Pokémon: Farm Story

In video games, bosses and elite monsters typically stay within their designated areas and don’t wander off.

But reality doesn’t always work that way.

There are always some creatures who, despite being at the bottom of their own ecosystems, seek a better experience by venturing into weaker territories to reign supreme.

And then there are those who, simply out of sheer boredom, like to roam around aimlessly.

Most of the time, rangers don’t bother intervening unless these creatures cause significant disruptions to the local ecosystem.

Like the Pokémon Absol had just mentioned—the one heading toward the farm.

According to Absol, this Pokémon didn’t seem to have any specific goal. It was as if it was purely causing destruction in the forest just to spread fear.

"Don't panic. Everything will be fine."

Seeing Absol's obvious distress, Natsume extended his palm and channeled the power of Viridian to soothe its emotions.

Bathed in the soft green glow, Absol's previously restless heart seemed to settle. At the very least, it no longer appeared to be in a state of extreme panic, uncertain of what to do.

"Absol, go find Persian and Ogerpon for me."

"I need to check something first."

"Sol."

Absol nodded, then turned and leaped away, disappearing from Natsume's sight in just a few agile bounds.

Although Absol wasn't a Pokémon known for its speed, it moved with remarkable dexterity.

Rather than raw speed, its time spent navigating the wilderness had honed its ability to jump and climb.

It was likely more adept at scaling rocks and leaping across terrain than outright sprinting.

"Should we contact the rangers?"

As Absol left, Mei turned to Natsume and asked.

Earlier, Natsume had already called the rangers to report the presence of a powerful Pokémon causing havoc in the northern forest.

After confirming the situation, the rangers had even sent him a small banner of appreciation and a ¥5,000 reward.

A symbolic gesture, more for encouragement than any real financial significance.

Still, Natsume had accepted it happily. After all, he had been the kind of kid who always dreamed of earning a Bravery Award for doing the right thing.

Now, he had kind of achieved that goal, right?

The ranger who delivered the banner also left a personal contact number, offering further assistance if needed.

At the time, Natsume had just saved the number without much thought.

Now, it was coming in handy.

"Yeah, let’s give them a call."

"Though I think I already have a good idea of what's going on."

Nodding, Natsume scrolled through his phone to find the ranger’s contact.

Despite the alarming nature of Absol’s report, he remained composed.

When it came to unexpected situations, Natsume had a simple philosophy:

For minor issues, there’s no need to panic—it’s pointless.

For major ones, panicking doesn’t help either—so why bother?

In short, panicking serves no purpose.

Besides, no matter what happens, the farm isn’t going anywhere.

It’s not like they could just pack up and leave.

Sure, relocating might seem like an easy option on the surface.

But while Natsume didn’t have any deep sentimental attachment to the farm itself, the idea of being forced to move was irritating.

A minute or two later—

"As expected."

Hanging up the call, Natsume’s expression was one of confirmation rather than surprise.

At first, he hadn't been able to picture what kind of powerful Pokémon Absol was describing.

But after discussing it in more detail, he figured it out.

That thing—it was Ting-Lu.

One of the Treasures of Ruin.

Not that he could really be blamed for not recognizing it sooner.

Most of the Legendary Pokémon introduced in the later generations hadn’t left a deep impression on him.

Among the four Treasures of Ruin, the only ones Natsume could vividly remember were Chi-Yu and Chien-Pao.

Mostly because they looked better.

Especially Chi-Yu—arguably the best-looking of the four.

At the end of the day, humans are visual creatures.

Good-looking beings always get preferential treatment.

"The ranger Union went into the forest and did encounter the Pokémon," Natsume relayed.

"But they couldn’t beat it."

"They’ll probably issue a public alert soon."

Aside from disaster warnings, there were also occasional Pokémon-related alerts.

Most of them involved Legendary Pokémon waking from their slumber, still groggy with "morning rage," and rampaging through the land.

For small island nations, having one of these creatures wake up could mean complete destruction.

After all, Legendary Pokémon weren’t just symbols of absolute power.

They were disasters incarnate.

Even something as relatively common as the trio of Legendary Birds could be as devastating as a natural disaster to the average person.

"I see..."

Mei nodded, her face tinged with concern.

Natsume had briefly mentioned earlier that this Pokémon might be a Legendary of some sort.

For Mei, a newly minted trainer, the idea of facing a Legendary Pokémon felt almost surreal.

Like something that only existed in textbooks suddenly appearing right before her eyes.@@novelbin@@

She also remained blissfully unaware that Ogerpon was, in fact, a Mythical Pokémon.

Then again, Ogerpon was naturally a low-profile creature. Very few people had ever seen one.

And around the farm, it always wore the mask that Natsume had given it, wandering about in disguise.

Even if Mei had noticed it, she wouldn’t have associated this clingy little cutie with a Mythical Pokémon.

She had simply gotten used to the fact that the farm was filled with all kinds of Pokémon—some familiar, some she had never even heard of.

"It’ll be fine. No need to worry."

Seeing the concern in Mei’s eyes, Natsume smiled reassuringly.

He could understand Mei’s concerns—after all, the idea of a Legendary Pokémon still felt a bit too distant for her.

“Suosuo.”

Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. I’m here.

"That's right, Zorua is also—"

Mid-sentence, Natsume suddenly realized something.

He turned his head, only to find Zorua—who had somehow returned unnoticed—squatting on the ground, grinning mischievously at him and Mei.

That smirk was seriously aggravating.

Some people just have a natural talent for making others mad just by standing there doing nothing.

Maybe it was a gift.

"When did you get back?"

He scooped up Zorua and gave its head a good, vigorous rub.

To be honest, seeing Zorua again instantly put Natsume at ease.

Even though he’d had some confidence before, the fact remained that their opponent was a Legendary Pokémon.

To say he wasn’t worried at all would be a lie.

No matter how indifferent he acted on the surface, deep down, there was still a trace of unease.

But now that Zorua was back, he felt reassured.

At least the farm had a solid safety net now.

Thinking this, Natsume hugged Zorua and gave it another round of intense rubbing.

Was it just his imagination, or did its fur feel even smoother than before?

It also seemed… chubbier.

"You little rascal… don’t tell me you gobbled up all those Pokéblocks in one go?"

"Why do you feel heavier?"

Natsume suddenly put two and two together.

Before Zorua had left, it had taken a hefty supply of Pokéblocks with it—enough to feed Corviknight, Persian, and the shiny Furret for about a month and a half.

And yet, this little glutton had devoured them all in less than a month?

No wonder it looked like it had gained weight!

"Suosuo!"

Comfortably nestled in Natsume’s arms, Zorua froze for a second before immediately struggling in protest.

What do you mean, fat?!

I’m still growing! This is just my growth phase, okay?!

At most, I’m just a little chubby!

"So, you admit you got chubby."

Natsume’s merciless remark landed like a critical hit.

Zorua has fainted.

These days, people like to act as if “a little chubby” doesn’t count as chubby at all.

But honestly?

That’s just self-deception.

Or maybe men and women simply have different definitions of "a little chubby"?

Anyway, he was getting off track.

"Suosuo…"

Zorua tried its best to argue that it hadn’t actually gotten fat, just grown bigger.

But, in the end, Pokémon were no match for humans when it came to debating.

"Alright, alright. I almost forgot what I was doing thanks to you."

Natsume casually tossed Zorua to the ground, clapped his hands, and looked up.

Absol, whom he had sent to fetch the others, was already on its way back, its silhouette visible in the distance.

But more noticeable than Absol…

Was the shiny Furret charging toward him at full speed.

"Fur!"

The moment it spotted Natsume, the Furret’s eyes lit up.

Even in broad daylight, that excitement was impossible to miss.

"Fur!"

It got even more fired up, increasing its already impressive speed.

A gust of wind kicked up in its wake, sending stray blades of grass flying.

"Wait—hold on!"

Natsume's expression changed the moment he saw Shiny Furret.

He opened his mouth to say something, but it was already too late.

After a running start, Shiny Furret built up momentum, gathered its strength, and leaped high into the air.

Its long, slender body arced gracefully through the sky.

And then—

BAM!

A head capable of breaking stone slammed directly into Natsume’s stomach.

“Urgh—”

Man and Pokémon rolled across the ground like a pair of tumbleweeds.

It wasn’t a pretty sight.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Stop charging at me like that!"

Looking at the shiny Furret now sprawled across his stomach, flashing a cute, innocent look, Natsume exasperatedly knocked its head a few times.

To Furret’s thick skull, though, the force was barely a massage.

"Fur?"

Tilting its head, Shiny Furret gave an adorably clueless smile.

No wonder people called it a pink, fluffy ball of cuteness.

Unfortunately, its reward for that smile was another round of Natsume’s "gentle discipline."

If this were a comedy manga, Furret would probably have a head full of cartoonish bumps by now—looking like a Buddha’s curly headpiece.

"If it were anyone else, they’d probably be skipping the hospital and heading straight for the grave after a hit like that."

"Fur."

But I’d never pounce on anyone but you, Natsume.

"So… this is your special way of showing affection?"

"Fur."

Ehehe.

Grabbing Shiny Furret by the underarms, Natsume lifted it and tossed it to the side before rubbing his sore stomach.

Recalling the sensation from just now, he let out a sigh.

His fluffy, pink, adorable little Shiny Furret…

Was no more.

Mei had mentioned before that Natsume hadn’t been cuddling Shiny Furret to sleep recently.

At first, she suspected it might be because Shiny Furret was shedding.

But then she reconsidered.

For someone like Natsume, who lived surrounded by Pokémon, a bit of shedding shouldn’t have been an issue.

It was like cat owners—once you let a cat onto your bed, you just learn to accept the fur.

So, clearly, the reason wasn’t that simple.

In truth, the reason was quite straightforward.

It was just that…

"It’s not as comfy as before."

Ever since Shiny Furret had gotten hooked on training, its muscle growth had been unstoppable.

On the outside, it still looked like a smooth, fluffy bundle of cuteness.

But the moment you touched it—

It was like a bodybuilder wearing a fur suit.

That was the feeling.

Visually, Shiny Furret was still adorable.

But as a cuddle buddy?

Absolutely not.

Sleeping with it now just felt uncomfortable.

Luckily, Shiny Furret had been getting up early every day to train on its own.

That actually made things more convenient for both of them.

"Meow."

Trailing behind Shiny Furret, Persian took one look at Furret—who was grinning like an idiot—then shifted its gaze to Natsume, who was still getting up from the ground.

It immediately understood the situation.

This fool… pounced on Natsume again, huh?

No matter how many times it was told not to, this bad habit just wouldn’t go away.

Annoyed, Persian raised a paw and smacked Shiny Furret right on the head.

It used to think this kid was alright, but somehow, somewhere along the line…

It had gone astray.

Hmph. Must be that stupid bird’s influence.

Next time that fool comes to challenge me, I’ll make sure to hit harder.

Persian made a silent vow.

After all, it had seen Corviknight trying to "spread the gospel" to the other Pokémon way too many times—recommending games, anime, and even keeping a notebook of famous quotes.

Persian had every reason to believe that any Pokémon on the farm that had started acting weird…

Had been corrupted by Corviknight.

So, a little discipline every now and then?

Perfectly reasonable.

At that moment, Corviknight—completely oblivious to its impending 800th defeat—was still deep in thought, brainstorming what trash talk to use during its afternoon training session.

After long training sessions, even Corviknight found it challenging to keep up with its trash-talk repertoire.

Damn, I almost ran out of lines during last night's training.

No way—I need to come up with more today.

“Ummah.”

The last one to arrive was Ogerpon, who wasn’t exactly fast and had to rely on its short little legs to waddle over.

Compared to the other quadrupedal Pokémon, Ogerpon’s tiny legs were definitely a disadvantage when it came to running.

But just like Shiny Furret, its eyes lit up the moment it saw Natsume, and it launched itself forward with a running leap.

Fortunately, Ogerpon’s impact was much lighter than Furret’s—so much so that even an ordinary person could catch it without a problem.

“All right, everyone. I called you here because there’s something important I need to tell you…”