Pokémon: Farm Story

"Kaah!"

A Trevenant that had just been sent flying by Ogerpon's thorny club struggled on the ground for a while before barely managing to get up.

Looking at its cracked body, Trevenant's heart burned with rage.

Damn it, I have to get back at them!

Turning its head, it spotted Natsume and Mei, who were being protected by Serperior.

An evil idea suddenly emerged.

I may not be able to beat you, but I can definitely take down your trainer!

After all, humans are such fragile creatures.

A single attack could shatter them completely.

Compared to Pokémon, humans were pathetically weak.

Dark waves of energy began radiating from Trevenant’s eerie red eye.

As a Ghost-type Pokémon, casting a Curse didn’t even require learning—it was an innate ability.

However, just as Trevenant was about to strike, a gray-black figure lunged from the side.

A surge of force sent Trevenant crashing to the ground.

Crunch!

With its front paw pressing down on Trevenant’s body, Mightyena glared fiercely at its fallen opponent.

Dark energy flickered between its razor-sharp fangs.

"Kaah! Kaah!"

Wait! I think we can talk this out!

This could be beneficial for both of us!

Ignoring Trevenant's plea, Mightyena bit down hard.

Crunch!

Dark energy exploded, ravaging Trevenant’s body.

For a Ghost-type Pokémon, Dark-type and other Ghost-type moves were the greatest threats.

Crack, crack—

The excruciating pain made Trevenant open its mouth, but it couldn’t make a sound.

The Dark energy from Crunch drained the last of Trevenant’s strength.

Its raised arm fell limply to the ground as it lost consciousness.

Mightyena let go, spitting out bits of bark in distaste.

A rotten, decayed flavor.

Truly disgusting.

Casually tossing Trevenant aside, Mightyena remained close to Natsume, guarding him unwaveringly.

There was no hesitation, no sympathy.

Mightyena didn’t care about the intentions, grievances, or struggles of these Ghost Pokémon.

What did any of that have to do with it?

They were strangers, completely unrelated.

Mightyena had no excess compassion or pity to spare.

That was for Natsume to decide.

If Natsume felt they were pitiful, Mightyena would hold back.

But since Natsume had ordered them to fight, it would fight—to defeat every enemy.

Its entire family lived on Natsume’s farm, eating his food, sleeping in the shelter he provided.

When it rained or stormed, Natsume would call them inside to stay warm.

He had always treated them well.

Mightyena didn't know concepts like loyalty to one’s lord.

That was too distant and abstract.

Some time ago, Corviknight had dragged it along to watch a movie—some cliché and dull film.

The story followed a Pokémon protagonist who, during battle, discovered that the wild Pokémon attacking them had some tragic backstory.

The protagonist refused to fight, even defying its trainer to protect the enemy.

What followed was a series of forced, melodramatic plot twists.

In the end, the protagonist and the wild Pokémon became good friends.

Mightyena didn’t get it at all.

It only knew one thing: if Natsume was willing to take them in and care for them, then it should repay him with action.

Simply put—if Natsume said bite, it would bite. No hesitation.

Even its unreliable father understood that.

Shaking its head to clear unnecessary thoughts, Mightyena turned its gaze back to the battlefield.

Though... calling it a battlefield might not be accurate.

It was more like Ogerpon's solo performance.

With overwhelming strength, it crushed every opponent in its path, not holding back in the slightest.

Negotiation?

You can explain yourself once you're beaten into submission.

"Good job, Mightyena."

"Woof!"

Feeling the warmth of Natsume’s hand, Mightyena closed its eyes in contentment.

Its tail almost wagged on instinct.

But at the last second, it restrained itself.

No! I must not wag my tail!

Mightyena repeatedly reminded itself.

It wasn’t that it had any concerns—

It was just that every time its father wagged his tail, he looked ridiculously silly.

Like a certified graduate from the lunatic asylum, with eyes full of pure, untainted foolishness.

Mightyena’s father had never helped it figure out what kind of Pokémon it wanted to be.

But he had shown it exactly what kind of Pokémon it didn’t want to become.

That was enough.

"Woof!"

Using its thorny club, Ogerpon smacked down the final opponent.

Standing atop the pile of defeated Ghost Pokémon, it looked every bit like a triumphant general.

A warrior who had conquered the battlefield.

Shouldering its club, Ogerpon turned excitedly toward Natsume.

"Whooma whoma!"

Natsume, Natsume! Did I look cool?!

"You looked great, Ogerpon."

"Like a victorious general returning from war."

Natsume never hesitated to praise his companions.

Why not give them a little encouragement?

Would it kill people to say something nice?

"Whooma!"

Hearing the praise, Ogerpon lifted its head proudly.

After basking in the moment, it hopped down from its "throne" of unconscious Pokémon and scurried over to Natsume.

Leaping into his arms, it snuggled against him.

"Whoma!"

"Alright, alright."

Patting the affectionate Ogerpon, Natsume looked toward Absol, who was strolling over.

This guy had spent the entire battle hanging back, sneakily attacking from the sidelines.

With Ogerpon absorbing most of the enemy’s aggression, Absol had been free to snipe from the shadows.

Having someone else charge ahead was surprisingly nice!

Absol felt like it had just discovered a whole new world.

It had decided—

From now on, it would let others charge first.

And it would continue to secretly deal damage.

"Absol, help me ask these Pokémon why they’ve gathered here."

"What exactly are they guarding?"

Waving at Absol, Natsume got straight to the point.

If something was drawing these Pokémon together, it had to be important.

Otherwise, there was no reason for so many Ghost-types to congregate here, displaying such aggression.

Take Trevenant, for example—

According to the Pokédex, Trevenant was generally a gentle species.

It was friendly to Pokémon living in the forest and even let others use its leaves as shelter without complaint.

For humans, Trevenant typically maintained a neutral stance.

As long as no one harmed the forest, it wouldn’t interfere.

For kind-hearted people, it would even show a gentle side.

Natsume didn’t think of himself as especially kind,

But at the very least, he was just an ordinary human, right?

The result? A direct attack.

What happened to the promised affinity bonus against Pokémon?

Was it... eaten?!

"Absol."

Originally planning to take a moment to act reserved, Absol stopped in its tracks, nodded slightly, and then, feeling a bit frustrated, turned to interrogate the Ghost-type Pokémon.

Damn it. That dumb Corviknight's way of acting cool didn't work at all.

With its mood soured, Absol's interrogation of the Ghost-types became a little rougher.

Well, Absol never had any fondness for this group of Pokémon anyway.

If you tried explaining their goals and plans to it, it wouldn't really understand.

But if you told it that these Pokémon might pose a threat to the farm, then Absol would get it immediately.

It had dragged its heavily injured body through hell and back to find this peaceful place to retire.

And now, before it could even enjoy a good life, these guys wanted to cause trouble?!

This wasn't just any ordinary trouble—it had to be crushed with overwhelming force!

"Absol!"

Standing atop a pile of fallen Trevenant, Absol interrogated the Ghost-types one by one.

Under the triple protection of Serperior, Mightyena, and Ogerpon, Natsume listened from a distance as the Ghost-type Pokémon babbled out their confessions.

Or rather, they threw each other under the bus, shifting blame and avoiding responsibility.

After listening for a while, Natsume pieced together the situation.

Simply put, these Pokémon had originally been a group of aimless wanderers.

Drifting around without any fixed home.

Until a few months ago, when they suddenly sensed a strange energy nearby.

After searching for a while, they discovered a mysterious black mist in this place.

The mist emitted strange waves, allowing them to understand its power.

It granted them a trace of the power of nightmares.

With it, they could drag other Pokémon into nightmares, forcing them to confront their deepest fears.

And for Ghost-type Pokémon, fear was the ultimate feast.

After all, plenty of Ghost-types even worked in haunted houses just to get by.

At first, the Ghost-types who had gathered here went through a cycle of excitement, worry, doubt, and experimentation.

Eventually, they ended up as they were now.

A group of Ghost-type Pokémon, clustering around this black mist, drawing power from the fear and resentment it induced.

They even planned to recruit more Pokémon once they had grown stronger.

Expanding their influence, becoming bigger and more powerful.

And their first target for conquest? The nearby farm.

After all, every growing faction needed a place to test its strength.

At first, they had actually wanted to recruit Hisuian Zorua.

Unfortunately, their theatrics had backfired—Zorua found them ridiculous.

And it had hit them right in their sore spot: "a bunch of useless losers huddling together, thinking they're strong."

And, well... the rest was history.

"Nightmares, huh..."

After hearing the Ghost-types' testimony, Natsume suddenly felt that things were getting out of hand.

In the Pokémon world, Pokémon associated with nightmares were extremely rare.

The only one that came to mind immediately was the Nightmare Pokémon—Darkrai.

Considering the glowing feather and the presence of the black mist...

If Natsume still couldn't put the pieces together, he might as well go find a wall to bash his head against.

"Mei, you and Serperior head back first."

"Help me inform Zorua—"

Before Natsume could finish speaking, a surge of black energy suddenly erupted from the ruins left behind by the battle.

A wild, inky-black current swept across the surroundings in an instant.

Cold, eerie blue eyes lit up within the darkness, and a fog as pale as bone billowed forth.

"Ugh..."

'How irritating.'

The Nightmare Pokémon stirred from its slumber, and in that moment, the once-clear sky was swallowed by the encroaching darkness—nightfall arriving in the blink of an eye.

At the moment the black mist erupted, all of the Ghost-type Pokémon instantly collapsed into a deep sleep.

Their brows furrowed as if trapped in inescapable nightmares.

Even Absol, standing at a distance, succumbed.

"Buzz!"

As the black mist surged forward, the feather on Natsume's chest suddenly radiated a brilliant light.

A pale, pristine moonlight formed a barrier, enveloping both him and Mei.

"Return, Absol."

The moment Absol fell, Natsume swiftly recalled it.

That position was simply too dangerous.

No one knew what kind of Darkrai they were dealing with.

After all, while Darkrai were rare, there were still a few of them out there.

And judging from the current situation, this one did not seem particularly friendly.

'This aura... it's that thing.'

The radiant glow in the darkness was glaringly conspicuous, causing Darkrai’s expression to twist with clear disdain.

Raising its hand, it gathered swirling tendrils of dark purple energy.

A miniature "black hole" took shape within its claws.

With a casual flick, it hurled the vortex toward Natsume and Mei.

Dark Void—Darkrai’s signature move.

A technique that forcibly dragged opponents into a world of darkness, plunging them into sleep.

Paired with its natural abilities and Dream Eater, it was an almost inescapable combo.

"Buzz!"

However, as the Dark Void approached, the moon-white feather once again shone with a sacred light.

It firmly blocked the swirling darkness outside the barrier.

"Ogerpon!"

Ogerpon leapt from Natsume’s arms, landing on the ground.

The thorny club that had just dissipated in its hand reformed instantly.

To Ogerpon, attacking Natsume was utterly unforgivable.

This bastard had chosen the path of death.

‘Tch.’

Darkrai spared Ogerpon a brief glance before scoffing in disdain.

If this Ogerpon were at full strength, it might have been troublesome.

But in its current state? It wasn’t much of a threat.

Better to deal with these nuisances quickly and leave.

Before that thing found it again.

With this thought, Darkrai gathered another swirling mass of Dark Void in its palm.

How long could a single leftover feather hold out?

"Howl!"

Perhaps the most predictable thing about this world was its unpredictability.

A beam of pure moonlight suddenly pierced through the darkness, illuminating the land below.

A sacred figure raced forward from the distance.

Opposing the Nightmare Pokémon—Cresselia, the Lunar Guardian, had arrived.