Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

The moment Rex stepped off the plane, a wave of heat hit him—despite it being nighttime, Melemele Island was still sweltering.

The island's airport sat on the outskirts of Hau'oli City, a seaside metropolis and the largest city in all of Alola. Hau'oli was divided into a beach district, commercial district, and harbor district.

Most tourists visiting Alola rarely ventured beyond Hau'oli's surroundings. Thanks to its high population density and level of development, the area boasted robust security—unlike the wilder parts of the region, where roaming without a Pokémon companion could be dangerous due to wild Pokémon.

Outside the airport, Rex was greeted by a vibrant, distinctly Alolan cityscape. People walked around with smiles, greeting one another with cheerful calls of "Alola!"—a word that meant hello, goodbye, I love you, and even hope, love, peace, and happiness.

The person Rex was here to find—Professor Kukui—didn't live in Hau'oli City proper. His lab was located near the Trainer School, where he also worked as an instructor.

Still, Rex didn't rush off to find him. He decided to spend a day sightseeing in Hau'oli before checking in with Kukui.

Since it was already late, he grabbed some dinner and found a local inn to stay the night. The next morning, he set off to explore the city.

He bought a few local snacks as he walked, and then let Chimchar and Bagon out to accompany him. Both had been given a stern talking-to beforehand, which made them a little more obedient. Though still rambunctious, at least they didn't vanish out of sight this time.

Due to how rare Chimchar and Bagon were in Alola, the two quickly attracted attention as they strolled down the streets. Curious glances followed them everywhere.

"Crabrawler, use Bubble Beam!"

"Rockruff, use Rock Throw!"

As Rex wandered into the beach district, he saw two boys having a Pokémon battle nearby.

Crabrawler and Rockruff were common in Alola, but it was Rex's first time seeing either, so he stopped to watch.

Though Crabrawler had the type advantage, Rockruff was clearly better trained. With a nimble leap, it dodged the Bubble Beam and summoned a barrage of rocks above Crabrawler's head.

Unable to evade in time, Crabrawler was struck and immediately lost the ability to battle. Its young trainer begrudgingly admitted defeat, muttered a few complaints, and carried it off toward the Pokémon Center.

Meanwhile, the victorious boy and his Rockruff looked triumphant. Judging by their reaction, this duo had won many matches in the area.

"Hey, big bro over there! Want to have a battle with me?"

After scanning the crowd, the boy locked eyes with Rex and issued his challenge, clearly interested in testing his skills against someone new.

"I don't mind," Rex said with a smile. "But your Rockruff just battled—shouldn't it take a break first?"

"No need!" the boy replied proudly. "My Rockruff's the strongest around here! No Pokémon can beat us!"

"Alright then. Bagon, you're up!"

Rex grinned and sent out his Iron Head–specialist, Bagon.

"Rockruff, charge and use Tackle!"

The boy, having never seen a Bagon before, sized it up as about the same size as his Rockruff and gave the attack command confidently.

"Bagon, charge in too—use Iron Head."

Rex figured it was time to teach this overconfident kid a valuable life lesson.

Bagon's stubby legs kicked up sand as it rushed forward, a metallic sheen gleaming from its head.

Bang!

Their heads collided, and—unsurprisingly—Rockruff was sent flying, tumbling across the sand until it lay motionless with swirls in its eyes.

With Bagon being four to five times heavier than Rockruff, plus the Steel-type advantage of Iron Head, a one-hit knockout wasn't shocking. Rex expected as much.

But the boy didn't. He froze, tears welling up as he desperately called for Rockruff to stand up—but it was no use. The impact had left it too battered to move.

"Enough. What you need to do now is take Rockruff to the Pokémon Center—not push it to keep fighting. Got it?"

Rex walked up to the boy and spoke firmly.

"I-I got it…"

Startled by Rex's stern gaze, the boy finally snapped back to reality, picked up his Rockruff, and ran toward the Center without looking back.

With the little troublemaker gone, Rex resumed strolling along the beach. None of the other local kids dared challenge him now—it was clear that the boy he'd beaten had been the neighborhood champion.

Further down the shoreline, near a cluster of rocks, Rex spotted a girl sitting on a large stone, calmly fishing.

She looked to be a little younger than him, with sea-blue hair, flip-flops, and a laid-back outfit. A Popplio lay sprawled beside her.

Just then, her rod bent—something had taken the bait. She expertly began reeling in her catch, skillfully playing the line as she fought the fish. Rex couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed watching her—his own fishing skills were clearly amateurish in comparison.

After a short struggle, the fish in the sea lost its strength. With a final yank, the girl hauled it from the water—a hefty fish over a meter long. She then swiftly scooped it into a landing net to keep it from escaping.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she exhaled and finally noticed Rex standing nearby.

"You are?"

"I'm Rex. I just arrived in Alola yesterday," he replied. "I saw you fishing and thought it looked fun, so I stopped to watch."

From her fishing skills and the Popplio at her side, Rex already had a good guess as to who she was—Lana, the legendary fishergirl who once achieved every angler's dream: reeling in a Kyogre with a single rod.

Granted, it wasn't the primal Kyogre of legend, but still—a Pokémon of that caliber counted as mythical in its own right.

Lana, seemingly relaxing after the exhausting catch, looked at Rex with interest.

And so their introduction began.

(End of chapter)