Briiing!
Rowan's hand shot out to silence the alarm clock before he rolled over in bed.
"So tired… This is impossible. I really need to talk to my advisor."
"He has to give me a different research topic. I'll go insane if I have to study rocks all day."
Rowan curled into a ball, grumbling as he reluctantly pulled his head from the soft comfort of his pillow.
The room was covered in Pokémon posters—Metagross, Salamence, Tyranitar. Various battle scenes blazed with fiery passion.
After getting dressed, Rowan glanced at the time. The Snorlax clock on the wall proudly displayed that it was one o'clock in the afternoon.
"Time to order food. I'm starving."
He opened a food delivery app, only to frown.
What were with these restaurant names?
Farfetch'd Roast Duck, Snorlax Hot Pot, Charizard BBQ…
The sheer density of Pokémon references was a bit much. Had the world's biggest IP finally conquered the domestic market?
Rowan clicked on a place called Appletun Noodles and ordered a bowl of beef noodles, which came with a free sausage for favoriting the shop. With his lunch on the way, he headed to the bathroom to wash up.
The mirror reflected a handsome, clean-featured young man of about twenty-one or twenty-two. His features were well-defined, and even the dark circles under his eyes couldn't make him look slovenly.
Once he was done, Rowan went to his computer.
He expertly typed in his password, "KricketuneHero," and the desktop appeared—a group photo of various Pokémon League Champions with their ace Pokémon.
Rowan wiggled the mouse and clicked on his usual forum.
"Shocking Discovery: Mysterious Cavern Found Beneath Hoenn's Sootopolis City! Geologists Scramble to Explore!"
"Granite Cave Hides a New, Deeper Cave System! Who Will Unravel Its Secrets?"
"Looking for a team to explore Route 120! I have a Steelix for protection. Professionals only, please!"
This was supposed to be a private forum for geology enthusiasts and rockhounds, but today…
"What is this? Some kind of elaborate prank?"
"Okay, wait. Don't panic. Just breathe."
A wild, terrifying thought began to form in Rowan's mind. But there was only one way to know for sure. He had to look out the window.
He opened it to a view of lush greenery. A large tree stood not far from his window, its branches filled with small, brown-feathered birds chirping away.
If Rowan remembered correctly, those were Pidgey.
Down below, a Growlithe was chasing a green, fuzzy ball of a Pokémon through the grass. Its owner, a little girl, skipped around them in circles, her face alight with a pure, innocent smile.
In the distance, a young man with green hair and a white shirt sat on a park bench, watching the scene with a look of intense longing.
Everything was so peaceful, so perfect.
"Is that kid… Wally?"
This place was Littleroot Town. If that was the case, then the timeline must be before Ruby had started his journey. Wally captured his Ralts not long after Ruby set out.
Rowan clenched his fists.
"I've finally made it! Twenty-one years! Do you have any idea how I've lived these past twenty-one years?!"
I've been transmigrated.
I've been transmigrated into the world of Pokémon!
He had no idea why or how he'd ended up here, and strangely, he seemed to have no memories of this world before this moment. But the ironclad proof before his eyes was undeniable. He had really crossed over.
First thing's first in the Pokémon world: become a trainer.
But not just any trainer.
While the anime made being a trainer seem glamorous and exciting, the reality was that being a full-time trainer was not something the average person could afford. The only true full-time trainers were probably chosen ones with plot armor, like Ash and Red.
Everyone else, even someone as powerful as Leon, had to open the Battle Tower to make a living. Diantha, Wallace, Lance… they all had their own professions to earn money.
Rowan wanted to be a part-time trainer, too.
As for his full-time job? That was simple.
In his past life, he was a graduate student in geology. In this life, he could go mining. At worst, he could become a Hiker. That would surely be enough to support himself.
Besides, there were no mining resource laws in the Pokémon world. As long as you weren't using heavy industrial drills, individuals were free to excavate as they pleased.
Rowan rubbed his hands together excitedly. A brand-new future was waving at him!
"Hello, your delivery is here!"
A man's voice from downstairs snapped Rowan out of his daydream.
"Go, Rotom."
An orange, cone-shaped body with two small lightning bolts for arms floated up to Rowan, carrying a plastic bag.
Wow. Using a Rotom for food delivery. That was something else.
"Don't forget to leave a five-star review, dear!"
The delivery guy zipped away, and Rowan took his food into the living room.
"If I want to go mining, I'll need a headlamp, work clothes, a dust mask, goggles, gloves, ear protection… and most importantly, a pickaxe. That whole set is going to cost a lot."
"How can I make some quick cash?"
Rowan's thoughts returned to the people on the geology forum. They were all fellow enthusiasts. Surely he could find some work with one of them, right?
No sooner said than done. Rowan quickly finished his food and returned to his computer. He opened the forum, went to the team-up section, and started refreshing the page, looking for a suitable offer.
He didn't have any tools and wasn't in the best physical shape, but as a scholar, he had the fundamental knowledge. More importantly, he had a burning desire to get started.
Rowan glanced at his bank account balance, which only hardened his resolve to freeload off someone else's equipment. He could always offer them a larger share of whatever he found, taking only a small cut for himself.
"Looking for someone to go mining with in Verdanturf Cave. Not interested in minerals, just exploring. I can provide all tools, funding, and other support. Requirement: must be familiar with Verdanturf Cave."
This post might as well have been written specifically for him.
Okay, so he wasn't actually familiar with Verdanturf Cave.
But unless the poster was going to teleport in front of him right now and demand he lead the way, it wouldn't be a problem. The cave was just a short walk from here. He had plenty of time to familiarize himself with it.
Even without a Pokémon of his own to enter the cave, he could still ask around. Maybe talk to one of the old-timers in town. Surely there was a retired miner or two he could get information from.
When you're broke, you have to be shameless.
Rowan immediately typed a rapid reply.
"I can do it!"
The original poster instantly deleted the thread and sent Rowan their contact information.
As Rowan happily added the contact, he thought, "I can go find Mandy later. She's Wally's sister, and her boyfriend is one of the workers in charge of excavating the Rusturf Tunnel. It won't be long before Verdanturf Cave becomes the Rusturf Tunnel. That's probably why this guy is in such a hurry."
Once a cave was turned into a tunnel, any valuable minerals would be snapped up by the flood of construction workers. Finding anything worthwhile after that would be nearly impossible.
Rowan typed the string of numbers into his chat app, and then his fingers froze.
The user ID was:
AAA Precious Stone Collector - Steven Stone.
Steven?
Steven Stone?
As in, the Hoenn League Champion, heir to the Devon Corporation, owner of a shiny Mega Metagross, and the world's most obsessive rock collector, Steven Stone?