Pokémon: Farm Story

Outside the Berry Grove, the furious Ogerpon glared intently at the faintly visible group of Bounsweet.

Upon hearing that a strange Pokémon had infiltrated the group he brought, Ogerpon was so enraged that he wanted to grab the culprit and smash it into pieces.

It was his first time trying to do something nice for Natsume, and this happened.

Unforgivable!

If Natsume hadn't held him back, Ogerpon would have barged in by now.

Although it might sound arrogant, Ogerpon was confident that even if the entire group teamed up, they wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Maybe not one Bounsweet with a swing of his club...

But two at a time should be doable.

"Woof!"

At Natsume's feet were Mightyena's mother and Persian, their eyes sharp and alert.

Worried about misidentifying the right Bounsweet or encountering any surprises, Natsume had called in Mightyena's mother for backup.

It's worth mentioning that when Natsume found Mightyena's family, the father was trembling under the piercing glare of the mother.

In human terms, this would probably be like a married man hiding secret savings for himself, spending it all on snacks without sharing with his wife or kids.

Not exactly evil, but definitely a bit selfish.

"Chuu!"

A curious Steenee, led by Butterfree, emerged from the group, tilting her head as she looked at Natsume.

Why had she been called out of the group so suddenly?

"Here's the thing, Steenee," Natsume said, crouching down to her level, explaining the situation from the beginning.

The matter wasn't too complicated. He just didn't want any misunderstandings to arise, so he thought it was better to explain beforehand, even if it was a hassle.

What Natsume didn't notice was that behind him, Persian was tilting its head, staring at Natsume's knee with an unreadable expression.

"Chuu?"

After hearing Natsume's explanation, Steenee fell into deep thought.

After a moment of pondering, she seemed to understand something and began explaining excitedly.

In short, their original habitat had been taken over by a powerful Pokémon, forcing her group to flee and gather as they traveled.

Thus, Steenee wasn't entirely sure if these Bounsweet were originally from her group.

However, among them, there was indeed one peculiar Bounsweet.

It always sat silently in a corner, observing everything—joy, sadness, conflict—with an air of detachment, as though it were a mere observer.

"I see," Natsume nodded, indicating his understanding.

"Then please lead us to them."

"Chuu!"

Steenee nodded firmly, a trace of indignation flashing in her eyes. At that moment, her thoughts aligned perfectly with Ogerpon's:

Find that weirdo and expose them!

It didn't take long for Natsume to locate the odd Bounsweet.

The process was surprisingly straightforward since the target made no effort to hide.

The strange Bounsweet simply sat quietly to the side, keeping its distance from the others. Whenever another Bounsweet approached, it would move further away—except for one particularly popular Bounsweet that could get close.

According to Steenee, that specific Bounsweet was the most well-liked in the group.

Everyone got along with it, and even Steenee had a good impression of it.

Hearing this, Persian shot a quick glance at Natsume.

Another charmer, huh?

"Hello there."

Hearing Natsume's voice, the aloof Bounsweet lifted its head and glanced at him with its usual indifferent expression, showing no reaction to his presence, as if it had expected him.

It made no move to respond, but Natsume didn't mind.

He had already anticipated that this Pokémon might not want to communicate.

That's why he brought Ogerpon and Persian along, just in case things escalated.

These two were undeniably the top fighters on the farm.

While Ogerpon didn't often seek battles and lacked experience, his sheer power surpassed Persian's.

Persian was now Level 54, a level higher than before.

Ogerpon?

Level 61—a force worthy of an Elite Trainer.

Don't ask why a Grass-type mythic is only at the Elite level.

Even baby Lugia wouldn't necessarily win against a certain electric rodent at birth (crossed out).

Still, with this setup, they weren't invincible but could certainly hold their ground.

"Graah!"

The furious Ogerpon stepped in front of Natsume, radiating hostility. If you don't explain yourself, you're getting a club to the head!

Sensing the animosity, the aloof Bounsweet shrank back slightly, hiding behind the popular Bounsweet.

"Introductions were already made," the aloof Bounsweet said.

"You should already sense I mean no harm."

"So, can you show me your true form?" Natsume asked calmly.

Yes, two of them.

Although Mightyena's mother had only detected one, Natsume was confident the popular Bounsweet was also suspicious.

Why did his intuition outmatch that of Pokémon?

Let's just say… that's Arceus-given confidence.

At Natsume's request, the two Bounsweet exchanged a glance before smirking mischievously.

In unison, they leaped into the air.

Their cute forms shimmered momentarily before transforming.

When they landed, two small foxes stood before the group—one black, one white.

"Suo!"

The pair of foxes stared at Natsume with contrasting expressions.

The black fox smirked slyly, as if plotting some mischief.

The white fox, on the other hand, looked pitiful, almost on the verge of tears.

"Oh, it's you two little troublemakers," Natsume said, surprised.

Zorua and Hisuian Zorua.

Although he had suspected something, he was still caught off guard.

"Hehe."

The black Zorua covered its mouth, giggling at Natsume's reaction, while the Hisuian Zorua retreated shyly behind its counterpart.

"Graah!"

"Chuu!"

Both Ogerpon and Steenee were furious, itching to teach the foxes a lesson.

"So, you slipped away when I tried to capture you, huh?"

Calming his Pokémon down, Natsume turned back to the foxes.

The two Zorua exchanged a glance before the black one stepped forward to explain.

"Suo suo!"

Actually…

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