Pokemon: A Fisherman's Tale

Poliwag watched the flames flicker and grow smaller and finally took the initiative to pick up some broken boards. As quick as it could, Poliwag grabbed a piece of broken wood at random, hurried back, and tossed it into the fire.

The fire blazed through the wood Poliwag collected, so it had to go back and forth several times to keep it burning. Along the way, it remembered what Ryan had told it about soaking the rag on his forehead with cold water.

After soaking the rag once again, Poliwag continued fetching more wood. While searching, it spotted some green seaweed washed up by the waves on the sand. Its hungry stomach urged it to eat the seaweed, which looked so tempting.

Poliwag slowly walked over, grabbed the seaweed along with the wood, and returned to the fire. Tossing the wood in, it brought the seaweed to Ryan.

Ryan was still unconscious. Poliwag licked his cheek gently with its pink tongue, softly calling, "Yo yo, yo yo…"

But Ryan didn't respond. Poliwag seemed to say, "Look, I found food. Get up and eat..." But Ryan was so feverish and delirious that he didn't hear the cries.

Seeing no response, Poliwag placed the seaweed by Ryan's mouth, hoping it would wake him up. Even though it tried, Ryan stayed still, and Poliwag felt disappointed.

Its once bright, lively eyes now seemed deeper, and even its cries were softer. "Yo, yo," Poliwag called again, nudging Ryan's head, but there was no feedback.

The little Pokémon didn't understand what this meant. It just sat beside Ryan on the grass, staring at his closed eyes. Even with the delicious seaweed beside it, Poliwag had no appetite.

Feeling cold, it noticed the fire dying down and got back to work. Before it started, though, it changed the cold compress on Ryan's forehead one more time, as instructed. Then, it went out to collect more wood, making sure to eat some seaweed along the way for strength.

Poliwag also brought more seaweed back for Ryan, piling it up next to him. But no matter how much it gathered, Ryan didn't wake up to share the meal. Eventually, the Pokémon grew tired and just wanted Ryan to wake up.

By dusk, Poliwag sat beside Ryan again. His body didn't feel as hot anymore, and they watched the first sunset after the storm together.

As the fire crackled, the Pokémon stayed vigilant, adding wood when needed and keeping Ryan's compress cool. The sun had long set, and Poliwag finally dozed off. When it woke, it tended to the fire, as always, and sat in silence next to Ryan.

Suddenly, Ryan coughed violently, waking Poliwag. "Yo yo, yo yo!" Poliwag jumped excitedly, calling out to him.

"Poliwag?" Ryan barely opened his eyes but recognized his Pokémon's voice.

"Yo yo, yo yo," Poliwag called again, relieved. But when Ryan didn't move much, Poliwag realized something was still wrong.

"Poliwag... water... water..." Ryan muttered weakly. His lips were cracked, and Poliwag immediately understood. It grabbed the plastic bottle with its mouth and brought it to Ryan, slowly pouring water into his mouth, just like Ryan had once done for it.

But Ryan was too weak, and he choked, coughing out the water. Poliwag quickly moved the bottle away.

Ryan realized he was weaker than he thought. Though his fever had subsided a bit, he could barely move. He had hoped to sip hot water from the stew pot by the fire but lacked the strength.

"Poliwag, come here," Ryan whispered, knowing he wouldn't stay awake long.

"Yo yo," Poliwag happily picked up some seaweed and offered it to Ryan.

"Kelp," Ryan said, lifting his arm with difficulty. He took a small bite, chewing and swallowing slowly. It still tasted bad, but it was better than nothing.

Ryan smiled weakly, reaching out to pat Poliwag's head. "Thank you, Poliwag… you've worked hard."

The fire wasn't out, meaning Poliwag had kept things under control. For a Pokémon, this was no easy task. It was remarkable how well Poliwag had understood and followed his instructions.

"Hey," Poliwag felt proud as Ryan smiled, its heart lightened. As long as Ryan was okay, it was happy.

"Poliwag, I'm going to sleep again. Watch the fire, and we'll meet again tomorrow," Ryan murmured. Before drifting off, he drank a little water from the bottle and fell asleep again.

Poliwag, seeing him rest, felt reassured. It believed Ryan would wake up again and kept vigil over the fire, waiting for him.