The day starts in the morning, but there was no morning training today—they were planning to steal Beedrill's honey.
"Krabby, you stay and watch the place. I'll be back soon with Poliwag and Butterfree," Reiji said, picking up the water bucket and waving back at Krabby.
"Kwah-chik, kwah-chik, don't take too long," Krabby called out, promising to guard the base properly.
Then Reiji, Poliwag, and Butterfree headed to the Beedrill territory.
Same old routine—Butterfree would put the Beedrill to sleep, then once she returned, they'd steal the honey. Pretty safe, all things considered.
"Muuu~ii!"
Half an hour later, Butterfree came back, reporting success. The Beedrill were asleep—it was time to get the honey.
"All right, let's just take a little this time," Reiji muttered. Last time he got greedy and Krabby ambushed him. If they stirred up the hive again, they'd have to abandon the loot and run.
The Beedrill nest wasn't far from the treehouse anyway. A round trip took maybe ten minutes. It was smarter to just bring back enough for two or three meals and return for more when needed.
He'd keep raiding Beedrill's backyard for life if he had to—after all, they were the ones who chased him and injured his leg.
Though this morning, he finally noticed he didn't need the crutch anymore. His foot still ached a bit, but walking was no longer an issue. He might even be able to run by tomorrow or the day after.
That injury had happened back on Day 15. Now it was Day 27—it took about twelve days to recover, but he was finally back on his feet.
After gathering the honey, he asked Butterfree to grab some Charti Berries as well, then headed back to the treehouse.
Before leaving, he also had Butterfree wake the hypnotized Beedrill—might as well have them continue guarding the honey for him.
By the time they returned, Wingull was already waiting at the treehouse. Reiji suspected Wingull had made its home nearby, but he still had no idea where its nest actually was.
"Come on, everyone inside for honey," Reiji called. This time, he didn't make a scene or eat out in the open—he had the team come inside the treehouse.
Even if the floral scent of honey wafted around, the treehouse had no airflow. The smell would stay trapped inside, far less likely to reach Krabby's nose.
It was Wingull's first time eating honey inside the treehouse, but it was willing to risk it. It had already shared so many meals here—what's one more?
Reiji was also testing the waters—if Wingull was willing to enter the treehouse, it meant the trust level between them had reached a good point. He was starting to feel confident about catching it.
The treehouse had a skylight now. It wasn't useful at night, but during the day, it filled the interior with light even with the wooden door shut.
As the four Pokémon held their bowls in their mouths and lined up for honey, Reiji didn't keep them waiting. He opened the bucket and used a metal cup to ladle out four servings, placing them in each bowl.
They'd collected about ten pounds of honey—enough for one breakfast and one post-meal dessert. Then it would be gone.
With one more Pokémon now, the share per Pokémon had shrunk. Reiji realized this immediately—Pokémon might be simple, but humans? Complicated. Like how a four-person dorm room somehow spawns six group chats.
That's exactly why he preferred the company of Pokémon. No office politics, no fake dreams from the boss, no overtime, no hustle culture…
The fishing life was just that pure and unpretentious.
People look at fishermen and think they've given up. No ambition. Hopeless.
But even fishermen have dreams. They dream of lying down comfortably, lighting a cigarette, and reeling in the big one…
Then this poor fisherman got isekai'd, met some pure-hearted Pokémon, and the world clearly didn't want him to stay lying down.
For someone who had already "retired from society," meeting Pokémon like this was the perfect match.
He knew Pokémon were simple-minded. That's why he was willing to pour all his resources into the ones with potential.
If he could raise them right, maybe they'd help him survive this island a little longer. Maybe even bring him real returns. Even if all they did was help him not die—that was enough.
With pure Pokémon, he didn't have to worry about betrayal. No "first sword to the heart" after returning to civilization.
Even in the anime, the villain's Pokémon followed their trainer's moral compass. A trainer who poured in everything—love, care, effort—would form bonds deep enough to trust.
That's what made life with Pokémon so peaceful, especially compared to the exhausting world of human politics. For a burned-out office worker turned fisherman, this was bliss.
He never felt lonely. He had fish. He had Pokémon. This was the life.
Once the team finished their honey and flopped down on the mats to rest, Reiji brought out a Poké Ball and placed it in front of Wingull.
"Wingull, would you like to join us?"
"Wuu-oh?" Wingull blinked at the red-and-white ball. Its mind flashed back to its strange encounters with Reiji.
It all started when it stole some fish and got Reiji mad enough to explode. But Reiji stopped caring, and Wingull ended up teasing Poliwag instead.
That little tadpole had such a short fuse. Wingull loved messing with it—swooping down, spouting trash talk, always winning. Because Poliwag couldn't fly. Couldn't reach.
Their first meeting was also the first time Wingull ever had cooked food. Ever since then, it kept coming back. Reiji always saved it a little something—making sure Poliwag didn't notice.
Wingull would secretly laugh every time, using the secret snacks to rile up Poliwag and send it into a rage.
Then came the honey. Wingull got bolder. Started eating at the table, even though it technically wasn't part of the team.
Reiji still gave it food and honey anyway. Wingull didn't understand why.
At first, it suspected poison. But Reiji always made offers out in the open. If he wanted to catch it, he'd ask, like now.
Its decision now would determine whether it got to keep eating cooked food...and that sweet, sweet honey.
If it accepted and went into the Poké Ball, it could stay—live with Poliwag, Butterfree, and Krabby.
If it refused, it would return to a wandering life, carried by the seasonal winds.
It glanced at Poliwag's indifferent face—hoping that annoying little bird wouldn't really be joining their group.
Then at Butterfree, who looked way too eager—fluttering in circles like, Say yes! Say yes!
Then at Krabby, stoic as always, not a word spoken.
Eventually, Wingull extended a wing and tapped the button on the Poké Ball. A flash of red light pulled it in. A few blinks... and the ball fell silent.
Reiji let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had been prepared for rejection. He would've said no to mooching if Wingull had turned him down.
Boundaries were important. You had to know what to accept, what to reject, and when to walk away.
He wasn't in his hot-blooded phase anymore—no more internet crusades or shouting into the void. If something didn't work, he moved on. Even with Wingull.
There were other Pokémon that could help him escape this island. But looking at Wingull's stats now, he felt this one was a keeper.
Good thing he hadn't forced it. The soft approach was definitely the smart move.
He might act chill, but catching a good one always made him feel like parading down the street with it strapped to his back.
[Wingull]
Type: Water/Flying
Gender: Female
Potential: 57%
Level: 16.57%
Ability: Hydration (6.39%)
Moves Known:
– Gust (7.59%)
– Roost (8.01%)
– Aqua Ring (5.23%)
– Soak (4.14%)
– Growl (11.23%)
– Water Gun (10.49%)
– Quick Attack (8.29%)
– Supersonic (3.54%)
– Wing Attack (4.58%)
57% potential—just as he suspected. This Wingull was special. Not just smart and mouthy—actually promising.
Level 16 was already enough for basic survival and combat. He wondered if it had any other quirks besides trash-talking.
It was on the higher side, which meant it had battle experience. That hurt its trainability a bit—less room to mold its personality from scratch.
But he didn't plan to use it for combat anyway. Its role was set: weather support, backup, and ride service.
And it didn't disappoint. That Hydration ability would evolve into Drizzle later.
He finally had the weather setter Poliwag's ability training needed.
It was a shame Wingull didn't have a Hidden Ability, but that was a minor thing. The most important factors were Drizzle and its ability to carry him off the island.
From now on, Wingull would serve a support role. Not that it couldn't battle.
With three Flying-type moves and three Water-type moves, it clearly had talent worth developing.
If trained well, its potential might break 60 post-evolution. That would make it another member of his Elite Four–level team.
Three Pokémon at Elite Four potential—not bad at all. Not exactly top-tier species, but still… a real Elite Four team.
They were all excellent picks. Except… Poliwag.
Butterfree inherited Confusion. Solid talent. Great in Flying and Bug-types. Reiji had just focused on the psychic side first.
Krabby had that mutated claw and inherited Hammer Arm. Huge power potential. He nearly cut the claw off once—thank goodness he didn't. It might be tied to Hyper Cutter.
Losing that unique claw would've been tragic. Getting another mutation like that was pure luck—he wouldn't get that chance again.
And then… there was Poliwag. Mediocre potential. Mediocre talent.
It did have a Hidden Ability, which was a pleasant surprise. It could cleanse status conditions—not bad.
Its Ice Ball showed some Ice-type affinity—maybe one day it could learn Ice Punch. That'd be useful.
But what was Mind Reader even for? This wasn't a video game—he didn't need to "lock on" to increase accuracy.
In real life, either you hit or you didn't. If you were already nose-to-nose with the target and still missed, it just meant they were faster.
He still hadn't found a use for the move. It never triggered while training either. Maybe it only mattered once Poliwag hit its Water Gun limit.
Maybe the move existed for that kind of breakthrough.
Or maybe… Poliwag didn't even know it had the move. Maybe it needed a push from him.
It was a weird one. Not like the straightforward blast of Water Gun. The move description on the proficiency panel read: Feel your opponent's movements with your heart.
What does that even mean?
"With your heart"? What, like literally? Are we talking brain or heart here?
Makes sense in a game. In real life? Total nonsense.
Poliwag's training had hit a wall—accuracy was high for three straight Water Guns, but the fourth always came out just a hair too slow. Maybe now was the time to try Mind Reader.
If it could track moving balls, it could track moving enemies.
Poliwag didn't have the raw stats the others did. But if he could dig deeper, maybe he'd find its true strength.
Whump.
After catching Wingull and reviewing its stats, Reiji let it out again.
He was happy with the result. 57% potential wasn't 60, but it was close.
He was starting to notice a trend: unevolved Pokémon rarely passed 60 potential. When they did, they were probably legendary.
Maybe someday he'd get to test a legendary baby and find out how high that number could go.
But for now—morning training.
"Poliwag, Butterfree, Krabby—Wingull's a teammate now. Everyone say hi."
"Yo-yo," Poliwag said. It still didn't like that annoying trash-talker, but seeing Reiji's happy face, it gave a half-hearted welcome.
"Kwah-chik," Krabby chimed in. It mostly followed Poliwag's lead, but it still gave Wingull a nod.
"Muuu~ii," Butterfree grabbed Wingull and spun her around outside, making joyful loops in the air.
"Wuu-oh?" Wingull was flustered by the excitement. Her wings were built for gliding and horizontal flight—vertical lifts weren't really her thing.
"All right, Butterfree, back to training. Poliwag, Krabby—same goes for you," Reiji said, catching Wingull mid-fall and letting her perch on his hand.
"As for you… no training for now. Let me figure something out first."
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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