Only someone like Reiji—a blacklisted nobody stranded on a deserted island—would treat a rare, friendly Pokémon like Poliwag as both family and partner, relying on each other to survive.
Just like the saying went:
There are no useless Pokémon—only useless Trainers.
He might not be rich, but he had the proficiency panel.
And he would never allow this low-potential Poliwag to become a forgettable side character doomed to mediocrity.
Now that Poliwag was his, he was determined to raise it into a protagonist—a partner who would one day stand beside him on the championship podium.
He and this little tadpole would earn glory through their fists.
That was his second promise to it.
Pokémon were simple creatures.
They didn't think in complicated ways.
They didn't understand things like being "used," but they could clearly tell who treated them well and who didn't.
And for any person to become a true Trainer, the foundation had to be sincerity toward their Pokémon.
Because Pokémon were the only companions in this world—besides family—who opened their hearts completely to their Trainers.
A Trainer who wasn't sincere would one day pay the price.
Poliwag had followed him loyally, never leaving his side. And Reiji would return that loyalty in full.
That extra half piece of grilled fish was everything he had left—yet he wanted the hardworking little Poliwag to eat more.
Otherwise, how could it grow tall and strong?
And if it didn't grow stronger, how would the two of them survive on this perilous island?
They couldn't even take down a Krabby—the weakest Pokémon on the beach.
At any time, stronger Pokémon could appear and threaten their lives.
He now had the proficiency panel, a starter Pokémon, and food.
He saw no reason why he couldn't fight for a better future.
Even if he died on the path to the top, it would be worth it.
At least he would've tried.
"Poliwag, this is for you. I'm already full," Reiji said, patting his stomach and letting out a loud burp to prove it.
Poliwag didn't understand and nudged the grilled fish back toward him.
Seeing that it didn't get the message, Reiji didn't explain further.
Maybe one day, when they got to know each other better, it would understand.
He smiled and gently patted Poliwag's round blue head.
Poliwag didn't resist. On the contrary, it leaned against his leg and seemed to enjoy the touch.
Still confused as to why the human didn't want to eat, Poliwag made a decision—if Reiji didn't eat, then it wouldn't eat either.
"Poliwag, can you use Refresh?" Reiji asked, noticing again the injuries still visible on its tail.
Poliwag tilted its head in confusion.
"Hm?" Reiji scratched his chin.
Sure, they'd bonded a bit, but expecting it to understand something that complex was probably asking too much of the little guy.
So he tried another method.
He grabbed a handful of sand and pretended it was seawater.
He scattered it over Poliwag's body and brushed it off, acting it out.
"See that? Poliwag, it means cleaning yourself—like taking a bath."
He didn't know if Poliwag would understand, but that was the simplest explanation he could come up with using gestures and words.
If even that didn't work, he was out of ideas.
Poliwag imitated him, scooping sand with its tail and flinging it onto its body, then shaking the sand off.
Then it looked at Reiji, still confused.
"No, no—not with sand. It's a move—like Double Slap. You're supposed to use Refresh to clean yourself," Reiji explained again.
But Poliwag still tilted its head, clearly not getting it.
In the end, he decided to demonstrate directly.
He found a bloodstain on his arm—left over from cleaning the Carvanha—and used his other hand to wipe it away.
"Poliwag, watch this. Refresh means…"
He rubbed the blood away until his skin was clean.
"See? That's Refresh. I want you to use Refresh to heal your tail."
He pointed to the wounds on Poliwag's tail, still stained with blood—just like his arm had been.
This time, Poliwag finally seemed to understand. Reiji wanted it to use a move—to clean its body.
Poliwag took a deep breath, face turning red from exertion.
Then a white light glowed over its body, sweeping across its skin and tail, cleaning it significantly.
Seeing that, Reiji immediately checked the proficiency panel—Refresh had increased from 0.1% to 0.2%.
So as long as a move was used, proficiency increased.
That meant he needed to have Poliwag use its moves more often.
But only after eating—otherwise, it would backfire.
Using Refresh while exhausted and starving would only drain it further.
He looked back at Poliwag's tail.
The shallower wounds had already scabbed over.
Only the deeper ones remained.
Refresh: Allows the body to rest, curing poison, paralysis, burns, and other status conditions.
According to the description, it removed status effects.
And if wounds counted as a type of abnormal status, then this move was extremely valuable—a literal lifesaver.
Even though it didn't restore stamina, just being able to heal status conditions made it a practical and powerful move.
This little tadpole might not have had much potential, but its move pool was surprisingly solid.
The more he looked at it, the more satisfied he felt.
But after just one use of Refresh, Poliwag seemed wobbly on its feet and looked ready to fall asleep.
Reiji quickly reached out to catch it, remembering the first part of the move description: Allows the body to rest.
He gently cradled Poliwag in his lap, stroking its round blue head to help it relax.
There was no better rest than sleep.
Poliwag, nestled against Reiji, looked up and saw it was him.
Its body relaxed, and its little pink lips smacked twice before it fell asleep with a blissful expression.
The fire crackled gently, warming both man and Pokémon.
Reiji softly petted the little Pokémon, the two castaways leaning against each other, sharing warmth.
They passed the most peaceful night they'd had yet.
This… was the beginning of a new story.
[+50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]