Chapter 132:Speculations About the Truth! The Farm Team Sets Out!

As the sun began to rise, Dodrio jumped up onto the eaves of the farm cabin.

The three heads of Dodrio raised high, and then they let out loud calls.

"Dodrio~ Dodrio~ Dodrio~"

Dodrio's resonant calls dispelled the last remnants of darkness.

"Pidgey~"

In the woods, the Pidgey flew up in alarm.

They looked around, gazing blankly at Dodrio.

What is that guy doing?

"Sirfetch'd."

Sirfetch'd tightened its grip on the long sword and quickly jumped to a higher spot.

"Sirfetch'd?"

Sirfetch'd looked at Dodrio with a puzzled expression, but in the next moment, its gaze suddenly sharpened.

Sirfetch'd thought to itself: This newcomer actually woke up earlier than me; I must not be working hard enough!

Inside the cabin,

"Cinccino."

Cinccino was startled by Dodrio’s call.

It jumped up from the sofa, frantically searching for the source of the noise.

Bam~

Noibat, who was flying toward the corner to take a nap, crashed into the cupboard.

"Noibat!"

Noibat clutched its head and glared out the window.

"Heracross."

"Pikachu!"

Heracross, Pikachu, and Aron in the woods were already scolding Dodrio.

Thanks to Dodrio's calls, the farm came back to life.

The sounds of various Pokémon echoed around the farm.

It was bustling with activity.

Natsume sat up in bed and sighed, "What kind of Pokémon did I bring back to the farm?"

Ding dong~

Natsume's phone had an unread message.

It was a message from Yamada Kaichou.

The fossil ecological park on the outskirts of Aoi District has begun construction.

Natsume could go see it at any time.

Additionally, yesterday, Natsume had asked Yamada Kaichou to look into the matter regarding Annihilape.

Yamada Kaichou had already found the files relating to the case for Natsume.

Leaning against the headboard, Natsume started reviewing the documents sent by Yamada Kaichou.

Three years ago, an unstable secret realm had briefly appeared outside Sakura City.

An unstable secret realm refers to a space-time distortion that suddenly arrives but slowly disappears due to its inability to stabilize.

The duration of such a secret realm typically lasts around two to three days, and it rarely lasts more than a week.

At that time, Annihilape's Trainer was within the area affected by the space-time distortion.

They were fortunate to find a Hard Stone while searching for an exit.

Annihilape's Trainer was someone with great aspirations.

He didn’t plan to sell the treasure.

He intended to capture a Rock-type Pokémon for cultivation.

However, just as he emerged from the secret realm, an employee from Future Technology accused him of stealing his treasure.

As a result, the treasure was temporarily "held" by the league.

Of course, the league had not yet sunk so low as to forcibly take the treasure.

Yamada Kaichou provided Natsume with two statements.

The statements included accounts from both the Future Technology employee and Annihilape's Trainer.

Because of the sudden space-time distortion, Annihilape's Trainer was completely disoriented regarding his location and time.

Thus, his account consisted of vague statements about where he found the treasure and the approximate time of the discovery.

"Maybe at three?"

"Maybe at four?"

His second statement even contradicted the first.

On the other hand, the Future Technology employee was different.

He pinpointed every detail around the location of the treasure and even the precise time of the secret realm's arrival.

When comparing the two statements, along with Annihilape's Trainer's account filled with various choice words and even conflicts with law enforcement, it led to the treasure being awarded directly to Future Technology.

If solely examining the statements, Natsume would likely lean toward Future Technology as well.

After all, there wasn't a single issue found in their testimonies.

However, that was precisely where the problem lay.

Everyone knew that the arrival of a secret realm was sudden.

Time and space could become distorted.

Moreover, many Pokémon would lose control inside; maintaining composure in such an environment was not an easy task at all.

Natsume furrowed his brow as he looked over the information sent by Yamada Kaichou.

Additionally, Yamada Kaichou had sent news.

Shortly after the Sakura Secret Realm disappeared, Saharan was promoted to Western Region Champion.

Rumors said that Future Technology had found numerous treasures within the secret realm.

Most of these treasures were given to Saharan.

When Natsume had previously followed the Western Region Champion Battle, he had learned about Saharan and Future Technology.

It was common knowledge that Saharan the Champion had a good relationship with Makototaka from Future Technology.

Natsume quickly developed a suspicion when recalling the rumors that Makototaka could see the future.

First, if the rumors were true,

then Makototaka likely foresaw the arrival of the secret realm.

He could have seen the treasures that would appear in the secret realm before it materialized.

That’s how he was able to pinpoint the situation surrounding where the treasures would show up.

If it weren't for the unfortunate circumstance of Annihilape's Trainer being directly enveloped by the secret realm, they could have successfully acquired the treasure.

But there was another question.

If Makototaka really did have the ability to see the future, as the rumors suggested, he would surely have arranged for someone to guard the place where the treasure would appear.

Unless, perhaps, the future Makototaka saw was unstable.

Or in other words, his ability to foresee the future was weakening.

Of course, these speculations were all based on the assumption that Makototaka truly possessed the ability of Future Sight.

Swish~

The curtains made a rustling sound.

Gardevoir helped Natsume pull open the curtains.

Sunlight flooded into the slightly dark cabin.

Gardevoir sat down beside Natsume and said softly, "Is it a troublesome matter?"

Natsume shrugged and then turned off his phone. "It’s a bit of a hassle."

"But it’s not anything too serious."

Natsume decided to stop thinking about it.

Now that he had a direction, it would be best to directly find the person and ask.

Because Gardevoir could easily determine if someone was lying.

Additionally, it is legally prohibited for Pokémon to participate in interrogations.

This is due to past incidents where unscrupulous investigators hypnotized suspects with Pokémon to force confessions.

Moreover, since Pokémon are very innocent, they might even sympathize with the criminals’ situations, which could lead them to feel depressed.

Therefore, if Pokémon were involved in interrogations, any testimony would be considered invalid.

Natsume, of course, didn’t care much about such regulations.

"First, we'll go to Towada Lake today."

As Natsume said this, he got out of bed and added, "One thing at a time."

Today, the outdoor temperature was still quite hot, after all, it was mid-August.

After taking a shower, Natsume put on a tank top, grabbed a watering hose, and strolled leisurely to his experimental field.

In the experimental field, the Hearty Grains sprouts had already broken through the surface.

However, there were no noticeable changes yet.

After watering the plants himself, Natsume looked at the land and said, "With all this care I'm giving you, you better grow well."

"Sewaddle~"

In the field, Swadloon yawned.

"Swadloon, thank you for your care."

"Sewaddle~"

Natsume put away the watering hose, then put on a hat and took a patrol around the farm.

The area around Takamagahara on the mountain had expanded significantly.

Natsume's current plan was to plant fruit trees all around the outskirts of Takamagahara.

The area in front of the cabin was gradually being transformed into a large garden courtyard.

Miltank's ranch was positioned between the garden and the fruit woods.

As for the Hearty Grains and Plump Beans, those would be planted below the mountain.

"Lopunny~"

At that moment, Lopunny and Lilligant were helping Miltank with milking in the pasture.

Natsume approached beside Lopunny.

Next to Lopunny were two metal buckets filled with fresh milk.

The rich scent of milk indicated that the Miltank were in good spirits and very healthy.

"Lopunny."

Lopunny mentioned that many new friends had come to the farm and that the fresh milk was not enough to share with everyone.

Natsume picked up the two metal buckets and said, "Then let’s have Misaki send another batch of Miltank over."

"Lilligant."

Lilligant looked a bit worried.

If there were too many Miltank, the pasture on the mountain might not be sufficient.

"That is indeed a problem."

Natsume glanced around.

On the outer edge of Takamagahara, there were currently forested areas where the Pikachu lived.

Beyond this forest, everything belonged to the wilderness.

There were many small hills around, and Larvitar's mother, Tyranitar, had found a small hill to live on.

Natsume pondered, "Maybe we can first develop a hill on the outskirts of the Pikachu forest."

"And then turn that into a Miltank valley?"

Ding dong~

Triggering New Task: Miltank Valley

You have a new objective; please create a home for Miltank that belongs to the farm!

Quest Reward: Treasure Draw 1; Rare Candy 2

Natsume took out his phone to check the new task.

With the quest reward, he felt even more motivated.

Developing a hill specifically for the Miltank wouldn’t be too difficult.

Just chopping down trees, mowing, cultivating arable land, and then scattering grass seeds to let them grow would suffice.

"We'll develop the hill after we return from Towada Lake."

"However, that means there will be a lot more work at the farm."

"It would be best to capture some Pokémon that are suitable for chopping down trees to bring back."

"Scyther would be great."

Natsume pictured a group of Scyther swinging their blades through the weeds, quickly cutting down tree after tree.

"Decided! This time, I’ll head to Towada Lake and capture a group of Scyther!"

With these thoughts in mind, Natsume, carrying the metal buckets along with Lopunny, leisurely walked back to the cabin.

Today's breakfast was prepared by Gardevoir.

Inside the cabin's living room, it felt somewhat crowded.

Milotic and Serperior were lounging in the room, along with Eevee and Zorua running around inside.

Dragonite lay on the sofa, holding a plate of fried Springy Mushrooms.

Looking like a middle-aged man, Dragonite scratched its backside, propping its head up with one hand as it watched the morning news on TV.

Today's news had nothing of substance.

It merely reported that a rare Pokémon had been discovered somewhere, attracting many Trainers.

"Dragonite~"

When Dragonite saw Natsume return, it used its scratching hand to grab a Springy Mushroom and offer it to Natsume.

Natsume waved his hand and declined, "You’re too kind."

"You should just eat them all yourself, Dragonite."

"Dragonite~"

Dragonite happily accepted Natsume's suggestion.

Looking at the crowded living room, Natsume thought, "The house needs to be expanded!"

Natsume took out his phone and began the process to rebuild.

The first floor of the new house would still be the living room.

This time, the living room would cover an area of five hundred square meters.

All sides would feature floor-to-ceiling windows that could be raised or lowered.

At the center of the living room, there would be a staircase leading up.

The Eevee loved to slide down the stair railing, so Natsume had specially designed it as a spiral railing.

While looking over the house design plan, Natsume contemplated, "If fun is to be considered..."

On the large balcony on the second floor, he added a slide.

"Finally, various electronic devices will be included. That should do it."

"Oh right, I also need to add soundproofing to my bedroom."

Natsume clicked confirm.

Fifty thousand Pokémon Coins were deducted.

Natsume looked around, and a bright light flashed around him.

The layout of the house changed instantly.

The once crowded living room felt much more spacious.

"Eevee."

The Eevee stared in surprise at the suddenly transformed environment, then became excited.

"Eevee~"

The Eevee dashed from the front door to the back door, and then back again.

Zorua and Larvitar excitedly ran up the stairs, then slid down the handrail onto the carpet with joyful cheers.

Natsume said contentedly, "This is much more comfortable."

Since it was summer, Natsume had raised all the floor-to-ceiling windows around the house.

This allowed the breeze to flow in, making it feel perfectly cool.

When it gets cold or rains, he can simply lower the windows.

The scenery in autumn and winter is also beautiful.

"So, what do you think, Gardevoir?"

Natsume walked over to Gardevoir and smiled. "Are you satisfied with the new home?"

Gardevoir replied, "It's much bigger."

Cinccino stared blankly at the surrounding environment.

"Cinccino."

Cinccino sighed.

"Don’t worry, Rotom."

Housekeeper Rotom patted Cinccino and said, "I’ll help you clean the house."

"Don’t underestimate the power of technology."

As Housekeeper Rotom said this, he snapped his fingers.

An automatic vacuum and mop chimed in response.

Natsume placed his hands on Rotom and Cinccino and said, "Let’s all do our best together~"

Mornings on the farm are always the liveliest.

However, after breakfast, most of the Pokémon in the farm had little to do.

Due to the hot weather, they mostly looked for a shady spot to lie down.

Sirfetch'd and the others officially began their day of training.

Today was no different from usual.

Just as Sirfetch'd was about to leave for training, Natsume called out to it.

"Sirfetch'd, we’re heading back to Towada Lake today. Do you want to come with us?"

Sirfetch'd thought for a moment and then shook its head.

Sirfetch'd had no reason to return to Towada Lake anymore.

Now, Sirfetch'd just wanted to become the strongest Fighting Pokémon on the farm.

"Well then, I won’t take you this time."

"Sirfetch'd."

Not just Sirfetch'd, but Infernape and the others don't seem very interested in traveling either.

"Awooo~"

Arcanine is very interested.

Since I didn’t go to the secret realm with Natsume yesterday, I absolutely must go this time.

"Awooo."

Arcanine runs ahead of Natsume, wagging its tail.

Natsume smiled at Arcanine and said, "I will take you."

"Serperior, Milotic, what about you two?"

"Serperior~"

Serperior hasn’t gone out with Natsume for a long time, so it also wants to go.

"Milotic~"

Milotic definitely wants to travel with Natsume.

"Alright."

Natsume decided, “The Pokémon joining us this time will be Dragonite, Gardevoir, Arcanine, Serperior, and Milotic.”

Arcevee looked at Natsume with a hesitant expression.

Arcevee wants to go too.

However, it feels that its strength is too far behind everyone else's.

"Natsume, don't forget about Eevee."

Gardevoir conveyed Eevee's thoughts to Natsume using telepathy.

Natsume looked at Eevee standing beside him.

Natsume walked over to Eevee and lifted it up: "Arcevee, do you want to join us too?"

"Eevee."

Eevee nodded.

"Then let's all go together."

Natsume cradled Eevee and looked at everyone: "Perfect, a full team!"

Just as Natsume was speaking, he suddenly felt a chill behind him.

Annihilape appeared out of nowhere.

Annihilape didn't say anything, just gazed at Natsume.

Annihilape is still waiting for Natsume to help him seek justice.

Natsume turned to face Annihilape and said, "Annihilape, I’m already looking into your matter."

"Additionally, I plan to visit Towada Lake today, which is quite far to the north."

"If you'd like to come along, then just join us."

Annihilape wants to follow Natsume.

"No problem, then everyone get ready, and let’s prepare to set off."

"By the way, we need to bring a gift for Oranguru."