Pokemon: Farm Story-Chapter 183: The Shame of Ralts

After a round of discussion with Chi-Yu, they finally reached a mutually satisfying agreement.

Chi-Yu would obediently follow Natsume's commands and arrangements, and try to treat the other Pokémon on the farm as its own companions.

In return, Natsume would customize Pokéblocks suited specifically to Chi-Yu's tastes.

Yes, that part was non-negotiable—Chi-Yu insisted on it.

Aside from the fact that it couldn't beat Natsume anyway, this was a major reason why Chi-Yu was willing to follow orders.

Besides, with so many Legendary Pokémon on the farm, it's not like it would be called on often.

Most of the time, it could just laze around, enjoy good food and drink—who wouldn't be tempted by that kind of lifestyle?

Chi-Yu made it clear: it had firmly and decisively let go of its so-called pride as a Legendary.

All those trivial details could be reconsidered after a good meal.

"I'm counting on you to take care of things here."

Natsume waved to Chi-Yu, who was busily reshaping the terrain, and turned to leave.

While Chi-Yu could appreciate the fresh air and flat grasslands, it still preferred the heat—after all, it was a Fire-type Pokémon.

For a Legendary, reshaping its surroundings to match its preferences was less about ability and more about desire.

Once it found a suitable spot, Chi-Yu began working without hesitation.

It had already cleared this with Natsume, so it was working confidently.

Under Chi-Yu's transformation, a blazing basin of fire emerged at the outermost edge of the farm.

From above, it looked like an eye of the abyss suddenly erupting in the middle of the prairie, exuding heat and sulfurous fumes from every cracked line in the scorched earth.

Though technically still part of the farm, Natsume hadn't built a fence around this area.

Usually, wild Pokémon would roam nearby.

But now, upon sensing Chi-Yu's presence, they all wisely kept their distance.

Big boss spotted!

Nope, not messing with that.

Even though Chi-Yu had taken the initiative to renovate the area, the surrounding climate hadn't changed.

(Cue silent thumbs-up from the pink kitty and the ocean prince who'd rather not babysit.)

After circling lazily above the now-empty basin, Chi-Yu dove headfirst into the lava below.

Natsume had mentioned possibly bringing over some other Fire-types in the future.

It wasn't sure when exactly that would be.

Still, it held a vague hope—not too optimistic, but not dismissive either.

To Chi-Yu, it didn't really matter whether other Pokémon joined or not.

If they did, maybe things would be livelier?

Possibly. It had no experience taking care of kids anyway.

Of course, that only worked if the kids weren't chaotic little gremlins.

Aside from a few overly compassionate types, who could honestly tolerate a hyperactive Chimchar that might explode into ear-piercing screeches at any moment?

Honestly, even staying here alone wouldn't be bad.

One word: peace.

The freedom to move around was already a luxury.

Far better than the old days, sealed away in isolation.

Maybe life had worn away its edges, but Chi-Yu had adopted a very zen, go-with-the-flow attitude.

And honestly, it found that pretty comfortable.

It closed its eyes and fell asleep quietly in the lava stream it had created.

Don't ask how a goldfish has eyelids.

It's a Pokémon thing—don't overthink it.

—

Elsewhere on the farm, Mei was busy with the day's feeding rounds.

"Come on, hold out your hand."

"Raaalts~"

Pinching a pink Pokéblock between her fingers, Mei dangled it playfully in front of the Ralts like she was teasing a kitten.

Ralts, sitting obediently on the ground, clearly longed for the treat—but still waited patiently for Mei's cue before reaching out to accept it, making sure to express gratitude afterward.

"So cute!"

Mei plopped down, resting her chin in her hands, eyes brimming with affection for Ralts.

She had no intention of capturing it, but that didn't stop her from loving it.

Kind of like how people can't resist petting adorable animals on the street.

And Mei?

Well, she basically had access to a massive, free cat café.

Let's just go with that.

Food, drinks, and all sorts of lovable personalities with wildly different temperaments.

For those who love petting animals but are too lazy to care for one, this place was heaven.

With such a big farm, you were bound to find Pokémon that liked you.

Out of all the Pokémon here, Mei's favorites were this Ralts—and one particular Boltund.

She loved Boltund for its goofy charm and sunny personality.

But Ralts? That was just pure aesthetic appeal.

So obedient, so cute—with that little watermelon head, how could anyone not adore it?

Mei certainly did.

"By the way, Ralts—where are your big sisters?"

She poked Ralts' tiny hand with her finger, tilting her head curiously.

"Raaal..."

The blissful look on Ralts' face froze mid-bite.

Its expression shifted... to what could only be described as...

Embarrassment?

Mei blinked. Why embarrassed?

She got her answer quickly.

"Kirlia!"

A clear voice rang out from nearby.

Mei turned toward the sound.

There, perched on a tree branch, was a Kirlia—one arm tucked under a notebook.

With a single glance backward, it vanished on the spot.

"PIII!"

Right after Kirlia disappeared, a dazzling golden Pidgeot came soaring in, screeching with rage.

Its sharp gaze scanned the area before locking onto a target, and with one powerful flap of its wings, it shot off like an arrow from a bow.

Alright, Mei was starting to piece things together.

That Kirlia—yep, the one with the notebook—was something of a minor celebrity on the farm.

Though... more infamous than famous.

It was trained by Corviknight and wielded a wickedly sharp tongue.

Every time it battled, it infuriated opponents to the brink of madness.

Its style differed a bit from Corviknight's, too.

If Corviknight was the gruff, sarcastic internet uncle...

Kirlia was more like a bratty, mean-girl internet princess.

It had memorized an alarming number of snarky catchphrases that made your skin crawl.

Now, that alone wouldn't be a problem...

But here's the kicker—you couldn't beat it.

Kirlia never claimed to have just one mentor.

In battle, it was trained by none other than the Mew, Cresselia.

Which meant most Pokémon on the farm genuinely couldn't take it in a fight.

And when you can't beat it and can't out-snark it—you end up bottling that frustration.

Every battle left opponents fuming silently, dead set on flattening it before arguing back.

But... things usually didn't go well.

Sure, Kirlia would apologize sincerely afterward, but the psychological damage was done.

"...Right. I get it now."

Mei retracted her gaze, nodding in understanding.

Ralts, meanwhile, had both hands over its face, utterly unwilling to face the world.

Honestly? It had zero desire to evolve right now.

It was terrified of ending up like its sisters.

That would be... just too humiliating.

"There you are, Mei. What's going on?"

Natsume arrived, trailing behind the shiny Pidgeot, eyeing Mei and the dejected Ralts with mild curiosity.

Especially Ralts.

It was rare to see the little one like this.

Did something happen?

"Ralts!"

Ralts, still hiding its face, let out a muffled wail, venting all its pent-up frustration in one go.

Kirlia had apparently lost a few screws and gone full-on sarcastic mode—everything it said now sounded vaguely mocking.

And then there was Gardevoir—who seemed to have a compulsive need to stay busy, always finding something to do, like resting was illegal.

Just because you're a workaholic doesn't mean we are!

And then there was Gallade brother.

Every day, he was either sunbathing on the little hill or fishing by the lake.

Occasionally, he'd even get scolded by his own little sister.

'You're the big brother!'

'Can you at least act like it? Show some authority!'

"Emmmm..."

"You've got it tough, huh."

After Natsume finished translating, Mei looked at Ralts with a faintly sympathetic, subtly amused expression.

How to put it...

It felt wrong to say, but this whole thing was kind of hilarious.

Not a single one of them seemed like a normal sibling.

Except for the Ralts right in front of them.

But considering what its older siblings were like...

Natsume couldn't help but wonder: was this child really the straight-laced one, or just playing the part?

"Ralts..."

Covering its face, Ralts gave off an unmistakable don't talk to me aura.

It honestly didn't know what to say anymore.

Right now, it just wanted to find a quiet, empty place to bury itself in.

Let its head cool off a bit.

As for anything else?

Later, maybe.

It was exhausted.

"Kirlia!"

Before Natsume could think of something comforting to say, Kirlia suddenly teleported in front of Ralts, notebook clutched proudly in hand.

Throwing both arms up in victory, she triumphantly announced the success of her latest operation.

That shiny golden guy? Left him totally in the dust!

Holding up a feather she'd plucked from the shiny Pidgeot, Kirlia proudly showed it off to her little sister.

'Look! This is your big sis's strength!'

'The farm's top trickstar—battle record available upon request!'

Her victims were spread across the entire farm. Whether it was a random Oddish by the roadside or a Pidgey perched on a tree, she'd tricked them all at least once!

Stuffing the golden feather into Ralts' hand, Kirlia flipped open her notebook and solemnly recorded this glorious battle.

This marked the end of her days picking only the weak.

Now, she was ready to start tempting fate!

Yes, that's what her esteemed mentor, Corviknight, had said.

And Kirlia had a decent amount of respect for the one who'd shown her this path.

Generally speaking, if Corviknight said something, Kirlia would listen.

Except when it came to Corviknight's opinions on Persian, or that time he tried to convince her to team up and challenge the so-called "Boss Cat."

Everything else? Fine.

But Persian? Absolutely not.

She was just a fragile and pitiful little psychic girl!

There was no way she could challenge that monster who didn't even flinch when hit by her big sis's psychic attacks.

"Ralts..."

Looking at the feather now forced into her hand, Ralts looked a little helpless.

Even though she didn't exactly love her sister's antics...

There was no doubt about it—they were family.

And her small grievances were just that: little squabbles between siblings.

Carefully tucking away the "spoils of war" Kirlia had given her, Ralts gave her sister a big hug.

"Ralts."

Keep it up.

"Kirlia!"

I'll train even harder! Whether it's trash talk or dirty tricks—!

"Ralts..."

Yeah, maybe don't.

The smile that had just started to appear on Ralts' face vanished instantly.

She even gave Kirlia a light push, expression full of quiet disdain.

Stay away from me.

I'm afraid whatever you've got might be contagious.

Kirlia, however, didn't mind her little sister's rejection at all.

Not even a ripple in her mood.

After chatting with Ralts for a bit and greeting Natsume, Kirlia teleported away again.

No one knew where she went.

Maybe to test out the results of her training?

Who knew?

Ralts certainly didn't care.

Compared to her workaholic Gardevoir sister and her chaos-brained Kirlia sister...

Ralts had a very clear understanding of who Natsume was in the human world.

And to put it bluntly—

If Natsume assembled a proper team, walked out the door, and declared that he was going to become an Elite Four member, a horde of people would back him without hesitation.

Why? Simple—people gravitate toward strength.

Setting aside politics and outside factors, a powerful Elite Four member always inspired confidence.

Even other leagues would start plotting how to poach him.

In fact, some were already trying to make contact with Natsume.

They just hadn't succeeded.

Otherwise, this peaceful little farm of his wouldn't be so peaceful.

"Ralts?"

Natsume, do you need an assistant?

After staring at Natsume for a few seconds, Ralts suddenly asked.

"Hm? What brought that on?"

Natsume blinked, looking at Ralts curiously.

An assistant?

It wasn't like he lacked assistants.

He had Gardevoir and Butterfree for making Pokéblocks.

He had Indeedee's little sister for cooking and desserts.

Lopunny helped with daily chores.

The garden currently under construction was being managed by Bellossom and a whole squad of Grass-types.

The farm's operations were overseen by Indeedee's big brother.

And Slowking's "external brain" was practically everywhere.

Natsume's concern wasn't that he didn't have enough assistants...

It was that some Pokémon were starting to overlap in roles.

Managing them all was becoming a bit of a challenge.

"Ralts!"

I want to do something.

I want to get stronger.

With tiny fists clenched, the red pupils beneath Ralts' bangs gleamed with determination.

She still didn't know exactly what kind of Pokémon she wanted to become...

Didn't know what kind of goals she'd eventually set, or what she wanted to look like in the future.

But Ralts knew one thing for sure—getting stronger could never be the wrong choice.

No matter what situation she ended up in, strength would always be her firmest foundation.

"Alright then. You can stick with me for now."

Natsume met her gaze for a few seconds before smiling and patting her gently on the head.

Off to the side, Mei looked on enviously.

She was so jealous of Natsume's ability to understand Pokémon speech!

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