Pokémon: Farm Story

For a seasoned researcher like Sha Keisho, who had spent years delving into Pokémon studies, it only took a single glance to grasp the key information about most Pokémon—basic attributes, habits, and the like.

Take Okidogi, for example. Ever since Natsume arrived, it had been scowling, clearly not the friendliest Pokémon to interact with.

Munkidori, on the other hand, was grinning obsequiously at Natsume, as if trying to say something. However, one sharp glare from Ting-Lu shut it up, forcing it to glance at Natsume every so often in hopes of being noticed.

Just from that behavior, it was obvious that this one was the cunning, opportunistic type—one that beat the weak and feared the strong.

As for Fezandipiti, the moment Natsume and Keisho arrived and Ting-Lu temporarily halted training, it had been preoccupied with preening its feathers, seemingly indifferent to everything else.

And then there was Pecharunt…

The moment it shut its shell, it completely withdrew into itself.

It had no desire to see either Natsume or Ogerpon.

It hated both of them.

“These legendary Pokémon…”

“They certainly have… unique personalities.”

After a few seconds of thought, Sha Keisho finally settled on a suitable description.

To be honest, these Pokémon didn’t really feel like legendary Pokémon.

There wasn’t even a hint of grandeur about them.

Even the trio often mocked online as the "Three Foolish Birds" would at least arrive with some kind of dramatic weather change—snowfall, thunderstorms, that sort of thing.

But these guys?

They froze in place from a single glare from Ting-Lu.

Sha Keisho had a lot of questions, but he refrained from commenting further.

Leaving aside their strength for the moment, the information gathered so far did seem to confirm that they were indeed legendary Pokémon.

It was natural for legends to vary in power.

After all, Pokémon like Land Forme Shaymin or Meltan weren’t exactly known for their strength.

As for these ones…

Well, their future potential remained to be seen—they were, in a way, warriors of the future.

"I’ll be staying for the next two days. Hope I won’t be a bother."

Closing his notebook, Keisho patted his pocket.

A Rotom Phone floated out, immediately switching to recording mode to document Pecharunt and the others from every angle.

Observing and documenting Pokémon wasn’t something that could be done in a single day.

It was a long-term task.

Even though Natsume had already shared a fairly comprehensive report with Fu Gakuji, the information still needed to be verified.

After all, this concerned updates to the Trainer’s Pokédex, and something of this scale couldn’t be decided based solely on Natsume’s account.

In truth, Keisho’s visit wasn’t so much for research as it was for verification.

Once the data was confirmed, the updates would be added to the Trainer’s Pokédex.

And, naturally, this would also serve as a promotional opportunity.

Discovering a new Mythical Pokémon was always a major event.

Natsume needed to establish Ogerpon’s legitimacy.

The League needed publicity.

A win-win situation for everyone.

"No problem at all, Professor Keisho."

"There are still rooms available in the farm’s guesthouse, so for the next two days, you can—"

"No need, no need. The town has already arranged a place for me to stay."

Keisho waved off the offer.

In fact, it wasn’t just accommodations that had been arranged—

The League had also assigned him bodyguards.

He simply hadn’t let them follow him inside.

While the two of them chatted, his Rotom Phone had already circled Okidogi several times.

As a researcher, Sha Keisho had a habit—when dealing with related Pokémon, he preferred to start his research with the ones that looked the most physically robust.

Because, in his experience, those types couldn’t hide much.

Their traits were obvious, and they were the easiest subjects to study.

By using them as a foundation, he could then move on to analyzing the others.

Of course, this was just the excuse he gave himself.

Whether others believed it or not was irrelevant.

Most researchers ended up imitating his methods anyway.

And his Rotom Phone, having followed him for years, knew his habits well.

So today, its focus was on Okidogi.

Unfortunately, Okidogi wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.

First, this human had been staring at it for half the day, scribbling notes all the while—

That alone felt unsettling, as if it were some kind of lab specimen.

Then, this little floating thing kept buzzing around, taking pictures from every angle.

Very annoying. Extremely annoying.

"Grrr…"

Instinctively, Okidogi opened its mouth, ready to let out a roar.

Despite its humanoid form, it still retained many canine instincts.

Unfortunately for it, Ting-Lu was already watching.

A deep, ominous aura radiated from its eyes.

Okidogi’s entire body stiffened, as if an unseen, malicious gaze was pressing down on it from behind.

After two seconds of silence, it forcefully swallowed its impending roar.

Quietly, it turned around and obediently sat on the ground, allowing Rotom Phone to continue its work.

It was frustrated, but there was nothing it could do.

Because if it dared to make a scene, the next second it would be flying through the air—

A phenomenon it had already experienced multiple times over the past two days.

Originally, Okidogi was both stubborn and proud.

Even after being thoroughly beaten by Natsume, it refused to submit.

There was no reason behind it—

It simply refused to back down.

It, too, had its dignity as a Pokémon!

However, dignity meant nothing in the face of overwhelming strength.

Over the past few days, Okidogi had been utterly crushed by Ting-Lu, over and over again.

Hard-headed, huh?

Well, I'm here to hammer that head of yours.

Sure, Okidogi had a tough skull—

But clearly, Ting-Lu’s hooves were even tougher.

Okidogi was stubborn, no doubt.

But being stubborn wasn’t the same as being reckless.

And even the most obstinate Pokémon would learn after repeated beatings.

At this point, it only took a single glance from Ting-Lu for Okidogi to understand—

It was about to get beaten again.

So instead of resisting, it would quietly walk off to the side and prepare itself for the inevitable.

"Ting-Lu, I’ll be counting on you to keep an eye on them."

As Keisho checked his notes, Natsume patted Ting-Lu on the head.

"Grrr…"

Ting-Lu let out a low growl, eyes narrowing slightly.

Not because it was particularly enjoying this—

Honestly, given the size of Natsume’s hand, his pats were barely noticeable.

But!

Enjoyment was one thing.

Attitude was another.

Ever since arriving at the farm, Mew had taken it upon itself to treat Ting-Lu as its underling.

And to make sure its "underling" understood its place,

Mew had imparted all kinds of useful knowledge—

All sourced from the internet.

"A Hundred Ways to Please Your Rich Benefactor," "The Science of Dog Training," "The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Player—From Beginner to Disaster."

Ting-Lu had studied them all.

And it had carefully applied these techniques in its interactions with Natsume.

This moment was one such example.

More than anything else, emotional value had to be delivered properly.

After a few more exchanges with Ting-Lu, Natsume returned to chatting with Keisho.

Most of their conversation revolved around Ogerpon and Pecharunt—

Their abilities, preferences, and natural behaviors.

All details that would later be recorded in the Pokédex.

Natsume didn’t hold anything back.

He shared everything he deemed necessary.

What he didn’t mention, however, were the more personal quirks—

Like Ogerpon’s little hobbies or its embarrassing moments from the past.

Natsume had always disliked the kind of parents who would bring up their child’s most embarrassing moments at family gatherings just to amuse others—

Even when the child was visibly uncomfortable, they’d keep going.

It was irritating.

And the same principle applied to Pokémon.

Most Pokémon were like children—

Sensitive, easily influenced by their Trainers.

If something wasn’t necessary to say, then there was no point in bringing it up.

"Toxic Chain is quite an interesting ability."

"It could be extremely useful in battle."

"Pecharunt seems to be a highly defense-oriented Pokémon."

"And it has to be outstanding."

Once Keisho got into work mode, he was completely immersed in his own world.

He only surfaced briefly to chat with Natsume when he encountered a problem, hoping to get some answers to his doubts.

Natsume, for his part, didn’t find it annoying and patiently answered his questions.

If Natsume had to describe how he had changed, it would undoubtedly be that running the farm had greatly trained his patience.

Between the endless workload, the never-ending tasks, and the little troublemakers running around the farm, exhaustion was inevitable.

For someone with a weaker mindset, they might have given up entirely.

The idyllic countryside life seen online was certainly beautiful.

But that was just online.

Reality wasn’t exactly a complete mess, but it was a constant cycle of worry from morning till night.

The fact that he had managed to last this long on the farm showed that Natsume’s patience had indeed been honed.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t just his patience.

His entire mentality had been tempered to be as steady as an old dog.

Even if, in the very next second, a Pokémon that wasn’t supposed to fly suddenly appeared in front of him and declared its intent to destroy the world, Natsume felt he wouldn’t be too surprised.

At most, he’d just sigh and say—

"So the world really has gone mad."

Then he’d summon Mew.

Looking at it this way, Mew had become an indispensable presence on the farm.

As for Natsume?

Just a mascot.

He vaguely remembered how time seemed to crawl when he was younger.

Every single day felt long.

But now, two or three days seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Keisho had finished his work and was preparing to return to the capital.

His research institute still had a mountain of tasks waiting for him.

This trip had been, in part, an excuse to take a short break.

Unfortunately, good vacations were always fleeting.

"Professor Keisho, thanks for all your hard work these past few days."

Standing at the farm’s entrance, Natsume waved at him.

"It wasn’t hard, not at all."

Even as Natsume forcefully stuffed two bags of Pokéblocks into his hands, Keisho maintained his usual friendly, good-natured smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Keisho promised that once he returned, he would compile the information on Pecharunt and the others and report it as soon as possible.

At the latest, by Monday, the Trainer’s Pokédex should be updated.

Hearing this, Natsume was finally satisfied enough to let him leave.

Did people really think he was such a hospitable host?

If he weren’t eager to get this matter settled quickly, he wouldn’t have gone through all this effort.

With Sha Keisho’s assurance, half of Natsume’s worries were put to rest.

The other half would only disappear once the Pokédex was officially updated.

But even if there was a delay, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Yesterday, under the guise of future communication about Okidogi and the others, Natsume had already gotten Keisho’s contact information.

If any issues arose, he could just call directly.

"Natsume, no need to see me off. We’ll be heading back now."

Smiling, Sha Keisho waved before getting into the black business car he had arrived in.

Besides his own vehicle, two additional cars flanked it in front and behind as escorts.

The Jadeleaf League had always placed great importance on the safety of its researchers.

At Keisho's level, solo travel was practically out of the question.

After seeing him off, Mew—who had spent the past few days lounging on Natsume’s head disguised as a Flabébé—suddenly pounced, shifting back into its true form in an adorable, cat-like manner.

At this point, Natsume was fine with letting people know about some of the legendary Pokémon on his farm.

For example, Ting-Lu or Okidogi.

But Mew?

For now, he wasn’t ready to reveal its existence to the world.

After all, there were levels even among legends.

Mew had long been believed to contain the genetic code of every Pokémon in existence and was capable of learning all their moves.

Its status and significance were on a completely different scale compared to Okidogi and the others.

Or rather, there was simply no comparison.

The gap between Okidogi and Mew was bigger than the gap between a Rattata and a Dragonite.

"Mew~"

Natsume, Natsume! The basic framework of the gym is already in place! Let’s go check it out!

Still perched on Natsume’s head, Mew excitedly ruffled the hair he had neatly styled that morning.

It was absolutely thrilled about the gym’s construction.

When it was finished, Mew wanted to play the role of Gym Leader—beating up trainers!

To give those fresh-faced trainers just starting their journey a bit of a shock.

The mere thought of it ignited a fire within Mew!

Well, more like—it ignited other people’s fire.

"Sure."

After a moment’s thought, Natsume agreed to Mew’s proposal.

He had nothing pressing to do for now, anyway.

Might as well check out the gym.

As for sharing the good news with Pecharunt?

That could wait.

Natsume wasn’t the type to celebrate too early.

Until everything was officially settled, there would always be a hint of unease in his heart.

"Mew!"

Yay!

Hearing Natsume’s answer, Mew leaped into the air, tiny pink paws resting on his shoulder.

The next moment, Natsume vanished from the farm’s entrance.

Whoosh—

In front of the partially constructed gym, Natsume and Mew’s figures appeared out of nowhere.

The gym was being built to meet the standards of a city-level gym.

Both the battle arena and training facilities were designed to meet the necessary requirements.

As for something higher, like a provincial-level gym?

Strictly speaking, that was already beyond the scope of a regular gym.

There were usually additional responsibilities tied to it, making operations more complicated.

A provincial-level gym wasn’t just a gym—it was practically a small company.

"This looks pretty good."

Surveying the gym’s framework, Natsume nodded in satisfaction.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before it was ready for use.

"Mew?"

Tilting its head, Mew looked at Natsume with a puzzled expression.

Natsume, do you know about the two unfamiliar Pokémon inside the gym?

"Hmm?"

Hearing Mew’s words, Natsume paused, then quickly realized—

It must be a couple of Pokémon that had accidentally wandered in.