Chapter 108: Seems Kinda Fast?!
After freeloading... ahem, eating a meal, Arthur followed David back to their own ranger camp.
The vehicle used for the return trip was a military jeep.
Honestly speaking, compared to Ponyta, this was a style Arthur was much more familiar with.
The ranger camp was located deeper in the mountainous region compared to Raymond's company's research institute.
The surrounding roads were rugged and difficult to travel; even the military jeep's suspension system couldn't fully handle the bumps of the mountain roads.
According to David, sometimes after heavy rain, their camp supplies even needed to be air-dropped in by large Flying-type Pokémon like Pidgeot or Talonflame.
It was truly quite arduous.
However, upon actually arriving at the camp, the conditions weren't as crude as imagined.
There was a signal base station here, and also a small power station reliant on Electric-type Pokémon for supply.
Water supply could similarly be resolved by relying on Water-type Pokémon.
There was water, electricity, and wifi.
In fact, if one didn't consider the fact that rangers had to periodically go out to perform patrol missions, this place might perhaps instead be a paradise for socially anxious otaku...
Upon arrival, Arthur first went to find the person in charge of personnel registration to report in.
"A volunteer? Didn't expect someone to actually come at this time point. Truly a rare occurrence."
"Which school are you from? Have you submitted your volunteer application during your time at school? Did you bring your physical fitness test score sheet and the school's recommendation letter?"
The person's hand was already extended, but Arthur's reply directly stunned this registration personnel.
"I'm not currently a student. I filled out the volunteer application online. When I departed, the confirmation slip hadn't been mailed over yet. As for the physical fitness test, I saw on the notice that it could be taken again here upon arrival."
These words not only left the registration clerk dumbfounded, but even David, who had escorted Arthur over, was completely baffled.
"No... you, you, you... you came here before even receiving your application confirmation? And you didn't do the physical fitness test either? Are you bullshitting me? If you fail the fitness test here, wouldn't your entire previous journey of over a hundred kilometers of mountain roads have been run in vain?!"
Being a ranger, after all, is somewhat different from other volunteer positions. The mission intensity is high, the physical demands are significant, and it carries a certain degree of danger. Therefore, it's not a role just anyone can casually take up.
In the past, volunteers who came here were mainly university students, predominantly from police academies or military academies. The procedure generally involved the student applying within the school first, then taking a physical fitness test. After passing, the school would issue a recommendation letter, and then the student would bring the letter here.
The registration clerk had worked here for seven or eight years, and this was the first time he had ever encountered a volunteer arriving through a non-school channel.
Even more ridiculously, this person had apparently just filled out a volunteer application online and then immediately ran over.
Their location here is over a hundred kilometers from the nearest city! A single trip takes at least several hours! You didn't even confirm anything before coming?
Yet, Arthur still appeared very calm.
"It's no problem. I have no criminal record, and my resume is clean. I asked beforehand; as long as I pass the physical fitness test, this kind of volunteer application shouldn't be rejected."
His resume was naturally clean; after all, the first fifteen years were a blank slate, cleaner than his face. It would probably save the reviewing staff a lot of work...
However, the registration clerk before him was currently still eyeing him sideways.
Little brother, don't you know that passing the physical fitness test is actually the biggest hurdle?
Regarding this, Arthur directly provided an answer through action.
"Can the physical fitness test be done now?"
The registration clerk looked towards Captain David.
David was actually kind-hearted and offered a reminder, "It doesn't matter to us here, but young lad, you've just rushed through a whole day's journey. Aren't you considering resting first? Resting here overnight and testing tomorrow is also perfectly fine."
"Our beds here aren't tight. Even if you're not officially a volunteer yet, giving you a bed isn't a difficult thing."
His intention was genuinely kind.
After all, this was also about being responsible for this kid.
Even if they were short on people again, if he truly failed the fitness test, David wouldn't consider bending the rules; otherwise, that would purely be harming the person.
Patrol work wasn't as easy and pleasant as some young people imagined.
But Arthur still insisted, "Let's test right now."
He just wanted to save time and get things done quickly right now; everything else was a minor issue.
Seeing his insistence, the registration clerk also shrugged his shoulders, indicating tacit approval.
"Then come with me."
As they headed towards the training ground, this news spread like wildfire throughout the entire camp.
Their camp wasn't large to begin with, housing only a dozen or so people in total. The rare sight of a newcomer arriving naturally made everyone extremely excited.
Not to mention, this newcomer sounded full of potential talking points.
"No way, really someone ran over without doing the fitness test? If he fails, could it be he'll immediately rush back over a hundred kilometers of mountain road overnight? Must be crazy, right?"
"How come this newcomer's brain sounds a bit dim."
"What if the person is just confident, huh? Never considered they might fail."
Finally, someone spoke Arthur's true thoughts, but this voice was quickly drowned out again.
"Wow,WTF! This face looks way too young, right? Is he even eighteen?"
"I remember our fitness test here... isn't the last item also testing practical combat coordination with a Pokémon? Seems like you need to get an A, B, C, or D grade. He's so young; he'll definitely be at a disadvantage then, right? Even if the Pokémon is strong again, the trainer themselves getting knocked down greatly affects the score."
"Yes, nowadays these young people from the city all like playing Pokémon competitions. Their Pokémon's strength often isn't bad, actually. But once it comes to testing time, the person themselves becomes the weak link dragging the team down."
They gathered around, discussing enthusiastically.
It was rare for new gossip to arrive at this camp; everyone's enthusiasm was running high.
David had to repeatedly glare at the surroundings several times before finally suppressing the noisy clamor.
Although in his heart, what he thought was actually quite similar to those observing team members, he just didn't want these sounds to affect Arthur.
They had finally managed to supplement their team with one newcomer here; even a temporary volunteer was extremely precious.
Although David didn't want to relax the requirements and potentially harm someone, as the captain, he was now also afraid that Arthur might get scared and back out.
This fluctuating mood of worrying about gains and losses was truly complex and hard to endure.
Fortunately, Arthur didn't make him wait too long.
Soon, the facts would tell him: You were purely worrying too much.
The registration clerk arrived at the starting point of the training field track and read out, "First is the 100-meter sprint. Later, we also need to test your 3000-meter long run, and the 10-meter x 5 shuttle run. After the running tests are finished, there will be sit-ups and push-ups. Do you need to warm up first?"
Arthur, who had been continuously bouncing on the spot, replied, "No need. I can start anytime."
"Alright then. Ready... Start!"
As soon as the registration clerk gave the command, Arthur instantly shot out from the track's starting point!
Although human running speed could never possibly possess the energy halos and visual effects accompanying Pokémon using skills like "Agility" or "Quick Attack," in this moment, all the onlookers standing by the edge of the field could still feel very directly—
WTF?!
This damn seems kinda fast?!
(End of Chapter)
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