Nozomi dug out the object buried in the soil and brushed it clean with his hands.
Finally, the object hidden beneath the earth revealed its true form.
It was an oval-shaped stone, completely black with irregular rocky patterns across its surface, roughly half the size of a human head. To the touch, it was cold but smooth.
"A Moon Stone?"
Nozomi raised an eyebrow as he studied the stone before him, cross-referencing it with the information in his mind.
Whether he considered the cultivation handbook he had obtained through a lottery, or the description of a Moon Stone from his previous life's games, Nozomi was certain: this was indeed a Moon Stone.
He had been incredibly lucky today… just catching an Onix, and he stumbled upon such a rare evolution stone.
"Big profit!"
Nozomi couldn't help but marvel as he held the Moon Stone in his hand.
Moon Stones were precious. Compared to evolution stones like Thunder, Leaf, Fire, and Water—which had high yields but were tightly controlled by certain families within the League—Moon Stones were exceptionally rare.
They didn't appear in veins or mines, only occasionally in ruins or remote, scarcely inhabited caves, which made them highly valuable on the market.
For instance, Nozomi's stone, if cut according to standard market size, could yield at least three Moon Stones, enough for three Pokémon to evolve.
If he chose to sell it, the exact price was uncertain, but one thing was clear: the proceeds from these three stones would far exceed the bounty for capturing the Onix. It would cover all his travel expenses before participating in the Indigo League Conference.
Nozomi placed the Moon Stone in his spatial backpack, next to the "moss-covered rock." Today, he truly felt fortunate.
A casual outing had led him to first find the moss-covered rock, then take on the Onix bounty, capture the Onix he had been seeking, and finally stumble upon a Moon Stone.
"My luck's through the roof today," Nozomi murmured to himself.
With the Onix safely stored in its Poké Ball, he returned to Pewter City without lingering on Mt. Moon.
It was already nearing evening, and Mt. Moon at night wasn't safe. According to the Pokémon Mining Association, swarms of Zubat had been attacking humans lately. Nozomi had no desire to test that threat firsthand.
Returning to Pewter City to submit the bounty was the wise choice.
"Hello, how may I help you today?" the receptionist asked, head bowed as she organized some papers in a formal, mechanical tone.
"The task has been completed," Nozomi said plainly, standing before the counter.
The receptionist barely looked at him, eager to leave work. She took Nozomi's ID card. "Alright, I'll register it… Nozomi… Task… Clear the Onix dwelling in the mine… Onix?"
Her head shot up abruptly, eyes widening as her voice jumped several octaves.
"Mr. Nozomi, are you sure you're submitting this task and not another?" she asked, disbelief written all over her face.
"Yes, of course. I think this is the only task I accepted," Nozomi replied with a small smile. "Is there a problem?"
Their conversation had already drawn the attention of several miners and trainers handling affairs in the Mining Association hall.
After hearing Nozomi's answer, murmurs spread across the hall.
"That Onix… is already gone?" a miner said in shock. "We were dozens of people, with over ten Pokémon, and that Onix absolutely wrecked us. And now it's gone?"
"Impossible! My friend, who has three badges, took this task before and was badly injured by that Onix. This guy looks like a rookie trainer! There's no way!"
Some people refused to believe Nozomi, thinking he was lying.
"Could it be fake? But that makes no sense; there's no point in lying about this," a trainer commented.
Indeed, submitting a task only informed the Mining Association that you had completed it. The actual reward would be issued after verification. Faking it had no point.
For a moment, the hall fell into contemplation.
Could this calm, unassuming individual before them really have defeated that Onix?
Their eyes, filled with doubt, shock, and disbelief, fixed on Nozomi.
Yet Nozomi remained composed.
He glanced at the stunned receptionist, who hadn't yet recovered. Then he retrieved the Poké Ball containing Onix from his waist and shook it slightly.
"It's right here. Want me to let it out?"
The confident words caused all trainers who knew the Onix's terrifying reputation to step back.
Releasing that Onix here… were you trying to destroy this place?Trainers who had faced it before hurried to the doors, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
"Cough, cough—"
Just as the hall fell silent, a cough echoed from the second floor.
"No need, young man. Come with me. I'll handle your task submission myself."
Looking up, they saw an elderly man with a beard, leaning on a cane, smiling from the second floor.
"Understood, President!"
The receptionist finally snapped to attention, bowing deeply as she returned Nozomi's ID card.
"Mr. Nozomi, please go to the second-floor reception room. The President will personally attend to you."
Her face reflected utter disbelief—whether at Nozomi capturing Onix or at the President personally seeing him, it was unclear.
Nozomi retrieved his ID card, glanced at the now-disappearing elderly man, nodded, and strode upstairs.
His calm steps and collected demeanor made the previously skeptical trainers below reconsider their assumptions.
Mining Association – Second Floor Reception Room
Nozomi sat on a soft sofa, a cup of tea in front of him. Across from him was the elderly man who had invited him upstairs, known simply as "the President."
"You're the President of the Pewter City Pokémon Mining Association?" Nozomi asked, sipping his tea.
"Indeed. I am Hikoji, the President of the Pewter City Pokémon Mining Association," the man replied with a smile.
"So, President, why did you invite me upstairs?"
Nozomi didn't see himself as the kind of protagonist who would always meet influential benefactors wherever he went.
If he guessed correctly, it was because of his capture of the Onix.
Sure enough, Hikoji smiled and said, "I was just informed by association members that the Onix occupying the southwest cave of Mt. Moon has vanished. You made quite a scene downstairs while submitting your task, so I specifically invited you up."
"And what exactly do you want to do, President?"
Nozomi wasn't sure what Hikoji intended. If he was confirmed as the one who defeated Onix, why invite him upstairs?
Was it to acknowledge his strength personally?
Hikoji then continued with a smile, "There are a few things. First, I wanted to meet the trainer who managed to deal with that troublesome Onix. Second…"