Pokémon Ranch Story

On the evening of February 30th, beside Road 12.

Xia Mu and Galio exchanged the clay produced by the heavy mud-drawn horse in the last two days, which was then carried onto the small truck with the help of the digging rabbit.

"Xia Mu, here are 5000 Alliance Coins."

"Ok!"

Xia Mu carefully put away the Alliance Coins, then gently stroked the Heavy Mudstaff's body with his palm, causing the Heavy Mudstaff to happily squint its eyes.

"Gario, don't come to pick up the goods tomorrow."

"Are you going out?"

"No, I promised Mr. Fu that I would attend his Spring Festival Judging Competition tomorrow."

Xia Mu explained.

"I see!" Galio exclaimed in understanding. Many ranchers would participate in the Spring Ranking Competition, and he had visited it several times.

"I wish you good luck in achieving a good ranking, Xia Mu."

"Thank you!"

I bid farewell to Galio and watched him get into the passenger seat as the van disappeared from sight.

Xia Mu walked straight to the Big Milk Tank Ranch and made an appointment with Ding Zhi and his wife to set off together the next day.

As he was leaving, Ding Zhi pulled him aside to explain the different festivals along Route 12 in each season.

"You might not know this since you're new here, but we have a lot of festivals here."

"Springtime beach festivals and competitions, summer fishing festivals and fireworks displays, autumn harvest festivals and couples' festivals, and winter snow festivals and New Year's Eve celebrations."

“Every one is very lively, and many trainers from other places will participate on the day of the festival.”

"Especially the Feast of the Wings, also known as the Day of Vows, is where your sister Penny and I met under the Tree of Vows that year."

Ding Zhi pulled him aside and began to recount the past, while Xia Mu nodded from time to time.

He also asked Ding Zhi to introduce various festivals, and he was interested in each one.

Especially during the fishing festival, with his skills, he'll definitely dominate the competition.

Before leaving, Xia Mu made sure to inquire about the fishing festival's dates from previous years, which were always in mid-April.

Xia Mu couldn't wait to show the anglers his superb fishing skills.

Foam squirrel and seafood risotto, you can't just eat it all up, eat a big portion.

They mounted their heavy-duty horses and quickly returned to the pasture.

Natsuki shared the good news with all the Pokémon.

The foam squirrel was the most excited, as it could join in the fun again, and the other little guys were also looking forward to it.

The only ones who weren't excited were probably the heavy mud horses, but when Xia Mu told them that there would be a mysterious grand prize for the top few in the competition...

Chongniwanma's eyes clearly changed, becoming serious.

They rubbed their bodies against the summer trees to indicate that they were sure to win an award.

Xia Mu neither confirmed nor denied this, but reached out and stroked their backs.

The mudslings he trained were robust, with glossy coats and full of energy; everyone who saw them would give them a thumbs up.

He was confident he could get a place, and as for the championship, Xia Mu never underestimated anyone else.

This was my first time participating, and I wasn't even clear on the judging rules. Winning was entirely a matter of luck.

"We'll see how you do tomorrow! Let's try to get first place."

Xia Mu smiled and addressed the three mud-bearing horses.

The leader of the heavy-duty horse-drawn carriage nodded confidently, "Hehe~"

(Leave it to us!)

Second brother: "Hehehe!"

(We'll do our best.)

Third brother: "Me too."

I'm going out tomorrow, so I'll leave one or two Pokémon at the ranch.

Xia Mu went to the cave and found three buzzing bats.

After explaining the situation to them, the buzzing bats indicated that they could stay on the ranch.

They can take turns sleeping during the day, and Xia Mu will only be gone for half a day at most, and will definitely be back before dark.

Standing at the cave entrance, Xia Mu looked at the buzzing bat and wondered if he should cook some dishes to improve the little buzzing bat's strength.

As a Dragon-type Pokémon, it would be best to enhance the Dragon-type energy within Noboo.

He thought of a rather special and very rare tree fruit, the pomegranate.

Using this tree fruit to make dishes should enhance the abilities of the little buzzing bats.

Xia Mu has been traveling for more than three years and has only seen berries a few times.

Dragon is a popular attribute in battles, and the corresponding berries are quite expensive.

They are often bought up at high prices as soon as they appear.

Those Pokémon that can be trained to be Dragon-type and consume resources are often quite valuable.

Driven by their enthusiasm, the price of durian has never been low, and it remains a rare and highly sought-after fruit.

He rubbed his temples in exasperation, but still decided to ask Zhimi to keep an eye out for him.

Ah!

I can also contact that Dragon-type trainer I met in Sinnoh, and I can't forget about Moltres, the Totem Pokémon of Route 12. I'll have to wait until after the Spring Showdown.

After having dinner early, Xia Mu and his Pokémon huddled inside watching TV, and he glanced at the weather forecast when he had a spare moment.

The weather is fine at the beginning of the month, but there will be heavy rain in the middle of the month.

Based on the information currently available, Xia Mu plans the future development of the ranch.

The third leveled farmland will not be planted yet; summer crops will be planted there later.

The crops on the other two plots can also be removed after the final harvest.

The land should be allowed to rest for a while so that he can plant a large quantity of hops in the summer.

In addition, summer seeds and winemaking barrels need to be purchased.

Based on this calculation, he won't have a day off next month.

Fortunately, he will be able to travel to Alora after he finishes his busy schedule in March.

I wonder if my mom received the family photo he sent back?

Meanwhile, in Asaka Town.

"Salina, aren't you ready yet?"

A crisp female voice came from the second-floor room, "Mom, I'm still packing."

"We're only going for a few days, so we don't need to bring too much luggage."

The sound of footsteps rang out, and a girl in a pink princess dress ran down.

"Mom, have you seen the photos my brother sent back? I can't find them."

The girl looked anxious; it was a family photo that her brother had specially taken.

“It’s here with me.” Sachi tapped the girl on the head. “I found it in the living room.”

The girl covered her head and pleaded, "Give it to my mom quickly, I won't take it off this time."

Chapter 81 International Criminal Gangs

I had breakfast at 7:00 AM.

Xia Mu collected all five Flabbers, three Mudstalkers, and Minifox and Kangaskhan into Poké Balls, leaving a large bunch of Poké Balls hanging from his waist.

The motorcycle lizard was already waiting for him at the gate. When it saw him coming, it shook off the morning dew and transformed into a mount, signaling Xia Mu to quickly ride on.

"Let's meet at the Big Milk Tank Ranch first." Xia Mu smiled, patted his shoulder, and mounted his motorcycle lizard.

It was my first time attending such a holiday gathering, and having an acquaintance like Ding Zhi with me made things much easier.

A few minutes later, the person and their Pokémon arrived at the entrance of Miltank Farm.

They happened to run into Ding Zhi and his wife leading their long-haired dog and their goat out.

The three greeted each other and chatted as they made their way to their destination.

The motorcycle lizard yawned boredly, moving so slowly it resembled an old man taking a stroll.

Xia Mu gained quite a bit, learning about the past rules of the competition from Ding Zhi and his wife.

The economic value of Pokémon is assessed by Mr. Fu, a veteran rancher, while Ms. Nurse Joy uses her professional skills to evaluate the physical and mental health of Pokémon.

But today seems different; it's said that Master Fu invited a powerful trainer to be a judge.

With another factor to consider, the difficulty of winning the championship has increased.

A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling the boy's hair.

Xia Mu and Ding Zhi stopped outside the Twins Gym and each recalled their Pokémon.

Following Ding Zhi and his wife through the Winged Dojo, they arrived at the ranch behind it, where many ranchers and trainers had gathered.

The ranch gates were wide open, and people were coming and going, creating a lively scene.

A banner hangs below the main entrance, with colorful ribbons fluttering in the wind on both sides.

"Lili!"

The foam squirrel grabbed Natsuki's hair in surprise, gesturing for him to look.

"I see it, I see it." Xia Mu looked up helplessly. The banner read 'Spring Festival Appraisal Conference' in six large characters.

"Xia Mu, you don't know this yet! This is Mr. Fu's ranch, where he raises the largest flock of sheep (mounted lambs) in the Carlos region."

Penny said admiringly, "The goat milk produced by the ranch is sold throughout the entire alliance. It is the only top-quality milk that can be compared with Moo Moo Fresh Milk in Manjin City."

Their words were filled with admiration and worship.

This is the goal they've been striving for since becoming ranchers.

Xia Mu responded with a smile, "I believe you will definitely be able to cultivate the best Moo Moo fresh milk. At that time, Brother Ding Zhi will also lend a hand to my little ranch."

Ding Zhi rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Don't joke around. With your abilities, Xia Mu, if you were willing to train, you would definitely be better than us. You should help us, husband and wife."

"Alright, alright!" Penny interrupted their mutual flattery. "Let's hurry inside, we'll still have time to introduce Xia Mu to the other ranchers."

The three of them walked into the ranch together, and after a few steps, they were greeted by familiar ranchers and Mr. and Mrs. Ding.

"Ding Zhi, Penny, you're here too. Are you confident you can win the championship this year?"

"Yoric, stop teasing me. Your Kentero is the real favorite to win the championship."

"Come, come, let me introduce you." Ding Zhi pulled the other person aside and introduced Xia Mu.

"This is Yorick, the rancher who specializes in training Kentaero. His ranch is located on the outskirts of Wing City."

“Yoric, this is our new rancher on Route 12, Natsuki.”

“I know you. You’re the rancher of that ranch by the sea, aren’t you?”

"It's me!" Xia Mu replied with a smile, extending his hand to shake hands gently with the other person.

Later, Xia Mu was introduced to several other ranchers by the two men.

"Hain keeps a large flock of Mare sheep."

"Pamia, he's the favorite to win this year, a group of iron-armed pistol shrimp raised on a ranch."

Iron-armed Shrimp, Water Gun Pokémon.