Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

[Bonus Chapter]

"Kwaa—"

Farfetch'd looked around after using Roost. The human was surrounded by many Pokémon. There was no way it could reach him. It seethed with frustration, ready to release the last of its strength in one final burst, even if it meant going down with that human.

Its legs kicked off the ground violently—another Quick Attack aimed at Reiji.

But standing in front of Reiji was Krabby, and nearby were Butterfree, Pelipper, and Spinarak. There was no way through.

So Farfetch'd abruptly pivoted, changing direction and bolting toward the sandy beach.

"Don't let it escape, Krabby!"

Reiji quickly called out when he saw where it was headed.

But the warning came a second too late—Krabby followed, walking right into an ambush.

As soon as Farfetch'd saw Krabby give chase, it scooped up a pile of sand and flung it straight at Krabby's eyes—Sand Attack, to blind its vision.

Then it rushed in, gripped the leek with both wings, and slashed decisively—Retaliate. Power x2.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Farfetch'd struck rapidly and spun behind Krabby, standing firm.

"Kwaa…"

It wobbled for a moment before finally collapsing. Eyes spiraled. It had fainted.

After Farfetch'd went down, Krabby sluggishly turned around and let out a weak cry, "Koku, chh…"

But before it could finish, it too fell over. Its pincers flopped against the sand. Spiraled eyes. Fainted.

Reiji rushed forward to check on Krabby's condition.

No wounds, just a distinct mark on its forehead—left by Farfetch'd's leek. That was what knocked it out.

That Farfetch'd really didn't hold back. It went in for the kill. Fortunately, Krabby's shell was hard enough to absorb most of the impact.

Still, it sparked Reiji's interest.

Not high level. Not high potential. But ruthless, decisive, fierce in battle, and tactically clear-headed.

Despite starving and being extremely weak, it managed to trade blows and even defeat Krabby, who was in peak condition and at a higher level.

He was starting to like it. That kind of fighting spirit wasn't something every Pokémon had. It couldn't be trained into just anyone.

Among all his Pokémon, only Poliwhirl and Krabby had this kind of will to fight. And even then, Krabby still fell short—only Poliwhirl truly had that raw, burning drive.

The rest? Butterfree, Pelipper, Spinarak… they each had their quirks, their laziness, their little schemes. Without supervision, they'd slack off.

And as for the two useless fish… he didn't even count on them. They were just mascots.

Sure, Farfetch'd had low potential, but that wasn't a big deal. That could be fixed with time. What couldn't be easily replaced was that resolve. That instinct to fight. That was the core of a true ace.

The only problem—this Farfetch'd hated humans too much. Winning its trust would be tough. He'd have to take it one step at a time.

He left the fainted Farfetch'd where it was and first tossed Krabby into the stream. As soon as Krabby touched water, it woke up.

"Koku chh, koku chh…"

Krabby hung its head low, not daring to meet Reiji's eyes. It had trained so much, had such a high level… and still got beaten by a half-dead Farfetch'd.

"Alright, Krabby. Don't beat yourself up. Failure's not the problem. The real problem is giving up on yourself. Just keep training and do better next time."

Reiji gently patted Krabby's shell.

This one couldn't handle setbacks. The moment it lost, it'd spiral into depression. Total self-doubt. A real headache.

Reiji didn't know when he'd finally teach Krabby the true crab philosophy: losing isn't scary—not fighting back is.

"Koku chh…"

Krabby knew Reiji wasn't blaming it. But it still felt guilty. A comfortable life had made it soft. It had underestimated its opponent. And now, even a Farfetch'd had taken it down. Pathetic.

"Krabby, remember this: that's the price of underestimating your opponent. If we hadn't been here, that price could've been your life. Your life belongs to all of us. So don't treat it like it's nothing, Krabby…"

Reiji was ready to give a long pep talk, but before he could get going, Poliwhirl stepped in.

"Yobo."

Poliwhirl gently patted Krabby's shell, then sat by the stream and began talking to it in Pokémon speech. Reiji couldn't understand a word.

Seeing this, Reiji backed off to give them space. Let big bro Poliwhirl talk sense into little bro Krabby.

He turned to Farfetch'd, picked it up by its leg and leek, and dropped it in front of Slowpoke.

Farfetch'd wasn't built like your average fat duck. It had a shorter neck, brown-gray feathers, creamy chest and belly, jagged markings between its beak and body, and yellow feet.

Three tufts of hair stood upright on its head, and a black V-mark stretched across its forehead. And, of course, the leek it carried—its trademark.

The Galarian Farfetch'd was stockier, darker in color, had sharper eyes, and its V-mark resembled thick eyebrows. It always carried a massive leek.

Reiji set this one down and pulled out some Pokémon food and water from his pack, placing it in front of Slowpoke.

"Slowpoke, you two know each other. When Farfetch'd wakes up, tell it to eat. It'll need energy if it wants to fight. You can eat too, by the way. If that's not enough, there's more."

"Yadong?"

Slowpoke tilted its head. It didn't expect this. The human just left food and walked away? Why not feed Farfetch'd himself to gain favor?

Truth was, Reiji didn't want to stay away. He had to.

The moment Farfetch'd woke up, it would attack him. Not eat. Definitely not listen.

Right now, it was better not to get too close. Avoid provoking it.

Reiji returned to the stream and called out,

"Poliwhirl, Krabby—you two don't need to train anymore. Just keep an eye on Farfetch'd. If it wants to fight, give it a match."

"Yobo?"

Poliwhirl was surprised. He thought Reiji would cook the duck. Instead, he was arranging battles?

He understood then—Reiji had taken a liking to that duck. Maybe he planned to catch it.

Now it was up to Farfetch'd's performance.

"Koku chh, koku chh!"

Krabby was fired up. If it got another chance, it wouldn't underestimate Farfetch'd again. No way it was losing twice to a leek-swinging duck. Where was its crab pride!?

With Poliwhirl and Krabby off to guard Farfetch'd, Reiji went back to washing his clothes—shirt, pants, shoes, and his blood-stained backpack.

The clothes were the right size—he'd taken them off the poacher, who had been about 170 cm. The fit was good, just the hiking boots were a bit big.

He tried them on—only about two or three sizes too big. A bit loose.

No problem. He'd just stuff some bark inside, wrap it in cloth, and make an insole. Done.

Once he finished washing the clothes and hung them to dry, he started cleaning the backpack strap, which had blood on it. First, he rubbed it with sand. Then rinsed with water.

Only the strap was stained. Everything else was clean.

He planned to replace both the clothes and the backpack when he returned to human civilization. These things were someone else's… someone dead. He wasn't a fan of wearing hand-me-downs, especially from corpses.

But for now, he had no choice.

After cleaning the strap, it was time to wash himself.

While the sun was still out, he cleaned every inch of himself in the stream.

Then he grabbed his folding knife and stared at his reflection in the water.

His hair was long even before he crossed over. After arriving here, it just kept growing.

He wasn't about to tie it up like some anime character. This was summer. Who wore long hair tied up in this heat? He'd rather go bald.

So he started cutting it short.

The final result? Not exactly stylish, but passable. He wouldn't scare people off.

This was the anime world. Multicolored, spiky, gravity-defying hair was normal. His short cut didn't stand out at all.

As for a beard?

Nope. He was fifteen. No beard to shave.

Just as he finished cleaning himself, Farfetch'd woke up again. At first, it tried to fight, but it had no strength left. So after listening to Slowpoke's advice, it ate something before battling Poliwhirl.

Krabby wanted a rematch to redeem itself, but Poliwhirl stepped up first. He wanted to see just how strong this duck was.

Poliwhirl didn't hold back. Opened with Waterfall—bam! Punched Farfetch'd into a tree.

And that was that. Farfetch'd fainted again.

Poliwhirl looked around, unsure if he'd overdone it.

"Mu-i-i…"

Butterfree didn't even want to respond. Farfetch'd had just started eating, and Poliwhirl had already knocked it out. This guy was getting too aggressive.

"Koku chh…"

Krabby hung its head even lower. Poliwhirl was too strong. One move, and the fight was over.

"Peli."

Pelipper watched, realizing it hadn't teased Poliwhirl in a while. Could Poliwhirl hit a flying target now?

"Yito."

Spinarak clung to a tree branch, trembling from the shock. Thank Arceus it surrendered early. That could've been it splattered on the trunk.

As for the two dumb fish in the water? No expression. They knew Poliwhirl wouldn't waste time fighting them. They were totally chill.

"Yadong."

Slowpoke sat beneath the tree, spooked by Poliwhirl's brutality. When Farfetch'd hit the trunk, it felt like it had been punched. Scared it half to death.

Good thing it wasn't reckless. No need to fight pointlessly. And this Trainer seemed decent—kind, gentle, with friendly Pokémon. Way better than the last one.

"Poliwhirl, take it easy next time."

Reiji walked over, picked up Farfetch'd again, and set it next to Slowpoke.

"Slowpoke, keep taking care of it. If it wants to battle again, I'm ready anytime."

With Poliwhirl and Krabby watching Farfetch'd, Reiji called Wingull over to resume flight training.

Tomorrow, they were leaving this deserted island. It was important for both him and Wingull to get used to carrying weight during flight—better flight, fewer accidents over the sea.

During training, Farfetch'd woke up two more times.

Each time, it ate something and challenged either Poliwhirl or Krabby.

Krabby got its turn. This time, it was prepared—and knocked Farfetch'd out again.

Then it was Poliwhirl's turn. He went easy this time. They fought back and forth, but in the end, Farfetch'd still fainted.

After that, Farfetch'd didn't wake up again.

As evening fell, Reiji prepared to announce their departure.

"Poliwhirl, Butterfree, Pelipper, Krabby, Magikarp, Wishiwashi, Spinarak… we're leaving this island tomorrow. We're heading to the place where humans like me live."

"Yobo."

Poliwhirl nodded. Of course. He'd known for a while. So had the others.

When Pidgey was taken away, they all knew the island life was ending.

The moment Reiji climbed on Pelipper's back, even Pelipper realized—this wasn't permanent. They'd be flying away soon.

"Mu-i-i."

Butterfree was curious. What was the outside world like? It had been born here. Never left—until Reiji caught it.

It had thought it would spend its whole life on this island. But now… a whole new world awaited.

"Yito."

Spinarak didn't care. Wherever Reiji went, it went. As long as there was food and shelter.

As for the two dumb fish, Slowpoke, and the unconscious duck? No need to explain anything. They had no say. They were coming regardless.

"Let's eat first. We're not in a hurry. We'll leave after breakfast tomorrow."

Reiji kept it short. Dinner came first.

Tonight, there was a new face at the table—Slowpoke. Sitting and eating with them.

If Farfetch'd hadn't been so full of rage, if it didn't hate humans so much, maybe it could've sat with them too.

But just in case it flipped the table, Reiji left it unconscious under the tree.

Only after dinner did he wake it up again, and asked Slowpoke to calm the little hothead and feed it.

When Farfetch'd finished eating and got that gleam in its eye—wanting to battle again—Reiji didn't give it the chance.

He tossed a Poké Ball and caught it by surprise.

No more fighting. Everyone was exhausted. Time to rest.

He didn't even bother taking in the clothes. It hadn't rained in days—they'd be dry by morning.

Tomorrow, he'd wear those clothes and finally leave this island…

[End of Chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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