Pokémon: Farm Story

From Corviknight’s perspective, the Pokémon below suddenly became inexplicably fired up.

They charged forward, shouting about their bonds, Mei’s trust, and dreams of the future.

Who even understands this kind of thing?

Corviknight certainly didn’t.

And in the end, nothing changed.@@novelbin@@

Even giving it their all, they still couldn’t break through Corviknight’s defenses—neither with attacks nor with trash talk.

Others in Zaun have to find ways to protect their families.

To do that, they train their aggression and develop lightning-fast reflexes.

But if Corviknight were to go to Zaun, it would be its teammates and opponents trying to protect their families from it.

“Servine...”

Servine knelt on the ground, its eyes filled with frustration.

Why?

It had already worked so hard.

So why was it still unable to catch up to that guy?

This time, just like last time.

Forget winning—it couldn’t even leave a real mark.

Looking up at Mei, who was running toward it with a hint of worry on her face, Servine’s emotions churned.

Unwillingness, pain, and a touch of sadness welled up in its chest—

And finally, turned into anger.

Pokémon are highly idealistic creatures.

Sure, this world has science, but there are many things that science simply cannot explain.

Take the move Return, for example.

That move is essentially the embodiment of a Pokémon’s bond with its trainer—

The closer the bond, the stronger the attack.

Beyond just Return, many Pokémon push themselves beyond their limits simply to meet their trainer’s expectations.

Perhaps because of sadness—no, because of humiliation—

That feeling acted like a catalyst, pushing Servine past the final threshold standing between it and evolution.

“Servine!”

A white light, burning as intensely as its emotions, erupted around it—

Brighter than the sun in the sky.

“Servine!”

Mei, holding a potion, gasped in delight as she watched.

Servine had already been on the verge of evolving for some time.

But for some reason, it always felt like something was missing, preventing the final step.

Yet today, under Corviknight’s pressure, Servine finally took that step.

A crucial step—

One that would elevate it from an ordinary starter Pokémon to the very pinnacle of its kind.

Inside the blinding light, Servine’s silhouette stretched and expanded.

Servine still had a bit of cuteness to it before—

But Serperior?

Serperior was a symbol of regal elegance and authority.

And one of the most fearsome special attackers among starter Pokémon.

Before learning Leaf Storm, different tactics might be necessary.

But after learning Leaf Storm?

With the Contrary ability, Serperior’s battle strategy boiled down to one thing:

Leaf Storm. Leaf Storm. More Leaf Storm.

Just like Corviknight.

Before evolution, it had all sorts of flashy maneuvers.

After evolution, it was like it traded its brain for sheer physical might—

Now, all it had left was Iron Defense and Brave Bird.

Hopefully, Serperior wouldn’t turn into a Leaf Storm spamming machine.

“Ser...”

As the white light faded, a massive serpent, as elegant as if it were draped in a tuxedo, appeared before Mei.

It slowly opened its eyes—

Deep crimson, like rich red wine, with a flicker of confusion.

The changes in its body left it momentarily disoriented.

Where are my arms?

Wait.

My arms were gone?!

All thoughts of celebrating its evolution vanished—Serperior was in total shock.

It turned its head slowly, looking at Mei’s joyous face, its mouth twitching slightly.

Then—

“Serperior!!!”

My arms and legs are gone!!!

It burst into wails.

The sudden loss of limbs was just too much to process.

Then again, snakes don’t usually have arms or legs...

Mei scrambled to comfort the Serperior pressing its head against her, looking utterly lost.

This wasn’t how she had imagined its evolution at all.

The Pokémon that had been preparing to celebrate also came to a halt.

Uh... why was it crying after evolving?

“Serperior!!”

Not only had it lost its limbs, but it had also grown so big—

Now, it wouldn’t be able to sleep in Mei’s bed anymore!

“Serperior!!!”

And to make things worse, it still hadn’t learned Leaf Storm after evolving!

That meant it probably still couldn’t beat that dumb bird!

“Caw?”

Corviknight tilted its head, puzzled as it landed on the ground.

What was this all about?

Back when it evolved, it had been over the moon—

After all, evolution meant getting stronger.

A straight-up stats boost.

Like in a game, no matter the meta, mechanic-heavy Pokémon always had a place—

But top-tier Pokémon were always just raw stat monsters.

And if you could overpower your opponent purely with numbers, who would bother training for skill?

Corviknight certainly didn’t.

“Maybe it’s just... a bit overwhelmed?”

Having listened to Serperior’s entire breakdown, Natsume was probably the only one present who truly understood its thoughts.

He could empathize.

It would take time for Serperior to come to terms with its sudden lack of limbs.

“There, there, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

After much effort, Mei finally managed to calm Serperior down.

“Ser...”

Coiling its body, Serperior’s emotions settled—

But it still looked grumpy.

Was it dissatisfied with its new form?

Or was it still mad at Corviknight?

Probably both.

After some thought, Corviknight decided to go and comfort it.

After all, Serperior was probably just struggling to adapt, much like it had when it first evolved.

This was a job for a psychology expert—self-proclaimed, of course.

So, brimming with confidence, Corviknight strode up and offered some encouragement.

“Caw.”

Hang in there, little bro.

“...Ser.”

I’m a girl, thanks.

A vein bulged on Serperior’s forehead.

It wanted nothing more than to slap this idiot across the face with its tail.

You didn’t even know my gender?!

Just wait. One day, I’m going to beat you to a pulp.

With Serperior’s evolution as the turning point, the afternoon’s training session came to an end.

Sitting beside Natsume, Mei spoke with a hint of envy.

“I wish I could understand Pokémon like you do.”

If she could, things wouldn’t be so troublesome.

Serperior’s reaction had really given her a scare—

She had worried something had gone wrong with the evolution.

“It’s fine. I’ll translate for you from now on.”

“That way, it’s basically the same as you understanding them yourself.”

Natsume’s voice was relaxed.

“Then I’ll be counting on you, Chief Translator Natsume.”

Mei responded with equal lightheartedness.

“Did you just make up that title on the spot?”

“Pretty much.”

“So... does this ‘Chief Translator’ position come with a salary?”

“I’ll consider giving you a reward.”

“Well, I won’t hold my breath.”