Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

For Victini, this was its first time ever tasting human food or energy cubes, and it found everything incredibly delicious. Compared to the berries it used to eat, these new flavors were a revelation.

Victini couldn't help but feel pleased with its decision to hitch a ride with Celebi.

If it hadn't come to this era, how could it have ever tasted such wonderful food? Everything about this time—its people, its culture—filled Victini with excitement. It had already made up its mind to thoroughly enjoy this era while it lasted.

Celebi, on the other hand, was feeling the opposite. Seeing Victini's smug look only made its head ache more. All it could do now was hope Victini would tire itself out soon and agree to return to their original timeline.

That said, Celebi was very satisfied with the rainbow energy cubes Rex had provided. It had to admit, this "vacation" wasn't all bad—if only it hadn't been crashed by a certain stowaway.

Of course, Victini had no clue about Celebi's inner complaints—or more likely, it simply didn't care.

Meanwhile, Shaymin sat obediently in Rex's arms, enjoying a life of hand-fed luxury as Yuri and the others doted on it. They would occasionally lift bits of food to its mouth, and Shaymin would nibble them happily.

Once the main meal was finished, Rex brought out freshly made juice from Shuckle and honey collected by the Combee, serving it up to the Mythicals and his own Pokémon like Chimchar and Bagon.

Ever since Queen Vespiquen had been brought to the farm, the number of Combee had exploded, resulting in a massive increase in Sweet Honey production. There was now more than enough to meet all of Rex's farm needs.

Rex had even instructed Vespiquen to have the Combee construct a new reservoir just for honey made from Gracidea blossoms. This particular honey was far superior in taste and quality, similar to how royal jelly compares to regular honey.

After the cozy meal, everyone moved to the backyard garden to relax and enjoy the scenery.

The garden had changed a lot since its early days. Now it was filled with blooming flowers and rare plants, carefully cultivated by Yuri, Karen, and Yui. Rex didn't know most of their names, but he could certainly appreciate their beauty.

Several Combee flitted through the flowerbeds, diligently collecting nectar and pollen. A few Skiploom had also fluttered over, escaping the stuffy greenhouse to frolic in the open garden where they could play freely.

Rex reclined on a shaded lounge chair with Yuri and the others, simply watching the Pokémon at play.

Shaymin, not much of a mover, glanced around, then leapt into Rex's lap and nestled down, joining him in quietly observing the scene.

Celebi and Victini, by contrast, were much more active—zipping through the garden sky, curiously inspecting everything around them like kids exploring a new world.

Chimchar and Bagon had started their usual game of chase. Chimchar had clearly provoked Bagon, who was now storming after him in a rage. Chimchar, nimble as ever, kept dodging just before getting caught, wearing a mischievous grin the entire time.

That smug look must have been too much for Victini to bear. It flew down beside Bagon, tapped it gently with one paw, and then zoomed back into the sky.

In that instant, Bagon felt a surge of energy rush through its body—pure, limitless strength. With its speed dramatically boosted, it closed the gap with Chimchar in a flash, tackled him out of the air, and pinned him to the ground with a victorious grin.

Victini floated overhead, giggling gleefully. It clearly enjoyed helping Bagon even the odds.

Luckily, it was all in fun. Bagon didn't harm Chimchar and got off quickly, flexing his arms in amazement at the power he had just felt.

But the high didn't last long. The immense energy Victini had granted began to fade, and soon Bagon was back to normal, leaving him looking a bit wistful.

That kind of sudden empowerment followed by emptiness was hard to bear—and it was precisely why Victini only ever granted its infinite energy in short bursts. Any longer, and Pokémon could become dependent on it, addicted to the rush, and forget to grow stronger on their own.

Rex watched the scene unfold with mixed feelings. While Victini's power was undeniably tempting, he understood the risk—true strength had to be earned, not handed out like candy.

—

As Rex and his Pokémon enjoyed their peaceful afternoon, two visitors were rapidly approaching the farm on flying Pokémon.

One of them was the former Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, soaring through the sky on a gleaming silver Metagross. Steven had given up his Champion title to pursue his passion for rare stones.

He had come to the farm after hearing from Professor Birch that Rex had obtained an exceptionally rare Salamencite in Meteor Falls. Driven by curiosity—and his obsession with rare stones—Steven had taken on the League's investigation task himself.

Naturally, he also hoped to see if he could buy the Salamencite from Rex. Most people couldn't afford such a treasure, but Steven, heir to the Devon Corporation, had both the wealth and resources to make a tempting offer.

Flying beside him was the current Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia, riding on her partner Garchomp.

Cynthia had recently come to Hoenn on official business, and when she heard about the mysterious energy surge last night from Rex's farm, her curiosity was immediately piqued.

As a Champion with a deep interest in myths and ancient history, she was always chasing legends. Anything connected to strange phenomena—especially ones involving Mythical Pokémon—was bound to draw her attention.

(End of Chapter)