Pokémon: Farm Story

In that brief moment when their eyes met, Okidogi seemed to glimpse something in Munkidori's gaze.

It was a flame called rebellion.

Though it was reluctant to admit it, they had indeed known each other for a long time. Technically speaking, they were companions—though, in reality, they could barely stand each other.

Okidogi saw the other two as weaklings—one always scheming and plotting, the other overly flashy.

Meanwhile, Munkidori considered both of them complete idiots.

One had nothing but muscles in its head, and the other was obsessed with grooming its feathers.

For the longest time, Munkidori had looked down on Okidogi and Fezandipiti, believing they lacked the intelligence necessary for meaningful communication.

Simply put—not worth discussing matters with fools.

Okidogi was well aware of this.

But now, they were all prisoners.

None of them were better off than the other.

Like it or not, they had to work together.

Okidogi wasn’t sure if it was just its imagination, but it felt as if Munkidori's eyes were saying:

"Brother, you charge in first and draw their attention. I’ll take down the human from behind. We coordinate, and together we’ll take them all down."

Hmm... Was that really what Munkidori was thinking?

Well, that’s how Okidogi interpreted it.

Feeling the urgency and encouragement in Munkidori's gaze, Okidogi hesitated for a moment before making a decision—

Screw it. Let’s do this!

No matter how you looked at it, death was inevitable.

Might as well take a gamble.

Maybe—just maybe—it could escape.

With its not-so-developed brain, which was mostly taken up by muscle, Okidogi thought Munkidori's plan seemed somewhat feasible.

And honestly, it couldn’t come up with a better one anyway.

So, it waited for the perfect moment—when Persian and the Shiny Furret both looked away—then slammed a paw against the ground, ready to leap toward Natsume.

But before it could act—

A sharp, all-too-familiar shriek rang out.

"Screeeeeech!!"

Big brother! He’s rebelling!!

Munkidori, now pinned helplessly to the ground in an utterly humiliating position, let out an ear-piercing cry.

One hand shot out, pointing directly at the half-upright Okidogi.

Its face was a bizarre mix of fury and flattery—

Fury directed at Okidogi, flattery aimed at Natsume and Gardevoir.

At that moment, Okidogi's emotions could only be summed up in one word—

CNM.

Ah, wait, that’s three words.

Whatever. Close enough.

In mere seconds, Okidogi's emotions went from shock to confusion to disbelief, and then straight to rage.

It finally understood.

That damn monkey had just sacrificed it.

Thrown it under the bus.

Sold it out in exchange for better treatment.

You son of a—! Are you even a Pokémon?!

Okidogi was furious.

But Gallade was even angrier.

You’re getting bold, aren’t you?

With a swift motion, Gallade’s arm blades extended, golden light gathering around them.

What should have been a sacred radiance now cast an eerie, menacing glow over its face.

The scene that followed was... well, let’s just skip the gory details.

A few minutes later, Okidogi lay completely motionless, sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.

Its body—and the surrounding area—were covered in deep cuts from Gallade’s relentless slashes.

Gallade hadn’t held back at all.

It went all out.

Back when it first arrived at the farm, Gallade had just been an ordinary Psychic-type Pokémon.

A strong individual within its species, sure—but nothing compared to what it was now.

Yet, during its time at the farm, Gallade had undergone countless eye-opening experiences.

It sounded strange, but despite staying in such a small place, its worldview had expanded tremendously.

At the same time, its strength had grown beyond recognition.

Now, Gallade could confidently say—

It could take on at least a dozen of its past self.

Back to the present—

Munkidori, having successfully betrayed Okidogi, was now crouching submissively on the ground, looking up at Mew and Natsume with an ingratiating expression.

It even rubbed its hands together like a scheming little fly.

It looked utterly pathetic.

A Pokémon—yet where the hell did it even learn that gesture?

"You sure know how to go with the flow, huh?"

Mew and Gardevoir had seen through Munkidori's little act from the start.

But they didn’t bother commenting on its betrayal.

"Screeech."

Munkidori gave an awkward, sycophantic laugh.

It felt no guilt whatsoever for setting Okidogi up.

Because, in its mind, it was different from those two idiots.

Those two genuinely believed they were fighting for some purple peach or whatever.

But it?

It was only in this for the Venomous Chain Mochi.

That alone made it far superior to those brainless fools.

At least, that’s what it believed.

Not only did it not feel guilty for selling Okidogi out—

It was already preparing to throw its other teammate under the bus too.

Forgive me, my friend.

But if sacrificing you gives me a chance to survive... then I have no choice.

Sure, I usually call you two brainless morons.

Say you’re bootlicking idiots.

Trash among trash.

A dumb muscle-head and a showoff feather-brain.

But—

To sell you off at a good price—

I’m willing to admit that we’re best friends.

Just for today.

With that thought, Munkidori's expression became even more obsequious.

"Screech screech!"

Its voice, already shrill, now sounded disturbingly close to a rat’s squeal.

"Mew~"

Natsume, it says it can help you find the last Pokémon.

Mew—who had transformed into a Flabébé and was swinging from Natsume’s hair—whispered into his ear.

Munkidori had just said a lot of nonsense to prove its sincerity.

But in summary?

"Sir, this way."

If possible, Munkidori would’ve tied Fezandipiti up and delivered it to Natsume on a silver platter.

It had figured things out.

This human wasn’t here to capture them.

He was here for revenge.

That meant its fate could only go one of two ways—

One, get beaten to a pulp and let go.

Two, get killed and buried on the spot.

If it didn’t resist, then option two was inevitable.

If it did resist, then it’d just be skipping straight to option two.

Munkidori didn’t want to die.

The world was still so beautiful—it hadn’t lived enough.

So if betraying its teammates meant survival—

Then so be it.

This was simply its struggle to stay alive!

Not only did it sell out Okidogi and Fezandipiti completely—

After handing over the mask, it even spilled everything it knew about Pecharunt to Natsume.

"Hmm. Mew, what do you think?"

After hearing Munkidori's "confession," Natsume finally pulled the little Mew off his hair.

If this continued, he was pretty sure his scalp would get ripped off.

That little guy was really going all out.

"Mew~"

Let’s go check it out.

Floating lazily in Natsume’s hand, Mew spoke.

As for Munkidori's actions?

Mew felt nothing but contempt.

This guy was an embarrassment to all Legendary Pokémon.

Not even ordinary Pokémon would stoop this low.

It should be expelled immediately!

As for Fezandipiti?

Mew couldn’t care less.

At the moment Okidogi attempted to resist, Mew had already locked onto Fezandipiti’s position.

Even if that guy wanted to run, it was useless.

If a target was marked by this cat, even if they fled to the ends of the earth, I’d drag them back!

"Let me think…"

Natsume hesitated.

Should he go directly to find Fezandipiti, or just have Persian or another Pokémon beat it up and bring it back?

After all, he still had two captives in hand.

To be honest, Natsume had no interest in capturing these three losers.

He had never seen such disgraceful creatures before.

Catching them would just be a waste of Poké Balls.

"Furr!!"

"Caw caw!"

Just as Natsume was deliberating, Shiny Furret and Corviknight eagerly volunteered.

They assured him they’d bring that bird back for him.

Sure, their confidence might be a bit much.

But after witnessing Okidogi and Munkidori’s performance, they figured a two-on-one was already being cautious.

At this moment, Shiny Furret and Corviknight were both fired up.

Shiny Furret was excited because it had missed out on a worthy opponent.

Spending every day training at the farm, it felt like it had hit a plateau.

Right now, it was in a very awkward position.

It couldn’t win against the top-tier Pokémon.

But it could effortlessly crush the lower-tier ones.

Too weak, and it wasn’t worth its time. Too strong, and it got beaten senseless.

It felt like it was stuck as some kind of gatekeeper for the top tier or a quality-checker for strong Pokémon.

If you could defeat Shiny Furret, congratulations—you were in the top tier.

This pissed it off.

It craved more opponents!

Meanwhile, Corviknight’s reasoning was simpler.

As Natsume’s designated flying mount, its status had been stolen.

If it couldn’t even prove itself in battle, it was headed straight for the discard pile!

Sure, logically, Corviknight didn’t think Natsume was that kind of person.

But after watching a bunch of palace drama shows with Emolga lately, its head was filled with hundreds of dramatic betrayal plots.

Well, in reality, this had nothing to do with those palace dramas.

It was just that after finishing those, Corviknight had moved on to binge-reading thousands of those short drama-filled NovelBins.

Titles like "I Was Reborn to the Time They Still Loved Me," "My Husband's First Love Returned," "I Lost My Memory..."

Yeah, that kind of melodramatic stuff.

Corviknight had read a lot of them.

The result?

Now its head was filled with ridiculous soap-opera plots.

Super dramatic.

Super addicting.

It had spent countless nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

It even considered writing its own story.

Unfortunately, bird claws could barely use a phone, let alone type out a novel.

That left Corviknight depressed for a long time.

But it was fine.

Because an even bigger crisis snapped it right out of that slump—

Its status as Natsume’s top flying mount had been stolen!

That realization hit like a truck, and now it was determined to work harder.

It couldn’t afford to slack off any longer.

If it did, it would really turn into a worthless pile of sediment at the bottom of a beaker!

Step one—win back Natsume’s favor!

With that thought, Corviknight’s eyes sharpened.

"I will launch at full strength and take down that feathered freak—uh, whatever their name is."

...Actually, it still had no idea who they were fighting.

But that didn’t matter.

It trusted that Natsume wouldn’t send it against an opponent it couldn’t handle.

If anything, Natsume was overly cautious.

He always worried about this and that.

What if things went sideways? What if another Pokémon intervened?

The guy was like an overprotective mom.

If he could, he’d personally clear out every possible threat before letting his Pokémon make a move.

He avoided unnecessary risks at all costs.

Honestly, if he could, Natsume would probably just beat Fezandipiti himself.

But seeing the eager looks from his Pokémon, he gave up on that idea.

Just like he worried about his Pokémon, his Pokémon worried about him.

Except for Persian.

Persian was the one Pokémon on the farm who knew exactly how strong Natsume was.

No one else came close.

"Be careful. If anything happens, retreat immediately."

For Natsume, this was the first time he was sending his Pokémon off alone for battle.

And the opponent was still a Legendary.

Even if it was a total disgrace of a Legendary.

The Toxic Chain ability wasn’t much of an issue for Corviknight, but for Shiny Furret, it wasn’t exactly friendly.

"Caw caw!"

With Natsume’s permission, Corviknight was instantly fired up.

As for Natsume’s warning?

It heard him.

Would it actually listen?

That was a different story.

Corviknight had a bit of a rebellious streak.

Not that it was disobedient—it was just stubborn.

Even if it knew it might lose, it had to try first.

It had absolute faith in its own defense.

Still, with Shiny Furret there, it probably wouldn’t be reckless.

Compared to Corviknight, whose brain had been rotted by melodramatic novels, Shiny Furret—whose head was mostly muscle—was actually a bit more rational.

Probably.

Watching the two hype themselves up, promising to crush their target, Natsume suddenly felt a bit uncertain.

But with ‘Flebebe-form’ Mew still climbing all over him, he relaxed.

This was his greatest insurance policy.

"Caw caw!"

All aboard the Corviknight Express! We’re taking off!

"Furr!"

Let’s go, let’s go!

Perched on Corviknight’s back, Shiny Furret waved its little paw like a captain setting sail.

The Corviknight Express was now departing!

---

Meanwhile…

Hidden deep within the forest, Fezandipiti hesitated as it looked in the direction of Natsume’s group.

The sounds of battle had been echoing from there for a while.

That location... was where those two were, right?

Just as Munkidori and Okidogi looked down on each other, Fezandipiti looked down on both of them.

One was a scheming little rat.

The other was just a brainless brute.

Neither had any elegance. No style. No grace.

They were an embarrassment.

Shaking its head, Fezandipiti focused on the present.

The situation was unclear.

Should it flee?

Running away at the first sign of trouble would be humiliating.

After all, it was a Legendary.

But staying? That felt risky.

Something about this whole situation felt wrong.

It sounded like one side of the battle had completely dominated the other.

Could those two idiots already be defeated?

Fezandipiti hesitated.

Should it run?

But as it deliberated, it had already missed its chance to escape.

By the time Fezandipiti realized it, the sunlight above had been completely blotted out.

A massive shadow descended from the sky.

Like a falling meteor, it crashed down.

"BOOM!"

Trees, obstacles—nothing could stop Corviknight’s descent.

It came down with overwhelming force, straight toward Fezandipiti.

"Caw!"

Fezandipiti reacted in time, but even grazing the impact sent it spiraling through the air like a kite snapped from its string.

After tumbling several times, Fezandipiti barely managed to steady itself.

As it lifted its head, just about to question Corviknight, a pink blur suddenly shot out from behind it.

"Furr!"

Thunder rumbled. The raw power of nature, a force of heaven and earth, was tightly condensed into a small fist.

Sparks of stray electricity crackled, leaving scorched pits across the ground.

Shiny Furret, wielding a Thunder Punch, turned into a streak of light, closing in on Fezandipiti at lightning speed. Without hesitation, its electrified fist came crashing down.

Maybe it was a case of being influenced by one's environment, but most of the Pokémon at the farm had developed a preference for this quick and decisive style of combat.

Get in fast, strike first, and deal massive damage in a short period—securing victory before the opponent even had a chance to react.

The lightning-infused punch slammed directly into Fezandipiti’s head.

In that instant, the pent-up electricity erupted violently.

A brilliant cage of lightning engulfed Fezandipiti entirely.

Right on cue, Corviknight launched its own attack.

Although the two didn’t often get the chance to coordinate, in this moment, they had reached an unspoken agreement—

End this battle quickly and return to Natsume’s side.

Though their reasons differed, their goal was the same.

As the electric glow dissipated, Fezandipiti, now covered in burns and smoke, scrambled away in a panic.

A cloud of purple smoke burst from its beak—

Toxic Gas, a move that could inflict poison on opponents.

Immediately after, several bursts of dark green Acid Spray were launched, hurtling toward Corviknight.

Toxic Gas to block Shiny Furret.

Acid Spray to keep Corviknight at bay.

Only with this maneuver did Fezandipiti finally buy itself a moment to breathe and widen the distance between itself and these lunatics.

Otherwise, it was convinced that it would’ve been beaten to death on the spot.

Panting heavily, Fezandipiti’s face was full of lingering fear.

It was this close to becoming fried chicken.

Looking down at its charred, singed feathers, a pang of distress flashed in Fezandipiti’s eyes.

As a bird Pokémon, it took great pride in preening its feathers daily.

But now, its most prized feathers were in ruins.

Fezandipiti was furious.

But there was nothing it could do.

Because standing before it were two opponents who were clearly here to kill it.

No need for words.

Shiny Furret and Corviknight closed in once more.

The sooner they finished this fight, the sooner they could go home.

Fezandipiti barely managed to hold out against their relentless attacks, dodging by the skin of its beak.

But throughout the battle, its eyes kept glancing toward a particular direction.

Finally, after enduring yet another devastating hit, Fezandipiti shouted toward the depths of the forest.

"Caww!"

Do something already!

The moment its cry rang out—

Two chains of venomous liquid shot out from the shadows of the forest.