Pokemon: Farm Story-Chapter 159: Consecutive Evolutions and a Newly Hatched Egg

The Auspicious Armor, steeped in history and tradition, was placed on the ground.

Compared to the flashy, newer armors, this one carried a more restrained presence.

Like a seasoned warrior who had seen countless battles, silent yet imposing.

Even if it were placed among a pile of objects, it would still be the first to catch one's eye.

On the other side, the Malicious Armor, faintly wrapped in an eerie, cursed aura, lay quietly.

Unlike the Auspicious Armor, the Malicious Armor had a significantly weaker presence.

Whenever one's gaze swept across it, an inexplicable discomfort would arise, compelling them to look away instinctively.

"Char!"

First up was the energetic and impatient elder Charcadet.

Without much hesitation, her gaze immediately locked onto the Auspicious Armor.

As expected, an always high-spirited child like her was best suited to evolve into the exuberant Armarouge.

For a fleeting moment, Natsume had a rather mischievous thought—

What if the lively elder sister evolved into the brooding Ceruledge, and the quiet younger sister evolved into the radiant Armarouge?

That contrast would certainly be amusing.

But such things were best left as mere thoughts.

The most suitable path was always the best one. An arbitrary swap for the sake of amusement would only leave both sisters dissatisfied with their evolutions.

With eyes filled with excitement and anticipation, the elder Charcadet struggled to tear her gaze away from the mesmerizing armor and looked up at Natsume.

That look seemed to ask:

Really? I can really have this amazing armor?

"Go ahead."

Seeing her expectant eyes, Natsume gently gave her a push.

It wasn't a strong push, but it was enough to give her courage.

Under Natsume's watchful gaze, the elder Charcadet clenched her tiny fists, as if cheering herself on.

"Char!"

After mentally preparing herself, she took a deep breath and firmly slapped her palm onto the Auspicious Armor.

In the very next second, a radiant glow erupted from where her palm met the armor.

Almost instantly, she was engulfed in the dazzling light of evolution.

Her small frame elongated and expanded within the glow.

When the light faded, a humanoid Pokémon radiating intense heat stood before Natsume.

Restless flames flowed around her like ribbons.

A Fire/Psychic-type Pokémon—Armarouge had made her grand debut!

"Hm?"

The newly evolved Armarouge excitedly examined her own body.

The once-dulled armor had regained its brilliance.

Perhaps due to being refined by Fire and Psychic energies during evolution, it had transcended its original form.

The golden armor shimmered as if sunlight danced across its surface.

A red V-shaped pattern on her chest seemed to contain a burning flame within.

Behind her, a plume of fire formed a crested helm, swaying with the wind.

That fiery crest, waving proudly, seemed to announce its bearer's indomitable spirit.

It was said that an Armarouge adhered to the creed of honorable combat, bravely challenging even formidable foes head-on.

A righteous and chivalrous warrior.

Grinning, Armarouge turned toward her younger sister.

From this height, her former self looked so small.

Examining her little sister with curiosity, Armarouge's eyes shone with excitement that had yet to subside.

"All right, step aside now. It's the next one's turn."

Pulling Armarouge away from her spot, Natsume turned to the younger Charcadet, who had remained silent all this time.

Truthfully, Natsume found the younger sister far more intriguing than her elder counterpart.

At first, he had assumed their relationship was a simple contrast of an energetic older sister and a timid, introverted younger sister.

But over time, he realized that while the younger sister was indeed reserved, she wasn't necessarily timid.

Her elder sister always believed she was the fragile one who needed protection.

If Natsume hadn't personally witnessed her calmly knocking out a Raticate, he might have believed that too.

This child might not enjoy socializing, but she was definitely not someone to be bullied.

She might even be a bit vengeful and petty.

Ironically, it was the strong-willed elder sister who occasionally ended up as the one being pushed around.

Stepping forward in silence, the younger Charcadet calmly placed her hand on the Malicious Armor.

No mental preparation, no deep breaths, no hesitation.

Just quiet acceptance of her evolution.

Unlike her carefree elder sister, who lived in the moment, the younger Charcadet had always been a thinker.

Lying awake at night, she would ponder many things.

She had thought long and hard about evolution, even secretly consulting Mew for information.

So, she had long since made peace with her decision.

Once more, the light of evolution flared.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but this time, the glow seemed steadier and more restrained.

Not as flamboyant, simply fulfilling its purpose.

In the blink of an eye, the light faded.

Draped in armor steeped with grudges, wielding swords forged from spectral flames.

A warrior cloaked in ghostly blue flames—Ceruledge quietly examined her reflection in her blades.

It was said that the fiery swords extending from Ceruledge's arms burned with the resentment of fallen swordsmen.

Once battle commenced, those flames would intensify, turning into great swords.

A Fire/Ghost-type Pokémon, willing to use any means necessary to secure victory.

Even its crest of flames differed from Armarouge's. Instead of the latter's free-spirited red blaze, Ceruledge's was a quiet, unwavering blue-purple flame.

After a few seconds of staring at her reflection, Ceruledge silently lowered her swords.

She nodded slightly toward Natsume in thanks, then wordlessly moved to stand behind her sister.

The evolution seemed to have made her even more silent.

A solitary, aloof aura emanated from her, repelling all but one being—her elder sister.

Watching as Armarouge boldly ran up to her, laughing and poking at her armor without restraint, Ceruledge almost lost her composure.

What the hell was this!

But this was her sister, after all. What else could she do?

Turning her head away, Ceruledge begrudgingly tolerated her sister's antics.

Sometimes, it was hard to tell who was the real elder sibling.

Observing the contrast between the childlike Armarouge and the taciturn Ceruledge, Natsume found himself wondering the same thing.

Compared to the overly exuberant Armarouge, Ceruledge certainly seemed more like the composed and reliable older sister.

"All right, now it's your turn."

After offering a few words of encouragement, Natsume turned his attention to the waiting Gloom and Misdreavus.

By now, they were both eager to embrace their own evolutions.

The stark transformation of the Charcadet sisters had only intensified their anticipation.

Before evolution, Charcadet looked rather cute and not particularly threatening.

Even in battle stances, they resembled little kids playing pretend.

But after evolving into Armarouge and Ceruledge...

One had become a valiant flame knight.

The other, a cool and aloof spectral swordsman.

The difference was just too overwhelming!

'I want to evolve too!'

'I want to become super cool too!'

Misdreavus gazed at Natsume with its big, watery eyes, silently watching him.

It was as if it was expecting Natsume to press the Dusk Stone against its forehead at any moment, ushering in its grand evolution.

Faced with Misdreavus's anticipation, Natsume felt a little conflicted.

In his opinion, Misdreavus was already extremely cute before evolving—one of the most adorable Pokémon in the entire Pokémon world.

But after evolution into Mismagius...

Well, it wasn't exactly cute anymore, but it wasn't particularly cool either.

It also lacked any real sense of mystery.

It just became... kind of ordinary.

Still, Natsume wasn't going to dampen its enthusiasm, so he silently extended the Dusk Stone toward Misdreavus.

The long-awaited moment had finally arrived. Misdreavus eagerly pressed its forehead against the stone.

A familiar light of evolution radiated once more.

In no time, a brand-new Pokémon emerged.

Mismagius's design was clearly inspired by a witch's appearance.

Its head resembled a sorcerer's hat, with four pointed extensions trailing behind. Three red gems were embedded in its body, and its form flowed like a draping cloak.

Mismagius was known as a mischievous and elusive Pokémon. Feared for spreading curses and playing pranks, it was often avoided.

However, it was also said to chant incantations that warded off evil, leading some people to welcome it into their homes for protection.

So it wasn't entirely the image of an evil witch, after all.

"Miiis~"

The newly evolved Mismagius cheered, muttering an incantation that Natsume couldn't quite make out.

Was it excitedly casting a blessing upon itself?

After rubbing affectionately against Natsume, Mismagius couldn't wait to dash off and test its newfound abilities.

Just a couple of days ago, its training partner, Duskull, had evolved into Dusclops.

In their recent sparring sessions, Dusclops, with its now fully developed form, had been able to defeat Misdreavus with ease every single time.

That had frustrated Misdreavus greatly.

'I trained just as hard, so why did you evolve before me?'

'I want to evolve too!'

'I want to be stronger!'

Now, Misdreavus had finally gotten its wish.

Strictly speaking, evolution didn't instantly make a Pokémon overwhelmingly stronger.

Sure, a newly evolved body was undeniably more powerful than its pre-evolution form—stronger physique, greater energy reserves, and a more combat-ready posture.

But to achieve a true qualitative leap in strength required years of accumulated experience and training.

The idea that a Pokémon could go from losing a battle to completely dominating its opponent just because it evolved was mostly unrealistic.

Well, unless it was something like Metapod turning into Beedrill—an extreme case of rapid transformation.

Natsume then turned his gaze toward Gloom, who looked utterly bewildered, as if it had only just realized what was happening.

"Gloom, it's your turn."

As the Sun Stone in Natsume's hand gleamed under the sunlight, Gloom finally grasped the situation.

Overcome with excitement, the flower on its head accidentally released a large burst of its signature stench.

Realizing what it had just done, Gloom's face, which had been lit up with joy, froze in place as it cautiously looked up at Natsume.

Gloom was highly valued in the perfume and pharmaceutical industries, but its smell was something most people couldn't tolerate.

Getting too close could even cause someone to pass out from the sheer potency of the stench.

Fortunately, Natsume had built up quite a bit of resistance.

Even in this situation, his expression remained largely unchanged.

After all, he had to be considerate of his Pokémon's feelings.

Natsume felt that his ability to maintain a straight face had reached an impressive level.

If he ever entered the acting industry, he might even win a small award or two.

Seeing that Natsume hadn't reacted negatively, Gloom let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

It wasn't being shunned.

Gloom still remembered how, back when it was an Oddish, it had many friends.

But after evolving into Gloom, those friends had gradually drifted away.

Whenever they saw it, they always had a look of distaste mixed with helplessness.

That left Gloom feeling rather helpless as well.

Even though it tried hard to control its emotions, staying calm so as not to release any smell, emotions weren't exactly easy to regulate.

"Come on, Gloom. Once you evolve, this won't be a problem anymore."

Noticing Gloom's concerns, Natsume chuckled, offering it an encouraging smile.

Once Gloom evolved, its past troubles would disappear.

What had been a difficult experience would become nothing more than a distant memory.

Encouraged by Natsume's words, Gloom hesitated no further.

It reached out and slapped its palm against the Sun Stone.

Once again, the radiant light of evolution burst forth.

To be honest, at this point, Natsume was starting to feel a little numb to it.

He had just seen too many Pokémon evolve.

Ever since coming to the farm, there had been new evolutions happening almost daily.

Especially among the Bug-type Pokémon—

They reproduced quickly and evolved even faster.

Particularly in such a safe environment.

The Berry Grove's Bug Pokémon population was nearing a tipping point.

Natsume was already considering what to do about the growing swarm.

If necessary, he might have to relocate them to the outskirts of the farm.

Maybe even organize them into a security patrol, guarding the farm's borders and keeping intruders away.

In a way, that would be quite helpful.

As Natsume was lost in thought, Gloom's evolution had already finished.

Or rather, it was no longer Gloom—it was now Bellossom.

Bellossom's body was green, with round blue eyes and red markings on its cheeks—more like blush than anything else.

On its head bloomed two bright red flowers, while its wide yellow-green leaves formed a small skirt, giving it an incredibly adorable appearance.

A stark contrast to its former self.

Many people compared Feebas and Milotic as the most extreme transformation in evolution.

But looking at Gloom and Bellossom, Natsume felt like they were just as much of a drastic shift.

"All done."

Clapping his hands in satisfaction, Natsume looked at the newly evolved Pokémon.

Now that their evolutions were complete, it was time to assign them their new roles.

His plans were crystal clear.

Ceruledge and Armarouge would continue training with Mew, preparing to step up once the gym opened.

Mismagius could oversee its teammates' training and even collaborate with Hisuian Zorua to refine their illusion techniques.

As for Bellossom, it would be working with Natsume on a long-awaited project—the garden.

He had wanted to create a beautiful garden for ages, but technical difficulties had always held him back.

Now that he had an expert—well, an amateur 'specialist'—on board, Natsume finally felt hopeful about his garden's success.

Recalling his well-organized plan, Natsume couldn't help but give himself a mental pat on the back.

Even without a Slowking, my thought process is still razor-sharp.

Not bad, not bad.

Just as he was basking in his own brilliance—

Far away, in the depths of the ocean, Manaphy sat in silence.

Inside its dark, submerged temple, it stared for a long time at a Pokémon egg that had mysteriously appeared beside its bed.

Finally, it let out a long sigh.

What a disaster.

Looks like I have to raise another kid...

Wait—!

A sudden thought flashed through Manaphy's mind, and its eyes lit up.

It swiftly grabbed a silk ribbon from under its bed, wrapped the egg securely, and hurriedly swam out of its temple in a rush.

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Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

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