Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

[Caterpie]

Type: Bug

Gender: Female

Potential: 41%

Level: 5.67%

Ability: Shield Dust / 1.31%

Moves Known:

Tackle / 2.51%

String Shot / 1.87%

”Yo-ho, this Caterpie’s potential isn’t bad at all...”

This was the Caterpie they’d caught in the later grass patch, and with a potential of 41%, it was the highest of any Pokémon Reiji had encountered so far.

Still, he chose not to keep it. Based on his previous gaming experience, level 100 was considered max level, roughly equivalent to an elite Champion’s Pokémon.

But this wasn’t a game—it was real life. Max level? Yeah, right.

To quote a famous person: ”There are no two identical leaves in the world.” That alone proves that there’s no such thing as a truly maxed-out Pokémon.

Legendary Pokémon, of course, follow a different standard. He hadn’t seen one himself, so he wouldn’t pretend to know.

Assuming ”max level” doesn’t exist, then level 80 to 90 might be the upper limit for a regular trainer’s Pokémon—excluding those who tame legendaries.

Which meant that, logically, the easiest way to reach those heights would be to start with a Pokémon whose potential was in the 80s or 90s.

But that... was pure fantasy. Total wishful thinking.

So he’d settle for second-best: he’d only consider capturing Pokémon with potential above 60%.

That was his benchmark—unless the Pokémon was something special.

For example, a shiny Pokémon. Or one with inherited moves. Or a hidden ability.

Like the Crystal Onix from the Orange Islands that wasn’t afraid of water. Or that giant Dragonite from Bill’s lighthouse…

Of all those, the one he wanted most was the Crystal Onix—resistant to water, a perfect fit for his rain team.

And if he could ever reel in a golden Magikarp, he’d raise it for sure—even if he looked down on Magikarp otherwise. It was golden, after all. He’d raise it just for the novelty. Daydreams count, right?

As for pseudo-legendaries or starter Pokémon? He hadn’t even considered them. The odds were too low.

And if he ever became strong enough to casually get those kinds of Pokémon… he probably wouldn’t even need them anymore.

Could he ever be like Ash and pick up a starter from the side of the road?

Not likely. If his theory was right and every starter Pokémon had at least Elite Four-level potential, the League would definitely reclaim any lost ones. They wouldn’t be left to roam free.

You think Elite Four-tier Pokémon grow on trees?

He’d already caught so many Pokémon on this island and hadn’t even seen one above 50% potential—let alone 60%.

The highest potential he’d found so far was this completely unremarkable Caterpie. No hidden ability, no inherited moves, not even shiny. Just plain old basic.

Still, even with nothing but ordinary catches, as long as he caught enough, he was bound to find one or two high-potential Pokémon, right?

…Why did that sudden guilty feeling hit him out of nowhere?

Could he really be that unlucky? Would he really never find even one?

Was it that Pokémon with 60% potential were just that rare?

Even after lowering his bar by 25%, limiting captures to only those above 60% or those with special traits, it still felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Forget it. Take it slow. No rush. He’d rather have quality over quantity. Poliwag was enough for now.

Putting the Caterpie’s Poké Ball away, Reiji returned to training Poliwag’s Water Gun.

Once the move’s mastery surpassed 5% and its accuracy stabilized at 80%, the sky was already darkening. He called it a day.

”Poliwag, time to go back,” Reiji stood and called toward the sea.

”Yoo, yoo!” Poliwag stopped training, panting as it swam back to shore, chirping happily.

”Tired from all the training? Let’s go eat.” Reiji knelt down and patted Poliwag’s round little head, scooped up its damp, slippery body, and headed back to camp.

”Yoyo,” Poliwag shook its head. Not tired.

That surprised Reiji—not Poliwag’s stamina, but the fact that it could now understand what he was saying. It had even learned to nod and shake its head. That was real progress. It was getting smarter by the day.

With communication improving, Reiji smiled and said, ”Not tired, huh? Then let’s get you a good meal…”

Back at the temporary shelter, he reheated the leftover protein porridge over the fire with some cool boiled water, then poured it into Poliwag’s frying pan.

”You eat first, Poliwag. I’ve got a few things to take care of,” Reiji said, calming the little guy’s urge to wait for him before eating, then headed to the beach where he’d buried some water buckets.

Originally, there had been more than 20 buckets. A few were crushed by the fallen tree, but over a dozen still remained, all filled with fresh water. Enough to last at least two weeks.

To prevent evaporation, he’d covered each bucket with foam boards.

They weren’t lacking firewood either. The fallen tree hadn’t snapped from swaying—it had been hollowed out by bugs. No wonder it hadn’t survived the storm.

Yes, you, Caterpie…

He had once chosen that tree for shelter. Turns out it was rotten to the core. But at least it had provided them with firewood. Not a total loss.

The four essentials for survival: Water, fire, food, shelter.

His current priority was shelter. If he didn’t want to end up soaked again, he needed something that could block the rain, store dry wood, and safely hold fire.

That fallen tree trunk seemed like a good material—naturally dried, tough.

But… build a shelter? He didn’t know how! And that sucked.

With no proper tools, how was he supposed to build a house alone? It wasn’t like stacking Legos.

”Ugh, forget it. Thinking about it just pisses me off,” Reiji muttered as he returned to the shelter with a bucket of water and set it to boil.

He wasn’t hungry after dinner. There was still plenty of meat porridge left. Poliwag’s energy had been fully restored.

Even if it hadn’t eaten its fill, it was better not to go to bed too stuffed.

Leaning against the tree trunk, the fire crackling, Poliwag snuggled in his arms making little smacking noises.

Honestly, life on the island was starting to feel… cozy.

As long as it didn’t rain. Please, don’t rain. Don’t rain. Don’t—

He was really traumatized. Rain was his mortal enemy now.

Sipping warm water by the fire, Reiji opened the status panel he’d already looked at countless times.

[Poliwag]

Type: Water

Gender: Male

Potential: 31.01%

Level: 8.01%

Ability: Damp / 0.53%

Hidden Ability: Swift Swim / 1.53%

Moves Known:

Mind Reader / 0.21%

Ice Ball / 0.31%

Refresh / 0.51%

Bubble / 1.31%

Hypnosis / 0.72%

Double Slap / 3.14%

Pound / 0.71%

Water Gun / 5.01%

(End of Chapter)

[+50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]