Pokémon: Farm Story

"Alright, just leave it here."

Directing Butterfree and the Gardevoir siblings to use their psychic power to stack the massive piles of wool neatly in the storage room, Natsume casually picked up Mew, who had been lounging atop the wool.

"Mew~"

The wool is so comfy...

Dragged away, Mew went limp, looking completely relaxed.

The large piles of wool stacked together resembled clouds drifting in the sky—soft, fluffy, and incredibly cozy to lie on.

"Alright, time to head back for dinner."

Giving the now-fluid-like Mew a shake, Natsume casually tossed it into the air.

A blue glow flashed, and Mew's body came to a stable hover in midair.

Then, like a fish swimming through water, it glided effortlessly, following behind Natsume.

"Thanks for the hard work, Butterfree, Gardevoir, and Gallade."

"Brii..."

Perched on the eaves, Butterfree let out a long yawn.

After working all afternoon, its mind felt completely drained.

It had been a long time since it felt this mentally exhausted.

Flapping its wings twice, it responded briefly to Natsume.

"Garr"

Compared to Butterfree, Gallade and Gardevoir were in much better shape.

Being Psychic-types, their mastery of psychic energy was far superior to Butterfree’s.

With a casual wave, Gallade greeted Natsume before disappearing with Teleport.

It was time to go catch up on some sleep.

Originally, it had planned to spend the afternoon relaxing, but that was completely derailed, leaving Gallade feeling a bit disappointed.

As for Gardevoir, it no longer carried the same nervousness and constant need to prove its value as it once did.

Nowadays, it would even joke around with Natsume occasionally—though, given its serious nature, its jokes weren’t particularly funny.

After tidying up the storage area and putting away the shearing tools, Natsume grabbed a basket of berries and headed home.

By the time he returned, the sky had fully darkened.

Just a few weeks ago, around 7 or 8 p.m., there would still be some lingering daylight on the horizon.

But now, just past 6 p.m., the sun had already sunk completely below the horizon.

"You're back."

As Natsume pushed open the door, the warm yellow glow of the lights illuminated his face.

The dining room lights had an adjustable setting.

Natsume preferred pure white lighting, so he usually kept them that way.

However, female Indeedee and Mei preferred the softer, warm yellow glow, especially during dinner.

"Dinner’s ready!"

"I made some of the dishes together with Indeedee sister. She’s really amazing."

Mei, wearing an apron, looked completely different from her usual sporty and energetic self.

Her long, silky black hair was casually draped behind her, and even under the soft, warm lighting, her face—without any makeup—showed no flaws.

Her sleeves were rolled up, and she wore pink house slippers.

It really seemed like she had made herself at home here.

"Thanks for the hard work, Mei."

Setting down what he was carrying, Natsume smiled as he spoke.

Upon hearing his words, Mei's long lashes fluttered slightly, and she tilted her head, gazing at Natsume in silence.

"...What is it?"

Feeling slightly unnerved under Mei's gaze, Natsume asked hesitantly.

Was there something off about him?

He did a quick glance down at his clothes—nothing seemed out of place.

And he didn’t think there was any weird smell, either.

"Natsume, you’re always so polite and formal."

"It’s not a bad thing, but it feels like you always keep a bit of distance when you talk to people."

Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Mei searched for the right words.

Natsume was always incredibly polite, no matter who he was talking to.

Never flustered, never impatient—always calm and collected.

It made him easy to like, but at the same time, it could also make him feel distant.

Like now.

Even though they'd known each other for quite a while, there were moments when Mei still felt like Natsume was far away.

It was a strange, subtle feeling.

"...I guess it’s just a habit."

Being called out on it, Natsume instinctively tried to brush it off.

He really did treat everyone in the same way—always weighing his words before speaking.

Back in high school, he had two fairly close friends.

But even with them, his way of talking wasn’t much different from how he spoke to regular classmates.

Though he had occasionally thought about trying to be more casual and open, in the end, he always stuck to this distant yet polite way of speaking.

Mei was no exception.

"Alright, if you say so."

Mei studied him for a moment, then broke into a bright smile and pulled him over to the dining table.

Natsume might not have answered directly, but she knew he’d at least think about it.

Just like when she once pointed out that he always furrowed his brows when he was alone, making him look like he was in a bad mood.

At the time, she had asked if something was wrong out of concern.

And after that, she noticed that Natsume had consciously tried to change that habit.

Just like how she took his advice seriously and worked on improving herself.

Both of them were making efforts to adjust and understand each other better.

From their first meeting to now, months had passed in the blink of an eye.

Living together had become something completely natural, and sometimes, they didn’t even need words to understand each other’s thoughts.

After settling Natsume into his seat, Mei excitedly started introducing all the dishes on the table.

She pointed out which ones she made and which ones the female Indeedee was responsible for.

She shared little cooking mishaps and what had been on her mind while making each dish.

Mei seemed to have an endless desire to share her thoughts with Natsume.

Then, as she leaned in close to tell him about something funny that had happened, her eyes accidentally caught sight of Natsume’s profile.

A sudden impulse surged within her.

Already leaning in, she bent a little closer, tilting up slightly on her toes.

One hand rested on his shoulder, the other on the table.

More than half of her upper body pressed against Natsume’s shoulder and back.

She tried to keep her voice steady as she continued talking, but the soft pink hue of her earlobes completely betrayed her emotions.

Maybe because of her nervousness, Mei didn’t notice Natsume’s reaction.

But just like her, Natsume was feeling a little tense too.

The clear, gentle voice beside his ear, the faint fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose, and the warmth pressing against his back—he was keenly aware of all of it.

All of this was stimulating Natsume’s nerves.

He never considered himself the type to get flustered just because a girl got close or touched him.

After all, he was a modern-day otaku, well-versed in the internet—he had seen things, learned things.

We otakus always end up knowing all sorts of weird knowledge from weird places.

If it had been someone else, Natsume would have simply glanced at them, found an excuse, and subtly distanced himself.

Back in high school, there were girls who had deliberately said some rather bold things to him, but he had only smiled and given no particular reaction.

His indifference had left one of those girls slightly disappointed.

No deeper reason—it just didn’t cross his mind to care.

In a way, Natsume was quite conservative.

Both in his views on relationships and marriage.

But this time, he didn’t feel indifferent.

Turning his head slightly, Natsume suddenly found himself unsure what to do with his hand resting on the table.

Yet, as he felt the warmth radiating from the smaller, delicate hand beside his, he finally lifted his own hand—

And gently covered it.

Mei’s hands weren’t as soft and smooth as one might expect.

She was, after all, a traveling Pokémon Trainer.

Constantly trekking through forests and mountains, her efforts at skincare could only do so much.

At best, it was more for peace of mind than actual effect.

Under the harsh sun, even with protective clothing, getting tanned was inevitable.

Perched on the windowsill, Mew giggled quietly, covering its mouth as it watched the scene unfold.

Floating beside it, a phone screen recorded everything.

Within the album, there was now a timeline—from the first hints of something between them to this moment of real progress.

Seeing the latest photo, Mew nodded in satisfaction.

This felt like watching a long-awaited romance finally come to fruition.

Mew was so pleased that it felt like it could now go feast on a big meal and take a nap without regrets.

Yep, this kid never lets me down.

"Inde?"

Carrying the last plate out of the kitchen, female Indeedee stopped in her tracks, blinking curiously at the two who were now much closer than usual.

What’s going on here?

Just as she made a sound, her brother swiftly covered her mouth and pulled her aside.

Not now! Don’t interrupt them!

Despite being a newcomer to the household, Indeedee brother was already invested in shipping this couple.

Mew: Hello, friend, do you enjoy shipping? I can provide a detailed analysis for you.

Slowking: Greetings, sir. As the vice-president of the Natsume Fan Club and the true power behind the president’s throne, allow me to introduce you to our great master, our unwavering pillar, the handsome and gentle Natsume.

Under their relentless indoctrination, even the newer Pokémon had quickly joined the Cult of Natsume.

If such a thing actually existed.

"Mm?"

Female Indeedee, whose mouth was still covered, instinctively raised the plate in her hands to keep it from spilling.

Although her brother had acted quickly, the slightly ambiguous atmosphere had already been broken.

Snapping back to reality, Mei jolted upright as if spring-loaded, standing stiff as a board.

Meanwhile, Natsume, who had been held down in his seat, coughed awkwardly twice.

"Ahem. Let’s eat."

Letting out a forced chuckle, Natsume swiftly moved on.

Mei also sat back down obediently.

Her fingers fidgeted anxiously, twisting together as her gaze darted around the room.

She couldn’t keep her eyes on anything for more than five seconds.

Not even on Natsume.

In fact, the moment she looked at him, her eyes darted away even faster.

"Indee?"

Setting down the last dish on the table, female Indeedee sat hesitantly in her seat, visibly nervous.

Ah… did I just mess things up?

"It’s fine, it’s fine."

Noticing her unease, Natsume reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

Soft.

His reassuring touch made Indeedee relax a little.

Just a little.

Mostly, she just felt secondhand embarrassment.

And so, dinner proceeded in an awkward, quiet atmosphere.

That night, both Natsume and Mei found themselves struggling with insomnia.

The Next Morning

For the first time in ages, Natsume slept until noon.

"Shit, I overslept."

Seeing the time on his phone, Natsume instinctively sat up.

But then, he remembered—

The farm was running smoothly now.

Even if he stayed in bed all day, nothing would go wrong.

So, after a brief moment of hesitation—he laid back down.

Curled up with his newly acquired pillow, Mew, Natsume let the cool midday breeze drift in through the open window.

Originally, he had been sleeping alone.

But around five in the morning, a certain pink feline had started softly whining beside his bed.

It was just enough noise to wake him up, but not enough to be outright annoying.

You’d think it was being considerate—

Except it literally hummed him awake.

And yet, Mew had remained dutifully on the floor until Natsume, half-asleep, finally gave permission.

Only then did it gleefully pounce onto the bed and snuggle into his arms, purring contentedly.

A mischievous little rascal with a keen sense of timing.

"Mew~"

Flung off the bed by Natsume’s sudden movement, Mew now hovered in the air, looking utterly confused.

Huh? What was that for?

Ignoring its bewildered expression, Natsume stretched his slightly stiff limbs and got up to wash up.

Even though he had slept until noon, he couldn’t just stay in bed all day.

Especially not when there was someone else in the house.

"Lopuu~"

As Natsume was brushing his teeth, Lopunny walked past, carrying a stack of freshly laundered clothes.

It had a clear purpose—passing by him just to nuzzle him twice before continuing on its way.

Most of the Pokémon on the farm seemed to enjoy doing that.

"Yadon."

As soon as Natsume finished washing up, Slowking appeared in front of him.

"Yadon."

Someone’s here to see you.

Hands clasped behind its back, Slowking maintained its usual wise and mysterious expression.

But the faint dark circles under its eyes revealed that it hadn’t slept well last night, either.

Last night, Slowking had secretly gone to find Mew—

To ask about some lingering philosophical questions it had been pondering.

They ended up talking for a long, long time.

So long that, by the time Slowking finally ran out of things to say, Mew happily trotted off to bed, leaving Slowking alone to stare at the starry sky in deep contemplation.

"Someone’s looking for me? Who?"

Natsume found it a bit strange.

His social circle was practically nonexistent.

Most of the townspeople knew of him but rarely ever visited him directly.

"Yadon."

It’s the guy who brought the Indeedee Pokémon before.

After thinking for a moment, Slowking confirmed that it had seen this person before.

The same one who had delivered the prize for defeating Ting-Lu.

"Really? Give me a sec."

Grabbing a jacket from the sofa, Natsume casually draped it over his shoulders and followed Slowking to the farm’s entrance.

There, waiting patiently, was the same man who had come to the farm once before.