It was 7 a.m. the next morning.
John woke up, washed up, and made breakfast for his Pokemon.
When he returned to the classroom the previous night, the class meeting had already wrapped up. Since he hadn't been there, Ricardo had been elected class president. He was also told that everyone needed to pick up Pokemon eggs from Riverstone University's Breeder House by 8:00 a.m. this morning.
Just as Grace had mentioned, a Pokemon egg would be handed out as part of the military training task for the breeding department.
Back in the dormitory last night, John had turned on his Gameboy and gotten to work in Granite Cave—catching Pokemon. But this time, there was an extra task: he needed to catch Nosepass.
Catching Nosepass in Granite Cave was part of the deal he made with Professor Scarlett. If John could prove he could catch them, the professor would provide him with more for her research.
The chances of encountering Nosepass were slim, a little better than finding Ralts. After three hours of grinding the night before, John had managed to catch twelve, which was pretty decent considering he still had a week to get more.
In his three-hour grind, he also made note of the items Pokemon were carrying in Granite Cave.
Zubat didn't carry anything.Abra had a 5% chance of holding a Twisted Spoon.Geodude could carry an Everstone, also 5%.Makuhita had a 5% chance of holding a Black Belt.Onix and Aron had a 5% chance of holding a Hard Stone.Sableye could carry a Wide Lens (also 5%).Mawile had a 5% chance of holding an Iron Ball.Nosepass had a 5% chance of holding either a Magnet or Hard Stone.
Granite Cave was full of a wide variety of items, most of them linked to the power of certain types of moves. Unlike Route 110, where the items were mostly consumable fruits, the underground cave offered more valuable functional items.
In just three hours, John had managed to snag three Hard Stones and one Everstone. Not a bad haul at all.
The three Hard Stones increased the power of Rock-type moves by 14%, 17%, and 19%. The prices for these items ranged from $70,000 to $95,000 each. As for the Everstone, it was a rare item with a fixed price of $250,000.
So, in just three hours, John had earned around $500,000. At that rate, if he worked 12 hours a day, he'd make $2 million daily. That's $60 million a month.
Switching from Route 110 to Granite Cave had nearly doubled his earnings.
"Making money is so easy," John muttered to himself with a grin.
The difference between earning money now and in his past life... well, the gap was huge.
He felt a little like a nouveau riche, though not that he had any intention of blowing all this cash. Still, it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of it all.
To celebrate his little windfall, John treated himself to a $1,000 dinner.
So far, though, he hadn't come across any treasure-level Pokemon items. That still left him wondering whether such items even existed in this world—after all, the game had a hard cap of 20% for item bonuses. Maybe that was the limit here too.
For breakfast, he finished off the leftovers from last night's dinner, packed up his Pokemon, and headed out to the Breeding Hall at Riverstone University.
As he walked along the main campus road, a group of freshmen from the combat department passed by. They were all wearing camouflage uniforms, heading out for their military training.
At the sound of his name, John turned around and spotted Grace waving at him, her cap perched jauntily on her head. She was sprinting toward him, with at least three male classmates and a crowd of more than ten girls trailing behind her.
When two attractive people are in the same frame, they tend to draw a lot of attention.
"Where are you headed?" John asked.
"Off to Trial Island," Grace groaned. "Same as every year—wild adventure for military training. We leave at 7:30 a.m. and don't get back until 5:00 p.m."
Trial Island, also known as Experiment Island, was a small island near Riverstone University. It housed various Pokemon that students could study and train against. The island also helped students hone their combat skills in real-world scenarios.
"Sounds great," John said with a grin. For students in the combat department, the island was an ideal place to level up their Pokemon.
"Oh, don't talk to me about it," Grace sighed, rolling her eyes. "No matter how much sunscreen I put on, I just know I'll be burned to a crisp by the time we leave."
"Don't laugh at me," she added, narrowing her eyes at him. "You won't be able to escape either."
John shrugged. His Breeding Department's trip to Trial Island was a few days away, though—he couldn't go until the Pokemon eggs he'd be picking up had hatched.
"By the way, have you signed up for the new military training competition yet?" Grace asked. "You said you were interested in joining, right?"
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," she teased. "If you run into me, I'll show you what it means to face a true rising star of the combat department!"
John laughed, shaking his head. Since their last encounter at the Ember Lake Arena, Grace had been eager to challenge him again. She seemed to have made him her personal target, and John had to admit, it was flattering.
"Alright, alright, Rising Star," he said. "But if you don't hurry up, you'll miss the boat to Trial Island tomorrow."
He pointed to the long line of students who had just started marching toward the island.
As Grace turned to catch up with her group, she called over her shoulder, "Wait up! I'll be back for that hug!"
A few of the older students gave John a curious look.
"Hug?" one of them whispered to another.
John ignored them and continued on his way to the Breeding Hall. He passed the registration booth for the military training competition on his way and decided to sign up while he was at it.