Pokemon: Farm Story

Hidden in the bushes, Ralts cautiously observed the ongoing battle, occasionally jotting something down with a small pencil.

That tiny hand struggled to grip a pencil thicker than its own wrist, scribbling down words that, aside from itself, only Natsume could decipher.

At some point in the past, Ralts had developed a peculiar habit—specifically, it had discovered that trash talk was ridiculously effective.

Not only did it break an opponent's mental defenses in battle, but it also made itself feel great.

As the saying goes, "Let the curses out, and the heart stays clean."

Ralts deeply agreed with this sentiment.

Every time it watched Corviknight battle, Ralts felt like that was the kind of battle it aspired to.

Unfortunately, its sister didn't approve.

She always warned it to stay away from Corviknight and not to be led astray.

Ralts couldn't understand why.

But it didn't matter—I can just watch in secret!

To avoid getting caught by its sister's "search operations," Ralts had trained itself to be the second-fastest Teleport user on the farm.

In terms of just Teleport, Ralts was confident it ranked in the top three on the farm.

Even its sister and brother could only eat its dust!

Sensing something, Ralts abruptly closed its notebook.

A brilliant blue glow flashed under its mushroom-like head.

The next moment—Ralts vanished.

Shortly after Ralts disappeared, Gardevoir arrived at the same spot.

She narrowed her eyes and scanned her surroundings.

She was certain her little sister had just been here, secretly watching the battle.

But…

She got away again!!!

Gardevoir slapped her own face, frustration written all over her expression.

Her little sister clearly had a remarkable talent for teleportation.

That kind of talent was supposed to be a good thing—normally, it should be something to celebrate.

But for the love of Arceus, don't waste it on sneaking around learning that damn couch-potato bird's trash talk!

At least use it for something productive!

Even delivering food would be better than this!

If she were teleporting food deliveries, maybe—just maybe—Gardevoir could accept it.

(…Okay, no, that would still be bad. But less bad than this.)

"Garde."

Gardevoir sighed.

A moment later, she teleported away.

Even though she knew the chances were slim, she had to at least try catching that troublemaking little sister.

She couldn't just stand by and let her go astray.

She also needed to visit that oddball Zorua for lessons soon.

Otherwise… this was getting way too embarrassing.

The moment Gardevoir vanished—poof!—a tiny mushroom-headed figure reappeared in the bushes.

Pencil in hand, Ralts resumed scribbling in its notebook with great focus.

Nothing can stop me from learning trash talk.

Nothing. (shrug)

Meanwhile, in Natsume's house, a small black fox stealthily nudged open his bedroom door.

"Suo."

Zorua's ears flicked as it scanned the room.

After making sure the coast was clear, it leapt onto the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a fresh notebook.

Then, with a serious expression, it started writing.

The way it sat—hunched over, scribbling away—made it look less like a Pokémon and more like a little kid.

Everything from its posture to its expression was downright adorable.

"Suo."

Just as Zorua was writing, a small, hesitant voice spoke up.

Zorua turned its head.

At the doorway, Hisuian Zorua crouched low, gazing at it with reluctant, almost pleading eyes.

"Suo."

What's with that look, little bro?

"Suo suo."

Come on, I'm still right here, aren't I? I'm not dead, lighten up!

With an effortless hop, Zorua landed on the floor and, in a wise older-brother manner, patted Hisuian Zorua on the shoulder.

"Suo."

"…I just don't want you to go."

Hisuian Zorua mumbled, looking as if it had just been abandoned.

Zorua could only sigh.

Why is this kid so attached to me?

It wasn't like Zorua was particularly nice to it.

If anything, it was pretty mean most of the time.

Recently, it had barely even acknowledged him.

…Wait.

Was he M?

A weird thought popped into Zorua's head.

It immediately shook it off.

No. Nope. Can't go there.

If it let that thought linger, its brain would get contaminated.

Forget it. Forget it.

"Suo."

Come on, let's go for a walk.

Without waiting for an answer, Zorua trotted out the door.

Hisuian Zorua followed.

The notebook Zorua had been writing in remained spread open on the desk—until a Lopunny, tidying up the room, discovered it.

---

"Thanks, Lopunny."

Taking the notebook from Lopunny, Natsume chuckled and gave its head a fond pat.

Lopunny happily rubbed against his hand, just like a cat.

As he absentmindedly stroked Lopunny's fur, Natsume flipped through the notebook.

The handwriting was messy, the letters crooked.

But the message was clear:

Dear Natsu,

By the time you read this, I'll have already left the farm.

(Oops, forgot the intro. Forgot the middle. Forgot the end. That's what Genshin Impact does to me. (crossed out))

Anyway, I'll be gone for a while, but don't worry—I'll be back soon.

I took the Pokéblocks you stored in the warehouse since they were just sitting there. Consider it helping you clear out inventory. No need to thank me. Doing good deeds without seeking credit—that's me, the world's cutest Zorua!

P.S. By the time I'm back, that egg should be hatching. Take good care of it for me!

Love, (crossed out) Suo

After finishing the note, Natsume couldn't help but laugh.

This little brat…

Even when leaving, it had to take some snacks, huh?

And that egg?

It was your egg, you take care of it!

Why had the responsibility somehow shifted to him?

And really—"the world's cutest Zorua"?

The first half of that sentence was up for debate, but the second half was an outright lie.

Even though he had plenty to complain about, Natsume still took note of the important details.

"Thanks for bringing this to me, Lopunny."

"Lopunny~" Not a problem, Natsume.

Lopunny hugged his arm before happily hopping away, looking every bit like an energetic little rabbit.

---

Far from the farm, deep in the wilderness, a white Pokémon staggered through the barren hills.

Its breathing was weak.

Its condition—dire.

"Yadon?"

Now dressed in a training bodysuit instead of referee attire, Slowking suddenly looked up.

It had felt something.

Something important—something urgent—in that direction.

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