The Mirage Tower Adventure

(A/N: Took a break to celebrate Christmas, but I'm back now! I'll make sure to keep you all informed in the future for similar breaks. In the meantime, enjoy these two chapters!)

It had been five hours since John began his exploration of the 111 Route's desert terrain. He'd trekked through the scorching sand for most of the day, taking breaks to enjoy a quick takeaway, prepare an elaborate dinner for his Pokemon, and even indulge in three movies on his Gameboy—though none of them were particularly new. Now, as the night began to settle in, it was almost time for some well-deserved rest.

The desert map wasn't enormous, but John had still taken his time. He was in no rush. There were two intriguing items on his radar. The first was the Dowsing Machine, which promised hidden treasures, and the second was an experiment with his Smeargle using Sweet Scent, hoping to attract some rare Pokemon.

As expected, the Dowsing Machine was reliable—John found two Rare Candies buried in the vast desert sands, bringing his total count up to four. However, Smeargle's Sweet Scent didn't quite live up to its promise. Instead of drawing in rare Pokemon, it only seemed to attract the local regulars: Sandshrew, Trapinch, Baltoy, and Cacnea.

John was particularly intrigued by Trapinch. It had a lot of potential, evolving into Flygon, a formidable Pokemon with a unique Ground/Dragon typing and the ability to float. But despite its appeal, John wasn't particularly interested in Flygon. He already had a Gabite, and it didn't fit his team's theme. He was all about the Sandstorm strategy, and Flygon, for all its potential, just wasn't going to make the cut.

After fully exploring the desert region, John finally locked onto a spot on his map—the location of the fossils. He had arrived at a towering stone structure, the Mirage Tower, located in the heart of the desert. As he glanced at his watch, he noticed it was already 11 PM.

"Perfect timing," John muttered to himself, adjusting his hat as he walked toward the entrance. "Get the fossils, then it's off to rest."

As soon as he stepped inside the tower, a prompt appeared on his Gameboy screen.

[Yes/No: Enter Dungeon "Rotten Mirage Tower"]

[Dungeon Recommended Level: 35]

John raised an eyebrow. "A dungeon, huh?" he mused, tapping the [Yes] button without hesitation. He'd never encountered a dungeon before. The idea of entering one hadn't even crossed his mind. But if this was a dungeon, it wasn't the usual story-based dungeon he was used to. He was ready for whatever came next.

With a flash of light, John was transported inside the dungeon. The sound of the desert winds howled outside, but here, inside the tower, it was eerily quiet. The cold night air crept in through cracks in the stone, and as he walked deeper, he found himself standing in a massive hall about the size of a basketball court. Torches burned brightly along the walls, casting flickering shadows over everything. Directly ahead was a winding stone staircase leading upward.

In the center of the hall stood a Rhydon, its heavy, stone-like body towering over John. Its eyes locked onto him immediately, full of suspicion and alertness.

"Rhydon, LV 37?" John muttered, surprised. "That's new."

It wasn't unusual for dungeons to have strong Pokemon protecting their treasures, but this Rhydon was from a region far away. It wasn't native to the 111 Route desert, which only added to John's curiosity. His first thought wasn't how to beat it, but rather, could he catch it?

Before John could formulate a plan, the Rhydon charged at him with a roar, its heavy footsteps echoing through the hall. With its horn locked onto him, it barreled forward like a freight train.

"Water Shuriken!" John shouted as he threw a Pokeball in the air.

Greninja leapt out of the Pokeball in an instant, launching multiple shurikens made of water directly at Rhydon. But the Ground/Rock-type Pokemon charged on, ignoring the attack as it closed in on John. Its horn was aimed straight for his head.

But that was before the Water Shuriken found its mark. With a sharp crack, the water-infused shurikens stabbed into Rhydon's tough exterior. The Pokemon's movements faltered as the powerful attack exploded in a burst of water. Within moments, the Rhydon collapsed, knocked out cold on the stone floor.

John wasted no time. He reached for another Pokeball and tossed it at Rhydon. The ball clicked shut with a satisfying thunk, and the red light flickered as Rhydon struggled for a moment inside. But after a few moments, it stilled.

"Caught it," John said with a grin, retrieving the Pokeball and inspecting it. He checked the stats quickly, noting that Rhydon's Special Defense was below average, so he wasn't interested in training it further. "Not bad, but I'll let Professor Birch deal with it."

With the Rhydon dealt with, John made his way up the stone staircase. The second floor was eerily similar to the first: another basketball-sized hall, but this time there were no stairs leading up. Instead, a stone platform sat in the center of the room, and upon it were two fossils.

"Is that it?" John wondered aloud. He had expected more, considering the tower was supposed to have four floors. But he didn't have time to dwell on it. The fossils on the platform caught his attention.

One looked to have a distinct carapace-like pattern, while the other appeared more root-like, resembling a rhizome. John tilted his head, trying to remember which Pokemon each fossil might belong to.

"Carapace… rhizome… Wait, isn't Anorith's fossil a claw?" he murmured. He was sure he was remembering something wrong, but the choice was clear. He'd go with the Dome Fossil, which was more likely to give him an Anorith.

Without further hesitation, he reached out to take the Dome Fossil. The moment his fingers brushed it, a flash of light enveloped him, and he was suddenly back outside in the sandy desert. The Mirage Tower had vanished, as though it had never been there.

"The moment I grab the Dome Fossil," John muttered, reading the prompt that appeared on his Gameboy screen, "the tower collapses, and the other fossil is lost forever."

Just as he suspected. The game had always worked this way—take one fossil, and the other would disappear. No surprise there.

John quickly made his way out of the desert region, but as he was about to leave, something caught his eye—a familiar structure. A Mirage Tower, but different this time. This one looked old and weathered, a shell of its former self.

Another prompt appeared on his Gameboy screen.

[Yes/No: Enter Dungeon "The Dilapidated Mirage Tower"]

[Dungeon Recommended Level: 40]

John took a deep breath, his curiosity piqued. "Well, looks like this desert adventure is far from over," he said with a smirk, stepping forward to face whatever challenge awaited inside.

And with that, his night in the desert was far from over—he had one more tower to conquer.