Rhydon is an omnivorous Pokémon. From berries and plants to hefty cuts of meat and large fish—it eats it all. When it's starving, it won't even pass up rocks. With its powerful digestive system, a Rhydon can break down almost anything.
A few leftover beef bones on the beach were quickly sniffed out and devoured by the hulking brute. Its sense of smell was surprisingly sharp. After crunching through several bones—barely enough to wedge between its teeth—Rhydon only felt hungrier.
It had come out in search of food to begin with. It hadn't expected to find something this delicious on the shore.
Of course it was delicious. The bones Kael had used for broth were premium Wagyu femurs.
These domesticated Wagyu cattle were said to share a common ancestor with Tauros, though the two had taken very different evolutionary paths. One became prime livestock raised by humans for beef; the other evolved into a powerful Pokémon.
In the wild, ordinary animals have little chance competing against Pokémon and their overwhelming abilities. As a result, meat has always been expensive in human society. There are only a handful of animal species that humans can breed on a large scale.
The ordinary species that still manage to survive in the wild rely almost entirely on astonishing reproductive rates. Those without strength—and without the ability to reproduce quickly—have long since gone extinct. Nature's law of survival of the fittest has always been this cruel.
...
When Kael simmered the beef bone broth, he added premium berries like Rawst and Lansat, along with rare cordyceps and his own ground spice blend. The aroma was nothing short of mouthwatering.
Rhydon was thoroughly frustrated. Its empty stomach drove it to keep searching for more food. It lumbered beneath the coconut tree where Kael had rested earlier. Wrapping its massive arms—thick as stone pillars—around the trunk, it gave the tree several violent shakes. The ten-meter-tall coconut tree swayed back and forth as if caught in a hurricane.
Moments later—thud, thud, thud—more than a dozen coconuts, each the size of an adult's head, dropped straight down from the canopy and slammed onto Rhydon's head. Falling from that height, they would have knocked a person unconscious or cracked a skull. But against Rhydon's armored hide, they might as well have been leaves drifting down—no damage whatsoever.
Grabbing a coconut in each hand, it didn't even bother peeling them. Husk, shell, juice, and flesh—it stuffed everything straight into its maw. Watching from hiding, Kael felt his teeth ache in sympathy.
The dozen coconuts didn't last even two minutes against Rhydon's monstrous appetite. It patted the dark gray plates of armor over its belly and still felt hungry. It had slept in its cave for a full week; waking up now, it was ravenous.
Staring at the endless ocean ahead, a flicker of hesitation passed through its molten-gold eyes. It despised seawater. But to find enough food, it would have to overcome its instinctive discomfort and fear.
Taking heavy strides, the massive Rhydon began walking toward the shoreline. Only in the sea could it find enough prey to truly fill its stomach.
Kael climbed down from the tree and quietly followed behind it. He wanted to see what the brute intended to do—and gauge the situation. From what he could tell, he might be stuck living on this deserted island for a while, waiting for rescue or figuring out his own way out. Having such a "dangerous" neighbor nearby made him uneasy.
He held Lulu tightly in his arms. If Rhydon discovered him—or made any threatening move—he would have Lulu use Teleport immediately. The giant's physical strength might be earth-shaking, but a body that large inevitably sacrificed agility and speed.
If he couldn't win, he could still run.
Rhydon stepped into the water. Suppressing the discomfort rising from deep within, it pushed forward. It had tried this before, yet the unease never fully faded.
Step by step—under Kael's stunned gaze—the enormous Rhydon waded farther into the sea. Eventually, only its head remained above the surface.
At first, Kael thought the thing had lost its mind. Was it trying to drown itself?
If he remembered correctly, Rhydon was a dual Ground- and Rock-type Pokémon—creatures that disliked water even more than Fire-types. Both its typings were completely countered by Water. And yet this Pokémon dared to walk straight into the ocean?
The world truly held all kinds of wonders. Kael could only marvel. A supersized Rhydon was impressive enough—but this lunatic was actually overcoming type disadvantage and going for a swim.
Normally, a Rhydon's tail measures about two-thirds of its height. This giant specimen was simply larger in scale; its proportions remained normal. By Kael's estimate, its tail was roughly two and a half meters long—about two-thirds of its height.
The thick tail, as broad as the base of a massive tree trunk, rose high. A silver metallic sheen appeared at its tip.
It was using Iron Tail.
...
Again and again, the steel-hardened tail lashed against the ocean's surface, producing thunderous booms. Water exploded upward in sprays and columns. In that moment, the colossal Rhydon proved that its massive size wasn't just good for eating—it came with terrifying strength.
After about five straight minutes of violent whipping, it finally stopped.
Through his binoculars, Kael spotted something: the water around Rhydon was now littered with floating fish and shrimp. There were no Water-type Pokémon among them. Intelligent enough, they had fled the moment the giant entered the sea. Only ordinary marine life—creatures without such awareness—had failed to escape the arrival of a titan.
Looking at the easy bounty within reach, Rhydon narrowed its bell-sized eyes in satisfaction. It casually grabbed a sea fish—uglier even than a Feebas—and shoved it into its mouth.
The fish was large, nearly ninety centimeters long. But for Rhydon, that meant three bites: one for the head, one for the body, one for the tail.
Kael recognized the species. Its scientific name was Bigeye Scad. It might not be pretty, but its flesh was tender and flavorful. Coastal fishermen prized it highly.
The fish swam slowly, boneless and thick with meat. When danger approached, its reactions were sluggish. As a result, it was one of the favorite prey species of many large wild Water-type Pokémon.