"Gtt...?" The response is muffled, but after a moment he hops over through the sand and holds his head up.

"....Ru..!" Kuribolt looks a little shamed, but she'll at least take Subaru over her other option!

In the meantime, Astral floats above. "I wonder... The storm has gotten fiercer as we move inward. If it is possible for pokemon to create such a thing at a high scale, we may in fact be approaching our destination..."