"How are you feeling?"
Standing on a small hill on the farm, Natsume glanced at the Gardevoir beside him.
"It's a very nice place," Gardevoir responded earnestly after a brief two-second pause.
It wasn't just the environment—it was the Pokémon here too. Each one seemed happy, with something meaningful to do.
The shiny Furret was busy training, while the Sandslash in the fields leisurely tended the crops, occasionally parting stalks to check on the growth of the Wattmel Berries.
On the second floor of Natsume's house, the recluse Corvisquire was absorbed in binge-watching shows, while Minccino hummed a tune as it cleaned the windows.
Meanwhile, Emolga perched on a Zigzagoon's head, venturing across the farm, and near the lake, Mudkip trailed behind a Slowpoke, jogging laps around the water, as if working on their fitness.
Every single one of them looked genuinely happy.
By all accounts, this was an excellent farm. Gardevoir thought life here would be very comfortable, and her younger sisters would surely enjoy it too.
"So, what's your decision?"
"Would you like to stay?"
Without hesitation, Gardevoir placed her hand in Natsume's outstretched one.
"Thank you for having us, Natsume," she said.
As the decision-maker of her family, Gardevoir's choice would naturally be accepted by everyone. And before this, her not-so-reliable elder brother Gallade had already scouted the farm and proposed joining.
In this rare instance, Gardevoir begrudgingly acknowledged Gallade's judgment. For a brief ten minutes, he truly seemed like a competent big brother.
But only ten minutes. No more.
Gardevoir knew very well her brother wasn't the most dependable. Most of the time, it felt like he had dumped all his intelligence points into combat skills, leaving him woefully lacking in other areas.
Even a zombie prying open his skull would walk away disappointed.
Pulling out a Poké Ball, Natsume held it in front of Gardevoir. She extended a hand and lightly tapped the button.
A beam of red light enveloped Gardevoir, and in the blink of an eye, she was drawn inside.
The ball gave a token wobble before settling into stillness.
"I've caught Gardevoir!"
In that moment, even Natsume, who had already caught numerous Pokémon, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
After all, it was Gardevoir—a dream Pokémon!
To be honest, Natsume had become rather indifferent to the act of catching Pokémon. Many of the farm's Pokémon weren't even formally caught; they simply stayed.
For example, the horde of Combee under Vespiquen.
On one hand, their sheer number was impractical, and on the other, no typical trainer would be interested in Combee anyway.
But Gardevoir and Ralts? They were exceptions.
Who could possibly resist these adorable, psychic powerhouses?
The Poké Ball opened automatically, and Gardevoir reappeared before Natsume in a burst of red light.
Most of the farm's Poké Balls had been modified by Natsume to allow the Pokémon inside to enter and exit at will.
The standard design locked the ball externally, preventing Pokémon from leaving on their own. Removing this mechanism was a common skill among traveling trainers, saving valuable time in emergencies.
"Thank you," Gardevoir said, nodding to Natsume. Her form glowed faintly with psychic energy before she disappeared, teleporting away.
She had gone to fetch her brother and sisters.
"Well, looks like I'll need to make some new kinds of Pokéblocks," Natsume mused.
Since the farm had never housed Psychic-type Pokémon before, there hadn't been any need to prepare Pokéblocks tailored to them. While visiting challengers occasionally brought Psychic-types, Natsume hadn't felt it necessary to craft special treats for temporary guests.
"Let's see, Gardevoir and Ralts should be fine with the same formula," he muttered. "But Gallade will need a separate batch."
Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir were classic mage archetypes—high special attack and special defense but lacking in physical stats.
Gallade, on the other hand, was a dual-blade fighter with high physical and special attack but weaker defenses, essentially trading special defense points for attack power.
"Gallade!"
"Ralts?"
While Natsume pondered the recipes and materials needed, Gardevoir returned, accompanied by a Gallade and four timid Ralts peeking out from behind their elder siblings.
Though a bit shy, their curiosity got the better of them, and they couldn't help but sneak glances at Natsume.
"Is he really as nice as big brother said?"
"Big sister said the same thing."
"He gives off such a warm and comforting vibe."
"I feel it too—it's really nice."
The four little green "watermelon heads" huddled together, whispering, occasionally raising their ruby-red eyes to steal glances at Natsume.
Their tiny, curious faces peeked through their green hair, their expressions a mix of curiosity, worry, and hesitation.
Clearly, the young Ralts were still a little uneasy about their new surroundings.
"Hello there, Ralts," Natsume greeted them warmly. "I'm Natsume, the owner of this farm."
Somehow, this opening line had become his go-to phrase. Like an NPC in a game with fixed dialogue, it set the stage for what was to come.
"Your siblings have probably already told you—soon, you'll be joining the farm too. Simply put, we'll be partners from now on."
Natsume chose his words carefully, avoiding phrases like "becoming family," which felt too heavy and imposing.
Imagine meeting someone for the first time and being told, "We're family now." The pressure would be immense.
"Ralts?"
"Ralts, Ralts!"
The little Ralts exchanged glances. Finally, one of them stepped forward bravely, looking Natsume in the eye and extending a tiny hand.
"Hello, Ralts," Natsume said with a soft laugh, gently tapping its hand with his finger.
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