Pokémon: Farm Story

The cold moonlight pierced through the black mist shrouding the sky, cascading gently onto the earth.

The "silver moon" in the sky grew larger and closer, and it was only when it was about to reach the ground that its true form could barely be discerned.

Cresselia—the Lunar Pokémon, a Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon. It is said to soar across the heavens, radiating a luminous glow from its veil-like feathers, and is known as the embodiment of the crescent moon.

Its very form seems to define the word "crescent." The yellow ornaments on the sides of its head resemble a waxing moon, while the pink ring-like wings extending from its sides and back form the shape of a half-moon.

Glowing particles shimmered and swirled around its wings, adding an air of mystery to its presence.

Unlike Darkrai’s eerie and chilling appearance, merely looking at Cresselia evokes thoughts of warmth and tranquility.

As the Pokémon that dispels nightmares, Cresselia has always pursued Darkrai’s trail, using its powers to soothe those tormented by nightmares, gently mending the wounds etched into their hearts.

"Woo!"

A clear, melodious cry echoed through the air.

The ominous black mist instantly dissipated, vanishing like spring snow under the morning sun.

As its radiance gradually withdrew, Cresselia turned its gaze toward Natsume, whom it had shielded, eyes filled with concern.

To Cresselia, all kind-hearted humans and Pokémon deserved its protection.

Several months ago, while tracking Darkrai, it had passed by Natsume’s farm and caught sight of the young man who had just taken over the land.

From Natsume and the Pokémon at the farm, it had sensed a warmth—a goodness that resonated deeply.

And so, it had left behind a single feather as a gesture of trust.

In truth, Cresselia did not scatter its feathers lightly.

On one hand, it worried about being plucked bald; on the other, if too many people activated the Lunar Feather at once, it simply wouldn’t be able to respond to all of them.

"We’re fine, Cresselia."

Raising the now-dimly glowing Lunar Feather, Natsume signaled to Cresselia with a reassuring nod.

If it weren’t for this feather… this time, things might have gotten troublesome.

‘Tsk.’

Seeing the sudden appearance of Cresselia, Darkrai already felt the urge to retreat.

The God of Nightmares and the God of Pleasant Dreams—just their titles alone made it obvious that they were natural enemies.

Strictly speaking, Darkrai's power leaned toward nightmares, while that guy’s power was actually tied to the crescent moon. Dispelling nightmares and bringing pleasant dreams was merely a derivative effect of its abilities.

And why do you think it’s hiding in this tiny place?

Because it got beaten up by that bastard!

Darkrai had no idea what was wrong with that lunatic. There were plenty of Darkrai in the world, yet Cresselia just had to chase after him.

Claiming that tormenting other Pokémon with nightmares was wrong.

But nightmares are my innate ability—how is that my fault?!

As Cresselia focused its attention on Natsume and Mei, Darkrai quietly backed away. Thick fog swiftly filled the space behind it, preparing to shroud its retreat.

“Umpah!”

However, Ogerpon, who had been watching Darkrai the entire time, immediately noticed its intention.

The weeds on the ground behind Darkrai suddenly grew wildly, intertwining like living vines. They formed a long, green whip and lashed toward Darkrai with tremendous force.

This wasn’t a move—at least, it was just a simple application of Grass-type energy.

Boom!

The thorn-covered green whip struck the ground, exactly as expected.

But the attack had already served its purpose.

Darkrai, forced to dodge, had lost its best chance to escape. It could feel a powerful psychic force locking onto it.

Looks like running is no longer an option.

After confirming that Natsume and Mei weren’t affected by Darkrai’s nightmare powers, Cresselia turned its sharp gaze on its adversary.

Indeed, making Pokémon fall into nightmares was Darkrai’s natural ability.

Though Cresselia was known as the God of Pleasant Dreams, it never had the intention of hunting down every single Darkrai.

But this one was different.

This Darkrai deliberately used its powers to plunge others—both humans and Pokémon—into nightmare-ridden torment, feeding off their suffering to strengthen itself.

There was a clear distinction between passive and active malice.

“You sure are hard to find.”

“Like some rabid dog, always sniffing around to scavenge my leftovers?”

“Should I start leaving some scraps for you next time?”

Darkrai sneered, clearly unimpressed by Cresselia.

In its eyes, Cresselia was just a fool.

To put it bluntly, with their lifespans, they had all the time in the world ahead of them.

As for those Pokémon? In a few decades, they’d be nothing but dust.

Was it really worth it?

It was like a full-time employee siding with a temp worker in a workplace conflict.

Would you really back someone who’s leaving next month over a colleague you’d be working with for decades?

Even if you didn’t pick a side, you could at least just stand back and watch.

To Darkrai, Cresselia was just stirring up trouble for no reason.

It took issue with Darkrai and simply found an excuse to act on it.

‘No point talking anymore. I’ve got nothing to say to you.’

Cresselia remained calm in the face of Darkrai’s taunts.

It had tried, countless times, to reason with Darkrai.

But at this point, words were useless.

“Woo!”

Lustrous moonlight radiated from Cresselia’s body as its overwhelming psychic energy surged.

Some say Psychic-type Pokémon aren’t inherently strong—it's just that they’re ridiculously overpowered.

Which, in turn, keeps raising the Psychic-type’s perceived strength.

Like the Cresselia before them.

In an instant, the surrounding black fog was forcibly dispelled, leaving behind a battlefield bathed solely in moonlight.

At the same time, Cresselia’s immense psychic power locked firmly onto Darkrai.

Where do you think you’re running off to, kid?

The gentle glow of the moonlight suddenly turned cold and merciless.

Like a serene moon goddess unveiling her crueler side.

In mythology, the moon symbolizes not only beauty but also cold indifference and untouchable authority.

And in that moment, Cresselia transformed into a relentless bomber.

A barrage of attacks rained down on Darkrai, while Cresselia itself rapidly closed the distance.

At first glance, Cresselia seemed like the type to remain stationary and fire attacks from a distance.

And Darkrai? It looked more suited for close combat.

But in reality, it was the opposite.

Cresselia was a tank, boasting high physical and special defense.

Its strategy? If I can’t die, I’ll just beat you to death first.

Meanwhile, Darkrai funneled most of its stats into special attack and speed—specializing in kiting tactics.

For Cresselia, the best way to deal with Darkrai was to crash right into it.

It wasn’t much of an attacker anyway.

So, it would just go in headfirst and trade blows.

With its endurance and defenses, it was only a matter of time before Darkrai went down first.

‘Tch. What a damn mad dog.’

Watching Cresselia charge toward it like an out-of-control semi-truck, even Darkrai found itself at a disadvantage.

Wasn’t this thing supposed to be a deity of peace?!

Why the hell was it chasing him so relentlessly?!

‘Go to hell.’

Darkrai clapped its hands together, then spread them apart—countless Shadow Balls shot forth from its palms.

Unlike Serperior’s earlier strategy of using minimized energy orbs to restrict movement, each of these Shadow Balls was fired at full power.

Cresselia made a show of dodging a couple of them—before surging forward unfazed.

Letting the Shadow Balls explode upon impact, flames briefly engulfing its form.

And then, the next second, Cresselia emerged from the smoke.

With a single-minded determination in its gaze.

A look that screamed—One of us isn’t walking away from this.

‘This thing… kinda reckless, huh?’

Watching the battle unfold, Natsume couldn’t help but find it familiar.

Wasn’t this exactly how Corviknight fought?

The only difference was their reasoning.

Cresselia was ignoring the attacks to close the gap and dominate the battle.

Corviknight, on the other hand, was just being an ass.

It could dodge—easily.

But it chose not to.

Just to make a point—Your attacks mean nothing to me.

“Natsume, what do we do now?”

At some point, Mei had latched onto Natsume’s arm, looking up at him worriedly.

Initially, it might have been an unconscious action.

But now that she’d noticed it, she had no intention of letting go.

In this cold, indifferent world, only blankets and Natsume could bring her warmth.

"Wait a moment."

"Ogerpon, help out Cresselia."

"Just make sure Darkrai doesn’t escape—stay safe."

After instructing Ogerpon, Natsume pulled out his phone.

In ancient times or places with no signal, this might’ve been a problem.

But here? This was human territory, kid.

Unlocking his phone, he quickly dialed a number.

"Corviknight, get Zorua, Slowking, and the others over here. I need to talk to them."

"Don’t argue, or you’re losing your extra meal tonight."

At the mention of losing its extra meal, Corviknight immediately went scrambling off to call the others.

Once, it had thought—I am a warrior.

Skipping one meal wouldn’t kill it.

And then, about two hours past dinnertime, it was clinging to Natsume’s leg, wailing like its soul had been shattered.

The sound was truly heartbreaking.

After a few seconds, a puzzled voice came through the phone.

“Suo?”

Tilting its head, Zorua sounded confused.

Wasn’t it supposed to be entertaining guests?

Why was it being called over?

"Zorua, here’s the deal…"

As Natsume briefly explained the situation, Zorua’s eyes gradually lit up.

At first, it had found it a bit dull—just showing off pokéblocks and Natsume’s desserts.

But now?

Oh, this was getting interesting.

"Suo!"

Natsume! Wait for me!

After hurriedly shouting toward Natsume, Zorua quickly ran off to notify the others.

Brothers!

Something fun is happening!

"Done."

Putting away his phone, Natsume remained as calm as ever.

For a long time, Natsume had been wondering—just how strong was he really?

After all, he didn't get many opportunities to truly test his combat abilities.

Even though he felt he was quite capable, he worried that it might just be an illusion.

A lot of people think they can fight—even against a professional boxer—until they get knocked out with a single punch.

It’s only then that they realize their true limits.

Natsume was concerned he might be one of those people. Sure, he could push around Houndooms and Fearows on the farm, but what if he ran into a truly powerful Pokémon? Would he be completely outmatched?

But now, looking at the situation, it didn’t seem like a big problem.

If nothing else, this Darkrai didn’t give him a sense of imminent danger.

It was more like—"this would be a hassle if I didn’t have the Lunar Wing."

Just a hassle, nothing more.

Ah… before he knew it, he had been sprinting down the path of someone who didn’t quite act human anymore.

"Ah."

Mei blinked, feeling as if she wanted to say something—

But for a moment, she didn’t know how to put it into words.

That frustrating feeling of having something on the tip of your tongue but not knowing where to start.

Using a phone to give orders to his Pokémon... only Natsume could pull off something like that.

After all, he could understand what Pokémon were saying.

And just now—did Corviknight immediately pick up the call?

Was that little guy browsing forums online again?

Before meeting Corviknight, Mei couldn’t even imagine how a bird Pokémon could use the internet.

But Corviknight had definitely broadened her horizons.

While Natsume was on the phone, the battle within the black mist had reached a fever pitch.

Darkrai and Cresselia were both unquestionably legendary-tier combatants.

Though Darkrai had been injured from Cresselia’s sneak attack and had spent some time recovering, its battle strength was still intact.

Fights between legends were measured in days.

Each legendary Pokémon might have its own specialties, but their immense stamina and powerful regeneration were universal traits.

Unless something unexpected happened, this battle would drag on for a long time, and with Darkrai’s agility, there was a good chance it could escape.

However, once Ogerpon joined the fray, the scales of victory tilted sharply against Darkrai.

Even though it couldn’t fly, Ogerpon’s agility was beyond question.

Every time Darkrai dodged or attacked, Ogerpon would charge forward, exploiting the brief moment when Darkrai's previous strength had just waned, but new strength had yet to surge forth.

Under the relentless barrage of Cresselia and Ogerpon, Darkrai was quickly pushed into a dire situation.

"Enough!"

After another desperate dodge, Darkrai could no longer suppress its rage.

A storm of darkness erupted from its body, sending both Cresselia and Ogerpon flying.

Seizing the opportunity, Darkrai finally caught its breath.

"You will all die."

With a sudden swing of its arm, the Ghost-type Pokémon that had collapsed on the ground, seemingly incapacitated, abruptly opened their eyes.

As if drawn by some unseen force, they slowly floated into the air.

Then, visible tendrils of purple-black malice seeped from their seven orifices, converging toward Darkrai.

"What are you doing?!"

Cresselia, both shocked and furious, rushed at Darkrai recklessly, but a violent gust of energy kept it at bay.

Even Ogerpon, who had leaped into the air, planning to smack Darkrai right on the rear with its thorny club, was sent flying.

"Ugh!"

Landing hard, Ogerpon shot Darkrai a resentful glare.

Damn it! The sneak attack failed!

As the malevolent energy was drained away, the Ghost-type Pokémon’s eyes slowly closed again, slipping back into unconsciousness.

But compared to before, they now looked utterly drained, as if severely malnourished.

For months, these Ghost-types had worked diligently for Darkrai—

Wandering without its direct command, luring Pokémon into nightmares, and harvesting their negative emotions.

But in the end, all of it was nothing more than a setup for Darkrai’s own gain.

"Hah, what a bunch of fools."

Casually tossing aside a drained Shuppet, Darkrai closed its eyes, spreading its arms as it relished the surging power within.

Yes, some legendary Pokémon were kind-hearted and willing to share their strength—

But it was absolutely not one of them.

Darkrai would never give its power away for free.

The reason it had shared a portion of its power was simple—

A mad dog was chasing it.

If it used its full power recklessly, that lunatic would surely sense it and come after it.

But if it gave a fraction of its strength to these Ghost-types and let them spread nightmares in its place, the risk of being discovered was significantly lower.

Many legendary Pokémon blessed ordinary Pokémon—like how Fire-types blessed by Ho-Oh or Entei could sometimes learn Sacred Fire.

Darkrai’s method was similar.

Except… its "blessing" had always been intended for reclamation.

Like a loan shark, it lent them power—

But after some time, it didn’t just demand the principal back. It wanted exorbitant interest.

Darkrai opened its eyes and curled a single finger.

Ripples of darkness radiated from its body, swiftly engulfing the entire battlefield.

Ogerpon and Cresselia both grimaced in pain as the wave of energy hit them.

The next moment, Darkrai melted into the ground like a shadow.

Before anyone could react, it reappeared behind Ogerpon, its claws wreathed in shadow energy as it slashed down mercilessly.

Shadow Claw.

A move commonly seen—

But in Darkrai’s hands, it displayed terrifying power.

The sheer force of the attack sent shockwaves through the earth, carving out a massive crater riddled with web-like fractures.

Ignoring the battered Ogerpon, Darkrai lifted its gaze to the sky where Cresselia hovered.

Spreading its arms wide, a tide of darkness, thick as mercury, poured forth from its body.

If the previous black mist had merely blocked out the sun—

Then now, this all-consuming darkness sought to swallow everything, light included.

Nothing remained but an abyss of shadows.

"This... is my power."

Savoring the overwhelming strength coursing through its body, Darkrai paid no heed to Cresselia’s desperate struggle to shine through the darkness.

Instead, its gaze fell upon Natsume—who, from beginning to end, had shown not even the slightest hint of fear.

"Human… you don’t seem afraid of me at all."

Its raspy, eerie voice echoed directly into Natsume’s mind, carrying an amused undertone.

It seemed most legendary Pokémon possessed some form of telepathy.

"Why should I be afraid?"

Natsume’s response was remarkably calm.

Answering a question with a question—infuriating when you received it, yet deeply satisfying when you gave it.

Back when Natsume used to argue with people online, this was one of his favorite tactics.

Corviknight had learned it from him.

"Why? Because your time is up."

"How’s that for a reason?"

Darkrai’s glowing blue eyes narrowed, its jagged red collar partially obscuring its expression.

But from those slitted eyes, it was clearly laughing—

A mocking, merciless sneer directed at someone who was about to die.

At least, that’s what it thought.

"Time’s up… you’re right."

Natsume nodded, a knowing smirk appearing on his face.

A smirk filled with scorn—

But directed at Darkrai.

"Except—it's your time that’s up."

Darkrai’s brow furrowed. Before it could react, an overwhelming sense of dread surged within it.

And then—

A towering shadow loomed before it.

A pair of crimson eyes bore down on it.

Ting-Lu lowered its massive head, shielding Natsume behind it.

From within the ancient bronze cauldron, steeped in the weight of history, two small figures emerged.

"Suosuo!"

Natsume! I'm here to back you up!

"Mana!"

Me too!

Perched on the edge of the cauldron, Zorua and Manaphy excitedly waved their little arms at Natsume.

Zorua had been told that if it helped Natsume handle this situation, there would be a grand feast waiting tonight!

And not just Pokéblocks—there would be all sorts of desserts, cakes, and Poképuffs. Natsume could make them all.

This was the perfect chance to squeeze a big meal out of him!

Standing beside Natsume, Slowking clasped its hands behind its back.

So this was the Nightmare Pokémon?

Didn’t seem like much.

Shaking its head slightly, Slowking felt a little disappointed.

Its strength was fine, but… something was off.

It didn’t seem like this guy had anything to do with Uxie.

"Alright, alright. I’ll make you a feast when we get back."

Natsume chuckled, nodding as he accepted Zorua’s request for a banquet.

Then, turning his gaze toward Darkrai, his smile deepened.

"I’m waiting for someone. What about you?"