"Looks like those energy sand particles used to create Soft Sand are its lifeline. It even evolved out of sheer anger."
Seeing the scene before him, Sato couldn't help but smile faintly. However, he did not interrupt the Trapinch—now already at level 37—as it completed its evolution. Instead, he quietly watched.
Soon, Trapinch's round body split open from the middle, and a Vibrava about 1.2 meters long emerged from the shell.
The moment it appeared, its rapidly beating wings generated a wave of disorienting ultrasonic vibrations. At the same time, the enraged Vibrava unleashed a dragon-shaped breath attack toward Swampert.
Facing the ferocious Vibrava, Swampert showed a trace of disdain in its eyes. Its right hand was quickly coated in a layer of ice emitting terrifying cold energy, and with a casual swing, it struck the incoming dragon breath.
In the next instant, Vibrava's full-powered Dragon Breath was completely shattered. The icy gust that followed made its entire body shudder before it fell from the sky.
Whether it was due to the dragon blood within it or its obsession with the treasure in Swampert's hand, Vibrava refused to give up despite the overwhelming difference in strength.
Its eyes instantly glowed crimson. A powerful draconic aura erupted from its body, accompanied by surging Dragon-type energy. Then it let out a soul-shaking roar and charged forward, wrapped in a layer of dragon energy.
"Interesting… it actually awakened Outrage in its fury. Looks like the dragon blood in this Vibrava is quite pure."
Seeing the sudden surge of power, Sato showed a hint of surprise. He immediately used his system to scan it again, speaking with disbelief.
Unfortunately, even with the explosive power of Outrage, the gap between Vibrava and Swampert was like heaven and earth.
Swampert didn't even bother dodging. As Vibrava approached, it casually swung its ice-covered hand again, sending the charging Vibrava flying like a mere insect.
With Swampert's immense strength, even a casual strike launched Vibrava over a dozen meters away.
This time, Vibrava had no strength left to resist. It collapsed onto the sand, completely defeated.
.....
Afterward, Sato collected the dozen or so Ground-type energy sand particles from Swampert and stored them carefully in a small pouch, which he then placed into his storage backpack.
Over the past few days in the desert, he had encountered quite a few Trapinch. When luck favored him, he could obtain these precious sands from their nests—just like this time.
However, so far, he had only gathered a few grams. He was still far from the 100 grams required to create a complete Soft Sand.
Vibrava's sudden outburst had shown Sato an interesting possibility. As a result, he developed the idea of capturing it.
Although he already had a fully evolved Flygon stored at Professor Oak's Laboratory, that one was too old—its potential nearly exhausted and no longer worth training.
This Vibrava, on the other hand, had awakened Outrage on its own even while enraged. That alone proved its dragon bloodline was quite strong—its potential was high.
Sato possessed both items for nurturing young Dragon-type Pokémon and a comprehensive training manual. This Vibrava would be perfect for testing whether those resources and methods truly worked.
That way, he wouldn't have to use his future Dratini as a test subject.
After a long incubation period, Professor Oak had informed him that the life force within the Dratini egg was growing stronger by the day. It would likely hatch within one or two months.
For now, under his "Tyler" identity, Sato lacked a suitable flying mount. A future Flygon evolved from this Vibrava would be an excellent choice.
Moreover, among Dragon-type Pokémon, Flygon was considered quite outstanding. Aside from pseudo-legendaries like Dragonite and Mega-capable Altaria, few Dragon-types could rival it.
After all, Flygon matured relatively quickly. Once fully evolved, it could naturally learn Dragon Dance, a powerful boosting move. In the early and mid stages, even pseudo-legendaries would struggle to compete with it.
....
"Hm? That Vibrava shouldn't have woken up so quickly… I clearly remember it was knocked in this direction. Why isn't it here?"
Sato walked out of the sand pit and looked toward the direction Vibrava had been sent flying, his expression turning strange.
"Could it be…?"
After a brief moment of thought, he took out a red training disc from his backpack and threw it forward with force.
The next second, something unbelievable happened—the disc vanished halfway through its flight.
"A mirage… So this is why I couldn't find Mirage Tower before. It must have been hidden by this illusion. Right—someone mentioned seeing the tower at night from afar. There are no mirages at night."
Seeing the disc disappear midair, realization dawned on Sato. He looked up at a cloud that seemed strangely unmoving in the sky, deep in thought.
Still, to be safe, he spread out his psychic power to investigate the area ahead.
Soon, through his psychic sensing, he detected the unconscious Vibrava lying on the sand—and the red training disc nearby.
After confirming several times that there was no danger, Sato no longer hesitated. He led his Pokémon straight toward that location.
After walking forward a dozen meters, the scene before him suddenly changed.
Though the endless desert still stretched before his eyes, in the distance stood a towering, massive structure rising from the sands.
"Ha! Found it! I finally found it—the Mirage Tower! This has to be the Mirage Tower!"
Looking at the enormous tower standing in the desert, Sato's face lit up with excitement as he shouted in exhilaration.