Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

After bidding farewell to Professor Birch, Rex and his group of four mounted their flying Pokémon and set off toward Meteor Falls.

Soaring through the sky, the four flying Pokémon kept a slight distance between them before aligning side by side. Their flight speeds gradually increased as if in a subtle competition, none of them willing to fall behind.

The trainers didn't intervene. While flight speed alone doesn't determine everything, strength often emerges from such comparisons.

In this small group, there was no designated leader. All of them were confident in their abilities, making it hard for anyone to fully submit to another.

Rex was confident that his Swellow wouldn't lose to the others, even to a Salamence, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

Previously, Swellow had struggled against Salamence and Noivern because it hadn't fled immediately. When it eventually tried to, they had already caught up, attacking relentlessly and preventing Swellow from flying at full strength.

As time passed, Mai's Altaria began falling behind the other three.

Rex could see that Mai's Altaria relied heavily on brute force for flight, unlike Winona's Altaria, which excelled in flying technique.

Of course, as a Flying-type Gym Leader, few could surpass Winona's skill. Rex's Swellow had reached its current speed thanks to her guidance.

Seeing Mai gradually lagging behind, Rex signaled his Swellow to slow down until it matched Altaria's pace.

"Rex, don't worry about me. I'll catch up soon," Mai said with some frustration.

She had been confident in her abilities, but the strength of her companions surprised her, putting her at a disadvantage from the start.

"It's fine. Let the other two fly ahead for a bit. You can have your Altaria observe how Swellow interacts with the surrounding air currents. You might learn something," Rex suggested with a smile.

His advice mirrored what Winona had once done for him. If Mai and Altaria couldn't grasp the secret now, he wouldn't push it further.

Mai, initially stunned by Rex's advice, quickly refocused. She instructed Altaria to pay attention to Swellow's flight patterns.

Altaria, though not Mai's first Pokémon, had been with her for a long time. Even if it didn't fully understand the purpose, it tried its best to sense the air currents around Swellow.

At first, Altaria didn't notice anything unusual, but over time, it realized that Swellow flew effortlessly, as if supported by a layer of air, conserving energy.

This discovery shocked Altaria, prompting it to imitate Swellow's flight technique. Though clumsy at first, Altaria gradually felt lighter, and its speed began to increase.

"Mai, your Altaria has great intuition. It's catching on quickly," Rex praised.

"Altaria is doing its best, but I owe you thanks for your guidance, Rex," Mai replied, amazed at how Altaria's flight improved just by observing Swellow.

"Well, Mai, I'm off. Can't let Beach and John get too far ahead!" Rex said.

"Go ahead. I'll catch up soon," Mai reassured him.

After exchanging words, Rex signaled Swellow to pick up speed. Swellow, reinvigorated, used its Tailwind ability, instantly doubling its speed and shooting off into the distance.

Mai was left speechless. She had expected Swellow to gain only a slight speed boost, but it had nearly doubled!

"Altaria, we need to work harder. We can't fall too far behind," Mai said, patting Altaria's back.

Altaria, hearing its trainer, focused even more on controlling the air currents, steadily increasing its speed, aiming to catch up and make its trainer proud.

Meanwhile, Rex closed the gap quickly. Though some time had been lost, they hadn't fallen too far behind. After about 10 minutes, Rex spotted the others.

Salamence was in the lead, with Charizard following closely behind. Seeing this, Rex didn't rush. He had Swellow maintain a steady pace, gradually approaching them.

"John, I'm passing you!" Rex waved as he flew past Charizard and John.

"Darn it! You may lead for now, but my Charizard will surpass you soon!" John, surprised that Rex had caught up, responded in frustration.

After overtaking Charizard, Swellow closed in on Salamence. Beach and Salamence noticed Rex approaching from behind.

In an attempt to shake them off, Salamence flapped its wings vigorously, increasing speed and disappearing into the distance.

However, before Beach and Salamence could relax, Swellow had already closed the gap to less than ten meters.

Seeing this, Beach signaled Salamence to stop accelerating.

They still had a long way to go before reaching Meteor Falls. If Salamence kept pushing, it might exhaust itself before they arrived.

Rex, seeing that Beach had slowed down, had Swellow fly alongside them without overtaking. There was no need to push further; Beach already knew his Salamence couldn't match Swellow's speed.

"Rex, your Swellow is incredibly fast. I concede," Beach admitted, satisfied.

With the outcome settled, Rex and Beach slowed their pace, deciding to wait for the others to catch up.

Shortly after, John's Charizard caught up, and seeing that the race was over, he relaxed.

About ten minutes later, Mai and Altaria appeared in the distance.

Mai's focus had shifted from the race to studying air currents with Altaria. She could sense that mastering this technique was crucial for Altaria's development.

When Mai rejoined the group, she positioned Altaria behind Swellow, clearly intent on continuing their observation.

Beach and John, confused by Mai's behavior, exchanged puzzled glances.

In this slightly strange atmosphere, the group finally arrived at the mountains where Meteor Falls was located.

(End of Chapter)