Pokémon: Farm Story

There's an old saying: A wisp of smoke on the mountain, an immortal ascends in prison.

No matter which world you’re in, setting a forest on fire is a serious crime.

And in the Pokémon world, even more so.

While Ting-Lu hadn’t exactly set the forest ablaze, it wasn’t far off.

Wherever it went, destruction followed. The once-thriving woodland had been reduced to ruins.

Countless Pokémon had been forced to flee, driven from their homes.

Some were lucky—like the Absol and Bounsweet groups—who happened to run into Natsume and found stability, making it through the ordeal without major losses.

But others, less fortunate, suffered heavy casualties. Some might not have survived at all.

Natsume had no fondness for Ting-Lu.

Sure, he could capture it.

But then what?

Would he be adding an unstable force to his farm just for the sake of having it?

Given Ting-Lu’s nature and their current relationship, calling it a ticking time bomb would be putting it lightly.

A massive body, an unfriendly temperament, and an innate ability to both be born from and incite fear in others—

It was hard to imagine keeping something like that around.

Maybe...

He should just seal it away again?

He couldn't exactly keep it as some pampered overlord on his farm, right?

“Suo?”

Zorua, sitting at Natsume’s feet, tilted its head in confusion.

Wasn’t this the part where a Trainer should be excitedly throwing a Poké Ball after taking down a powerful Pokémon?

Especially one as rare as a Legendary like Ting-Lu?

Zorua scrutinized Natsume for a moment before suddenly having a realization.

Oh, I see! I get it now!

Turning around, it rummaged through the fur on its back and, from who-knows-where, pulled out… a Poké Ball?

“Suo suo.”

Nudging Natsume’s foot, Zorua proudly pushed the Poké Ball toward him, its expression practically screaming: Praise me!

“This is…?”

Natsume looked at the Poké Ball, slightly startled.

Unlike modern Poké Balls, which were sleek and high-tech, this one had a handcrafted feel—

A solid, earthy brown, heavy with an antique aura, like one of those old-fashioned Apricorn Balls forged by a master craftsman, yet left unpolished.

“Suo suo.”

I brought this from home.

“…A local specialty?”

“Suo.”

Strictly speaking, yeah.

Zorua’s family had a bunch of these lying around.

With plenty of free time and not much else to do, they often picked up little hobbies—like collecting interesting objects.

This particular Poké Ball had been obtained from some master craftsman ages ago.

It was said to surpass all other Poké Balls of its time, capable of capturing even weaker Legendary Pokémon.

Zorua could vouch for that—it worked.

“So, this is your way of making the decision for me?”

Picking up the Poké Ball from the ground, Natsume chuckled.

He’d been stuck debating whether or not to capture Ting-Lu, even considering that his own Poké Balls might not be strong enough.

But now, he had no excuse to hesitate.

Whatever problems came next—he’d deal with them later.

That was future Natsume’s problem, not his.

Good luck, future me.

With a sharp throw, he launched the Poké Ball, putting all his strength into it—almost as if venting his pent-up emotions.

Despite it being a standard capture motion, the sheer force behind it caused the Poké Ball to whistle through the air.

If it had been a Caterpie instead of Ting-Lu, the poor thing probably would’ve been knocked out cold on impact.

Thud!

Maybe it was just his imagination, but the Poké Ball seemed to make a rather distinct thud as it struck Ting-Lu’s head.

Bouncing into the air, it released a crimson light that enveloped the massive Pokémon.

As the light retracted, Ting-Lu’s colossal form was drawn inside.

“No matter how many times I see it, this still feels like some crazy magic.”

Even now, Natsume couldn’t fully grasp the science behind Poké Ball technology.

After all, he was just a simple farm owner who had never even gone to college.

The Poké Ball landed and began shaking violently.

Even in an unconscious state, a Legendary Pokémon could still resist capture with ease.

But Natsume remained relaxed.

He wasn’t particularly desperate to capture Ting-Lu.

If it worked, great. If not—well, that was Ting-Lu’s problem.

Either way, another beatdown was inevitable.

And whatever happened afterward? That was a problem for later.

It wasn’t like getting captured would be the worst outcome for Ting-Lu.

“Wumah wumah.”

Clutching its thorny club, Ogerpon hopped from side to side excitedly, like a boxer waiting for an opening to land a finishing blow.

If that thing broke out, she was ready to smack it right back down.

If not—well, she’d save it for next time.

She was still a little bummed about not landing the final hit herself.

And honestly?

She wasn’t the only one.

Slowking and the others felt the same.

They’d already unleashed their final attacks, only for Persian to swoop in and steal the last hit.

Sure, Persian might not have dealt the most damage—

But it had definitely landed the finishing blow.

But it was the one that landed the final blow.

Just like how in games, the broadcast never mentions who dealt the most damage—only who got the kill.

"Beep~"

Under the watchful eyes of Natsume and his partners, the shaking Poké Ball finally came to a stop.

"Ah, I caught Ting-Lu."

Staring at the now-motionless Poké Ball on the ground, Natsume spoke in a flat, almost delayed realization.

To be honest, even now, it still felt somewhat unreal to him.

Even though he had already captured Ogerpon, a Mythical Pokémon, it never really acted like one.

There was no air of dignity, no sense of grandeur—

Just a complete bundle of adorableness.

Even its combat power wasn’t as overwhelming as one might imagine.

Maybe that had something to do with its lost masks?

Yeah, he really needed to make retrieving those masks a priority.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Natsume bent down and picked up the Poké Ball.

After a brief two-second hesitation, he turned to Slowking.

"Slowking, could you help reinforce this a little?"

He gestured in the air, trying his best to get his meaning across.

He had heard that some Psychic-type Pokémon could use their powers to seal Poké Balls, preventing their opponents from releasing their Pokémon.

"Yadon."

Slowking nodded, indicating that it was no big deal.

A seal? That’s nothing.

If there’s one thing we Psychic-types have plenty of, it’s tricks.

Although, strictly speaking, I’m more of a Water-type…

But compared to those twin siblings, Slowking felt he still had a little more authority in this field.

"Buzz~"

A flash of blue light swept over the Poké Ball, forming a faint, mysterious pattern.

"Done."

Satisfied, Natsume casually tossed the Poké Ball into Zorua’s arms.

Zorua, now suddenly holding a Poké Ball, sat there in stunned silence.

It looked down at the ball in its arms, then back up at Natsume—

An expression of utter confusion.

"Can’t be helped. This guy is a Legendary Pokémon, and not exactly the friendly type."

"If it breaks free, things could get dangerous."

"So, I’m counting on you."

"Suosuo!"

Hands clasped together, Natsume completely ignored Zorua’s protests.

"Two bags of Pokéblocks."

"Custom-made."

"Suo."

Deal.

With a crisp slap, Zorua's small paw smacked against Natsume’s hand.

Its eyes were filled with an insatiable hunger.

It didn’t care about much, but when it came to food—suddenly, it was wide awake!

Hugging the Poké Ball tightly, Zorua’s face took on an uncharacteristically serious expression.

I will suppress this Poké Ball!

Even if I must single-handedly keep it sealed (scratch that).

Ignoring Zorua’s inexplicable surge of enthusiasm, Natsume looked up toward the sky.

A Pidgeot was circling down.

On its back was the park ranger from earlier—was his name Shouhei?

Natsume wasn’t entirely sure.

It had only been a short while, yet for some reason, it felt like days had passed.

Even remembering the guy’s name had become hazy.

Natsume had always been a bit forgetful.

Back in school, he’d often forget whether he had even eaten breakfast, let alone what he ate.

Which, honestly, was probably pretty normal for most high school students.

Sharp enough to solve math problems, yet clueless about what they did during break.

"Natsume, it’s me."

Jumping down from Pidgeot’s back, Shouhei called out loudly.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, his expression turning to one of disbelief.

A fight on this scale… The younger generation is seriously something else.

No, at this point, age didn’t even matter.

Strength like this wouldn’t be overlooked no matter where you went.

"So, I came here because…"

To prevent any misunderstandings, Shouhei quickly explained his purpose for coming.

In short, he wanted to check if Natsume needed anything—treatment for his Pokémon, assistance, whatever it might be.

As for Ting-Lu? Shouhei had no thoughts on that.

When the battle started, he had already reported the situation to his superiors, including the fact that Ting-Lu had been captured.

Natsume had made no effort to hide his identity, so his information had been pulled up almost immediately.

While Shouhei had no personal opinions, it seemed his superiors had quite a favorable impression of this young man.

He was surprised when Ting-Lu was actually caught—

But in the heat of battle, there hadn’t been much time for shock.

Now, the priority was to show goodwill.

As much as it might sound bad, a lot of young people nowadays were paranoid.

Especially when it came to the authorities.

It felt like there was this widespread misconception that the government was out to get them.

There was even a case of a Psychic Awakener who, after discovering their powers, went into hiding for two months in the mountains, terrified that the moment they were exposed, the government would dissect them.

They lasted purely on sheer stubbornness (or stupidity) until the police found them—after their parents reported them missing.

What followed was a legendary parental beatdown.

Word was, it was brutal.

After that?

Someone came over, registered them, and that was it.

Truth be told, the League was pretty lenient about these things.

Back in the old days, Ghost-type specialists were treated like public enemies.

After all, some Ghost-types could grow stronger by feeding on human life force.

But now?

As long as you weren’t causing trouble, nobody cared if you were a hardcore Ghost-type fanatic.

So when Shouhei’s superiors heard about Natsume catching Ting-Lu, their reaction was… pretty calm.

I mean, a young Trainer used their own strength to defeat and capture a rampaging Legendary Pokémon—

That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Proof that Jadeleaf’s younger generation was outstanding.

If this were ancient times, his deeds would be sung about.

Nowadays?

There’d be official recognition and rewards, of course.

Though, of course, the specifics would depend on further discussions.

"In the coming days, we’ll work on restoring the damaged environment."

"The commendation process and rewards will be arranged as soon as possible."

"There might be some public recognition involved, but if you prefer to keep a low profile, we’ll respect that."

Shouhei carefully conveyed the stance of his superiors.

After years as a ranger, even if he hadn’t initially wanted to get involved with this kind of stuff, he had inevitably picked up some experience.

Over time, he had gone from a naïve, self-important rookie to a proper middle-aged salaryman.

"I see. Thank you for the trouble."

"No, no, it’s no trouble at all. Honestly, we should be thanking you for solving such a huge problem for us."

"Not really. I just handled the battle. There’s still a lot I can’t help with."

"That’s what we rangers are here for."

The conversation flowed rather smoothly.@@novelbin@@

Natsume’s attitude made Shouhei feel relieved.

Good. Natsume might be young, but he wasn’t like those reckless, arrogant kids.

Young hotheads who were full of themselves were the hardest to deal with.

Neither of them mentioned Ting-Lu.

From the rangers’ perspective, Natsume had caught it, so that was that.

A Trainer’s Pokémon was their own—no one had the right to take it.

And if someone tried? The entire Trainer community would unite against them.

The internet would probably explode, and some netizens might even start a “Dust Release: Family Tree Severance Technique.”

As for Natsume?

If Shouhei had brought it up, he wouldn’t have minded.

He had already prepared himself for some back-and-forth.

But since Shouhei didn’t mention it, he wasn’t about to complain.

And so, Ting-Lu naturally became his rightful prize.

"By the way, regarding the concrete rewards, we'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter, Mr. Natsume."

After chatting for a while, Shouhei glanced at the message on his phone.

Receiving his instructions, he turned to Natsume and asked.

‘That’s pretty efficient.’

Natsume was somewhat surprised, but he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he gave the matter some serious thought.