Pokemon: Farm Story-Chapter 162: Mei: “Hold the Line, Fight for Second, Last All Rounds and It’s a Win!”

The raised hammer-like arm came crashing down with a thunderous impact.

The sheer force of the blow sent shards of stone scattering, flung into the air alongside a cloud of dust before rapidly falling back to the ground.

Retracting its arm, Swampert exhaled slowly.

The scalding air from its lungs was expelled as a visible white mist, trailing from its mouth like vapor.

What the ancients once described as “a breath sharp as an arrow”—this must be what they meant.

If Swampert had existed in the martial world of old, it would surely have been a famed and formidable warrior, the kind whose name alone would send tremors through rivers and lakes.

Of course, there was also the possibility of being seen as a monster that needed to be taken down.

Lowering its head, Swampert raised its broad, heavy hand and gave it a powerful swing.

Even such a simple gesture was enough to stir up a violent gust of wind.

The swirling dust in the air was blown away, revealing Tsareena lying unconscious on the ground, her expression still faintly tinged with unwillingness.

After checking on Tsareena's condition, the referee at the edge of the field waved a small triangular flag and declared:

"Tsareena is unable to battle!"

The role of a referee often seemed limited to stating the obvious.

But in certain situations, they played a crucial role in ensuring safety.

For example, when one side had already lost the ability to battle but the other insisted on continuing their attack, the referee’s call served as a line of protection.

When I say it's down, you can’t keep attacking.

If the offense was serious enough, the referee had the authority to declare an automatic loss for that side.

Though, to be fair, such cases were rare.

Sure, there were those arrogant, thoughtless types—but most people would go their entire lives without ever actually encountering one.

Especially in Pokémon battles.

It was said that there was once a ruthless trainer who claimed that Pokémon battles were nothing but survival of the fittest—and that the strong were supposed to humiliate the weak.

And then he got publicly thrashed for several days straight by a whole lineup of trainers stronger than him, each of whom took his words to heart and gave him a real taste of “the strong crushing the weak.”

In the end, the trainer, whose spirit was utterly broken, disappeared from the public eye.

Say what you will about other places—but in the Jadeleaf League, there's never a shortage of warm-hearted volunteers for that kind of justice.

If you’re yearning for a good beating, you’ll get one far beyond your wildest expectations.

“You did great, Tsareena.”

Recalling the unconscious Tsareena into her Poké Ball, Mei spoke softly.

She looked at Swampert, who was still in decent condition, and took a deep breath.

Although Natsume always said he didn’t have a knack for being a trainer—his memory wasn't good, and he couldn’t keep up with all the complex tactics and skill combinations—

—but from Mei’s perspective, Natsume’s talent as a trainer was already off the charts.

There wasn’t a single Pokémon raised by him that could be considered “ordinary.”

Honestly, Mei couldn’t understand how Natsume did it.

Take the Swampert in front of her, for instance.

The first time she saw it, she was sure it was just an unremarkable little Mudkip.

Mild temperament, energetic, maybe a bit mischievous.

And that was it.

Those were standard traits for any average Mudkip.

No special talent, no miraculous stroke of luck.

And yet, this utterly ordinary Mudkip somehow grew into a powerhouse under Natsume’s care.

Trick moves meant to harass did little more than serve as distractions.

Moves like Trop Kick and Petal Blizzard were decent if they landed cleanly, but never achieved the kind of impact Mei had hoped for.

Solar Blade and Solar Beam worked better, but the charge-up time was too long—they only managed to land one during the entire match.

The one move that did real damage was Leaf Storm, which Tsareena used without defending, sacrificing her guard for a final strike.

But after taking a direct hit right after, Tsareena was completely done.

It was a textbook case of: I can make multiple mistakes, but you only get to mess up once.

Damn it, what is this, some hardcore soulslike game?

Mei groaned internally.

No matter the path a Pokémon took under Natsume’s training, no matter their preferred battle style—

—they all had one thing in common: not a single one of them was a glass cannon that would fall after a single hit.

Every one of them was like a tanky, high-resistance super-soldier.

Every time Mei battled Natsume’s Pokémon, she felt like she was up against a raid boss in a game.

“Let’s go! Serperior!”

After taking a moment to adjust her breathing and steady her nerves, Mei threw out her second Pokémon.

Her ace. Her most trusted partner—Serperior.

Mei’s thinking was simple.

Even if this was just a Gym battle, she didn’t really expect to beat Natsume.

Who knew how many absurdly overpowered Pokémon were still waiting on that ridiculous farm of his?

Her goal was to win at least one match. Maybe two if she could push it. Ideally, take it to a full three rounds.

As long as she didn’t get swept 3-0, she’d consider it a win.

Unlike previous matches—where Natsume would usually rotate Pokémon after one round for various reasons—this time, if he decided to go all out, forget just sweeping a team—

Mei suspected he could sweep the entire school.

Even a rotation battle wouldn’t help much.

“Hsssss.”

Serperior entered the field with a proud lift of its head, its long body covered in deep green scales etched with leaf-like veins.

As it slithered, the friction between its sleek body and the ground produced a soft, menacing rustle.

Swampert closed its eyes slightly, steadying its breath.

That last fight had drained a fair bit of stamina—battling these nimble types was truly exhausting.

Swampert had never been good at handling opponents like that.

Sure, as a Water-type, it had plenty of area-of-effect attacks.

And it could limit Tsareena’s movement well enough in battle—but being bad at something is still being bad at it. Every time it faced an enemy like that, it felt thoroughly annoyed.

Tsareena, for her part, had clearly understood her role: she didn’t aim for a knockout blow—she just focused on relentless attrition.

Like a flea, constantly buzzing around and harassing Swampert, chipping away at its composure.

So now, as Swampert calmed its breathing, it was also calming its heart.

Clearly, its training still had a long way to go.

Opening its eyes, Swampert’s gaze was clear.

It remembered this Serperior.

Last time, it had battled Corviknight fiercely—definitely a worthy opponent.

Even if Serperior hadn’t improved at all since then, Swampert knew that defeating it in its current condition would be hard enough. Let alone after being worn down already.

Yeah… this one was going to be tough.

But that was fine—there was no need to overthink it.

It just had to focus on the battle.

Spreading its arms to the sides, it lowered its stance slightly.

Its swaying body looked like a fighter poised inside an octagonal cage, ready to explode with devastating power at any moment.

Its eyes locked onto Serperior, tracking every tiny movement.

To Swampert, charging in recklessly at the start of a match was nothing but foolish.

That would only expose your intentions and leave you wide open.

The goal wasn’t to rush the offense—it was to advance steadily.

To wait for the enemy to slip up, then strike decisively.

For now, the battle entered an eerie state of equilibrium.

Perhaps due to its serpentine instincts, Serperior didn’t attack right away either.

Instead, it observed, biding its time.

And Swampert, on the surface, didn’t seem too concerned about its opponent.

It seemed both sides were waiting for the right moment.

This strange balance lasted until—

Boom—

As if on cue.

Both Serperior and Swampert moved simultaneously.

Serperior twisted its body, flicking its tail like a scheming tactician flourishing a folding fan.

A second later, a vivid green storm erupted.

It surged forward like a tidal wave, bearing down on Swampert with overwhelming force.

Like a raging sea determined to consume all life in its path.

At the very same instant Serperior’s tail twitched, Swampert launched into motion.

Its body wrapped in churning water, it charged straight at Serperior.

Hydro Vortex—a move that traps the opponent in a whirlpool and deals ongoing damage.

Not just a solid attack—it was also a highly effective control skill.

But Swampert had altered it slightly—using it on itself.

Encased in swirling water, it shielded its entire body.

Serperior’s signature Leaf Storm, for all its power, couldn’t penetrate the swirling barrier.

Braving the fierce wind, Swampert stepped closer, one foot at a time, until it stood right before Serperior.

It raised a mighty arm, ready to repeat what it had done before—slam this Grass Snake with everything it had.

This was just the appetizer!

But Serperior had no interest in accepting Swampert’s fiery invitation.

With a subtle twitch of its tail, the raging green storm vanished in an instant.

Swampert, still pressing forward against what it thought was wind resistance, stumbled forward a few steps—its balance completely thrown.

Just then, a tail charged with Dark-type energy flashed into its vision.

Smack!

A crisp snap rang out.

Serperior’s tail landed cleanly against Swampert’s flank.

That already-precarious balance—teetering on the edge—was gently nudged by Serperior’s strike, and crumbled completely.

The Swampert, having missed its mark while lunging at Serperior, was dragged forward by its own force, taking another unsteady step.

“Bzzz!”

A familiar buzzing sound rang out behind it.

The very next second, a green tempest surged forth from behind.

A whirlwind laced with bladed leaves engulfed Swampert, lifting it off the ground and flinging it through the air. Its thick skin was carved with countless shallow cuts.

This was the kind of result Tsareena had managed only after a great deal of effort—

Yet Serperior achieved it instantly upon entering the field.

Of course, a large part of that was thanks to Tsareena already exhausting much of Swampert’s stamina beforehand.

With a flick of her tail, Serperior raised her head proudly.

“Grr…”

Swampert hit the ground and propped itself up with a grunt.

But then, a sharp pain suddenly flared across its body.

Looking down, it noticed thorny vines coiled tightly around it—somehow, without it realizing, they'd already latched on.

Right at its lower back, a sprouting seed was quietly embedded in its flesh.

Leech Seed. It must have been hidden in that earlier Leaf Storm…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Swampert’s eyes glazed over.

As if its mind blanked out, forgetting something entirely.

A brief shimmer of light rippled across its body.

Amnesia.

Empty the mind. Forget the pain—temporarily boost special defense to the extreme.

When Swampert returned to its senses, it seemed to have forgotten the sting in its flesh.

With a casual swipe, it ripped the thorns off its body.

Its fierce aura reignited, and it charged once more at Serperior.

Even after using Amnesia, it couldn’t afford to drag this out.

If this kept up, it wouldn’t stand a chance at all.

And then—

“Bzzz!”

Another Leaf Storm.

Swampert’s previously thunderous charge slowed drastically under the lashing winds.

Maybe someday, it could charge headlong through a Leaf Storm and deck Serperior with a crushing punch.

But not today.

It hadn’t been long since its evolution, and being able to handle its new power this well was already impressive.

In the end, Swampert collapsed beneath the flurry of leaves.

Even as the battle ended, it had only barely managed to stagger up to Serperior and land two solid Ice Punches.

A respectable effort, at least.

Serperior, despite the sting crawling over her body, kept her expression composed.

Please. She could take on that dumb bird head-on and win.

And this Swampert? Newly evolved, barely familiar with its moveset, already worn down—this one wanted to take her out?

Try again after a few more rounds of training.

To Serperior, Swampert was just a larger-than-average moving target.

Nowhere near as dangerous as Corviknight.

…Still.

The pain in her body wasn’t exactly negligible.

Wait a minute, she thought. Didn’t this guy seem way weaker the last time we fought?

That growth rate’s a bit scary, no?

You're sure this guy isn’t on performance enhancers?

And that dumb bird too…

In the time they hadn’t seen each other, Serperior had already braced herself for how much stronger Corviknight would become.

Tch. Just the thought annoyed her.

She narrowed her eyes, gaze shifting toward Natsume across the field.

To be honest, she was nervous.

Sure, Leaf Storm had already stacked up its boosts.

Sure, Mei had said Natsume usually didn’t send out his main team during Gym Challenges.

Sure, he’d probably go a little easy on her, for Mei’s sake.

But Serperior couldn’t relax even a bit.

Getting beat down without being able to fight back, or putting up a fight and still getting beat down—

Was there really that much of a difference?

Probably not.

Either way, she was getting smacked around. Whether she resisted or not didn’t really matter.

“Return, Swampert.”

Natsume called Swampert back and turned his gaze toward Mei.

If it weren’t for the ongoing battle, he honestly would’ve liked to chat with her a bit.

But seeing the fire in Mei’s eyes, he figured that could wait.

After all, Mei was probably going to stay at the farm for a while after this Gym Challenge.

Plenty of time to catch up later.

He tapped a Poké Ball at his belt, paused in thought, then made his choice.

“Let’s go, Ceruledge.”

A flash of white light—

And the flame swordsman stepped into the field, clad in purple, grief-tainted armor.

He stood still, and in that moment, the air around him seemed to freeze. All sound vanished.

The ghostly fire behind his head flickered silently.

Just like Ceruledge himself—calm, but burning with intensity.

He lifted his head slightly, fixing his gaze on the opponent ahead.

So that’s my opponent today?

Looks pretty strong.

Ceruledge vaguely recalled someone mentioning that Corviknight had a… rival? Or was it more of a fangirl?

Is it this one?

Eh. Doesn’t matter.

He didn’t know Corviknight all that well.

His sister—the one constantly running around trying to make friends with everyone—got along fine with Corviknight.

But Ceruledge? He wasn’t into that.

Didn’t have the energy. Didn’t care for it.

He was perfectly content doing his own thing quietly, or zoning out somewhere.

That was good enough for him.

Maybe it was the evolution item—this old armor infused with resentment occasionally made him hear things.

He didn’t know if they were the whispers of the dead or just his imagination.

But he had a strong sensitivity to malice and lingering emotions.

Not that it was a bad thing—it didn’t bother him much.

It just made him prefer solitude even more.

At least he had space to do what he wanted.

And right now, what he wanted—

Was to defeat the enemy standing before him.

Whoever they may be.

Flames danced along his blades—then, in an instant, purple fire surged up and wrapped around both swords.

No hesitation. No words.

The moment the battle began, Ceruledge shot forward like a blazing comet.

Embers scattered in his wake.

Serperior blinked—just once—and the unfamiliar Pokémon was already right in front of her.

“!”

Instinctively, Serperior unleashed a Leaf Storm.

In her hands, that move had long surpassed being just a basic attack.

She could manipulate the force and shape of the storm, crafting different effects.

Right now, she sacrificed damage for speed and raw wind force.

No need to take the opponent down—just slow them enough to gain distance.

But the moment the storm began to swirl—

Ceruledge vanished from her vision.

A flash of pain erupted in her abdomen.

Gritting through it, Serperior expanded the radius of her Leaf Storm—

Centering it on herself and blasting it outward in every direction.

The idea had just come to her during the fight with Swampert.

It was rough and rushed—barely a prototype—but for now, it would have to do.

Shrrkk—!

Ceruledge was blown back, his twin blades dragging lines in the dirt as he skidded to a halt.

“Serperior!”

Mei’s anxious voice finally reached her.

Serperior hadn’t clearly seen what happened, but Mei had a full view from the sidelines:

The moment Serperior raised her tail, Ceruledge had suddenly dropped low, skimming just above the ground in a near-glide—

And without hesitation, struck her squarely with two flaming blades wrapped in ghostly fire.

Serperior had reacted fast, but Mei’s worry didn’t lessen one bit.

She could clearly see the spot where Ceruledge had slashed—violet flames quietly burned there, steadily inflicting damage on Serperior.

Will-o’-Wisp?

This is bad. Why do Natsume’s Pokémon always know so many of these annoying moves?

And it’s not just that they know them—they’re ridiculously good at using them in battle.

But Natsume doesn’t even seem like the kind of trainer who enjoys tormenting his opponents...

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

On that point, Mei had truly misunderstood Natsume.

He actually does enjoy messing with his opponents (strikethrough).

Ceruledge didn’t even learn these moves from him. If you want answers, go ask Mew and Slowking.

Ask them how exactly they “raised” this Ceruledge.

And to be fair, Ceruledge is naturally the type to use any means necessary to win.

As long as victory is assured, any method is fair game.

Ambushes? Deception? No problem at all.

Put simply, if the conditions allow it, Ceruledge would probably run over its opponent with a truck the day before the battle even started.

“A necessary sacrifice.”

Things like “the dignity of the strong” or “respect for one’s opponent”? Doesn’t exist.

Now that it had regained its footing, Ceruledge didn’t give Serperior a single chance to respond. Without hesitation, it launched another offensive.

Each blade strike, wreathed in violet flames, left a deep, visible wound on Serperior’s body.

With a combo of Phantom Force to close the distance and Night Slash to strike weak points, it delivered devastating bursts of damage.

And every time Serperior tried to retaliate, Shadow Sneak struck from behind before it could act.

Shadow Sneak—extend one’s shadow and ambush from behind. Guaranteed to strike first.

Under this relentless assault, Serperior was clearly in agony.

Then, suddenly, Mei felt a sense of déjà vu.

Just minutes ago, Tsareena had fought against Swampert in a similar fashion.

Except Tsareena had barely been able to scratch Swampert.

Even when she landed a hit, it was like tickling him. But Ceruledge’s attacks on Serperior? Every blow was a critical hit.

Same setup, completely different result.

“Serperior, don’t panic! Watch their attack patterns carefully!”

In this situation, Mei’s first instinct was to get Serperior moving—anything to avoid staying in place.

That might just open a gap in Ceruledge’s offense.

But considering how hard it already was for Serperior to dodge, moving now would only make it a more obvious target.

Better to stick to the current strategy.

Besides, Mei trusted that after all this fighting, Serperior had picked up on Ceruledge’s attack rhythm by now.

Sure enough, as Ceruledge dashed in again, Serperior successfully predicted the approach.

“Hngh!”

With a roar of rage, it unleashed its strongest Leaf Storm, blasting toward Ceruledge.

Ceruledge, who had just poised its twin blades to strike, was forced to cross them in front of its body to block the searing attack.

Hiss—

Landing with a skid, Ceruledge tilted its head at Serperior, as though pondering something.

It vaguely remembered that when Big Sis Mew explained move strategies, she had mentioned something about a particular move...

She even used a contrary Serperior as an example.

Was this that Contrary Serperior?

Ceruledge wasn’t sure.

After all, it was just an ordinary Pokémon.

But what it did know, was the list of moves it had at its disposal.

Eerie Spell—a strange clump of mud appeared, and under Ceruledge’s command, it hurled it straight at Serperior with blinding speed.

Serperior didn’t know what it was, but every instinct screamed not to take that head-on.

When facing the unknown, evasion is always the best strategy.

However, the moment Serperior began to move, the violet fire still flickering on its body suddenly surged to life.

What had been just scattered sparks became a visible wave of flame.

It only lasted a second, but the burning pain disrupted Serperior’s movements.

And then, that weird mud ball slammed right into its head.

A burst of white light engulfed Serperior—

And just like that, it looked like nothing had happened.

But Serperior knew deep down—it was over.

Clear Smog—a strange clump of mud flung at the opponent to reset all stat changes.

Don’t ask why Clear Smog is mud.

That’s what the Pokédex says.

That’s how Big Sis Mew taught it, too!

“Serperior!”

Mei cried out in concern, but for a moment, she couldn’t figure out what command to give next.

Victory or defeat in a trainer battle often came down to intel and strategy.

Facing an unknown opponent with zero information almost always led to disaster.

And this wasn’t just about Ceruledge’s moves or tactics—it was about not even knowing what Ceruledge was.

Mei had heard of this Pokémon before, but she’d never actually seen one.

It wasn’t in any of the school textbooks either.

So right now, Mei could only fall back on the most basic fire- and ghost-type strategies to provide support from the sidelines.

And even that was purely theoretical.

She’d had to guess at those typings.

Judging by appearances, Ceruledge was almost certainly a Fire-type.

As for Ghost—its eerie presence and masterful use of powerful ghost-type moves in battle made that seem just as likely.

Still, Mei didn’t dare jump to conclusions.

Judging a Pokémon’s type by looks alone could easily blow up in your face.

Everyone knew the classics: Charizard and Gyarados weren’t Dragon-types despite appearances.

Sudowoodo? Definitely looked like a Grass-type.

But it was actually Rock.

“...Its stamina definitely isn’t its strong suit.”

“Time your Giga Drain carefully.”

That was the best Mei could come up with for now.

Serperior had already tried using Leech Seed to set up a long-term drain.

Then Ceruledge’s entire body erupted in flame, completely engulfing itself.

When the fire faded, the seeds were gone—nothing left but ash scattered in the air.

It was time to end this.

Lowering its gaze slightly, Ceruledge felt a wave of boredom.

This Serperior was strong, no doubt about that—but totally flustered when facing Ceruledge.

Probably because it had no intel.

Still, Ceruledge could tell Serperior had undergone extensive training.

But the training seemed targeted—designed to counter someone in particular.

There were a lot of unnecessary movements and overly cautious reactions during the battle.

Occasionally, it pulled off flashy-looking moves, but they had little actual effect against Ceruledge.

Could this be one of those “showcase trainers” Big Sis Mew talked about?

The type that focused on dramatic performances and special effects?

Ceruledge didn’t get it.

But what it did know was that this battle needed to end.

The flames coiled around its body suddenly began to gather, drawn to the tip of its blade.

The flickering fire seemed to carry a wistful longing for all things beautiful in the world.

A vortex of flame formed, and then—vanished in an instant.

Only a single ember remained, burning quietly at the sword’s tip.

Ceruledge raised its blade slowly, leveling it at Serperior.

There was no unbearable heat, no chilling gleam of steel.

And yet at that moment, Serperior felt every cell in its body scream in alarm.

They wanted to flee.

Suppressing its fear, Serperior once again unleashed its most familiar, most reliable move—

Leaf Storm.

To be honest, Serperior was sick of using this move.

Every time it did, it felt like, “Ugh, this again. One or two more uses and I win. How boring.”

That’s how it used to be.

But today, whatever pride or confidence it had was shattered.

It watched helplessly as Ceruledge took its stance—

Like a knight charging into battle.

Energy surged across the sword, flickering with razor-sharp gleam, while the once-small flames exploded into a roaring blaze.

In an instant, they became a wildfire capable of consuming all.

Guided by its blade, the flames traced a scorching arc through the air.

With that momentum, Ceruledge dove straight into the heart of the Leaf Storm.

The emerald-green vortex filled Serperior’s entire field of vision.

And then—within the storm—a streak of violet appeared.

It flared, expanded.

Like a newspaper catching fire on the street.

Like a slab of soft butter melting under a torch.

Her own Leaf Storm was sliced apart—just like that.

That was the final image Serperior saw before losing consciousness.

Ceruledge, wreathed in violet flames, raised its longsword and drove it toward her.

There wasn’t a shred of emotion in those cold eyes.

No joy in victory, no satisfaction in defeating an opponent.

As if it were merely carrying out a routine task—mundane, unworthy of even the faintest emotional ripple.

Not even worth mentioning.

"Return, Serperior."

With a wry smile on her face, Mei recalled her fallen Pokémon.

Serperior had truly given it her all in this battle.

But it couldn’t be helped—Mei simply knew too little about Ceruledge.

So little, in fact, that she barely knew its name.

And that… was her failure as a Trainer.

"You did great."

She murmured softly, then looked up at Ceruledge, who had already returned to stand silently by Natsume’s side.

If Armarouge was the sunlit knight guarding the king from the frontlines,

Then Ceruledge was the shadowy assassin lurking behind the king’s back.

A cold blade hidden in darkness.

“Well, if it’s swordplay we’re dealing with—then you’re up!”

“Samurott!”

A quadrupedal Pokémon appeared, a towering horn jutting from its head.

Its imposing presence alone made one believe it could carry its Trainer to victory.

And yet, this battle would end far quicker than anyone expected.