The desert sun beat down without mercy, heat-warping the air into ripples. On the sand, Iron Treads and Great Tusk still lay flat out, seeing stars—no chance of getting up anytime soon.
A bunch of Scovillain clustered around, chattering about what to do.
One slightly bigger Scovillain—apparently the ringleader—hopped over to Jason.
"Really, thank you!" its face full of genuine gratitude. "If you hadn't stepped in, we don't know how long those two bullies would've kept pushing us around."
Jason waved it off—no big deal.
For him, putting the pair down hadn't taken much effort.
"But," the Scovillain's tone shifted, laced with worry, "you'd better be careful. Don't go any deeper into the desert."
"Oh?" Jason's curious hum did the trick.
The Scovillain glanced left and right, lowered its voice conspiratorially. "A real monster showed up in the Asado Desert recently. Iron Treads and Great Tusk got driven to the outskirts because they couldn't beat it."
Jason's eyes lit.
He'd thought those two were the desert's top dogs—who knew there was someone stronger?
To push those terror twins off their turf, the newcomer had to be serious.
His curiosity was hooked. He looked to Iron Valiant; a shrugging tilt of the shoulders answered back.
"Let's go."
Its voice was even, unreadable, but the flicker in its optics gave away its interest in a worthy foe.
"I swear you two are impossible," Gast drifted over, body wobbling with exasperation. "Ever heard of 'keeping your head down'? You smell danger and march straight into it—afraid your lifespan's too long, is that it?"
The ghost's complaints were pure vinegar, but Jason only gave a couple dry chuckles and turned toward the heart of the desert where the Scovillain had pointed.
He didn't hesitate.
"Hey—wait for me!" Xiao You saw him go and, complaints forgotten, scrambled to follow. Mouth said no; heart said it couldn't leave those two alone.
Iron Valiant fell in behind Jason, unhurried, each long stride punching deep footprints into the sand.
The ringleader Scovillain watched them go, opened its mouth, and said nothing.
It had warned them; if they wouldn't listen, what came next wasn't its problem. It shook its head and turned back to the still-prone Paradox pair.
"All right, folks, don't just stand there! While they're out cold—get in a few more shots!" the Scovillain whooped.
The chorus answered; they swarmed again, fists and feet thumping with rainbow pips of energy—not much damage, but the humiliation was priceless.
Other small desert Pokémon, emboldened by the scene, piled on too. They'd eaten enough grief from those two bullies; with payback on the table, nobody was passing.
It got lively—blows raining down in a low, dull drumbeat.
Jason's trio had gone far enough that the rabble faded into wind and grit.
The deeper they went, the harsher it got.
The sun wanted to melt the world; the sand could have fried eggs. No wind, only suffocating heat.
Xiao You floated and grumbled. "What a hellscape. Hot, dry—can't even see a blade of grass. Why are we doing this to ourselves?"
"Quiet." Iron Valiant clipped three words—synthesized voice cold, the impatience clear enough even for Xiao You to hear.
"I'm just roasting," Xiao You mumbled. "Feels like I'm drying out."
Jason glanced back, amused. "You're a Haunter—what body? What's there to dry?"
"I…" Xiao You ran out of comeback. True, it didn't have a proper body. But the place just felt wrong down to the ectoplasm.
"All right, no more whining," Jason said. "If it's really that bad, go find shade and wait. We'll come back for you."
"No way!" Xiao You shot back. "I'm not leaving you two. What if something happens? I'm not the same scaredy-ghost I used to be!"
"And you're going to help… how?" Iron Valiant didn't bother softening it.
"I—I can cheer you on! Moral support matters too!"
Jason and Valiant let that one die.
They pushed on. The landscape shifted. Dunes rose and fell higher; now and then the sand gave up giant bones—whose, who could say? The air carried a thin, needling prickle of danger.
Jason halted.
"What is it?" Xiao You snapped to alert—something was off.
Valiant stopped too, optics glowing red as it scanned.
"Something ahead," Jason murmured.
Behind a dune, something whispered through sand—something fast and close to the surface.
Xiao You swallowed—despite lacking saliva. Iron Valiant's blades flicked free.
The sound swelled—and a giant tore up out of the sand.
Sandy Shocks: a body woven from iron filings, huge pincers gleaming with metallic chill.
The temperature seemed to dip just looking at it.
Its glare was nasty; it stared Jason's way with a clear warning—turn back.
"Looks nasty," Xiao You whispered.
"Agreed," Jason nodded.
Stronger than the Paradox Donphan twins? No—but not by much.
Sandy Shocks growled—final warning.
Jason and Valiant traded a look. Battle glinted in both gazes.
"Make it quick," Valiant said.
"Just what I was thinking." Jason smiled.
They moved as one.
Valiant blurred pink and was in its face, blades weaving a killing lattice. Jason's body rippled—and became a Garchomp.
…
Half an hour after they'd left, the once motionless Paradox pair stirred.
Iron Treads' metal wheel twitched with a tiny screech. Great Tusk's long tusk carved a shallow line in sand.
The "welcoming committee" noticed.
"Oh no, they're waking up! Run!"
One shout, and the raucous mob became a scatter of dust. They ran like their lives depended on it—because they did. The ringleader Scovillain was in the lead, stubby legs a blur.
It almost made it—until a huge metal limb shot out and plucked it from the air.
Iron Treads.
Its optics were open now, cold and furious.
It held the Scovillain up, voice like grinding steel. "Which way did the three go?"
By "the three," it meant Jason, Xiao You, and Iron Valiant.
The Scovillain nearly fainted with terror, trembling so hard its leaves rattled. It had been the loudest hitter—now its heart was pure jelly.
"I—I don't know—what are… you talking about…" it bluffed badly.
"Cut it." Iron Treads squeezed; metal digits bit in. "Don't make me hurt you. Which way?"
Rage smoldered. For Iron Treads, being taken apart by a Ditto and a Valiant was a humiliation. It would get that face back.
Feeling that power, the Scovillain knew it couldn't play dumb.
If it said one wrong word, it'd be mulch.
Survival trumped pride. A shaking leaf pointed after Jason's trio. "Th-that way… they went that way…"
It was practically sobbing.
Iron Treads followed the line with its gaze, eyes colder still.
It memorized the direction, then glanced at the near-faint Scovillain in its grip. "Scram."
It pitched the little Grass/Fire-type aside like trash.
The Scovillain bounced, scrambled up, and ran even faster than before. "On it! Scramming!"
Whether Jason got in trouble later wasn't its problem. Better a live coward than a brave corpse.
Great Tusk hauled itself upright, shaking sand off.
It watched the smaller Pokémon scatter and didn't bother to chase. Flies, annoying but not worth the effort.
Something else mattered more.
"Going after them?" Iron Treads rumbled.
Great Tusk hesitated, massive foot grinding into sand. It looked toward the direction Jason had gone—fear flickered.
"But… that way is where that thing is, too." Its voice was heavy. "Hard to believe it left the crater too. Do we really want to go that way?"
Even for Great Tusk, the thought frayed its nerves. The strength of "that thing" had left scars. They'd left the center of the desert to avoid it.
Iron Treads' optics flashed with a hard light.
"Perfect," it said coldly. "We'll use that. Let them hit it first, bleed each other dry. Then we clean up."
Not a bad plan—revenge and removing a deeper threat in one go.
But Great Tusk still wavered. It wasn't impulsive; it thought farther.
"Even so… that Ditto and that Valiant are strong, sure. But to drag that thing to a double KO? Doubt it." It shook its head. "We two together couldn't last long. Can they?"
It knew the scale: near-total domination. Numbers and nerves didn't bridge that gap.
Iron Treads had expected the pushback. It let out a low, humorless chuckle.
"Relax. I've already checked. Word is that thing got banged up coming out of Area Zero. It's nowhere near full strength. We spooked ourselves with its name."
Hope lit in Great Tusk's eyes. "You're sure? Solid intel?"
"Positive." Iron Treads' tone was iron. "This is the chance. Miss this, and there won't be another. Think—take out them and that thing, and the desert is ours again."
Staring into Iron Treads' murderous focus, Great Tusk's doubt thinned. The heat of revenge and hunger for territory rose.
It slammed a foot down—thud. "Fine. Let's do it."
Consensus reached, two hulking shapes turned in the direction Jason had gone—and thundered off after him.
~~~
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