"Yaa~"
By the pond, Slowpoke lazily swiped at the water with its paw, rippling the surface gently. Its dull, fish-like eyes showed a faint hint of contentnt.
Nearby, Mudkip crouched at the pond's edge, looking as if it were ready to leap in and playfully splash about. Beneath the crystal-clear water, the faint silhouettes of other Pokémon could be seen moving about.
The fin atop Mudkip’s head twitched, sensing the humidity in the air. This environnt suited it perfectly.
"Mud."
Taking a deep breath, Mudkip plunged its face into the water, enjoying the refreshing coolness as its eyes narrowed in delight.
“According to the Pokémon in the pond, this body of water is connected to an underground river,” Natsu explained as he sat cross-legged nearby, feeling the breeze against his face. A small smile appeared.
“In the future, I’ll probably have to expand this pond or even create a larger lake sowhere else. It’s picturesque, but the size is limiting.”
"Yaa~"
Slowpoke responded lazily, its tone as vague as its usual deanor. It wasn’t so much a genuine reply as an automatic response—like a friend absentmindedly agreeing with your long-winded conversation by muttering, "Mm-hmm, true."
High emotional intelligence: It provides great emotional support.
Low emotional intelligence: It didn’t listen to a word you said.
“Well, I’ll check on the other Pokémon now,” Natsu said, standing up. “If anything cos up, let know.”
Waving without turning back, Slowpoke dramatically threw itself into the pond, letting its body slowly sink. Inspired, Mudkip eagerly followed suit, mimicking Slowpoke as it sank into the water with a blissful “Mud.”
Closing its eyes, Mudkip reveled in the tranquil mont.
“This is so nice.”
“By the way, I’ll need you to keep an eye on the Bounsweet group,” Natsu said, stroking Persian as it erged from the shade of a tree.
Unlike Natsu, who seed naturally adept at bonding with Pokémon, Persian had no particular interest in such activities. It was here solely to protect Natsu from potential harm caused by aggressive Pokémon—not that it doubted Natsu’s ability to handle himself.
Still, as Natsu’s self-proclaid enforcer, Persian had to maintain appearances.
"ow," Persian replied flatly.
Ah, more work, it thought.
When new Pokémon joined the farm, it was Persian’s job to establish the rules and hierarchy. While Natsu preferred a gentle approach, Persian believed every group needed structure and soone to play the “bad cop.”
It had learned this from one of the many managent books on Natsu’s shelf—books that Natsu himself had never touched. Titles like Microexpression Psychology and Behavioral Managent lay gathering dust, read only by Persian during its leisure ti.
Persian prided itself on being well-read. Not out of choice, but because Natsu’s fleeting interest in unusual books always fizzled out as soon as they arrived.
“Woof, woof!”
A red-scarfed Poochyena dashed toward Natsu, barking excitedly.
“Oh, it’s you. What’s up?” Natsu crouched to et the Pokémon.
Among the litter, this particular Poochyena was the cleverest, far outshining its siblings—and even its father, who had recently self-appointed himself as the “Head of Security.”
The Poochyena glanced around warily to ensure no other Pokémon besides Natsu and Persian were nearby. Then it leaned in close to whisper in Natsu’s ear.
“Woof, woof-woof.”
“Oh, really?”
“Woof!”
“Your mom told you, huh?”
“Woof.”
Natsu nodded, easily understanding the Poochyena’s report. The mother Mightyena had noticed sothing odd about one of the Bounsweet in the group. Its scent seed normal, but its behavior was subtly off, prompting her to send her smartest pup to inform Natsu.
“Good work.”
Natsu ruffled the Poochyena’s fur affectionately before slipping a few Pokéblocks into its mouth. The pup chewed tentatively, its eyes lighting up with delight at the taste.
So this was why its dad was always volunteering to run errands for Natsu.
Should I tell Mom about this? Poochyena wondered, deep in thought.
---
After considering his next steps, Natsu decided to send Persian ho to fetch Butterfree and Corvisquire while he headed toward the Bounsweet group.
“ow.”
With a graceful leap, Persian shot off like an arrow, its speed rivaling even the farm’s agile Furret.
---
anwhile, among the Bounsweet, the suspicious individual quietly nibbled on a berry, its expression emotionless.
When other Bounsweet approached to chat, it responded with cold indifference.
“Choo.”
One particularly popular Bounsweet, surrounded by its peers, finally managed to break away and timidly approached the odd one.
Upon seeing it, the cold Bounsweet’s expression transford into a rare, happy smile.
“Suo!”
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