Chapter 4: Conquering Poliwag

Survival on the deserted island would continue, but at least he hadn't encountered pirates, Pokemon hunters, or slave traders. Pokemon were more valuable than humans in this world, and he was lucky not to be captured or worse. Upon reaching the shore, Ryan noticed another Poké Ball on the beach. He picked it up, wondering if it was some kind of comfort. Now, he had two Poké Balls.

He figured that the Poké Balls might have been discarded by trainers or left behind when trainers were trying to catch Pokémon at sea. Either way, it gave him a slight advantage on this isolated island. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the sand, soaked and staring blankly at the Poké Ball in his hand.

Poliwag had been following him came over, holding a piece of broken wood in its mouth. It called out to Ryan, making a series of "Yo yo" sounds, as if talking about grilled fish. Ryan reached out and touched its round blue head. The Poliwag didn't resist, but he couldn't understand what it was saying. Now that he had the Poké Ball, Ryan wondered if he should try to catch the little Poliwag.

"Poliwag, do you want to be my first partner?" Ryan asked.

"Yo?" The poliwag tilted its head, not understanding what Ryan meant. Was it supposed to get inside the red and white ball? Sure enough, the animated shows were misleading—Pokémon couldn't understand human speech at all. Ryan sighed. Communicating with Pokémon was harder than he had imagined. He had thought it would be simple, but in reality, wild Pokémon like this Poliwag, which had never encountered a human before, couldn't be expected to understand him.

But just as he sighed, the poliwag slapped its tail on the button in the middle of the Poké Ball. The ball opened, a beam of red light enveloped the Poliwag, and it was quickly sucked inside. The Poké Ball's button flashed red and then stabilized, meaning Ryan had successfully captured Poliwag.

It all happened so fast that Ryan was stunned. He had captured his first Pokémon in this strange world—a Poliwag. Through the Poké Ball's transparent shell, he saw the Poliwag inside. The Poliwag, in turn, smiled at him, its large black eyes narrowing in happiness, though Ryan wasn't sure why.

Suddenly, a proficiency panel for the Poliwag popped up.

[Poliwag]

Attribute: WaterGender: MalePotential: 31%Level: 5.32%Abilities: Damp (0.53%), Hidden: Swift Swim (1.23%)Moves Mastery: Heart's Eye (0.11%), Ice Ball (0.11%), Refresh (0.11%), Bubble (1.11%), Hypnosis (0.52%), Double Slap (1.69%)

"Is this all there is to it?" Ryan mused, studying the panel. It was similar to the stats he had seen in games from his past life. The first few items were straightforward: name, type, gender. The potential was the Poliwag's development potential, which at 31%, was low.

This was normal, though. Ryan wasn't the protagonist of a destined story, nor was he the grandson of a famous professor. He wasn't casually stumbling upon legendary creatures—he was just a guy stranded on a deserted island. And this Poliwag wasn't a highly sought-after Pokémon, either. It had probably come because of his fishing bait.

But Ryan wasn't complaining. Given his situation, he was grateful for any ally. Plus, with the proficiency panel, he could help the Poliwag improve its potential over time. As for its low level (5), that was expected for a wild Pokémon. At least now he could track its experience points.

What surprised him was the Poliwag's hidden ability, Swift Swim. That was a nice bonus. It also knew six moves, one of which, Double Slap, it had already used to knock out a weaker fish. But what puzzled Ryan was the move Heart's Eye—he couldn't remember seeing that one before.

Upon checking the move description, Ryan saw that Heart's Eye allowed the user to predict the opponent's actions, ensuring their next attack would land. It reminded him of moves like Lock-On from the games. In those games, players used Lock-On in conjunction with moves with low accuracy, like Dynamic Punch.

But this was reality, and Ryan wasn't sure if it worked the same way. Maybe Heart's Eye even had concentration-enhancing effects. He would have to test it out later.

As for the other moves, Ice Ball was a strong ice-type move whose power increased with consecutive hits, making it a dangerous snowball attack. In the games, it was a great move, capable of devastating opponents if used correctly. The remaining moves, Bubble, Hypnosis, and Refresh, were useful too. Hypnosis, in particular, was a strong move but notoriously inaccurate.

Overall, Ryan was quite pleased with his new partner. The Poliwag wasn't perfect, but it was leagues better than a Magikarp. While Magikarp evolved into the mighty Gyarados, the process was a complete mystery. On the other hand, the Poliwag had a clear path of evolution—into a Poliwrath with the help of a Water Stone.

For now, that was a distant goal. But when the time came, Ryan would make sure to find a high-quality Water Stone to maximize the Poliwag's potential. Helping the Poliwag break through its limitations would not only help the Pokémon but also improve Ryan's own chances of survival in this dangerous world.

Finally, Ryan was no longer alone.

Bang——

The Pokéball opened, releasing a flash of white light as the Poliwag emerged from within.

It jumped onto Ryan, excitedly calling out, "Poli! Poli!"

"Poliwag, let's head back to fishing right now," Ryan said, hugging the Poliwag. It seemed much more enthusiastic than before, communicating better and becoming friendlier. Ryan even reached out and gently patted Poliwag's round head.

"Poli! Poli!" Poliwag drooled slightly at the mention of grilled fish, holding a broken wooden board in its mouth, helping Ryan pick up the scattered items.

Once everything was packed, Poliwag hopped around Ryan, eager to go, chanting, "Poli! Poli!"

"Okay, okay, let's get back to fishing now," Ryan said with a helpless smile. This little one seemed to have developed a real fondness for grilled fish after yesterday's meal. His grilling technique was nothing special, just simple grilled fish, but it seemed both he and Poliwag had learned to appreciate hard-won food after being hungry for so long.