Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Chapter 99 Let's work our livers, who's afraid of who?

The next morning, in a room at the Pokémon Center.

The first thing the Ice Goose did upon waking was to touch its slightly melancholy oval head and look around.

When it found its trainer sitting in a chair by the window reading a book, it immediately jumped off its crib.

"Iceman!"

It cried out, flapped its small wings, and a small area of ​​snow spread throughout the room, with fine snowflakes falling precisely to cover its head.

Ice-based energy surges and condenses.

Click, click—

The sound of ice freezing echoed, and the square, chubby-looking frozen head reappeared on its head.

The ice goose patted the ice block's head with its wings with satisfaction, then trotted over to Zhang Jianying's feet with its short legs, looked up, and stared at him with its bright, round eyes on the ice block.

Zhang Jianying put down the book, bent down, and rubbed its cold little head.

"Did you sleep well? You played really well yesterday!"

"Bingqi Bingqi!"

Ice Goose nodded vigorously, waving its little wings excitedly, clearly still immersed in the excitement of its first gym battle victory.

"There's something I need to discuss with you."

Zhang Jianying lifted the little guy onto his lap and said, "The gym owner you battled yesterday wants to ask you to help train her Pokémon to adapt to Ice-type attacks. It will probably take about a week."

He looked into Ice Goose's eyes: "This is also a great training opportunity for you, allowing you to gain practical experience battling different Pokémon. Are you willing to go?"

The ice goose barely hesitated; its round eyes on the ice block immediately sparkled, and it flapped its little wings even more vigorously.

Battle! Train! Get stronger!

That's exactly what it's interested in!

"Ice Qiqi!"

It nodded vigorously, jumped off Zhang Jianying's knees, spun around in place, and looked as if it couldn't wait to set off.

Zhang Jianying chuckled: "Don't rush, have breakfast first. I'll take you to the dojo in a bit."

The training grounds of Hyakudai Dojo are lush with vegetation.

When Zhang Jianying walked in carrying the Ice Goose, Cai Zhong was already waiting with her several Grass-type Pokémon.

Besides the spiky cactus, breech-loading mushroom, and vetiver we saw yesterday, there were several other grass-type Pokémon that were either newly caught or being trained.

-

"You're here!"

Cai Zhong greeted her warmly. Today she had changed into a more comfortable training outfit and tied her hair into a neat ponytail.

She crouched down and said with a smile to Ice Goose, "Ice Goose, I'll have to trouble you this week! My little guys aren't very familiar with ice-type moves, so please teach them well!"

The ice goose jumped down from Zhang Jianying's arms, puffed out its little chest, and raised its icy head, looking as reliable as if to say, "Leave it to me."

This made the vegetable seed laugh.

"Then, let's begin training now!"

Cai Zhong clapped his hands, entering "Guestmaster Mode," and said, "First, we'll start with the most basic ice-based energy perception. Ice Goose, could you please demonstrate [Frozen Wind]? It doesn't need to be too strong, just let them feel the sensation."

"Iceman!"

Ice Goose nodded, opened its small beak, and a wisp of cold wind carrying ice crystals gently blew out. It precisely controlled the force to a level that would not cause harm, but would still allow Grass-type Pokémon to feel the energy of the Ice type.

Cherry Blossom curiously stretched out her little leaf to touch it, but immediately shivered from the cold and quickly withdrew. The Shy Bud shyly closed its petals. Roseradore pretended to be calm, but the rose on her arm trembled slightly.

"Great! Did everyone feel it? This is the characteristic of ice-type attacks: cold and slow—"

The vegetable varieties were then explained in detail.

Zhang Jianying stood by the training field and watched for a while.

He watched as the ice-cure goose busied itself with the vegetable seeds, its eyes always sparkling with enthusiasm.

The little guy was definitely having a great time.

The tutorials on vegetable cultivation are also very professional. Not only do they use the Ice Goose as a "sparring partner," but they also explain how Pokémon should respond to or counterattack when facing Ice-type attacks.

This is a two-way training exercise that is equally beneficial to the ice-building geese.

"It seems we're on the right track."

Zhang Jianying felt relieved.

He walked to the sidelines and said to the vegetable seed, who was instructing Sakura Treasure on how to use the [Magic Leaf] efficiently, "Miss Vegetable Seed, I'm leaving the Ice Goose in your care. I'll pick it up in a week."

Don't worry!

Cai Zhong turned around, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "I'll definitely take good care of the little guy. There are plenty of Ice-type Energy Cubes in the gym, and he can use the training facilities freely!"

She paused, then added, "By the way, what are your plans for Baidai City this week?"

Zhang Jianying thought for a moment: "I do want to find something to do. Are there any interesting activities or worthwhile places to go in Baidai City?"

"An event—"

Cai Zhong stroked his chin, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Ah! I remember now! The Underground World in Baidai City just opened recently, and they're holding a large-scale mining competition!"

"The underground world?" Zhang Jianying raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! It's that huge network of caves beneath the Sinnoh continent, filled with all sorts of ores, fossils, evolution stones, and I've even heard of ancient ruins!"

The introduction stated, "This competition is jointly organized by Silver Company and the Baide City Mining Association, and will last for a week. The rules are simple:"

Contestants enter an underground world to mine. The minerals they dig up can be converted into points at the official exchange point according to their value. The person with the highest points after one week wins!

Her tone became enticing: "The prize is incredibly generous! It's a sophisticated three-piece set specially made by Silver Company. It can be customized to fit your Pokémon's size."

Zhang Jianying's heart stirred.

The "Effective" series is an important item that can greatly enhance a Pokémon's ability. Although it limits you to using only one move, it can often be surprisingly effective in crucial moments.

Moreover, it's custom-made by Silver Company to fit any body type—such props are hard to find.

"That sounds interesting." Zhang Jianying nodded. "What are the requirements for registration?"

"The condition is that the ticket price is a bit expensive."

Cai Zhong scratched his face somewhat sheepishly, "A ticket to the competition costs 30 Alliance Coins. However, it includes permission to enter the underground world, a basic set of mining equipment, access to the underground world for a week, and insurance. It's said that this is to control the number of participants and maintain the balance of the underground ecosystem."

30 Alliance Coins!

Even though Zhang Jianying was mentally prepared, he was still taken aback by the price.

No wonder they set such high prizes; the ticket sales alone could probably cover most of the costs.

But as he touched the Poké Balls containing Torterra and a pair of rats at his waist, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

In the past, he might have given up.

But now—

Sorry, I have cheat codes.

Even if you lose 30 in the end, it's still only the price of two mice finding seven or eight gold beads while wandering around in the wild.

"Where is the competition venue?" Zhang Jianying asked.

"It's in the Baidai City Mining Company building! It's not far from here, I'll take you there!" Cai Zhong was very enthusiastic.

A large crowd gathered in front of the Baidai City Mining Company building.

The giant GG sign displays the spectacular scenery of the underground world and the glittering "Elegant Three-Piece Set" prize, attracting the attention of countless trainers and adventure enthusiasts.

But many more people stopped in front of the ticket price board below the GG sign, exclaiming in amazement.

"30 for a ticket?! That's highway robbery!"

"This price is outrageous! It could buy several sets of high-quality evolution stones."

"But the prize is really amazing! It's a special set made by Silver Company; you can't buy it on the market at all!"

"I heard that many big names have already signed up. Look at the line over there buying tickets; several of them are well-known mineral collectors —"

Following the directions given by the vegetable seeds, Zhang Jianying arrived at the ticket office.

Just as the passersby had said, although there weren't many people queuing to buy tickets, they all had an extraordinary air about them. Some were accompanied by huge Ground or Rock-type Pokémon, while others were wearing professional exploration suits and carrying expensive mineral detectors.

When it was Zhang Jianying's turn, the ticket seller politely repeated, "A ticket costs 30 Alliance Coins, including basic equipment, insurance, and a one-week pass. Confirm purchase?"

"confirm."

Zhang Jianying swiped the card expressionlessly.

A mere 30 million.

Several hesitant passersby watched him pay without batting an eye and cast envious glances at him.

"Sigh, it's so good to be rich."

"Let's go, let's go, this is a game we can't afford to play."

Zhang Jianying ignored these comments.

He received a heavy backpack containing a basic set of mining equipment: a pickaxe, headlamp, safety rope, storage bag, a miner's watch that could record points and location, and a detailed map of the underground world.

"The competition rules are simple: you can exchange the minerals you dig up for points at any official location or choose to take them home. The points will be updated on the leaderboard in real time."

The staff explained, "Please be careful and do not venture into unmarked areas. Use the distress signal on your watch if you encounter danger. Have a great competition!"

Following the flow of people, Zhang Jianying entered the underground world through a special passage.

He was truly awestruck when he actually stepped into this underground space.

The enormous natural cave is tens of meters high, and its rock walls are inlaid with luminous crystals of various colors, providing basic lighting.

Numerous branching paths extend in all directions, and the map marks known safe zones and mineral-rich areas.

The air was filled with the distinctive smell of soil and ore, and the clanging and clattering sounds of mining came from all directions, mixed with the cries of Pokémon and the shouts of trainers, creating a lively atmosphere.

"This is it—"

Zhang Jianying took a deep breath and took two Poké Balls from his waist.

"It's up to you two, Earth Tortoise and a pair of rats!"

A flash of light.

A tortoise and two furry little mice appeared before him.

As soon as the earth-platform tortoise appeared, its usually calm eyes lit up. It looked around, its nose twitching slightly as it sensed the rich earthy scent in the air.

It remembered that when it was a forest turtle, due to its lack of experience, it mistook an ordinary rock for a rare mineral and excitedly played with it for a long time, making a fool of itself.

This time, it's determined to unearth the real treasure and avenge its previous defeat!

"Tutai."

It let out a low growl, and the large tree on its carapace swayed slightly, expressing its determination.

"Squeak!" "Squeak!"

The pair of mice were even more direct. As soon as they landed, they both pricked up their ears and their little noses twitched incessantly.

Through the perception of the [Pick-up] trait, countless "treasure reactions," some strong, some weak, some subtle, some clear, are scattered throughout this vast underground world, as conspicuous as fireflies in the night.

The little mouse was the first to make a discovery. It jumped onto the turtle's carapace on the earthen platform, its tiny paws pointing to a corner of a rock wall in the northeast direction.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

There! There's a reaction there! It's not particularly strong, but it's very clear!

"good!"

Zhang Jianying perked up. "Tutai Turtle, let's go!"

The earth turtle took heavy steps and moved steadily in the direction indicated by the little mouse.

Upon arriving at the rock wall, one or two trainers were already digging, but they were clearly not finding anything and were preparing to leave.

Zhang Jianying waited until they were far away before signaling the earthen platform turtle to begin.

"Turtle, [Power of the Earth]."

"Tutai!"

The earth turtle let out a low growl and slammed its forelimbs heavily on the ground!

The earthy yellow ground-based energy spread out like ripples, precisely concentrating on the target area.

The ground seemed to come alive, like quicksand being gently parted by an invisible hand, slowly flowing and sinking to both sides!

A pit about two meters in diameter with neat edges began to sink downwards at a speed visible to the naked eye!

This is a technique that Torterra learned from Garchomp.

What appears to be an offensive skill, "Earth Power," becomes an efficient "excavator" due to the turtle's strange brain circuitry!

A trainer passing by caught a glimpse of this and exclaimed in disbelief, "—There's such a thing?!"

Zhang Jianying ignored the astonishment of those around him.

He rubbed his hands together, staring nervously at the ever-deepening pit.

The feeling of "opening a blind box" is truly captivating!

The pit was getting deeper and deeper, one meter, two meters, three meters —

Finally, at a depth of about four meters, the soil layer disappeared, revealing the hard, grayish-white rock layer below.

The earth turtle stopped what it was doing and looked at Zhang Jianying.

Its "Earth Power" is not yet capable of breaking down rock strata; the next step requires more precise operations.

"Leave the rest to me."

Zhang Jianying put on a headlamp, placed a pair of rats on his shoulders, and nimbly jumped down into the pit.

The pit was a bit narrow, but wide enough for him to move around in.

Under the headlamp's light, the rock surface looked unremarkable. But the little hamster on my shoulder was much more excited, pointing its tiny paw at a spot on the rock: "Squeak!"

Zhang Jianying raised his pickaxe, aimed it at the spot indicated by the small rat, and forcefully chiseled down!

Ding ding ding.

The crisp tapping sound echoed in the pit.

The rock strata were harder than expected, but Zhang Jianying's physical strength, nurtured by the power of waveguides over a long period, far surpassed that of ordinary people. His swings of the pickaxe were steady and precise, and cracks began to appear and spread.

As a rock was pried open, a deep green, crystal-clear light shone through the crack!

Zhang Jianying's eyes lit up, and he sped up.

A few minutes later, a fist-sized, exceptionally high-quality Leaf Stone appeared before his eyes!

Its entire body is emerald green, and there seems to be liquid light flowing inside, radiating pure grass-type energy.

"pretty!"

Zhang Jianying carefully picked up Ye Zhishi and examined it closely under his headlamp.

Extremely high purity, full of energy, absolutely top quality!

Just then, the Earth Tortoise lowered a vine formed from the "Grass Knot" and pulled Zhang Jianying up.

A man, a tortoise, and two rats huddled together, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they gazed at the glittering Leaf Stone.

Good start!

Moreover, if this Leaf Stone is exchanged for points, according to the official exchange list, it is worth at least 3000 points!

The pressure to recoup the cost of 30 tickets was instantly relieved.

"Excellent! This is the momentum!"

Zhang Jianying carefully put Ye Zhishi into a specially made storage bag, and together with the Earth Platform Turtle, they stared intently at a pair of mice. "Next location!"

"Squeak!" "Squeak!"

The two mice responded in unison, and the larger mouse jumped onto the turtle's head, its little paws pointing in another direction.

The subsequent excavation was extremely efficient.

Earth Turtle used the Power of Earth to quickly separate the soil layers, exposing the rock layer; Zhang Jianying was responsible for digging the rock layer with a pickaxe.

However, rock excavation is physically demanding and has limited speed.

"We need to speed things up even more—"

Zhang Jianying thought for a moment and then took out another Poké Ball.

"Evil Spirit, you come and help too!"

A flash of light appeared, and the little guy wearing a mask appeared on the ground.

It looked around curiously, clearly interested in this glittering underground world.

"Evil Spirit, do you see these rocks?"

Zhang Jianying pointed to the rock layer that had just been exposed by the earthen platform turtle, "We need to break these rocks to find the treasure without damaging the internal ore. Control your strength and tap gently, like this."

He demonstrated by chiseling a few times into the rock with a pickaxe.

"Bonnie—baby!"

Egui tilted his head and looked around, his starry eyes shining brightly beneath the mask, a mistaking an unknown treasure for something else.

The adorable Egui Peng pulled out a rather incongruous-looking thorny vine staff from somewhere, and under its control, a layer of gentle grass-type energy swirled around the staff.

Then, it carefully tapped the rock layer gently with a stick.

Click.

The rock strata cracked open with a sharp sound, the force was just right, breaking the rock without damaging any ore that might be inside.

"Yes! That's it!"

Zhang Jianying's eyes lit up.

As light emerged from beneath the rock strata, the evil spirit became even more excited and began to joyfully tap the rock strata, causing pieces of rock to shatter under its "gentle" tapping.

Soon, the rock strata were cleared away, revealing the fiery red crystals embedded within them.

Fire Stone!

Although it is smaller than the Leaf Stone from before, its quality is equally impressive.

Zhang Jianying picked up a piece and examined it against his headlamp. The flame patterns inside were clear, and the energy was active, fully meeting the standards of top-grade fire stones on the market.

"As expected, the evolution stones produced in the underground world are of extremely high quality."

Even if you only dig up evolution stones and don't exchange them for points, you can definitely break even or even make a big profit by selling them.

But Zhang Jianying's goal was that particular three-piece suit!

"Elbow, keep going!"

He shouldered his pickaxe, and guided by a pair of rats, waved his hand, "To the next location!"

A day flew by amidst the bustling excavation.

As evening fell, Zhang Jianying led three Pokémon back to the surface through the exit of the underground world.

The group was covered in dirt and pebbles, but their eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Zhang Jianying's storage bag contained today's haul: five or six evolution stones, three high-quality metal ores, and a small bag of scattered gem fragments.

He went straight to the official redemption point inside the mining company building.

The appraiser behind the counter was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He took Zhang Jianying's storage bag and began to appraise the items one by one.

"Leaf Stone, top quality, energy reading 92, each stone can be exchanged for 3200 points."

"Fire Stone, top quality, energy reading 90, each stone can be exchanged for 3000 points."

"Thunder Stone————"

"Iron ore, good purity, 800 points per piece."

The appraiser used the equipment to test and record the results, then looked up at Zhang Jianying with some surprise: "Sir, your haul today is quite impressive. Total points for all items: 21,400. Confirm redemption?"

"confirm."

Zhang Jianying nodded.

The appraiser performed a few steps and synchronized the points to Zhang Jianying's miner's watch.

The watch screen lights up, displaying the points balance: 21400.

"Your points have been credited to your account. Also, there's a real-time points leaderboard in the lobby; you can check your ranking there."

"That's what the appraiser said politely."

Zhang Jianying thanked him and turned to walk towards the center of the hall.

There was a huge electronic screen displaying the real-time leaderboard for this mining competition.

At this moment, a large crowd had gathered in front of the screen, discussing the list animatedly.

"The first-place score is ridiculously high!"

"This is only the first day! 16 points?! How did he dig like that? Did he find an evolution stone vein?!"

"The second place isn't bad either, with over 21,000 points, but it's far behind the first place."

"The people behind us are mostly in the thousands of points, so it seems the championship battle will be between the top two."

Zhang Jianying squeezed into the crowd and looked at the screen.

Points Leaderboard:

1st Place: Anonymous participant, Points: 160850

2nd Place: Zhang Jianying, Points: 21400

3rd Place: Yamamoto Mining, Points: 8920

4th Place: Rock Enthusiast, Points: 7630

16 million?!

""

Zhang Jianying rubbed his eyes and counted again carefully.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands —

That's right, 160,850 points!

That's more than seven times his points!

"Holy crap—"

Zhang Jianying couldn't help but gasp. "Where did this big shot come from? Are you here to mine or to buy goods?"

He originally thought that with Torterra's [Earth Power], a pair of rats' [Collect] ability guidance, and Dire Maul's efficient Rock Smash, his efficiency was already ridiculously high.

Turns out, someone was even more outrageous than him!

On the first day, I scored 16 points. Based on the average value of 3000 points per evolution stone, that's equivalent to digging up more than fifty evolution stones!

What kind of efficiency is that?

Zhang Jianying suddenly felt a toothache; this meant he had encountered a real big shot who was about to blew up his fishpond.

"squeak?!"

"Tudai?!"

"Bonito?!"

The four Pokémon squeezed over and, upon seeing the leaderboard, exclaimed in unison.

They worked incredibly hard today, separating layers of soil, breaking rocks, and even providing a treasure hunt guide—

Only second place?!

And they're so far behind the first place?!

Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!

The earth turtle's eyes blazed with fury; it was determined to unearth the real treasure and avenge its previous defeat! How could it allow itself to be left far behind on the very first day?!

The two pairs of mice's little eyes were also filled with resentment; their "scavenging" ability clearly detected a lot of treasure! They must not be digging fast enough!

Although Ergui didn't quite understand the meaning of points, seeing his companions' unconvinced looks, he also picked up his thorny vine club, looking like he was cheering them on.

The four Pokémon exchanged a glance, their eyes simultaneously igniting a fierce competitive spirit.

No way! I have to get first place!

The earth turtle let out a low growl, the trees on its shell shook, and two knotted vines stretched out, which without saying a word rolled up Zhang Jianying and put him on its back.

A pair of mice jumped onto Zhang Jianying's shoulders, squeaking and pointing towards the entrance of the underground world.

Erguilan, carrying his stick, strode towards the entrance with his short legs!

The intention was clear: mining all night! They had to grind! They absolutely had to reclaim first place!

Zhang Jianying was both amused and exasperated by his Pokémon's sudden surge of fighting spirit. But looking at the glaringly high score on the leaderboard, and then at the burning gleam in his Pokémon's eyes—

A slow smile crept onto his lips.

"It's just the liver—"

"Who's afraid of who?"

He's a warrior of the Waveguide! His physique far surpasses that of ordinary people! He's only been mining continuously for a week, how could he possibly die from sudden exhaustion?

"Walk!"

Zhang Jianying waved his hand grandly, his spirit soaring, "Starting tonight, we'll work all night! Our goal—to overtake first place!"

"Tudai!!"

"Squeak!!" 2

"Bonnie!!"

The four Pokémon responded in unison, their fighting spirit soaring!

The underground world remains bustling even under the cover of night.

Many participants chose to continue digging, since the competition only lasted a week and every point was crucial.

Under the illumination of their headlamps, Zhang Jianying and his Pokémon cast long shadows on the rock face.

"Mouse, this time we're not looking for quantity, we're looking for quality!"

As Zhang Jianying walked, he devised a strategy: "Let's dig up the big one!"

"Squeak!" 2

The two mice's little noses twitched incessantly, their "scavenging" ability fully activated.

This time, they no longer focused on those scattered, faint lights, but instead expanded their sensing range to look for those intense reactions that were as dazzling as torches in their perception!

More than twenty minutes later.

The large mouse suddenly jumped up excitedly and pointed northwest, squeaking: "Squeak squeak squeak!!"

The little mouse nodded repeatedly, "Squeak!"

Zhang Jianying's eyes lit up. This was the first time he had ever seen a pair of rats react so strongly; it must be an extraordinary prop.

"Tortoise, full speed ahead!"

"Tutai!"

The earth-platform tortoise took a step and started running in the underground cave, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

The group arrived at a seemingly unremarkable rock face, with no other trainers around. The map indicated that the rock formations in this area were extremely thick, making digging difficult and not cost-effective.

But according to the pair of mice's senses, behind the rock wall, there were two "orbs of light" as bright as the sun, closely pressed together!

"This is it!"

Zhang Jianying took a deep breath, "Earth Platform Turtle, [Power of the Earth]! Evil Spirit, prepare!"

"Tutai!"

"Bonnie!"

The earth turtle's forelimbs stomped on the ground, causing a surge of energy in the terrestrial system.

The soil in front of the rock wall separated and sank again like quicksand, revealing the gray-black, exceptionally hard rock layer behind it.

Erguilan raised his thorny vine staff, grass-type energy swirling around it, his little face serious.

Zhang Jianying also raised his pickaxe.

Ding! Bang! Crack! A cacophony of sounds mingled together.

The rock formations were harder than expected, and progress was slow.

But Zhang Jianying had plenty of patience. The feedback from the waveguide indicated that there was indeed some ancient aura behind the rock strata.

Time passed little by little.

One hour, two hours —

The rock strata were chiseled into a depth of about five meters.

Click!

As the Evil Barrel's staff fell, a crack appeared in the rock strata.

There was no dazzling light as I had imagined, but from the cracks, I could see something grayish-white with a unique texture.

Zhang Jianying wielded his pickaxe, carefully widening the crack.

When the rock strata were fully opened, he saw what was inside: two oddly shaped stones embedded in the rock.

"This is--"

Zhang Jianying activated his data vision, and two lines of information appeared before him:

【Crustacean fossils】

[Ancient Pokémon fossils can be revived into the shelled Pokémon Kabuto using a special fossil revival device. Condition: Good.]

[Skull fossil]

[Ancient Pokémon fossils can be revived into the skull Pokémon Hilichrysos using a special fossil revival device. Preservation condition: Good.]

A well-preserved, complete fossil!

Zhang Jianying reached out and took the two fossils out of the rock strata.

It feels heavy in your hand, with a cool touch, but the profound texture that comes from millions of years of history is inexplicably captivating.

This was the first time he had ever seen a Pokémon fossil in real life.

These aren't exhibits in a museum behind glass; they're ancient Pokémon fossils that I dug out myself from the ground!

"Fossil Helmets - Craniosaurus -"

Although I'm somewhat interested in these two Pokémon, I already have enough partners, so I'm not considering adding any new members for the time being.

He opened his miner's watch and checked the official exchange table.

The exchange price was found in the "Special Items" section.

[Complete Pokémon Fossil]: Depending on its completeness and rarity, it can be exchanged for 30000 to 80000 points.

[Note: Fossils that are exceptionally complete and in excellent condition will receive higher scores after identification.]

Zhang Jianying carefully examined the two fossils in her hands.

The crustacean fossil has a complete arc shape and clear crust texture, with only a small amount of natural wear on the edges. The skull fossil is almost completely intact. Based on the condition of these two fossils, exchanging one for 50,000 points should not be a problem.

"Let's go to the exchange point and take a break while we're there."

The crowd stirred again in front of the leaderboard.

"Look! The second-place player's points have skyrocketed!"

"How much? Let me see, it went from 21,000 to—121,000?!"

"Fossils! He dug up two exceptionally well-preserved Pokémon fossils! Each one was exchanged for 5 points!"

"My God, now we're only 48,000 points behind first place!"

"Is the number one still at 160,000? Wait, the number one has gone up too! It's now 172,000!"

"The gap between the two has narrowed to around 5! This is going to be interesting!"

"This competition is getting interesting; it seems they both want to win first place."

Zhang Jianying stood in front of the leaderboard, eating the snacks he had stolen from Gengar, watching the gap between himself and the first place shrink from nearly 14 to about 5.

-

"We've caught up halfway—"

Although they haven't overtaken them yet, at least we see hope.

There are still six days left; anything is possible.

at the same time.

The underground world, a remote area with deep mineral veins.

A young man wearing a miner's hat was carefully prying a fist-sized crystal from the rock face, which emitted a soft, moon-white light.

The young man held the moonstone up to his eyes, a satisfied smile spreading across his face beneath his hat brim. The smile was clean and pure, like a child who had received a beloved toy.

"That's the 53rd one—I'm really lucky today."

He muttered to himself as he put the moonstone into his storage bag, which was bulging, clearly indicating a bountiful harvest.

"roar--!!"

Beside them, a colossal beast covered in steel armor let out an excited growl. It gently nudged the young man with its steel claws and pointed to another rock wall.

"Are they there too? Okay, let's continue."

-

The young man patted Bossco's strong arm with a gentle smile, "Since you've entered the competition, you should take it seriously."

"We have to get at least first place."

Bossco Doraemon responded with a low growl, clenched his fists, and strode forward with his steel body through the cave.

At this moment, the young man following behind Bosscodora looked at the updated leaderboard on his watch and let out a soft "Eh".

"Someone dug up fossils, and they found two of them."

A flicker of interest crossed his eyes.

"It seems we can't afford to relax too much."

"Aggron, we need to work harder too. We can't let them catch up so easily."

"roar--!!"

Bosscodora pounded his chest, the clanging of metal echoing through the cave.

A silent competition among "liver kings" has begun in the underground world.