Chapter 52: The Ranger Exchange Conference
Turffield, a field town in Galar, is known for its vast farmlands, peculiar megaliths, and ancient giant geoglyphs. It's a great destination for a holiday trip.
After a day's journey, Summer arrived in this town. The rush of challengers to the gym had subsided, and the town had returned to its peaceful state.
"Hey~ Are you Summer?"
At the Turffield bus station, a young woman with pink pigtails approached Summer as he got off the bus. She wore a flamboyant long dress, and most notably, her eyes had star-shaped pupils.
"Yes, I'm Summer."
"Uh-huh, but why are you still in your ranger uniform? It's a rare holiday~"
"Because I'm more comfortable in it."
"Is that so? Well then, follow me. I'll take you to find Milo and the others~" The pink-haired woman turned with a smile. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Annie, and I'm a ranger of Meteor Forest~"
"Meteor Forest, do you know it? It's near Gatemouth City. It's said that a giant star once fell there~"
"My partners are Clefable, Solrock, and Lunatone~ They're all related to stars~"
"By the way, Summer, aren't you curious about my eyes?"
"Why are they star-shaped?" Summer responded. Annie was quite talkative and full of enthusiasm.
"Actually, I'm an extraterrestrial~ All our eyes are like this~" Annie tilted her head, waiting for Summer's reaction, but after a long silence, there was no response. "Such a cold reaction... Ah, have you seen through my colored contact lenses?"
In just a few steps, Summer realized the diversity among rangers. Could it be that everyone is quite unique?
"Actually, I'm too surprised to speak," Summer felt the need to say.
"Oh, is that so? Hehe, sorry for scaring you~" Annie quickened her pace, raising her arm and calling out, "Let's speed up. Rangers from other regions will arrive in a day, so let's enjoy this good time~"
The ranger exchange conference was held in the Turffield Arena. Annie led Summer to a room and then pushed the door open forcefully.
"I'm back~ And I brought Summer~"
"Oh, welcome back." Responding to Annie was a sturdy, tall man wearing a straw hat with a green towel around his neck, smiling heartily. He was undoubtedly Milo, the Turffield Arena's Gym Leader.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Mido, a ranger from Sunlight Forest."
A man in an explorer's outfit waved. He had a beard and a large backpack with a water bottle and a kettle hanging on it.
"Snowy Forest, Bavi."
A tall, thin man with a scarf briefly greeted, giving off a silent demeanor.
"I'm Summer, a ranger from Sunset Forest. Nice to meet you." Summer introduced himself. "Are there any other rangers who haven't arrived?"
"Summer, you're the last one~" Annie said.
Milo showed a helpless expression. "Annie is right. Besides us, there are over a dozen rangers in Galar, but they've all declined for various reasons."
"Why wouldn't they come for a paid vacation?" Annie asked, puzzled.
"Inconvenient transportation and not wanting to leave their forests, I suppose," Mido waved his hand.
"Yes," Bavi replied curtly, looking somewhat reluctant. He seemed to have been dragged here by Milo.
"Alright, alright, let's enjoy this rare gathering~ Summer, want some juice?" Annie asked.
"Yes, please."
"Great! Sit down and rest a bit. You must be tired from the journey," Annie pushed Summer onto the sofa and went to the fridge.
"So, Milo, what's the format of the ranger exchange battles?" Summer asked.
"It's quite simple. Each ranger will battle with rangers from other regions, so everyone will have two battles."
"Summer, don't worry. It's just a friendly match, no rankings," Milo added.
"Here, juice."
Annie handed Summer a cold juice can and asked, "Are you really into battles? What Pokémon do you have, Summer?"
"Thank you, Annie. I have Thwackey, Milotic, and two Lilligants."
"Two Lilligants? That's great! They're so cute, with lovely floral scents. And Milotic is such a beautiful Pokémon~ Thwackey's drumming is nice too. I've heard it before~" Annie praised all of Summer's Pokémon, making it seem like she'd praise even a Muk.
"It's quite impressive, considering you started with just a Grookey," Milo commented.
"What?!" The three other rangers exclaimed simultaneously, even the usually silent Bavi looked astonished.
"Hey, Milo, what were you thinking?!" Annie grabbed Milo by his towel and demanded, "Did farming make you stupid? How could you let a newbie ranger with just a Grookey into the forest?"
"I had no choice. Summer passed the league's exam and had the official qualification. So, I assigned him to the relatively safe Sunset Forest."
"You're a Gym Leader! Why didn't you lend him a Pokémon? You have so many!" Annie was still fuming, ready to have Clefable use Meteor Mash on Milo's head to knock some sense into him.
The other two supported Annie, knowing the dangers of the forest well.
"My bad, sorry, Summer." Milo apologized to Summer, realizing his mistake.
"It's fine, actually. I'm grateful to Milo. I love Sunset Forest and everyone in Spikemuth. And I'm here, safe and sound," Summer quickly said, trying to prevent the conference from turning into Milo's trial.
"That's because of Summer's skills, not this fool," Annie released the towel but remained annoyed.
"Speaking of first Pokémon, I miss my days of wilderness survival with Bewear. Though I still survive in the wild, haha!" Mido laughed.
"Yes, Abomasnow, very strong," Bavi added.
"And me, my Clefable is so cute it's invincible~" Annie's enthusiasm returned.
"I and Eldegoss..."
Milo started but was cut off by Annie. "Milo, shut up. It's your reflection time."
"Okay," Milo sighed, acknowledging his fault.
"Summer, what about you? Tell us your story with Thwackey," Annie asked with keen interest.
"Sure, I'll tell you a bit. Thwackey, back when he was Grookey..."
After Summer briefly shared his story with Thwackey, Annie was in tears, and Mido wiped his eyes.
"Wonderful, the bond and growth between you and Thwackey is touching."
"Indeed," Bavi's tone was unusually emphatic.
Milo was also moved, reminiscing about his childhood with Eldegoss in the fields. The bond is indeed the most radiant thing in this world.
(End of Chapter)