Pokémon: Farm Story

Led by Zorua, Natsume arrived at a sunken basin on the edge of his farm.

Originally, this basin wasn’t part of the farm’s territory, but after Natsume expanded the property, it was incorporated within the boundaries. That was a deliberate decision on his part—after all, the massive Ting-Lu needed a place to be temporarily contained.

Following a series of modifications, the basin now resembled a deep, shadowy prison. At its lowest point, sunlight couldn’t even penetrate.

That was strange. The sun was directly overhead, and there were no obstructions, yet the basin seemed like a void that swallowed light itself. Any rays that managed to reach in were gradually consumed by the darkness.

Deep within the basin, Ting-Lu lay still—until, at a certain moment, it stirred.

Its crimson eyes snapped open, glaring ahead.

“ROAR!”

A chilling bellow rang through the basin before everything fell silent once more. Only the increasingly heavy sound of the beast’s breathing echoed in the still air.

A few seconds later, the crisp sound of footsteps broke the silence.

A small orb radiating a soft, gentle glow abruptly appeared, hovering in the air like a mischievous spirit dancing through a field of flowers. It trailed a long, wispy tail behind it as it swirled playfully.

“Hee hee.”

A sly chuckle followed—a taunting, teasing laugh that seemed to mock Ting-Lu’s current state.

“Alright, alright.”

A voice it would never forget echoed through the basin.

Ting-Lu’s crimson eyes widened to their limits. If rage had a physical form, its expression would embody it.

As it glared furiously, a familiar figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

Step by step, Natsume walked into the illuminated space, the glowing orb flitting around him as if it had found its center.

In the depths of the shadows, a boy, surrounded by luminous spirits, emerged, cradling a small fox with a mischievous grin on its face.

To some, this scene might have seemed poetic, even ethereal.

But to Ting-Lu, it was nothing but infuriating.

"ROAR!"

With a deafening bellow, it lunged forward.

Its hooves slammed into the ground as it charged straight at Natsume with a single, clear intent—crush him.

In its long, storied existence, never had it suffered such humiliation.

Even those who once sealed it away had spent an immense amount of time, effort, and resources, gathering countless warriors just to barely subdue it.

Yet, this human had defeated it effortlessly—alone.

Then, with some absurd Poké Ball, he had captured it.

And worst of all, he had sealed it in this place, alongside that damned fox!

…Wait. Could a fox even be this powerful?

That sudden doubt flickered through its mind.

The very next second, phantom chains materialized within the previously empty basin.

These chains extended from the rock walls, wrapping around Ting-Lu’s body.

Just as it rose to its feet, the chains yanked it back down, slamming it into the ground.

Immediately after, an immense gravitational force pressed down on it, pinning it in place.

Watching his handiwork, Zorua nodded in satisfaction.

As expected of me.

Though standard Psychic-type moves didn’t have this kind of effect, Psychic abilities themselves were highly versatile.@@novelbin@@

If a Psychic Pokémon was strictly limited by move descriptions, then what was even the point of being a Psychic-type?

“Suo…”

You know, this is making things really complicated for me too.

Zorua rubbed its little paws against its head in frustration as it observed the Ting-Lu’s stubborn resistance.

Logically speaking, a Pokémon that was defeated in battle and then captured shouldn't be this uncooperative.

Call it survival of the fittest, or an instinctive respect for strength.

Even if a Pokémon disliked the Trainer who bested them, they wouldn’t normally be consumed by this much rage—rage so intense that they wanted to kill their captor.

Zorua couldn’t quite understand it.

“…So communication really is impossible, huh?”

Looking at Ting-Lu’s seething expression, Natsume sighed.

Just what kind of creature had he captured?

It refused to communicate. The moment it saw Natsume, it just wanted to kill him.

Honestly, he might as well have just captured a random wild Pokémon on the roadside instead.

There was no way he was going to resort to extreme methods.

Taming techniques like "eagle training" weren’t something he wanted to use on Pokémon.

Pokémon captured that way would only submit in appearance but never in spirit.

There was no point in that.

Staring at Natsume, Ting-Lu exhaled heavily, white mist billowing from its flared nostrils.

It practically had the words "I refuse to submit" written all over its face.

"Are all Legendary Pokémon this arrogant?"

"...That can’t be right, can it?"

Natsume was starting to doubt reality.

These past few days, he had tried everything.

Verbal persuasion? Useless.

Food temptations? Ignored.

Even blasting it with his Viridian Aura point-blank did nothing.

Well, it did make some progress.

At first, the moment it saw him, it would immediately try to kill him without a second’s hesitation.

Now, after one failed attempt, it would simply turn its head away and ignore him.

Still, no proper communication was possible.

"Suo..."

Watching Natsume struggle, Zorua felt both upset and annoyed.

Upset because it empathized with Natsume’s frustration.

Annoyed because of this stubborn, ungrateful Ting-Lu.

Originally, Zorua thought that helping Natsume capture a Legendary Pokémon would make him really happy.

And that happiness would surely lead to extra treats for Zorua.

At first, everything went as planned—Natsume was indeed thrilled and even gave Zorua a bonus meal.

A happy Natsume meant a happy Zorua. A win-win.

Once Ting-Lu willingly accepted its capture, it would be a triple win.

At least, that’s what Zorua had thought.

That joy lasted until they realized this beast was completely uncooperative.

Little brother, you’re making me lose face here.

Zorua stared at Ting-Lu, scheming in silence.

Meanwhile, Ting-Lu, which had turned its head away from Natsume, suddenly shuddered.

Something felt off.

A cold, unsettling feeling crept up its spine.

It was being watched—no, targeted.

A few seconds later, Zorua turned toward Natsume.

"Suosuo!"

"...You want me to leave first?"

"Suosuo!"

"Alright."

Zorua insisted that Natsume step outside for a moment, saying it would have a friendly conversation with Ting-Lu.

By the time Natsume returned, it would most likely be convinced.

Though Natsume wasn’t sure what exactly Zorua had in mind, he chose to trust it.

Nothing bad would happen.

…At least not to Zorua.

As for Ting-Lu?

Well, that was another matter entirely.

Once Natsume was gone, the playful expression on Zorua's face gradually faded.

Turning around, it glared menacingly at Ting-Lu.

So, you think you can just ignore me, huh?

Heh.

Foolish deer.

Faced with Zorua’s gaze, Ting-Lu merely raised its head arrogantly.

Indeed, this little fox was... odd.

But so what?

A mortal was just a mortal.

Even if it was a little stronger than usual, what did it matter?

I am a Legendary Pokémon!

The day you die, I’ll be dancing on your grave!

That was the confidence that came with being a Legendary.

"Miu?"

What nonsense are you talking about?

Meeting its condescending gaze, Zorua returned an equally disdainful look.

Then, with a light push of its tiny paws, it leapt into the air.

Its body began to shift.

The floating light orbs cast a long shadow against the basin walls.

The small, fox-like silhouette stretched and elongated—

A long, slender tail unfurled behind it.

As Ting-Lu watched in disbelief, a new Pokémon appeared in the darkness.

"...Oh-oh-oh-oh—"

Seconds later, the basin echoed with a miserable scream.

It sounded like a cartoon cat getting mercilessly beaten by a certain mouse.

———

"You’re saying Ting-Lu is now willing to be my partner?"

Looking at Zorua’s smug little face, Natsume felt... complicated.

Seriously? Was this really persuasion?

Or was it just beating Ting-Lu into submission until it had no choice but to agree?

"Suosuo!"

Zorua nodded enthusiastically.

After an intense and passionate debate, Ting-Lu had recognized its mistakes.

It had reflected deeply, turned over a new leaf, repented its sins, and suffered greatly.

In short, it had realized the error of its ways.

From now on, it was wholly devoted to Lord Natsume.

(Error: "Lord Natsume" replaced with "Natsume’s loyal companion")

"Suo?"

Right, Ting-Lu?

As it spoke, Zorua turned its gaze toward Ting-Lu.

The once-mighty beast quickly nodded, hurriedly expressing that it was now willingly under Natsume’s command.

No complaints at all.

Nope, none.

...Though, could it at least fix the dent in its cauldron first?

Natsume stared silently at Ting-Lu’s battered cauldron.

The once-imposing bronze vessel atop its head was now dented in several places, with a visible crack running along its edge.

Even Corviknight’s strongest attack hadn’t managed to cause such damage.

Yet now...

For a moment, Natsume didn’t know what to say.

"...I’ll give you extra food tonight."

Faced with Zorua’s eager "praise me!" expression, Natsume fell back on his usual solution.

It was old-fashioned, but still incredibly effective.

One look at Zorua’s instantly brightened eyes was enough proof.

"Suo!"

Ignoring the fox now bouncing around in excitement, Natsume turned his attention to the large yet visibly miserable Ting-Lu.

He had no idea what it had just gone through.

"...Well then, I’ll be counting on you from now on, Ting-Lu."

Looking straight into its crimson eyes, Natsume spoke without hesitation.

Even when facing a creature akin to a walking natural disaster, there wasn’t a trace of fear in his expression.

For the first time, Ting-Lu felt slightly more comfortable.

At least this human wasn’t a coward.

If its so-called Trainer had been spineless, it would have felt utterly disgusted.

But this unwavering, fearless presence?

It earned Natsume a slight degree of respect.

For the first time, Ting-Lu properly examined Natsume.

Not bad.

He had a decent aura—one that felt rather pleasant.

He was apparently skilled at making Pokéblocks, so its future diet should be decent.

Yes. If it had to submit, it might as well focus on the positives.

With that thought, Natsume suddenly pulled out its Poké Ball.

"Let’s make it official, then."

A beam of red light enveloped the Ting-Lu.

It hesitated for just a moment.

Then, suppressing its instinct to resist, it allowed itself to be absorbed into the Poké Ball.

Only now did Natsume truly feel like he had captured the Ting-Lu.

With a flick of his wrist, Natsume tossed the Poké Ball, releasing the towering figure once more before him.

In a way, Natsume had a strong sense of ritual.

After all, such formalities held a certain significance, especially for Pokémon, whose thoughts were often quite straightforward.

“Grrr...”

A low growl rumbled from Ting-Lu as it silently lay down on the ground.

Though it had accepted its fate, it had no intention of playing the role of a loyal, affectionate companion.

A proper enforcer should step up when there’s a battle and otherwise stay out of the way—preferably at the farm’s outskirts.

That was the condition Ting-Lu set. It was also its last shred of dignity.

Having already been beaten down twice, it at least wanted to keep a little of its pride intact.

Natsume agreed without hesitation.

The request was hardly unreasonable.

Besides, with the farm expanding, the Mightyena family had taken on a much heavier workload.

Just patrolling the entire perimeter took a considerable amount of time.

With Ting-Lu stationed at the farm’s edges, it could help cover a large portion of the land.

That alone would ease the burden on the Mightyena pack.

And so, nearly a week after being captured, Ting-Lu finally—begrudgingly—became Natsume’s... enforcer.

For now, "partner" was still a long way off.

A Small Favor

“Oh, right—lower your head a little, Ting-Lu.”

Just before leaving, Natsume gestured for it to lower its head.

Though puzzled, Ting-Lu complied without protest.

No other reason—just that damned fox was watching.

As it lowered its massive head, Natsume reached out and placed a hand on the bronze cauldron.

A soft green glow radiated from his palm, spreading across the cauldron as the Viridian Force took effect.

Feeling the power coursing through its body, Ting-Lu’s eyes flickered with understanding.

No wonder that ridiculous bird it knocked down so many times kept bouncing back like nothing had happened.

So it was this human…

So it was Natsume.

With some reluctance, Ting-Lu adjusted how it referred to him.

That fox had warned it—if it didn’t behave and speak properly, all its teeth would be pulled out.

Casting a resentful glance at Zorua, Ting-Lu slumped to the side and prepared to finally get some sleep.

It hadn’t had a proper rest in days.

“Natsume! Natsume!”

Just as Natsume and Zorua were about to head back, they spotted an orange Rotom Phone speeding toward them like a bullet.