"Aron, Rock Tomb!"
"Ursaring, use Fury Swipes!"
Leon became extremely anxious after learning that Rattata were stealing seeds from the farmland.
The amount of seeds for this spring planting was already insufficient. If the Rattata kept stealing them, the food production would surely decrease significantly.
Therefore, he rushed to the scene immediately and commanded his Pokémon to attack the Rattata.
With the strength of Ursaring and the others, dealing with these Rattata was quite easy. They defeated over a dozen Rattata as effortlessly as cutting melons and vegetables.
The remaining Rattata saw the situation turning unfavorable and fled toward the forest.
Just as the three Pokémon were about to give chase, Leon stopped them.
"Don't chase them. They scattered in all directions. You'd only catch three or four if you pursued."
These Rattata were clearly seasoned offenders. Even their escape was methodical, without the slightest panic.
It seemed they had frequently stolen seeds before and were very experienced.
"You're amazing, Lord Leon! You drove away these filthy rats in no time!"
Bell couldn't help but exclaim.
It had taken her great effort just to fight one Rattata, yet Leon had taken down an entire group in an instant!
Truly the protagonist of the game, not only powerful but also incredibly handsome.
What a shame. If not for his ability to ban accounts, she would have flirted with him without hesitation.
Thinking this, Bell shook her head regretfully and quickly wiped the lovestruck look off her face. She didn't want to get banned over something like this.
Leon had no idea the player beside him was eyeing him. He was still preoccupied with the Rattata problem.
Although he had driven them away for now, there was no doubt they would return to steal more seeds.
He couldn't possibly guard the farmland all day.
"I should go ask Walter."
Leon couldn't think of a good solution at the moment, but the territory must have faced rat plagues before. Walter would likely know how to deal with them.
He returned to the castle and found Walter, who was in the middle of selecting squires for the knights. He asked him how to solve the problem of Rattata stealing seeds.
"One of the knights in the former knight squad had a Gumshoos as his Pokémon. It commanded eight or nine Yungoos under it."
"During every spring planting season, they would guard the farmland and hunt the Rattata that came to steal seeds."
"Their hunting efficiency was extremely high. Very few Rattata could break through their line of defense. Even if a few slipped through, they wouldn't eat enough seeds to affect the food production."
Walter replied.
"I remember now. That knight was Uncle Green, right? He used to scare me with dead Rattata all the time."
"Correct, it was him. Unfortunately, both he and Gumshoos perished in the recent beast wave."
"After Gumshoos died, the Yungoos under its command elected a new leader. The new leader didn't want to stay in this place of sorrow and left the territory with the other Yungoos."
After listening to Walter's explanation, Leon felt deeply regretful.
If Knight Green were still alive, the rat plague wouldn't be an issue.
Gumshoos and its pack were natural predators of Rattata.
In the games, the Alola region had introduced Yungoos from elsewhere to deal with their rampant Rattata infestation, easily bringing the plague under control.
This proved that Yungoos were indeed excellent at handling Rattata.
Moreover, this method aligned perfectly with Leon's philosophy of utilizing Pokémon's power to solve problems.
"Do you know where that group of Yungoos went?"
Leon still wanted to bring the Yungoos back.
"I'm not entirely sure. I've been busy with the territory's reconstruction these days and haven't paid attention to their whereabouts."
Walter shook his head.
"What a pity. Are there any other solutions? How do other territories deal with Rattata? Surely they don't all have Yungoos?"
"From what I know, they purchase a special pesticide from Seaview City and spray it on the fields. Rattata despise the smell of this pesticide and won't come to steal seeds unless they're starving."
"But this pesticide is not only expensive, it also reduces food production."
"It reduces food production? And they still use it?" Leon asked in surprise.
"Losing some food production is better than losing everything. Those Rattata are extremely greedy. If left unchecked, they'll devour every seed in the fields. Using pesticides is a last resort."
"Are there any other methods besides pesticides?"
Leon wasn't keen on using pesticides. The cost wasn't the main issue, but the reduction in yield was!
The number of seeds sown this spring was already much lower than before. They had barely managed to increase production through seed drills and fertilizer.
Now, if they used pesticides, the food yield would still fall short of expectations.
Back when he convinced the villagers to adopt the players' farming methods, he had sworn on his family's honor to compensate them if the yield decreased.
Though the rat plague was an unforeseen circumstance, the villagers wouldn't care. They would only see their harvest shrinking and demand compensation from Leon.
"Then there's only the oldest method left: stationing people to patrol the farmland day and night."
"But this method is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The patrol members must also be capable of dealing with Rattata, meaning they must at least be Beast Tamers."
"You know our territory's current situation. There are very few Beast Tamers, and no squires have been selected yet. We lack suitable patrol personnel."
Walter replied helplessly.
"No, we actually do have suitable candidates!"
"You mean..."
"Exactly, those visitors from the divine realm!"
"But most of them aren't Beast Tamers yet. Even if they're immortal, they can't handle those Rattata."
"Don't worry. They soon will be."
Leon had originally planned for the players to capture Pokémon quickly to help him complete the main quest.
Now, with the rat plague looming, their strength was even more necessary.
"Roto, notify all players to pause their current tasks and gather at the castle courtyard. I'll be waiting for them there."
Leon turned to the Rotom Drone that had been following him.
"Understood. Please wait a moment. I'll inform them right away."
The players who received Roto's notification quickly arrived at the castle courtyard, gathering together and chattering excitedly.
"What do you think Lord Leon called us here for?"
"How should I know? I was in the middle of digging a ditch when I got summoned."
"Wow, so many Pokémon live here! And they don't seem afraid of us!"
"Yeah, some are even peeking at us!"
The players' eyes gleamed as they observed the Pokémon in the courtyard.
After three or four days of playing, this was the first time they'd seen so many Pokémon in one place.
"Ahem, quiet!"
A commanding voice came from behind the players.
They turned toward the sound and immediately fell silent upon seeing Leon.
They didn't want to lose favorability points.
Leon stepped forward and scanned the crowd before speaking.
"I've witnessed your hard work and dedication these past days. The territory is improving because of you."
"To thank you for your contributions, I will grant you an opportunity to capture Pokémon."
"You've all seen these Pokémon. If they're willing to go with you, you may capture them!"
After Leon finished speaking, the players froze momentarily, unable to process his words.
After a pause, one player cautiously asked,
"You mean... we can capture these Pokémon?"
When Leon nodded, the players erupted into chaos!
(Chapter End)