The blonde woman who suddenly appeared looked to be around the same age as Sato.
She possessed a tall and graceful figure, fair skin, beautiful features, ruby-red lips, and sapphire-blue eyes. Her face was nearly perfect in shape, with long golden hair reaching her waist. A slanted fringe covered the left side of her face, revealing only one jewel-like blue eye from afar, giving her an air of mystery and heroism.
At the moment, she wore a white sunhat, a plaid shirt, a blue skirt, and light summer shoes, with a thin white outer coat draped over her clothes. Her pair of long, slender legs were fully displayed.
In addition, hanging from her chest was an exquisitely crafted pure gold pendant, embedded with an unknown Mega Stone. On her right wrist was a ruby-studded spatial storage bracelet, while around her waist was a belt carrying six PokeBalls, accentuating her slim waist.
From a distance, the blonde woman was undoubtedly a goddess capable of captivating countless men.
Yet regrettably, the aura she emitted was one of nobility, mystery, and icy aloofness. Especially striking was the sharp, arrogant gaze in her visible blue eye, enough to rob ordinary people of the courage to meet her eyes directly.
Standing beside her was a powerfully built Lucario radiating astonishing Aura power. Even from afar, one could sense the immense strength hidden within it.
Without question, this Lucario was an Elite-Four level Pokémon.
The moment Sato saw the heroic yet icy blonde woman before him, he immediately recognized her identity.
She was Cynthia—the woman he had met three days ago at the ruins expedition camp. And the blonde woman who had truly been able to fight side-by-side with Brandon that night had been her.
From the information Sato gathered at the camp, Cynthia had joined the expedition as an archaeologist. She was a top-tier scholar proficient in ancient languages and rituals. Rumor had it that the deciphering of the ruins' seal was being handled entirely by her.
Logically speaking, the deciphering process should currently be at a critical stage, meaning she ought to still be at the camp. Yet now she had appeared in Mirage Tower instead, which struck Sato as extremely strange.
Could it be that she had already successfully deciphered the seal?
"Miss Cynthia, from what you just said, you seem very familiar with Mirage Tower. Would you mind telling me about its origins?"
Taking advantage of the fact that the sand Pokémon around them had not yet fully formed, Sato quickly cupped his hands respectfully toward Cynthia and asked humbly.
Below Elite-Four level, all are ants.
That saying was no joke.
Sato estimated that with Cynthia's current strength, she could probably defeat ten versions of him. Therefore, no matter what, he had to show her sufficient respect, even if they were about the same age.
Perhaps because Sato had served as one of the main rescue forces that night—or perhaps because he too was a Psychic—Cynthia held a rather favorable impression of him. Her attitude toward him was far less cold and arrogant than it usually was toward others.
"The origins of Mirage Tower can be traced back to ancient times. According to some ancient records, it was built by ancient people as a place of trials. At the same time, it also served as the storage place for a certain precious object. I came here specifically to find that item."
"You've probably noticed already—the sand Pokémon created here are quite strong. Aside from lacking intelligence, they are almost no different from normal Pokémon. In terms of strength, they may even be superior. Here, you can find many suitable opponents for battle."
"However, with your current strength, you can at most reach the second floor. Starting from the third floor, the sand Pokémon become Elite-Four level. And on the fourth floor… even I would have difficulty resisting the sand Pokémon that appear there."
Hearing Sato's sincere question, Cynthia did not hesitate to guide him, directly telling him everything she knew about Mirage Tower.
After listening, Sato's eyes instantly lit up, as though he had just discovered some priceless treasure.
Previously, he had come to Mirage Tower solely with treasure hunting in mind, completely overlooking its function as a trial ground.
Indeed, treasures were valuable—but their true purpose was to increase one's strength.
The sand Pokémon here were powerful. If they continuously appeared, then his own Pokémon would have access to countless battle opponents of similar strength.
Sato could already imagine it: if he stayed inside Mirage Tower for two or three days, the strength of all his Pokémon would undergo tremendous growth.
"Mr. Tyler, are you perhaps thinking about staying here for several days to train your Pokémon against these sand Pokémon? If so, then I can clearly tell you—that's impossible."
Seeing the delighted expression on Sato's face, the sharp-minded Cynthia instantly guessed what he was thinking. After all, when she first learned Mirage Tower's secret, she had thought the exact same thing.
She smiled faintly and spoke.
"What? Are there restrictions?"
Sato's expression immediately stiffened as he asked in confusion.
"Of course there are restrictions. The power Mirage Tower uses to create sand Pokémon is not infinite. Therefore, there is a time limit for the trials."
"If challengers fail to reach the fifth floor within one hour, they will be forcibly teleported out. And if you want to enter again… that depends entirely on your luck."
Cynthia openly explained the restrictions without hiding anything.
"So I was being too naive. If Mirage Tower really allowed endless training, there wouldn't be so few people here. Sure, it's hard to find in the desert, but if it were truly that miraculous, countless Trainers would definitely search for it."
Although disappointed, Sato was not someone who obsessed over things endlessly. He quickly accepted the harsh reality and smiled calmly.
"It's good that you can think that way."
"Well then, I won't disturb your training on this floor any longer. I'll head upward now—the staircase I'm looking for has appeared."
Cynthia was somewhat surprised by Sato's composure. When she had learned the secret of Mirage Tower from her grandmother, she had been disappointed for quite some time. Yet Sato recovered almost instantly, making her look at him in a slightly different light.
But that was all.
After finishing her explanation, Cynthia casually waved her hand, and Lucario beside her immediately entered a battle stance.
At the same time, the sand Pokémon near Sato finally completed their formation.
Unfortunately for them, the moment they appeared, three Aura Spheres blasted them apart, turning them back into useless piles of sand.
Then, expressionless, Cynthia led Lucario past Sato toward a staircase behind him that was rapidly forming from swirling sand.