Pokemon: Farm Story-Chapter 185: The Small Uses of Hypnosis

“Lalu~”

Retracting her tiny hand, Ralts wiped the sweat from her forehead.

For her current abilities, this was still a bit of a heavy workload.

But it was still within acceptable limits.

You got this!

Clenching her little fists, Ralts gave herself a silent pep talk before levitating over to Mei using psychic power.

Mei reached out and caught her with ease.

Maybe it was because they shared a few things in common, but Ralts and Mei got along surprisingly well.

What do they have in common, you ask?

Well, they both like Natsume, obviously.

Is there a single creature on this farm that doesn't like Natsume?

Anyone who doesn't has already been thrown out.

Even if Natsume doesn’t lift a finger, Boss Persian will personally deal with those kinds.

“You little punk. Eating the farm’s food, living on the farm’s land, and you still have complaints about the farm’s owner?”

Where do you get the nerve?

There’s no place here for freeloaders with attitude problems.

If Natsume steps in, it’s not so bad—he’s usually pretty tolerant of most Pokémon.

His attitude’s generally kind and gentle.

But if Boss Persian steps in?

Forget any “friendly negotiation.”

Natsume might feel awkward about beating you up, but Boss Persian sure doesn’t.

When Persian handles things, there’s no discussion—first comes the beatdown, then comes the “talk” once you’re obedient enough to listen.

“Negotiation”? Please.

“I’m here to deliver a message!”

“You worked hard.”

Cradling the drowsy little Ralts in her arms, Mei looked down at Ralts and couldn't resist rubbing her cheek against hers.

Such a precious little thing.

Cute girls are like Stand Users—they always attract each other.

“Lalu.”

After enduring the cheek rubs for a bit, Ralts gently pushed Mei’s face away with her tiny hand to say, “That’s enough.”

If this keeps up, my hair’s gonna get all messed up!

Turning her head toward Natsume, Ralts looked up at him, asking if it was time to head over to Tsareena’s side next.

Truth be told, Ralts hadn’t really seen much of Tsareena until now.

Unlike her fisherman older brother, her workaholic eldest sister, or her rough-and-tumble delinquent second sister, Ralts was more of a homebody.

She had zero interest in wandering around.

Making friends? Pass.

If she had the energy, she might take a stroll nearby. If not, she was perfectly content to lie at home all day.

Why run around wasting stamina when you could be lying down?

She never really understood her second sister’s chaotic lifestyle.

Just like Kirlia couldn’t understand why Ralts was so lazy—she didn’t even want to walk a few steps.

But that was fine. Now, Ralts had something she genuinely wanted to do.

And Kirlia had nothing left to say about it.

Four siblings, and three of them were working for Natsume.

Only she was still loafing around.

Oh no—I’m the slacker of the family!

“Mm, I’m counting on you again, Ralts.”

Natsume bent down slightly, smiling at Ralts, whose face was all serious business.

Her tiny face paired with that dead-serious expression—

There was something inexplicably adorable about it.

Maybe it was the contrast?

Sure, Natsume could’ve handled all this by himself, but if one of the kids on the farm wanted to help, of course he wouldn’t say no.

When someone wants to help you, why reject their kindness?

It’s not like he was some dark and brooding antihero with a tragic backstory.

No need to play the whole “lone wolf against the world” card.

“Lalu!”

Leave it to me!

Raising her delicate arm and waving it, Ralts tried to strike a strong pose.

But the utter lack of any visible muscle made her lower her arm in slight frustration.

Darn it—even that shiny Furret senpai is super cute but also super jacked!

Looks like Ralts might secretly prefer real muscles over psychic powers?

“Alright then—let’s head out!”

Maybe because Ralts looked so much like a child, Natsume raised his hand and shouted like he was playing with a kid.

“Ohh!”

“Lalu!”

Mei and Ralts immediately raised their arms and echoed the call.

Only the sleepy Ralts in Mei’s arms looked around in confusion at the scene unfolding in front of her.

I just closed my eyes for a quick nap...

When did we switch from the agriculture channel to a parenting variety show?

If they’re the featured parent-child duo, then what am I?

The evil heiress from some fake-daughter drama?

Should I be saying something dramatic and in character right now?

Having read a few dramatic micro-novels lately, Ralts fell into deep thought.

--

In the Berry Forest, Tsareena was in the middle of scolding her tribe.

As the poor soul who’d been pushed into the role of chieftain, Tsareena had long been stressed about whether she could actually lead her kind.

She had zero experience or knowledge in this area!

But being a studious girl, the moment she realized her shortcomings, she immediately went to Natsume for help.

Unfortunately, Natsume, who had almost no management experience himself, could only offer to buy her some books online and gather whatever resources he could find.

Tsareena gladly accepted.

And after a period of study, she felt like things were finally clicking!

At least, in theory.

Excited, she rushed back to put her newfound knowledge into practice.

And then—

She realized theory and practice were two completely different beasts.

After a string of frustrating and chaotic attempts, Tsareena once again humbly returned to Natsume for help.

Through repeated trial and error, Tsareena finally came to a key realization:

Her tribe wasn’t a human company.

There was no need for complicated corporate structure.

Just assign the work, keep everyone calm and happy—

And for the troublemakers, beat them into submission.

If they refused to listen? Toss ’em out.

Human companies need complex management because humans aren’t strong, and their ultimate goal is profit.

But for a Pokémon tribe, there’s only one goal:

Survival.

Once she understood that, Tsareena’s management style grew increasingly streamlined—

But oddly effective.

For most Pokémon, a good punch was more persuasive than any lecture.

“Chu-wa!”

Hands on her hips, Tsareena was giving a stern lecture to a few unruly Bounsweet.

Every group has a few problem children.

And the Bounsweet tribe was no exception.

In theory, Bounsweet were supposed to be low-key, cautious Pokémon.

They were weak and literally secreted a sweet, syrupy liquid.

To some Pokémon, that’s basically being born pre-marinated.

But maybe it was the overly peaceful environment of the farm—

These freshly hatched Bounsweet were bolder than ever.

Some even dared to mess around in the shiny Pidgeot’s territory.

Tsareena was done.

Seriously, do you all have a death wish?

Honestly, the farm’s peaceful atmosphere had saved their lives.

With brains like that, they’d never survive a single night in the wild.

“Good afternoon, Tsareena.”

From afar, Natsume called out to the lecturing Tsareena.

Hearing his voice, she paused mid-sentence and waved her hand, signaling the troublemakers to scram.

Don’t loiter in front of me!

Annoying!

The Bounsweet, seeing a chance for escape, immediately bolted.

Two of them were running so fast they crashed into each other and rolled into a heap.

“Chu-wa!”

Walking gracefully over, Tsareena arrived at Natsume’s side, gave Mei a quick curious glance, then paid her no mind.

She instinctively went in to rub up against Natsume—

Only to be stopped by his hand.

“?”

Tilting her head, Tsareena looked confused.

Following Natsume’s gaze, she noticed the little troublemakers still hadn’t left—they were hiding behind a tree, spying.

This made her angry again.

Those little punks. She was definitely going to teach them a lesson later.

“Alright, alright, don’t get mad.”

Natsume pulled his hand back, soothing Tsareena's mood.

Normally, he wouldn’t touch a tribe leader’s head in front of others.

Especially with other Pokémon around.

It’d damage their authority.

Just imagine—a usually stern leader suddenly does a backflip and slides on their knees in front of someone.

What would you think?

Other than “what the heck” and “that was hilarious,”

You’d probably lose all respect for them.

Once or twice is fine. But if it happens a lot, and more Pokémon see it—

That’s no good for a tribe leader’s image.

So Natsume tended to hold back in moments like these.

Of course, if no other Pokémon were around, he’d never stop Tsareena from showing affection.

Unlike Vespiquen, Tsareena had always been especially close with Natsume.

Even though she spent most of her time in the Berry Forest because of her tribe, there was no doubt about her fondness for Natsume.

“Chuwa?”

Was Natsume here to collect Bounsweet’s sweat?

Withdrawing her gaze, Tsundere Tsareena turned to Natsume and asked.

Bounsweet is the kind of Pokémon that gives off a delicious, fruity aroma from its body.

In the wild, it often gets swallowed whole by Bombirdier, which is drawn to the scent.

When attacked, Bounsweet secretes a sweet-smelling sweat.

Strictly speaking, this only happens when it's startled or stimulated.

But ironically, this sweat ends up attracting even more enemies.

One Pokédex entry even describes it like this: If a human were to eat it directly, it would be far too sweet.

However, if you dilute Bounsweet’s sweat with water, it becomes a juice with just the right amount of sweetness.

You could say Bounsweet, as a Pokémon, is not unlike Farfetch’d.

Rather than for its combat prowess, it’s more famous for being… a food ingredient.

“Yes…”

Natsume nodded with a smile, but before he could finish his sentence, Tsundere Tsareena’s eyes lit up.

“Chuwa!”

Wait right here!

With a powerful stomp, she darted into the forest like a flash of lightning.

“Chu!”

The next moment, a chaotic commotion erupted from the forest—squawks, rustling leaves, and several Bounsweet crying out in distress.

Before long, Tsundere Tsareena returned, holding a few Bounsweet with miserable expressions written all over their faces.

These were the troublemakers of the group.

They were always giving her grief.

But since they were still kids, she never punished them too harshly.

After all, back when she was still a Bounsweet, she was a little rascal herself.

“Chuwa.”

Let’s start with these ones.

She took a step back and motioned for Natsume to begin.

But—how was he planning to do it this time?

Tsundere Tsareena looked at Natsume curiously.

In the past, to better collect Bounsweet’s sweat, Natsume would usually bring along Mew or Persian. Occasionally, he’d bring Hisuian Zorua (before it evolved) or Misdreavus.

The purpose? Purely to scare the little ones.

This wasn’t Natsume’s strong suit—he had to rely on his Pokémon to help.

So, was this his assistant for the day?

Tsundere Tsareena glanced at the Ralts nestled obediently in Mei’s arms.

Just by appearances, Ralts seemed just as easy to bully as the Bounsweet.

Might even get picked on by the troublemakers.

Of course, you should never judge a book by its cover.

Some might look plain on the outside, but have something far nastier underneath.

“Ralts, I’ll be counting on you.”

With a set of small collection bottles and a custom-made scraper in hand, Natsume turned to the Ralts in Mei’s arms.

The scraper was specially designed—blunt-edged, perfect for safely gathering the liquid secreted when Bounsweet is startled.

To be honest, Natsume had always been curious about this.

Normally, when animals are threatened, don’t they secrete something foul to deter predators?

Why did Bounsweet secrete something sweet instead?

It really did seem like it was born to be food.

“Ral!”

Ralts nodded earnestly, levitating itself out of Mei’s arms with a soft glow of psychic power and gently floating down in front of the Bounsweet.

It reached out a hand toward one Bounsweet, whose expression said it couldn’t care less. A faint, invisible wave rippled from Ralts’ outstretched palm.

Beneath its bangs, the red eyes were laser-focused.

Ralts had never been particularly skilled with this move.

Though it had been practicing lately, it still wasn’t anywhere near the level of that Slowking senior.

Still, it should be enough for these guys.

The Bounsweet’s indifferent expression gradually turned blank. Its pupils filled with an eerie light.

Hypnosis.

The move’s description: puts the target to sleep.

But with just a slight tweak in application, Hypnosis could do much more.

For instance—induce a vivid illusion.

Whatever it was seeing, the Bounsweet began trembling ever so slightly.

Glistening sweat beaded on its surface, releasing a syrupy-sweet aroma that filled the air.

With a light tap of his finger, Natsume signaled Ralts to stop.

Cradling the Bounsweet gently, he began collecting the sweat.

He’d give them a little reward

afterward to make up for this.

Watching the now-frantic Bounsweet, Natsume made a note of it in his mind.

Elsewhere, with nothing much to do today, Ceruledge was dragging her little sister around on a lazy stroll.

By pure chance, they wandered into the territory that Chi-Yu had recently claimed.

Gazing at the fiery basin before her, Ceruledge tilted her head.

When did this place come into existence?