Pokemon: A Fisherman's Tale

After a hearty meal, Ryan drank some hot water and finally started to regain some strength. His weakness wasn't just due to the cold and fever but also hunger. Ever since the rainstorm, he hadn't eaten much, only nibbling on some seaweed, leaving him with an empty stomach. It was honestly a miracle he had survived this long.

As the protein from his meal slowly digested, he began to feel the energy returning to his body, and the itching in his throat eased. After lunch, though, another problem loomed—dinner.

Ryan, however, had a plan that could both help train his Pokémon's moves and catch some food. "Alright, the plan's on you, Poliwag..."

"Poli? Poliwag?" Poliwag tilted its head in confusion, unsure why Ryan was so pleased, but its trainer's happiness was contagious.

"After some rest, we'll go and find a Caterpie for tonight's dinner," Ryan explained to the confused Poliwag.

"Poli! Poli!" Poliwag perked up immediately at the mention of food, hopping excitedly around. The roast meat earlier had been the best meal it had eaten in a long time.

"Hold on, let's wait until it cools down. The sun's way too hot right now." Ryan held out his hand to calm the excited Poliwag. There was plenty of time left in the afternoon, and catching another Caterpie wouldn't take long. Caterpie were common, so there was no need to rush.

"Poli..." Poliwag looked disappointed and slumped down. Glancing up at the scorching sun, though, it quickly realized that going out now would probably turn it into a dried Poliwag.

As they waited for the sun to set, Ryan checked Poliwag's proficiency panel again:

PoliwagType: Water

Gender: Male

Potential: 31%

Level: 7.31%

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

Move Proficiency: Hearts eye (0.21%), Refresh(0.42%), Refresh(0.34%), Hypnosis (0.52%), Bubble (1.31%), Water Gun (4.12%), Double Slap (2.84%), Pound (0.61%)

Ryan noticed that the experience points had increased since the morning, and Poliwag's proficiency with Double Slap was steadily improving, thanks to the practice earlier. His plan for tonight was simple: use Hypnosis to knock out a Caterpie and catch it without much fuss.

"Poliwag, can you use Hypnosis?" Ryan asked, looking down at his Pokémon.

"Poli?" Poliwag didn't quite understand at first, but when Ryan pointed to the black swirl on its belly, it quickly caught on. Poliwag's hypnosis worked through the swirl, but its effectiveness could be nullified if the target simply closed its eyes.

Besides using its belly swirl, Poliwag could also hypnotize opponents by releasing hypnotic waves from its eyes—a technique many non-Psychic-type Pokémon, such as Gastly, Meowth, Vulpix, and Noctowl, could use.

Understanding the plan, Poliwag eagerly prepared to try Hypnosis on Ryan himself.

"No, no, not me! I don't want to be knocked out by accident." Ryan waved his hands to stop Poliwag from hypnotizing him.

"Poli..." Poliwag looked dejected.

"Don't worry, Poliwag. We'll find someone else to practice on soon!" Ryan reassured Poliwag as they set off to find their target. After resting, they walked along the edge of the jungle in search of a Caterpie.

Due to the heavy rains over the past few days, it was likely that many of the wild Pokémon were hiding. The last Caterpie Poliwag had caught was purely by accident.

As they explored the jungle's perimeter for several minutes, Ryan noticed some Weedle but didn't dare touch them. They were poisonous, and he didn't want to risk getting stung without an antidote on hand. The mere thought of being injected with a venomous sting as thick as his arm sent chills down his spine.

After a while, they arrived back at the beach where Poliwag had been washed ashore. It was here that they finally spotted a Caterpie hiding in a tree hole, preparing to evolve.

"Poliwag, use your Water Gun to irritate it, then follow up with Hypnosis," Ryan instructed. This would be a perfect test for their strategy.

"Poli!" Poliwag confidently fired off a Water Gun, but it missed, hitting the tree trunk below instead.

Ryan stifled a laugh. "It's okay, try again."

Poliwag's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but determined to prove itself, it fired off multiple Water Guns. This time, two of the shots hit the Caterpie, waking it up and making it furious.

"Poliwag, use Hypnosis!" Ryan commanded as the Caterpie emerged angrily from its hole.

"Poli!" Poliwag unleashed its hypnotic powers, and as Caterpie's gaze locked onto the swirl on Poliwag's belly, its eyelids drooped. In a matter of seconds, the Caterpie was fast asleep.

Ryan wasted no time and tossed a Poké Ball, capturing the Caterpie in one swift motion.

"Tadpole, knock down the ball with your Water Gun," Ryan said, as the Poké Ball had stopped inside the tree hole.

Poliwag shot several Water Guns, finally knocking the ball free, which rolled down the beach toward the sea. Before it could go too far, Ryan stepped on it, bending down to pick it up. He quickly scanned the newly captured Caterpie's stats:

Caterpie

Type: Bug

Gender: Male

Potential: 29%

Level: 6.89%

Abilities: Shield Dust (2.39%), Run Away (4.51% - Hidden Ability)

Move Proficiency: Tackle (1.11%), String Shot (3.55%)

This Caterpie was close to evolving, and its potential and level were much higher than the previous one. But Ryan had no intention of keeping it. With his proficiency panel, he could focus on catching higher-potential Pokémon.

One Poliwag was enough for now—he didn't need to collect a bunch of average Pokémon.

"Let's go, Poliwag," Ryan said, turning back toward their shelter.

"Poli! Poli!" Poliwag eagerly followed, hopping along happily, excited for another meal. Tonight, they would feast on Caterpie protein, a step up from the previous diet of grass and seaweed.

With food secured, Ryan decided that Poliwag's training would continue later, focusing on improving the Water Gun's accuracy.

"After dinner, we'll train again," Ryan told Poliwag.

"Poli! Poli!" Poliwag nodded eagerly, ready to train at any time.

As they made their way back, Ryan noticed something moving in the tall grass near the jungle's edge. Quietly, he crouched down and peered through the blades, spotting yet another Caterpie munching on some grass.

"Poliwag, go and use Double Slap. Don't stop until it faints," Ryan whispered.

Poliwag sprang into action, landing four consecutive slaps on the Caterpie, knocking it out cold.

With another successful capture, Ryan sighed in satisfaction. "Great job, Poliwag."