Pokemon: Farm Story

"Mhmm~ Mhmm~"

Leading the way like a small, enthusiastic captain on a school trip, Ogerpon marched at the front of the group.

One mask adorned her face, another strapped securely to her back, and she hugged a bundle of fragrant flowers close to her chest. Although Natsume had offered to carry them for her, she refused without hesitation, declaring these were gifts from him—priceless treasures she had to hold herself.

This, despite the fact that all her other "treasures" were unceremoniously stuffed into the bag Natsume was carrying.

"Fur-Furr~"

Beside her, the shiny Furret matched her stride, humming an improvised, nonsensical tune. No melody, no rhythm, just a carefree expression of joy.

Earlier, when Natsume was talking with Ogerpon, Furret had been watching from the sidelines. Although it had tried to approach several times, Zorua had firmly held it back.

This is good drama; don't ruin it, Zorua had warned.

Despite Zorua's small frame, its strength was unexpectedly impressive—it pinned Furret to the ground with one paw.

Darn it, guess I need to train harder when we get back, Furret had thought bitterly.

"Looks like everything's okay now," Natsume thought, following behind Ogerpon with a noticeable sense of relief.

Before this trip, he'd been quite worried about her. Like a teenager stuck in a bout of self-doubt, Ogerpon had been isolating herself, unreachable by others. In such cases, the only thing one can do is gently guide them, hoping they find their own way out.

Thankfully, Ogerpon's condition wasn't too severe.

Sure, the colorful, dazzling world she'd glimpsed had overwhelmed her. But so what? To her, that world was distant, out of reach, and irrelevant to her present.

Right now, the only thing she cared about was living with Natsume. The rest could wait for another day.

It wasn't something she needed to concern herself with right now.

"Zor."

Perched smugly atop Gogoat's head, Zorua looked utterly satisfied.

What a great day.

A heartfelt story about a kind-hearted farm boy and a wandering mythical Pokémon—it felt like a TV drama brought to life.

Now, Zorua had even more tales and gossip to share with the other Pokémon back at the farm. Maybe it could score a few extra Pokéblocks while it was at it. The thought filled Zorua with glee.

Of course, if Zorua had wanted Pokéblocks, it could've just asked Natsume. He would never refuse.

But where's the fun in that? Conning Pokéblocks out of others? Now that was satisfying.

"You should move around more, you know," Natsume said, poking Zorua's head twice with his finger. "At this rate, you're going to get fat."

Even I'm walking on foot, he thought, and yet this supposedly energetic Pokémon seemed determined to laze around all day. Even now, Zorua was riding on Gogoat's head, letting it do all the work.

"Zor!" Zorua protested indignantly.

Me? Fat? Impossible! My figure is perfectly proportioned. Even if I do gain a little weight, it just means the perfect Pokémon body proportions have changed.

Yes, that's it. Perfect proportions are based on me! Zorua thought confidently.

Like those debates over the "proper" way to hold a wine glass—didn't Queen Elizabeth once silence the argument with her unique grip?

"Caw!"

Corviknight, circling above Natsume, landed gracefully on the ground. It strutted behind him like a rooster, occasionally muttering under its breath.

This trip had felt utterly pointless for it—no action, no excitement, nothing to do but watch.

I even prepared some cool lines... wasted!

Still, Natsume's earlier words about heartfelt gifts not being rejected sounded pretty cool.

Maybe I should write that one down, Corviknight thought. It decided to add the line to its phone's notes later.

One more line for the stockpile, it thought, feeling slightly better about the wasted trip.

Gardevoir, on the other hand, stayed silent.

Using her psychic abilities, she expanded her perception, carefully scanning the surroundings. No movement, no disturbance would escape her.

Such was the power of a Psychic-type Pokémon.

At the same time, Gardevoir began pondering gifts for her younger sisters back at the farm. If not for Natsume, she might've forgotten about preparing something for them entirely.

As for that idiot brother of hers…

Gardevoir hesitated.

She felt she should prepare something for him, but whenever she thought of his leisurely lifestyle, she grew inexplicably annoyed.

Each morning, he'd wake up naturally, exercise a bit, then spend the rest of the day in retirement mode—patrolling the berry orchard, chatting with Sandslash, fishing by the lake.

How irritatingly carefree! she thought.

Perhaps... his gift could wait.

"It's fine, you'll have your moment," Natsume reassured Corviknight, who seemed eager for a role.

Just as he was about to continue, he felt his pocket buzz. His phone had received a message.

Natsume used to keep his phone on silent 24/7—there wasn't much point in sound notifications when no one messaged him. Most of the time, it was just ads or spam.

But things were different now.

There were people and messages he cared about.

"Caw?"

Corviknight cocked its head, curious about Natsume's reaction.

What's this? Is Natsume finally falling in love?

Was it that girl from before?

Because Corviknight spent most of its time watching anime in its room, it was always behind on the latest farm gossip.

Yep, you guessed right, Zorua's smug glance seemed to say, as it confirmed Corviknight's suspicions.

But seriously, get with the times, birdbrain. This 2G internet lifestyle of yours is getting old.

"Oh, sorry, I got distracted."

Snapping out of it, Natsume smiled apologetically and scrolled through his contacts. He found Mei's number and dialed.

"Hello, good afternoon, Mei."

His voice was light and relaxed as the call connected.

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