Heading Home

Sandstorm

Part Sixteen

Ash and Rui press on through the desert. Their shoes sinking into the hot sand with every step. Ash wonders why it's so much more difficult to walk on sand than on solid ground. The two walk mostly in silence to conserve their energy. However, Rui finds herself bored after the first hour of silence and decides to strike up a conversation. "So Ash, what are you going to do when you finally go home?"

His thoughts immediately travel to his mother who is waiting patiently for him to come home. He remembers that he should call her when they get to a Pokemon Center. He did promise he would call when he could. Then he thinks of his friends.

"What I really want is to throw a huge party." Ash smiles at the dream. "I want all of my friends to come and celebrate our success with me."

"That sounds really nice." She hums to herself momentarily. "But what will you do long term?"

He pauses to think. Beautiful imaginations of his homecoming have plagued him since he was kidnapped, but he didn't spend time wondering what his move would be after returning. Would he return to Pokemon Training? Will he still have the seat as the reigning champion? Would he settle down? These are things, he decides, that he would consider more when or if the time came.

"I can't say what will happen." He ponders thoughtfully. "But what I think I would like to happen is I would claim my reign as the current Master Champion. Then, I would be able to settle down a little. I would still train and work out, but I wouldn't have to travel as much."

"Settle down with a pretty girl?" Rui playfully teases. "The pretty girl?"

Ash's face burns brightly at the thought of sharing a home with his best friend, but he doesn't deny it. As he is about to retort, Rui stops in her tracks and listens intently. Ash looks around, searching for any sign of danger, but finds only desert.

"We need to move!" Rui grabs his arm and starts pulling him along the marked path as he struggles to understand what's happening.

"Rui!" He shouts from behind her. "What are we running from?"

As she turns to answer him, her purple eyes widen at the sight behind him. He cranks his neck around to see darkness beginning to shroud the out the sun.

"SANDSTORM!" She screams, still pulling him along. "We need to get as far as we can! The closer we are to the Outskirt Stand, the safer we will be!"

Ash doesn't ask anymore questions and resigns to run with her.

The sand behind them moves like a swarm of insects. It sways this way and that with the wind. It is fierce and unavoidable. It approaches quicker than they are able to run.

Suddenly, Rui trips and falls into the sand with Ash close behind. She turns back to see what caught her foot and sees a small orange rock sticking up from the sand. They look up to the sky to find the sunlight disappearing.

"Quick, cover your entire face with your shirt. Sand can get into your nose, eyes, ears and mouth!" Panicking slightly, Rui pulls her jacket off and covers her entire head with it; Ash copies quickly. They duck close to the ground as the sandstorm approaches and begins whipping the sand against their skin. They yell against the roaring winds as it painfully sears their bare skin.

Then, magically, the sand stops scraping against them, but they still hear the screaming winds.

Ash hesitantly pulls his jacket off his face and is stunned to see they are covered by a light blue force field. Just a foot away from his leg sits the orange rock that he now can see is no rock, but a Pokemon. It is small and orange. Its jaw is larger than the rest of its body.