Chapter 1053: Legend: The Mirage Tower

Standing at the entrance of the desert, Yūga once again asked Ash and the others, "Are you sure you want to come with us to Slateport City?"

To reach Slateport City as quickly as possible, Yūga and Lovia decided to bypass the usual route and cross part of the Hoenn Desert to get directly to Slateport City from the other side.

Although they were only traversing a small extension of the Hoenn Desert, far from the main expanse of the desert, the Hoenn Desert was one of the most dangerous regions in Hoenn. This presented a challenge for Ash, May, and Max, especially with Max in tow.

Looking at the endless expanse of yellow sand, Ash swallowed nervously and glanced at May and Brock. Seeing them both nodding in agreement, he answered Yūga with determination, "Yes, we're coming!"

Seeing his resolve and looking at the excited Max beside him, Yūga nodded in agreement, "Alright, if that's the case, let's set off!"

Thus, the group headed into the desert!

Considering the unpredictable weather in the desert, Yūga and Lovia decided to forgo using Flying-type Pokémon and opted for Land Pokémon instead.

Yūga and Max rode Yūga's Sawsbuck, while Ash and Brock rode Brock's Onix. May, who wasn't riding a Pokémon, traveled alongside Lovia on Lovia's Mudsdale.

There are few land Pokémon suitable for riding among Water-types, but as an elite member of the supervision bureau, Lovia had trained a Mudsdale with exceptional endurance and stamina to meet daily task needs.

Lovia's Mudsdale wasn't trained for battle but excelled as a riding Pokémon, making desert travel a breeze for it. Its ability, Stamina, increased its defense when it was hit, and more importantly, it granted Mudsdale extraordinary endurance and stamina in daily life.

If there was a downside, it would be its slower speed compared to other riding Pokémon.

In the desert's scorching daytime heat, the group quickly became drenched in sweat. Except for Yūga and Lovia, the kids were experiencing the desert for the first time and struggled with the heat, especially with the occasional sandstorms they encountered.

Initially, the kids found the desert journey somewhat novel and were excited to see desert Pokémon like Cacturne and Cacnea. However, it wasn't long before they felt like fish out of water.

Yūga glanced at the blazing sun and then at the red-faced Max sitting in front of him. He asked with concern, "How are you holding up?"

Max grit his teeth and stubbornly shook his head, "I'm fine. How about my sister?" He wriggled in Yūga's arms, trying to turn around and check on May.

Yūga smiled internally: Who would have thought that Max, usually so sharp-tongued with his sister, would be so reliable in a pinch?

Adjusting Max, who was leaning sideways, Yūga said, "Don't worry, Lovia will take good care of May. Stay seated and don't move around."

Although Lovia was older and could be called Aunt, since Max called Yūga "brother" and Yūga was of the same generation as Mikoli, Max had to call Lovia "sister."

However, women generally preferred being called "sister" rather than "aunt," and Lovia looked quite young, so Max calling her sister didn't seem out of place.

"Okay," Max said wearily, not handling the heat well.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the group suddenly spotted a patch of greenery in the distance. May exclaimed, "Look, it's an oasis!"

Brock, ever the realist, said, "It could be a mirage!"

Exhausted, May countered, "It's definitely an oasis. Let's head over and rest there!"

Yūga, who had never seen a mirage, said, "Regardless of whether it's real or not, let's go check it out." The oasis was in their general direction anyway.

The group made their way toward the oasis.

However, as Brock suggested, it turned out to be a mirage. No matter how close they got, they couldn't reach the oasis and eventually watched it vanish before their eyes.

The disappointment of discovering the oasis was a mirage hit May hard. Yūga comforted her with a smile, "It's alright. If we push a bit further, we should be able to cross the desert by tomorrow."

"Ah… we have to wait until tomorrow!" May groaned in agony.

Just then, Max suddenly yelled, "Sister, Yūga! Look!"

The group looked in the direction Max was pointing. To their surprise, a grand and majestic pyramid had appeared not far from them.

Ash swallowed nervously. "This… could it be another mirage?"

Brock shook his head. "It doesn't look like one."

Yūga asked the group curiously, "Did you notice this tower before?"

"No," everyone shook their heads. The tower seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"What should we do? Should we go and check it out?" May asked hesitantly.

"Let's go see. It's not too far from us," Yūga decided after a moment of silence. It could be real or even an undiscovered ruin.

Ruins are highly sought after by adventure trainers, as they often symbolize wealth and treasure.

As it turned out, this was not a mirage. The group quickly reached the base of the towering pyramid.

"It's… real," Max said incredulously, staring at the pyramid.

"But this tower appeared so suddenly. Don't you find it strange?" Brock said, frowning.

"Have you heard of the legend of the Mirage Tower?" Lovia suddenly spoke up.

"The Mirage Tower?" Yūga had never heard of it.

The kids also looked at Lovia with curiosity.

Lovia cleared her throat and explained, "The legend says that there is a magical Mirage Tower in the Hoenn Desert. It's unknown when exactly it appears, but the legend has it that the tower moves on its own and is nearly impossible for people to find. Only when it reveals itself can others enter."

Yūga was surprised. "That's amazing!"

"No wonder we didn't notice it before," Brock said quietly.

"Do you know anything specific about the Mirage Tower?" Yūga asked Lovia.

Lovia shook her head. "It's just a legend. I've only heard the name of the Mirage Tower; I don't know the details. Besides, we can't be sure if this is really the Mirage Tower."

"It must be! I'm sure of it!" Max said excitedly. He was quite interested in such legends.

"Should we go inside?" May asked.

"Definitely, it's a rare opportunity!" Ash was enthusiastic about the idea.

"I think we should be cautious," Brock, the older one, suggested.

"How about we go in, and May and Max stay outside?" Yūga proposed. He was more concerned about May and Max's safety than exploring the Mirage Tower.

"No, I don't want to stay outside!" May immediately protested. She preferred to stay with everyone rather than be left alone outside.

"I don't want to either! Maybe it's safer inside!" Max also protested.

Seeing May and Max were adamant, Yūga had to compromise.

"Gengar, Mismagius, come out," Yūga called, and Gengar and Mismagius emerged from the shadows.

Everyone was startled by the sudden appearance of Gengar and Mismagius. Only Ash and Max exclaimed in unison, "Wow, that's so cool!"

"Stay with May and Max and ensure their safety," Yūga instructed Gengar and Mismagius.

Gengar and Mismagius nodded and then disappeared into May and Max's shadows. Although May and Max's shadows didn't have a shadow realm, hiding in shadows was a Ghost-type Pokémon's innate ability.

Max tapped his shadow with his foot and marveled, "That's amazing." As the child of a Normal-type Gym Leader, it was Max's first close encounter with Ghost-type Pokémon.

May looked worriedly at Yūga. "Yūga, you left Gengar and Mismagius with us. What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," Yūga said with a smile. "Sawsbuck will protect me, right?" He patted Sawsbuck's cheek.

"Yup," Sawsbuck confirmed.

Sawsbuck nuzzled Yūga's palm affectionately.

"But how do we get inside?" Brock asked as he circled the base of the pyramid.

Yūga looked up at the pyramid's top and released Charizard. "Charizard, go up and check."

Charizard soared to the top of the tower and returned a few minutes later.

"The entrance should be at the top. Let's head up," Yūga told everyone.

Seeing Yūga communicating seamlessly with Charizard, Ash's eyes widened. "Mr. Yūga can… understand Pokémon?"

"Sort of. To be precise, I can understand the meaning of their calls," Yūga explained with a smile.

"That's amazing! I wish I had such a skill!" Ash admired Yūga more and more the longer he spent time with him.

With Charizard's help, the group reached the top of the Mirage Tower.

From a distance, the Mirage Tower appeared to be a pyramid, but the top was not pointed. Instead, it was a large platform with a black hole in the center, which was likely the entrance.

Looking at the dark hole leading down the staircase, Yūga said, "Let's go down."

Charizard, understanding the situation, moved to the front and used its tail flame to light the way.

With Charizard's help, the group could finally see the path below and descended the staircase.

The staircase was long, and with the flames illuminating it, Yūga noticed faint murals on the walls. However, the murals were too weathered and unclear to discern their meaning.

Ancient murals were mostly used for storytelling, unlike today's decorative art.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak…"

As they continued down, the sound of fluttering wings and sharp cries came from above. The group looked up to see a swarm of Zubats startled by Charizard's flames, flying frantically into the darkness.

May, startled by the sudden commotion, knew she couldn't be a burden. She covered her mouth to stifle a scream and tightly held onto Max.

Max's arm was being squeezed painfully by his sister, but he bore the discomfort, sensing her trembling grip.

Noticing the tense atmosphere in the dark, Yūga released Bellossom and said softly, "Bellossom, use Aromatherapy."

As Bellossom's soothing chime filled the air, everyone's tension eased, and May gradually relaxed her grip on Max.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak…"

After descending a bit further, the group finally reached the end of the long staircase. In the spacious interior of the tower, a few Sandshrews, startled by the noise, scrambled into corner crevices.

"It seems like there's nothing here," Ash said, observing the empty space.

"What's that?" May suddenly pointed to a direction.

Following May's call,the group saw, illuminated by Charizard's flame, a pile of white objects.

Lovia sent out a Starmie, and the gem at its center emitted a bright beam, revealing the pile of bones.

It was a pile of human bones!

Ash, Brock, May, and Max swallowed nervously.

"Hehe… Hehe… That must be fake," May said nervously.

Lovia, however, said, "In the legend of the Mirage Tower, some people who entered it were never seen again…"

Yūga said, "Regardless, let's be careful. May, Max, Ash, and Brock, don't stray too far from me."

As Yūga finished speaking, a series of scuffling noises emerged from the darkness, and Sandshrews and Sandslashes appeared, surrounding the group.

"Be on guard!" Yūga commanded.

As the group's Pokémon prepared for battle, the Sandshrews and Sandslashes charged, claws extended, ready to attack.

**(End of Chapter)**