Pokémon: Farm Story

Deep within what was once a lush, thriving forest, time seemed to freeze at the moment the temperature spiked.

The once vibrant greenery had largely withered, now cloaked in hues of dry yellow.

The ground was cracked, the water sources had run dry.

A deathly silence hung over the forest paths.

The Pokémon that once called this place home had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only faint remnants of their past existence.

Most had long since disappeared—some likely migrated far away in search of a new habitat.

Others had permanently fallen into slumber beneath this very land.

Only a few heat-resistant Fire-type Pokémon occasionally flickered into view before quickly vanishing again.

The closer one got to the forest's center, the higher the temperature rose.

The searing heat distorted the very air.

Charred tree trunks stood as grim reminders, as if they had endured an unimaginable inferno.

A glance around revealed nothing but a landscape scarred with chilling devastation.

At the heart of the forest—or rather, the very source of this heat—stood a small, dilapidated shrine, its original form barely discernible.

Every so often, a crackling sound would echo through the air.

At the shrine's center rested a statue, its features melted beyond recognition under the relentless heat.

The statue's pose suggested it was meant to suppress something.

The ground beneath bore intricate, mysterious symbols forming what seemed to be a sealing array.

A sinister crimson glow pulsed intermittently from the arcane markings.

For a fleeting moment, a scarlet shadow flickered through the air.

The already deteriorating seal weakened further.

The patterns on the ground had almost completely faded.

Perhaps, before long, whatever lay beneath this seal would once again return to the world.

---

Meanwhile, at Natsume's farm, the supposedly diligent Okidogi—currently forced into training—noticed that Ting-Lu seemed to be spacing out.

Seizing the opportunity, it quietly paused its movements and began slacking off.

…Seems like it didn't notice?

Throwing a couple of half-hearted punches at the training dummy, Okidogi sneakily turned its head to check on Ting-Lu.

Hmm, still not looking at me.

Excellent!

Another two fake punches for good measure, then continue observing.

Beside it, Fezandipiti shot a look of disdain at the slacking mutt.

That guy always thought it was clever, constantly trying to cut corners in training.

But in truth, aside from Okidogi…

Everyone else—Fezandipiti, Okidogi, and Munkidori—was giving it their all, sweating and grinding with full dedication.

Okidogi's mindset was simple.

Since Boss Natsume had said they'd be useful someday, it needed to grow stronger now to avoid being discarded like trash.

Loyalty?

Not really.

But when it came to matters concerning its own survival, it knew how to prioritize.

It was a captive, after all.

What right did it have to think about anything else?

Survival came first.

As for Munkidori, it simply wanted to get stronger—so that the next time Ogerpon got bored and decided to use them as punching bags, it would finally have the power to fight back.

Being relentlessly beaten one-sidedly had long since ignited a fury within it.

Train. Train.

I must grow stronger!

With a burning determination in its eyes, Munkidori pushed itself harder.

And Fezandipiti?

That one had completely defected.

Ever since the day Natsume showed up and fed it Pokéblocks that enhanced beauty and made its feathers silky and radiant…

It had shamelessly kneeled before Natsume on the spot, crying and begging to be accepted as his follower.

It had originally eaten Mochi Rice Cakes for the sake of looking beautiful.

But now, there was an even better alternative.

Fezandipiti made its decision instantly.

Thus, the original four-member squad had entered a rather strange phase.

Fezandipiti had thrown itself wholeheartedly into Natsume's ranks.

Munkidori was figuring out ways to curry favor, hoping to be officially accepted as well.

Okidogi Didn't Care Too Much

It only wanted to grow stronger for now.

And so, Okidogi became a lone wolf.

Now, the only one still harboring hostility toward Natsume was Pecharunt.

But holding a grudge against Natsume while living on his farm?

The outcome was obvious.

A sharp, piercing screech suddenly rang out.

Fezandipiti executed a flawless slide across the ground, prostrating itself dramatically before Ting-Lu, its face full of righteous indignation as it accused Okidogi of wasting Boss Natsume's and Big Brother Ting-Lu's goodwill.

Natsume and Ting-Lu were trying to help everyone get stronger, yet this guy not only showed no gratitude but even had the audacity to slack off!

A paragon of justice like Fezandipiti simply couldn't stand by and watch!

This wasn't just a minor issue anymore—this called for swift and decisive action!

As Fezandipiti pulled this stunt, Okidogi was left utterly dumbfounded.

Wait… you can't be serious.

Aren't we supposed to be on the same side?

Sure, you backstabbed me before—

But I didn't even hold it against you!

And now you act like you want me dead or something?

Fezandipiti let out a disdainful snort.

Who's "we"? Who wants to be lumped together with an idiot like you?

Still can't see the situation clearly?

The days of running wild in some backwater village were long over.

They had just been frogs at the bottom of a well, living in a world without Boss Natsume.

If necessary, Fezandipiti was more than willing to beat Okidogi to a pulp right now just to prove its loyalty to Natsume.

Ting-Lu, who had been snapped out of its thoughts by Fezandipiti's screeching, turned around to see Okidogi's panicked and angry expression.

Slowly, it got to its feet.

Then, under Okidogi's terrified, pleading gaze, it raised a massive hoof.

Heavy Stomp!

Centered around Ting-Lu's hoof, waves of powerful Ground-type energy surged outward, kicking up dirt and dust.

Okidogi, caught beneath the massive hoof, struggled briefly—

Then promptly passed out.

To be fair, Okidogi's endurance wasn't so weak that it couldn't take a single hit.

But it was smart enough to know that if it resisted, more hits would follow.

Might as well just pass out and skip the extra beatings.

Right before losing consciousness, it cast one final glance at Fezandipiti.

You just wait.

Once I wake up, I'm gonna teach you a lesson.

Fezandipiti, unimpressed by Okidogi's glare, let out a scoff.

Dumb mutt.

Still stuck in the past?

At this point, it was nothing more than the weakest one here.

Even Fezandipiti could land a couple of hits on it.

Ting-Lu retracted its hoof and let out a deep roar.

'Keep training.'

With that, it turned and began walking off—heading toward Natsume.

Or rather, it was just stretching its legs, taking a casual stroll in Natsume's direction.

With its sheer size, it didn't need to go far.

Before long, some Pokémon would surely notice and alert Natsume, who would come find it instead.

This was much better.

If it went to find Natsume itself, it would have to be careful not to trample the orchard or accidentally step on the smaller Pokémon.

That would make Natsume angry.

And sure enough, moments later, Gardevoir appeared with Natsume, teleporting directly in front of Ting-Lu.

"What's up, Ting-Lu?"

Natsume let go of Gardevoir's shoulder and looked at Ting-Lu curiously.

Ever since coming to the farm, Ting-Lu had become increasingly lazy.

If it didn't have to move, it wouldn't.

Most of the time, it just lay around at the farm's edge, basking in the sun and watching the clouds.

It had developed a strangely zen-like attitude over time.

Sometimes, Natsume even thought Ting-Lu could spend some time meditating at a temple.

With its level of tranquility, Natsume himself could never hope to match it.

Any young person exposed to modern internet culture would struggle to achieve such a state of pure detachment.

There was always too much on their mind, too much useless noise cluttering their thoughts.

Ting-Lu let out a low growl and lowered its head, explaining the situation to Natsume.

Not long ago, it had sensed a familiar presence—

Chien-Pao.

As one of the Treasures of Ruin, Ting-Lu shared a certain connection with the other three.

Previously, it could tell that Wo-Chien and Chi-Yu were still sealed.

Chien-Pao, on the other hand, had already been set free.

But Ting-Lu had little interest in that brainless leopard, whose only thoughts revolved around rolling around in the snow.

As for the other two?

Hopeless. Let them rot.

If they couldn't even break out of a seal, what good were they?

When Ting-Lu had broken free, it hadn't cared at all about the other three.

It had been consumed by a singular urge to destroy.

Now, though?

The only thing on its mind was its next meal.

In a way, it seemed Mew had been a bad influence on it.

"I see."

Natsume patted Ting-Lu's massive head in understanding.

From what he recalled, Chi-Yu's appearance wasn't too bad—

At least, compared to Ting-Lu and Wo-Chien.

Those big, watery eyes had a certain charm to them.

As for Chien-Pao?

Honestly, Natsume never quite got its appeal.

Its fangs as swords and its snow-white fur were cool on their own—

But put together, something about it just felt… off.

He just couldn't get into it.

But everything was relative.

Compared to Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao was undoubtedly handsome.

Ting-Lu tilted its head slightly.

For some reason, it felt like Natsume had just insulted it.

As a Treasure of Ruin, Ting-Lu could vaguely perceive human malice.

If someone harbored ill intent, it would notice right away.

But after thinking about how well Natsume treated it…

And after remembering tonight's dinner…

Ting-Lu decided it must have been mistaken.

No way.

No way Natsume would think bad things about it.

Absolutely impossible.

Meanwhile, Natsume was considering whether Chi-Yu's emergence would affect the farm.

Strictly speaking, he already knew where Chi-Yu was.

After all, the increased temperatures in the forest had forced Pokémon like Emolga to migrate.

Naturally, Natsume had investigated the cause.

The distance wasn't close enough to pose an immediate threat to the farm.

But the real problem was—

What if the first thing Chi-Yu did after breaking free was come looking for an old friend?

That would be a problem.

Unlike Ting-Lu, whose destruction is straightforward, Chi-Yu is the very embodiment of setting mountains ablaze.

If that thing gets too close… never mind anything else, the Wooloo on the farm would be dropping from heatstroke left and right. That would be a massive loss.

So, Natsume figured—if Chi-Yu did break free and started heading this way, he'd just give it a good beating first.

Everyone knows that we Jadeleaf people have farming in our bones.

Most of the time, all we think about is farming.

But occasionally, unexpected things happen.

Like, "I reckon that land of yours is perfect for farming."

Or, "I'm out of land—guess I need to get some."

Or even, "You're messing with my farming? Yeah, I'm gonna have to deal with you."

Very simple and straightforward thoughts.

And the actions tend to be just as straightforward.

Of course, for the one being targeted, it's probably not so pleasant.

"Alright, got it."

"If there's a chance later, I might take you to see your old friends."

Natsume patted the bronze cauldron on Ting-Lu's head, smiling.

Ting-Lu shook its head.

It had no particular thoughts on those so-called old friends.

Honestly, it wasn't too interested in meeting them again.

One by one, they were all dull and brainless.

Nowhere near as fun as the Pokémon on the farm.

Corviknight, for example, would invite it to watch movies sometimes.

Whenever it gathered with those old acquaintances, they'd just sit there for ages, barely saying a word.

Everyone putting on airs, acting all high and mighty.

One snorting, another grunting.

Sounded like they were talking out of their backsides.

They'd just stare at each other.

Back and forth, year after year—nothing ever changed.

Every time, they barely exchanged a few words before things fell apart.

And when Ting-Lu thought back on it later, it'd realize that they hadn't actually talked about anything at all.

Just listened to those fools blabbering nonsense.

Shaking its head, Ting-Lu got up and started heading back to its territory.

Might as well check on how those guys were doing with their training.

Before leaving, Ting-Lu briefly mentioned the training situation of Peach-Thief and the others.

"Got it."

"I'll leave it to you to keep an eye on them."

Nodding, Natsume acknowledged the update.

In fact, he already had a good grasp of what was going on over there.

For one, there was the Slowking who was slowly evolving into a full-blown street punk, roaming over every day just to take a look.

Then it would return in the evening to report back to Natsume.

And let's not forget those two traitors—Munkidori and Fezandipiti—who would snitch on every little thing their teammates did.

One wanted to get on Natsume's good side, the other was in it for extra beauty-enhancing Pokéblocks.

When it came to selling out their teammates, they never hesitated for even a second.

Poor Boltund still had no clue that there was more than one traitor among them.

Not that its brain was capable of figuring that out.

After Ting-Lu left, Natsume started making preparations.

Some supplies—like potions—were still in stock from last time and hadn't been used much, so there was no need to buy more. He'd just take what he already had.

Then there was the matter of crafting Pokéblocks.

Pokéblocks had a shelf life.

Over time, the energy within them would gradually dissipate.

So every now and then, Natsume would do a full clear-out of the farm's warehouse stock.

Consider it a little welfare bonus for the residents.

As Natsume busied himself with preparations, time slowly passed.

There was still no movement from Chi-Yu's side.

But on Natsume's end, the Gym was finally completed.