Day 15 of survival on the deserted island. Overcast skies.
It had rained lightly the previous night, and the sound of raindrops had lulled Reiji into a peaceful sleep.
But this morning, he was jolted awake by Poliwag's urgent cries.
"Wag wag wag wag! Wag wag wag wag!"
"What's wrong, Poliwag? Why are you shouting so frantically?" Reiji had just gotten up when he saw the wooden door fall inward into the treehouse.
The door hadn't been reinforced—it was still the same makeshift one he'd leaned against the tree. A light breeze could knock it over. He made a mental note to reinforce it today if he had time.
When he reached the entrance, he found a Caterpie curled up on the ground just outside, covered by a large leaf.
The moment he laid eyes on the little green bug, he froze.
A Caterpie? Right at his doorstep? What was this—breakfast delivery?
But Poliwag's expression was all wrong. It wasn't excited or eager. In fact, it looked anxious.
"What happened to this Caterpie, Poliwag?" Reiji squatted beside it and asked the first one to discover the bug.
"Wag wag," Poliwag dipped its tail in some cool water from nearby and gently laid it on Caterpie's forehead, trying to show Reiji that it was burning up.
The symptoms matched Reiji's own experience with fever—an extremely hot forehead.
Poliwag, having demonstrated this before, was confident Reiji would understand.
"A fever?" Reiji reached out and touched Caterpie's forehead. Sure enough—hot. He lowered his hand to its body. Still burning.
Realizing Caterpie likely had a fever, he scooped it up and rushed inside. Using his folding knife, he cut a strip of rag, soaked it in cool water, and laid it on the Caterpie's forehead.
But while he had experience treating human fevers, he had no idea how to treat a fever in a Caterpie. He was at a loss.
"There has to be a way… Think, think," Reiji muttered, seated on his foam bed, racking his brain.
Half a minute later, he shot up. "Got it! Berries—some berries can heal Pokémon!"
"What was the one that cured burns in the game?" He racked his memory for the berry used to treat burn status conditions in the games.
It was one he used often. Blue, shaped like a strawberry...
"Right! Rawst Berry! The blue strawberry-like berry that heals burns!" Reiji shouted, already heading for the door—only to pause and double back. He took out a Poké Ball and recalled the feverish Caterpie, then checked its stats.
[Caterpie]
[Type: Bug]
[Gender: Female]
[Potential: 58%]
[Level: 4.44%]
[Ability: Shield Dust /0.71%]
[Hidden Ability: Run Away /2.23%]
[Moves: (Confusion /0.54%), (Tackle /0.71%), (String Shot /3.55%)]
One glance at the stats, and Reiji was certain—this Caterpie was Little Green.
If it weren't, he wouldn't have bothered saving it. He'd have eaten it without hesitation. He was a realist, not a hero. A random Caterpie wasn't worth risking his life for.
But there was no "if." If it hadn't been her, she wouldn't have braved last night's wind and rain to find him, or waited outside his treehouse all night long.
Since she'd come all this way, he couldn't let her down. He had to find a Rawst Berry for her.
Rawst Berries were known to treat burns, which shared similar symptoms with fevers—elevated body temperature. It was like residual burn damage, so a Rawst Berry might help cool her down.
But where could he find one?
"Beedrill territory? That's probably my best bet… gotta try," Reiji sighed.
Ever since arriving on this island, he had carefully avoided both Kingler and Beedrill territories.
But this time, he had no choice. He knew his own limits—he could survive a fever. But Caterpie's frail little body might not. If the fever affected her potential or health, that would be a devastating loss.
So Beedrill territory it was. He had to find that berry.
"Poliwag, come with me," Reiji said, reluctantly calling over his companion.
If he went alone, it would be suicide. Even if he managed to find berries, one sting from a Beedrill would be fatal—he had no resistance to poison.
But with Poliwag there, they at least had a distraction. Poliwag could serve as cover or bait. As long as they didn't run into a particularly strong Beedrill, a few Water Guns should be enough to fend one off.
"Wag wag," Poliwag nodded solemnly. It knew how dangerous Beedrill territory was, but even if Reiji told it to stay, it would've followed anyway. There was no way it would let him go alone.
"Alright, drink up and prep. We might need your Water Gun," Reiji said, placing the Caterpie's Poké Ball safely inside the treehouse, locking the door behind him.
They weren't bringing Caterpie—or Magikarp. The trip was too dangerous.
Once Poliwag had refilled itself with half a bucket of water, they departed. Destination: the forest claimed by the Beedrill swarm.
The area wasn't far. The beach where Reiji often scavenged was adjacent to this forest. That stretch of woods along the shore was Beedrill territory.
Normally, Reiji and Poliwag would skirt around it. Today, they had no choice but to go in. All the berries were deeper within—only the trees guarded by Kingler bore berries near the outskirts.
Other than that, he hadn't seen any other berry trees. Maybe it was the wrong season.
Still, he was confident Beedrill territory had berry trees. Why else would Beedrill congregate there?
They were forest rulers. If there were no food sources, gathering in such numbers would be pointless. It made more sense for them to use their numbers to guard berry trees—providing food for the colony and safety for their young. Other Pokémon would never dare challenge a swarm of Beedrill.
As the duo ventured deeper into the woods, sunlight grew scarce, filtering less and less through the canopy. The forest darkened.
Wearing only a t-shirt and shorts, Reiji started to feel nervous. What if an Ekans bit him? Or a Zubat? Or an Arbok?
He and Poliwag stepped lightly, quietly making their way about 200–300 meters into the forest. The number of Weedle and Kakuna steadily increased, though they were all sleeping after the heavy rain.
Eventually, they reached the heart of Beedrill territory—and began to spot berry trees.
Now, the real challenge: finding a Rawst Berry…
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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