My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 248 The Gate to a New World

Tong Hua looked around the room he had chosen as his alchemy workshop, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

The room is about 30 square meters, with walls made of warm gray stone bricks. With the light from the lamps and the sunlight streaming through the long, narrow windows above the walls, it doesn't feel dark at all.

The air conditioning and fresh air system that controls the wine cellar and the whole house also makes the basement less stuffy, so it's definitely not a bad place to live.

Tong Hua took a deep breath in satisfaction, while Tibrim, who was standing nearby, helped bring over wool from Woolbraided sheep and some other commonly used materials.

"Bree!"

"Hurry, hurry! Concoct a potion that can turn me back into a human!"

Tong Hua couldn't help but laugh as she looked at the impatient Tibrim.

Don't rush.

I'm just a newbie. If even a witch who's hundreds of years old can't do it, how could I possibly do it so easily?

"At least let me study and work on it for a while. How can you expect to reach the top in one step when your foundation isn't even solid?"

Hearing Tong Hua say that, Tibrim pouted, not taking it seriously.

"Being unable to do something and having the ability but not wanting to do it are two different things!"

Alright, alright, stop wasting time. Your basics aren't good, are they? I'll give you a crash course!

No complaining, Bree!

While Tong Hua was apprenticing under Tibrim and beginning to formally learn the basics of alchemy, something very interesting was happening on the grassland on the other side of the ranch.

"What do you mean you two accidentally broke Big Milk Pot's bed?"

Mumu looked at Ritsu and Shoyo, who were blushing, and then at the crushed straw bed in a compartment of the Pokémon House and the Miltank standing innocently next to it, and was puzzled for a moment.

Ritsumi blushed deeply, covering her face with her hands and losing the ability to speak.

Huang Yao scratched his head awkwardly, "We really didn't mean to, our legs just gave way and we collapsed—"

It was really an accident that I broke your bed—I'm so sorry!

"Miru————"

Ah Chu sighed helplessly and forgave Huang Yao and Lu Mei.

"But you guys went a bit too far, didn't you?"

"A bed that even a giant milk tank couldn't break, and you guys just casually pounced on it and ruined it?"

Mumu touched her chin, her eyes suddenly sharpening as she pressed for answers.

"This—" Huang Yao's face turned even redder, and he stammered, unable to speak. Ritsumei covered her face even tighter, her ears turning bright red.

Fortunately, someone came to the rescue.

"Oh my!"

Sweetie and Orinu led the two new Mini-Fries to the meadow and showed them around the ranch's facilities.

Mumu's attention was completely drawn away by them, and she finally stopped tormenting Ritsumi and Kyouya.

"Fufu~" "Knock knock!" "Meow meow!"

The newcomers seem to have completely integrated into the atmosphere of the ranch, playing happily with the Salt Rocks, the Tuo Tuo Worms, and the Big Milk Tanks.

"But then again, Mr. Tong Hua is really amazing."

"To be able to raise so many Pokémon at once and manage the ranch so well." After calming down, Akira looked at the harmonious scene before him and couldn't help but sigh.

"Yeah, it's so enviable—do you think we could keep this many Pokémon when we live on our own in the future?"

Ritsumi's words startled Kōyō for a moment, then he smiled gently.

"Haha, that must be very difficult."

After all, I'll have to work at the Ranger Base after graduation, where I'll live and eat, and I can't keep too many partner Pokémon.

As they talked, Huang Yao actually started to seriously consider it. It was as if he had never realized that he would be graduating in less than a year, and his imagination about life after graduation only began to emerge in his mind after Ritsumi's words.

The thought of probably separating from Ritsumi after graduation suddenly made Huang Yao feel a sense of loss.

The words they were about to say were swallowed back down, and the atmosphere between them suddenly became subtly tense.

Ritsumi seemed to notice Hwang's sudden slump. She lowered her hand from her face and gently touched his arm. "Hey, what's wrong? You've suddenly stopped talking."

"Huh? N-nothing!" Huang Yao snapped back to reality and waved his hand in a flustered manner.

"I was just thinking—what if you become a staff member and are assigned to work at a very far base, and we don't see each other for a long time—"

Ritsumi blinked, looked at Hwang's suddenly composed expression, and burst out laughing.

"Idiot, why are you thinking so far ahead? We haven't graduated yet, have we?"

"And—" Her voice lowered slightly, tinged with a barely perceptible shyness.

"Even after graduation, we can apply to work together again after we've been apart for a while."

Alternatively, you can rent a house instead of living on the base. In short, things will work themselves out, and we'll definitely find a solution when the time comes!

Instead of worrying about an uncertain future so early on, why not enjoy the present moment!

"Come on, let's go to Mr. Tong Hua's dessert shop and have something sweet!"

Huang Yao paused for a moment, then looked into Lu Mei's bright eyes, and the gloom in his heart suddenly dissipated. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, then nodded emphatically.

"Okay, let's go!"

In the alchemy workshop in the basement, Tong Hua was excitedly throwing materials into the crucible.

At this moment, Tong Hua had no concept of a recipe whatsoever. But after learning some basic alchemy from Tibriam, for some reason, he was convinced that his recipe would definitely work!

This is probably the mistake that every novice alchemist makes: having a superficial understanding of alchemy yet being full of confidence.

Completely absorbed in his creative passion, he didn't notice that Tibrim was watching in horror as he threw all sorts of completely unrelated ingredients into the pot.

"Wait! Tong Hua! Sweet cherry blossoms can't be put together with spicy cherry blossoms!"

The material from before hasn't fully reacted yet, so we can't add wool now, Brie!

Tibrim paced anxiously to the side, wishing she could use her superpowers to retrieve the materials from the crucible, but also fearing that her superpowers would become part of the materials themselves.

Just as she finally couldn't hold back any longer and was about to take action—it was too late.

The liquid in the crucible suddenly began to react violently, changing from purple to bright orange, then to a blinding fluorescent green. Finally, a thick smoke rose, accompanied by crackling explosions!

"Get down!" Tong Hua finally realized something was wrong and pulled Tibrim behind the workbench.

"boom!"

A not-too-large explosion shook the entire workshop. When the smoke cleared, Tong Hua and Tibrim cautiously peeked out.

Fortunately, the basement was structurally sound enough, and the attack was really all bark and no bite; it had no real power whatsoever.

Even the crucible didn't develop a single crack; the only loss was the materials that had just been added.

"Whew—that was close."

I never imagined that refining lanolin would cause an explosion.

Tibrim jumped up in annoyance and slapped Tong Hua's knee with her soft, slender hand.

"Bri! Brie Brie!"

You idiot! You big idiot!

Alchemy is a precise science! It's not about throwing everything you think is useful into a pot and cooking it like hotpot! Bree!

'

Tong Hua looked at the messy cauldron and Tibrim jumping up and down in anger, and awkwardly touched his nose.

That inexplicable confidence from moments before vanished completely. Tong Hua was no longer the alchemist who had successfully concocted plant growth potions, recovery potions, and a leather-tanning grimoire; he was now just a greenhorn.

However, it must be said that not relying on the formula provided by the cheat code, but making alchemy entirely according to one's own ideas, has opened a new world for Tong Hua!

"Bri————"

I think it's the gate to the underworld—"