Pokemon: Farm Story-Chapter 156: Buying Berries and the Café

Was it just an illusion, or had Corviknight's size grown again recently?

"Caw."

"Stand up straight and puff out your chest—I want to see how tall you've gotten."

Natsume patted Corviknight's neck before stepping back a couple of paces to measure.

He didn't have a ruler, but he clearly remembered that when he stood upright before, he could reach Corviknight's mid-neck. Now, he barely reached its chest.

As expected, this big dumb bird had gone through another growth spurt.

No wonder it had been eating so much lately.

"Caw?"

Corviknight's eyes shone with an innocent kind of stupidity.

What's up with Natsume? Is he... complaining that I've been eating too much lately?

The thought made Corviknight a little guilty.

To be fair, it had been eating a lot these past few weeks.

Even at night, while watching anime, it munched away on snacks nonstop.

In the dead of night, the attic would often be filled with rustling sounds.

New Pokémon arriving at the farm would often get spooked by these strange nocturnal noises—like Emolga, for example.

One night, it had been woken up by the odd crunching sounds and got so nervous that it could barely sleep.

Later, it turned out that it was just Corviknight mindlessly snacking away.

And just like that, Corviknight gained a midnight snacking buddy.

Emolga didn't care much for the anime Corviknight watched, but it was very interested in where Corviknight got all its snacks from.

Thus, on many sleepless nights, Emolga accompanied Corviknight, both of them munching away on snacks.

Corviknight was well aware that Emolga didn't care about the shows it watched.

But why point that out?

Everything was fine as it was.

Corviknight provided the snacks, and Emolga played the role of a midnight snacking buddy.

As long as no one brought it up, they could remain good friends.

And so, with a partner-in-crime, Corviknight's late-night eating habits escalated.

It could finish in one night what Slowking would take days to get through.

Only recently did Corviknight begin to realize—wait, I might've gained some weight.

Its belly felt... rounder than before.

Afraid that Natsume might notice and cut off its snacks, Corviknight had been keeping a low profile these past few days, trying its best to stay out of sight.

If Natsume doesn't notice me, then he won't realize I've put on weight!

That was Corviknight's plan.

But... had it been found out anyway?

Under Corviknight's nervous gaze, Natsume finally spoke:

"Not bad, you've gotten a lot taller lately."

Oh, so that's what he meant.

Corviknight kept its expression neutral, but deep down, it let out a long sigh of relief.

Phew! He didn't notice.

See? Maybe I didn't gain that much weight after all.

And then...

"But you've also put on a lot of weight."

"You're practically growing sideways at this point."

"Your belly is almost bigger than your head."

"For the next few days, no more snacks. You'll be training with the shiny Furret instead."

"You can have snacks again once you lose the belly."

"Caaaw!"

Nooooooo!

Corviknight let out a soul-wrenching wail of despair.

But Natsume showed no mercy.

With how much of a shut-in Corviknight was, if he let it continue, soon enough, he'd be looking at a full-blown Corviknight ball.

Forget about moves like Pluck or Air Slash.

At that point, it might as well just use Body Slam.

That would fit its current vibe much better.

"All right, time to head out."

After double-checking his things, Natsume climbed onto Corviknight's back.

He gave Corviknight's neck a pat before adjusting into a comfortable sitting position.

Although Corviknight was known as the skybus Pokémon...

And supposedly, no other Pokémon could match its flight comfort levels...

If he didn't secure himself properly, there was still a risk of falling off.

You ask what's dangerous?

What do you think happens when you dance around on an airplane wing?

It's just an impromptu bungee jump. Without a cord.

Life and death are up to fate; wealth and honor are determined by the heavens.

Survive, and all is well. Fail, and you become the subject of a ridiculous news story.

"Caw!"

Steeling its little injured heart, Corviknight made sure Natsume was seated properly before flapping its wings with force.

In the next second, it became an arrow shooting straight into the sky, vanishing beyond the horizon.

"Whoosh—"

In midair, the wind was so strong that Natsume could barely keep his eyes open. The only sound in his ears was the continuous rush of air.

He peeked down slightly. Below him, the endless expanse of green forest receded rapidly into the distance.

Looking up, he saw a vast white land. Layer upon layer of clouds stretched infinitely, forming a continent with no borders.

Every time he saw this view, Natsume would recall a manga he had read in an old magazine long ago.

Something about an ocean of clouds.

He had liked that name so much that he had remembered it for years.

While Natsume was lost in thought, Corviknight had already reached its destination.

Lianshan Town wasn't exactly close to the county district.

Natsume always had to fly there on Corviknight.

And why was that?

Because he didn't have a license—neither for vehicles nor for Pokémon.

Not much he could do about it—he was only nineteen.

After graduating high school at eighteen, he moved straight to the farm. For a long time, he lived alone, barely interacting with the outside world. Driving had never been necessary.

Riding Pokémon around the farm? No one cared.

So, he never had any intention of getting a license.

But now, he was reconsidering.

Most of the city was a no-fly zone. Even in areas where flight was permitted, a Flying Pokémon license was required.

The Jadeleaf League was strict about this.

Every year, there were always reckless idiots who fell off their Flying Pokémon mid-air.

If they only hurt themselves, fine—some people were just destined to suffer.

But the problem was that sometimes, when they fell, they landed on other people.

Talk about a disaster!

To protect these self-proclaimed geniuses—and more importantly, to protect innocent bystanders—the Jadeleaf League invested massive resources into enforcing safety regulations every year.

Especially during the period from one month to six months after high school graduation.

By then, some Flying-type Pokémon had evolved just enough to barely carry a person.

Take Pidgeotto, for example. While it couldn't carry someone outright, with the help of certain devices, it could tow a human along—

Kind of like a hot air balloon.

The Pidgeotto flies above while a rope ties the person below.

And then, all over the place, you'd see 18- and 19-year-olds dangling from trees, buildings, or in all sorts of ridiculous positions.

Followed by the inevitable public humiliation.

"Caw! Caw!"

Corviknight, incoming for landing!

With a loud call, Corviknight located its usual landing spot and began to slow down.

Upon touchdown, it instinctively extended a wing to the ground, forming what looked like a sleek black carpet.

"Heave-ho."

But Natsume simply placed a hand on Corviknight's neck and leaped down, completely ignoring the offered wing.

Like trainer, like Pokémon.

It's hard to say whether Mew and the other Pokémon on the farm developed their habit of avoiding doors because of Natsume or if it was just in their nature.

Same with Corviknight's initial love for sarcastic quips—was that Natsume's influence, or had it simply found its true self?

"Return, Corviknight."

Once he landed, Natsume casually recalled Corviknight into its Poké Ball.

Large Pokémon like this weren't allowed in public spaces within the city.

Their sheer presence alone was intimidating, making people feel uneasy.

After securing Corviknight's minimized Poké Ball to his belt, Natsume adjusted the strap.

Trainer belts were essential gear, designed to hold Poké Balls securely and prevent theft.

Not that anyone would be dumb enough to steal a Poké Ball nowadays.

Apparently, back in the day, pickpockets used to snatch Poké Balls off people's belts.

Only to get beaten senseless by the Pokémon inside.

Those were some brutal sights.

As Natsume lifted the hem of his jacket, a neat row of six shrunken Poké Balls gleamed at his waist.

He could totally pass for a traveling trainer now.

Why traveling and not academic?

Because he didn't have the brains for academia.

Since time immemorial, researchers and high-IQ scholars had been analyzing Pokémon battles in ways far beyond anything from his past life's games and anime.

In this world, so-called game strategy masters were just rookies.

After all, how could a four-move game compare to real, unrestricted Pokémon battles?

The power of moves, the timing of execution, how to interrupt an opponent's attacks, how to raise a Pokémon from scratch—

Even the mind games between trainers: gathering intel before a match, predicting the opponent's Pokémon choices, and strategizing accordingly.

Just reading about all this made his head spin.

Originally, Natsume had been confident he could excel, but after flipping through a few pages of a textbook, he slumped over in defeat.

Forget it. Too exhausting.

This wasn't his path.

His old college-educated brain wasn't built for this level of study.

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.

Remembering to eat on time was already his limit.

"...Lansat Berries, Jaboca Berries, Tamato Berries, and Salac Berries."

Scrolling through his notes, Natsume casually headed for the berry wholesale market.

Even though his farm produced enough berries to sustain operations and satisfy the Pokémon's cravings, some rare varieties still had to be purchased.

Particularly those that only grew in desert regions.

These berries played an irreplaceable role in making high-quality Pokéblocks.

So, Natsume regularly stocked up.

"Hey, boss, got any Tamato Berries?"

"Ah, Natsume! Sure, sure, come take a look."

The berry vendor, who had been sorting his goods, immediately brightened up upon seeing Natsume.

He was a well-known regular at the wholesale market—big orders, low maintenance, easygoing, and fair with pricing.

What vendor wouldn't love a customer like that?

Of course, that didn't mean the shopkeeper would try to rip him off.

Originally, Natsume's go-to store had been a different one, but the owner there had tried to scam him, assuming he was just another gullible young guy.

Unfortunately for her, Natsume wasn't the type to stay silent.

He had walked out immediately and filed a complaint, reporting her for short-changing customers and violating hygiene and fire safety regulations.

And he never went back.

"These just came in today, take a look."

"And these Passho Berries arrived this morning too."

After wiping his hands on his apron, the vendor eagerly showcased his stock.

Natsume hadn't come at the best time. To get the highest-quality berries, he would've had to arrive at dawn when the good stock was snatched up by breeding houses and trainers.

Luckily, as a trusted regular, he still had access to decent selections.

After picking what he needed, Natsume also grabbed a few uncommon berries.

He planned to experiment with the recipes in his head when he got back.

Ah, another thanks to Hisui's almighty ancestor for this knowledge.

Even now, he hadn't fully sorted through all the Pokéblock formulas in his mind.

He had a sneaking suspicion that Arceus had just dumped every single recipe into his brain to save time.

Otherwise, there's no way to explain why some of those so-called "pokeblock" recipes are so crude they can barely even be called recipes.

"Woo-ma!"

At some point, without him noticing, Ogerpon had slipped out of its Poké Ball and was now poking around the berry shop, curiously inspecting everything in sight. After a bit of exploration, it scampered over to Natsume's side, raised both hands, and gave a French military salute (scratch that) before lifting its arms to help carry the large box of berries.

Despite being packed to the brim, the crate looked almost weightless in Natsume's hands, as if it were made of foam. The shopkeeper had long since grown used to this sight.

Well, the world was a big place—there were always people with abilities beyond the ordinary.

Like Natsume.

If the shopkeeper had to describe it, he would call it the "Innate Brick-Moving Physique."

[Ding! Your Pokepay payment has been received...]

"Boss, I've sent the money."

After settling the bill, Natsume placed the crate down and gave the shopkeeper a nod before getting ready to leave. A delivery Delibird would handle the transport to the farm later.

"Woo-ma."

Just as he stepped outside, Ogerpon tugged lightly at Natsume's sleeve, pointing in a certain direction.

Following Ogerpon's gaze, Natsume spotted a small café. The storefront wasn't big, but through the glass, he could see that the interior was warmly decorated, exuding a cozy charm.

"Ogerpon, are you curious?"

"Woo-ma!"

"Alright, let's take a look."

With a smile, Natsume took Ogerpon's tiny hand, leading it toward the café like a parent taking their child out for a stroll.

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