Pokemon: Farm Story

The moment the feline claw made contact with the ancient cauldron, an immense force suddenly surged forth.

Caught off guard, Ting-Lu's balance shifted in an instant.

Its blood-red eyes, filled with rage, widened abruptly.

Out of the corner of its eye, Ting-Lu barely managed to catch sight of Persian landing lightly on the ground.

How is this possible…?

A flicker of disbelief passed through its mind.

In truth, the moment Persian had burst out from the forest, Ting-Lu had already noticed its presence.

But it hadn't paid much attention.

After all, it had seen plenty of weak Pokémon like this before.

Aside from their numbers and speed, there was nothing particularly remarkable about them.

Even if they fought with everything they had, they would struggle to leave even a scratch on its body.

And so, Ting-Lu had naturally ignored Persian, focusing instead on Slowking and Gardevoir.

Those two bugs… how annoying.

For some reason, Ting-Lu's thoughts were far less agile than those of an ordinary Pokémon.

It was as if a statue, slumbering for ages, had been awakened by accident—its mind a foggy mess, unable to grasp the current situation, merely executing its assigned task on instinct.

Regaining its balance, Ting-Lu's forelimbs became wrapped in dense Ground-type energy. It raised a leg, preparing to stomp the impudent creature that had dared to brandish its claws at it.

But before the foot could land, Persian transformed into a streak of white light, darting out of the attack's range in an instant.

It even stopped in the distance, deliberately turning back to glance at Ting-Lu.

As if confirming its reaction before continuing to flee.

More annoying than harmful.

When it came to speed, Persian had absolute confidence.

Just like in its previous ambush.

While part of the plan relied on faith in its own attack power, a significant factor was that Ting-Lu simply couldn't react in time.

With a combination of Quick Attack and Trailblaze, Persian's speed in that moment was enough to outrun the vast majority of Pokémon.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled from Ting-Lu's throat—only to be cut off midway as the next wave of attacks crashed onto its face like a relentless tide.

Perhaps due to the sheer prominence of that ancient bronze cauldron, Slowking and Gardevoir had unconsciously aimed most of their attacks at it.

The cauldron resonated with continuous humming, sounding almost like a war drum from the Warring States period.

"Yadon."

What a fool.

Hidden within the forest, Slowking observed Ting-Lu, an unmistakable look of disdain surfacing on its face.

Is this thing really dumber than the farm's dogs?

Had it spent so much time trampling on the weak that its brain had regressed to the point where it could only fight the weak?

"ROAR!"

The relentless barrage of attacks ignited Ting-Lu's fury in an instant.

A roar, nothing like that of a deer, thundered through the forest.

Amidst the howling blizzard, a swirl of yellow sand suddenly emerged.

Then, it rapidly spread—turning into a full-blown Sandstorm.

The swirling storm of sand blanketed the sky in a yellow haze.

Under its onslaught, the Blizzard that Slowking and Gardevoir had conjured flickered like a candle in the wind—struggling, wavering.

But in the end, it was inevitably extinguished.

"Yadon."

Alright, a powerful fool then.

Retracting its palm, Slowking made a slight correction to its earlier judgment.

Though it didn't seem particularly intelligent, its strength was undeniable.

"Caw caw caw!"

Soaring through the air, Corviknight narrowed its eyes slightly.

A Sandstorm, huh? First time encountering this kind of weather.

But—no big deal!

After a brief adjustment, Corviknight swiftly stabilized its flight.

Even within the raging sandstorm, its movements seemed entirely unaffected.

This is the power of a heavy bomber fortress!

In the sky, Corviknight moved like a venomous snake, spitting out a steady stream of taunts and provocations while launching ranged attacks to draw Ting-Lu's attention.

At one point, Ting-Lu could have sworn it saw a smug, self-satisfied expression on that bird's face.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

Its focus on Corviknight intensified.

Seeing the situation, Corviknight wisely chose not to engage directly.

No need to risk getting stomped into a Corviknight pancake.

Natsume had made it clear—its role was to keep Ting-Lu's attention occupied.

And so far, it was doing a stellar job.

Whenever Ting-Lu tried to shift its attention elsewhere, Corviknight would swoop in with a well-timed provocation, forcing it to turn back.

And when Ting-Lu attacked Corviknight, the other Pokémon seized the opportunity to strike hard.

Even when its attacks landed, the damage was within Corviknight's acceptable range—not enough to take it down.

As long as it could escape after each hit and get a quick Heal Pulse from Natsume, it could jump right back into the fray.

"Whoosh—"

A white-streaked Persian burst out from the forest.

Ting-Lu's eyes immediately locked onto it, wary of the one Pokémon that had actually managed to hurt it.

But in that instant, a slender figure appeared beneath Ting-Lu.

Gallade.

Gone was its usual laid-back demeanor.

Now, it was like an unsheathed blade, its entire being radiating a sharp, lethal aura.

Golden light wrapped around its emerald arm-blades.

Its lean legs bent slightly—then it sprang upward.

With a decisive slash, it struck hard at Ting-Lu's neck.

"Grah—!"

The roar Ting-Lu had intended to unleash twisted into something strangely comical.

Almost like Corviknight's caw.

Tch.

Didn't cut all the way through?

Gallade's gaze darkened as it examined the strike.

If it had, the fight would've been over by now.

No matter. Another opportunity would come.

Without hesitation, Gallade's blue eyes glowed—then, in a flash, it teleported away, vanishing into the forest.

"Garde."

He's losing control of his emotions.

Gardevoir, tasked with protecting Natsume, cast a glance at her brother.

His usual polite facade was slipping, revealing his true, sinister nature.

"Uhma!"

From somewhere in the shadows, Ogerpon suddenly appeared, clutching a thorny club larger than itself.

With a few nimble steps, it leapt onto Ting-Lu's back, dashing along its spine.

Its tiny figure soared into the air, silhouetted against the sun, eyes sparkling with excitement.

With a mighty swing, the thorny club smashed down onto Ting-Lu's neck.

"Uhma!"

Now this is what I call an explosive combo move!

Unlike Gallade, Ogerpon fought with reckless abandon.

No hit-and-run tactics.

No strategy of striking once and retreating.

Just pure, unrelenting combat!

With wild enthusiasm, Ogerpon rained down a flurry of strikes, thumping its club against Ting-Lu's back.

From the darkness, Persian and Gallade charged forth, glowing with energy, ready to land another decisive blow.

But then—

"ROAR—!"

Black energy surged in Ting-Lu's crimson eyes.

Behind it, a shadowy, malevolent eye formed.

Mean Look.

A move that prevented opponents from fleeing battle.

Usually used against Baton Pass teams or wild Pokémon capture attempts.

But in Ting-Lu's hands—

Persian and Gallade froze as if turned to stone.

A deep, primal fear gripped their very genes, rendering them motionless.

Gallade tried to teleport away—

But it was as if Teleport had taken the day off.

No matter how much it tried, it simply wouldn't activate.

Then, massive boulders erupted from the ground, forming an encirclement around them.

Ting-Lu was done underestimating them.

This time, it wasn't getting caught off guard.

But a Legendary Pokémon is still a Legendary Pokémon. Even in this state, it retained enough strength to keep fighting.

Accompanied by jagged rocks, the dark ripples that had appeared before surged once more.

Ting-Lu actively triggered its Ability, Vessel of Ruin. At this range, every Pokémon except Gardevoir was affected, their Special Defense weakened.

At this critical moment, a streak of black light pierced through the raging sandstorm, cutting between Persian and Gallade.

"Caw-ga-ga!"

Now! This was the hero's moment to shine!

A green radiance blossomed amidst the dusky battlefield, like an oasis in the desert, bringing life and hope.

With the deafening crash of colliding rocks and the scattering of dust, an eerie "silence" descended upon the battlefield—one that felt oddly out of place in such a fierce fight.

As the dust settled, a translucent, green, spherical barrier emerged.

Inside it, Corviknight raised its head high, looking at Persian with a smug expression.

That look seemed to say, So even you need me to save you someday, huh?

Before the protective barrier completely faded, Corviknight grabbed both Gallade and Persian with its talons and swiftly carried them away from Ting-Lu.

Smugness was one thing, but letting arrogance lead to a disastrous mistake would be downright humiliating.

Worse than celebrating with champagne at halftime.

At least that meant you'd celebrated something. But messing up now? That would be clown behavior from start to finish.

And a true hero couldn't afford such a stain on their record.

"Roar!"

Ting-Lu's eyes burned red with fury, as if it were about to spew fire.

A barrage of attacks rained down relentlessly on Corviknight.

With a dazzling spin, Corviknight flung Persian and Gallade away as if tossing out garbage.

Now unburdened, it performed an acrobatic display in midair, as if putting on a show for the other Pokémon.

It executed a series of high-difficulty maneuvers with ease.

And then—

Boom!

Gaaah—!

A massive boulder struck Corviknight dead on, sending it flying in a graceful arc.

It crashed into the undergrowth, completely motionless.

That marked Corviknight's sixth crash landing of this battle.

You're basically a doomed pilot at this point.

As Corviknight disappeared into the trees, Gardevoir instantly teleported to its side. With another teleport, she brought it back to Natsume.

For now, Gardevoir still couldn't use Teleport with pinpoint precision to target Pokémon from a distance.

"You did great, Corviknight," Natsume said softly, crouching down and pressing a hand against its feathers.

A warm green light enveloped Corviknight, healing its wounds.

Normally, Natsume wouldn't pass up a chance to tease Corviknight about its flying skills.

But now wasn't the time for unnecessary remarks.

What mattered most was trusting his partner and offering encouragement.

"Caw caw!"

No big deal!

Now fully healed, Corviknight shook itself off.

With Iron Defense stacked multiple times, it felt invincible—like even Arceus itself couldn't scratch it.

This is the confidence that comes with being built different.

While Corviknight recovered, the battle raged on.

The sandstorm gradually faded, replaced by a lingering damp mist.

It wasn't from a move or a special ability.

Just a simple technique.

For a Pokémon as intelligent as Slowking, slightly altering how a move was used could completely change its effect.

This wouldn't fully counteract the damage caused by Sand Tomb, but it could at least weaken it.

Slowking had considered summoning rain outright, but it had lost the weather battle to Ting-Lu.

So, all it could do was keep attacking while building up its energy.

Gazing at Ting-Lu's massive form, Slowking wore a thoughtful expression.

"Yadon."

Calling all units. This is Slowking.

I have an idea.

Suddenly, Slowking's voice echoed in the minds of Ogerpon, Gallade, and Persian.

The three, who had been alternating their attacks, paused briefly.

Then, they resumed their previous battle formation—only now, their strikes seemed a little less aggressive.

Casually launching a Water Pulse, Slowking quickly explained its plan.

Persian, after hearing it, immediately agreed.

That meant they needed that bird back on its feet as soon as possible.

Given Corviknight's stellar performance, Persian decided it would temporarily stop calling it "stupid bird."

For the next few days, at least, Corviknight would be classified as a normal Pokémon.

Watching Persian and Gallade darting around before it, Ting-Lu had never felt such overwhelming rage.

Strange energy churned within the ancient bronze cauldron on its back.

Just a single glance at it was enough to send shivers down one's spine—an inexplicable, instinctual fear.

A terror without reason.

A horror without explanation.

The power of dread boiled and surged within the cauldron, building to its peak.

"ROAR—!"

With Ting-Lu's furious bellow, an ominous shockwave exploded outward.

Ruination—the exclusive move of the Treasures of Ruin.

A move that instantly halves the target's HP.

Persian and the others were caught in the blast—taking the full force of the attack.

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