Chapter 1: At Eighteen, Classmates Receive Their Pokémon, and I Inherit a Farm
Hokkaido, afternoon.
A bus is moving forward along a rural path.
Natsume leans against the window, looking outside.
A few Pidgey fly by and land in a nearby forest.
In front of the bus, a Cyclizar, carrying its Trainer, jumps quickly past.
In the fields, a Scyther, wearing a straw hat, is harvesting rice together with its Trainer.
Spring planting, summer harvesting, summer sowing, autumn gathering.
This is the prevailing theme throughout the year in the southern countryside.
Ding dong~
The notification sound of a smartphone rings out.
Natsume unlocks the phone.
Class 3-1 group chat.
Kenta: I finally got my Pokémon.
*Attached image: Nidoran♂ eating Pokémon food.*
Yamato: Your Nidoran♂ is nice, but it can't compare to my Poochyena.
*Attached image: Poochyena running on a treadmill.*
Kenta: LOL, want to go 1v1 in a battle?
Sho: Stop arguing, you're distracting me from my Charmander training.
*Attached image: Charmander using Ember.*
Yamato: Wow, Charmander, you really are something, Master Sho.
Kenta: Is that a Charmander from Fire Dragon Valley?
Sho: Of course! After all, the only place in the country where you can get Charmander is Fire Dragon Valley.
Natsume scrolls through the chat history.
The college entrance exams are over.
Most have received their initial Pokémon.
Natsume closes the group chat and opens a game app on their phone: Farm Story.
The surrounding terrain instantly appears on the screen.
In the top left corner, a line reads:
Main Quest: Head to Your Farm
Quest Reward: Randomly select a Pokémon with godly potential
Ding dong~
The bus's announcement system chimes.
"We are about to arrive at Rice Fragrance Village. Passengers preparing to disembark, please get ready."
Natsume puts away the phone with a touch of anticipation: "Finally here."
Creak~ creak~
The bus comes to a gentle stop.
Natsume gets off through the back door.
This is Rice Fragrance Village, where Natsume will inherit the farm!
"Natsume?"
An elderly voice calls out.
Natsume looks over to see a man in his sixties.
Standing beside him are two Skiddo.
Natsume approaches him: "That's me."
The old man smiles: "I'm the village chief here."
"Your farm is a bit off the beaten path, so I've come to give you a lift."
Natsume promptly responds: "Thank you, Mr. Village Chief."
The old village chief chuckles: "No need to be formal."
"When you're here, just make yourself at home."
"But I truly didn't expect old Natsu to have a nephew."
"Quite a surprise."
Tell me about it, I'm surprised too.
Natsume thinks wryly to themselves.
Three months ago.
There was a comment in a book review section: Do you like Pokémon?
Natsume replied with a yes and suddenly found himself transported to this parallel world where Pokémon exist.
Now, Natsume's identity is that of a high school graduate living alone.
His phone has a farm system that just finished loading yesterday.
As soon as the game loaded, Natsume received a letter.
The letter explained that a long-deceased uncle had left a will stating that Natsume could inherit his farm once he turned eighteen.
Natsume doesn't actually have an uncle.
In this world, Natsume's identity was directly implanted by the system.
However, after three months of living here, Natsume has fully integrated into this Pokémon world.
"Hop on."
The old village chief mounted a Skiddo.
"They'll take us to your farm."
"Baa~"
Skiddo walked up to Natsume and lowered itself, bleating softly.
"Thank you, Skiddo."
Natsume patted Skiddo's head before climbing on.
"Baa~"
Skiddo stood up and started walking up the mountain path.
The old village chief explained to Natsume, "Your uncle's farm is quite remote and has been abandoned for several years."
"There aren't even any villagers living nearby."
"What made you want to take over this farm?"
"After all, young people like you usually dream of becoming professional Trainers, right?"
Natsume was observing his surroundings.
He saw a Sandshrew quickly darting out from some bushes.
Two Caterpie were hanging from a tree branch.
A Dewpider was looking around anxiously, seemingly searching for a pond.
Everything nearby fascinated Natsume.
After hearing the old village chief's question, Natsume replied, "Of course I've thought about becoming a professional Trainer."
"But a regular Trainer, without any sponsorship, couldn't even afford the costs of training Pokémon."
"Plus, my high school grades aren't great."
"Continuing to college doesn't seem meaningful."
"So, I thought about going back home to farm."
"If I can earn some money, during the off-season I can travel with my Pokémon and occasionally challenge Gyms."
Natsume smiled at the thought of his future life: "I think a Pokémon countryside life sounds pretty nice."
The old village chief nodded slightly at Natsume's words: "I understand."
"However, even farming won't be an easy task, you know."
Natsume confidently responded, "I believe in myself."
Farm Story gave Natsume the confidence to say this.
Its function is quite simple.
The farm game synchronizes with Natsume's actions in the real world.
And the harvest in the game provides feedback to reality.
"Your farm is just ahead."
The old village chief suddenly announced.
Skiddo picked up speed and jumped out from the woods.
The light outside the woods was a bit blinding.
Natsume squinted slightly, eagerly looking toward his farm!
"Baa~"
Skiddo called out.
The farm has arrived!
Natsume looked at the scene before him, and his face fell slightly with disappointment.
The old village chief awkwardly said, "As I mentioned, this place has been abandoned for quite some time."
Before Natsume was an expanse of wasteland.
Dead trees, scattered stones, and overgrown weeds.
Task complete: You have arrived at your farm.
Quest Reward: Would you like to start a Pokémon draw?
Natsume took a deep breath.
"It's okay."
"I'll bring this place back to life."
At eighteen, his classmates had all received their initial Pokémon.
And here I am, inheriting the farm!