[Bonus Chapter]
Day 12 of Survival on the Deserted Island. Weather: Clear.
Reiji was woken up by the screeching of seabirds. He stretched out with a big yawn. After spending his first night in the treehouse, he finally understood what true security felt like.
No more waking up in the middle of the night just because the campfire died out. No more startling awake at every rustle or gust of wind. Before, his sleep had always been shallow and on edge.
Last night was the first time he could truly sleep soundly. If only he had a blanket… The foam mattress was warm enough, but it still felt like something was missing—like a hollow spot in his heart.
He had a lot to do today.
Scavenge for supplies—ideally another Poké Ball.
Stockpile dry firewood—in case it rains.
Turn yesterday's paint bucket into a functional stove.
And most importantly—properly win over the Psychic Caterpie.
Also… fishing. He missed his old friend, the fishing rod. But with so much on the agenda, fishing would have to wait.
Start the day right—with a run.
Before training, he woke Poliwag up. "Time to get up, Poliwag!"
"Yo?" Poliwag blinked sleepily, yawned, then saw Reiji stepping out of the treehouse.
Still groggy, Poliwag followed him outside.
"Poliwag, I'm thinking of officially taking that Caterpie in," Reiji said. "Which means… we don't eat it."
"Yo?" The moment Poliwag heard "don't eat," it suddenly became alert—and very confused. Why not?
Reiji pointed to Poliwag, then to himself, and then to the Poké Ball. After a moment, Poliwag seemed to get it.
Reiji was saying: Just like he had accepted Poliwag as a partner—sharing food, providing warmth—they were going to do the same for Caterpie. Accept it into the family.
"Yo." Poliwag nodded. It didn't quite understand why food was becoming a teammate, but since Reiji had decided, it wouldn't object.
Sure, there would be a little less food to go around—but Reiji always shared with it. That made Reiji the best.
Poliwag's heart was simple. Reiji shared food. Therefore, Reiji was good.
"Alright. Don't attack it, and don't let it run either. I want to try talking to it," Reiji said, relieved that Poliwag hadn't objected. Despite the language barrier, they still managed to understand each other. That's how they'd made it this far.
Shared values could bridge any gap—even the gap between species.
With that settled, Reiji released the Caterpie.
"Wuuuu…" The Caterpie had nearly cried itself hoarse inside the Poké Ball. What had it done wrong? All it did was eat a few leaves… did it really deserve to be beaten up—twice—and starved for a day?
Was there no justice in this world?
"I want my mom…"
"Caterpie? Caterpie?" Reiji noticed its teary black eyes and called out.
"Wuuu…" The Caterpie looked up at him—the awful man who ordered it beaten and stuffed it inside that smelly red-and-white ball.
It immediately turned away with a dramatic flick of the head. Hmph! Not even going to look at you.
Reiji found himself a little stuck. He couldn't exactly beat it again just for being grumpy. Technically, it hadn't done anything wrong.
Still, he tried. "Caterpie, do you want to join us?"
"Hmph." Caterpie snorted and pouted. Join a bunch of jerks who bully the weak? I'd rather die. It even spat some sticky silk right at Reiji's feet.
"…Seriously?" Reiji stared at the white goo. Something about this Caterpie was just… off.
It seemed smarter, more expressive than the others. Every other Caterpie he'd seen just dumbly munched leaves. This one had attitude.
"Forget it," Reiji sighed and returned it to the Poké Ball. He wasn't about to waste his entire morning begging a bug to be friends.
If Caterpie wasn't resisting or attacking, then he'd just let it go hungry a little longer. Let's see how long that attitude lasts.
Poliwag, who had watched the whole scene in silence, was utterly confused. So… did it work or not? Why didn't they say anything?
"Poliwag, time for our run." Reiji tucked the Poké Ball into his pocket and started jogging around the treehouse.
"Yo yo." Still confused, Poliwag followed after him.
Two hours later, morning exercise complete, Poliwag returned to its water bucket for a soak. Reiji pulled out the paint bucket he'd scavenged yesterday and got to work turning it into a stove.
The concept was simple—just like a honeycomb coal stove. You just needed ventilation holes to ensure enough oxygen for combustion.
The paint bucket was about the height of his calf. The holes didn't need to be big. His tools? The same as always—nails and Poliwag's frying pan.
By poking enough holes with the nails, he was able to pry open a segment of the iron bucket at the bottom. Then he punched smaller ventilation holes along the sides.
It didn't take long to finish. With the morning sun nearing its peak, it was time to head out and find lunch.
"Poliwag?" Reiji placed the stove aside and looked toward the water bucket.
"…Not here?" He blinked in surprise. Where did the little guy go? It should've been soaking and recovering stamina. Now he had to get up and look around.
"Poliwag? Poliwag—where are you?"
"Yo yo! Yo yo!"
Reiji followed the voice—it was coming from the beach.
"What are you doing digging there?" he called. "That sand's been soaked in seawater! You won't—wait…"
He froze mid-sentence as he caught sight of what Poliwag was digging up.
"…No way. No freaking way. Is that—?"
Red. Bright red. A shape he recognized. Something he'd been dying to find.
(End of Chapter)
[+50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]