Pokemon: A Fisherman's Tale

Even the calming sound of the waves seemed to grate on his nerves, though the noise had initially gone unnoticed when he was still struggling for food and water. As someone from an inland city, Ryan had never been fond of the ocean, and now the rhythmic crashing of the waves had become another source of irritation, robbing him of any decent rest.

But his stomach was louder than the ocean. It growled again, and as if on cue, Poliwag's stomach joined in. "Gurgle, gurgle..." They both heard the sounds and burst into laughter, each understanding the other's hunger.

"Alright, Poliwag, it's time we get something to eat. Let's head to the shore!" Ryan said, leading the way, his plastic bucket in hand. The tide was low now, revealing rocky shoals dotted with shells, conches, and patches of kelp. None of these were Pokémon, just ordinary sea creatures, but they would make for a tasty dinner.

Poliwag tilted its head, curious but still following Ryan. It watched as he deftly picked shells off the rocks, not fully understanding what Ryan was doing but eager to help in its own way. When it saw Ryan picking shells with his hands, it tried to help by biting down on a nearby one. Before Poliwag could bring it back, Ryan scooped the Pokémon up in his arms.

"Hey, careful!" Ryan scolded gently. "These shells are sharp. You'll hurt yourself. How about you pick up some kelp instead?"

He put Poliwag down, placing a piece of kelp near its mouth. "This is kelp. You grab these, okay?" Ryan demonstrated, putting the kelp into the bucket. Poliwag blinked its big, bright eyes and nodded, though Ryan wasn't sure if it really understood.

"Do you get it?" Ryan asked again, and Poliwag gave a cheerful "Yo, yo!" in response. It picked up a piece of kelp in its mouth and carefully placed it in the bucket. Ryan smiled. "Good job, Poliwag!"

Relieved that the Pokémon understood, Ryan returned to gathering shells, focusing on his task. Meanwhile, Poliwag was enjoying its new task a little too much. After placing the second piece of kelp into the bucket, it bit down on another piece and chewed it thoughtfully.

Poliwag's eyes lit up. "This kelp... it's delicious!" it seemed to realize. It chewed happily, munching on the tender kelp, and soon the task of gathering food turned into an impromptu feast. The Poliwag trotted around, grabbing kelp and eating it straight from the beach, its cheeks bulging with green seaweed.

Ryan caught sight of Poliwag's little feast and couldn't help but laugh. "No wonder you're always so hungry," he said. It was clear now that Poliwag must have left its group shortly after hatching and hadn't yet learned to properly distinguish between food and non-food. Without parental guidance, the best it could do was bite everything it saw and hope something tasted good.

Fortunately for Poliwag, it had found plenty of kelp, and for once, it wasn't going to go hungry.

Ryan gathered up his shells and kelp, his mind already on the meal they would make later. Poliwag, oblivious to the effort, was just happy to have a full belly.

Ryan's ability to distinguish food wasn't the best, but his nine years of survival training in his past life hadn't gone to waste.

Even though this was a different world, the principles were the same. When you're unsure if something is edible, check to see if other animals are eating it.

Seaweed, conches, and shells were not only crushed by the claws of the giant crab but also swallowed whole by the Wingull.

Neither of these Pokémon had Poison-types. If they ate something toxic, they'd definitely get poisoned. Since both the giant crabs and the Wingull ate conches and shells and weren't harmed, it was safe to assume they were fine for him to eat as well.

If he could share the conches with his Poliwag, he figured he'd be safe too.

After gathering a large bucket of conches, shells, and seaweed, Ryan invited Poliwag to head back to their shelter together. But Poliwag was too full to move, having eaten its fill for the first time in days.

With no choice, Ryan put Poliwag in a plastic bucket and, along with the conches and shells, carried everything back to the shelter slowly. He hadn't realized how heavy Poliwag was until now—it was completely stuffed and almost too heavy for him to lift.

As they left, the tide came back in. Staying in the shallows for too long could be dangerous, as they might get swept away by the waves.