Pokemon: Farm Story

After making his decision, Natsume returned home with his Pokémon to make the necessary preparations.

From gathering supplies to planning battle strategies, he went over everything he could think of.

For supplies, Natsume packed his bag full of various potions and medicine—Paralyze Heals, Max Potions, Full Restores, you name it. He even threw in some Revive Herbs and Energy Roots, despite them being raw materials that hadn't been processed yet.

Why did Natsume have all these things? Simple. They were originally meant for making Pokéblocks.

With the mindset that they'd come in handy sooner or later, he had stocked up quite a bit in his personal storage. Whether they'd actually be used was another matter, but just having them there gave him peace of mind—a sense of security and an ideal future.

And now, that foresight was paying off.

With these supplies at the ready, Natsume felt much more at ease. The safety net they provided meant he could afford more mistakes during battle.

This… This was the triumph of the hoarder's mindset!

As long as he hoarded enough and survived long enough, nothing would ever go to waste!

Besides, Natsume had another trump card.

He rummaged through his wardrobe and pulled out a well-preserved wooden box. After opening it to check, he found a single feather resting quietly inside—one that shimmered with a dreamy glow, even in broad daylight.

This feather had mysteriously appeared on his windowsill during a full moon night.

It seemed to be a little gift from some Pokémon.

He threaded it onto a simple cord, tied a quick knot, and slipped it around his neck.

Then, as he took out his long-unused Trainer outfit from the wardrobe, he sighed.

"Come to think of it, even if we do manage to defeat that thing, what happens next is gonna be a huge headache."

After fastening his tactical belt and securing his emergency potions and supplies, Natsume couldn't help but feel a little troubled.

Sure, it was still too early to be thinking about that now.

Planning for victory before the battle even began was an easy way to get overconfident and crash—like popping champagne at halftime.

They usually got flipped pretty hard.

Those overly confident people who said things like, "This battle will be over in no time," were typically the ones who got knocked out the moment the fight began.

Having been thoroughly conditioned by modern internet culture, Natsume naturally wouldn't go around setting up death flags.

But he was seriously considering this issue.

First, the opponent was a legendary Pokémon.

He didn't have a Poké Ball capable of capturing it.

Using an ordinary Poké Ball to catch a legendary Pokémon? That was about as likely as money raining down from the sky.

Even if, by some stroke of absurd luck, he did manage to catch it with a regular Poké Ball, it wouldn't be able to hold a legendary Pokémon.

If the Pokémon willingly followed him, like Annihilape did, that would be one thing.

But if it resisted, the Poké Ball would probably shatter instantly.

Second, Ting-Lu was born from fear as one of the Treasures of Ruin. Natsume really didn't want to get entangled with something like that.

He couldn't exactly capture it and just release it onto the farm, right?

Leaving aside its massive size, just the fact that a mere thought from it could crack the earth open was enough to make Natsume sleep with one eye open at night.

Otherwise, he might wake up to find himself buried under his own collapsed house.

Just imagine: waking up to a clear blue sky above, hard ground below, and a pile of rubble covering him.

That would be a nightmare.

"Forget it, I'll think about this later."

Shaking his head, Natsume pushed the thought aside.

This was a problem for the victor to deal with. Right now, he hadn't even won the battle—hell, he hadn't even seen the enemy yet.

The priority was preparing for the upcoming fight.

According to the latest warning, Ogerpon's influence would reach the farm by tonight at the latest.

When that happened, there wouldn't be any time for leisure.

Rather than waiting for the enemy to come knocking and being forced into battle, Natsume preferred to take the initiative—give the enemy a little surprise while they were still on the move.

As a certain modern street-fighting master once said:

"If you're planning to fight someone, the best approach is to run them over with a truck the night before."

That way, victory was guaranteed.

Strictly speaking, it made a lot of sense.

"Cawk!"

At the door, Corviknight stood ready, watching Natsume excitedly.

Well, "ready" just meant that Natsume had fed it a few berries to temporarily boost its stats and tied a Focus Sash around its head.

The Focus Sash ensured that if Corviknight was hit by a fatal attack, it would survive with just one HP.

A one-time use item, but one that could be a lifesaver.

Wild battles weren't like official matches; there were no strict rules.

In the wild, being able to recall a Pokémon into its ball to dodge attacks was a vital strategy.

As long as Corviknight had one HP left, Natsume could pull it back and heal it before the next attack.

Fortunately, Ogerpon wasn't particularly fast.

It was a classic large-scale boss:

A massive body, terrifying defense, wide attack range, and considerable power.

Most Pokémon wouldn't even survive a glancing blow.

In a way, it felt a bit like playing a bullet-hell game.

"Let's go, Corviknight."

Climbing onto Corviknight's back, Natsume gently patted its head.

Normally, he wouldn't be this gentle.

But right before a battle, he was worried that hitting too hard might short-circuit Corviknight's already questionable brain.

Tactically speaking, Corviknight had the most instructions to remember.

With its current mindset of "use Iron Defense, then spam Peck," Natsume was genuinely concerned it might just charge in headfirst.

That would be a textbook case of "trial and error," except the error would be fatal.

"Cawk!"

Black feathers gleamed with a metallic sheen under the sunlight. As Corviknight flapped its wings, a strong gust of wind kicked up.

In the blink of an eye, the scenery below transformed into an endless stretch of blue sky.

Only by soaring through the air could one truly understand humanity's long-standing obsession with flight—the deep yearning, the indescribable thrill of finally breaking free from the ground.

"If only Pidgeotto had evolved already..."

Feeling the wind rush past his ears, Natsume thought of the shiny Pidgeotto training hard back at the farm.

For some reason, despite having plenty of Pidgey and Pidgeotto in the area, there wasn't a single Pidgeot.

If there were a Pidgeot, this battle would be much easier.

He could let Corviknight fight head-on while he rode Pidgeot, observing and directing from above.

After all, Pidgeot was typically trained in two ways:

Speed and ranged attacks.

Their physique was solid, sure, but that was mostly a byproduct of training for greater speed.

At least in Natsume's view, while Pidgeot could fight in close combat, there was no reason to.

Why go for melee when you could kite the opponent from a distance?

What, to make the fight more thrilling and suspenseful?

That was like an ADC flashing forward in a team fight.

Do it right, and you're a hero—the chosen one, the MVP.

Screw it up, and you're a liability, remembered forever as the guy who threw the game.

Possibly even the reason you get benched, or retire altogether.

"Pidge..."

The shiny Pidgeotto, hard at training, seemed to sense something and looked up.

Its sharp eyes locked onto Corviknight and Natsume soaring in the sky.

That looks amazing... fighting alongside Natsume.

I'm a bird too. I can be a flying mount too!

I just need to work harder.

Shiny Pidgeotto wasn't obsessed with the idea of fighting alongside Natsume—at least, not in a sentimental way.

It was just annoyed.

If it were the only Flying-type on the farm, or if Corviknight wasn't much better than it, maybe it wouldn't care as much.

But comparison was the thief of joy.

Corviknight was already Natsume's go-to aerial ride.

And what about it?

If it weren't shiny, Natsume probably wouldn't even remember it existed.

That contrast stung.

Even when alone, late at night, that feeling gnawed at its heart.

If it wanted to change things, it had to get stronger.

At the very least, it had to evolve into Pidgeot.

Thanks to Persian and Natsume's efforts, the farm's atmosphere was generally harmonious.

Even when competition arose, it was always healthy—no underhanded tricks.

Pidgeotto wasn't the only Pokémon feeling this way.

Many of the Pokémon left behind felt a little disappointed.

Unlike the previous friendly competition, this time Natsume needed their strength—but they weren't strong enough to help.

Aside from Zorua, Natsume had only brought six Pokémon with him.

Partly because of his own limits in commanding multiple Pokémon.

Partly because... there really weren't any better choices.

"Furret!"

Back at the farm, the shiny Furret was training intensely, determined to cover every inch of the land with its sweat.

It understood why Natsume hadn't brought it along.

After all, it wasn't the best fit for this fight.

Simply put, it was off-role.

But the flip side of that was: Off-role ≠ Useless.

If it was strong enough, type matchups wouldn't matter.

If a Groudon can beat a Pidgey, why couldn't it?

Even if it had to launch Precipice Blades beneath its own feet to ride the earth into the sky.

(But Groudon probably wouldn't be thrilled about that.)

"What a commotion..."

Riding on Corviknight's back, Natsume felt a rare moment of calm.

It seemed as if all of his worries and concerns had been left behind on the ground.

At this moment, in the sky, there was only Natsume himself—nothing extra existed.

However, this tranquility didn't last long. Before long, Natsume noticed some commotion in the distance.

The ground was trembling, and in the far distance, a distinct "path" was visible.

That was the trail left behind by Ting-Lu as it moved forward.

When it encountered forests, it toppled them. When it met slopes, it destroyed them.

Fortunately, the terrain in this area was relatively flat.

Otherwise, Ting-Lu might have been forced to embark on a mountain-crossing journey.

Maybe he would have even witnessed Ting-Lu moving mountains?

For some unknown reason, Legendary Pokémon in this world were much stronger than their counterparts in games and anime.

At the very least, they wouldn't end up like a 3.5-meter Groudon exchanging blows with a few other Legendaries, only for the glass windows of nearby buildings to remain perfectly intact.

If Ting-Lu truly wished to, flattening a small mountain peak wasn't beyond its capabilities.

"What kind of stubborn brute is this?"

On the path of Ting-Lu's advance, a middle-aged forest ranger looked extremely grim.

The moment he saw Ting-Lu, he immediately realized—

This thing was definitely not something he could handle.

If he went up against it, he would just be throwing himself away.

So, he decisively avoided direct combat, doing his best to stall for time while attempting to divert Ting-Lu toward less populated areas.

However, unsurprisingly, he failed.

An Absol had already proven with its own experience that guerrilla tactics were ineffective against this creature.

One mistake meant certain defeat.

The guerrilla strategy had officially failed.

Attempts to guide Ting-Lu elsewhere also proved fruitless.

He and his colleagues had tried everything.

From using food as a lure to attacking it to grab its attention—they had tried almost everything short of using a honey trap.

Yet, the Pokémon identified in the records as "Ting-Lu" remained unwavering in its chosen path.

Their efforts were as insignificant as fleas on the roadside.

Ineffective, ignored, and seemingly useless.

"All we can do now is hope that reinforcements arrive soon."

With a sigh, the middle-aged man, originally sent as backup, felt like his head had never ached this much before.

But what else could he do?

He wasn't a hero, but he also couldn't just flee from battle.

Just as he was bracing himself to try another approach, a massive Corviknight descended from the sky.

"Hello, Ranger."

"My name is Natsume, and I'm a farm owner nearby."

"If you don't mind, I can try to help."

A young man jumped down from Corviknight, speaking sincerely to the middle-aged ranger.

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