The m, Mei slowly opened her eyes, half-buried in a soft, oversized pillow.
She’d stayed up te st night, brimming with inexplicable excitement, and by the time she realized she should sleep, the wave of drowsiness hit her all at once. In an instant, she was swallowed by the tide of sleep.
“Mmm, what a good sleep,” Mei murmured, sitting up groggily. She rubbed her face haphazardly, her long hair stig messily to her cheeks.
Befoing to bed, Mei had made an effort to tidy her hair properly. However, her restless tossing and turning had undone all her work, leaving her in her current disheveled state.
“Servine...”
Lying belly-up on the bed, Servine rolled over, burying its fato the pillow. It was far too fortable to even think about getting up.
“ht, this is the farm,” Mei muttered, still half-dazed, sitting on the bed in a stupor before finally realizing she was at Natsume’s farm.
She hadn’t slept this well in ages, and for a moment, she’d fotten where she was.
On the floor by the bed, Tepig a were still sound asleep. Dewott y with its arms crossed in a pose resembling a down-and-out swordsman, though its utterly peaceful expression and the telltale glimmer of drool at the er of its mouth betrayed it.
A would-be hero... but still just a child.
As for Steenee?
The Pokémon was asleep oable, for some strange reasoe having a bed and a cozy little , it stubbornly insisted on sleeping on the hard tabletop.
“Time to get up,” Mei said, spping her cheeks lightly to wake herself.
Her bare feet touched the soft carpet as she tiptoed carefully around Tepig a, doing her best not to make a sound and wake her Pokémon partners.
On the bed, Serviirred at the sound of Mei getting up. The Grass Snake Pokémon struggled to open its eyes, wobbling and tumbling off the bed in an attempt to follow her to the bathroom.
It nearly fated onto the floor—if not for Mei catg it in time.
Otherwise, poor Tepig might have suffered a rude awakening via a falling Servine.
You dodged a critical hit there.
Thankfully, the guest room had its own en suite bathroom, sparing Mei from any awkward early-m enters.
Those cssic light-novel sarios? They weren’t happening here.
After all, her Mei nor Natsume had the “trip over nothing” skill unlocked. And no one had the bizarre habit of running around in their underwear.
Who evehat, anyway? This isn’t a diving club or something.
“Fully recharged!”
Freshly washed and groomed, Mei gave herself a satisfied nod in the mirror.
Dressed in her usual sporty attire—short-sleeved top, skirt, and...
...bck tights and sneakers?
It was a bit of a puzzling bination.
(A quick side note: pairing bck tights with sneakers oftes in... less-than-pleasant foot odor. Fans of such a look? Defihe niche crowd.)
“Snort, snort!”
An energized Tepig darted around the room, expl every er with boundless curiosity.
Though it had already scouted the room the previous night, its enthusiasm remained undiminished.
Meanwhile, Dewott and Servine doheir usual aloof expressions, as if trying to distahemselves from any association with drooling in their sleep or nearly fating.
“Alright, everyooday marks the start of our special training!”
“Tepig!”
“Steenee!”
Uhe stoic duo, Tepig and Steenee were full of excitement.
Tepig’s eagerness stemmed from its naturally lively personality and insatiable curiosity.
As for Steenee...
It was motivated by revenge.
Yes, revenge.
Last night, Mei’s Steenee had proudly returo its old group, brimming with fideer tless battles and grueling training sessions.
Surely, with all it had endured, it would now be the stro in the group.
After all, back then, even the “big sister” of the group hadn’t been as strong as Steenee was now.
Steenee had imagined showing off its growth, shog everyoh a dazzling dispy of strength.
Instead, it got spanked by the group leader.
The so-called "Dragon King’s Return" ended in a crushi at the hands of some random street thug.
The sheer humiliation!
Why?
Steenee couldn’t prehend it.
But no matter!
“I’ll train harder than ever and surpass her one day!” Mei’s Steenee resolved.
---
“Good m, Natsume!”
ing downstairs, Mei caught sight of Natsume pg breakfast oable.
Living alone for so long, Natsume had picked up some cooking skills over the years. While he wasly a master chef, his meals were det enough—and definitely not life-threatening.
“M, Mei. Just in time—breakfast’s ready. e eat,” Natsume said as he tidied up the kit and took off his apron.
He’d even sidered asking Gardevoir to go wake Mei earlier.
“Thanks! I’ll dig in, then. Oh, and I’ll do the dishes after, numents! Otherwise, I’ll feel bad,” Mei said cheerfully, g her hands behind her back as she leaned closer to Natsume.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though a gentle breeze carried her fragraoward him.
...Except there wasn’t one.
Mei didn’t have any noticeable st—certainly not the kind that etics or perfumes might provide.
She’d mentioned before that she never paid much attention to skincare or beauty products, yet her skin had always been fwless.
A statement that would likely spark envy among many girls.
After a simple yet hearty breakfast, Mei couldn’t tain her excitement any longer.
She eagerly requested to begin the day’s special training.
Despite Natsume’s repeated cims that he wasn’t particurly skilled at training Pokémon, Mei merely dismissed his modesty as humility.
After all, every Pokémon on the farm seemed anything but ordinary.
Not to mention Natsume’s own “main team.”
From Persian, Butterfree, and Corviknight to Slowking and eveeeribe leader that had overpowered her own Steenee—every one of them was exceptional.
“Alright, alright,” Natsume cpped his hands, stepping toward the window.
“Furret! You’re up!”
Before Mei could process what “you’re up” meant, an oversized Shiny Furret barreled into the living room with boundless energy.
“Furrrrret!”
Coach Furret rep for duty! Who raining?
Seeing the determined look on the Shiny Furret’s face, Mei suddenly had a strange, indescribable feeling.
It seemed... her Servine and the others weren’t in for an easy time.
Gcell
