64. Comfortable college campus life

The freshman courses for the breeding major are packed. Compared to the battle department, the breeding major has more theoretical courses.

From Monday to Friday, there are at least two classes in the morning, all theory-based. Practical classes take place in the afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday.

One involves caring for newly born Pokémon at the breeding hut and helping to write Pokémon diet plans. The other is visiting Trial Island to inspect and collect berries.

The course load is heavy because all the basics of feeding science must be completed in the first year. In the second year, things will ease up as I choose a specialization and focus on one path, so there will naturally be fewer courses.

However, the difficulty of the material will increase.

Chris said he felt quite comfortable, like he was reliving his college days.

He gets up in the morning to exercise, takes a shower, and heads to class after breakfast. After class at 10:30, he orders takeout on the way home. When he arrives, Delibird has just delivered the food.

While eating, Chris puts on a movie. He's converted his room into a mini-theater with a cozy sofa, enjoying both the meal and the show.

After lunch, he grabs his handheld console and gets into his official work for the day. After gaming until evening, he occasionally meets up with Amy and the others for drinks or makes dinner himself, then reads a book at night and rests early.

In his previous life, when middle-aged back and neck pain started to bother him, Chris swore that if he had a second chance, he would take better care of his body while he was young. That's why he now keeps a thermos of goji berries ready.

Additionally, he avoids sitting too long. (After spending a year sitting in front of a computer at work, his weight shot up by 30 pounds, and his neck began to feel stiff and uncomfortable.)

But today, Chris can't play for too long. It's Thursday, and in the afternoon, he'll head to Trial Island to collect berries.

He turns on his handheld console. The protagonist is now standing by the river at Mauville City's gate, near Route 110, where the bicycle viaduct is located.

Chris has already caught a shiny Aron, so there's no need to linger in Granite Cave.

As for treasure-level Pokémon items, Pokémon everywhere may have Attribute-related items you can steal. Even if it's not the Attribute you need, you can sell it and buy the one you want. So there's no rush to steal now.

Switching out his fishing rod, Chris thinks back to when he followed Olivia to the Dragon's Nest in the East China Sea—he's aiming to catch a shiny Magikarp.

For a flying mount, he's waiting for Gible to evolve into Garchomp. For a land mount, Chris hasn't chosen one yet. As for a sea mount, especially one with both Surf and Dive, Frogadier won't cut it.

After thinking it over, Chris decides Gyarados is the best and most valuable option for a Breeder, and until Gible evolves into Garchomp, Gyarados can double as a flying mount.

So, Chris begins his life as a fisherman, catching and raising his Pokémon early. After defeating Mauville Gym, he can use Gyarados against the Fire-type Lavaridge Gym.

There are only three types of Pokémon in the waters near Mauville City: Magikarp, Tentacool, and Goldeen.

There don't seem to be any new Pokémon in Hoenn's pools, just their evolutions. But Chris vaguely remembers that clownfish-like Pokémon can be caught in a small pool somewhere...

The Magikarp he's catching range from levels 20 to 30. Magikarp typically evolve into Gyarados at level 20, but these ones haven't evolved yet. If caught, they'll evolve once leveled up.

Chris suspects these might be the "slow" Magikarp that can't evolve into Gyarados, as thought by experts.

He thinks that in the future, when he opens a Pokémon breeding hut, he could offer a service to help Magikarp evolve into Gyarados, or simply sell evolved Gyarados. That would be a lucrative business.

After all, a common Magikarp evolving into a powerful Gyarados capable of destroying cities creates a vast difference in value.

In this area where Magikarp typically evolve into Gyarados at level 20, Chris still hasn't managed to catch a Gyarados. It might be due to his current Fishing Rod—after all, it's just an old, broken rod. There are better options, like the Good Rod and the Super Rod, but he doesn't have those yet.

Compared to Magikarp, both Tentacool and Goldeen are slightly lower in level, but they're still around level 20, providing decent experience. 

Tentacool has a 5% chance of holding the Poison-type item "Stinger," while Goldeen has the same probability of carrying the Water-type item "Mystic Water." Meanwhile, Magikarp doesn't bring anything of value. If only Magikarp could carry items, Chris muses, that could be quite the profitable venture.

Chris equips Gible with Exp. Share, so his Frogadier can help level it up.

**[Gible (Ground/Dragon)]**

**[Level: 23]**

**[Ability: Rough Skin (contact moves cause damage to attackers)]**

**[IVs: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (24), Speed (31)]**

**[Moves: Sand Tomb, Tackle, Sand Attack, Dragon Breath, Bulldoze]**

**[Held Item: Exp. Share]**

This 5IV Gible looks promising—Chris is proud. It seems the offspring of the mighty Garchomp has inherited the strength of its mother, making Gible a strong candidate for Chris's main team.

At level 23, Gible is in a good position to evolve into Gabite. Chris plans to train it further once it evolves. He'll take it along Cycling Road, defeating NPCs to gain more experience before challenging the Mauville City Gym.

Chris already obtained the HM move "Rock Smash" when he first arrived in Mauville City. He's waiting for the move to truly come in handy. When the time is right, he plans to buy a Flash Onix, to prevent losing out on opportunities by delaying too long.

After two hours of trying for a shiny Magikarp, it's already one in the afternoon, but no luck. Chris isn't worried; he'll return at night to continue his hunt.

Changing into his sports clothes, Chris hops on his sonic bicycle and grabs his newly purchased backpack. He heads to the pier at the school's east gate, ready for the afternoon's task of collecting berries.