearby resort area, with signs that said "Keep Out", "Danger", "No Entry", and so on. The whole thing was just completely blocked off with no way for anyone to enter the place.
"Aw...No spa..." Hilda groaned, hanging her head low. Iris sighed as well, disappointed at the news.
"It just happened a short-time ago. A couple came over to enjoy the hot-sand spa and all of a sudden, this one Sandile started digging holes. Sandile aren't that uncommon of a Pokemon here so they would frequently pop up. But once that one Sandile started digging holes, they all did. So for now, I'm afraid we're going to have to stay closed."
"Well that's strange. How can a bunch of Sandile get so destructive all of a sudden? They're usually peaceful." Cilan wondered.
"Well that's strange. How can a bunch of Sandile get so destructive all of a sudden? They're usually peaceful." Cilan wondered.
"We have no idea either." Dan shrugged.
"Well...how about this?" Ash would propose something. "We'll try out the hot-sand spa. If you let us stay the night at the resort for a day or two, then we could go out and try to find the source of the problem! Right, guys?" Ash turned to the rest of his friends, hoping they would be willing to lend a helping hand.
"Hmmm..." Iris thought for a moment before realizing that it meant she would get to stay in the hotel for free. Jackpot. "Oh, sure!" Iris grinned, pumping a fist. Axew would do the same.
"Oh, yes please!" Hilda smiled at Ash. She wanted to try out the resort more than anything right now.
"Alright! Then it's settled! Let's go, Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, ready for action once again. Pikachu nodded and smiled, ready to help out as much as he possibly could.
They found themselves within the hotel and immediately went to try it out despite the actions of the Sandile. The group changed into swimsuits from the usual swim trunks and bikinis and such. They then found the hot sand spa, which was nothing more than a large, open pit where you could lay down and be covered by sand for hours at a time.
The four would soon find a comfortable place, and laid down upon it. The spa's sand would then be poured on top of them, covering their bodies entirely.
"Oh my gosh!" Iris exclaimed, her eyes wide open and her mouth agape. Axew was in his own little area of the spa, getting covered with sand as well. Axew would be seen smiling, liking how it felt.
"This is incredible! It's so hot, it's so soft! It's like being wrapped in a big warm hug! I love this place!" Hilda gushed, her body completely buried beneath the sand.
"Hmm...Yeah. This is pretty awesome." Ash smiled while having his eyes closed. "Pikachu, do you like it too?"
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, enjoying the feeling of the sand against his fur. It was nice and warm and soothing.
"And you know, they say it helps relax the body. It can do wonders to one's skin too, like a lotion or a cream. I would imagine the heat could help relax muscles as well." Cilan would add. "This is a truly unique taste experience that I wouldn't trade for anything!" Cilan would comment.
"Well, you don't get a taste of anything in a hot-sand spa...but yeah! This is a great experience!" Iris would add in. Ash would sit up. He didn't have any intentions on moving, but it seemed the heat was making him want to do something else.
"I wonder where that Sandile is right now..." He said, thinking to himself.
"It should show up by now..." Dan looked around, wondering where the little bugger could've gone.
"I'd love to stay like this forever," sighed Hilda contently.
Suddenly, right on cue, Sandile would show up. This was the same Sandile that had trapped Team Rocket and trapped the trio in that hole from before, complete with sunglasses. Currently, he was approaching by rushing through the sand, his eyes locked onto Ash and the others.
"Ah! There he is!" Dan called out, drawing everyone's attention to the approaching Sandile. As soon as they turned around, forcing himself out of his Poke Ball was Ash's Oshawott.
"Osha!" He was right to show up all of a sudden, intercepting Sandile. He would bump heads with the Sandile before he could get close, the two locking eyes before both flinching from the contact. They'd stare at each other for a moment, sizing one another up.
"That one's the leader of the Sandile!" Dan pointed out as everyone got out of the sand. "The one who started all of this!"
"Osha!" Oshawott's ears twitched as it stared at Sandile intently.
"Dile...!" Sandile growled at them before going in for another attack. He lunged in with his mouth wide open, attempting to bite at Oshawott.
"Wott!"But Oshawott had been ready for it. He jumped out of the way, dodging the attack before striking back with a quick Razor Shell. Sandile would get hit, but retaliate by biting Oshawott's scalchop.
"Osha?!" Oshawott yelled, pulling his weapon back. Sandile kept its teeth clenched onto it, having quite the grip on him. "Sha! Oshawott!"
"Dile! Sandile!" With all of his might, Sandile would suddenly throw Oshawott into the air before running ahead.
"Oshaaaaa!"
"Oshawott!" Ash gasped as he and the others looked up. But right as they did so, it allowed Sandile to suddenly grab onto her arms of both Pikachu and Axew, grabbing them both.
"Pika?!"
"Xew?!"
"Sandile!" With them both in his grasp, Sandile started running off with them in tow.
"Ah! Pikachu!" Ash instantly dashed after them all before catching Oshawott who fell from the air. "I gotcha, Oshawott."
"Osha!"
"Axew!" Iris shouted, trying to keep up.
The chase would ensue as everyone tried to catch up with Sandile, Pikachu and Axew being carried by him.
"Axew! Hang on, buddy, I'm coming!" Iris called out.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu called out. "Pika!"
Sandile would keep running as he went towards a rocky area. He was rather nimble despite having two Pokemon in his mouth, leaping over the rocks in front of him as if they weren't there at all. As the group kept chasing after Sandile, they were getting further and further away from the hotel. Soon, the group found themselves on the outskirts of town, where the landscape grew rocky and mountainous.
"Axew!" Iris called again, running even faster. "Hang in there, I'll save you!" Her eyes were focused solely on Sandile's tail which was wagging behind him, her eyes narrowing in determination. The Sandile continued on his path with Pikachu and Axew still firmly in his grasp.
Sandile also knew the terrain well, knowing what path to take. He moved across a higher vantage point, distancing himself from the others more and more until he went out of view, climbing over the vantage point and ending up elsewhere. He'd soon be out of sight as the others kept chasing after.
"Wait!" Ash called out, reaching the spot that Sandile once stood, looking over to see if he could catch sight of him. He was nowhere to be found.
"I didn't think he'd suddenly kidnap someone. He never did that before. None of the Sandile did." Dan was flabbergasted. It seemed that Sandile, at least the leader, was doing more than just digging holes.
Sandile brought Pikachu and Axew to this rocky area. There, they saw the rest of the Sandile all gathered in one place. But not just them, there were other groups of Pokemon there too, such as Patrat and Deerling. They all looked towards the direction Sandile came from, and then, upon noticing Pikachu and Axew, approached the two.
"Dile." Sandile would let go of both Pokemon, droopping them.
"Pikaaa!" Pikachu would groan, rubbing his sore arms.
"Axew..." Axew groaned, rubbing his arms. The Pokemon that had gathered around would look at them curiously. They were wondering why Sandile had dragged them here.
"Pi? Pika!" He instantly yelled at Sandile. Pikachu didn't seem to appreciate the sudden kidnapping. "Pikachu! Pi! Pikachuuu!" He continued to ramble on at the Pokemon that were staring back at him
"Dile. Sand-Sand." But then, Sandile, who got up on a rock to look down on everyone else, would start adressing them all. "Sandile! Dile!"
"Trat! Trat!"
"Deer!"
"Sand! Sandile!" He pointed ahead, pointing at a certain area. As he started speaking to them, just nearby, someone managed to take a peek at this scenery. That being Team Rocket. After Jessie was dead-set on finding Sandile, it led them here.
"What are they talking about?" James asked, hiding behind a large rock along with Meowth and Jessie.
"It looks like Sandile's addressing the other Sandiles and Pokemon." Jessie remarked. "It's like they have their own agenda...which they may just have..."
"Sounds like he's talking about something dangerous showing up." Meowth pointed out, listening in to the Sandiles. "I think he wants the others ta come wit' him. Maybe to a new place where dey can be safe."
"Huh? Why is that? What's wrong with where they live?" Jessie asked.
"I don't know, but it sounds like there's some kind of trouble ahead. And he's not too happy about it." Meowth explained.
"Well, whatever it is, that Sandile's going to pay. I bet the boss won't mind if we bring back one of them." Jessie wanted payback, her eyes were lit up with flames. She'd want to do nothing more than take that Sandile with them.
And they certainly had a way of doing so.
"Dile. Sandlie! Sand-" Before Sandile could finish, a large shadow cast over his body, causing the other Pokemon to look up in shock. "Sand?" Sandile turned around to face what had appeared behind him. It was yet another large machine Team Rocket has constructed. This time, in the shape of a Krabby. "Dile? Sand!"
"Hm-hm-hm! Thought we wouldn't find you?! I meant what I said back there!" Jessie laughed through the machine's intercoms, piloting it from inside. "It's payback time! I'll be taking you and all those Pokemon for the price of one!"
"Hm? Isn't that the twerp's Pikachu down there?" James spotted Ash's Pikachu among the crowd. This could mean two things; more Pokemon to steal and a way to get at that annoying boy who keeps getting in the way of their plans.
"Really? So he's here too? That makes this a lot better! Hahahaha!" Jessie laughed again.
"Pika?!"
"Dile! Sand! Sandile!" Sandile's expression was filled with rage and he immediately lunged at the Krabby mech. He jumped up to attack but was quickly batted away by its massive claw. "Diiiiii!" He yelled out in pain.
"Nice try!" Jessie laughed maniacally, the sound of her cackle echoing through the valley. The other Sandiles ran towards Sandile's side.
"S-Sand?"
"Dile...!"
"Deer-ling!"
"Sand..." He got back up, snarling at Team Rocket.
"Alright, all of you. Make this easy for us, okay? We'll just scoop you up and-" Right as the claws of the machine went to grab each and every one of them, all of a sudden, right below them, an eruption of water happened, launching the machine and Team Rocket into the air. "WAAAAGH!" They were sent flying far into the sky, blasting off already.
That's when the source of what Sandile told them about finally showed itself. A large hole appeared and from that hole, a geyser was shown. Boiling water would rise up to the surface, shooting high above. This wasn't just any ordinary hole either. The hole itself was deep enough for several Pokemon to fall down inside.
Pikachu and Axew would look towards the geyser with wide eyes and mouths open in awe.
"Pika?!"
"Ax-Ax-Axe-ew!" Axew looked down at the geyser in shock. He was stunned that such an event could occur so suddenly. He was still shaking a bit from the sudden explosion, and from seeing something so huge and unexpected.
"Pi-Pikachu!"
Coming over to witness this from afar were Ash and the others, who finally caught up. They would quietly hide behind the rocks, observing the scene much like Team Rocket. There, they also saw the Sandile gathered with all the Pokemon but they managed to see the geyser for themselves.
"What the...? What's up with all those geysers?" Ash questioned. They watched as more and more of them began appearing. Each geyser was shooting water high into the air before eventually stopping for a while.
""Sand..." Sandile managed to recover, walking back to the others. Once recovered, he requested that they all start moving to avoid these rising geysers. So, he decided to guide them elsewhere.
"Ax! Axew! Axew!" Axew shouted out.
"Pika-pi!"
"So that's what it is...I think all those holes was Sandile trying to protect the other Pokemon and everyone else at the resort." Dan was piecing it together now.
"So then Sandile probably expected a geyser to appear underneath both Pikachu and Axew." said Ash, realizing that Sandile did this for a good reason. Now that he knew, Ash would blow his cover, running over to them all.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted. He would then notice Sandile and the other Sandiles gathering the Pokemon, trying to get them to move away. Sandile had a very serious look on his face, and it seemed that the situation was pretty bad. The geysers continued erupting, causing more panic and distress for everyone.
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu ran over to Ash after seeing him. They hugged each other and rejoiced that they had finally reunited.
"Ash, wait!" Hilda called out, fearful that another geyser could appear out of nowhere. Ash managed to reunite with Pikachu as Axew also ran over to him, but all this did was cause the Sandile to all walk towards Ash while the rest of the Pokemon were being led elsewhere.
"Dile!" Sandile would yell at him.
"Dile!" One of the Sandiles would speak out as the others gathered behind him. Just then, a sequence of massive geysers go off. The Sandile go to confront Ash but as they do the piece of ground that the herded Pokémon were on becomes surrounded by boiling hot water. Under the heat, the rock they are standing on begins to crumble.
"D-Deer!"
"Ah! Look!" Hilda gasped at the sight. Ash would look over at that same direction, seeing the rock that the Pokemon were on start to break.
"They're surrounded by boiling water on all sides!" Cilan exclaimed.
"N-Now what do we do?!" Iris stuttered.
"Hang on, you guys!" Ash would try and help them by running over as another rumble could be felt, this time coming from behind. But as soon as Ash put his foot in the water, he reeled back, feeling the heat on his foot. "Ghhh!"
"Ash!" Hilda ran over to him as Ash sat down, holding onto his leg. "Are you alright?! You can't just get in there with all that boiling water!"
"But I gotta do something to save them!" Ash bellowed.
"Sandile! Sandile..." Sandile suddenly spoke, looking at Ash before looking back at his fellow Sandile. "Sandile!
"Sandile!" They spoke in unison. Then Sandile leader suddenly took a bite out of a rock and placed his body in a vertical position, which allowed another Sandile to climb upon him and bite his tail.
"Dile!" This process is repeated with many Sandile.
"What are they doing...?" Iris blinked her eyes in awe.
"It looks like they're forming a bridge of some sorts!" Cilan noticed.
And very soon, there was a large array of Sandile, ready to save the Pokemon. The Sandile swing themselves down to form a bridge for the stranded Pokémon to climb over to safety. All of the Pokémon were too scared to cross the bridge though based on their reactions.
"Come on guys, cross!" Ash yelled from afar.
"D-Deer..." But the Deerling were too nervous to do so, along with the Patrat. By now the Pidove had left so this wasn't an issue for them, but for the others, it certainly was.
"Patrat...
"I gotta help them..." Ash clenched his hand, wanting to assist them more than anything right now. But the heat would obviously mess him up if he made the wrong move. That's when an idea clicked in his mind. "Unless..." By taking out a Poke Ball, he threw it forward, summoning his Tepig. "Tepig! I choose you!"
"Tepig!"
"Alright, Tepig. Can you please do something for us? We need you to try and reach all those Pokemon? Can you handle the boiling water?" Ash asked.
"Tep! Tepig!" Tepig had a proud look on his face, strongly believing that he could do so. He'd then run across the Sandile Bridge to reach the Pokemon. His steps caused the Sandiles to wobble, and the others got a little nervous, but he continued onward, reaching the Pokemon. Tepig would call out to them.
"Deer! Deer!" They'd say in unison, shaking their heads and backing up a bit. The rock would break a bit more, and this made them even more scared.
"Deer!"
"Not so fast!" A familiar voice would ring out, grabbing their attention. Everyone, aside from the Sandile, looked up to see Team Rocket approaching. They had returned after being blasted away by the geyser, their Krabby Machine still in tact.
"Team Rocket?!" Ash gasped.
"Now of all times?!" Hilda groaned at their timiing.
"That geyser caught us off guard, that's all. A total fluke. Now, it's the real deal!" Jessie laughed.
"And this time, we won't let you twerps get in the way!" Meowth would then activate the claws of the machine, attempting to grab the Sandile as they started approaching.
"If they grab those Sandile, they won't be able to save all the Pokemon!" Dan shouted.
"Oh, don't worry. We'll grab them. For ourselves!" Jessie cackled.
"I don't think so! Go, Tepig, go!"
"Tep!" Tepig was already on it, jumping right into the boiling water. Tepig's type allowed him to exist in it for the time being, but it wouldn't be long until the effects would start taking place. But Tepig would keep pushing through the water to approach the other Pokemon. Tepig could feel the heat around his body, but his own inner heat protected him for the full effects. He kept pushing on, moving forward despite how painful this could be for him.
"Tepig!" He landed on the other rocks, snarling at Team Rocket's machine before promptly using Ember. Spraying flames from his mouth, he would send these flames towards the claws, intercepting them before they could make contact.
"Goh! Why you...!" Jessie growled, the claws retracting.
"Please, Munna! Back Tepig up!" Tepig would need the support if he was to get the Pokemon across the Sandile bridge on time. So to do so, Hilda threw a Poke Ball into the air, brining Munna out.
"Munna!"
"Use Psybeam!"
"Mun...Na!" A multicolored beam of psychic energy shot forth from her forehead and flew towards the center of the Krabby Machine. This caused Jessie to back off a bit.
With Munna's involvement, Ash would immediately run on the back of the Sandile, rushing over to the Pokemon for assistance. This was due to the fact that Ash saw that the Sandile were struggling to keep their balance. While the lead Sandile's fangs were strong, he was also on the verge of breaking the rock he bit onto. If it breaks, not only will he fall, but all the other Sandile will drop into the boiling water too.
"Sand...!" The lead Sandile's teeth would crack the rock more and more.
Ash ran to the very last Sandile, holding onto it's tail to keep the balance going. "You can do it, Sandile! Just al little more!" Ash encouraged. His words of encouragement reached the lead Sandile, and he would do his best to stay strong, his fangs still biting down onto the rock. The rock would crack again, making the situation all the more dire. If it breaks now, not only will the Pokemon not make it, but all the Sandile will end up hurt too.
"Tepig!" Tepig would call out. He would look over at them, his eyes shining brightly. He had a serious expression, as if to tell them they had no time left. He motioned over to him, and that's when they all started approaching Tepig.
"Deer..."
"Patrat..."
But just then, another geyser would rise, threatening to land on them all. "Osha!" Thankfully, Oshawott would use Water Gun to counter the boiling water, preventing it from harming Ash or the other Sandiles. "Osha! Osha!"
"Good work, Oshawott!" Ash praised. With that obstacle taken care of, the Deerlings and Patrat would start running across the Sandiles, hopping over each and everyone one of them until they reached Ash. Then, they all ran to the opposite side. "Now, Tepig! Tackle!"
"Use Psybeam, Munna!"
"Pig! Tepig!" As for Tepig, he leapt into the air, tackling the Krabby Machine at full force while Munna would unleash Psybeam once more. The impact made the entire machine combust, destroying it in one-go thanks to this combo attack sending them back to the sky.
"Agh! We didn't even get a good hit in!" Jessie groaned.
"On the bright side, we avoided any burns in the process." James pointed out.
"That reminds me. We should stock up on some Burn Heals down the road. I hear Unova's a pretty hot place." Meowth uttered.
"We're blasting off again!"
They would soon be sent flying away once more, this time disappearing from the sky. With Team Rocket gone, the other threat was dealt with, but the main one was still prominent for the Sandile themselves. However, Ash would find an easy solution to that.
"Alright, everyone. Go up." Ash instructed as once all the other Pokemon were safely sent back to solid ground, the Sandile would change from, a horizontal angle to a vertical one, going upwards with Ash being at the very top of it all.
"Osha!" Oshawott jumped from Sandile to Sandile to Sandile, and soon found himself at the top where Ash was. Ash had a smile on his face, looking down at him.
"Good job, Oshawott." He complimented.
"Osh! Osha! Oshawott!" He looked proud of himself.
"That was a pretty risky thing to do...Stupid and risky...but I guess you pulled it off." Iris smiled at him.
"Nah. That was nothing." Ash grinned while at the top as Hilda breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, the Sandile started falling back, thankfully away from the boiling water. But that also meant that Hilda and the others were about to be struck by them.
"Uh oh." Hilda's eyes widened as she, Iris, Pikachu, Axew, Cilan, Tepig, Dan and the other Pokemon grimaced as Ash and the Sandile all fell towards them.
"GAGH!" They cried out as a large dust cloud was formed from the impact.
"Uh..." After the dust cleared, Hilda was seen buried underneath all of them. She would pop up her head as Ash was laying on her head, his eyes spinning.
"Ugghhh..." He was dazed by this. Hilda sighed, pulling him off. Everyone would soon laugh it off, more relieved that they avoided a disaster such as that. Everyone here laughed in unison, being all dirty and having dust and rocks all over them but none of that mattered. Not to them, at least. And not to Sandile, either.
"Sand."
After returning back to the hotel, they would be seen in the hotel's bath. All of them. They were resting in its hot spring, which was created when the sand pit was filled in by the new thermal springs released from the geysers. All the rescued Pokemon and the Sandile bathed in its soothing with them, enjoying it to the fullest. The Pokemon would play in the bath with each other, laughing, and generally enjoying themselves. The Sandile were all having a grand time, laughing with each other.
"Well, this turned out well." Dan's father appeared, watching over them and seeing how relaxed they were. "Nice going, son, finding these folks."
"The geysers caused us to lose our hot-sand spa, but this is a nice substitute." Dan responded.
"Sure is..." Ash said with his eyes closed.
"Deer-Deer!" The Deerling swam around in the water. Hilda's own Deerling joined in, loving the comfort of the hot-spring.
"Everyone is certainly getting a kick out of this. The Pokémon are playing happily." Cilan noted. He was smiling and having fun himself, enjoying the hot water. Oshawott would soon climb atop Tepig's head, making them both laugh and enjoy each other's company. The same can be said for his Pansage.
"Pansage..."
"This sure is the best. It really is..." Hilda uttered. She rested her arms on the side, taking a big breath.
"Yeah..." Ash said with a big smile. The hot spring felt amazing on his skin. Pikachu, sitting right by his side, would take a breath of his own.
"Chuuuu..." Pikachu was so relaxed right now, and the water was just what they all needed after what happened.
"But how the leader Sandile didn't show up?" Ash noticed how despite all the Sandile being here, the leader wasn't present at all.
"Maybe he's just tired. Leaders work hard after all." Iris shrugged. "I bet he's got his own way of relaxing."
"Yeah. That sounds about right..." Ash replied.
But little did they know, Sandile was watching from afar, popping his head out of the ground. He didn't join in, yes. But he did have interest now. Specifically towards Ash and his group, but mostly Ash. He was thankful to them for helping out. But that thanks was growing into something else.