Pokemon: A Fisherman's Tale

The morning sun wasn't too strong, which was perfect for Ryan to sit by the shore and watch Poliwag train, as if he were accompanying them in their exercise.

"Poli, poli," Poliwag had just entered the sea when it noticed Ryan standing on the shore. It wanted to swim back to him, but he gestured for it to stay in the water.

Ryan punched the tree branch next to him and shouted, "Don't worry about me! Just keep training. I'll sit here on this rock and enjoy the sunshine for a bit..."

"Poli!" Poliwag nodded, seemingly understanding his words.

Ryan chuckled, covering his mouth as he coughed lightly. He noticed that Poliwag was getting better at nodding, a habit it had picked up from him. But whether it truly understood or was just copying his gestures, he couldn't be sure.

Sploosh—

The Poliwags began using Water Gun attacks in the shallows.

Ryan closely monitored Poliwag's proficiency. At first, every Water Gun increased its proficiency by 0.1%. But as its proficiency reached 3%, Poliwag needed to use the move twice, sometimes even three times, just to increase proficiency by 0.1%.

As proficiency rose, it became harder to improve—typical of the "practice makes perfect" principle.

In Ryan's mind, this was all part of the process. Mastery of any skill came through repeated practice. There were no shortcuts. As a fisherman himself, Ryan knew that patience was key. A good fisherman could sit for hours, sometimes days, waiting for the perfect catch.

Sploosh—

Watching Poliwag's play in the water gave Ryan an idea to make the training a bit more challenging. After tossing a few stones into the sea to catch their attention, he said, "Poliwags, use your Water Gun to hit these stones!"

Sploosh, sploosh—

"Do you understand? Hit the stones I'm throwing..." Ryan continued explaining as he tossed stones towards Poliwag's, encouraging them to practice their aim.

This was a win-win situation—training Poliwags' Water Gun accuracy, improving his own rehabilitation by throwing, and boosting his stone-throwing proficiency.

"Poli, poli," Poliwag nodded again, focusing intently on the stones in Ryan's hand.

Sploosh—

The pebble fell into the water, but Poliwag's Water Gun missed its mark.

"Don't worry, we'll get there," Ryan reassured Poliwag, throwing another pebble.

Sploosh, sploosh...

Of the ten stones he threw, Poliwag hit only one.

"Great! You hit one! Let's keep improving!" Ryan encouraged.

With every bit of praise, Poliwag became more motivated, eagerly wanting to hit the stones with its Water Gun.

Sploosh, sploosh, sploosh—

Ryan threw another set of ten stones. This time, Poliwag managed to hit two.

"Nice, you've hit two now! Keep it up!" Ryan's encouragement spurred Poliwag on, and soon its accuracy began improving. It started hitting five stones, then six, seven, and even eight as the training continued.

When the morning training session ended, Ryan stood and called out, "Alright, Poliwag, that's enough for now. Time to rest."

"Poli, poli," Poliwag panted as it swam back to the shore, following Ryan to the makeshift camp he had set up under the shade of the trees.

"You must be exhausted. There's still some kelp left from earlier, you should eat to regain your strength," Ryan said, placing some kelp into Poliwag's leaf bowl.

"Poli!" Poliwag, noticing that Ryan didn't have anything to eat, picked up a piece of kelp in its mouth and offered it to him.

Ryan smiled and accepted it. Refusing would likely hurt Poliwag's feelings.

The afternoon passed without any more training. Without proper food to replenish energy, overtraining could lead to exhaustion, and worse, it might harm the Poliwag's potential—a risk Ryan wasn't willing to take.

After a productive morning of focused training, Poliwag's Water Gun proficiency had reached 4%.

[Poliwag]Type: Water

Gender: Male

Potential: 31%

Level: 7.11%

Abilities: Damp (0.53%), Hidden Ability: Swift Swim (1.53%)

Move Proficiency: Heart's Eye (0.21%), Pound (0.31%), Bubble (1.31%), Hypnosis (0.52%), Water Gun (4.12%)

Poliwag's proficiency and accuracy had significantly improved, making great strides toward mastering its Water Gun move.

As noon approached and the sun grew hotter, Ryan finished his meal, drank some hot water, and prepared for a nap. Meanwhile, the Poliwag, still not full, ventured out to forage on its own near the reefs.

Ryan wasn't too worried. The only Pokémon that posed a threat were the occasional Krabby, and Poliwag could always hide underwater if necessary.

He drifted off to sleep, but some time later, he was roused by the sound of Poliwag's slapping attacks.

Bang, bang, bang—

"What's happening now? Is Poliwag in trouble?" Ryan wondered, struggling to his feet.

Following the sound, he found himself approaching a fallen tree, where the noise was coming from within its branches.

"Poliwag, are you in there?" Ryan called out cautiously.

"Poli, poli!" Poliwag's voice grew louder in response, as if urging Ryan to come closer.

Pushing aside the branches, Ryan finally saw the familiar blue shape of Poliwag—and something else.

"Wait, is that... Rayquaza? No, it's just a Caterpie," Ryan chuckled at his overactive imagination.

Caterpie, a small green caterpillar Pokémon, wasn't much of a threat. But it sure did stink. The smell coming from the Caterpie was unbearable, like a latrine baking in the sun. Ryan quickly grabbed a Poké Ball and caught the unconscious Caterpie.

"Let's get out of here, Poliwag. It's way too smelly," Ryan said as he motioned for Poliwag to follow.

Back at the camp, Ryan sat in the shade, took out the Poké Ball containing the newly caught Caterpie, and checked its proficiency.

[Caterpie]

Type: Bug

Gender: Female

Potential: 23%

Level: 3.14%

Ability: Shield Dust (1.31%), Hidden Ability: Run Away (2.53%)

Move Proficiency: Tackle (0.51%), String Shot (1.25%)

It was clear that Caterpie wasn't worth much investment. Pokémon like Poliwag had far more potential, especially considering the multiple stages of evolution that species like it could go through. Even if he helped this Caterpie evolve into Butterfree, it wouldn't be as useful in the long run.

Survival on this deserted island was his top priority. He had no choice but to use every resource at his disposal—including food. And in this case, that meant Caterpie.

With a heavy heart, Ryan took out his folding knife and ended the Caterpie's life swiftly, before preparing it for a meal.

After roasting it over the fire, the Caterpie's shell began to crack, releasing a meaty aroma. Poliwag watched in anticipation as Ryan cracked open the roasted insect, revealing the tender protein inside.

"You caught this one, Poliwag. You get the first bite," Ryan said, offering the larger portion to his Pokémon.

"Poli," Poliwag looked uncertain at first, but after Ryan opened the shell for it, the Poliwag eagerly dug into the meal.

As Ryan chewed his portion, he thought about how much protein the Caterpie offered. It wasn't the most appetizing meal, but in times like these, it was all about survival.

And so, another day passed on the island.