Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

Truthfully, Reiji’s ability to identify edible food wasn’t anything special. But those nine years of compulsory education in his previous life weren’t for nothing.

Even if this world was different, the logic was still the same—when in doubt about whether something is edible, just observe whether other animals eat it.

Kelp, sea snails, and shellfish—these weren’t only eaten by the Krabby, but Wingull could even swallow them whole.

Neither of those Pokémon had Poison-type attributes, and if they were eating something toxic, they’d be poisoned themselves.

So if Krabby and Wingull could eat sea snails and shellfish safely, then it was surely safe for him and Poliwag too.

After collecting a whole bucket of shellfish, sea snails, and kelp, Reiji called Poliwag and started heading back to the shelter.

But the little tadpole couldn’t even walk. The little glutton had eaten until it was stuffed for the first time.

With no other choice, Reiji placed the plump little fellow into the bucket along with the rest of the haul and carried them both back.

He hadn’t noticed before just how heavy the little glutton was—now that it had eaten its fill, it was especially burdensome. He nearly couldn’t lift it.

Once they left, the tide came back in. Staying out on the reef flats too long would have been dangerous—they might’ve been swept away by the waves.

Back at the shelter, before processing the shellfish, Reiji went to the freshwater spot to swap out another plastic bucket. Now, with two half-full buckets of water, making a pot of shellfish-and-kelp soup was no longer a dream.

After bringing back the water, he also went to check the fishing rod. The lure was gone, and the hook was empty—another failed attempt.

He had already mentally prepared for this. No fish? No problem—at least they wouldn’t go hungry tonight.

When he returned with the rod, Poliwag was already asleep beside the fire, having eaten its fill. It had even dug a little pit in the sand and nestled into it, snoring softly.

Not wanting to disturb Poliwag’s sleep—important for its growth—Reiji began processing the sea snails on his own.

Shelling them one by one would be too tedious, so he simply smashed the shells open to cook the meat all at once.

After cleaning the shells, he simmered them together with the kelp in one pot. The snail meat went into the metal cup he used for drinking.

Earlier that day while beachcombing, he had found a frying pan under some rocks—not an iron one, but it hadn’t rusted, and that was good enough.

No matter what it was made of, it was usable. It would be perfect for boiling soup, and the metal cup would do for stewing snail meat.

Since everything was seafood, and it had all been rinsed in freshwater, the natural saltiness meant he didn’t even need to add seasoning.

This was, by far, the most luxurious meal Reiji had eaten since arriving in the Pokémon world.

One dish, one soup—snail meat and shellfish kelp broth—just looking at them made his mouth water.

Watching the snail meat and shellfish bubble and boil with the green kelp, he could barely contain himself. But he swallowed his saliva and held back the urge to eat too early.

Pokémon might be able to eat this raw, but he couldn’t. Without cooking it properly, there was a risk of food poisoning.

In a survival situation, getting sick could be a death sentence. Better to die early and get it over with.

He had been lucky that morning when the raw water didn’t make him sick—pure luck, really.

That wasn’t a risk he intended to take again. The goddess of luck wasn’t going to smile on him forever.

Gulp—Reiji’s mouth watered again as the aroma from the boiling pot filled his nose. He couldn’t help but swallow.

Still, he hugged his knees tightly and stared at the pot, forcing himself to wait.

”Yo-yo, yo-yo,” Poliwag called curiously, seeing him staring at the pan.

Reiji blinked back to his senses and looked away from the pot, instead stroking Poliwag’s round blue head with a smile. ”Poliwag, think you can still eat?”

”Yo-yo, yo-yo,” Poliwag glanced down at its own belly. The spiral on its stomach was now outlined in green—it was still visibly full of kelp.

Reiji could see it too—thanks to Poliwag’s semi-transparent stomach, the contents were clear as day.

With the green kelp inside, Poliwag’s usual black-and-white belly now looked black and green.

”Haha…” Reiji couldn’t help but chuckle. Looks like the little guy was truly stuffed.

Leaving the curious tadpole to inspect its own belly, Reiji grabbed the pan using some leaves as makeshift potholders and set it aside to cool, doing the same with the metal cup of snail meat.

Once things had cooled enough, it was time to eat. Seeing the translucent white oils floating atop the soup, he instinctively licked his lips. Looks like there wouldn’t be much scrubbing needed afterward.

Before starting, he served some of the snail meat and kelp to Poliwag. Those two items were the most plentiful tonight—though he wasn’t sure if Poliwag could still eat.

As it turned out, it could.

Poliwag was still growing—no amount of food seemed too much.

So Reiji gave it more snail meat, and even half the soup.

To be honest, a plain-water-boiled snail meat dish and kelp soup wouldn’t normally taste great.

But after everything he’d gone through to make this meal, it was worth it.

Back in his old world, without oil, chili, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings, he probably wouldn’t have even touched it.

But now? He was scarfing it down.

Why? Because nothing makes food taste better than sheer hunger.

…

Half an hour later, both man and Poliwag were stuffed. The half-bucket of seafood they’d collected was gone—mostly eaten by Poliwag.

Now they were lying under the leaky roof of their makeshift shelter, staring at the stars, marveling at the end of another fulfilling day.

Water, fire, food, shelter—the four survival essentials. And he had now secured the most important three: water, fire, and food.

The kelp on that reef could last them for months. Add to that some shellfish and sea snails—and his fishing attempts—and they’d be fine.

He had to admit, the natural resources in the Pokémon world were bountiful—like the real-world, where people could live off the land.

Now that food and water were no longer a concern, it was time to focus on training Poliwag to build up experience. Safety would be the new top priority.

During these past three days of survival, he’d been constantly on edge, avoiding every Pokémon encounter unless the opponent was a fish on dry land.

But with food and water secured, shelter could wait. Safety now came first.

(End of Chapter)

[+50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]