Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

"Swellow, can you still keep going?"

Looking at his bruised and battered Swellow, Rex asked with concern.

"Swellow!"

Swellow barely let out a cry in response, then turned its full attention back to Garchomp.

That violent clash just now had injured even Garchomp to some extent, though it was clear that Garchomp was still in far better shape than Swellow.

Fortunately, injuries were nothing new for Swellow. Back in its early days, it often trained itself to the brink of collapse in order to grow stronger, and each time, Rex healed it using life energy.

So now, the pain coursing through its body only sharpened its senses, returning it to the intense, desperate drive it had back when it was still just a stubborn little Taillow.

Back then, it trained hard to better protect its trainer. But after gaining real strength, Swellow had eased up.

Only when facing an overwhelming foe like Garchomp did Swellow truly feel the gap in its power—it was a painful reminder that it still had far to go. And it made a vow to train even harder in the future—at the very least, it had to catch up to this Garchomp.

Seeing that Swellow could still stand and fight even after their head-on collision, Garchomp was surprised. Even it had taken some damage in that exchange.

At this point, Garchomp had come to acknowledge Swellow's strength. It decided it was time to take things seriously and use its full power to win.

Garchomp's demeanor shifted—its presence suddenly sharpened, as if it had fully awakened from a slumber.

"Swellow, use Work Up!"

Seizing the moment before Garchomp could attack, Rex issued his command.

Since Swellow couldn't match Garchomp in raw power, boosting its stats with support moves was the best option.

"Garchomp, Dragon Pulse!"

Seeing Swellow power up, Cynthia immediately gave her own command.

A fearsome dragon-shaped energy burst formed in front of Garchomp, baring its fangs as it roared toward Swellow.

"Swellow, Protect!"

Swellow continued to channel its Work Up, and by the time it finished, it was already too late to dodge the incoming Dragon Pulse. Rex could only hope that Protect would go up in time.

If the move failed, the Dragon Pulse would likely deal a critical blow, ending the battle right then and there.

Thankfully, Swellow didn't let him down. Just before the Dragon Pulse struck, a barrier of green light flared up and blocked the attack completely.

Seeing that Swellow had survived the danger, Rex let out a sigh of relief. As long as Swellow could keep fighting, he wouldn't give up.

"Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!"

When Dragon Pulse failed, Cynthia gave her next command without hesitation.

Garchomp gathered a terrifying amount of energy in its mouth, then launched it high into the sky. The energy orb exploded at the peak, shattering into countless meteor-like blasts raining down from above.

Rex noticed something: these meteor blasts weren't falling randomly. Most of them were clearly targeting Swellow's position, as if guided.

At this moment, Swellow was like a tightrope walker balancing over a pit of blades, weaving between the raining projectiles. Its speed surged to the limit, leaving behind countless afterimages in the sky.

Watching this, Yuli and the others were gasping in awe. Every time they thought Swellow had been hit, they cried out—only to realize it was just another afterimage.

"Rex, your Swellow has really surprised me. In return for this surprise, I'll give it my all."

Cynthia watched Swellow dodging gracefully through the storm of Draco Meteor attacks, her competitive spirit now fully ignited.

"Garchomp, Mega Evolve!"

She gently touched the Keystone on her wrist. Light shot from the stone, connecting with the light from Garchomp's Mega Stone on its neck. A flash of white enveloped Garchomp's body.

When the light faded, a transformed Mega Garchomp appeared before everyone's eyes.

Its frame had grown larger, while its head and shoulders had become more streamlined. The yellow on its lower abdomen extended upward in a triangular protrusion. Five pairs of white bone spikes now lined its sides, with red spikes jutting from its knees. Overwhelming energy had melted its arms and wings into massive scythe-like blades.

This was the first time Rex had seen a Pokémon undergo Mega Evolution up close since arriving in this world. The power radiating from the Mega Garchomp was overwhelming—so much so that even the usually relaxed Celebi and the others now watched with intense focus.

"Mega Garchomp, use your final Draco Dive!"

With Mega Evolution complete, Cynthia gave her final command.

"Swellow, we won't back down either! Brave Bird—full power!"

Being able to witness Garchomp's Mega Evolution was worth the fight already, Rex thought. So he didn't have Swellow dodge—instead, he chose a direct clash. Only that could make Swellow feel the gap between itself and a Mega Evolved opponent.

Swellow didn't hesitate. It poured out every last bit of its energy, gathering an even larger aura of flying-type power than before and charged head-on toward Mega Garchomp.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out, far louder than their last collision. A charred figure was seen falling from the sky—Rex recognized it immediately. It was Swellow. Its body was scorched all over; clearly, it had taken a devastating blow.

"Celebi, I'm counting on you!"

Rex turned to Celebi with urgency in his voice.

Celebi nodded and narrowed its eyes, releasing psychic energy to gently catch the falling Swellow and float it back to Rex's side.

By now, the dust in the sky had cleared, revealing Mega Garchomp, completely unscathed and hovering in the air. It was obvious that Swellow had been thoroughly defeated in that clash.

"Shaymin, could you help heal Swellow?"

Swellow was in critical condition, but with Cynthia present, Rex didn't want to use his own powers. So he turned to Shaymin for help.

As a Grass-type mythical Pokémon, Shaymin's healing abilities were among the best. As long as Swellow was still alive, Shaymin could bring it back quickly.

"Shay!"

Shaymin stepped up to Swellow, let out a soft cry, and released a surge of life energy into Swellow's body. In moments, Swellow's injuries began healing at a rapid pace.

(End of chapter)