[Bonus Chapter]
Metapod was soon "done"—burst open from the intense flames, releasing an overwhelming aroma of roasted protein.
To avoid wasting the gooey protein that leaked from within the cocoon,Reiji scooped the roasted Metapod into a cooking pot.
Due to the evolution process altering its form, most of the internal protein had already broken down and hadn't yet restructured. So after being cooked, it turned into a thick paste-like substance.
Looking at the sludgy contents in the pot, Reiji couldn't help but think of Indian curry.
No matter the ingredient, once in Indian hands, it always seemed to turn into some kind of paste.
But honestly, that wasn't their fault—such mushy foods are easier on the stomach and aid digestion. So turning everything into a mush was reasonable.
Crack, crack—
Once he cracked open the entire Metapod, the gooey food poured out, filling the pot to the brim and even overflowing.
There was still more protein clinging inside the shell, so Reiji lifted the pot and gave it a test heft. It was heavy—about six or seven kilograms. Even the pot was overflowing. He ended up using the metal cup and frying pan to hold the excess paste.
He had already moved most of his essential supplies to the temporary shelter. The frying pan, as always, was Poliwag's food bowl, and now it was filled with Metapod goo.
According to official data, Metapod weighed 9.9 kilograms. Reiji had already sensed its heaviness when he first picked it up.
Subtracting the weight of the shell, the rest was pure meat. He hadn't expected it to be this much.
Turns out, catching a Metapod was far more cost-effective than Caterpie.
Likely, the evolution process had burned through Caterpie's stored energy, increasing its body mass up to ten kilograms.
"Well, whatever—let's eat first," Reiji said, filling Poliwag's frying pan to the brim so it could eat its fill.
He knew Poliwag hadn't eaten enough at lunch. Of the roughly 2 kg Caterpie, Poliwag had only eaten around 1.5 kg—barely enough to fill its belly.
"Dig in, Poliwag. The sooner you eat, the sooner we train. And don't worry about dinner—we still have one more Caterpie."
After loading up Poliwag's pan, Reiji urged it to start eating. The sun was already touching the horizon—they didn't have much daylight left for training.
"Yoyo," Poliwag, seeing the pot still brimming with food, didn't hesitate. It immediately began scarfing it down.
The sight reminded Reiji of a piglet at home. Quite literally. The way it ate really did look pig-like.
But since Poliwag had no arms, it really didn't have any other choice.
Stifling a laugh, Reiji took a sip from his own metal cup. Since the protein had turned to mush, drinking it was the easiest method.
The first sip… didn't taste like much.
The second sip… was bitter. Very bland. Not even salty. Probably because Caterpie had eaten too many tree leaves, and the resulting protein took on the same flavor.
The previous Caterpie had at least been seasoned with a bit of salty water and grilled, masking the bitter taste of leaves.
This Metapod had been cooked while still sealed, with no seasoning—so all the bitterness came through.
So Reiji poured in some slightly salty cool boiled water to dilute the bitterness. He told himself it was like a light porridge now.
If only he had some sugar. Reiji was a sweet porridge guy—he could never stomach the salty kind.
Seeing that Poliwag's pan was nearly empty, Reiji refilled it once again. Poliwag was still growing, and only a full belly would give it the energy to train.
"Yoyo…" Poliwag hesitated, not because it was full, but because it was worried Reiji wouldn't have enough for himself.
"There's still plenty. It's like six or seven kilos of meat porridge. How could I finish all this?" Reiji chuckled helplessly. His stomach wasn't that strong—he could maybe handle a kilo at most. And that's after diluting it.
"Come on, eat up. Don't go blaming me if you're too weak to train later," Reiji scolded half-jokingly.
"Yoyo." Poliwag understood and dove back in.
While Poliwag devoured its food, Reiji slowly sipped on his own porridge—yes, let's just call it meat porridge. Calling it goop all the time made him feel uncomfortable.
As he drank, he opened Poliwag's skill panel.
[Poliwag]
Type: Water
Gender: Male
Potential: 31%
Level: 7.97%
Ability: Damp / 0.53%
Hidden Ability: Swift Swim / 1.53%
Known Moves:
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 / 4.32%
After defeating two Caterpie and one Metapod, and feasting on Caterpie twice, Poliwag had gained a nice chunk of experience—nearly level 8.
Clearly, combat and eating were the fastest ways to level up.
Hypnosis only improved by 0.2%—he'd only used it twice. But Double Slap finally passed 3%. Worth celebrating.
Even Pound had been dragged up a little thanks to Double Slap—albeit slowly.
Water Gun only rose by 0.2%—better than nothing. From now on, it'd mostly be slow and steady grinding.
To make significant progress with moves, he needed to raise Poliwag's level first. If level growth stalled, then he'd focus on pushing move mastery.
Level was tied to a Pokémon's innate limits—something set from birth and hard to change. Altering it came with huge costs.
Move mastery, though? That was limited by laziness.
With enough practice, even the most basic move like Water Gun could become extraordinary.
More accuracy, more power, more speed. If the density was high enough and the aim was dead-on, Water Gun could strike the same spot every time.
One or two hits didn't matter much, but ten or twenty Water Guns to the same weak point? That'd drop anyone.
Thankfully, he didn't need to get to that point—yet. That's for when leveling becomes impossible.
Specialization in moves could help compensate for lacking potential.
"Poliwag, are you done? Let's head to the beach for more target practice," Reiji said as he closed the panel.
He waved for Poliwag to follow. The sun hadn't quite set—just enough time to watch the sunset and squeeze in more training.
"Yoyo—hic—yo," Poliwag licked the bottom of its pan, then ran its little tongue around its lips, cleaning up the food bits, before letting out a big, satisfied burp.
"Good. Now that you're full, it's the perfect time for some post-meal exercise. Let's keep working on Water Gun accuracy," Reiji said, covering the pot of meat porridge before heading to the shore.
When they arrived, the tide had just gone out. No tide-pooling tonight—not that they needed more food.
Poliwag dove into the water while Reiji sat on the sand and began tossing pebbles.
He watched as Poliwag focused intently, trying to hit the stones mid-air with its Water Gun.
Once he recovered fully, Reiji knew he'd have to start training his own body too.
He couldn't become a Pokémon Trainer with a constantly sickly body. Trainers were practically superhuman.
As much as he hated to admit it, that was the truth.
Every famous Trainer he knew had the physique of a special forces soldier—doing 90-degree flips mid-air without breaking a sweat.
As for those cheat users? Best not to mention them…
(End of Chapter)
[+50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]