Leaning back against a boulder, Ryan stared into the fire, thinking about how he could survive on this deserted island. He couldn't wait around for rescue—it might never come. He needed to rely on himself to make it.
Though he wasn't a survival expert, at least he had his proficiency panel, an advantage in this strange world. If only it could affect the Pokémon around him…
When he had hugged the Poliwag earlier, the panel hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps he was still missing something.
"Maybe a Poké Ball?" Ryan mused aloud, recalling how, in the old Pokémon games, the stats of every Pokémon were displayed in detail. If only he had a Poké Ball to test his theory…
But Poké Balls were rare, and on this deserted island, there was no one to trade with. Even if he were in a populated city, he had no money or identity. The best he could hope for was not being captured by slavers.
After being reborn in this world, Ryan was now fifteen again—a teenager all over.
On the third day of survival on the desert island, the sun was rising.
Yesterday, Ryan wanted to get a Poké Ball and catch a Pokémon to test his proficiency panel, but he fell asleep while thinking about it. He was exhausted, having barely rested over the past two days. The warm fire didn't help; it lulled him into sleep until dawn.
Upon waking, Ryan stretched his arms. Just as he was about to get up, he felt something pressing on his legs. When he looked down, he saw a Poliwag curled up, fast asleep on his lap.
Although Poliwag isn't very big, it weighs about 25 kilograms in this world. Now imagine 25 kilograms pressing on your legs! Ryan immediately felt the wetness of his pants and noticed the Poliwag smacking its lips, with crystal-clear drool dripping from the corners of its mouth.
"Damn it," Ryan muttered, his forehead creasing in annoyance. He wanted to throw the drooling little Poliwag off.
After a moment of hesitation, he let it be. After all, it wasn't every day you encountered such a friendly wild Pokémon. The presence of Poliwag gave him a certain sense of security.
"Hey, wake up, lazy Poliwag," Ryan gently nudged the Poliwag. The little Pokémon grumbled, smacking its lips and refusing to wake up. It simply rolled over and continued snoozing.
Sighing, Ryan carefully lifted the Poliwag off his legs and set it down. The Pokémon yawned, finally woken up by the movement, and watched as Ryan stretched and yawned too.
While the Poliwag wasn't paying him much attention, Ryan began to search along the coastline for fresh water. He hadn't had water for two days, surviving only on some dew and grilled fish. His thirst was unbearable; he needed fresh water soon.
Although Poliwag was wild, if Ryan had a Poké Ball, he would've tried to catch it as his first Pokémon. The fully evolved form, Poliwrath, has a base stat total of 510, which is quite decent.
Aside from Poliwrath, Poliwag can also evolve into Politoed. Both evolutions have great stats, with many Pokémon in the second tier having base stat totals above 500. For comparison, Venusaur, a starter Pokémon, has a base stat total of 525, even though it can Mega Evolve.
But Ryan wasn't picky. He was stranded on a deserted island, with no food or water. Having a friendly Poliwag was a blessing, and he wasn't in a position to be choosy.
Poliwag was good enough. Poliwrath's stats are evenly distributed, with no standout points, except that its speed is somewhat slow. But speed can be compensated for. Poliwrath has the ability "Swift Swim," which doubles its speed on rainy days. If used strategically, it could outspeed most Pokémon.
What Ryan needed now was a Poké Ball to catch the Poliwag. "Sigh," Ryan muttered, shaking his head. Without a Poké Ball, he couldn't do much. Even with his proficiency panel, he was still stuck.
He tried to push that thought aside, knowing that he had more urgent issues to address first—like finding food and water. If he died of thirst here, it would be an embarrassing end for someone who had crossed into this world.
There was no fresh water on the beach, and Ryan wasn't eager to venture into the jungle. Instead, he folded a large leaf into a cone and used it to collect dew from the plants at the edge of the forest.
If he couldn't find fresh water, dew would have to suffice. But he needed to act quickly. Once the sun rose, the dew would evaporate, and he'd have to endure another day without water.
Thankfully, in this world, dewdrops were larger than usual. In no time, Ryan had collected enough to drink and quench his thirst.
Poliwag followed closely behind, observing Ryan's strange behavior. When it saw him drink the dew, it stuck out its tongue, curiously lapping up the dew from the leaves. After drinking, it smacked its lips, savoring the sweet taste.
Though Poliwag could easily filter saltwater to survive in the sea, its curiosity drove it to mimic Ryan's behavior.
Ryan, feeling more refreshed after drinking, continued to collect dew while scavenging for anything useful. Broken wood could serve as firewood, foam as a mattress, and plastic bottles or buckets could be used to store fresh water or catch rainwater.
He also found waterproof plastic sheets to make a roof for shelter. Although the weather had been fair, it wouldn't last forever, and he needed to be prepared for rain.
There was a lot of debris washed ashore on this island, much like the deserted island survival shows Ryan had watched in his past life.
At first, he had been disheartened by the sight of all the garbage, realizing the beautiful Pokémon world wasn't quite the utopia depicted in the anime. But the garbage proved useful. Without it, he wouldn't have had wood to grill his fish the previous night.
Without realizing it, he had gathered a good amount of materials, mostly wood. He had plenty of firewood for tonight.
However, he still couldn't find fresh water, so he decided to return to his camp and put the materials by the fire. Next, he needed to get more food.
To continue fishing, he needed bait, but there were no worms in the soil. He would have to check again later. If he couldn't find any, the guts of yesterday's fish could serve as bait.
As he contemplated his next steps, Ryan suddenly tripped, sending all the things he had scavenged flying. As he got up, he spotted a red-and-white round object rolling toward the sea.
"No way… Is that a classic Poké Ball?"
Ryan stood frozen as the Poké Ball rolled further away. Suddenly realizing what it was, he bolted after it, one shoe flying off as he dashed into the water.
Just before the Poké Ball was swept away by the waves, Ryan grabbed it. Standing knee-deep in the ocean, he held the Poké Ball in his hand, laughing like a madman.
"I finally have a Poké Ball!" Ryan exclaimed, clutching the baseball-sized ball.
But then, reality hit him. This was a deserted island. How on earth did a Poké Ball end up here?
After realizing this, Ryan quickly raised his eyes and glanced around in a full circle but found nothing. The deserted island remained unchanged, except for the sound of waves, insects, and birds. He felt conflicted—both disappointed and relieved—as he walked from the sea to the beach, his head hanging low.