Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

After Rex finished his training, he noticed Mai instructing her Pokémon in some simple exercises to pass the time.

"I just finished my shower, Rex. You can go take yours now!" Mai quickly said when she saw Rex limping over.

"Alright, got it!"

Dragging his tired body, Rex greeted Mai briefly before entering his tent, needing some recovery time.

Once he had showered, Rex felt mentally exhausted. After assigning Pokémon for the night watch, he entered his tent to rest.

The next morning, Rex and Mai set off early for their marked point. Upon arrival, they found the Sandslash leader and its Sandshrew digging away. They had even stacked some rare ores in the center of the mine, clearly aware that Rex needed them.

Seeing this, Rex realized the Sandshrew must have worked through the night. Grateful, he generously rewarded them with some Pokéblocks.

Rex and Mai spent five days at the first marked location, digging until their finds dwindled and it was time to move on.

During this period, they found a good amount of rare ores. Mai, in particular, struck lucky by unearthing a high-quality Fire Stone.

Rex's haul, with the help of the Sandslash clan, was far greater. Besides the rare ores, he also found some golden nuggets. His biggest joy, however, came from uncovering another Pokémon fossil. He planned to ask Professor Birch to help revive it once he returned.

The second marked point was far from their previous underground lake campsite. Constantly traveling back and forth would be time-consuming and risky, given the chances of encountering wild Pokémon on the way. Thus, Rex and Mai decided to abandon their previous camp and find a new one near the second site.

Thankfully, with help from a Moonlight Umbreon that had lived in the underground world for a long time, they found a spacious area near the second marked point. This place had open views and a flowing underground river, making it a decent camping site.

However, the dim lighting made visibility poor without the assistance of Carbink, which was one downside compared to their old campsite.

Upon arriving, the Sandslash clan didn't follow them further. Rex felt some regret, as their assistance could have yielded many more discoveries. However, the Sandslash clan's territory was in the previous area. Moving to new lands could trigger conflicts with other Pokémon groups over territory, which they wanted to avoid.

The new marked site wasn't like the previous mine; it resembled an archaeological area with numerous pits left by past Trainers. Some deeper pits were filled with water.

Here, Rex and Mai encountered three older men who were also treasure hunting near Meteor Falls. They introduced themselves as stone enthusiasts who spent months each year excavating rare stones. This time, they had come to Meteor Falls but had found little after several days of digging.

Seeing Rex and Mai arrive, the three decided to move to another location.

This relieved Rex and Mai. In underground caves, trust could only be placed in one's teammates. Digging with strangers could be dangerous, especially if rare items were found, potentially inciting greed.

The older men seemed to share the same concerns. They noticed Rex and Mai's Pokémon were strong, which made them cautious. As seasoned adventurers, they respected the strength of others, regardless of age, and chose to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Rex and Mai resumed their excavation efforts. Rex wasn't very optimistic about finding anything good here but decided to give it a shot. If they found nothing within a day or two, they planned to move to the next marked point.

According to the map provided by Professor Birch, there were only four marked points in this underground area. Rex intended to search all of them before exploring potential Mega Stone locations independently.

"It seems like it's time to head to the next spot!" Rex said, wiping sweat from his brow and glancing at Mai, who sat nearby watching her Drilbur dig tirelessly.

"Alright, we'll set out tomorrow!" Mai smiled back.

It was their third day at this site, and they hadn't even found a single rare ore. Their patience was wearing thin.

Rex's most common find? Water. Any pit dug deep enough would start filling with water, likely from an underground river below.

This made Rex question why this spot was even marked on the map. Judging by the numerous water-filled pits, many had excavated here before.

At least the soil was soft and easy to dig through, which kept Rex going. But now his patience was running out. He decided to finish the current pit before packing up and leaving.

Unexpectedly, the pit reached over two meters deep without hitting water. Frustrated yet determined, Rex kept digging, even calling on his Machoke for help.

At over three meters deep, Rex uncovered a rock. Initially planning to toss it aside, he noticed something embedded in the back of the stone—a glassy orb.

"Is this… a Mega Stone?"

Rex carefully pried the glassy orb from the rock and examined it. It was about the same size as a Key Stone but had distinct internal patterns.

Overjoyed, Rex couldn't believe he had found a Mega Stone in the least promising location.

Though he didn't yet know which Pokémon the Mega Stone corresponded to, having one opened up many possibilities. He could train a Pokémon that matched the stone or trade it for a different one.

This unexpected grand prize had completely transformed his outlook.

(To be continued...)

Merry Christmas