Chapter 1055: The Trio: Is This the End of Our Adventure?

Seeing the army of Baltoys blocking their path, Chimecho used its Gravity move. In an instant, the Baltoys felt as if they were under a crushing weight and collapsed to the ground. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't escape the force of Chimecho's gravity.

For low-level Pokémon, Chimecho's Gravity was a nightmare. Once trapped in its gravity field, there was no chance of escape.

Without interference from the Baltoys, the small number of Trapinch and Vibrava were held off by Yuga and Lovia, allowing Chimecho to easily approach the Claydol.

Since the Claydol was merely an empty shell, its sealed psychic power was only used to control the other Pokémon here. It didn't have any moves or attack power.

When Chimecho reached it, the Claydol offered almost no resistance and was shattered into pieces by a single Shadow Ball.

As the Claydol broke apart, all the Baltoys, Trapinch, and the two Vibrava simultaneously fainted.

Seeing the unconscious Pokémon scattered across the floor, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

"So that Claydol was the mastermind behind all of this!" Brock said, leaning on Onix and catching his breath.

"We're lucky Mr. Shimizu was able to spot it. I didn't see it at all earlier," Ash said with a look of relief.

"That wasn't a real Claydol, just its shell," Yuga explained, giving a brief account of the Claydol's situation, which made everyone realize the truth.

"No wonder it shattered with just one hit from Chimecho," Brock remarked.

"No wonder the legend says that those who enter the Mirage Tower never come out. This place is so dangerous," Luvia said, feeling complicated emotions. If Yuga hadn't been there today, none of them could have handled the Baltoys and Whirlipede, let alone discovered the Claydol's shell.

Before long, the Baltoy that Mimikyu had knocked out woke up. As soon as it opened its eyes, it began struggling frantically, but when it realized nothing was wrong, it settled down, confused.

Seeing this, Yuga asked, "Were you worried about being controlled by the Claydol? You don't need to worry anymore. Look, it's been smashed to pieces." He pointed towards the broken remains of the Claydol.

The sight of the shattered Claydol initially made the Baltoy panic, but it gradually calmed down.

"You didn't want to tell us about the situation here earlier because of the Claydol's presence, right?"

After a moment of hesitation, the Baltoy lightly nodded.

It then explained to Yuga that it didn't have many memories of this place. It only remembered that when it first awakened, it was already inside this tower, along with many others like it.

They couldn't leave, so they lived peacefully here.

Its elders told it that a terrifying presence existed in the tower. Whenever humans entered, this presence would control their minds, leaving them powerless to resist.

This terrifying presence was the Claydol.

The Claydol usually didn't interfere with their lives, but once intruders appeared, it would turn into a demon and take over everyone's minds.

The reason it was on the first floor was that every so often, the Baltoys on the second floor would be controlled by the Claydol to guard that area.

That was the first time the Baltoy had been controlled by the Claydol. The feeling of losing control of its mind and body was so terrifying that even now, just thinking about it made it tremble.

According to its elders, they had tried to destroy the Claydol, but Pokémon living in the Mirage Tower couldn't resist it. The moment they got close, their minds would be taken over.

After hearing the Baltoy's story, Yuga asked, "Do you know why the Mirage Tower exists?"

The Baltoy shook its head and said that it had only been active on the first and second floors since awakening, and its elders forbade it from approaching the third floor. Beyond that, it didn't know anything.

With the Baltoy still mostly in the dark, Yuga shook his head in disappointment.

Looking at all the unconscious Baltoys, Yuga asked the others, "Would any of you like to catch one? Psychic-type Pokémon are pretty good."

Lovia was the first to refuse. Without a skill like Yuga's Insight, finding a suitable Pokémon among so many was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Besides, she was a Water-type Trainer.

Since Lovia didn't want any, Yuga didn't press the matter. He couldn't exactly tell them he had an ability that let him see Pokémon's potential.

The kids, however, were interested, but with so many Pokémon to choose from, they were a bit overwhelmed.

"How about I pick one for you?" Yuga suggested.

"Sure, that'd be great!" Ash said excitedly. "Mr. Shimizu is so skilled, I'm sure any Pokémon you choose will be amazing."

May and Brock nodded in agreement, while Max... didn't have much say in the matter.

Unlike the first floor, which was filled with low-quality Sandshrew and Sandslash, the second floor had several high-quality Baltoy and Vibrava.

Thoughtfully, Yuga picked a green-quality Baltoy for both May and Ash, and a green-quality Vibrava for Brock.

Among the remaining Pokémon, there was only one green-quality Baltoy left, which Yuga naturally claimed for himself. He also selected a few yellow-quality ones.

Although Baltoy isn't as rare as Ralts, it's still a rare Pokémon.

Yuga didn't bother with the two Vibrava because he didn't need them. Now that the Baltoy has been destroyed, the remaining Baltoy and Vibrava should be able to live peacefully with the Vibrava around.

Seeing that everyone had chosen their favorite Pokémon, Max enviously asked, "Can I pick one too?"

May tugged on Max's ear and scolded, "Why are you getting involved? You're just a burden, you didn't help at all, and now you want a Pokémon?"

Max retorted, "You were also a burden, so what right do you have to criticize me?"

May was speechless and couldn't find a response.

In truth, May had been quite helpful. She had been training her Swablu for some time, and with guidance from her father, Norman, she was fairly strong. However, the number of Baltoy here was overwhelming, and it was her first time in such a situation, so she naturally became flustered. She didn't perform as well as Ash and Brock, who had been traveling for a long time.

But she didn't really drag the group down.

Max's comment made everyone burst into laughter, but his request for a Pokémon was promptly dismissed. After all, as Norman's son, he wouldn't be left with a low-quality starter Pokémon. Yuga certainly wouldn't help him pick one.

After selecting their Pokémon, the group rested for a while and then decided to continue their journey to the third floor. Yuga was curious about the secrets hidden within the Mirage Tower.

Before leaving, Yuga asked the remaining Baltoy if it wanted to join him. The Baltoy eagerly agreed, thrilled at the opportunity to leave this place.

Finally, Yuga had Chimecho use its Healing Bell to soothe the still unconscious Baltoy, Vibrava, and Flygon, hoping that the Baltoy's control wouldn't leave any lasting effects on them.

Just after Yuga and the others left, James, Meowth, and Jessie frantically arrived at the second floor.

"Really, James, you're useless! Couldn't you have figured out a way to deal with those Sandshrew and Sandslash?" Jessie complained, smoothing down her disheveled hair.

"Me? Why didn't you handle it yourself? I couldn't beat them!" James replied, rubbing his sore backside where a Sandshrew had hit him.

Jessie stomped her foot in frustration. "What do you mean me? I'm going to be a famous actress someday! How could you expect me to deal with those rough Pokémon?"

Meowth, tired of their bickering, said weakly, "Could you two keep it down? I'm exhausted here, Meowth."

Both Jessie and James shouted in unison, "Shut up!"

Meowth: ...

When the trio had first reached the first floor, the Sandshrew and Sandslash that Yuga and the others had knocked out started to wake up. However, without the Baltoy's control, these Pokémon weren't aggressive.

But what kind of people are Jessie and James? Team Rocket members, of course. Upon seeing so many Pokémon, their first instinct was to capture them all.

Unfortunately, their skills weren't up to the task, and they ended up being chased by the Sandshrew and Sandslash, fleeing in a panic to the second floor.

The trio, quarreling as they went, made their way to the second floor. Unlike the dark first floor, the second floor was brightly lit by oil lamps.

Relieved by the light, Jessie shouted, "Haha... Now this is what a proper place should look like... Wuh... Wuh..." She was quickly silenced by James, who covered her mouth.

Jessie's voice had alerted the Baltoy, Vibrava, and Flygon, who had just been awakened by Chimecho's Healing Bell. All of them now turned their attention to Jessie and James.

The Flygon, in particular, began to flap their wings, producing a strange sound. Under normal circumstances, it might have been like a beautiful song, but when threatened, it became a terrifying roar.

"Hehe... We were just passing through, no harm intended," James nervously explained.

"What are you standing around for? Run!" Jessie yelled as she pulled Meowth and ran.

"Roar!!"

Unlike the timid Sandshrew and Sandslash, the Flygon were much more aggressive. They roared and launched an attack on the trio. Even without the Baltoy's control, they wouldn't tolerate anyone invading their territory.

Under the Flygon's assault, the trio fled in panic. During the chase, Jessie accidentally triggered something, and the floor beneath them suddenly opened.

"Ahhh..."

The trio screamed as they fell into a dark passageway.

At the critical moment, Jessie released Wobbuffet. After a long fall, Wobbuffet landed gently and used Counter to safely catch Jessie and the others.

After they landed safely, Jessie patted her chest in relief. "That was terrifying. Why are we so unlucky?"

James looked around at their surroundings and realized they were in a long corridor. The corridor was square-shaped, with bright beads on the walls, illuminating the passageway like daylight.

Seeing the beads, Meowth excitedly said, "Could this be the treasure, Meowth? This is great, Meowth." It had a fondness for anything shiny or valuable.

Meowth eagerly climbed up the wall and reached out to grab the nearest bead. James tried to stop it, but it was too late.

As soon as Meowth's paw touched the bead, a clicking sound echoed through the passage, and countless arrows were suddenly shot out.

"Wobbuffet!"

Reacting quickly, Wobbuffet jumped out and used Counter again, deflecting all the arrows. Some even struck other arrows in midair, causing them to fall harmlessly to the ground.

Luckily, the passage wasn't very wide, and Wobbuffet managed to block all the arrows by itself.

After the arrows stopped, Meowth, drenched in cold sweat, collapsed to the ground.

"That scared me, Meowth."

Jessie wanted to scold Meowth, but remembering that she also wanted to take one of the beads, she held back her words and instead said, "This place looks really dangerous. How are we going to get out of here?"

James helplessly replied, "We'll have to walk through it. We can't fly."

Meowth, trembling, asked, "But what if there are more traps?"

James said, "Do we have any other choice?"

Jessie and Meowth: ...

After a few moments of silence, Jessie nudged Wobbuffet forward. "Wobbuffet, you lead the way."

Wobbuffet, looking despondent, thought: You're going to lose me at this rate.

As Jessie and Meowth feared, as they walked through the corridor, they triggered a series of traps, including arrows, boulders, flames, and water. But with Wobbuffet as their shield, the trio managed to navigate the passage without any serious injuries, though it was a harrowing experience.

After enduring many perils, the trio finally arrived at a grand, golden door.

"Could this be where the treasure is?" Jessie asked, swallowing nervously.

"It must be, Meowth! After all the dangers we've faced, this must be the reward from the gods!" Meowth said confidently. If it could, it would take the whole door with it and mint countless coins from it.

Staring at the glittering door, Meowth's mouth began to water.

The only one not caught up in treasure fever was James, who wasn't particularly interested in it.

Finally, Jessie and Meowth pushed open the grand golden door, revealing a golden throne with a long staircase leading up to it. Sitting on the throne was a fearsome-looking black Pokémon.

(End of Chapter)