"Look, this is it. I saw it back then and immediately sketched it out."
Muneharu pointed at the drawing and said to Lionel.
Lionel took the drawing, his fingertips brushing over the symbols outlined in charcoal, his brow furrowing slightly.
These symbols—he suddenly found them somewhat familiar.
In his memory, besides the Mirage Tower, there seemed to be another forgotten miracle in the desert.
It was the cave where the legendary Rock Peak Pokémon, Regirock, was said to reside; similar ancient symbols were carved onto the cave walls.
Could the outline of this stone tower be related to Regirock's habitat?
"It's a real pity. If Tyranitar had appeared a bit later, you might have captured that Larvitar."
Before Lionel's voice of regret could settle, Muneharu smiled, his tone carrying the clarity of someone who had seen much of the world: "It's not that easy to capture one. In wild Pokémon groups, young ones are extremely precious, especially rare ones like Larvitar; they almost always have parents guarding them nearby.
I was also momentarily blinded by greed and didn't consider that. How could I be lucky enough to just happen upon a lone Larvitar?
With a Tyranitar guarding it...
Forget about poaching a Larvitar—even if you just had a stray thought about it, you'd first have to weigh whether you have the ability to escape with your life from a Tyranitar's clutches.
I'm already thanking my lucky stars that I could get away in one piece this time!"
Muneharu's words made sense.
The protective instinct wild Pokémon have for their young is etched into their bones, let alone an existence like Tyranitar, which stands at the top of the desert food chain.
A single roar from it can whip up a sandstorm that blots out the sun, and a single Earthquake can crack the earth and shift sand dunes.
Even those battle-hardened veteran Trainers in the League would have to set aside all contempt and carefully calculate the pros and cons before daring to act when facing a protective Tyranitar.
Lionel wasn't without his own thoughts regarding Tyranitar.
Its cute appearance as a youngster, its majestic posture after evolving, and the invincible aura of a desert tyrant certainly drew attention, but he quickly suppressed his greed:
Not all powerful Pokémon must be brought under one's command.
In his own team, Tyrantrum was already the core power-type combatant, and both shared the Rock type. If he were lucky enough to capture one, their training methods and tactical roles would actually overlap significantly.
Both would use sandstorms, then stack Dragon Dance to boost their strength before attacking.
Rather than over-capturing Pokémon now and causing resources to be spread too thin, it was better to focus on training his current partners. Once the Pokémon on hand were fully trained, he could consider these things later.
After all, he would definitely return to the desert in the future.
Regirock's ruins, the Mirage Tower—there were too many things he hadn't seen yet. Once his strength was sufficient, he would surely explore all these unknown wonders and ruins.
As for the one in the desert now, he could send a message to Steven later to see if he was interested in coming to the desert for exploration and mining.
If Steven were lucky enough to encounter them, he would surely capture both the mother and child together. The little Larvitar might even be raised at the Devon Corporation; after all, the one thing the Devon Corporation didn't lack was ore.
"You're right. You can't just want to catch every powerful Pokémon you see. There are so many Pokémon in the world that you can never catch them all. It's better to focus properly on your own partners."
Lionel nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Muneharu laughed heartily and reached out to pat Lionel's shoulder: "You kid, you're more level-headed at your young age than I thought.
That's right, a Trainer's road is long, and the world of Pokémon is vast. There's no need to obsess over a single Pokémon; it's a real shame to miss the scenery along the way."
He shook the drawing of the stone tower symbols in his hand, his fingertips rubbing over those ancient symbols as the fire of exploration ignited in his eyes again: "But this stone tower and these symbols—I still feel like there's a secret hidden there.
Once I have better equipment and enough strength in the future, I'll definitely go explore it again.
For now, I'll just wander around the desert's outskirts and see if I can catch a glimpse of the Mirage Tower."
Hearing 'Mirage Tower,' Lionel looked at the distant, undulating sand dunes, a trace of regret flitting through his heart.
He had thought this desert trip would give him a chance to encounter the legendary Mirage Tower and see that mysterious structure that suddenly emerges from the sea of sand with his own eyes.
Unfortunately, his luck seemed to be a bit lacking.
But on second thought, the results of this training had already far exceeded his expectations.
Tyrunt had evolved into Tyrantrum, Feebas's Water-type skills were becoming more refined, and Beldum had gained quite a few abilities, so it wasn't really a regret.
He pulled his phone from his pocket; the screen still showed the message sent by the Devon Corporation staff:
The special ores required for Beldum's evolution and growth have already been delivered to the branch in Mauville City.
And the reservation date for the challenge match against the Mauville Gym Leader, Tetsu, was in three days. It was indeed time to leave the desert.
"I plan to return to Mauville City within the next day or two."
Lionel put away his phone and said to Muneharu: "The date for the Gym match is approaching, and Mauville City is about to host a Pokémon Contest—this desert training can be considered over. It's time to go back and check the results."
Speaking of training results, Lionel's gaze unconsciously fell upon the Feebas in the inflatable water tank nearby.
The little fellow seemed to sense his gaze and wagged its tail happily. The purple scales on its body shimmered with a gentle luster under the sunlight, with a fine rainbow light faintly showing at the edges.
Looking closely, that Prism Scale, which once bore the colorful patterns of a Milotic's tail fin, had long since vanished; its silhouette could no longer be found.
In its place were Feebas's own increasingly pure purple scales.
This was precisely the sign that it was about to evolve into Milotic.
Lionel knew in his heart that Feebas had met the conditions for evolution; it just lacked an opportunity.
Ever since watching the video of Wallace's Milotic performing in a Pokémon Contest, this little guy had been holding back its energy.
It insisted on waiting until it stood on the stage of a Pokémon Contest to complete its evolution in front of everyone, using its transformed appearance to garner a room full of gasps and praise.
Muneharu followed Lionel's gaze to Feebas, then glanced at the Beldum nearby, which was playing by balancing a small stone on its head.
The little fellow was using Confusion to make the stone spin in the air, having a great time, and occasionally made a 'ding' sound toward Tyrantrum as if in provocation.
Meanwhile, Tyrantrum just lay lazily on the sand, occasionally lifting an eyelid. That 'can't be bothered with you' look actually showed a bit of a king's composure.
"Your Pokémon are not only growing in strength quickly, but their bond with each other is also quite good. It's truly enviable."
Muneharu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
He paused and said frankly: "Alright, since you're heading back to Mauville City, let's travel together for a while and part ways once we reach a supply station.
I also need to go to a supply point to stock up on water and compressed biscuits, and then I'll just wander around the desert's periphery to try my luck finding clues about the Mirage Tower."
Speaking of this, Muneharu waved his hand, his tone carrying the lingering fear of someone who had survived a disaster: "I really don't dare go into the deep desert again for now.
If my luck is bad and I run into Tyranitar again—oh, and that Pokémon with the strange roar—who knows if I'll be lucky enough to make it out alive next time.
I'll just look for the Mirage Tower's silhouette around the edges. If I can find it, this trip won't have been in vain."
The two were in complete agreement and immediately began packing their gear.
As the sun set in the west, the team of two people and their Pokémon finally set out on the return journey.
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