Chapter 81: The Return of the Dragon King and the First Night on the Farm

The room Natsume prepared for Mei was on the second floor of the new house. Natsume himself usually stayed on the second floor, while the first floor was mostly reserved for the Pokémon on the farm to use as a lounge and recreation area.

There was a playroom for Togepi, a screening room for Corviknight and Butterfree, and so on. Natsume had even thought about setting up an esports room in the future if more Pokémon joined the farm.

After all, while he wasn't good at gaming himself, he figured that with so many Pokémon around, at least one of them had to be skilled.

Yes, Natsume's gaming skills were quite poor.

His level of proficiency was such that even a Golem might outperform him in understanding the mechanics. Gaming, like many things, required a certain degree of talent.

If the average person's talent level was a 10, and professional players were at 60 and above, Natsume's talent hovered somewhere around a 5. He had long since given up on making any notable progress in gaming and now just played casually to relax.

After all, wasn't that the whole point of gaming? If you obsessed over ranks and stats, wouldn't that strip the activity of its original purpose? Or so Natsume, the subpar gamer, liked to reason.

"Wow, this room is huge!"

"Thank you so much, Natsume."

Mei's eyes lit up as she saw her new room.

As a novice Trainer, Mei was already used to roughing it out in the wild—sleeping in a cramped tent was an everyday affair. Only those Trainers who had already made a name for themselves could afford the luxury of staying in grand hotels and enjoying a life of comfort.

New Trainers, in contrast, would spend most of their time camping out in the wilderness, catching Pokémon, and honing their skills. This was said to cultivate both mental and physical resilience.

Well, at least that's how the story went. Whether or not this claim had any basis was debatable, but it served as a convenient justification.

It was not unlike how middle school teachers would tell students, "This topic will be covered in high school," and high school teachers would say, "You should have learned this in middle school." They didn't know for sure whether anyone would actually teach it but said it anyway to save themselves the trouble.

Returning to the topic, while Mei had grown accustomed to sleeping in tiny tents, no one would ever turn down a larger room if given the choice—especially one so clean and cozy.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of Cinccino and Loppuny, the guest room was in excellent condition. In anticipation of Mei's arrival, they had gone the extra mile to ensure everything was spotless, even replacing the bedsheets and blankets with fresh ones.

Incidentally, Natsume had already decided to permanently give Mei this guest room. If another guest room was needed in the future, they could simply clean and prepare another space. After all, land was one thing the farm had in abundance.

"No need to thank me. As long as you like it," Natsume replied with a wave and a smile.

When setting up the room, Natsume had done his research, reading countless online posts for inspiration. After all, he knew nothing about decorating a girl's room.

In terms of understanding romance and girls, Natsume was about on par with Ash Ketchum.

He had put a lot of thought into the room's design, but in the end, it turned out fairly basic. Natsume figured it was better this way—he left room for Mei to decorate the space as she saw fit after moving in.

After helping Mei unpack, Natsume took her on a tour of the farm. Although they had talked about doing special training, there was no rush. It was better to take the first day to relax and unwind after her long journey.

Even if Mei insisted on starting right away, Natsume would have found a way to convince her to rest for the day.

As they unpacked, Mei released her three other Pokémon from their Poké Balls.

"Tepig, Dewott, don't wander too far," she cautioned.

She didn't add the part about them getting into trouble, but Mei was acutely aware that few Pokémon on this farm were what one might call "normal."

Take Corviknight, for instance. Since evolving, it had developed a fondness for sparring with weaker opponents, relishing the thrill of overpowering them.

Then there was the previously adorable shiny Furret, which had turned into a training fanatic. If it encountered a new Pokémon, it might very well issue a challenge and go all out in battle.

As for Steenee, it immediately dashed off to reunite with its old tribe. Mei could understand the feeling—it was only natural to miss one's family after being away for so long.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Steenee just wanted to show off its newfound strength. After all, it had long noticed how the rest of its tribe had grown complacent, enjoying a laid-back life on the farm—eating, sleeping, and occasionally providing juice for Natsume.

That kind of life wasn't for Steenee. It had always felt there was something off about it, which is why it had decisively left with Mei in the first place.

Now, three months later, it was time for the Dragon King's triumphant return!

Smirking arrogantly, Steenee radiated an air of dominance, as if ready to unleash a barrage of dramatic comebacks and commands.

Meanwhile, Dewott had found its own target.

"Hmm?"

It locked eyes with Gallade, who was leisurely fishing by the lake.

This guy is strong.

Dewott could sense the aura of a fellow swordsman emanating from Gallade.

My blades are itching for a fight.

However, remembering Mei's insistence on a day of rest, Dewott reluctantly suppressed its excitement. Tomorrow, it thought. Tomorrow, I'll challenge that Gallade.

As for Tepig, it had no immediate goals—there weren't any strong Fire-type Pokémon on the farm for it to seek out.

"This area will be designated as the pasture in the future," Natsume explained as they strolled.

"Right now, the Mightyena family and Yamper help manage it, with Gallade occasionally pitching in."

Although Mei had already learned about the farm through Natsume's descriptions and photos, seeing it in person was an entirely different experience.

---

That night, Mei lay in her soft bed, hugging her Servine as she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

"Servine..."

Servine stretched out its tiny arms, pushing against Mei's face in irritation, its displeasure written all over its face.

"Ah, sorry, Servine," Mei said sheepishly. "We need to get some sleep. Training starts tomorrow."

"Servine..."

Then let me go already!

And so, Mei's first night on the farm quietly came to an end.

****************************

Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.

p@treon/GodDragcell