Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

"Wow, that's solid!"

Rex swung his pickaxe hard against one of the walls in the mine, only to feel a powerful recoil; all he managed to knock loose were a few small fragments.

After striking the walls a few times, Rex realized the walls were made of incredibly hard rock, and removing chunks of it would require significant strength with the pickaxe alone.

Meanwhile, Mai was struggling even more. She swung her pickaxe against the wall, but not even a mark appeared. Instead, her hands went numb from the impact, and she could barely hold onto her pickaxe.

"These walls are too solid! We'd need a lot more strength to break through them!"

Mai sighed, a bit frustrated.

She had expected this expedition to be challenging, but hadn't anticipated struggling so much right at the start.

Sensing her discouragement, her Excadrill, equipped with a steel drill, suddenly struck the wall where Mai had just been digging. The impact was intense, shaking the entire cave. Large slabs of rock broke off the wall.

But as the rock fell, so did some debris from the ceiling, along with a cloud of dust. In an instant, Rex and Mai found themselves surrounded by dust, with bits of rock falling overhead.

"Cough, cough!"

Mai could barely open her eyes and started coughing as dust filled her throat, making it hard to breathe.

Sensing danger, Rex grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her out of the cave, fearing a collapse triggered by Excadrill's power that could bury them alive.

"Mai, are you okay?"

Once outside, free from the dust, Rex checked on Mai, who was still coughing a bit.

"Cough… I'm better now, just… my throat's a bit scratchy," she replied after a few coughs, feeling slightly relieved.

Excadrill, who caused the trouble, also looked remorseful, lowering its head apologetically as it approached them.

"It's alright, Excadrill. I know you were just trying to help, but that was a bit too much force, and it could easily cause a collapse."

Brushing dust off herself, Mai patted Excadrill reassuringly.

Rex, however, felt stumped. The walls of this cave were made of such tough rock that their usual strength was ineffective, but using too much power risked a cave-in.

"Maybe we should check the next marked point instead?" Mai suggested after calming Excadrill.

"Hmm. Let's give it another try after the dust settles. If that doesn't work, we can try somewhere else!"

Rex didn't dismiss Mai's idea but was determined to try one last time, doubting the other locations would be any easier.

After a while, when the dust had settled, Rex and Mai re-entered the cave. This time, there were more rocks scattered on the ground, clearly from above.

"Hmm? What's that?"

Scanning the area, Rex noticed something shining faintly from the spot Excadrill had cracked open.

Excited by the discovery, Rex and Mai hurried over. Using the faint light from a small flashlight, they saw what looked like a diamond embedded in the rock.

Rex tried prying it out but couldn't, so he used his pickaxe to carefully chip away at the area around the gemstone.

Not wanting to risk another collapse or damaging the gem, he avoided using Sandslash or Excadrill. It took about ten minutes of careful work before he was able to remove the gem from the rock.

"Mai, take a look at this! Do you know what it is?"

Rex handed the gem to Mai, who had been eagerly waiting. He knew little about gems, so he only saw it as a pretty pink diamond.

"This seems to be a type gem. Judging by the color, it's a Psychic-type gem. If a Pokémon holds it, it can enhance one Psychic-type move. After that, it'll need time to recharge before it can be used again."

Mai took the gem without hesitation and examined it closely, smiling with excitement.

"A Psychic-type gem! This is perfect for your Gallade, Mai."

Rex felt no need to keep it for himself since Mai's Excadrill was the one that revealed it.

"Oh, but I can't accept it! You were the one who dug it out, Rex!"

Mai quickly tried to hand it back. She believed the gem belonged to Rex since he was the one who actually dug it out from the wall.

"No, no, Mai. It's yours. Excadrill's strike was what made it appear, so it's only right that you have it."

Rex said this firmly and immediately went back to digging in a different area. The discovery of the Psychic gem had greatly boosted his motivation, and he was now more determined than ever to keep treasure hunting.

Nearby, Sandslash joined in, carefully digging to avoid shaking the ground as Excadrill had.

Mai smiled as she tucked the Psychic gem into her pouch. This gesture allowed her to truly see Rex's character.

Psychic-type gems were incredibly valuable—not just as Pokémon items but also as prized accessories for the wealthy, with some willing to pay a high price for a single gem.

Rex's selflessness reassured her, reminding her of how rare it was to find a trustworthy teammate in the field; many teams would turn against each other over even a small treasure.

Encouraged, Mai began directing Excadrill to dig again, and this time, Excadrill avoided using too much force, striking the wall steadily instead.

Despite having only Excadrill helping her, its natural advantage in digging allowed it to keep pace with Rex and Sandslash.

Meanwhile, Sandslash seemed a bit annoyed, feeling like it was in competition with Excadrill. After a moment, it dashed out of the cave, as if suddenly remembering something.

This unusual behavior caught Rex's attention—Sandslash was usually steady and reliable, not one to slack off.

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