Pokémon: Farm Story

The Machamp driving the vehicle instinctively wanted to pull off a flashy drift at the entrance, but upon spotting Natsume, it quickly reconsidered. Instead, it carefully eased on the brakes and came to a smooth stop.

No choice—when facing a VIP client, maintaining a bit of respect was necessary, regardless of whether the other party cared.

That’s just how life worked.

“Boss! We’re here!”

Jumping out of the vehicle, the Machamp girl hurried over to Natsume. Breathing in the fresh air, she felt all the grogginess from her midday nap and the discomfort of the ride vanish.

There was something about Natsume’s farm, almost like magic. Simply being here, just taking a breath, felt rejuvenating.

“I’ll have to trouble you again.”

Natsume nodded, leading the construction team into the farm.

By now, the team was extremely familiar with the farm. After all, they had personally built most of the structures here, one step at a time.

“No trouble at all.”

The Machamp girl quickly waved her hand dismissively.

Compared to dealing with middle-aged clients, she much preferred working with young people.

Sure, young folks these days had moods that fluctuated more wildly than the stock market, but overall, their professionalism was still solid.

As long as you communicated properly, most young people would reciprocate with the same level of respect—unless the other side was being unreasonable.

Whether it was negotiation or general interaction, working with young people was simply more pleasant.

“This time, the construction will be over there…”

After briefly explaining the project to the Machamp girl, Natsume called over the diligent Butler Ogerpon.

Since they had worked together for a long time, Natsume trusted the team completely.

Likewise, Ogerpon also had complete confidence in them.

With Ogerpon supervising, Natsume didn’t plan to stand around watching over the construction.

Watching people work was just too boring.

He figured he wasn’t old enough to appreciate the “joy” of standing by a construction site, observing the progress like a retiree.

No, right now, he was still a young man with energy to spare.

“Suo.”

So, what are we doing now?

Trailing alongside Natsume, Zorua trotted in tiny, delicate steps.

This posture… was still kind of uncomfortable.

Even though it had maintained this form for a while now, it still didn’t feel like moving much.

With that thought, Zorua leaped into the air.

A soft, glowing light enveloped its small frame, and as the glow faded, a pink, long-tailed feline emerged once more.

“You done with role-playing for now?”

Glancing at the pink feline beside him, Natsume instinctively reached out and scratched under its chin.

“Mew~”

I still feel like playing sometimes.

Mew narrowed its eyes in pleasure.

Hmm… this expert-level cat-petting technique…

Natsume, you’ve definitely petted a lot of cats before, haven’t you?

Mew swished its long tail across Natsume’s face, pretending to interrogate him.

Confess! How many cats have you been petting behind my back?!

Didn’t you say I was your one and only cat?!

“I never said that.”

Natsume casually grabbed Mew’s tail and gave it a gentle tug.

Mew, playing along, allowed itself to be “reeled in” and curled up comfortably in Natsume’s arms.

Ah, this familiar sensation.

“As for how many cats I’ve petted…”

Natsume thought for a moment.

“Well, there’s Purugly, Glameow, the neighbor’s Skitty from when I was a kid, Purrloin, a classmate’s Delcatty, Shinx…”

“Mew.”

Alright, you can stop talking now.

Mew pressed the tip of its tail against Natsume’s lips, forcing him into silence.

I can’t believe you’re this kind of person, Natsume.

Playing around with so many cats…

"Well, there’s nothing I can do about it."

Shrugging, Natsume acknowledged it as an unavoidable reality.

His physique naturally attracted many Pokémon—or rather, he was destined to be endlessly petted by them.

As for how many cats he had petted?

Would you remember how many slices of bread you’ve eaten in your life?

"Mew"

You still haven’t said what you’re up to right now.

A slender tail brushed back and forth against Natsume’s chin. Mew, however, remained unfazed even as Natsume grabbed it in one swift motion.

Still nestled comfortably in his arms.

"I’m heading back to grab some tools and give Ampharos and the others a trim."

Walking beneath the shade of the trees with Mew in his arms, Natsume felt a slight chill against his skin. It was at this moment that he truly realized—summer had completely ended.

Among the Ampharos evolutionary line, only Ampharos itself lacked wool.

Mareep, Flaaffy, and even Mega Ampharos were all covered in fleece.

It was said that many farms deliberately controlled Mareep’s growth to maintain wool production.

Of course, they didn’t use an Everstone—that would be far too expensive.

Instead, it was supposedly regulated through dietary methods.

Natsume hadn’t delved too deeply into the specifics.

With a herd of Dubwool around, wool production was never a concern.

If they wanted to evolve, they could evolve.

After all, he could afford it.

Perhaps it was because he frequently used the power of Viridian Forest to accelerate growth, but the air quality across the entire farmland had become astonishingly pure.

There even seemed to be... something extra in the air.

If this were a cultivation novel, it’d be a land rich in spiritual energy—an earthly paradise.

Forget just fruit trees—at this rate, even the weeds on the ground were going to turn into premium pasture grass.

Gotta say, this is a pretty ideal superpower for a farming simulator enthusiast.

"Mew!"

I wanna play too! I wanna play!

The Zorua lying in Natsume’s arms immediately perked up.

Shearing wool?

That sounded super fun!

Count me in!

"Mew!"

Let’s go! Let’s go!

A blue glow enveloped Natsume, and in the next moment, Teleport activated.

In an instant, Natsume and Mew arrived home—just in time to stumble upon an ongoing tea party.

Ever since Indeedee had arrived, the Pokémon in Natsume’s house had been steadily gaining weight.

There was no helping it—she seemed to have awakened some deep-seated passion for feeding others.

And the food she made?

Gotta admit, it tasted pretty good.

Thus, everyone’s weight… well…

"Meow?"

Perched on the sofa, an Emolga who had been play-fighting with a Purrloin suddenly froze as it caught sight of Mew floating beside Natsume.

Wait—why is there another cat here?!

Sure, it could fly, and it wasn’t exactly like a normal cat…

But this was still absolutely, definitely a cat!

Damn it. It’s time for the farm’s rodents to unite!

We can’t let the cats steal all of Natsume’s attention!

Unaware of Emolga’s internal turmoil, Natsume called out to all the Pokémon in the house, gathering them to introduce Mew.

The once spacious living room instantly became crowded, and Natsume’s black pants were quickly covered in various colors of floating fur.

"Everyone, look over here."

Clapping his hands, Natsume drew the attention of all the Pokémon.

The soft murmuring noises immediately fell silent as countless eyes locked onto him.

"The one beside me is Zorua—this is its true form. From now on, everyone should call it ‘Mew.’"

Ruffling Mew’s head, Natsume spoke loudly.

Led by Persian, the Pokémon present remained surprisingly calm.

Wasn’t this normal?

Everyone had already known that this Zorua wasn’t exactly… normal.

It’s just that since Mew never brought it up, and Natsume never said anything, they simply went along with it.

They got along just fine, so what was the point of digging deeper?

What, were they supposed to interrogate it just for fun?

No thanks—what a waste of energy.

So, most Pokémon in the room remained unfazed.

"Caw?!"

At the entrance, Corviknight looked utterly dumbfounded—his entire worldview shattered.

Well, there was one particularly shocked audience member.

Though Corviknight’s reason for being stunned was different from everyone else’s.

He vaguely recalled a certain moonless night, shrouded in darkness.

That night, he and "Zorua" had secretly stayed up all night watching movies behind Natsume’s back.

One of those movies briefly mentioned an ancient mural depicting the legendary Pokémon Mew.

Though it was just a passing reference, Corviknight had taken note of it.

After all, some experts claimed Mew was the ancestor of all Pokémon.

At the time, Corviknight thought, Wait… I’ve got such an incredible ancestor?!

Determined to do some research, he scoured the internet—only to find a lot of repetitive nonsense.

Not very satisfying.

So, his ever-so-"knowledgeable" friend, "Zorua," had generously offered to give him a full, detailed lecture.

Describing in grand detail the mythical existence of Mew—the apex of mirage Pokémon, the master of all known moves, second only to the god of creation itself.

That night, neither Corviknight nor Zorua got any sleep.

Corviknight couldn’t sleep because someone wouldn’t stop talking.

Meanwhile, Zorua was simply too energetic—dragging Corviknight into an all-nighter against his will.

For the first time ever, the night owl Corviknight tasted his own medicine.

By morning, Corviknight felt like he had unlocked the ability to astral project—ready to leave this world behind.

And now you’re telling me…

This punk right here is actually Mew?!

So you were just hyping yourself up all along, huh?

No wonder this guy, who usually doesn’t respect anyone, treated that mythical Pokémon with such reverence.

Quietly squatting at the doorway, Corviknight stared at Mew with an incredibly complicated expression.

We were supposed to struggle together as nobodies, and now you’ve turned into a legendary Pokémon overnight?

This feeling… it hurts, man.

"Mew~"

Sensing Corviknight’s resentful gaze, Mew turned around and flashed a playful smile.

And then—he gave Corviknight a look.

‘9 PM. Same spot.’

"Caw!"

Got it!

Corviknight nodded in relief.

This familiar vibe…

Yep, still the same ol’ buddy who stays up all night browsing forums with me!

Aside from Corviknight, the most shocked ones were Hisuian Zorua and Togepi.

Wait, wait, wait—you’re telling me that my big bro, a totally ordinary little fox (or egg-shaped fairy), is actually a legendary Pokémon?

And not just any legendary Pokémon—the strongest one?!

Wow.

That’s kinda insane.

This totally justifies pulling off even bigger pranks now, right?

The two mischievous ones exchanged glances, immediately seeing excitement and shared mischief brewing in each other’s eyes.

"Alright, alright. I’m heading off to shear Ampharos and the others."

"If you’re interested, feel free to tag along and help out."

Digging through the storage room, Natsume retrieved the shearing tools before turning back to address the Pokémon still chattering in the living room.

Looking at the pile of highly professional and intricate tools in his hands…

Natsume scratched his head in frustration.

He had no idea how to use them.

Wasn’t there some Pokémon move that could handle shearing?

"Natsume, Natsume! I wanna come too—Roto!"

A Rotom in its smartphone form zipped in excitedly from outside.

Its first video was almost ready—just a bit more polishing, and it would be good to go!

Rotom had already planned out the intro.

By then, it would have Natsume introduce himself and post some platform-specific content accordingly.

For example, on site A-b (YouTube), he’d say he really liked the atmosphere here.

Then, fast-forward to a "Try Not to Laugh Challenge" (crossed out).

When it came to the internet, Rotom considered itself quite knowledgeable.

'No one understands the internet better than I do.'

"Alright, Rotom, you can come along too," Natsume agreed.

"But be careful—there are some things you're not allowed to record."

Of course, Natsume was aware of Rotom's recent habit of filming everything around the farm.

Many of the Pokémon at the farm had their own aspirations and goals.

For example, Shiny Furret was determined to train hard and become stronger.

Rotom wanted to stir things up on the internet.

Everyone was searching for something they wanted to do.

"Alright, Roto."

Rotom spun around in the air excitedly.

It already knew what could and couldn’t be filmed.

For example, Cresselia and Mew were strictly off-limits.

Ting-Lu could be filmed, but Rotom chose not to—unless, of course, people really wanted to see it later.

Natsume and Gardevoir’s Pokéblock workshop was also off-limits.

These were sensitive topics.

For now, Rotom was mostly focusing on filming the farm, revealing bits and pieces to build anticipation.

"Alright, let’s head out."

Grabbing some tools, Natsume casually summoned a Gogoat to ride.

Trailing behind him were Rotom, Persian, Butterfree, and Audino carrying Phione.

Rotom’s goal had already been made clear—gathering video material.

Butterfree, on the other hand, had just been passing by when Natsume roped it into helping out.

Since the farm had stabilized, Butterfree had finally been able to enjoy the peaceful life it had always longed for—essentially, retirement.

No battles, no work, no stress about the future.

Wake up, find something to do if you feel like it, scroll through your phone if you don’t.

Eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired.

This kind of peaceful life could dull one’s ambition, but for Butterfree, it was exactly what it had always wanted.

If you could live comfortably without struggling, why force yourself to strive for more?

Butterfree didn’t get it.

It had only gotten caught by Natsume this time; otherwise, it would have been taking an afternoon nap by the lake with Gallade.

The two had become quite good friends, united in their shared pursuit of relaxation.

Persian, meanwhile, had just woken up and was looking for something to do.

Two nights ago, Corviknight had issued its 811th challenge against Persian... and lost again.

It probably wouldn’t be showing up for a few days.

Ah, the warm sunshine…

Lately, Persian had been feeling something strange happening to its body.

It couldn’t quite put it into words, but it could feel itself getting stronger.

Its muscles were subtly reshaping, optimizing for battle.

Its physique was becoming more streamlined.

Its sense of smell and vision had sharpened significantly.

Even its tail—when it struck the ground, it hit with the force of a steel whip.

If an ordinary person got smacked by it, broken bones would be inevitable.

At this point, the only one still treating Persian like a plush toy was Natsume.

In fact, he could still pin Persian down with one hand.

Since it was a kitten, Persian had never been able to defy Natsume.

And then there was Audino, leisurely bringing up the rear.

Unlike the others, Audino was genuinely just taking Phione out for a walk and some fresh air.

Audino believed that children shouldn’t stay cooped up indoors all the time.

Most Pokémon—unless they had particularly unique personalities—were naturally energetic and curious about the outside world.

Technically, Phione was fully capable of exploring on its own at this point.

But Audino insisted on watching over it for another couple of days.

This was the first newborn Pokémon it had cared for since graduating from the Pokémon Nurse Academy!

It had to give it 100% effort!

Manaphy, meanwhile, was perfectly fine with that.

If someone else was willing to watch over its kid, what was there to complain about?

That just meant more time for fun and relaxation!

"Ampharos, time for a trim!"

Standing by the fence, Natsume called out to the group of Ampharos lazily munching on berries.

A noticeably larger Ampharos stepped forward from the flock.

Since arriving at the farm, the Ampharos clan had gone through a leadership change.

The new leader was younger, stronger, and had more stamina.

After a peaceful challenge, the leadership had been passed down.

The new Ampharos chief got along well with Natsume and never once demanded extra privileges just for being the leader.

"Amph!"

The chief nuzzled Natsume’s head affectionately before stepping aside and calling out to the Mareep and Flaaffy, urging them to line up for their shearing.

For them, shearing was like shedding a heavy burden.

They always felt much lighter and freer afterward.

"Baa."

"Baa baa baa."

The air filled with the sound of bleating as the flock lined up obediently.

The first Flaaffy plopped down on its rear, back facing Natsume, patiently awaiting its turn.

If it had been someone else, it might have been annoyed at the lack of skill.

But Natsume was different.

For one, his presence was incredibly soothing.

And secondly…

"Alright, here you go."

"Baa~"

Once fully shorn, the Flaaffy stood up and eagerly accepted a Pokéblock from Natsume.

It happily popped the treat into its mouth before trotting off, feeling refreshed.

Ah, Natsume really does hand out treats freely.

Sure, his presence was comforting, but what really won Pokémon over was his generosity.

"Wooloo!"

As soon as one Flaaffy left, the next stepped up.

Meanwhile, Butterfree used Psychic to carefully gather and organize the wool to keep it from getting in the way.

The line moved slowly but steadily.

At this pace, Natsume would still be working by nightfall.

Thankfully, he had already called in reinforcements.

"Gardevoir, Gallade—please help out."

With a flash of Teleport, the sibling duo appeared beside him.

Natsume let out a relieved sigh.

With their help, this would go much faster.

Gallade and Butterfree exchanged a look of shared suffering.

‘Brother, you got dragged into overtime too?’

‘Yeah, man… let’s get through this together.’

Silently accepting the tools, Gallade squatted down and begrudgingly started shearing a nearby Flaaffy.

Unlike Gardevoir, who worked skillfully and efficiently, Gallade’s technique looked more like an interrogation session.

Especially when it felt the judgmental gaze of the Flaaffy it was shearing…

Why am I here?

I should be at the lake, peacefully fishing right now.

"Mew!"

Nearby, Mew joyfully chased after a freshly shorn Flaaffy, playfully swinging a brush.

Both Mew and the Flaaffy seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Unaware of Mew’s true identity, the Flaaffy was completely at ease.

"Woof woof!"

In the distance, a series of excited barks rang out.

A streak of electric light zipped across the field.

Finally, it skidded to a halt in front of Natsume.

The newly evolved Boltund had arrived.

Ever since evolving, it had finally gained the strength to herd the flock alone.

As an Yamper, it had zero authority—the sheep saw it as a harmless mascot.

Some Mareep and Dubwool even used to tease it for fun.

After all, watching a tiny ball of electricity get flustered was hilarious.

But after evolving, Boltund had become strong enough to command respect.

It was now a proper sheepdog.

"Woof!"

Boltund slid to a stop, bracing its hind legs as it eagerly placed its paws on Natsume’s knees.

It wagged its tail like a propeller, panting excitedly as it nuzzled against Natsume’s face.

It really wanted to lick him.

But it knew Natsume hated getting covered in drool, so it held back.

Rubbing up against him was just as good.

"Alright, Boltund, take a break for now."

"I'll play with you after I finish shearing the wool."

Blocking the overly affectionate Boltund from rubbing all over him, Natsume patted its head.

"Woof!"

With a bark, Boltund obediently sat at Natsume's feet.

Now, with Persian on one side and Boltund on the other, they looked like his personal bodyguards.

As the sky darkened, Natsume finally finished today's work.

"That's a wrap."

Having already taken off his jacket, Natsume wiped the sweat from his forehead.

This kind of repetitive task was pretty dull.

"I'm all done too, Roto!"

Rotom, which had been filming the whole time, buzzed around excitedly.

Its video was finally ready!

Time to blow everyone's minds a little.

"Alright, time for dinner."

Natsume patted the drowsy Persian curled up at his feet and called out to the Pokémon who had worked alongside him all afternoon.

"Gallade!"

Gallade was the first to toss aside his shearing tool.

Finally!

Fishing time!

…Only to receive a sharp elbow to the ribs from his own sister.

A righteous abdomen strike!

Back at home...

A few minutes before Natsume's return, Mei—having received his message—was already in the kitchen, helping female Indeedee set up dinner.