Chapter 175:Farm Heals You! A Date with Gardevoir

Bam~

The Whirlpool exploded!

Frenzy Plant surged from the water, and the massive vines cast a shadow over the entire battle arena!

Tohn and Seismitoad looked up simultaneously.

Boom~ Bam~

Accompanied by a roaring sound, the earth shook.

Water splashes and smoke filled the air.

“Dragonite~”

The Light Screen and Reflect in front of Dragonite slowly dissipated.

The smoke spread out in all directions.

Serperior defeated Seismitoad, gaining 11,293 experience points.

Serperior's challenge task complete.

Serperior's level increased to 79.

Tohn gazed at Seismotoad, who had lost battle capability, feeling drained of energy.

Tohn, a Elite Level Trainer and a prominent figure in ASEAN.

In the battle arena, Serperior's gaze had never shifted toward him.

Sunlight illuminated Serperior's skin, making it shine.

After six battles, it seemed that not a single mark had been left on Serperior's body.

Tohn thought this might be the most despairing loss he had ever faced.

No, he had experienced something similar once before.

When he was eighteen, he got his first Pokémon.

He was excited and determined to become a Pokémon Master.

That was the dream of every young person.

He quickly captured two companions and confidently challenged the strongest gym in his area.

Dreams are beautiful, but reality is often cruel.

His first gym challenge ended in a crushing defeat.

They told him he clearly lacked the talent to be a Trainer.

Tohn was, of course, defiant.

After that, he dedicated himself to training, striving to increase his strength and that of his Pokémon.

They explored secret realms, captured powerful Pokémon, and recruited more companions.

He didn't want to endure that kind of ridicule again.

After countless hardships, he finally became a member of the Elite Four in ASEAN.

Now past forty and having lived half his life, Tohn thought he had reached the pinnacle of success in this world.

But today, there was also an eighteen-year-old youth.

Yet that youth was not him.

What remained the same was the failure.

“As it stands, I haven’t changed at all since then.”

Tohn stared blankly at the Poké Ball in his hand.

Natsume approached Serperior, saying, “Serperior, it seems you've shattered his spirit.”

“Serperior~”

Serperior looked innocently at Natsume.

Is it my fault?

You were the one commanding it.

Outside the battle arena, Umikawa stared blankly at Natsume and Serperior. “He really won.”

“With the Z-Move unleashed, that means Tohn truly went all out, right?”

“And that didn’t even make Natsume switch Pokémon?”

Umikawa was enveloped by the cheers of the crowd.

“Wow, Serperior truly lives up to its reputation as Natsume's Pokémon!”

“One versus six! And it’s a Champion battle, that’s just absurd!”

“Serperior is incredible!”

“With this battle performance, it could probably challenge a Champion!”

Those words suddenly quieted the crowd.

Everyone turned to Natsume.

A Champion under twenty, no less.

“Tohn? Tohn.”

Mahathir shook Tohn's shoulder hard, bringing him back to reality.

“Chansey~”

Chansey approached.

It looked at Tohn, whose expression had darkened, and offered him a Nutritious Egg.

Chansey was always gentle.

“Is this for me?”

“Chansey~”

Chansey smiled as it delivered the egg.

“Thank you.”

Tohn awkwardly reached out to accept it.

“Pidgeotto~”

Pidgeotto and a group of Pidgey flew over from the Hearty Grains.

Sandslash and its Sandshrew companions continued to bend down and pull weeds from the ground.

The tall Hearty Grains had already grown to the point where they covered Sandshrew's body.

When they looked down, they completely disappeared from sight.

This was a downside of not using an Accelerator.

Grass and bugs had to be managed on their own.

Fortunately, Sandslash was quite enthusiastic about this work.

Natsume didn’t have to worry.

Sandslash would find visitors for the farm and Pokémon to help out.

Tohn ate the egg in his hand, watching the bustling crowd and the Pokémon on the farm.

Suddenly, he thought to himself, isn’t this the kind of life I’ve been pursuing through all my efforts?

Free and unrestrained.

As he ate the Nutritious Egg given to him by Chansey, he felt the farm's breeze.

Tohn suddenly felt a lot lighter.

“Audino~”

Audino looked at Tohn.

Tohn handed over his Poké Balls to Audino.

“Thank you.”

“Audino~”

Natsume walked over with Serperior.

“Tohn, you’re here for Manaphy’s Pokémon egg, aren’t you?”

Tohn and his group were indeed here for Manaphy’s Pokémon egg.

The reason was quite clear.

They aimed to protect Natsume and ensure the smooth hatching and return of Manaphy.

This was a significant matter for the entire ocean.

But now, Tohn couldn’t bring himself to say that.

Having just been wiped out, how could he claim he was here to protect them?

Tohn still had some pride.

Tohn lifted the egg given by Chansey and showed it to Natsume, saying, “This is really delicious.”

Natsume nodded, “Good taste.”

“Tohn, let’s get back to business.”

Mahathir reminded him.

“Um…”

Tohn shot Mahathir a glance, then paused to gather his thoughts.

After a moment, he looked at Natsume and said, “Ahem, Gym Leader Natsume.”

“If you need to go out to sea, I can offer you a yacht.”

“I mean, once Manaphy hatches, if you need any assistance, you can contact me.”

Mahathir: “?”

Umikawa: “...”

Umikawa thought to himself, as expected, that is Natsume, Gym Leader.

That’s not what you said when you came looking for me.

Natsume smiled.

He knew the intentions of these two.

But now, it seemed they had changed their minds.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head to the fields now.”

Mahathir, seeing Tohn fall silent, quickly chimed in, “Mr. Natsume, I’m a member of the International Pokémon Rangers Association.”

“I’d like to know more about Manaphy.”

Natsume smiled kindly at him and asked, “What do you want to know?”

Mahathir turned to Tohn.

Tohn looked up at the sky.

“Charizard~”

Tohn’s Charizard was recovering under Audino's Heal Pulse.

It still looked somewhat dissatisfied with the previous result.

Pop~

A chubby hand slapped Charizard’s head.

“Dragonite~”

Be quiet, settle down.

Bam~

Charizard was slapped to the ground by Dragonite as it walked by.

Dragonite turned around angrily.

Who hit me?!

“Dragonite.”

Dragonite glared at Charizard.

Faced with Dragonite’s fierce expression, Charizard curled its neck nervously: “Whimper…”

Charizard: I’ll behave.

The friendly expression on Dragonite’s face instantly brought clarity to Charizard.

Charizard had the capability to battle Serperior.

But it definitely did not have the strength to battle Dragonite.

“I just wanted to say that if Gym Leader Natsume needs anything, he can let me know.”

Tohn's peripheral vision caught Mahathir.

Tohn noticed him looking hesitant.

Natsume smiled and didn’t say much more.

“Sandslash.”

Natsume waved to Sandslash as he approached the fields.

“Sandslash~”

Sandslash stood up straight.

“How are the Sandshrew?”

“Sandslash.”

Sandslash replied that the new Sandshrew were quite energetic.

“Sandslash~”

Sandslash looked eagerly around the fields.

Before winter arrives, this place will surely turn into a golden ocean again.

Natsume smiled at Sandslash and said, “Yes, it will.”

In the Hearty Grains, a few Sandshrew peered out cautiously at Natsume.

Natsume thought to himself: It seems they still need some time to adapt to farm life.

“Eevee~”

Suddenly, an Eevee jumped up from the ground.

This Eevee hopped onto Natsume's shoulder and left muddy paw prints on his clothing.

Natsume reached out and patted the tufts of fur sticking up on Eevee's head, saying, “You’re making me all dirty. You’d better help me clean up later.”

“Eevee~”

Eevee responded with a silly smile, then licked Natsume’s cheek with its tongue.

On the path by the fields, Tohn and his companions watched Natsume.

“Natsume, the Gym Leader, is completely different from us.”

Mahathir sighed, “Perhaps that’s what makes this place so magical.”

Tohn shot a glance at Mahathir, “Speaking of which, you seemed a bit scared back there.”

Mahathir replied flatly, “If you had won, I would definitely be more confident than I am now.”

Tohn fell silent at that remark.

Natsume thought that his personality was generally quite good.

Tohn and his companions hadn’t provoked him; they were just like the other challengers.

After wandering around the farm for a bit, Natsume returned to the mountain.

“Come on out, Cyclizar, and the Meltan as well.”

Cyclizar still seemed to lack energy.

It looked around before finding a corner to settle down in.

The Meltan were much more lively; once they emerged, they wandered around the farm’s room.

“Everyone, nothing here is edible.”

Natsume said in the middle of the living room as he opened the Teleportation Portal leading to the Iron Ore in Towada Lake, “If you’re hungry, you can go eat here.”

As soon as the Meltan from the farm saw Natsume open the Teleportation Portal, they excitedly ran in his direction.

Natsume told them, “Also, you should show these new Meltan around.”

“Meltan~”

Once the Towada Lake Meltan mingled with the farm Meltan, Natsume quickly lost track of who was who.

Except for one particular Meltan, which stood in front of the portal posing dramatically.

“This guy.”

Before long, all the Meltan followed the portal to the Underground Mine of Towada Lake.

Natsume watched the Meltan still showing off and turned off the Teleportation Portal.

“Huh?!”

The Meltan froze as the portal suddenly disappeared.

The Meltan looked left and right, then up and down.

“Meltan!”

Where did the portal go?

“Meltan!”

Meltan covered its face, showing panic.

The hole leading to the abundant Iron Ore was gone!

Meltan looked pitifully at Natsume.

Natsume smiled at the Meltan, saying, “I thought you weren’t hungry?”

Meltan shook its head furiously.

Its little head spun around like a top.

Natsume chuckled, “I think you and Hawlucha are definitely going to get along well.”

As Natsume spoke, he reopened the Teleportation Portal for it.

Meltan rushed inside.

“What should I eat today?”

Natsume pondered this life dilemma as he watched the Meltan running into the portal.

Natsume's gaze landed on Cyclizar, who was still slumped in the corner.

Cyclizar still looked quite unenergetic.

“Let's have instant noodles today.”

Natsume murmured, “Speaking of which, I haven’t tried the instant noodles here yet.”

Having made up his mind, Natsume turned to Gardevoir beside him and said, “Let’s go to the supermarket in Morimachi.”

“Sure~”

Morimachi, Pokémon mall.

“There are so many people here.”

Natsume gazed at the bustling crowd of people and Pokémon in the mall and couldn’t help but exclaim.

Outside the mall, many parasols were set up.

People and Pokémon were sitting under the shade, sipping coffee and milk tea, chatting happily with smiles on their faces.

The popular brand stores had long lines.

In the queues were both people and Pokémon.

At the front of the line, a Deerling was anxiously looking around.

It was likely helping its Trainer wait in line.

“Gardevoir, it seems like this is the first time it's just the two of us shopping together.”

Natsume and Gardevoir made their way into the supermarket.

Gardevoir softly asked, “A date?”

Natsume smiled, “Yes.”

“A date.”

Click~

The automatic doors opened.

“Welcome!”

A Rotom at the entrance of the supermarket greeted them enthusiastically.

Natsume and Gardevoir entered the supermarket.

Natsume pulled a shopping cart from near the entrance.

“Gardevoir, is there anything you want to eat?”

Gardevoir looked around.

This section was filled with snacks that all looked delicious.

“Eevee?”

Gardevoir picked up a bag of potato chips featuring Eevee on the packaging.

“This is original flavor potato chips.”

Natsume picked up a bag too and said, “It seems it's a product endorsed by a celebrity who specializes in cultivating Eevee.”

As he spoke, Natsume placed the bag into the shopping cart.

Besides the Eevee-themed original flavor potato chips, there was also Flareon’s spicy flavor and Vaporeon’s seafood flavor.

“An Eevee family bucket.”

Natsume joked as he tossed one of each into the cart.

“Would you like to try a free cookie?”

A nearby attendant approached with a tray.

“Thank you.”

Natsume took a cookie to taste and then handed a piece to Gardevoir.

“How does it taste?”

Natsume asked, looking at Gardevoir.

“Delicious~”

Gardevoir leaned closer to Natsume and gently wiped the corner of his mouth.

Natsume licked his lips.

“Did I get any on me?”

Gardevoir replied, “All cleaned up.”

“Natsume, Gym Leader?”

While Natsume and Gardevoir were chatting, someone suddenly called out to him.

Natsume turned around.

A girl in a white top and blue jeans was looking at him.

“Haruharu?”

Haruharu was the granddaughter of Yamada Kaichou.

When Natsume attended Aomori Pokémon Academy, she had shown him around the school.

“It really is Gym Leader Natsume!”

Haruharu waved excitedly at Natsume.

Natsume smiled at the approaching Haruharu and said, “Long time no see.”

“Are you on vacation?”

“Just got back.”

Haruharu smiled at Natsume, “I didn’t expect to run into you, Gym Leader Natsume.”

Natsume grinned, “Is that so? You must remember to visit my farm sometime.”

“I’ll go tomorrow~”

Haruharu said as she looked at Gardevoir standing next to Natsume.

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“I have plans with friends today.”

Natsume nodded, “Goodbye.”

Gardevoir watched Haruharu's retreating figure.

Gardevoir sensed that Haruharu was thinking unwholesome thoughts.

However, Gardevoir didn’t mind the girl’s quirky ideas.

At that moment, Haruharu excitedly ran towards a few girls behind the shelves.

“It really is Gym Leader Natsume!”

A chubby girl peered out and said to Natsume and Gardevoir, “I can’t shake the feeling that their relationship seems really close.”

“Abnormal, definitely abnormal.”

“It’s like they’re a couple!”

“Isn’t that too ship-able?!”

Haruharu quickly covered her mouth. “Keep it down! We’ll be in trouble if we’re overheard.”

Another nearby girl whispered, “I told you! How could Gym Leader Natsume not have a partner?”

“Case closed.”

“Natsume’s sexual orientation is Gardevoir!”

“The love between humans and Pokémon—just think about it, it’s so exciting! Hey, hey, what do you all think?”

Haruharu was horrified: “Shut up!”

“This isn’t a deserted area; you weirdos!”