Wen Qi activated his Everstone power to communicate telepathically with the Sandslash. He asked sincerely, "Are you blocking us because you need our help with something?"
A hint of fierceness flashed in the Sandslash's eyes as it replied, "You came here and disrupted our family's life—that already made us unhappy. Earlier, you made that Gloom release a stench that nearly knocked us all out."
Hearing this, Wen Qi felt a bit awkward, while Bellossom shyly lowered its head. Bellossom stole a glance at Wen Qi, as if blaming him: "This is all your fault, nothing to do with me."
Then the Sandslash continued, "Those machines that came before also collapsed our home. Back then, there were too many people, so we didn't dare come out. Now that no one's around, we need to settle accounts with you."
Wen Qi realized then that the Sandslash family was somewhat cowardly—bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Although what happened before was indeed his fault, he didn't know what to do now. With that in mind, he decided to check the Sandslash family's information first.
『Pokémon: Sandslash Level: 25 Type: Ground Ability: Sand Veil (Boosts evasiveness in a sandstorm) Talent: Deep Yellow Moves: Scratch (Proficient), Defense Curl (Proficient), Poison Sting (Beginner), Sand Attack (Proficient), Rollout (Proficient), Fury Cutter (Beginner), Rapid Spin (Proficient), Stomp (Beginner), Swift (Beginner), Fury Swipes (Proficient), Dig (Proficient), Swords Dance (Beginner), Plow (Beginner)』
『Pokémon: Sandshrew Level: 15 Type: Ground Ability: Sand Veil (Boosts evasiveness in a sandstorm) Talent: Green Moves: Scratch (Proficient), Defense Curl (Proficient), Poison Sting (Beginner), Sand Attack (Proficient), Rollout (Proficient), Fury Cutter (Beginner), Rapid Spin (Beginner), Dig (Proficient), Swords Dance (Beginner), Plow (Beginner)』
Wen Qi carefully examined the Sandslash family's information, noting that their levels were close and their talent was only Deep Yellow. But what pleased him most was that the whole family had the Plow move. Seeing this, his eyes lit up.
The youngest Sandshrew, though lower in level, had a Green talent, which made Wen Qi's heart stir. If he could capture this Sandshrew, the whole family could work for him in the future. It was a sure-win deal.
Thinking this, Wen Qi couldn't help but grin happily. Bellossom, seeing its master like this, began to doubt whether following Wen Qi had been a hasty decision. He seemed a bit foolish.
The Sandslash, seeing Wen Qi suddenly laughing to himself, also felt confused. It didn't understand why the other had become so cheerful all of a sudden, and why he was looking at it strangely. A sense of foreboding rose in the Sandslash's heart.
So the Sandslash barked more fiercely, trying to snap Wen Qi back to reality. Wen Qi looked at the fierce Sandslash couple and the little Sandshrew hiding behind them, took a deep breath, and said, "Sandslash, how about this? Let's have a direct battle. Winner takes all. If you win, I'll leave here. But if I win, I'll capture your child, and you and your mate will work for me. Of course, I'll provide room and board."
As he spoke, he even took out some Energy Blocks as bait. Hearing that Wen Qi wanted to capture its child and make them work for him, the Sandslash was furious. It thought, "The great Sandslash family will never be slaves!" But when it heard the words "room and board," its heart wavered. Seeing the Energy Blocks Wen Qi held out, the tempting aroma made it drool.
It struggled to control its desire, but the little Sandshrew couldn't resist. Smelling the Energy Blocks, it drooled profusely. Ignoring the Sandslash's attempts to stop it, it ran straight up to Wen Qi. Seeing the cute little Sandshrew, Wen Qi felt a surge of joy. Without hesitation, he handed the Energy Block to the Sandshrew.
The Sandshrew took the Energy Block and began devouring it. Its satisfied expression and loud chewing sounds snapped the Sandslash out of its thoughts. Seeing its son eating so heartily, a bad feeling crept into its mind. It felt like it had already lost before the battle even started.
The Sandslash quickly ran over, dragged the Sandshrew back, and snatched the Energy Block from its hand. Then it handed another Energy Block to the female Sandslash, letting them share the treat. The Sandslash thought, "This is definitely the best food I've ever eaten." It suddenly didn't want to fight anymore and even considered surrendering outright. But it felt that would be too spineless, so it decided to fight after finishing the meal.
After eating the Energy Blocks, the Sandslash looked at its pitiful son and said to Wen Qi, "Alright, let's start the battle."
Wen Qi sent out Bellossom directly, hoping for a quick victory. At the start of the battle, the Sandslash acted swiftly. It lowered its head, its body trembling slightly as if gathering immense power. Then it used Defense Curl, making its body round like a rolling ball. This boosted its defense and set the stage for its next move.
Next, the Sandslash spun at incredible speed, charging at Bellossom like a high-speed top. This was its signature move—Rapid Spin. Bellossom reacted quickly, swaying gracefully and releasing a charming scent to disrupt the Sandslash's attack. But the Sandslash's assault was unstoppable; it crashed into Bellossom like a giant wheel, knocking it aside.
However, Bellossom didn't get discouraged. It quickly adjusted and prepared to counterattack. Taking a deep breath, it began to emit a dazzling, multicolored glow around its body—a sign of a powerful move about to be unleashed. Sure enough, Bellossom used Quiver Dance, boosting its Attack and Special Attack while becoming even more beautiful.
Then Bellossom launched its ultimate attack—Petal Blizzard. Countless petals fell from its body like a rain of flowers, beautiful yet deadly. These petals shot toward the Sandslash like sharp blades. Despite the Sandslash's fierce resistance, the Grass-type move was super effective, and it ultimately lost. Bellossom won the battle with its elegant posture and powerful skills, and the Sandslash accepted its defeat without complaint.
Wen Qi stepped forward and said to the Sandslash, "You lost. Starting today, you're joining my farm." Though the Sandslash family was reluctant, remembering the "room and board" offer, they gave in. And so, the Sandslash family became new members of Wen Qi's farm. Wen Qi welcomed them and promised to take good care of them. Bellossom also greeted the new arrivals, believing that with everyone's efforts, the farm would thrive.
The Sandshrew offered no resistance and was directly captured by Wen Qi. During the capture, the little Sandshrew was unusually eager, making the Sandslash want to scold it. After all, no matter how much you want to be captured, you should maintain some dignity. But the Sandshrew didn't care—with delicious food at hand and its dad already defeated, what was the point of resisting? A life with room and board was so comfortable; just thinking about a future of lazing around made it overjoyed.
Little did the Sandshrew know, countless tasks awaited it in the days to come. By the time it wanted to back out, it would be far too late.