Chapter 1054: The Trio and the Claydol

The cries of the Sandshrew and Sandslash were sharp and dense, instantly filling the once quiet space within the tower with noise.

Yuga's Sawsbuck was the fastest, kicking away every Sandshrew and Sandslash that got close. Charizard unleashed a Dragon Pulse, instantly engulfing a large group of Sandshrew and Sandslash, leaving none unscathed.

Brock's Onix, using its massive size, charged into the group of Sandshrew, scattering them everywhere.

Ash's Pikachu nimbly ran up and down Onix, using Iron Tail to knock off the Sandshrew that had climbed onto Onix.

When Pikachu first met Yuga, it didn't know Iron Tail, but now it could use it skillfully.

Lovia's Starmie handled the Sandshrew and Sandslash with ease, clearing a large area with a single Water Gun.

May and Max, holding hands, were surrounded by Yuga and the others, preventing any Sandshrew or Sandslash from getting close, but May was still drenched in cold sweat. It was the first time she had experienced such a situation.

Ash, on the other hand, felt excited and thrilled. The scene reminded him of when he first left Pallet Town, and he and Pikachu were attacked by a flock of Spearow.

Because of the Spearow attack, Ash and Pikachu first acknowledged each other, and this led to meeting his future companion, Misty. (In his haste to get Pikachu to a Pokémon Center, Ash had taken Misty's bike without knowing her at the time.)

Now, both he and Pikachu had grown much stronger.

Though there were many Sandshrew and Sandslash, their strength wasn't high. With everyone working together, they were quickly dealt with.

Looking at the fainted Sandshrew and Sandslash scattered on the ground, Brock let out a long breath and said, "This doesn't make sense! Even if we accidentally disturbed them, they wouldn't attack us so madly."

Yuga looked around and nodded in agreement, "It's indeed abnormal." There wasn't a single high-quality Pokémon among the fallen Sandshrew and Sandslash, so he wasn't interested in them, but…

Just then, a noise came from the darkness, and soon after, Mimikyu appeared, dragging an unconscious Baltoy into everyone's view.

Lovia and the others didn't know Yuga's Mimikyu, so they were startled by its sudden appearance. Ash even exclaimed, "What kind of Pokémon is this? It looks just like my Pikachu!" Pikachu, sitting on Ash's shoulder, curiously stared at Mimikyu on the ground.

It's said that Mimikyu holds a deep grudge against Pikachu, and whenever they meet, they must fight. However, Yuga's Mimikyu was actually a disguised Granbul, so it had no special reaction to Ash's Pikachu.

"No need to worry, this is my Mimikyu. The Baltoy it's dragging should be the culprit behind making the Sandshrew and Sandslash go crazy."

Actually, as soon as the battle started, Mimikyu had quietly gone into the darkness to investigate. For Ghost-type Pokémon, a dark environment wasn't a hindrance but an advantage.

As a Ghost-type, Mimikyu was very sensitive to the psychic energy of Psychic-type Pokémon, so it easily found the Baltoy that was controlling the Sandshrew and Sandslash.

**Baltoy**

*Type: Ground, Psychic*

*Ability: Levitate*

*Potential: Yellow*

*Level: 48*

*Moves: Harden, Confusion, Rapid Spin, Heal Block, Psybeam, Cosmic Power, Power Trick, Extrasensory, Signal Beam.*

Although Mimikyu was the weakest of Yuga's Pokémon, it had no trouble dealing with this mediocre Baltoy, so once it discovered the Baltoy's mischief, it immediately subdued it.

After hearing Yuga's explanation, Luvia asked, "Why did it control the Sandshrew and Sandslash to attack us?"

Yuga shook his head, then said, "Let's ask it." He gave Mimikyu a look, and Mimikyu knocked on Baltoy's smooth forehead with its tail, waking it up with a scream.

"Amazing, a Pokémon I've never seen before."

Ash's attention was still on Mimikyu.

Hearing Ash's comment, Yuga explained, "It's called Mimikyu, a Ghost and Fairy-type Pokémon. Its appearance only resembles Pikachu because of the costume it wears; they aren't related at all."

"Got it." Ash looked enlightened.

After waking up and seeing so many people around it, Baltoy was terrified.

After Yuga questioned it, they learned that Baltoy attacked them because it believed that everyone who entered the Mirage Tower must be killed.

Yuga asked Baltoy more questions about the Mirage Tower, but it knew nothing. It didn't even know when it first appeared in the tower.

As for the bones scattered around, Baltoy also had no idea what they were; it had only ever seen Yuga's group.

Although Baltoy dared to control so many Sandshrew and Sandslash to fight against Yuga and his group, it was actually very timid when facing them directly. A single sentence from Yuga made it tremble with fear.

Under Baltoy's guidance, Yuga and the others found another entrance leading downwards, a long staircase stretching below.

"This is the entrance to the second floor?" Yuga asked Baltoy.

Baltoy nodded, trembling.

"You better not be lying! You're coming with us."

Baltoy was small, so Yuga picked it up by one arm.

Hearing that Yuga was taking it down with them, Baltoy struggled violently: No, no, it's terrifying down there! I don't want to go!

Yuga didn't care about Baltoy's protests and had Mimikyu knock it twice, making it quiet down.

Everyone else, seeing Yuga's easy communication with Baltoy, looked on with envy: How convenient!

And so, the group continued their journey to the second floor of the Mirage Tower.

Meanwhile, at the entrance at the top of the Mirage Tower.

"Hey, Jessie, are we really going down there?" James asked uneasily, looking at the deep, eerie entrance before them.

Jessie kicked James's backside, "What are you talking about? Of course, we're going in! Didn't you see the twerps went down too? There's definitely treasure in there, definitely!" Jessie emphasized confidently.

It turns out that Team Rocket's trio had been following Yuga and his group ever since they entered the desert. Their stealth skills were surprisingly good, as Yuga didn't notice them at all.

After hearing Jessie's words, James frowned and said, "That's true, but this place looks pretty scary. Besides, Mr. Shimizu is with the kids, so they should be fine."

James was well aware of Yuga's strength, and since his cousin worked under Yuga, he had a good impression of Yuga, even though they were on opposite sides.

He had been hiding his identity in Team Rocket for a long time without achieving much, but ever since he teamed up with Jessie and Meowth, life had been enjoyable, if not comfortable.

"Shimizu, Shimizu, you keep talking about him. Is he really as powerful as you say?" Jessie asked impatiently. "If you keep hesitating like this, those brats will snatch all the treasure!"

At this point, Meowth chimed in, "Jessie, I think James makes a lot of sense, nya. This place does feel a bit eerie, nya."

Jessie grabbed Meowth by the head and lifted him up, saying fiercely, "Do you guys want the treasure or not?"

Hearing this, Meowth immediately imagined himself sleeping on a pile of gold coins and greedily said, "Yes, yes! I want lots and lots of gold coins!"

Jessie confidently said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" With that, she hugged Meowth and started descending the stairs.

James shook his head helplessly and followed them.

However, despite Jessie's initial bravado, within just three minutes of entering, the pitch-black environment had her on edge.

"Hey, Meowth, can't you make that thing in your hand a bit brighter?" Jessie tightened her grip on Meowth, complaining that his flashlight wasn't bright enough.

"What nonsense are you talking about, nya? This is the brightest it gets, nya!" Meowth felt like he was about to be strangled by Jessie.

James, feeling a bit scared himself, said, "Jessie, didn't you say you weren't afraid before we came down here?"

Jessie snapped, "Are you kidding me? I'm a delicate and beautiful lady! Isn't it normal for a lady to be scared?"

Delicate lady... James and Meowth were momentarily unsure if they should retort.

"Ahh... I don't care anymore! Arbok, come out and protect me!" Jessie said, pulling her hair in frustration and releasing her Arbok.

Arbok, upon emerging into the dark environment, was startled and immediately pressed against Jessie, trembling. Jessie punched it on the head, saying, "You coward, do I, a fragile girl, have to protect you?"

The so-called "fragile girl" left Arbok seeing stars after her punch.

As Jessie, James, and Meowth bickered their way down, they were actually safe because they were following the path Yuga and his group had already cleared.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Mirage Tower, Yuga and his companions were once again surrounded by a group of Pokémon, this time a horde of Baltoy, several Vibrava, and two Flygon.

Yuga remarked, "I didn't expect there to be so many Baltoy here, and even Flygon."

The Baltoy in Yuga's grasp, seeing so many of its kind, wasn't happy but instead was terrified, clinging closely to Yuga.

Unlike the pitch-black first floor, the second floor was brightly lit by lamps that automatically ignited on the walls as soon as they entered, allowing Yuga to clearly see the fear on Baltoy's face.

At first, Yuga didn't understand why Baltoy was scared, but soon the timid Baltoy went berserk and launched an attack on Yuga.

Something was controlling it!

Yuga instantly realized the abnormal state of Baltoy.

Baltoy's attack triggered the start of a battle, and the newly arrived Baltoy, Vibrava, and Flygon began launching various attacks at Yuga and his group.

At this moment, the Baltoy near Yuga was knocked out by Mimikyu's Wood Hammer.

The Baltoy on the second floor were much stronger than the Sandshrew and Sandslash on the first floor, and despite Yuga and his group's strength, they were having a hard time, especially since most of the enemies were Ground-type Pokémon, making it tough for Ash's Pikachu.

Yuga then released Chimecho and instructed, "Chimecho, find the culprit controlling these Pokémon!"

"Chime, Chime!" Got it!

With a response, Chimecho's psychic power spread out, and the powerful psychic energy of a Champion-level Pokémon scanned every inch of the second floor.

The mastermind controlling the Baltoy seemed very cunning, making it difficult for Chimecho to find it quickly, even with its abilities.

The attacks from the Baltoy, Vibrava, and Flygon were fierce, especially the two Flygon, who were very strong. If it weren't for Charizard and Sawsbuck, even Luvia would have struggled to handle them.

Fortunately, Yuga had the foresight to place Gengar and Mismagius by May and Max's side; otherwise, they would have been hurt by the Baltoy.

As Chimecho continued to scan every corner of the second floor with its psychic power, the mastermind finally revealed a slight psychic fluctuation, which Chimecho immediately detected.

Under Chimecho's intervention, the mastermind, who had been in hiding, slowly revealed its form—it was a Claydol, the evolved form of Baltoy.

Claydol (Body)

Type: Ground, Psychic

Ability: Levitate

Gender: None

Aptitude: None

Level: None

Moves: None

Seeing this, Yuga was stunned. What's going on? No aptitude, no level, no moves?

Finally, the system helped Yuga solve the mystery.

This wasn't a living Claydol but the remains of a Claydol that had died who knows how many years ago. The reason it could still move and control the Baltoy, Vibrava, and Flygon was that it seemed to be possessed by a strange energy.

Moreover, this power had no consciousness. It was like a pre-set command, passively controlling the Pokémon living in the Mirage Tower.

Because it had no consciousness and wasn't alive, it took Chimecho so long to find it.

This Claydol was likely very powerful in life, and after its death, its immense psychic power was sealed in its body. This psychic power was what controlled the Baltoy.

In other words, the Claydol in front of Yuga was like a machine executing a command. To stop this machine, it had to be destroyed.

After understanding the situation, Yuga immediately ordered Chimecho to destroy the Claydol.

Since the Claydol had no consciousness, it wasn't capable of attacking, but it seemed to have a defensive command set. As soon as Chimecho prepared to attack it, the Pokémon that had been attacking Lovia and Ash's group started to defend it.

In the blink of an eye, the Claydol was surrounded by layers of Baltoy.

(End of chapter)