Watching Officer Jenny ride away on her Pidgeot, Chase finally had the time to check his quest rewards for this mission.
[Congratulations to the Host for successfully rescuing the poached Pokemon.
Distributing rewards…] [Congratulations on obtaining Intermediate Potential Enhancement Potion x1 (Can raise the potential of a Pokemon whose potential is below the Blue tier by one level)] [Congratulations on obtaining Resource Points x100] [Hope the Host keeps up the good work and continues advancing towards becoming a Pokemon Master] Just like the previous few times, after the system confirmed that Chase had completed the quest and distributed the rewards, it gave him a little push of encouragement.
Even if the system didn’t give any rewards, Chase would definitely still come to rescue captured Pokemon.
But since he could have his cake and eat it too with this kind of good deal, he was naturally happy to see it happen.
This wasn’t Chase’s first time obtaining a Potential Enhancement Potion, but the two he had gotten before were both Junior Potions, which could only raise a Pokemon’s potential from the lowest White tier to the Green tier.
As for Resource Points, they were a token-like currency Chase received every time he completed a system-issued quest.
They could be used to exchange for items in the system shop, which refreshed every month.
Common items included Poke Balls of various grades, battle items, and the like.
There were also system-exclusive products like the Potential Enhancement Potion.
So far, only the Junior Potential Enhancement Potion had ever been refreshed in the shop, but Chase was already very content.
After all, in the mainstream concept of this world, a Pokemon’s potential basically accompanied them from birth and could not be changed by human power.
Although there was no shortage of examples in the Pokemon world of those with low potential who defied the odds through sheer acquired effort, their numbers were ultimately too small to be treated as the norm.
Storing the potential potion into the spatial backpack he carried with him, Chase then called out to Zangoose, and they started heading back together.
The spatial backpack wasn’t given by the system, but rather a high-tech product manufactured within the Pokemon world itself.
The one Chase had was exclusive equipment for Rangers, with an internal space of about five cubic meters.
As for the three Galarian Zigzagoon, Chase had temporarily put them back into Poke Balls.
Otherwise, the bumpy journey back might have jostled them into feeling unwell.
Times had changed.
Even those Pokemon Rangers who adhered to traditions wouldn’t mind using Poke Balls when necessary.
After all, they were indeed convenient.
Moreover, with the progress of the times, people in the Pokemon world rarely considered Poke Balls to be a form of restraint for Pokemon anymore.
As for Forest Rangers like Chase, a branch profession of the Ranger corps, they had already begun to accept the practice of catching Pokemon with Poke Balls.
Of course, the weight of “tradition” was still heavy.
Even the most open-minded Forest Ranger couldn’t catch a whole bunch of Pokemon like a Trainer did.
Most of them would likely never be able to form a full team of six in their entire lives.
…
With the boost of his “Super Rookie Physique,” Chase, who had expended a lot of stamina chasing the poacher, still had enough energy left for a seven or eight-kilometer cross-country trek back to the Ranger Outpost located at the outer boundary of the forest.
This outpost was specifically built for the Forest Rangers by the Pokemon League of the Sinnoh region back in the day, and its specifications were designed to accommodate three official staff members.
Unfortunately, for more than twenty years since its construction, it had always been understaffed.
For a very long time, only that senior veteran had persisted here.
It couldn’t be helped; not just anyone could become a Pokemon Forest Ranger.
Those who met the conditions basically had the qualifications to pursue other professions like Trainers or Breeders.
If it were Ranger posts closer to urban areas, maybe someone would be willing to take the job.
But for a deep, remote forest like this one, coupled with some of the professional restrictions, those qualified individuals simply weren’t interested.
Otherwise, the Sinnoh League wouldn’t have been forced to recruit suitable candidates from other regions.
…
“Woof, woof!” As soon as he entered the outpost, a large dog with fiery red fur pounced on Chase.
It raised its nose and sniffed him all over, only stopping after confirming that he was completely fine.
“Thanks for your concern, Blaze,” Chase took the opportunity to give the dog’s head several good rubs, then said with immense satisfaction, “Don’t you know my abilities by now?
Plus, Zangoose was with me.
A mere poacher is no match at all!” Chase briefly explained what had happened to Blaze.
“Zan Zangoose!” That’s right, Master!
With me protecting Chase, you can rest assured!
Hearing this, Zangoose, who was standing to the side, thumped its chest loudly.
“Woof.” Blaze nodded gently, acknowledging the words of the human and Pokemon.
Blaze was an Arcanine whose strength had reached the level of a Gym Leader, and he was also the greatest trump card left to Chase by the previous Ranger.
It was precisely because of his existence that the Sinnoh League felt at ease letting a rookie like Chase stay and work in the forest by himself.
Actually, according to standard procedures, Chase should have undergone a year of practical training with another official Forest Ranger before he could operate independently.
But he couldn’t withstand the fact that the previous Ranger of the forest had persisted there for too long, and his declining health no longer allowed him to stay.
Fortunately, after being developed by the senior veteran for so many years, the outer perimeter of the forest had long since lost the dangers it once had.
Coupled with the fact that powerful Pokemon rarely appeared in this vicinity, with Blaze holding the fort, Chase’s safety could still be guaranteed.
The previous Ranger’s ideas were somewhat traditional, and he insisted on not catching Pokemon.
So, to solve the shortage of manpower, the Sinnoh League approved three temporary Ranger quotas for settling Pokemon, and Blaze was one of them.
Unfortunately, not all Pokemon were willing to stay on as temporary Rangers.
As a result, even after the quotas were approved, the positions were rarely filled over the past dozen years or so.
By the time Chase took over, only Blaze was left.
However, during the two months since Chase officially took office, he coincidentally found another temporary Ranger—a Pidgey that had accidentally been left behind by its flock during migration.
After taking the Junior Potential Enhancement Potion Chase gave it, the Pidgey, whose potential tier increased to Green, had now successfully evolved into a Pidgeotto.
Its main job was to carry out aerial patrol duties.
Zangoose was originally considered by Chase as a candidate for the third temporary Ranger, but unfortunately, it still preferred to stay in its own territory.
However, if Chase needed anything, he could just go directly to its territory to find it.
Its only request was hoping that Blaze could teach it a few moves.
After all, Zangoose’s potential was capped there; without a suitable teacher, it would actually be very difficult for it to continue improving its strength.
Finally, with Chase acting as the matchmaker, Zangoose successfully took Blaze as its master.
Moves like [Taunt] were the results of the former’s learning over the past month or so.
Taking advantage of the time while the master and disciple were catching up, Chase took the three Galarian Zigzagoon to the temporary shelter prepared specifically for wild Pokemon within the Ranger Outpost.
As mentioned earlier, this Ranger Outpost was actually built for an official staff of three, so it covered a large area.
Unfortunately, for so many years, only that senior veteran had stuck it out here alone.
So, adhering to the principle of not wasting space, he personally did some renovations, dividing the entire outpost into a living area for himself and the temporary Rangers, a warehouse for storing supplies, and an area for temporarily housing wild Pokemon.
The living area and storage area go without saying.
The purpose of the shelter area was to provide for Pokemon like the three Galarian Zigzagoon, who temporarily couldn’t return to normal life in the wild due to human factors.
Previously, a total of three Pokemon lived in the shelter area: an Aipom with no hands on its tail, a Kricketot that couldn’t see out of either eye, and a Starly born with a heart condition that prevented it from engaging in strenuous exercise.
These were all disabled Pokemon who had lived here since the previous Ranger’s tenure.
Chase took over their care when he assumed office.
Normally, disabled Pokemon like these would be left to fend for themselves in the wild.
However, the senior veteran felt that if he hadn’t seen them, that would be one thing, but since he had encountered them, it was fate.
Since the Ranger Outpost was large enough anyway, the current situation came to be.
Moreover, according to Blaze, the shelter area, which currently only had three disabled Pokemon, was considered quite deserted.
At its peak, more than thirty Pokemon lived here simultaneously.
Unfortunately, even with someone caring for them, many Pokemon still passed away early due to their innate defects leading to short lifespans.
In addition, when the senior veteran’s health declined in his later years, the number of times he went out on patrol dropped sharply, so the shelter area gradually became much quieter.
Clearly exhausted after experiencing so much, the Galarian Zigzagoon fell fast asleep as soon as they came out of their Poke Balls.
Chase hurriedly moved them into comfortable little nests nearby.
“Aipom, I’ll leave these three little guys to you for now,” Chase gave a simple instruction and then left the area.
This Aipom’s work experience was far richer than Chase’s; it could handle a lot of things without him needing to worry at all.
…
Returning to the front yard of the outpost, Blaze was nowhere to be seen.
Only Zangoose remained there, waiting eagerly for Chase to return.
Therefore, the moment it saw Chase, Zangoose dashed over in a few quick strides.
“Zan Zangoose!” Didn’t you say you were going to give me an awesome gift?
Where is it!
Zangoose chattered while pawing at Chase’s body, trying to find where he had hidden the thing.
“Alright, alright, isn’t this it?” Chase didn’t waste any words either.
He directly took out the Intermediate Potential Enhancement Potion he had just obtained and held it out in front of Zangoose.
“Here, drink up.” “Zan?” Zangoose looked at Chase with some skepticism, but out of trust in the latter, it still swallowed the potion in one gulp without hesitation.
Just like Pidgey back then, after drinking the entire potion, Zangoose’s entire body began to emit a blue glow.
The light flashed and vanished, quickly returning to calm.
Zangoose stared at its own body in absolute disbelief.