Deep in the forest, two groups of Pokémon were locked in a teandoff.

  Not far away, Natsume crouched with his Pokémon, the se.

  "Sand-sand."

  As a native of the farm, Sandshrew expihe situation to Natsume.

  In short, the forest's resources were retively richer than other areas, which had led to an ongoing flict over territorial rights betweewo groups.

  For wild Pokémon, this kind of dispute erfectly natural. Whether it was for berries or shelter, strength determined ownership.

  "I see," Natsume murmured, stroking Sandshrew's head as he studied the groups.

  Calling them “groups” was a bit of a stretch—this was more like a family feud.

  On the left were two Mightyena apanied by three Pooa, clearly a couple leading their pack.

  On the right stood a single Ursaring with five Teddiursa. A single-parent household, it seemed.

  As Natsume observed them, the Pokémon also noticed him.

  Fhtyena and Ursaring, this distance might as well .

  “Rrrr!”

  The leading Mightyena turs head and growled at Natsume. Its low, guttural tone was full of hostility and aggression.

  This is our territory! Leave at once!

  To the Mightyena pack, this entire forest was theirs. her the Ursaring group nor the human had any business being here.

  Ursaring, oher hand, pletely ignored Natsume, showing no i in unication.

  her seemed ined to back down.

  “Rrrr!”

  The lead Mightyena growled again, urging Natsume to leave. The other Pooa gred at him as well, their eyes full of menace.

  Meanwhile, the Teddiursa began to grow restless. Known for their eid jittery nature, they were moments away from causing a se.

  If Natsume made a wrong move now, he could find himself the target of both groups' bined ire.

  “That won’t do,” Natsume muttered, standing up. He didn’t seem fazed by either side’s aggression.

  “Your territory? No, this is my nd.”

  “Persian, you’re up.”

  The moment Natsume spoke, his Persian, who had been itg for a, darted forward.

  In some ways, Persian was no different from the Mightyena—it also sidered this forest part of its domain. Or rather, it viewed the entire farm as its territory.

  A white glow enveloped Persian’s body—it was using Agility.

  In a fsh, Persian was like an arrow released from a b, shootiweewo groups.

  Its paw lifted, and razor-sharp cws extended, gleaming menagly in the sunlight.

  Fake Out!

  As a priority move, it ensured Persian struck first.

  “Thud!”

  A dull sound echoed as Persian's paw smmed into the lead Mightyena’s head.

  In that instant, the Mightye like the world had slowed to a crawl.

  The sery before its eyes ed and blurred. Its thoughts drifted away, and its miied, as if it were ba its egg.

  The moment, the Mightyena was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. It collided with a tree, paused for a sed, then slid limply to the ground, knocked out cold.

  If there had been a slow-motion camera, it would have captured the moment the Mightyena’s head torted uhe impact.

  But no one aying attention to the fallen Mightyena anymore.

  Persian had bee a blur of motion, weaving through the Mightyena and Ursaring groups like a streak of light.

  With each pass, a Pokémon was sent flying.

  The se resembled a sequence from Stephen Chow’s movie Kung Fu Hustle.

  Some Pokémon tried to fight back, but most of their attacks missed. Those that nded barely fazed Persian, as it quickly incapacitated them in turn.

  “Woolie,”

  A blue psychic glow shimmered as Butterfree, standing guard beside Natsume, monitored the battle.

  “Caw!”

  The sight made the young Rookidee's blood boil. It fpped its wings furiously, itg to join the fray.

  And indeed, it tried to.

  But Natsume, knowing Rookidee's impulsive nature, had anticipated this. He swiftly reached out and grabbed it.

  “You’re not ready for this yet,” he said, cradling the struggling bird in his arms aly patting its head to calm it down.

  Rookidee begrudgingly settled, though its frustration in.

  I have to find a way to vince him to let me fight, it thought, already scheming.

  Ihan half a mihe forest was silent once more.

  Only Persian remaianding amidst the fallen Pokémon.

  It licked its paw nontly and strolled back to Natsume with the grace of a cat that had merely gone for a m jog.

  “Now, roperly?” Natsume asked, croug beside the downed Ursaring and Mightyena.

  The two Pokémon exged looks. Talk? About what? How thhly we were beaten?

  For now, they both chose to remain silent.

  “I’m Natsume, the new owner of this farm,” he began.

  “Simply put, this entire area belongs to me.”

  The Mightyena and Ursaring exged gnces again. Is he kig us out?

  “If you’re willing to join the farm, you stay,” Natsume tinued.

  “But there are rules: no causing trouble, no fighting, no attag passersby. You’ll also o help with farm duties. you agree to that?”

  Natsume’s expnation crified things. He had no iion of driving out all the wild Pokémon.

  After all, the farm was vast. Even with Persian, Butterfree, Rookidee, and the newly recruited Sandshrew, there was only so much they could manage.

  Recruiting the “locals” would be far more practical.

  As Natsume spoke, the other Pokémon who had been knocked out began to recover, including the Mightyena that Persian had smacked earlier.

  After a group discussion, the two sides finally agreed to Natsume’s terms.

  “Great, the’s make it official.”

  Natsume pulled out a handful of Poké Balls from his bag.

  “Trainers might pass through the farm iure,” he expined.

  “If you’re not officially part of the farm, you might be mistaken for ordinary wild Pokémon a captured.”

  While the town was retively remote and cked veransportation, trainers were like ahey had a knack for showing up in the most ued pces.

  One group scours the world for untouched fishing spots.

  The other searches for uncharted areas to caton and uh treasures.