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Another Mirage Tower?
Chris noticed that the name and suggested entry level for this Mirage Tower were different from the previous one.
The previous Mirage Tower was in ruins, but this one looked more dilapidated.
The last Mirage Tower had a required level of 35; this one was set at level 40.
The previous tower had two floors, and this one had three!
"Let's go in and take a look!" Chris decided to enter again.
With a flash of light, Chris transitioned from reality into the game.
The environment was almost identical to the previous tower, with wind and sand whistling through the desert night. In front of him was a hall bathed in a warm glow, with a staircase leading to the second floor.
The only real difference was the Pokémon waiting on the first floor.
This time, a Nidoking stood guard on the ground floor of Mirage Tower!
"Nido!" Nidoking roared, warning Chris to stay back.
"I thought Nidoking wasn't in the Emerald version..." Chris murmured thoughtfully, tossing a Poké Ball. "Water Shuriken!"
Greninja sprang from the Poké Ball, launching a series of Water Shuriken mid-air toward Nidoking.
Nidoking raised his arms, using "Protect" to create an invisible barrier. However, the barrier only held up against three Water Shuriken before collapsing, and two more struck Nidoking directly.
In the next instant, Greninja appeared before Nidoking, Light shining in each hand, their edges gleaming coldly.
Before Nidoking could counter, Greninja vanished, leaving a deep slash from Nidoking's left shoulder to his right hip.
"Boom!" Nidoking collapsed, completely out of energy.
"You're getting better and better at battling wild Pokémon without Trainer guidance," Chris praised, tossing a Pecha Berry to Greninja, who had been poisoned by Nidoking's likely Poison Point Ability.
"Kalu!" Greninja, holding a kunai in his mouth, crossed his arms, lowered his head, and furrowed his brow, his expression stoic. Since evolving, Greninja's behavior had become increasingly like that of a true ninja.
Chris threw a Poké Ball, successfully capturing Nidoking. In the Emerald version, encountering a Nidoking is practically impossible, so this was a rare catch. Let's see what we've got here.
Checking the Poké Ball, Chris examined Nidoking's attributes.
Attack and Special Attack are double V, and the Ability is Poison Point. Hmm… Not bad. Maybe Professor Birch can keep him as a personal bodyguard.
He moved up to the second floor.
There were no fossils here—just the same setup as the first floor, with stairs leading up and another Pokémon stationed nearby.
The opponent on this floor was a Krookodile LV45.
"Krookodile?" Chris stared at the small, red-eyed crocodile in front of him, taken aback.
It had already been surprising to encounter Rhydon and Nidoking, but Krookodile?
Rhydon and Nidoking, both first- and second-generation Pokémon, were feasible in the third-generation Emerald version, but Krookodile, a fifth-generation Pokémon?
"Is it possible that Pokémon outside the Emerald roster can appear in Mirage Tower?" Chris raised an eyebrow. That would be great news.
Who knows—maybe there's a third or even a fourth Mirage Tower waiting.
With more Mirage Towers, he could finally catch some Pokémon normally unavailable in the Emerald version.
So far, all the Pokémon I've encountered here seem to be Ground-types. Does that mean every Pokémon in Mirage Tower will be Ground-type?
"Water Shuriken!" Chris commanded.
If every opponent here is a Ground type, that's not bad—Greninja can handle them all easily!
Greninja moved with speed and precision, throwing several Water Shuriken as he charged forward.
Krookodile, however, was fiercer than Nidoking. With a quick twist, it deflected the Water Shuriken using Dragon Tail, then countered Greninja's advance with a powerful Dragon Claw.
This one certainly seemed talented with dragon-like moves. Chris wondered about its stats; with its strong base stats and either Intimidate or Moxie as an Ability, Krookodile would make a perfect addition to a Sandstorm team.
Just as Krookodile's Dragon Claw was about to land, Greninja vanished in a blur.
A sharp Cut sliced across Krookodile's chest in the next instant.
Surprisingly, Krookodile managed to track Greninja's movement and tried to strike back, proving a single Cut wasn't enough to take it down.
But just as it turned, an azure Water Pulse struck it squarely in the face.
"Boom!" Krookodile took the Water Pulse head-on, and Chris winced at the impact. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Krookodile collapsed, unable to continue fighting.
Chris threw a Poké Ball, capturing the defeated Krookodile.
In this setting, battles felt a little slower, but it was satisfying all the same.
To capture Pokémon here, Chris had to be mindful of their HP to avoid knocking them out completely.
Back in his previous gaming days, he would train a Pokémon with "False Swipe" and pair it with moves like Spore or Hypnosis to make catching easier.
Still, even then, there were plenty of mishaps—opponents sometimes fainted by accident, or they'd knock themselves out using recoil moves like Take Down.
Chris picked up the Poké Ball holding Krookodile and checked its stats.
Not bad—Attack, Defense, and Speed were all 3V, with Moxie as its Ability. In a standard game, a Moxie-powered Krookodile was invaluable. In Black and White, he used one to sweep entire teams.
With Earthquake in its arsenal, Krookodile could take down the first two opponents and keep the momentum going.
But now, 3V wasn't quite enough for Chris's standards.
"I'm sorry, Krookodile—it's not that you're not strong enough; it's just that my requirements are higher now."
Chris decided to send Krookodile to Professor Birch. The Professor would surely be thrilled to have Pokémon from other regions to study.
Professor Birch: *I'm thrilled… darn it, though! Where's my coffee?*