Pokémon: Farm Story

In Mei’s room, she leaned against the door, pressing a hand firmly against her chest.

She could feel her heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to leap out of her chest.

A faint pink blush spread across her fair face, and her clear, autumn-water-like eyes shimmered slightly.

“Huff… huff…”

Taking small, steady breaths, Mei tried to calm herself down.

It’s nothing. It’s not a big deal.

I’m an adult now. This is nothing.

But…

Her heartbeat refused to slow down.

The moment she recalled what she had just done, an indescribable sense of embarrassment surged through her.

And with it—though barely noticeable, even to herself—came a hint of joy.

“What am I even doing…”

Her voice trembled slightly. Mei felt as if all the strength had drained from her body. She slid down, leaning helplessly against the door, until she finally sat on the floor.

The soft texture beneath her reminded her that it was the rug she had picked out with Natsume last month while shopping together.

Life on the farm was relaxing and enjoyable, but every now and then, Natsume liked to return to the city to experience a taste of modern life.

Burying her burning face into her knees, Mei felt as though the heat on her skin might scorch her pale complexion.

Mei possessed a talent that many female Trainers envied—she rarely tanned, and her skin remained in great condition with little care.

Statistics showed that most female Trainers followed the academic route.

Not because academia gave them any advantages—

But simply because exposure to the elements was a mortal enemy to their skin.

No matter how refined a girl might be, a trek through Tibet could turn her into someone who looked like she had just walked off a construction site.

The same applied to Trainers.

It took a long while for Mei to finally regain her composure.

She lifted her head and gazed at the warm yellow glow of her desk lamp.

Stretching out her tired limbs, Mei sighed.

Although Corviknight was called the “Airborne Bus,” the one in Natsume’s household was clearly an unlicensed black-market transport.

To call the ride bumpy would be an understatement.

Had she been alone, Corviknight might have taken the opportunity to show off its expert flying skills.

What fancy fighter jet maneuvers? They’re nothing compared to me, Corviknight!

Bang!

A Poké Ball on her waist popped open, and Serperior appeared in the room.

“Seerp.”

Emerging from the ball, Serperior had already shaken off its earlier defeat and now stared at Mei with intrigue.

If that gaze could be translated, it would probably say:

You little rascal, huh.

All grown up and flirting with boys now.

It was the kind of look that said: I’ve watched you grow up for years, and now you're finding your own pig to take my precious cabbage away.

“Seeerp” [Come on, tell me how it felt, every juicy detail!]

“Serperior!”

“Seeeerp!” [Hey, I’m a girl too! Gossiping is in my nature!]

Under Serperior’s inquisitive gaze, the calm Mei had painstakingly regained was once again thrown into disarray.

A deep red blush crept up from her neck, spreading across her cheeks.

After wrestling around with Serperior for a while, the two finally settled down.

Knock, knock.

“Ah, come in.”

Hearing a knock on the door, Mei quickly tidied her slightly messy hair.

When she was little, Snivy loved nibbling on her scalp during playtime.

She thought it would stop once it grew up.

Yet now, even as a fully evolved Serperior, it still hadn’t kicked the habit.

Just earlier, Mei had felt as if her whole head was about to be swallowed.

“Indee~”

Pushing the door open, the female Indeedee walked in, carrying a large cup of fruit juice.

It was a freshly squeezed juice made from berries—something Natsume had asked her to deliver.

Ever since arriving at the farm, the female Indeedee had felt like her culinary talents had finally been set free.

Every day, she experimented with new ways to create small surprises—new dishes, fresh juices, and the like.

And Natsume was always kind enough to provide her with plenty of berries to experiment with.

She had completely fallen in love with this place.

“Thank you, Indeedee… sister.”

Mei took a moment to confirm that it was the female Indeedee.

The Indeedee siblings were actually easy to tell apart.

The one who always looked like he didn’t want to work was the male Indeedee.

The one who always had a gentle smile was the female Indeedee.

In truth, both siblings were warm-hearted and kind Pokémon. It was just that their species’ traits made the male Indeedee look like he always had a sour expression.

Something he, himself, was quite troubled by.

“Indee” [Get some rest, Mei.]

The female Indeedee waved before skipping out of the room.

She needed to prepare ingredients for tomorrow’s dessert.

Although eating sweets in the morning wasn’t exactly a great habit, many Pokémon had an undeniable sweet tooth.

After sharing the juice with her partners, Mei took a quick shower.

Then, hugging Serperior, she lay down on her soft bed.

Her thoughts began to wander.

Natsume… What is he doing right now?

I wonder what he was thinking at that moment.

I should’ve observed him more carefully.

Tossing and turning, Mei found herself unable to sleep. She opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling—

Only to notice that Serperior, too, was awake.

“Serperior, you can’t sleep either?”

Propping herself up on one arm, Mei looked at Serperior curiously.

This Pokémon had always been a deep sleeper since childhood.

It was rare to see it lying awake like this.

“Serp Serp!” [I’m thinking about that stupid bird! Its mouth is so annoying—I swear, one day, I’ll beat it so badly even its mother won’t recognize it!]

Serperior fumed, recalling the “humiliation” it had suffered.

“Uh…”

Mei might not understand Serperior’s words, but judging by its tone, she could guess the general idea.

“Alright, alright, don’t be mad, Serperior.”

Turning over, she gently patted Serperior in comfort.

At first, Mei had been at a loss when dealing with her sulking Snivy.

She was just a little girl herself—why was she suddenly the one who had to console others?

But over time, she learned how to do it.

Sometimes, Mei wondered if being a Pokémon Trainer was, in some ways, similar to raising children.

“Serp!”

“Mhm, let’s do our best next time.”

“Seerp.”

“Goodnight, Serperior.”

“Serp.”

The desk lamp flicked off with a soft jingle as Chimecho pressed the switch with its tail.

Like a pillow, Mei hugged Serperior close and drifted into slumber.

On the floor beside the bed lay Pignite and Dewott.

On the cushioned windowsill, Steenee dozed peacefully.

Atop the desk, blending in as a mere decoration, Chimecho closed its eyes, a faint smile playing on its lips.

Goodnight, everyone.

The only sounds left in the room were soft, steady breaths.

—

The next morning, a golden sliver of sunlight peeked through the curtains, gently illuminating the room.

The warmth of the light wrapped around Mei like a thin golden veil.

Perhaps nature truly had its own unique fragrance.

As Mei opened her eyes, the earthy scent of grass and soil filled her lungs, invigorating her senses.

The fatigue from yesterday seemed to melt away.

“Morning, everyone.”

Stretching lazily, Mei sat up and greeted her partners.

After yesterday’s battle, she had decided to give everyone a break today.

Even Serperior and Dewott, who usually trained the hardest, had slept in until they naturally woke up.

In reality, Dewott had already been awake for a while due to its biological clock.

But seeing that everyone else was still asleep, it simply chose to keep lying down.

"Seems a bit noisy outside, huh?"

After changing out of her pajamas, Mei curiously looked out the window.

The farm was usually bustling at this hour, but it was an orderly kind of lively—everyone busy with their own things.

Today, though, something felt different.

Pulling back the curtains, Mei saw Persian and Slowking leading a few Pokémon toward Natsume.

From the looks of it, this was about to be a trial.

And indeed, it was.

"Alright, you first. Tell me what you did yesterday."

Seated on a little folding stool he'd bought online, Natsume turned his gaze toward the visibly guilty Hisuian Zorua.

Previously, this little rascal and Ogerpon had planned to team up later to investigate the group of Ghost-type Pokémon near the farm.

But yesterday, unable to sit still, it went ahead with its Mightyena father.

It was a miracle they weren’t sent straight to another world via isekai reincarnation.

"Suo…" [Uh, I went on an adventure]

Sitting obediently on the ground, Hisuian Zorua looked extremely guilty.

Even a complete stranger could tell it was lying.

As a Ghost-type Pokémon, it clearly had no talent for mischief or deception.

"Oh, really?"

"Suo!" [Really!]

"But Slowking and the others told me something different."

"Suo…" [Uh… well…]

In the end, under Natsume’s severe (ruthless) interrogation (threat of no snacks), Hisuian Zorua confessed everything.

Originally, it had wanted to do something big while Natsume was away.

And, well… we all saw how that turned out.

"Alright, next."

Grabbing the little troublemaker by the scruff, Natsume tossed it over to the other Zorua watching from the sidelines.

"It's your little brother. You teach him properly."

"Suo?!" [Me?!]

The original Zorua, who had been watching the spectacle with glee, instinctively caught its tossed counterpart.

Wait a minute—who on this farm isn’t technically your underling?!

How did this suddenly become my problem?

Shouldn’t the responsibility be split 50/50 at least?

Ignoring the protests as Zorua gnawed on his sleeve, Natsume turned his attention to Ursaring and the Shiny Pidgeotto.

"And you two? What’s your deal?"

According to Persian, the two had led their respective groups into an all-out ground vs. air battle yesterday.

It was pure chaos.

Most of the Pokémon on the farm had gathered to watch, figuring they might as well enjoy the show.

Even Persian and Slowking had been spectators at first.

In the end, the battle was cut short by an enraged Blissey—who ended it with a single punch for each of them.

Even among Pokémon, doctors commanded a certain level of authority.

Faced with an angry Blissey, no one had dared to make a sound.

Everyone just shivered in silence, too scared that even breathing wrong might earn them a knockout punch.

"Good job, Blissey."

Natsume praised approvingly.

The farm definitely needed someone to keep things in check when he wasn’t around.

Persian could do it, but its personality meant it often didn’t want to.

In the past, it only stepped in to help Natsume.

But now, with Blissey, he could rest easy.

"Lucky~"

Receiving the praise, Blissey raised its fist in a strongman pose.

Never underestimate the combat skills of a medical professional, you fools.

"So, what do you two have to say for yourselves?"

"Bi?" [Just a friendly sparring match?]

"Ursaring."

Ursaring nodded in agreement.

"You two, huh…"

In truth, neither of them—or their respective groups—had any deep grudges.

They had just been around each other for too long.

There was a mutual, unspoken competitiveness.

Every now and then, they just felt like having a go at each other.

Technically speaking, it really was just a spar.

Looking at the two who had come to an agreement, Natsume felt something harden.

That would be his fist.

For Pokémon who repeatedly offered the same excuse, Natsume had a simple solution:

If you have this much energy to cause trouble, then clearly you’re not training hard enough.

"Shiny Furret, I’ve got a job for you."

"Furr!" [On it!]

[Second Lieutenant Shiny Furret, reporting for duty!]

Shiny Furret leaped out from the group of Pokémon, making a stylish spin before coming to a smooth stop in front of Natsume.

"In three days, I want this dumb bird evolved."

"Also, there’s a pile of construction materials in the north side of the farm—leftovers from before. Have Ursaring and the others clear it up."

"Furr!" [Got it! No problem!]

Raising its paw to its forehead in a salute, Shiny Furret accepted the mission with enthusiasm.

Evolution? Easy!

Just train like crazy!

That stupid mud-colored bird was close to evolving anyway.

Yeah, in Shiny Furret’s eyes, Shiny Pidgeotto’s color wasn’t anything special—just a dull, mud-like yellow.

Not attractive at all.

Natsume had said its own pink fur was beautiful.

As for this dumb bird? Well, different people had different tastes.

Shiny Furret didn’t get it, but it respected it.

"Bi?!"

Shiny Pidgeotto was horrified.

What?! Evolve in three days?!

Why don’t you just kill me instead?

That would honestly be easier.

Since birth, Shiny Pidgeotto had never suffered much.

On one hand, it had great natural talent and picked things up quickly.

On the other, it was really good at giving up.

Whenever it encountered something difficult, it would immediately abandon it.

No effort, no frustration.

Couldn’t master a skill? Just try another one!

Hit a bottleneck in strength? Just give up and take it easy!

Strength was like rowing against the current—if you don’t advance, you fall behind.

So technically… if I fall behind, isn’t that just reverse progress?

That’s still progress!

As long as I can convince myself, I won’t feel bad about it.

Shiny Pidgeotto had always lived by that mindset.

Even when it said it would train seriously a while ago…

Most of the time, it still found excuses for itself.

Ah, today’s training was enough—I’ll do more tomorrow.

I worked really hard today—I deserve a break.

I survived another day—that’s already a win.

And because it always told itself "this is good enough," it ended up way behind where it actually wanted to be.

It had met the conditions for evolution a long time ago.

But every time, it always felt like it was just one step away—only to be kicked back at the last moment.

This time, with the perfect opportunity at hand, all it needed was for Shiny Furret to give it a good shove from behind—straight through the door of evolution.

If this went on any longer, even its juniors, the Shiny Joltiks, might evolve before it.

Speaking of which, Natsume actually had high hopes for those two Joltiks.

Once they evolved, in a wild battle scenario, he could just release them both—one floating on each side.

At that point, he’d have himself a pair of mobile laser cannons.

With a few more of them, he might even be able to pull off a Strike Freedom cosplay.

"Objections overruled. Shiny Furret, take it away!"

"Furr!"

Following orders, Shiny Furret put on its best "fast-food worker dragging out the fryer" look, grabbed Shiny Pidgeotto by the talons, and walked off without a second glance.

Kid, your youth just isn't burning bright enough.

Come with us and feel the heat of passion!

"Furr!"

A whole group of Sentret and Furret gazed at Shiny Furret in admiration.

Whoa! This is our big bro!

Sometimes, it was really hard to tell what path these kids were heading down.

Maybe… this was Crow’s fault after all.

---

After spending some time dealing with various farm affairs, Natsume stretched lazily.

Life was like this—small, trivial tasks were just that when handled promptly.

But if left unattended for too long, they would pile up and explode at the worst possible moment, making an already stressful situation even more unbearable.

"Good morning, Natsume."

Just as Natsume finished his round of "disciplinary talks," Mei approached from the side.

In fact, she had been standing nearby for quite a while.

She just didn’t want to interrupt while he was in the middle of scolding everyone.

"Morning, Mei. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Noticing the unfamiliar Pokémon in Mei’s arms, Natsume smiled as he asked.

Recently, breakfast at the farm had been entirely taken over by female Indeedee.

To be precise, both Mei and Natsume’s meals were now prepared by her.

They only cooked for themselves on special occasions.

"Wait a minute—"

"Mei, the one in your arms…?"

Turning his head abruptly, Natsume suddenly realized that the Pokémon Mei was holding might be a big deal.

"Huh? Isn’t this one of your farm’s Pokémon, Natsume?"

Blinking in confusion, Mei lifted the small, completely blue Pokémon in her arms.

That was definitely not one of his.

Natsume felt like he had something stuck in his throat.

"Mana!"

The Pokémon in Mei’s arms waved its tiny hands, as if greeting Natsume.

"Where the hell did this Manaphy come from?!"