Pokemon: A Fisherman's Tale

Returning to the same fishing spot as yesterday, Ryan found no earthworms. Last night's fish guts had already been consumed by the Krabby on the beach. As a result, he could only improvise, tying some grass to the hook and hoping for the best. He swore he'd have a crab feast soon—those Krabby were starting to annoy him.

Krabby were considered the tyrants of this beach, strutting around like they owned the place. No Pokémon dared to challenge them, especially the leader of the pack, a particularly large and imposing Krabby that guarded a nearby fruit tree.

According to official stats, a Krabby could grow to be about 1.3 meters tall and weigh around 60 kilograms, with claws capable of delivering immense power. The leader certainly looked the part, standing even taller than expected.

With no proper bait, Ryan had to make do with his grass-tied hook, casting it into the sea and hoping for a miracle. Whether or not the fish liked vegetarian food was anyone's guess.

Time passed slowly as he waited. Poliwag sat patiently by his side, not wandering off. Both Ryan and Poliwag were clearly running on empty, conserving their energy for lack of food. Training Poliwag was out of the question for now. The priority was survival—first, they needed to eat.

Ryan wasn't even thinking about building a shelter until they solved the food crisis. Starving to death rendered shelter-building pointless. Though he'd collected enough materials for a makeshift shelter, it was just a pile of rags, inadequate for real protection against the elements. It might shield him from the sun, but certainly not from rain or wind.

By noon, the scorching heat became unbearable. Prolonged exposure could lead to dehydration or even heatstroke. Reluctantly, Ryan stopped fishing and placed the rod as a trap on the beach, hoping to check on it later.

With no other options, Ryan and Poliwag sought refuge under the shade of a tree. Poliwag, weakened from the sun and lack of food, looked even more sluggish. Ryan picked up the tired Poliwag, settling them both in the shade.

"The sun's too harsh right now. We'll try again later," Ryan said, unsure if Poliwag fully understood.

As Poliwag rested, Ryan kept busy, mending the rags he'd collected, using nails to poke small holes and threading rope through them to stitch the pieces together. It was a crude roof, but better than nothing.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Ryan returned to check his fishing pole, only to find yet another disappointment. The grass he'd tied as bait was gone. Whether it had been eaten or simply swept away by the current, he couldn't tell.

Undeterred, he tied another bundle of grass to the hook and cast the line again. Hunger gnawed at him, and he knew they couldn't keep going like this. If they didn't catch something soon, surviving on this deserted island would become impossible.

"Poli?" Poliwag asked, its big eyes questioning whether Ryan had caught anything.

Ryan shook his head with a sigh. No luck again.

Still, Poliwag seemed in better spirits than yesterday. The little Pokémon was recovering, though still thin and clearly malnourished. It would take time to regain strength.

But time was not on their side. Without food, surviving the next day seemed increasingly unlikely.

Ryan realized that he needed a more proactive approach to lure the fish. Simply waiting for a bite wouldn't cut it anymore. He thought about using artificial lures, designed to mimic small fish and attract predators. But he had no such tools—everything except for a basic fishing rod, some bait, a lighter, and a few personal items had been left behind when he was mysteriously transported to this world.

Among the items that had made the trip was a small folding knife, part of his keychain. It wasn't much, but it could be useful in a pinch.

Ryan had been fishing back in his world when the strange event occurred, pulling him to this uninhabited island in the Pokémon world. It wasn't exactly a paradise. The island was desolate, and resources were scarce. If they didn't figure out a way to secure food soon, Ryan and Poliwag would be in serious trouble.

As he looked out at the sea, Ryan thought about the strange, new world he had found himself in—a place where Pokémon roamed free, and survival meant not just battling wild creatures, but finding enough to eat day by day.