Navigate Mirage Tower in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

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Alright, so you've made it to Mirage Tower! This place is pretty cool because it's where you can snag some awesome fossils that will eventually turn into powerful Pokémon. You'll also find some common Pokémon like Sandshrew and Trapinch here, but honestly, you can catch those outside the tower too, so don't stress about them too much.

Walkthrough

1
First things first, head east from the entrance and then make your way north. You're looking for a ladder in the northeast corner of this room. Climb it up!
2
Now you're on a new floor, and this is where your trusty Mach Bike comes into play. You'll see cracks in the floor ahead. If you just walk over them, you'll fall right through to the floor below, so we don't want that! Hop on your Mach Bike, get a good running start, and speed right over those cracks. Keep following the path until you find another ladder.
3
Climb up this second ladder. On this floor, head west and then north. You'll come across two sets of rocks blocking your path. You'll need to use Rock Smash to get rid of them. Once they're gone, you can access the next ladder.
4
Climb that ladder to reach the very top floor. Here, you'll find a rock blocking the steps leading up. Use Rock Smash on it, and then head up the stairs.
5
At the top, you'll find two fossils! This is the big decision: the Claw Fossil (on the right) and the Root Fossil (on the left).

The Fossil Choice:

Claw Fossil: This one will revive into Anorith, which is fast but a bit weak overall. It evolves into Armaldo at level 40, but its speed drops significantly. Honestly, raising it can be a bit of a grind because its early moves aren't great.
Root Fossil: This one revives into Lileep, a Rock/Grass type. This typing is fantastic because it cancels out many of each type's weaknesses (like Grass negating Rock's Water weakness, and Rock negating Grass's Fire weakness). It evolves into Cradily at level 40 and has really solid defensive stats, making it a great choice for tanking hits. I'd personally recommend this one!

Whichever fossil you choose, the other will sink into the sand and be lost... for now. You can always come back for the other one later in the game. Once you've made your pick, head out of Mirage Tower and back into the desert. From there, you'll want to exit the desert to the south, which leads you to Route 112.

Tips

Make sure you have the Mach Bike before attempting this section, as you absolutely need it to cross the cracked floors.
Don't forget to use Rock Smash on the rocks blocking your path! You'll need a Pokémon that knows the move.
If you want to revive your fossil right away, you can head to the Devon Corp. building in Rustboro City.

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