My Mining Career in Another World

The coal mine lay south of Oreburgh City and was managed directly by Roark.

It boasted incredibly rich mineral resources and even yielded fossils of Ancient Pokémon.

Roark's Rampardos, for example, had come from a fossil he had excavated himself and then revived using a Special Machine.

The rocky terrain also made it an excellent place for Pokémon Trainers to train their Pokémon.

"Whoa, mining pays pretty well!"

When Bai Shi came to scout out the terrain, he asked about the wages and benefits in passing and found them surprisingly good.

Not only were meals and lodging included, but workers also received a complete uniform and a set of mining tools.

Most importantly, the coal mine paid workers according to how much they mined.

The more coal you extracted, the higher your pay.

And if you unearthed a fossil of an Ancient Pokémon, that went without saying.

With such generous benefits, even Bai Shi was tempted.

Although the bounties in Jubilife City had filled his wallet again, who would ever complain about having too much money?

Besides, Bai Shi had always wanted to buy a house in Twinleaf Town.

Without giving it much thought, Bai Shi decided to work as a miner for a while.

After all, who said mining meant he couldn't train his Pokémon?

Having them mine alongside him would be exercise too, wouldn't it?

They could help him earn money while getting a workout.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

With so many advantages, how could Bai Shi refuse?

As luck would have it, Roark was the man in charge of the entire coal mine.

Thanks to their connection from the Gym battle they had just fought, Bai Shi joined the workforce without a hitch.

"Bai Shi, welcome to the team!"

"Trust me, you won't regret coming here. You'll discover a whole new kind of fun!"

Roark was delighted by Bai Shi's arrival, believing he had found a kindred spirit.

Here was another Pokémon Trainer who loved mining just as much as he did.

As the more experienced miner, he felt obliged to show Bai Shi the ropes.

To that end, Roark made time especially to patiently share some of his mining insights with Bai Shi.

He also had veteran workers give him hands-on instruction.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Roark!"

Naturally, Bai Shi was deeply grateful for Roark's selfless guidance and thanked him.

It was precisely the experience Roark shared that allowed Bai Shi to learn the basics so quickly.

By now, Bai Shi could mine coal on his own.

Bai Shi's three Pokémon also filled their roles as assistants—or rather, unpaid labor—perfectly.

Dunsparce used Dig to help with the excavation.

Stantler used Confusion to locate ore and move what they had mined.

Even Staravia could carry ore in its talons, helping with transportation.

Not only did this improve their proficiency with their moves, but it also toughened their bodies, making for an excellent workout.

With all three Pokémon working together, they could extract quite a lot of coal over the course of a day.

As for the pay...

One look at Bai Shi's face, beaming like a flower in full bloom, said it all.

But along with that came the Pokémon's mounting resentment.

Stantler went without saying; it had started slacking off long ago.

Even the normally diligent Dunsparce and Staravia were threatening to go "on strike."

A hard day's work as a miner was one thing.

But digging day and night, every single day? Who could take that?

They were Pokémon, not excavators or electric drills.

If this continued, even if they didn't collapse from exhaustion, they would be driven mad.

"Just one last day. Hang in there, everyone!"

"Once we finish today's work, I'll treat you all to a feast, then give you a few days off!"

Bai Shi's conscience finally stirred, and he made that promise to his Pokémon.

Mining alone was nowhere near as efficient as working with his Pokémon's help.

He had no choice but to find some way to motivate them.

Hearing that a feast and time off awaited them, the Pokémon regained some enthusiasm.

Even so, their efficiency was still noticeably lower than when they had first started.

Clearly, they had had enough of life as tireless mining machines.

"Yes, it's time to wrap this up."

Looking at his listless Pokémon, Bai Shi knew he couldn't keep this going.

Otherwise, sooner or later, they would all turn against him.

He might as well put an end to it now, while the warning signs were only beginning to show!

In any case, he had already made quite a bit of money mining during this time.

"Dunsparce!" (Bai Shi, come take a look!)

Just as Bai Shi was preparing to call it quits, an unexpected find turned up.

Dunsparce dug an unusual stone out of the ground.

It was shaped much like an insect, with two round eyes, a pair of well-developed pincers, and eight featherlike wings.

"Did I just hit the jackpot?"

Bai Shi's face lit up with wild delight.

After checking it repeatedly, he confirmed that it was a fossil of an Ancient Pokémon.

Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be an Anorith.

Its value alone exceeded that of all the coal he had mined over the past several days.

Under the coal mine's rules, Roark had the first right to purchase any fossils.

Workers who unearthed fossils could sell them directly to Roark.

Alternatively, they could negotiate with him and pay a certain price to obtain ownership of the fossil.

"Anorith, a Rock- and Bug-type Pokémon. Its abilities are battle armor and swift swim, and it can evolve into Armaldo."

Bai Shi recalled the information he had read in Pokémon books.

As Pokémon went, it was pretty good, and Bai Shi was rather fond of it.

But obtaining it probably wouldn't be so easy.

Even if Roark was willing to let him have it.

The cost of reviving it alone would be enough to drain Bai Shi's savings.

Most importantly, this Pokémon wasn't yet in its final evolved form.

Raising it would take a considerable amount of time.

And Bai Shi already had three Pokémon in the same position.

It wasn't really worth paying such a steep price for it.

If only I'd dug up an Aerodactyl instead.

Despite his good fortune, Bai Shi couldn't help greedily wishing for more.

After all, what he urgently needed now was a fully developed Pokémon that could fight right away.

The enormous investment Anorith required made Bai Shi hesitate.

"Trading it for money would suit me better."

Having made his decision, Bai Shi took the fossil to Roark and told him he wanted to sell it.

"Wow, you're incredibly lucky!"

"You've been here less than half a month, and you've already dug up such a rare, magnificent fossil!"

Roark took out a magnifying glass and carefully admired the treasure before him, exclaiming with delight.

This Anorith Fossil was much larger than any he had previously unearthed.

Bringing Bai Shi into the trade really had been the best decision he could have made.

I suppose this counts as a way of repaying him?

Seeing how excited Roark was, Bai Shi's lips curved upward, and he couldn't help thinking that to himself.

Even his last trace of reluctance to part with the Ancient Pokémon vanished completely.

In the end, money and goods changed hands.

Roark received his beloved Ancient Pokémon fossil, while Bai Shi received that most mundane of things: money.

Each found his own kind of happiness.