Pokemon: Farm Story

After completing the registration, Natsume quickly put the matter out of his mind.

He just couldn't muster much enthusiasm for this tournament.

He wasn't a trainer seeking fame through battle, nor one of those "hunters" who frequently participated in small competitions for prize money and rare items.

The only reason Natsume signed up was simple—he just wanted his Pokémon to get out and have some fun.

For most trainers, letting their Pokémon relax meant skipping training and going out to play.

For Natsume's Pokémon, "relaxing" meant entering a tournament.

In a way, they were a particularly hardworking bunch.

As for the team he'd enter?

Natsume already had a lineup in mind.

One thing was certain: his Shiny Furret and the others, who trained hard every day, were definitely coming along.

They had been looking forward to standing on a real battlefield for a long time.

The small-scale sparring matches on the farm were no longer enough to satisfy their competitive spirits.

"Wooma."

Perched on Natsume's shoulder, Ogerpon rubbed its cheek against his before hopping down onto his lap.

It curled up in a comfortable position and peered at his phone with curiosity.

Ogerpon actually had a phone of its own.

But it only ever used it for watching anime.

Anything else? Not interested.

If all the apps on its phone had physical buttons, the video apps would be visibly worn out from overuse, while everything else would still look brand new.

Ogerpon might occasionally check out other apps when it first downloaded them, but after that? Nothing.

Well, except for the rare moments when it called Natsume.

"Do you want anything, Ogerpon?"

Holding the phone in one hand, Natsume supported Ogerpon with the other, cradling it like a small child.

He rested his chin on its head.

Right now, Ogerpon looked just like a plush toy.

"Wooma."

Nope. You already bought me so many things.

Ogerpon shook its head, making it clear that it didn't need anything at the moment.

In a way, Natsume was quite the extravagant spender.

When it came to himself, he barely spent money beyond the basics—food, clothing, and shelter.

Aside from the occasional interest in something weird, his personal expenses were minimal.

But when it came to his Pokémon? That was a different story.

He bought them tons of stuff.

Just because.

Like that time he went on a shopping spree for Persian.

He bought several different kinds of scratching posts.

Only for Persian to completely ignore them.

"Do you seriously think I need these?"

With a single slap, Persian shattered a scratching post.

It didn't say anything, but its actions spoke volumes.

Those were supposed to be premium scratching posts designed specifically for feline Pokémon.

But in Persian's hands, they were as fragile as a college student's health.

It was the same for the other Pokémon.

Corviknight's room had practically turned into a shrine of collectible figurines, and its collection of electronic gadgets was ridiculous.

Not that Natsume minded.

He wasn't exactly strapped for cash these days.

His Pokéblock sales were doing great—most of his customers became repeat buyers, providing a steady stream of income.

His Viridian Force-enhanced fruits and berries were also wildly popular.

At this point, Natsume could confidently say he had basically achieved financial freedom.

He wasn't quite at the level of "never work again" wealth, but if he wanted something, he could buy it without thinking twice.

What? You're saying there are problems money can't solve?

Well, if you have enough money, most problems stop being problems.

Take home renovations, for example.

If you're broke, you have to consider material costs, labor, inspections, and all sorts of details.

But if you're rich, you just hire a high-end renovation team with great reviews and let them handle everything.

Thanks to that, Natsume didn't have many worries in his daily life.

Any farm upgrades? He could get them done immediately.

Need new equipment? He could order it without hesitation.

"Alright, if you don't need anything, I won't buy anything for now."

Since Ogerpon said it didn't want anything, Natsume wasn't going to force it.

It was like giving gifts in a relationship—thoughtful gestures were nice, but if a girl explicitly told you she didn't want something and you still bought it, she might just get annoyed.

Closing the shopping app, Natsume casually opened the Trainer Forum.

The Trainer Forum was a wild place.

A chaotic mix of casual travelers, professional trainers competing on the international stage, hobbyists, and even armchair experts who definitely weren't just bluffing.

People there prided themselves on being "all-knowing."

Even if you started a discussion about Arceus, they'd somehow have something to say.

Of course, whether they were actually right was another matter entirely.

"Suo."

Just as Natsume and Ogerpon were scrolling through the ridiculous forum posts, Hisuian Zorua suddenly dashed into the room.

"What's up?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow at the little fox peeking around the door.

Even though he had caught it, Zorua had never been particularly close to him.

Most of the time, it just followed regular Zorua and Togepi around, playing pranks on other Pokémon.

This was the first time it had come looking for Natsume on its own.

Even when it wanted to play with Steenee and the others, it never approached him directly.

It had a natural wariness of humans.

Not that this was a problem for Natsume.

"Suosuo?"

Are there any other Ghost-type Pokémon on our farm?

I think I caught a whiff of something...

Upon seeing Natsume, Zorua instinctively shrank back a little.

To be honest, it had actually wanted to get closer to him before.

But ever since that one time—when Natsume had ruffled its fur so much it ended up looking like a goofy husky—it had been keeping its distance.

It had zero desire to go through that again.

Natsume's ability was just too unfair.

"A Ghost-type Pokémon?"

"Aside from you, there shouldn't be any others."

The farm had a huge variety of Pokémon, covering almost every type.

But as far as Ghost-types went, Hisuian Zorua was the only one.

"You smelled a Ghost-type…?"

"Could it be that one snuck in?"

That wasn't impossible.

In fact, it was highly likely.

Ghost-types were notorious for their stealthy, mischievous nature.

If weird things started happening—like objects constantly disappearing when you needed them, only to reappear later in their original spot—

That was classic Ghost-type behavior.

"Let's go check it out."

"Wooma!"

"Suo!"

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