Pokemon: Farm Story-Chapter 188: Mew – If Quality Fails, Just Spam Quantity!

In the depths of the mental world, Ceruledge stood motionless, blankly staring at the scene before her.

Flames. Endless flames.

Raging fire greedily licked at everything it could touch.

The fire beneath her feet slithered upward like a cold, venomous serpent, coiling ever tighter around his body.

Ceruledge, engulfed in the blaze, could no longer tell how long the fire had been burning.

Even the sense of her own existence—her awareness—seemed to be melting into the inferno.

Where... is this?

Mustering a shred of mental focus, Ceruledge tried to make sense of the situation.

But it was a hopeless endeavor.

She didn’t have enough mental capacity left to think through anything so complex.

She didn’t even know if she was supposed to do something.

It was like falling endlessly into an abyss, consciousness slipping further away.

Then—suddenly—a glimmer of azure light broke through the encroaching fire, catching Ceruledge’s eye.

Something... was emerging from the light?

Before she could process it, a petite, blue Pokémon popped out of the glow.

Like a carefree fish darting through water, it spun joyfully in midair.

The searing flames around it didn’t seem to affect it in the slightest.

If anything, the flames looked... afraid.

As if faced with a natural predator, the fire pulled back, retreating to a safe distance and leaving a huge swath of empty space.

Ceruledge stared blankly at the Pokémon in front of her. No response. No reaction.

She simply didn’t have the capacity to react anymore.

The tiny Pokémon—Mew in the form of Azelf—tilted its head as it observed Ceruledge, who was now playing an eerily convincing game of freeze tag.

Shame there wasn’t a camera around. This would’ve made for some prime blackmail material.

HD-quality trauma for the archives!

Mew sighed a little with emotion.

How times had changed.

Back in the day, blackmail was engraved onto stone tablets. Nobody but the original victims could understand what was written.

No matter how embarrassing the event, once it was immortalized as abstract carvings and paired with some bard’s dramatic reinterpretation, the result was always something completely unrecognizable.

Take that time Kyogre got stabbed in the lung by a single “Oblivion Wing” from a flightless Pokémon and pulled a full-on Black Hawk Down reenactment in the sea—flopping around like a dying Magikarp, barely hanging on.

And how did humans describe it?

The clash between sea and land.

That was it.

But now? Now we had technology. Everyone’s embarrassing footage came in high definition.

And Mew was determined to build a full portfolio of everyone’s embarrassing moments—ready to roast them one by one.

“Mew~”

After a moment of deep thought—and failing to remember how Azelf was supposed to speak—Mew gave up on a perfect cosplay.

Sigh... even my flawless cosplayer record now has a blemish.

A little dejected, Mew floated over to Ceruledge.

As Mew moved, the flames instinctively made way for it.

Looking at Ceruledge’s blank, brain-dead face, Mew reached out and grabbed him by the neck.

Then—

“Mew!”

Yeet!

With a little grunt of effort, Mew flung Ceruledge like a baseball.

Soaring through the air, Ceruledge's head seemed to clear just a little.

She turned, groggily, to look behind her.

And there it was: Mew, suspended in mid-air, striking a full-on flying kick pose.

Mew Flying Kick!

“WHAM!”

Mew’s foot landed squarely on Ceruledge’s face with zero mercy.

Blue energy surged from the point of impact, flooding into Ceruledge’s body.

She dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing to the ground.

Motionless. Silent.

For a moment, one might’ve worried Mew actually kicked her into unconsciousness.

Thankfully, a few seconds later, Ceruledge slowly stirred.

As she pushed herself up, the flames that had once been so eager to consume her now backed off in fear.

A stark contrast to their previous aggression.

She glanced around, visibly confused, as if trying to figure out what had just happened.

But the blankness was gone from her eyes.

Though she still looked a little dazed, her gaze was now sharper, more aware.

After a few more seconds, she seemed to grasp the situation—and looked toward Mew with a grateful expression.

Mew merely raised its head with smug pride.

Hmph. Child’s play.

You’re welcome~

Leaving those parting words behind, Mew exited Ceruledge’s mental world.

If even Mew couldn’t help fix things, honestly... might as well reset the whole timeline.

Meanwhile, in the real world, the worried-looking Armarouge noticed the flames on her little sister’s body slowly beginning to shrink.

A soft blue light shimmered, and "Azelf" floated out of Ceruledge’s body—

—then spun around mid-air and transformed back into the original Mew.

Hands on hips, Mew proudly floated in front of Natsume, clearly fishing for praise.

Achievement unlocked: Credit Hogger (crossed out)

"You feel better now?"

Patting Mew on the head, Natsume turned around with a smile.

Speaking both to Armarouge—and to Chi-Yu.

Whether or not Armarouge was comforted, Chi-Yu definitely felt a weight lift off its chest.

Thank goodness. She’s okay.

The fish, who had been lying flat on the ground, finally dared to lift its head. Watching the flames on Ceruledge’s body fade away, it finally felt at ease.

A little more time passed, and the strange phenomena on Ceruledge’s body finally calmed completely.

Once curled up in agony, her body slowly straightened.

The fiery crest behind her head swayed gently in the wind.

Chi-Yu raised its head at the same time.

You see that?!

The kid’s fine!

And even stronger than before!

Yes—after everything that just happened, Ceruledge’s strength had clearly taken a leap forward.

His entire presence felt more solid, and there was a newfound composure in his gaze.

As the Pokémon that governs willpower, Azelf’s blessing wasn’t just a simple power-up; it was also a spiritual one.

Pokémon blessed by it gained a kind of “willpower” that gave them the resolve to see things through to the end.

Granted, Mew wasn’t Azelf.

But in a sense, what just happened could still be seen as Ceruledge receiving Azelf’s blessing—

And in large, generous doses, no less.

Don’t ask why Mew’s able to do that.

If quality falls short, we’ll just make up for it with quantity!

Maybe it had accidentally gone a bit overboard, because Ceruledge now had this kind of unshakable, immovable presence—

As if her mind were a bottomless black pool, undisturbed by anything on the surface.

Emotionally stable? Nah.

High EQ version: She’s transcended worldly desires.

Aside from that...

Boom!

A flame, flickering with blue and violet hues, ignited along Ceruledge’s blade.

Compared to before, the flame now seemed... different.

Looking closely, it almost felt enchanted—like it was drawing your gaze in, refusing to let go.

And somewhere deep inside, something started to stir.

Unease. Restlessness.

Smack!

A sharp clap echoed through the air.

Armarouge snapped out of it instantly.

“Alright, now that it’s all sorted, don’t overthink it.”

Clapping his hands, Natsume smiled.

And just like that, the matter was considered closed.

Behind him, Chi-Yu’s head had practically tilted toward the heavens.

Mew cast a glance in its direction.

Chi-Yu instantly dipped its head.

Submissive.

Sure, it was smug—but Chi-Yu knew full well who the real boss here was, besides Natsume.

With abilities like Mew’s, it could effortlessly trip him up in a dozen ways, and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.

Better to behave.

Besides, judging from how things were going, it looked like the beating he was expecting might be off the table.

No need to draw attention to himself and risk catching another one.

That’d just be stupid.

With that realization, Chi-Yu quietly floated behind Natsume.

Silently observing this… well, “family reunion” of sorts?

Ceruledge, now fully back to herself, looked down at the flame on her blade, then casually waved it away, extinguishing it completely.

Nearby, Armarouge rushed to her younger sister’s side, anxiously examining her head to toe.

Even though Natsume had said she was fine...

How could she, as an older sister, not worry?

She hadn’t shown it too clearly earlier only because she was afraid it might shake Ceruledge’s resolve.

Now seeing the worry etched on her face, a faint, fleeting smile tugged at Ceruledge’s lips.

This... is what family means.

He wasn’t sure why, but that line suddenly floated through his mind.

He shook his head, tossing away the tangled thoughts.

Once Armarouge had calmed down, Ceruledge turned to express her gratitude.

Starting with Natsume, then Mew, then Gardevoir—and even the not-so-friendly Chi-Yu.

Even if Chi-Yu had been a bit malicious or just messing around at the start—

It had still helped her.

Even lent her its power, in a sense.

So a thank-you was still in order.

As Ceruledge bowed her head in thanks, Chi-Yu reluctantly floated out from behind Natsume.

Though clearly unwilling, it still accepted the gesture.

Its feelings were complicated.

But since Natsume had already said this was behind them, then that was that.

Once she confirmed Ceruledge was alright, Chi-Yu let out a long sigh of relief.

Then she gave Chi-Yu a strange look.

Don’t get it wrong—she wasn’t about to go beat the thing up on her brother’s behalf.

Sure, she could be impulsive, but that didn’t mean she was brainless.

She knew exactly who she could and couldn’t take in a fight.

Right now, though, she couldn’t help but wonder—

If Ceruledge could gain this kind of power from the experience...

Then maybe I could too...?

For a brief moment, the thought flickered in her mind.

But she quickly stamped it out.

It sounded great and all, but probably best avoided.

She didn’t know how Natsume felt about it—

But from what she could see, he didn’t exactly approve.

And she was right.

Natsume didn’t oppose Pokémon striving to grow stronger—

But he wasn’t too keen on them always looking for shortcuts, either.

Ceruledge’s case could still be chalked up to a moment of reckless impulse.

But the next Pokémon to try this route wouldn’t have that excuse.

If they still went through with it, that meant they’d made up their minds.

In that case, Natsume could only give them his blessing.

“Wu~”

With a soft chime toward Natsume, Chi-Yu darted back to its lava bed, eager to resume its nap.

Damn, the outside world’s way too dangerous.

Go out for some air, get mobbed by mushrooms.

Try to escape, get cornered by humans.

Even just chilling quietly here, you’ve still got Pokémon showing up ready to die.

Better to just go back to sleep.

Only sleep made it feel even slightly safe.

Forget everything else.

With a leap, Chi-Yu plunged into the lava and vanished from sight.

Once it was gone, Natsume turned to Ceruledge and Armarouge.

“Alright, you two should head back too.”

“Ceruledge, spend some time getting used to this power. Learn to control it smoothly.”

“If you run into any trouble, go ask Ting-Lu.”

Originally, Natsume had meant to say Chi-Yu—

But after seeing how it was dodging Ceruledge like the plague, he figured that option was probably off the table.

Better to ask Ting-Lu instead.

Even if the source of their powers was different, the general category was close enough.

There might be some overlap.

“If you’re still unsure, you can also bring some Pokéblocks and ask Mew—or maybe even Manaphy.”

“They’ll probably have some useful advice.”

“And Armarouge, I know it’s a hassle, but keep an eye on Ceruledge for the next few days.”

He gestured at Mew, who was now nonchalantly tugging on his hair.

To outsiders, Mew was still an elusive, mythical figure.

But to the farm residents?

The so-called “dignity of a legendary Pokémon”? The pride of a divine beast?

Didn’t exist.

As long as you came bearing “offerings,” Mew would usually help—so long as your request wasn’t over the top.

At this point, Mew’s reputation on the farm had surpassed even Persian, making it the de facto number two around here.

Not that Persian really cared.

Aside from Corviknight constantly using it as joke material, nothing much had changed.

Whatever. I’ll just beat him up later.

Armarouge nodded seriously to show she understood.

Then, pushing Ceruledge’s head down, she bowed deeply to Natsume.

Usually playful and carefree, but in this moment, she radiated the dignity of a proper older sister.

“Gardevoir, take me home.”

“I wonder how Mei’s doing…”

Waving with a smile, Natsume looked to the Gardevoir behind him.

Feeling like she hadn’t been of much help, Gardevoir had stayed silent this whole time—but now she gave a small nod.

She raised her palm, and with a soft glow of psychic energy, she and Natsume vanished.

Not quite—strictly speaking, it enveloped Gardevoir, Natsume, and Mew, who was currently sprawled atop Natsume’s head.

At the moment, Mew had switched positions, lying on its back across Natsume’s head.

The upper half of Natsume’s field of vision was completely obscured by a pink feline forehead.

---

In the Berry Grove, Mei gently set down the last Bounsweet.

“Go on, go play.”

“Chuu!”

The Bounsweet cast a nervous glance at Ralts before scampering off.

That thing was absolutely a demon!

It gulped down the Pokéblock Mei had offered, then bolted without so much as a thank-you.

It was only a matter of time before the tale of the demonic Ralts spread across the entire farm.

And when that happened, Ralts would gain infamy—not as Gardevoir’s little sister, but as a terrifying figure in her own right.

Not fame, but notoriety.

“So, you’re done over here too, huh?”

Seeing Mei already packing up the tools, Natsume hurried over to help.

“Yup. Where did you run off to just now?”

“Me? Oh, I…”

While gathering the tools, Natsume began to explain what had just happened.