Ace didn't linger long in Vermilion City. After buying some dry rations and fresh water, he left the city.
The reason was simple: Ace was currently low on funds, not enough to support a normal life in a port city like Vermilion City.
"First, I'll try my luck at Professor Oak's Laboratory, and second, I need to figure out a way to make money soon..."
Ace quickly walked towards the wilderness with Zubat, recalling his manga memories and combining them with his long gaming experience. Ace wanted to try and see if he could find Diglett's Cave, which connected to Pewter City.
As for why he chose to go through Diglett's Cave instead of other routes to Pewter City, there were two reasons.
First, it was a shorter route, a direct path that would save Ace a lot of time.
Second, it was safe!
Among the currently known Pokémon, the Diglett family could be considered the most benevolent Pokémon in the Pokémon world.
Compared to encountering other Pokémon in the wild, Ace preferred facing Diglett.
Walking in the wilderness outside Vermilion City, Ace expected Diglett's Cave to be a relatively hidden spot.
However, when Ace found Diglett's Cave, he was utterly dumbfounded.
Because outside Diglett's Cave, there was actually a signboard erected, clearly stating: "Diglett's Cave."
And below the signboard, a small line of text read: "The cave is crisscrossed with tunnels; it's easy to get lost. Please do not enter casually."
"Side Quest (Excavation Expert): You have found Diglett's Cave, and within Diglett's Cave are numerous ancient Pokémon fossils. Finding them will be a great asset to you. Task Reward: 400 gold coins, task points given based on task completion evaluation."
Just as Ace hesitated, feeling intimidated by the "easy to get lost" warning, the system thoughtfully gave Ace a side quest.
"Fossils?"
Ace was stunned. Then he realized that if the story truly followed the plot, Ash indeed encountered Giovanni in Diglett's Cave, and Ash's Aerodactyl was also revived from a mysterious Amber given by Giovanni.
"Aerodactyl, huh..."
Ace couldn't help but drool a little. Aerodactyl could Mega Evolve, and its own strength was quite formidable. If he could unearth a mysterious Amber, he'd strike it rich!
"But system, how do I dig?"
Ace quickly thought of the most crucial problem. He only had one Zubat, and Zubat didn't have the Dig move. How was he supposed to dig for fossils?
With his hands?
"Excavation equipment can be purchased in the system store."
The system thoughtfully opened the system store for Ace and located the excavation equipment.
"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands..."
Ace silently counted the zeros, then glanced at his gold coins.
Although completing daily tasks provided a steady income of thirty gold coins per day, Ace hadn't skimped on Zubat's training and daily food.
Just the food alone had cost Ace quite a few gold coins. Plus, the accumulation from previous tasks, Ace currently had 1650 gold coins.
As for the other gold coins, Ace had already exchanged them all for Zubat's rations and the energy cubes needed for subsequent training.
And the system store, perhaps intentionally, priced a set of excavation equipment at 1600 gold coins. If he bought this set, Ace's pockets would be virtually empty.
But as soon as he thought of Aerodactyl, Ace felt it was worth it.
Gritting his teeth, Ace ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and purchased a set of excavation equipment.
However, when the system placed the excavation equipment into Ace's backpack, and Ace took it out, he immediately felt an urge to smash it.
In Ace's mind, a grand name like "excavation equipment" should imply some kind of high-tech gear.
But after taking the excavation equipment out of his backpack, Ace found that it was actually a one-piece suit, plus a helmet, and a pickaxe.
Oh, he almost forgot, the system also thoughtfully included a towel, probably for Ace to wipe off sweat when he got tired of digging.
"System! I want a refund!"
Ace couldn't help but shout, yelling in frustration, "This thing?! You're ripping me off 1600 gold coins for this?!"
"Items off the shelf are non-refundable and non-exchangeable."
"Didn't we agree on a seven-day no-questions-asked return policy?"
"This system does not have this function."
"..."
Ace was annoyed at being scammed by the system, but after unfolding these items, Ace realized they were still worth the price.
One-piece suit: Effectively prevents splashing debris, with extremely strong defensive capabilities.
Safety helmet: Safety first, no matter the road. A safety helmet that won't be crushed even if the cave collapses.
Pickaxe: Looks ordinary, but don't underestimate its sharpness. Chiseling through rocks is effortless.
Sighing, Ace put on the excavation equipment, then, with Zubat, plunged into Diglett's Cave.
Inside the cave, as it was a purely natural tunnel dug by Pokémon, there were no lights installed.
Upon entering, Ace felt a bit disoriented. The feeling of utter darkness made him uncomfortable.
Conversely, Zubat, entering such an environment, was like a fish in water. Using Supersonic, it quickly surveyed the entire cave's layout.
"Even if there are fossils in this cave, where are they?"
Ace gradually adapted to the darkness within the cave. He reached out and touched the cave walls. They weren't as hard as he imagined, instead having a muddy feel.
"I can't just randomly hit something and expect a fossil to pop out, right?"
Ace swung the pickaxe, embedding it into the wall.
As Ace exerted force, a large chunk of mud mixed with some gravel fell off. And within this chunk of mud, faintly, something glowed.
"This lucky?"
Looking at the object he had casually struck down, Ace quickly squatted down and dug out the elongated, faintly glowing stone.
As the entire stone revealed its true appearance, Ace's eyes widened instantly.
"Thunder Stone: Can be used by suitable Electric-type Pokémon to evolve them."
This luck was unparalleled!
Ace joyfully put the Thunder Stone away. Although he didn't need this evolutionary stone, he could sell it.
One must know that these evolutionary stones, which could help Pokémon evolve, were quite valuable!
Conservatively estimated, it could fetch at least ten thousand League currency!
"I'm rich!"
Even in the darkness, Ace's eyes visibly gleamed with excitement.
Now he didn't mind having spent gold coins on this excavation equipment at all. If he could dig up anything else, then for the foreseeable future, he wouldn't have to worry about how to live!