Chapter 145:Farm Gym Battle, Champion's Challenge!

In the twilight of the dense forest, golden sunlight spilled onto the fallen leaves.

Natsume stood by a stream, looking at the task notification on his phone. “One-tenth of the Meltan have been found.”

“That’s quite efficient.”

Buzz~ Vibrate~

As Natsume was looking at the task notification, his phone suddenly vibrated with an incoming call.

It was Rotom calling.

Natsume pressed to answer.

“What’s going on, Rotom?”

“Rotom, Ohtaka and a certain Yamada Roto have come to the farm to find you, Rotom.”

“Yamada Roto?”

Natsume thought to himself, “If Ohtaka came along, that must mean a Champion is visiting.”

Given the magnitude of Natsume’s recent actions, it was to be expected that a Champion would show up.

Natsume replied, “Alright, got it.”

In Scyther's territory, Infernape and the Scyther had evidently gone through a fierce battle.

The grass here was burned away, and the surroundings were in disarray.

Infernape and the others looked utterly exhausted, sitting on the ground and munching on berries.

“Hey, everyone.”

Natsume's figure suddenly appeared among them. “Looks like you all had a lot of fun.”

“Infernape~”

Natsume smiled and said, “Let’s clean up and get ready to head back to the farm.”

“This place isn’t bad.”

Takehana sat atop a Wyrdeer, observing the bustling crowd in the gym battle arena.

“Pidgeot~”

Inside the venue, a Pidgeotto skillfully dodged an attack from a Taillow.

“Pidgeot~”

Pidgeotto circled to the side of Taillow’s body.

Aerial Ace!

Bang!

Taillow fell from the sky upon being struck by Pidgeotto.

“Match ends~”

In the venue, Rotom the referee made the announcement.

“Taillow lost battle capability, so the winner is Pidgeotto~”

Surrounding the area were many Pidgey and Pidgeotto.

At that moment, they all began to cheer.

Nearby, another battle was taking place in a different battle arena.

The Pokémon representing the farm gym was Rockruff.

Its opponent was an Eevee.

“Rockruff.”

Rockruff’s fighting style was clearly quite aggressive.

It bit Eevee’s foot and violently shook its head.

Eevee lost battle capability from Rockruff's biting.

“Audino.”

An Audino rushed in to check on the injured Eevee.

“Are you okay, Eevee?”

Eevee's trainer looked worriedly at their Eevee.

“Audino~”

Audino comforted Eevee.

Soon, thanks to Audino's healing, Eevee woke up.

Since the assistance was timely, there would be no scars left on Eevee's body.

“Eevee.”

As soon as Eevee woke up, it glanced fearfully at Rockruff, quickly hiding back into its trainer's arms.

It had been traumatized.

Rockruff quietly turned around and returned to the Houndoom group nearby.

“Houndoom~”

The Houndoom leader licked Rockruff's fur.

“That Rockruff fights a bit aggressively.”

The spectators nearby were discussing Rockruff's recent battle.

“It is indeed fierce; it feels like we’ll be seeing its matches here often. I just wonder what it will evolve into later.”

“Speaking of which, the farm's Fighting Pokémon aren't here today.”

“I heard from Rotom that they seem to have gone out with Natsume, the gym leader.”

The tourists who often came here were mostly locals from Morimachi.

They were quite familiar with the Pokémon on the farm.

“The next battle is about to start!”

Rotom the referee called out, “Please prepare to enter the arena, Kazeyama from An'nei City~”

A man in cycling gear squeezed his way in from the crowd.

“Here he comes, here he comes~”

Kazeyama confidently placed one hand on his hip and took out a Poké Ball with the other. “Come out, Abomasnow!”

Abomasnow, a Pokémon of Grass and Ice types.

“Oh, it's him.”

Ohtaka observed the challenger in the battle arena with interest.

Takehana asked, “Do you know him?”

“Yeah.”

Ohtaka nodded. “He previously challenged my gym.”

“He’s quite strong and has a lot of talent, so I remember him well.”

Ohtaka shared his evaluation of the challenger.

“I feel that as long as he is given enough time, he will definitely achieve remarkable success.”

At that moment, Housekeeper Rotom floated over and said, “Natsume Trainer said he would be back soon; please wait a moment.”

“Understood.”

Takehana laughed and said, “Then let’s wait.”

“I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time.”

In the bustling crowd, numerous Pokémon could be seen mingling.

For example, an Exeggutor was standing right in front of a person holding cookies.

Exeggutor was shamelessly begging for food.

Many Eevee and Pikachu darted between the legs of the people in the crowd.

In the air, Cutiefly glided gracefully through the throngs of people.

In the surrounding fields, Sandslash and Dugtrio were patrolling the area.

If there were some small stalls set up, this place would hardly differ from a countryside fair.

“Flareon~”

Abomasnow's opponent was Arcevee.

It looked at the opposing Abomasnow and quickly transformed into Flareon.

Fire-type Pokémon had four times the advantage over Abomasnow.

Boom~

A torrent of scorching flames erupted toward Abomasnow.

Flareon unleashed a Flamethrower.

“Abomasnow, Rock Slide!”

“Roar!”

Abomasnow raised its hands, condensing a massive rock in front of it.

Abomasnow didn’t use Rock Slide against Eevee.

Instead, it stood behind the giant rock, using it as a shield in front of itself.

Bam~

The flames turned the rock glowing red, but it did not shatter.

Rock-type moves have double resistance against Fire-type attacks.

“Now’s the time, throw it past!”

The moment the flames dissipated, Abomasnow lifted the glowing red rock and hurled it toward Flareon.

At that instant, Abomasnow sprinted forward, charging after the Rock Slide!

“Flareon!”

Just as Flareon was about to shatter the rock, Natsume's voice suddenly rang out.

“Arcevee, jump on it!”

“Flareon.”

Flareon immediately charged forward.

It leaped forcefully onto the rock, using that momentum to leap high into the air.

“Flamethrower!”

As Flareon flew through the air, it spotted Abomasnow below.

If Flareon chose to smash the rock, there was no doubt Abomasnow would punch Flareon amidst the flying debris.

“Flareon~”

Flareon unleashed another Flamethrower while airborne.

Boom!

“Truly impressive, Natsume gym leader,” the challenger Kazeyama remarked. “You saw through my plan so easily.”

Abomasnow quickly used Protect against the tidal wave of fire descending from the sky.

On the ground, the flames spread!

Flareon landed in the flames and turned back to look at Natsume.

“Flareon~”

Natsume's figure appeared behind Flareon. “Arcevee, let’s continue this battle together.”

Outside the battle arena, Sirfetch'd, Infernape, and a large number of Scyther were also approaching.

When a group of Fighting-type Pokémon gathered together, the pressure was absolutely intense.

The gleaming blades of Scyther were equally intimidating.

Seeing this group of Pokémon, the surrounding tourists instinctively made space for them.

“There are Scyther and Scizor; it seems Natsume the gym leader captures Pokémon in groups.”

Someone looked enviously at the red Scizor and said, “I want a Scizor too; it's the Pokémon I desire the most.”

“Wait, what are those Pokémon that look like screws?”

Someone noticed the Meltan that were curiously looking around.

They were small, only about the size of a palm.

“Meltan~”

“That looks like the Meltan from the legends!”

Someone recognized Meltan in astonishment. “And there are so many of them!”

The presence of mythical Pokémon immediately excited the crowd.

Natsume had no intention of hiding the existence of Meltan.

“Dragonite.”

Natsume called out to Dragonite, who was sitting on a nearby empty plot of land. “Why don’t you take the Meltan up the mountain to get something to eat?”

“Dragonite~”

Dragonite acknowledged and waved to the Meltan.

The Meltan quickly lined up and followed Dragonite toward the mountain.

Dragonite's color matched well with that of the Meltan.

The scene was quite harmonious.

Outside the arena, Takehana watched the group of Meltan in astonishment.

“Legendary mythical Pokémon.”

“How did he find so many Meltan?”

Ohtaka shook his head in confusion. “I don’t know either.”

Inside the battle arena, Natsume naturally looked at the challenger across from him. “Alright, let’s continue.”

Battling against trainers of different styles and learning their techniques was also a form of progress for Natsume.

Challenger Kazeyama slapped his face. “Legendary Pokémon!”

“I really didn’t expect to encounter them here; I’m feeling pumped now.”

Kazeyama took a deep breath. “Okay, let's go all out!”

“Abomasnow, Rock Tomb!”

“Roar~!”

Abomasnow roared at Flareon.

A ring of rocks appeared around its body.

Then, with the rock formation, Abomasnow charged straight toward Flareon.

The Rock Tomb under Abomasnow's control looked just like a gigantic swimming ring.

“Impressive. Even though it’s not a Rock-type Pokémon, it can control them like this. Truly a Pokémon with Champion-level potential.”

Natsume thought to himself as he observed this Abomasnow's data.

This Abomasnow was at level 50, and its potential had reached Champion level.

“Arcevee, use Double Team!”

“Flareon~”

Flareon dashed toward Abomasnow, and numerous clones appeared in the battle arena.

Whoosh!

Rocks flew in all directions!

“Now’s the time—Flame Charge!”

Flareon accelerated instantly.

“Abomasnow, Ice Punch!”

“Flareon~”

Boom~

Abomasnow was quite strong, and its control over moves was impressive.

However, having a four-times type disadvantage isn’t something easy to resist.

The surging flames instantly engulfed Abomasnow!

Eevee backed away.

Natsume shouted, “Just use Flamethrower!”

“Flareon~”

As Flareon continued to retreat, another surge of flames erupted from its mouth!

Boom~

In the flames, Abomasnow fell to the ground.

“Really strong.”

Kazeyama remarked, then recalled his Abomasnow.

“Go, Ledian!”

Kazeyama sent out his second Pokémon.

Ledian was level 44.

Its types were Bug and Flying.

Its potential was Gym Leader, which was significantly weaker than the previous Abomasnow.

Clearly, this was a trainer who preferred to start with their ace Pokémon.

“Noibat~”

In the sky nearby, Noibat leisurely flew toward them.

Noibat was currently at level 45.

Ever since Natsume encouraged Noibat to wake up earlier and participate in gym battles, it had been coming here to engage in a couple of battles during the evening.

As a result, its level had increased slightly.

“Noibat, come here.”

Natsume waved at Noibat.

“Noibat~”

Noibat landed on Natsume's shoulder.

It curiously looked at the Scyther outside the arena.

After waking up, the farm had gained quite a few new friends.

Natsume scratched Noibat’s chin and said, “Are you awake now?”

“Noibat~”

Natsume smiled. “Alright, let’s get you involved in the action.”

Noibat glanced at Ledian before flying up into the air above the battle arena.

“Eevee~”

Flareon reverted back to Eevee form, waved at Noibat, and then returned to Natsume's side.

“Ledian, Swift!”

Kazeyama commanded.

“Noibat, dodge and use Air Cutter!”

Noibat was quick.

It flapped its wings and easily avoided the glowing projectiles aimed at it.

“Ledian~”

The Air Cutter instantly condensed.

Kazeyama immediately said, “Use Light Screen to block it!”

“Light Screen, huh?”

Natsume smiled as he watched the Light Screen condense in front of Ledian.

The match was coming to a close.

Whoosh~

The white-glowing Air Cutter passed through the Light Screen and sliced toward Ledian!

Bam~

With a loud crash, Ledian fell heavily to the ground under the impact of the Air Cutter's energy.

“What is this…”

Kazeyama’s pupils narrowed slightly. “Infiltrator ability?”

His reaction was sharp; he immediately understood what was happening.

“Exactly.”

Natsume nodded. “So your Light Screen is practically useless against Noibat.”

Ledian’s Special Defense was still quite high, so it didn’t instantly lose battle capability.

However, seeing Ledian swaying, Kazeyama chose to forfeit the match.

“Come back, Ledian.”

Kazeyama recalled his Pokémon.

“We lost.”

“But I will challenge you again.”

Natsume replied, “I look forward to your next challenge.”

After saying this, Natsume walked out of the battle arena toward Ohtaka and Takehana, who was seated atop a Wyrdeer.

Natsume looked at the data for Wyrdeer.

Name: Wyrdeer
Type: Normal/Psychic
Level: 84
Ability: Sap Sipper
Individual Values: HP 31, Attack 31, Defense 31, Special Attack 31, Special Defense 31, Speed 31
Moves: Psyshield Bash, Calm Mind, Psyshock, Earthquake
Inherited Moves: Extrasensory
Potential: Champion
Absorbed Treasures: Twisted Spoon, Silk Scarf, Wise Glasses, King's Rock, Focus Band, Lucky Egg, Expert Belt
Held Item: Normalium Z  

This Wyrdeer truly was a Champion-level Pokémon, boasting more treasures than even Serperior.

While Natsume was examining Wyrdeer, Takehana was similarly observing Natsume.

“Long time no see, Ohtaka.”

Natsume greeted Ohtaka at that moment.

Ohtaka chuckled wryly, “I really didn’t expect you to make such a splash.”

Natsume shrugged slightly, “It can’t be helped; it just happened.”

Ohtaka looked at Natsume helplessly.

He didn’t know what to say.

After all, with Natsume's current strength, he could probably defeat Ohtaka’s entire team with just one Pokémon.

“This is Yamada Roto.”

Ohtaka introduced, “He is the highest leader of the rangers organization.”

Natsume looked at Takehana and said, “I think everyone in the Japan league knows the name Yamada Roto.”

Takehana was a legendary trainer within the Japan league.

There were many stories about his legendary journey available online.

Additionally, he was known as a hero of the Rainbow and had been favored by Ho-Oh as a trainer.

It was not surprising to have a Champion with such a legendary background.

Takehana smiled faintly and said, “My fame may not necessarily surpass yours these days.”

“Natsume gym leader, how about a 1v1 battle with an old man like me?”

Notice: Challenge Task Triggered: Champion's 1v1.

Task Requirements: Champion's Acknowledgment.

Quest Reward: Rare Candy 1; Treasure Draw 1.