Pokemon: A Fisherman's Tale

Today's lunch was eaten by Poliwag. Although it was just some kelp, Ryan ate it, Magikarp also ate it, and Poliwag ate as well.

After lunch, Poliwag caught a Caterpie and came back. This scene left Ryan dumbfounded.

Even if they caught a Caterpie, they wouldn't dare cook it. If it's snatched by Krabby, they'd have no choice but to flee.

"Okay, Poliwag, come back and rest for a while, no need to be so busy," Ryan waved to Poliwag, signaling him to stop and rest.

Ever since he asked Poliwag to gather kelp, it hadn't stopped working. There was no need to push so hard.

"Poli poli," Poliwag came over and spat out some water. What it wanted was clear – it wanted to train, to keep training.

"No, no, Poliwag, I have more important things for you to do. Go check on Caterpie in the treehouse and see if its fever has gone down and if it's awake..."

"Poli," Poliwag nodded and headed to the treehouse after hearing Ryan's instructions.

Poliwag quickly returned and signaled to Ryan that Caterpie had woken up, "Poli poli, poli poli..."

Ryan turned around and saw Caterpie crawling out of the treehouse, slowly making its way toward him.

"Woo, woo," Caterpie crawled into Ryan's arms and lay there. Its fever had just subsided, and it hadn't fully recovered yet, so its cry was still weak.

"Here, eat this fruit." Ryan took out a berry, cut open with his folding knife.

"Ugh," Caterpie sniffed the berry, then shook its head, refusing to eat it. The fruit was too bitter.

"You have to eat it to recover faster," Ryan insisted. "You're sick, and as a patient, you need to act like one. If you don't take medicine, it'll only get worse."

"Ugh," Caterpie's big eyes looked between the bitter berries and Ryan's stern face. Finally, it opened its mouth and took a bite.

As soon as it bit into the berry, Caterpie's big eyes narrowed, reacting to the bitter taste.

"Once you finish the berries, you'll be fine tomorrow. Trust me, it'll help." Ryan had tasted the berries himself and knew how bitter they were.

But there was no other choice. If Caterpie wanted to recover quickly, it had to eat it.

Caterpie's fever had only just subsided, and there was still a risk of relapse. Eating the berries was a necessary precaution to prevent the fever from returning.

"Woo," Caterpie struggled to swallow the bitter berries, its eyes narrowing to slits. Blue juice dripped from the corners of its mouth.

The fruit was unbearable. Caterpie hurried over to the bucket, stuck its head in, and drank water frantically, trying to wash away the bitterness.

"It's just a fruit," Ryan chuckled. He couldn't help but find it amusing that Caterpie had left but still came back on its own. What was going on in its mind, he wondered?

"Poli poli, poli poli," Poliwag waited for Caterpie to finish drinking and then introduced its new friend, Magikarp, to Caterpie.

"Woooo," Caterpie looked up and saw Magikarp's red head peeking out of another bucket. It called out to Magikarp twice, considering it a greeting.

"Klukkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk," Magikarp responded, making a strange sound. With food and shelter here, Magikarp had gradually gotten used to this place, though the bucket was a bit small for it to swim freely.

"Woo?" Caterpie heard Magikarp's cry and looked at Poliwag in confusion, as if asking, "What is this guy saying?"

"Poli poli," Poliwag shook its head, saying it didn't know either. This was the first time Magikarp had made a noise.

Watching the three Pokémon happily chat with each other, Ryan felt a sense of warmth. He leaned back against a tree trunk, quietly observing their interactions. It was quite amusing since he couldn't join their conversation.

While the three Pokémon chatted, Ryan unknowingly fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already evening, and a pile of kelp lay next to him, which would be their dinner.

The Caterpie he caught at noon was safely stored in a Poké Ball, and it would be used as bait to lure out Krabby tomorrow.

He had to deal with the Krabby problem tomorrow; it felt like a thorn in his throat, preventing him from eating in peace.

The return of Caterpie gave him the confidence to face the three Krabby.

As for why Caterpie returned and what it experienced in those two days, Ryan didn't want to ask. As long as Caterpie was back, that was all that mattered.

Even if this Caterpie was a little mischievous and rebellious, Ryan didn't mind. As long as it was obedient and as reliable as Poliwag, Ryan could accept it.

"Alright, time for dinner," Ryan said, noticing the three Pokémon were still chatting happily, even though he had fallen asleep.

As the stew pot boiled, Ryan divided the kelp Poliwag had gathered: one portion for himself, one for Poliwag, and one for Caterpie.

Magikarp's meal was already in the bucket. Magikarp could eat its food raw, so there was no need to cook it.

After dinner, Ryan continued boiling water, mainly to disinfect the wound on his foot before heading to bed.

When Ryan removed the cloth from his feet, exposing the gaping wounds on his soles, Caterpie hadn't expected to see him injured after being gone for two days. It quickly asked Poliwag who had hurt Ryan.

"Poli," Poliwag lay in its bucket and explained how Ryan had injured himself earlier while stealing berries to save Caterpie.

"Ugh," Caterpie asked Poliwag if it was talking about the bitter berries.

"Poli," Poliwag nodded and told Caterpie, "You only woke up after eating those berries."

"Ugh," Caterpie lowered its head slightly when it heard this. It was because of it that Ryan was hurt, and that made Caterpie feel guilty. Ryan had been so kind to it, yet it had acted out against him before.

"Poli," Poliwag noticed Caterpie's downcast mood and comforted it. "This was Ryan's decision. Just remember it and don't let his efforts go to waste."

"Woo," Caterpie nodded, indicating it understood.

"Poli poli," Poliwag added, "Don't deceive Ryan's feelings. If you truly want to stay, listen to Ryan and don't let him down..."

Caterpie looked at Ryan, who grimaced in pain as he accidentally pulled on his wound. Although it didn't fully understand Poliwag's advice, Caterpie nodded silently.