novelnext Chapter 211 Farming Competition
Chapter 211 Farming Competition
The thirtieth day of summer is the day for planting.
Although the scope of participants for this competition has been expanded to the entire Hoenn region, the competition venue is still set at Littleroot Square because Littleroot Town is still the initiator and organizer.
The excitement of the competition has been palpable these past few days, with many tourists visiting Weibai Town and accents from other cities frequently heard.
The town of Weibai was even more bustling than the previous textile festival. Every time Ark went to the town, he saw many new faces. It was as if a monster spawner of an out-of-town NPC had suddenly appeared, with out-of-towners constantly popping out, making people a little worried about whether Weibai Town could accommodate so many people.
However, most of them were just ordinary tourists who came to watch the competition; the actual number of participants was not that exaggerated.
The registration portal for the competition opened two days ago, and by the registration deadline last night, a total of forty-eight people had registered.
Of course, compared to the usual number of less than twenty people attending each festival in Weibai Town, this is quite a lot.
Ark rode the Flying Dragon toward the Undying Plaza, and along the way, it saw a vibrant atmosphere of life below.
After the Tianzhao Festival ended and the celestial phenomena returned to normal, the farmers resumed their agricultural work, and the entire Weibai Town was once again full of vitality.
Competing on planting skills at this time is also a way to learn from and exchange ideas with each other.
But I've heard that the original Farming Festival was not just about competing in planting skills.
The Ark descended slowly aboard the Flying Dragon, and there were colorful flags decorated with ears of wheat and tree fruits on the Unwhite Plaza.
The square was packed with all kinds of stalls, and some children were running around holding windmills they had bought during the Wind Festival.
Because there are many tourists from other regions, you can occasionally see Pokémon from other areas.
A flying squirrel curiously peeked out from under the stall's awning, while a shuttlecock floated lightly in mid-air, chuckling and attracting several children to jump up and down to reach it.
A particularly energetic shout came from the side.
Come on over! Don't miss out! A planting speed competition! Try your hand and win lucky candies!
That voice sounds so familiar!
Fangzhou looked in the direction of the sound and saw Robin standing behind a small pushcart stall that he had somehow acquired, happily shouting through a megaphone.
The competition rules were written in black and white on the sign:
"Planting Speed Challenge - 1000 Alliance Coins per attempt! Successfully accelerate crop growth to receive a large bag of Robin's Secret Recipe 'Lucky Candies'!"
On the stall, there were a dozen or so identical terracotta flowerpots, filled with ordinary potting soil, with seeds already planted, waiting for someone to come and let them sprout.
Next to it were several large, open, brightly colored bags filled with what looked like high-end candies, glistening temptingly in the sunlight.
Robin is truly a business genius!
However, Fangzhou was somewhat speechless. Although that huge pile of lucky candies looked expensive, the total cost was less than five hundred Alliance Coins.
In other words, if the other party successfully induces the plant to grow, they can get a bag of candy worth 500 Alliance Coins, and Robin will earn 500 Alliance Coins.
If the other party fails to make the seed grow, Robin can earn 1,000 Alliance Coins.
Only a fool would go to a stall like that!
To Fang Zhou's great surprise, customers started arriving one after another while he was standing there watching.
People always care about their image, and this is a great opportunity to showcase their abilities before the competition.
In addition, Robin also hired a shill.
Then Pierre, an old acquaintance, came to the stall and pretended to participate in the game with a sunflower monster.
The sunflower monster, having received prior instructions from Pierre, twisted and turned in front of a pot of strawberries for a long time, but to no avail; the seeds still did not sprout.
A low chuckle came from all around.
Pierre seemed enraged and retorted angrily, "You unscrupulous merchant, did you try to cheat people with a bunch of roasted seeds?"
A chorus of boos immediately rose from the side; "If you can't do it, don't blame the road for being uneven."
Strawberry seeds are already one of the easiest types of seeds to germinate.
At this moment, a boy in shorts stepped forward and released a mouthful of flowers.
"Let me, the master grower Goro in shorts, give it a try! This dumbfounded flower of mine is an expert at cultivating crops!"
The mouth-opening flower burst forth with a burst of green energy, nourishing the strawberry seeds, which then quickly sprouted and grew.
A group of friends nearby, also wearing shorts, all praised the gesture.
"It has to be Kogoro!"
"Kogoro will definitely get a place this time!"
"Goro in shorts is invincible!"
Amidst the praises of the crowd, Kogoro proudly raised his head, readily paid the registration fee, and received a pile of so-called lucky candies in return. He then distributed them to the onlookers who were praising him, earning even more compliments.
Fangzhou instantly understood.
This is just like those brainless questions asked on TV when we were kids.
"Children, what is in the picture? A. A bicycle, B. A rice cooker."
The image shows a bicycle bouncing around, and the correct answer A is also bouncing around, clearly indicating "Choose me, choose me, choose me quickly!"
Just then, the hotline was connected, but the other party chose option B!
So you, watching TV, are extremely anxious, with a strong desire to participate in this event and show everyone your amazing wisdom!
Robin and Pierre exchanged a glance, their expressions revealing that they had figured out the plan.
"It took a full three minutes for a single strawberry to grow, what's there to be proud of!"
A discordant voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
A young man dressed in a suit casually tossed out a bag of League Coins, which landed on the table with a clattering sound. He then threw out a Poké Ball to summon his Bulbasaur.
The young master easily broke Kogoro's planting record, and after him, other planting experts couldn't resist showing off their skills.
Robin was overjoyed.
Money, money, money, it's all just small change~
At this moment, Fangzhou saw a girl wearing a green crop top and with short yellow hair being escorted to the stall by several female companions.
"Vegetable seeds, this stall is so interesting!"
"Lord Vegetable Seed, quickly show me your strength!"
Fang Zhou narrowed his eyes; it was actually vegetable seeds.
The Grass-type Gym Leader from Bellagio City in the Sinnoh region has also come?
Fangzhou couldn't help but recall the day in Wudu Town when Da Mei mentioned her teacher, saying that he was a powerful Grass-type Gym Leader who would also participate in the Planting Competition.
Could it be vegetable seeds?
At this moment, a reporter wearing a uniform from Zijin City TV station and his companion carrying a camera followed over.
The reporter, microphone in hand, exclaimed enthusiastically, "Wow! It's Cai Zi from Baidai City! A Grass-type Gym Leader! She seems to want to participate in this game. Come on, let's see what amazing tricks she has up her sleeve!"
The photographer was in position instantly, and various lights shone on the vegetable seed.
After being bothered by the reporter, the vegetable seedlings felt embarrassed not to participate.
More and more people gathered around, all wanting to see the style of Grass-type Gym Leaders from other regions.
The vegetable seed threw out a Poké Ball, summoning her general Roseradore.
A flash of light, and an elegant and beautiful Pokémon appeared before everyone.
The humanoid form is light green, with bright red rosebuds on its hands and a blooming yellow flower on its head, with layered petals and delicate white edges.
Her movements were characterized by a ballerina-like lightness and precision.
Compared to Sunflower, Bellsprout, and Bulbasaur that appeared before, this Roserade is clearly not on the same level, both in appearance and presence.
A green energy ball condensed in its hands!
This is the Grass-type move Energy Ball. What does it want to do with the Energy Ball?
Many audience members expressed their doubts, but they soon found out.
Upon touching the flowerpot, the energy ball miraculously dissolved into the soil like a drop of water forming a vast ocean!
The next moment, a cluster of green plants quickly sprouted and grew!
Fangzhou thought to himself with admiration, "As expected of the Grass-type Gym Leader and Grass-type expert, he actually came up with this way of using Energy Ball."
It's not for attacking, but rather to infuse grass-type energy into the seed, guiding it to germinate and grow rapidly.
Meanwhile, a girl hiding in the crowd watched with a serious expression, then turned and left after a while.
The teacher is still so amazing!
She clenched her fists.
However, I'm sure I won't lose this time!
Let the teacher see how much I've grown; I'll prove I'm right!
……
Soon it was time for the competition. As the mayor's voice came over the loudspeaker, everyone gathered below the stage, forming a huge crowd. Some even climbed trees to watch.
A row of VIP seats with sunshades was temporarily set up next to the stage.
In the very middle chair sat a man who attracted a lot of attention.
He was around forty years old, in great shape, and wearing a perfectly tailored dark purple velvet suit over a silk silver-gray shirt.
She wore a gemstone ring on her finger, and her watch occasionally reflected a luxurious gleam in the sunlight.
rich!
So rich!
This is the first impression anyone gets at a glance.
A man in a white shirt leaned closer and said, "Lord Lambda, I have given the competition rules to the mayor, and all the necessary equipment has been brought over."
That's right, this wealthy man is Lambda in disguise.
After arriving in the Hoenn region, he established a Curtain Technology Company to facilitate his operations and also to transfer some resources from Rocket Entertainment Company.
This event was sponsored by Curtain Technology Co., Ltd.
The goal is to recruit talent for the Rockets.
On the stage, the town mayor had already taken the competition rules and walked to the podium in the center of the stage to speak.
The town mayor adjusted the microphone, cleared his throat, and wore a kind smile.
But when he opened the paper and saw the detailed competition rules provided by the sponsor, his smile visibly froze, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
He raised his head, glanced at the sea of faces in the audience and contestants below, then at the composed gentleman in the VIP section, took a deep breath, and steeled himself to read aloud:
"Distinguished contestants and guests, I will now announce the specific competition rules for this Hoenn region planting exchange competition."
His voice carried across the square through the loudspeaker, and the crowd gradually quieted down.
"The purpose of this competition is to exchange and challenge advanced planting techniques. Therefore, we have prepared a uniform planting environment for all participants."
The mayor paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "Each contestant's worktable is equipped with a specially made, enclosed planting box. The soil inside the box is specially treated, extremely infertile experimental soil."
"The organic matter content of this soil is less than 0.5%, it contains almost no key nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium needed for plant growth, it has extremely poor water and fertilizer retention capacity, and its texture is close to that of gravel."
His words immediately sparked a buzz of discussion among the audience.
Many experienced farmers wore expressions of disbelief.
The mayor raised his voice and continued reading, "And the crop that all the contestants need to plant is a special shrub fruit from the distant Alola region, the Thunderfruit."
"This type of fruit tree has relatively strict requirements for its growing environment, requiring ample sunlight, specific humidity, and fertile soil."
"Now, we are giving you the seeds. Please try to get them to take root and sprout in this experimental soil we have provided, and make them grow as much as possible in the next three hours."
"The competition will be judged based on the growth height, robustness, number of leaves, and color of the seedlings cultivated by the contestants three hours later."
After the rules were read out, the entire venue fell into an eerie silence, followed by a loud "whoosh" as a huge sound erupted!
"Are you kidding me?! Nothing can grow in that kind of soil? Even weeds can't survive there!"
"A Thunder Fruit? I've heard of it! Those things grow slowly even in good soil, let alone in that kind of soil. They'd be lucky to even sprout a bud in three hours!"
"What kind of competition is this? This is just deliberately making things difficult for us!"
"Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice! How can plants grow without nutrients!"
Protests and questions arose one after another.
Of course, there were also those who disagreed or wanted to show off who loudly refuted these claims:
"What do you know! True skill is revealed through difficulty! Otherwise, how do you distinguish between experts and ordinary people?"
"Exactly! I, Kogoro, am fearless! This is the real challenge!"
"That's interesting; now that's worthy of the competition's name!"
On the stage, the mayor, looking at the chaotic scene below, wiped his sweat and continued shouting, "Quiet! Please be quiet!"
"Everyone! Please be patient! Although this competition is very difficult, the rewards are extremely generous!"
The top 32 finishers will each receive a "High-End Planting Tool Set" sponsored by Curtain Technology Co., Ltd.!
The first 32 people will receive a reward, and there were only 48 people who signed up in total, so it's practically a freebie.
"Those ranked sixteenth to eighth will receive a year's supply of mixed nutrient solution free of charge!"
……
"Third place winner gets a Grass-type Pokémon egg as a reward!"
"The runner-up prize is one rare item, the Miracle Seed!"
"And the ultimate champion..."
"A special item, a Mega Evolution Stone! A regular Evolution Stone, when held, increases a Pokémon's Defense and Special Defense by 50%, but this Mega Evolution Stone is of extremely high quality; holding it doubles all of its stats!!!"
Fang Zhou's eyes lit up, and the surrounding audience erupted in amazement.
Then I have no choice but to participate!