Chapter Sixty: Occasional Gains Brought by Insomnia

"Um... you know about it too?" Zhao Fang asked awkwardly, sitting inside the tent and glancing at Asha, who was cradling a small Charmander across from him.

"Of course I do. Azalea told me about it ages ago. She and I have come up to investigate several times, but we've never come across that so-called mysterious tower," Asha replied with her usual infectious enthusiasm, her laughter ringing out cheerfully. The small Charmander in her arms, however, kept making faces at Zhao Fang and his Gyarados, nearly making Zhao Fang burst out laughing.

"I only got this map after having a battle with Azalea," Zhao Fang explained, pulling the map from his pocket. Since Asha already knew, there was no need to keep it a secret.

Asha leaned over to take a look, then proudly pointed at a section of the mountain range. "I marked those spots myself!" she declared with obvious pride. Seizing the chance, Zhao Fang quickly asked her about the rumors of the tower hidden in the volcanic ash.

According to Asha, Zhao Fang pieced together more of the story. In fact, among the Pokédex holders in the surrounding towns, the legend of the tower within the volcanic ash was well-known. There had even been a large-scale investigation, with researchers and scientists camping out here for over half a month, but no one ever found the mysterious tower.

Over time, the trainers lost interest. The tower might be shrouded in mystery, but if it couldn’t be found, it was of no practical use. Besides, Azalea had already mentioned its contents: just two fossils. Thus, the tower in the volcanic ash faded from being a coveted enigma to something no one cared about.

This made Zhao Fang a bit anxious. He’d only brought food and water for two weeks. If he didn’t find the tower in that time, he’d have to descend the mountain, and he wasn’t particularly confident in his luck.

"How about a battle?" Asha's eyes sparkled with anticipation, but Zhao Fang could only shake his head with a wry smile.

"I’d rather not have to trek back down just after coming up. The mountain path isn’t exactly easy," he refused her challenge without hesitation.

Even though Asha specialized in fire-types, which Gyarados had an advantage against, type disadvantages were common in this world. Didn’t Ash once have Pikachu use electric moves against a Geodude and actually hurt it during his challenge with Azalea?

Zhao Fang didn’t dislike battling—facing strong opponents would only strengthen his Pokémon—but if a single match meant returning to Kanaz City for healing, it would be a waste of precious time.

Asha looked disappointed. She had just asked Azalea, her close friend, who told her Zhao Fang was a trainer with unwavering determination and considerable strength. Asha had been eager for a match.

"But if you become a Gym Leader in the future, I’ll definitely come to challenge you. I plan to participate in this Hoenn League," Zhao Fang smiled, raising his cup and taking a sip of water.

"Gym Leader? Oh, that’s still a long way off for me! You really are... Haha, my grandfather is still in perfect health!" Asha’s expression turned flustered, showing she wasn’t yet ready to take on the role of Gym Leader.

Zhao Fang didn’t press the issue. For now, he and Asha were little more than acquaintances, not even friends. He’d see what state she was in when he eventually challenged the fire-type Gym.

They chatted a bit longer before Zhao Fang saw her off. Asha had more training to do; she wanted her Slugma to evolve into Magcargo as soon as possible.

"I wonder if Ash exists in this world... If not, will Asha's Slugma still evolve?" Zhao Fang mused as he watched her leave.

But he didn’t dwell on it; his Dreepy was already hungry and nuzzling up to him for attention.

Once his Pokémon had finished eating, Zhao Fang took them for another walk around the area. As the sky darkened, he hurried back to his tent.

Lying in his sleeping bag, Zhao Fang reflected on his afternoon search. He hadn’t found any sign of a tower, not even a hint—it was all volcanic ash and Pokémon, with not even a cave to discover.

"Take it slow. Hopefully I find it before the food runs out," he muttered, shaking his head. He’d never expected to stumble upon the tower on the first day.

So, Zhao Fang spent a week scouring the area, but still found nothing. Frequent battles meant his Gyarados and Dreepy were burning through food even faster. By his calculation, he’d have to descend the mountain in two days.

It was frustrating. He’d barely slept these past few days, constantly on the lookout for any sign of the tower, but with no results, he was both physically and mentally drained.

Worse yet, Dreepy’s food was no longer boosting its base stats as much—it was now the same as Gyarados’s, which overturned Zhao Fang’s earlier theory. Apparently, the amount of base stat increase wasn’t related to evolution. He could only jot down his revised hypothesis and plan to collect more data when he started raising his third Pokémon.

Knowing he’d have to leave in two days, Zhao Fang found himself unable to sleep. He tossed and turned in his sleeping bag, but sleep wouldn’t come. Finally, he gave up and crawled out, hoping a walk would help him relax.

Glancing out the tent window by chance, he froze. He hurried closer, staring outside. Not far from his camp, a tall, shadowy figure stood. Zhao Fang was sure it hadn’t been there during the day.

He quickly gathered his Poké Balls, slung on his backpack, packed his essentials, and rushed outside.

As he approached, the shadow’s form became clear—a towering, ancient and strange-looking structure.

"At last, I’ve found you, Tower of Phantoms," Zhao Fang whispered, joy flashing through his mind. He hurried forward and soon stood at the entrance.

There was no door, likely worn away by time, but on either side of the entrance, strange letters were engraved. Zhao Fang couldn’t decipher them—they were unlike anything in the Pokémon world.

He snapped a picture with his Pokédex, then did a quick sketch in his notebook before finally stepping inside.