Pokémon: Farm Story

Chapter 117: The Two Who Meet in the Semifinals

On the standard rocky battlefield, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Cubone’s forehead.

To be fair, it was already very close to evolving.

Under Tei Akira’s training, it could confidently pat its chest and swear that its combat strength was no worse than an average Marowak’s.

Maybe it could even win against one.

But the reality was—it hadn’t evolved yet.

Honestly, this fight seemed unwinnable.

For Pokémon, keen perception was an extremely important ability.

Especially for those living in the wild.

Only by sharply sensing an opponent’s strength could they avoid getting into a fight they couldn’t win.

The moment it laid eyes on Marshtomp, Cubone felt as if it were staring at the vast, unshakable earth itself.

We’re both Ground-types, so why does its Ground-typing feel... different from mine?

If it could evolve during the battle, then maybe there was a chance.

After all, it was already so close.

Alright! I’ll just wait for a miracle!

Raising its bone club, Cubone looked expectantly toward Tei Akira, hoping for his command.

“Marshtomp, huh? This is going to be a problem.”

Seeing Cubone’s eager expression, Akira felt a pang of guilt.

He was worried that this battle might break its confidence.

As one of the officially recognized starter Pokémon of the League, Tei Akira had, of course, done his re

He hadn’t even been able to handle that ridiculous Shiny Furret—

And now there was Marshtomp on the field.

And judging by how Natsume had been playing so far…

Next up was probably that one.

Sure enough, in the most predictable outcome of the day,

Natsume recalled Marshtomp.

He really wants to give all his Pokémon a chance to shine, huh?

What an arrogant way of thinking.

As a former academy-trained trainer, Tei Akira had long forgotten most of what he learned in school.

But years of battle experience had taught him at least one important lesson—

Never recall a Pokémon that just secured a victory.

That momentum, that rising battle spirit—

It was an actual, tangible force that could impact the flow of battle.

But for Natsume…

It probably didn’t matter.

Because Akira knew exactly who was coming next.

And there it was—

Soaring into the battlefield, the massive Corviknight appeared.

That ridiculously large bird—

No matter how many times Akira saw it in real life, it never failed to be absurdly impressive.

The moment Corviknight arrived, a blazing orb of light shot from its body, rising into the sky.

Within seconds, the dense rainclouds vanished.

The humid air dried out almost instantly.

For Corviknight—or rather, for all birds—

Rain was never a pleasant weather condition.

"GAAAH! GAAAH! GAAAH!!"

Your dad is here!

It’s my favorite part of the battle—picking today’s special!

Let’s see who’s getting beat up this time.

Its sharp eyes scanned the field.

And then—

They landed on Dodrio.

Ah.

A flightless bird.

With Corviknight’s limited brain capacity, it couldn’t comprehend the existence of flightless birds.

To Corviknight, Dodrio was nothing more than—

A useless, grounded, bad-tempered excuse for a bird.

Feeling Corviknight’s condescending gaze, Dodrio let out a piercing screech.

With its three heads, it could attack in three directions at once—

A genuine advantage in battle.

But against Corviknight…

That advantage meant nothing.

At least—not enough to win.

Of all three battles, Corviknight’s match lasted the longest.

Maybe because it just didn’t like Dodrio.

Or maybe for some other reason.

But Corviknight took its time, thoroughly displaying its strength.

By the time the fight was over—

Dodrio collapsed onto the ground, its six eyes staring blankly, filled with nothing but rage and despair.

There had never been a chance to win.

It had been completely toyed with.

Completely dominated.

"Good job, Corviknight."

"Come back."

As Tei Akira recalled Dodrio,

He calmly accepted his defeat.

And that was that.

From now on, it was time to settle down and live a normal life.

The whole professional trainer thing—

That could be left to the young and talented.

As he left, Tei Akira seemed remarkably carefree.

No sadness. No disappointment. No regret.

Maybe this was just the resignation of middle age—

Or perhaps, the freedom that came with it.

In the Top 8 match, Natsume once again breezed through his opponent.

This one was even weaker than Tei Akira

Barely giving Corviknight and the others any challenge at all.

Mei's match was just as one-sided.

And so—

In the semifinals, the two finally met.

"I've finally made it this far."

Sitting in the waiting room, Mei quietly gathered her thoughts.

In her arms, Chingling chimed softly—

As if cheering her on, trying to boost her confidence.