"Pass the scissors."
"Ral."
"There should still be so Dragonfire Berries up there, right?"
"Ral."
Inside the storage shed, Natsu was sorting through a batch of newly delivered supplies.
Though he usually picked up most things at the local market, there were still items he preferred to order online—regional specialties that weren't available locally, or common goods that he needed in bulk.
Frankly, Natsu just really didn't like running all over town.
Life on the farm hadn't completely cured his lazy streak. It had simply transford it from a constant condition into an occasional relapse. Most of the ti, he was fairly diligent.
But then again, given how things were when the farm first started...
If he didn't work hard, everyone would've been left chewing on air.
Not quite right.
Going by the scenarios Natsu used to imagine when he couldn't sleep at night...
If he hadn't inherited the farm, odds were he would've beco a traveling Trainer.
Then again, maybe not. Back then, Natsu wasn't really into Gym Challenges or anything like that.
Maybe he would've beco an explorer of sorts—streaming his way through remote mountains and deep forests.
And why stream it, you ask?
Well, obviously so soone could co recover his corpse if he went missing, my friend.
Being a Trainer was one of those high-risk professions with a consistently worrying death and disappearance rate. When you're out in the wild, it pays to keep a little paranoia on hand.
Most Pokémon are pure-hearted—but most people aren't.
Especially when it cos to Trainers who head deep into the wilderness. Disappearing without a trace? That's practically routine.
No one can say for sure if the guy's just wandered into a signal dead zone or straight-up kicked the bucket.
A livestream at least gives folks a clue whether you've officially logged off.
Might even be able to phone a friend to co collect your remains.
Ahem. Getting off topic.
Natsu did once consider the idea of becoming a popular strear.
But after watching the current big nas in the field...
He realized that maybe he just wasn't cut out for it.
He couldn't pull off wild antics, and he definitely couldn't do "abstract cody."
Natsu was absolutely certain he'd never be able to laugh maniacally with his tongue out while making a neck-slitting gesture.
That just felt like too much.
Not to ntion spouting those infamous, cryptic one-liners.
So people spend their entire lives as poor imitators of their predecessors.
So people sound surreal the mont you hear their na.
That's not sothing you reach just by trying harder. [crossed out]
"Good work, Ralts."
Natsu reached out and caught the floating Ralts as it drifted down from above, gently ruffling the top of its bowl-cut head.
Ralts squinted with joy under his touch.
Yup. Natsu really did give off that warm, comfy feeling.
Just like Gardevoir-sis said.
Getting close to Natsu had its perks—both ntally and physically.
"Ralu?"
What's next?
Hopping down from Natsu's arms, Ralts looked up and asked.
Ralts used to complain that Gardevoir was a total workaholic—but now it was starting to understand her perspective, just a little.
There were so many impressive Pokémon around Natsu.
If it didn't keep up, Natsu's gaze would shift away sooner or later.
Not just Natsu—Ralts itself would find its attention drifting to those powerful seniors.
Sotis it couldn't help but feel the gap between them was too wide to ever close.
But even so... it wasn't willing to give up.
Even if not for Natsu's sake—just to prove its own worth—Ralts wanted to do its best and keep his attention.
"We're heading over to Vespiquen and Tsareena's area next."
Natsu pulled out his notebook and checked the list before replying.
Many of the ingredients used in Pokéblock recipes ca from rare or unusual sources—like Combee honey or the fluid secreted by Bounsweet.
Besides their inherent value, these sweet ingredients made Pokéblocks more palatable to Pokémon.
While Pokéblocks were designed to be nutritious and portable for Trainers, they were still food in the end.
And food should taste good.
Talking only about "value," "process," and "refinent" when it cos to food is nonsense.
Food's primary purpose is to fill your belly and give your taste buds a reason to be happy.
If all you care about is nutrition, then why not just chug supplents and hook yourself to an IV?
"Ralu!"
Ralts nodded vigorously, promising to give Natsu its full support!
"Relax, relax. Vespiquen and Tsareena are both easy to talk to."
Seeing Ralts all tensed up and serious, Natsu chuckled and tried to ease its nerves.
Vespiquen, for instance... Well, their relationship wasn't exactly warm.
To put it bluntly, it was mutually beneficial.
Natsu offered them a safe place to settle and an alternative food supply to honey, and in return, Vespiquen commanded her Combee squad to be diligent little honey-harvesters for the farm.
Every ti Natsu showed up with freshly made Pokéblocks from his practice sessions with Gardevoir, Vespiquen would imdiately roll out the finest honey they'd been saving.
They were sick of eating it themselves, after all. Years of honey every day? No thanks.
As for Tsareena—she didn't even need to be ntioned.
Back when the farm was still getting off the ground, she and her tribe had co to Natsu seeking refuge.
Now the place had grown into a proper Pokémon farm—maybe even a ranch.
Her tribe had clawed their way out of hard tis.
Tsareena had evolved, and many of the younger Bounsweet had shown real promise.
So even joined from who-knows-where.
Today, there were at least fifty Bounsweet living among the berry groves.
Not a massive group, but compared to the dozen or so they started with, it was a huge improvent.
"Natsu, package for you!"
Just as he was locking the storage shed, Natsu turned to see i approaching with a large box in her arms.
The box looked heavy, but i's steps were steady.
She was a Trainer capable of crossing mountains solo, after all.
One box? Child's play.
Even two boxes—no problem.
Even five? i's solution was simple: "Serperior, give a hand."
Very Trainer-like logic.
If a Pokémon can handle it, why force yourself to act tough?
Hadn't you already done enough bravado back in school, scribbling random junk on math problems you didn't understand?
"Thanks, i."
Natsu quickly stepped up and took the box from her.
A glance at the label, and he said:
"The Applin Fruit and Yache Berries I ordered online finally arrived."
"I'll make you guys so cake tonight."
He'd been wanting to try out one of those fruity mini cake recipes he saw online.
They looked simple enough.
Gave him a real "I could totally do that" kind of vibe.
Living alone with a healthy savings account, Natsu had no hesitation.
The mont the idea struck him, he acted on it.
Ordered all the ingredients and baking gear he needed online.
This was peak single-guy energy: Action Mode Activated.
"Then I'm definitely looking forward to it."
Once Natsu had set the box down, i snuck up from behind and hugged him.
She rubbed her cheek against his arm with a playful grin.
Just like Ralts, i was thinking the sa thing—
Natsu really was comfy.
So soft, so cozy.
The thought made i unconsciously take a little sniff.
Realizing what she'd just done, she quickly covered her mouth and nose in embarrassnt.
A bit shaful, yes!
But...
Catching sight of Natsu's smiling lips, i couldn't help but grin too.
If Natsu didn't mind, then there was no problem.
So she confidently hooked her arms around his neck and, with a bounce, leapt onto his back.
"Hey hey, Natsu—guess what I'm about to say?"
"'Pigsy carrying his bride,' right?"
"Bingo! Too bad there's no reward."
"Then... can I give you a reward?"
"Nope, not allowed. You'll have to wait until tonight."
i crossed her index fingers in front of Natsu's face to make an "X," signaling her disapproval—then couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"But," she added, "you can get a little preview of your reward right now."
"I thought you said there was no reward?"
"A last-minute gift."
And before Natsu could reply, i leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek with a loud smooch.
Then, without warning, she nuzzled into the crook of his neck.
And again, she started giggling.
No particular reason.
She was just really, genuinely happy.
When soone likes you, it's not about what you do or how hard you try—just being together is enough to make them feel joy.
"That was too quick. Can I get a replay?"
"Nope!"
"Then I'm tossing you down."
Still holding her in his arms, Natsu made his "threat."
Unfortunately, i was completely immune.
Instead of backing down, she hooked her leg around his even tighter.
Nearby, Ralts quietly looked up at the sky.
Ah, esteed Slowking-senpai...
I think I'm starting to understand how tough your life is.
This kind of environnt was a bit too much for a young and impressionable Pokémon like it.Please translate the following Chinese text into English, preserving the original tone, stle, and any cultural references. Ensure that character nas, location, and idiomatic expressions are accurately adapted while keeping the flow natural in English. If there are multiple ways to translate a phrase, choose the one that best fits the novel's context. Preserve the cultural and narrative authenticity of their nas and places.
anwhile, Slowking—who was busy scratching his head and going over ledgers—suddenly sneezed.
Why does it feel like I'm slowly becoming a full-blown office worker?
Staring at the mountain of office supplies before him, Slowking fell into deep thought.
After a long silence, he let out a sigh.
Yeah... I should probably stretch my legs every now and then.
Ti to go smack that Absol around a bit.
Perfect timing too—he'd just co up with a new move.
It was going to look aweso.
Though maybe not quite so aweso for Absol, who'd be on the receiving end of the "experint."
After a bit more fooling around, i finally hopped off of Natsu.
Their relationship had long since moved past that awkward phase right after they'd first gotten together.
Now, both i and Natsu could naturally accept the fact that—yes—they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
And it made them happy.
Yeah... this is what it's like when two people are dating for the first ti.
They just want to be around each other all the ti. Doesn't matter where they're going—they want to go together.
Which is why, when Natsu went off to bring so Pokéblocks to Vespiquen, it wasn't just Ralts by his side—i and Chingling tagged along, too.
"Ral."
"Ling~"
i was distracted, but Ralts and Chingling were locked in an intense stare-off—big eyes eting big eyes.
Due to certain reasons, Ralts usually followed at Natsu's feet instead of hanging out in his arms.
Shoulder rides? Forget it.
That certain reason... was the pink kitty.
Natsu's shoulder was basically w's personal throne.
Aside from Manaphy, no other Pokémon dared try to claim it.
Ralts was even more cautious about that.
So, for now, it figured staying by Natsu's feet was safest.
Ralts was the type who cared a lot about boundaries.
i's side, though? No such rules.
After a mont of staring, it was Ralts who finally reached out to break the strange tension.
Chingling responded almost instantly—typical of a childlike personality.
Within minutes, the two were chatting away with their heads practically pressed together, whispering secrets back and forth.
Every now and then, they'd sneak glances at Natsu or i.
It gave off a distinct "we're gossiping" kind of vibe.
And maybe it wasn't just a vibe.
But i and Natsu were too wrapped up in each other to notice.
Gradually, the once-sparse sightings of Combee beca more and more frequent.
Every few seconds, one would fly by, headed toward the hive, the berry grove, or the flower garden.
If soone took a picture of this scene, it'd be perfect for an elentary school textbook.
"Good afternoon, Vespiquen!"
Once they reached the hive, Natsu didn't get too close right away. Instead, he called out loudly.
Combee, in general, were a lot gentler than Beedrill.
And way weaker, too.
At least Beedrill had so potential for training. Male Combee? Not so much.
Their base stats were awful, their movepools were narrow, and they couldn't even evolve.
They really were just honey-gathering worker bees for Vespiquen. Nothing more.
"Bzzzz—"
A low buzz echoed as Vespiquen erged from the hive.
She'd grown noticeably plumper since last ti.
Maybe it was the weight gain, but she actually looked... kind of gentle. Maybe even cute.
Her aggression had dropped quite a bit.
It was easy to see, just from her expression, how the peaceful farm life had dulled her old wild instincts.
At the very least, she no longer looked like she was constantly on edge, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
When she saw Natsu, her compound eyes brightened.
She imdiately barked out orders to the nearby Combee to bring out the freshly harvested honey.
Yep—Natsu didn't even have to jar the stuff himself anymore.
Vespiquen handled it all, directing the Combee like a forewoman at a honey factory.
While they worked, she buzzed over to the side and began enjoying her own al of Pokéblocks.
Only a few of them were made by Natsu—most were practice batches by Gardevoir and i.
They weren't perfect, but for a Pokémon who once lived in the wild, it was still a gourt feast.
Nearby, Ralts was using psychic power to move the jars of Sweet Honey one by one to Natsu's side.
Compared to Gardevoir or Slowking, who had followed Natsu here before, Ralts's powers still weren't strong enough to levitate all the jars at once.
So it was much slower.
But that only made it feel more like a peaceful, ordinary day.
Like... this was just how life was supposed to be.
***************************
Read advanced Chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell
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