21 The Jagged Pass
After selecting this batch of Pokémon eggs, Director Mond instructed the staff at the Day Care center to move them together with the previously chosen eggs.
However, these eggs were placed in different locations to avoid confusion.
These eggs were quite affordable, priced at only 1,000 League Coins each, totaling 32 eggs for 32,000 coins.
This price was only slightly higher than that of red-potential eggs.
It's worth noting that the orange-potential egg previously sold by Yuga was priced at 6,000 coins. The remaining 14 eggs sold at the store yielded a profit of over 100,000 League Coins.
Therefore, the sale of Pokémon eggs was a high-profit industry. This explained how establishments like YoYo Day Care managed to stay afloat despite tough times.
The high profits from Pokémon eggs and young Pokémon were the reason for the high entry barrier to starting a Day Care Center.
While YoYo Day Care managed to open thanks to its ancestral heritage, the qualifications persisted even though its reputation had diminished over generations.
The lucrative nature of the Pokémon sales industry naturally attracted illegal activities, most notably Pokémon poachers.
Unable to access eggs and young Pokémon, these poachers resorted to capturing adult Pokémon through illicit means and selling them to those in need, reaping higher profits than selling eggs and young Pokémon.
This continuous cycle of illegal hunting was driven by the allure of high risk resulting in high rewards.
As for Yuga insistence on purchasing the flawed eggs even after learning about their drawbacks from Director Mond, it was due to a new task being issued by the system.
As Yuga used his Insight ability to examine the eggs, the voice of 1314520 suddenly echoed in his mind.
After enduring several sudden attacks from 1314520, Yuga heart had grown stronger. Although he was startled this time, he didn't make a big fuss.
[ Triggered random task: Profit from small investments.
As the owner of a Day Care Center, the host should be a successful merchant, learning to profit from small investments by buying low-potential eggs at a higher potential.
Rewards: 5 Large Gene Repair Potions and the formula for Small Gene Repair Potions. ]
Seeing this task, Yuga knew his opportunity had come.
To be safe, before purchasing the eggs, Yuga confirmed with the system, "1314520, can these Gene Repair Potions fix the defects in these Pokémon after they hatch?"
[ Of course, host, please do not doubt this system abilities. ]
"Then why are there Large Gene Repair Potions and Small Gene Repair Potions?"
[ The efficacy of Large Gene Repair Potion is much stronger than Small Gene Repair Potion. The issues with these eggs can be resolved with Small Gene Repair Potion. ]
Fully understanding the task, Yuga couldn't help but admire the considerate nature of the system, always issuing tasks when he needed them the most.
After paying for the batch of eggs, the completion notification for the task appeared.
[ Congratulations, host, for completing the random task.
Task: Profit from small investments
Completed.
Evaluation: None.
Rewards: 5 Large Gene Repair Potions and the formula for Small Gene Repair Potions. ]
Seeing the completed task, Yuga felt that the system was simply rewarding him, as the task had no difficulty whatsoever.
Of course, Yuga didn't wish for tasks to be difficult; tasks with this level of difficulty were just right.
However, the main storyline tasks were indeed challenging, and Yuga had only taken the first step on a long journey.9
Nevertheless, this task had no time limit or penalty for failure, so Yuga felt he could take his time and proceed.
With the matter of the Pokémon eggs settled, Yuga turned to Director Mond and said, "Director Mond, may I come to pick up these eggs tomorrow? This is my first time in Lavaridge Town, and I haven't had a chance to explore. I'd like to stay another day."
Director Mond, of course, agreed. He laughed heartily and said:
"Of course, you're welcome to do so. The hot springs in our Lavaridge Town are famous throughout the whole region. You should definitely enjoy them.
And our local specialty, Lavaridge Town Fairy Clams, is also well-known."
Being a true native of Lavaridge Town, Director Mond had a deep affection for his hometown.
However, Yuga decision to stay an extra day wasn't for the hot springs or the Fairy Clams. He was planning to explore Mt. Chimey.
Mt. Chimey is the largest active volcano in Hoenn region, inhabited by numerous Fire-type Pokémon.
The fame of Lavaridge Town hot springs owes much to the continuous activity of Mt. Chimey.
Since Yuga had finally made it to Lavaridge Town, it would be a shame not to pay a visit.
However, Yuga willingness to explore Mt. Chimey stemmed from his taming of Absol. Without the help of his newly acquired Pokémon, he wouldn't dare venture into the mountain with just the weak Floette.
After leaving the Day Care Center, Yuga returned to the Pokémon Center, primarily to have Nurse Joy inspect Absol injuries.
After confirming from Nurse Joy that Absol injuries were no longer an issue, Yuga decided to head to Mt. Chimey.
It must be said that Nurse Joy medical skills were extraordinary. After receiving treatment for such severe injuries, Absol had fully recovered after just one night and morning.
Following lunch at the Pokémon Center, Yuga prepared to set off for Mt. Chimey with Absol and Floette.
To reach Mt. Chimey, one must first pass through Jagged Pass, which happened to be the only entrance to Lavaridge Town.
As for the route Yuga took using the Khaki Tunnel, it was an unconventional path created by trainers during their journeys for ease of travel.
Lavaridge Town was surrounded by mountain ranges and the vast Lavaridge Desert. Apart from Jagged Pass, other routes were not as easily navigable.
Arriving at Jagged Pass, Yuga noticed that despite its name, the path wasn't particularly bumpy or uneven. In fact, the road conditions were quite good.
After all, being the sole "official" entrance to Lavaridge Town, the path had witnessed a steady stream of people entering and exiting, gradually smoothing out even the roughest terrain.
Both Floette and Absol were relatively inexperienced, having only been to Lavaridge Town. Thus, they were filled with curiosity about everything they encountered along the way—the scenery, various objects, and other Pokémon.
However, despite Yuga own curiosity, as an adult, he managed to exercise restraint.
Comparatively, Floette, with its very young mentality, was much more exuberant.
Throughout the journey, it kept provoking wild Pokémon, resulting in Yuga and Absol having to clean up its mess each time.
Nevertheless, this incident allowed Yuga to realize the stark contrast between Absol, who was far from a "scrub," Floette. Absol exhibited considerable combat strength and battle experience.
Although its level wasn't particularly high, likely due to its frequent battles in the wild, it displayed remarkable composure in battle and adeptness in skill usage.
Seeing Floette mischievous behavior, Yuga decided to let it handle the wild Pokémon it instigated on its own.
As a result, Floette engaged in a series of battles, gradually leveling up to 21.
However, this achievement was largely due to Absol backup. Without it, Floette would have been defeated multiple times over.
