My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 349 The Battle for the Ranger Base

The Wind-Swept Town base has always been the best-performing ranger base in southern Almia.

The jurisdiction includes Fengrao Town and the surrounding Juju Village, which serves as a springboard for many grassroots patrolmen to quickly accumulate contribution points and get promoted.

That's how it should be —

"Sigh, why did this unprecedented upheaval have to happen right when I became the captain and was about to be promoted?

At the base in Fengrao Town, Captain Guanglang sighed helplessly.

Since the two newcomers, Chuangyi and Renmei, were transferred away, the Alliance headquarters has gone crazy again and actually built a new Chicory Village base in Chicory Village in the south.

This immediately reduced the workload of the Fengrao Town base by more than half.

If you were in another profession, you might think that it's a good thing that your work has become easier.

However, for rangers, a reduced workload means less contribution, which in turn means less access to resources within the alliance and an inability to get promoted quickly!

For an entire ranger base, fewer personnel is naturally a bad omen of a gradual decline in status.

The next step after layoffs is often budget cuts, followed by gradual replacement by new employees or even complete elimination!

Captain Guanglang rubbed his temples, feeling that the wrinkles on his forehead had deepened recently.

He looked up at the map of the jurisdiction displayed on the screen. What was originally a complete area was now roughly divided by a dotted line. The Fengrao Town base was to the north, and the Juju Village base was to the south.

"Sigh, I really don't know what the higher-ups were thinking. Why did they suddenly build a new base?"

Just as Guanglang was sighing repeatedly, another staff member who remained at the base suddenly came over.

"Captain, the festival seems pretty lively over there—should we go help out?"

"Hmm————" Guanglang lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then waved his hand somewhat listlessly.

"Forget it, if we go too, there will be no one to guard the base."

If the public issues an emergency request and no one responds, our base's reputation will truly plummet.

The blond, blue-eyed staff member opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but seeing the captain's furrowed brows and tired expression, he swallowed his words, nodded silently, and returned to his post.

"Forget it, let Kailang and Lika do what they want."

"They were very enthusiastic and wanted to compete for the best booth." "Let them compete. When I went, they became more reserved."

He paused, then looked out the window toward the south towards Julu Village, where he could faintly hear the noise of a festival.

"Moreover—if we go there, we'll inevitably run into people from the Chicory Village base."

Should we greet them when the time comes, or pretend we didn't see them?

Guanglang gave a wry smile. "Although we're all patrolmen, the current situation is still a bit awkward."

Guanglang leaned back in his chair, his gaze returning to the glaring dotted line on the map. The establishment of the chicory village base not only took away his jurisdiction and workload, but also felt like an invisible thorn stuck in his heart.

He had managed this place for so many years, and with great difficulty, following the path and methodology left by the previous captain, he had improved the reputation and performance of the Fengrao Town base. He was about to have the opportunity to be transferred to a larger and more important base—but then unexpected complications arose.

"I hope those kids don't lose too badly at the festival—" he muttered to himself, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

Although they said they didn't care about the festival, they still harbored a sliver of hope that the stalls in Fengrao Town could outshine those in Chicory Village.

"It's so lively!" Tong Hua couldn't help but exclaim, her eyes sweeping over the dazzling array of stalls and smiling faces.

He quickly found Feng and Jessica in the crowd. Feng was wearing a light blue yukata today, and her short brown hair had a small, unidentified white wildflower tucked behind her ear, making her look particularly refreshing.

Jessica was still dressed in her denim outfit, her long blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail, eagerly trying her hand at catching goldfish at a stall, with her Eevee by her side.

"Tong Hua! Over here!" Jessica, with her sharp eyes, immediately waved and called out.

"They're here!"

Tong Hua walked over with a large group of friends, attracting curious glances from many people around.

"Wow, your ranch has mobilized its entire force today?" Feng couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the massive group.

"Yes, it's a rare holiday," Tong Hua said with a smile, then looked at Jessica, "How many did you catch?"

"Don't even mention it!"

Jessica waved the paper net in her hand, three of which were already torn, in frustration. "These goldfish are just too strong! Eevee, you try!"

"Buyi~"

Little Eevee was clearly uninterested in catching goldfish, but was instead full of curiosity about the diverse Pokémon team around Tong Hua.

He moved closer and first sniffed the nearest Chinchilla with his wet nose, which wagged its big tail in a friendly manner.

"Terrifying!"

The little ones quickly became acquainted and started playing together.

"Speaking of which, it's really lively today," Tong Hua said sincerely, looking at the bustling stalls around her.

"How come I never noticed there were so many people in this village before?!"

Besides traditional games and snack stalls, you can also see many handicrafts and agricultural products brought by the villagers themselves, which are sold on the roadside at affordable prices. You can also hear the stall owners enthusiastically calling out their wares in their local accents.

"Of course it's lively! This is the most important event in our area during the summer."

As Feng spoke, he paid, took a new paper net, squatted down by the goldfish pond, and stared intently.

"Watch me, this time I'm going to catch the biggest one!"

"I'll try again!"

Jessica, not to be outdone, bought another paper net and joined the fray.

Tong Hua smiled and didn't join in the fun.

His gaze swept across the festival, and he couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"With so many stalls, could they all have been allocated by the village?"

"We should really set up a couple of stalls too, to bring the dessert shop and potion shop's business to the island festival, it would be a huge success!"

"Stalls aren't always allocated; you have to apply in advance and pay a venue fee."

Without turning back, he focused intently on the goldfish in the water. "The village and town patrol teams will organize some, and the remaining positions will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. But—"

She shrugged, and the paper net swiftly swept across the water's surface, but she was still a step too slow. The large red and white goldfish deftly flicked its tail to dodge, then opened its mouth and sneered.

Feng curled his lip, straightened up, and said, "But it's easy for you to apply now. Jessica is right here, isn't she? If you talk to the village chief, you should be able to get one or two stalls, right?"

Jessica, having also come up empty-handed, put down her paper net somewhat dejectedly and said, "That's true in theory, but the festival stalls' business..."

There is a ranking system, and the good stalls have already been allocated.

These prime stalls along the main road were snapped up as soon as registration opened a week before the festival.

It's my fault; I forgot to ask Xiaotong if she wanted to participate.

But if you want it now, I can talk to Grandpa.

"OK."

Tong Hua's eyes lit up. This was a good opportunity for promotion. "Even if the location is a little out of the way, it doesn't matter. We can set up a temporary stall for a dessert shop and a potion shop."

"No problem, leave it to me!"

Jessica patted her chest, then added somewhat sheepishly, "However—it might really be the only place we can accommodate her in a more peripheral location."

"It's alright, good wine needs no bush," Tong Hua said, not seeming to care much. "The quality of our ranch's products is top-notch."

Just then, a cheer came from the side.

With a flick of his wrist, Feng steadily scooped up a small, shimmering goldfish in the paper net. Though small, it was a success nonetheless.

"Haha! Got it!" Feng happily poured the small fish into the small basin next to him and proudly waved it at Jessica.

Jessica glanced at it enviously, but then clenched her fist: "No way, let me get it first!"

Tong Hua smiled as she watched the two of them arguing, and said to the Pokémon beside her, "Then everyone can do whatever you want. Each of you will receive 1000 League Coins. Eat whatever you want, play whatever you want. Be careful and don't get separated."

We camped by the stream in the village at noon. If you don't know the way, just look for the fishing tackle shop in the wind.

The Pokémon cheered as they took their allowance and immediately scattered.

"Ah-ma~" "Fufu~"

Chinchilla and Catcat headed straight for the shooting range with Eevee, while Queen Melisandre and Oliva were more interested in the stalls selling hair accessories and plants.

"Worm." "Game."

The worm slowly carried Celebi and Mini Tortoise toward the snack area, and planned to visit Sunshine Ranch later to see what Grandpa Sunshine was doing.

"Knock knock?" "Whoosh~ Nas!"

The Saltstone Giant, carrying Little Fruit and several Saltstone Treasures on its back, curiously followed the Messenger Bird and the Alcremie toward the cotton candy stall.

"Miri!" "Meow!"

The big milk tankers and Woolstaff sheep also mingled with the crowd, attracted by the aroma of roasted corn and pancakes wafting from afar, and wandered around on their own.

"Beep beep!" "Buzz buzz!"

The raccoon family and the queen bee family also dispersed, taking the stack of funds given to them by Tong Hua, intending to first study the "enemy situation" of all the stalls at the festival.

For a moment, only "Tibulim" was left by Tong Hua's side.

"Tibrim, what do you want to play?" Tong Hua asked, looking at the red-haired "girl" beside him.

"Bri---" Tibrim looked around, her gaze sweeping over the lively but slightly noisy crowd, finally settling on a relatively quiet corner not far away.

That's the "Pokémon Photo Corner," where several docile Pokémon are posing for photos with tourists.

In addition to taking group photos, they also offer photography services, but the prices aren't as exorbitant as other tourist attractions.

"I want you to come with me to see Bree over there."

"Tibulim" pointed to a spot not far away, and Tong Hua immediately understood.

"Okay, let's take some pictures then. If they turn out well, we'll take a group photo for everyone tonight!"

The two walked side by side to the photo corner, the summer hustle and bustle seemingly separated by a layer of separation.