On a small island off the coast of the Kanto region

As Jin predicted, there was a problem with the ship. Currently, Orla, the Engineer, is leading the repair planning. Because of this, Jin and the others have to stay on this island until the repairs are complete.

Meanwhile, Jin and the others...

"Fuecoco, where are you?"

"Meow~"

"Where are you, Fuecoco?"

"Manec! Manectric!"

Together with Liko, Sprigatito, and Manectric, Jin was searching the forest for Fuecoco. The reason for this search goes back to about an hour ago.

＊＊＊

"Alright! That's everything prepared."

"Okay, I'll start handing it out."

At that moment, Jin and Liko were serving food to the Pokémon. Since they couldn't help with the ship repairs, they took on this task to contribute in some way. However, they soon noticed a problem.

"Huh? Where's Fuecoco?"

Despite it being mealtime, the gluttonous Fuecoco was nowhere to be seen.

"That's strange... It's not like him to miss mealtime."

Though they had only known Fuecoco for a few days, both Jin and Liko knew how much he loved to eat. For Fuecoco not to show up for food was definitely odd.

"Let's go look for him."

"Yeah."

Worried, Jin and Liko decided to search the ship for Fuecoco. Their search results could be summarized as follows:

*Testimony 1: Galley - Murdock*

"No, I haven't seen him."

"Woof woof!"

"Oh, right... He was trying to sneak some food in the kitchen and got scolded by Rockruff."

*Testimony 2: Infirmary - Mollie*

"Fuecoco? Have you checked the observation deck? He always waits there for Charizard to return. He seems to admire Charizard a lot; maybe that's why he stayed on this ship."

Murdock's testimony wasn't very helpful, but Mollie's was valuable, so they searched the observation deck. However...

"He's not here either."

"I thought there was a chance he might be here."

"Where could he have gone?"

"Hmm... Maybe there are still places we haven't searched, or maybe we missed him. For example... the kitchen, inside the fridge, the food storage area."

"Those are all the same place."

"...Yeah."

It was hard to break the association of Fuecoco with food. However, the search took a significant turn when they found something on the wing deck.

"These are... claw marks."

The claw marks led from the central area of the wing deck outward.

"No way..."

With Fuecoco missing and the claw marks leading toward the sea, one possibility came to Jin and Liko's minds.

"Do you think he fell into the sea?"

From this height, he would likely be okay. However, Fuecoco is a Fire-type Pokémon. Even if he wasn't injured, he could be temporarily weakened. If he encountered aggressive wild Pokémon in that state, it could be dangerous.

"We have no choice... Let's go find him."

"Yes!"

＊＊＊

Given the situation, Jin and the others were searching for Fuecoco. They had found footprints on the beach that they believed belonged to Fuecoco, and these tracks led into the forest. Given the circumstances, it was certain that Fuecoco was in this forest.

"Fuecoco, where did you go?"

"The forest is so big; we need to find him as quickly as possible."

"Manec!"

"Meow!"

Since they couldn't search the forest aimlessly, they teamed up with Manectric, who had been very helpful during the search for Sprigatito, and it seemed their efforts were already paying off.

"What's this?"

"This… looks like leftovers from Oran Berries and Sitrus Berries?"

Manectric and the others had sniffed out a large amount of leftover berries.

"Did Fuecoco eat all of these?"

"Rai!"

"He really is a glutton. To consume this much…"

However, seeing the berry leftovers, Jin started to have a suspicion.

"No... wait a minute. Can Fuecoco really gather this many berries by himself?"

Fuecoco was small and still couldn't use many techniques. Collecting this quantity of berries alone seemed unlikely, both in terms of capability and time.

"If that's the case, it's more natural to think they were already here."

It would make sense if either humans or wild Pokémon had gathered and stored the berries for their own food. However, this raised another problem.

"If it's wild Pokémon... this could be problematic."

"Liko, we need to leave here."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain later. For now, we need to get out of here."

Staying here might lead to them being blamed for eating the berries. If that happened, the Pokémon would likely take out their anger on Jin and the others. They needed to leave before that happened.

Rustle rustle

"Oh…"

However, their plan was interrupted by Pokémon emerging from the bushes.

"…Looks like we're too late."

The Pokémon that appeared glared angrily at the berry remnants and at Jin and the others, then surrounded them to prevent their escape.

(Caterpie, Weedle, Oddish, Bellsprout, Diglett, and Scyther... two of each. Their levels seem low, but they're pretty agitated.)

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Just as Jin thought, the Pokémon were extremely agitated and angry. It was clear they wouldn't let them go without a fight.

"Are they... angry?"

"They think we stole their berries."

"That's... terrible!"

(...Wait a minute. If Fuecoco is the culprit, it's hard to argue we're entirely innocent.)

If Fuecoco was indeed the one who ate the berries, then Jin and Liko, as his companions, bore some responsibility.

"Either way, it looks like convincing them otherwise is going to be tough... Liko, stay behind me."

"W-What are we going to do?"

"...Well..."

"Rai!"

"We're not going to battle them... that would be too much."

Defeating them would be easy, but since the issue stemmed from Fuecoco eating their food, Jin didn't want to escalate the situation.

(I want to calm them down without causing injuries... so...)

"Come out, Gardevoir."

Jin called out Gardevoir from its Poké Ball, intending to calm the wild Pokémon without hurting them. As soon as Gardevoir appeared, the wild Pokémon took it as a signal to battle. Caterpie and Weedle tried to stop Gardevoir's movements with String Shot.

"Gardevoir, use Confusion."

"Garde!"

However, before the strings could hit, Gardevoir's Confusion halted them in mid-air.

"Send it back to them."

Gardevoir controlled the strings and sent them back, wrapping Caterpie and Weedle in their own webbing, immobilizing them.

"Now, stop the other Pokémon with Imprison!"

The remaining Pokémon, already unsettled by the quick defeat of Caterpie and Weedle, were immobilized by Gardevoir's Imprison.

"Wow... Gardevoir stopped all of them."

"Meow~"

"We're not done yet."

They successfully stopped the rampaging Pokémon, but the problem wasn't entirely solved. The Pokémon were still angry and hungry, having lost their food. Jin knew that unless they provided replacement food, the Pokémon's anger wouldn't subside.

"I hope this will make things right..."

Jin took out a Pokéblock case from his shoulder bag and began feeding the Pokéblocks to the surrounding Pokémon. At first, they hesitated, but soon started eating and gradually their expressions softened.

"They've calmed down... Jin, what did you give them?"

"These? My special homemade Pokéblocks. Just one is enough to make them feel very satisfied."

These Pokéblocks, prepared before his journey with Liko, were a blend of various berries. Not only did they taste great, but they also had the unique effect of providing the satisfaction of several meals in just one bite.

(Such a Pokéblock exists?)

"It looks like they've calmed down."

"Thank goodness."

"These were actually meant to be emergency rations, but... oh well."

Rustle, rustle.

"Hmm?"

Jin looked towards the sound and saw another Scyther emerge from the bushes, this one with a cross-shaped scar on its forehead.

"Is there another one? Here, have a Pokébloc—"

Before Jin could finish his sentence, the Scyther attacked, slashing down with one of its scythes.

"Jin!?"

Jin quickly withdrew his arm holding the Pokéblock and jumped back to create some distance.

"I'm fine. It didn't hit me."

(But that was sudden.)

"Manec!"

"Garde!"

Seeing Jin under attack, Manectric and Gardevoir quickly moved to shield him from the Scyther.

However, the Scyther showed no signs of stopping. It launched Air Slashes from both its scythes.

(Air Slash!!)

"Gardevoir, use Light Screen!"

Gardevoir's Light Screen blocked the Air Slashes.

"Eek!"

Although the attacks were blocked, the impact and noise couldn't be contained. Liko, standing behind Jin, let out a scream from the intense power.

"Scyther!"

Frustrated by its ineffective attacks, the Scyther continued to unleash a barrage of Air Slashes. Jin and his Pokémon were safe behind the Light Screen, but the wild Pokémon nearby were not as fortunate.

"Ahhh!"

One of the Air Slashes forcefully launched by the Scyther struck the ground right next to the Caterpie, where the wild Pokémon had been.

"Caterpie and the others!"

(This is... bad.)

Jin immediately sensed that this Scyther was on a completely different level compared to the other wild Pokémon. If Caterpie and the others were hit by attacks from such a high-level Scyther, they wouldn't come out unscathed.

"Stop it! You're going to hit your own allies!"

"Scyther!"

However, the Scyther paid no heed and continued its assault.

"Why isn't it stopping?"

"It seems it doesn't listen… Looks like it's not one of their allies."

Upon closer observation, it was evident that the wild Pokémon were terrified of the Scyther in front of them. It might be the boss of this area… or perhaps the problem child of this island.

"I guess there's no choice… Gardevoir, stay here and protect Liko and the Caterpie."

"Garde!? "

"That's not okay! We'll fight too!"

"Nyaa!"

Indeed, with Sprigatito, Manectric, and Gardevoir, they would undoubtedly win if they fought together.

But—

"It's just one opponent. I don't like the idea of ganging up on it with multiple Pokémon."

This was Jin's stubbornness. While he understood that swapping Pokémon or fighting with multiple Pokémon was necessary when facing a powerful enemy or in a dire situation, the current situation did not warrant such measures.

"But still!"

"Liko… you trust me, don't you?"

Jin looked straight at Liko with a smile, asking her this.

(…Jin, that part of you is really unfair.)

With that question, Liko's answer was already decided.

"...Okay. Just don't do anything reckless."

"Got it. Gardevoir, I'm counting on you."

"…Garde!"

Following Jin's instructions, Gardevoir quickly teleported to stand in front of Liko and Sprigatito, protecting the Caterpie with a newly cast Light Screen.

The Scyther, startled by the sudden disappearance of its target, stopped its attack momentarily. However, it quickly spotted Gardevoir and prepared to resume its assault.

"Manectric, use Thunder Wave to stop its movements!"

"Manectric!"

Manectric fired Thunder Wave at the Scyther, attempting to paralyze it. But the Scyther, seeing the attack coming, crossed its scythes in front of its chest and spun around, deflecting the Thunder Wave.

"What!?"

The Scyther used Sword Dance, which wasn't typically a defensive move, to not only defend but also boost its own attack power—an efficient two-in-one strategy.

(...This one is quite experienced in battle.)

"Scyther!"

After finishing Sword Dance, the Scyther rushed towards Manectric with increased speed, spreading its wings and preparing to use Wing Attack.

"Are you okay, Manectric?"

"Manec!"

Manectric seemed to be fine continuing the battle. Although Flying-type moves are halved against Electric-types, considering that this Wing Attack was boosted by Sword Dance, it dealt more damage than expected.

(I see… This Scyther must have the Technician ability.)

The Technician ability boosts the power of moves with a base power of 60 or less by 1.5 times. Given this, it makes sense that the Scyther's Wing Attack was stronger than usual.

(Probably, this Scyther has the Technician ability, is at a high level, and is quite fast and fond of battling... Not bad.)

"Scyther… you're pretty impressive."

"Scy?"

"Initially, I thought it would be enough just to immobilize you. But I've changed my mind. From now on, I'm going to defeat you with everything I've got!"

"Scyther!"

If you can, give it a try! The Scyther, seemingly challenging Jin, raised its scythes and charged at Manectric.

"Manectric, use Quick Attack to disorient it!"

Manectric boosted its speed with Quick Attack, evading the Scyther's assault while moving rapidly in all directions to keep the Scyther from focusing on it.

"Now! Use Extreme Speed!"

Seeing that the Scyther lost track of Manectric's movements, Manectric struck from behind with Extreme Speed.

Though hit, the Scyther quickly recovered and, finding the ground battle disadvantageous, spread its wings and flew into the air.

The Scyther then used Double Team to create four copies of itself, surrounding Manectric from all directions and leaving it no escape. All four Scythers, including the originals and their copies, closed in on Manectric.

"It's battle-hardened, but still naive! Manectric, use Thunder Wave!"

Manectric unleashed Thunder Wave, aiming to paralyze all four Scyther. The copies were hit, but the real Scyther anticipated the attack and, as before, used Sword Dance to try and deflect the Thunder Wave.

However, it wasn't able to completely deflect the Thunder Wave this time and was hit.

(Just as planned!)

Sword Dance was indeed impressive in defense, but it had some weaknesses. One such weakness was that it couldn't fully perform in mid-air.

When applying Sword Dance defensively, a stable footing is required. For instance, on the ground, it could spin enough to deflect attacks, but in the air, the spinning is insufficient to fully deflect an attack.

"Manectric! Use Rain Dance!"

"Manectric!"

Manectric stopped Thunder Wave temporarily and used Rain Dance, creating a small rain cloud above.

"This will decide it! Thunder!"

A much more powerful Thunder than before shot straight from the rain cloud at the Scyther. The Scyther, regaining its freedom after Thunder Wave ceased, tried to evade the attack but couldn't escape the now-unavoidable Thunder in the rain, taking massive damage and falling from the air to the ground.

"Now, go Poké Ball!"

The ball Jin threw hit the Scyther, enveloping it in red light and closing. The ball wobbled slowly from side to side before making a click and stopping.

"Alright, Scyther caught!"

"Manectric!"

"Garde!"

Manectric, who fought alongside Jin, and Gardevoir, who had been protecting the Pokémon while observing the battle, were all happy. Picking up the Poké Ball containing the captured Scyther, Jin began operating his Pokédex.

(This Scyther really does have the Technician ability… Its attack stats are quite high, and its speed isn't bad either. It's an unexpected find.)

However, with Scyther now added to his team, Jin has a total of seven Pokémon and needs to send one back.

(Scyther is the lowest level, and I want to focus on raising it. For now, I'll send back one of the other Pokémon.)

After thinking it over, Jin decides to temporarily send Milotic back to Professor Birch's lab. Although Jin had managed with just six Pokémon from the start of his journey to the Ever Grande Conference, he would need to regularly rotate his Pokémon in the future.

"Jin! You did it—"

"Wow!" …Huh?

Liko approaches Jin to say something, but her words are interrupted by another person.

(Huh? Huh? Who?)

Turning toward the voice, Jin sees a boy with a slightly tanned complexion and a younger appearance watching him with sparkling eyes from a tree. However, what catches Jin's attention even more is the Pokémon perched on the boy's shoulder.

(Fuecoco… Oh right, I came here to look for him.)

Indeed, Jin had completely forgotten in the midst of being attacked by wild Pokémon, but he had originally come here to find Fuecoco.

"Wow, you caught that Scyther! Hey, hey! Are you perhaps an amazing trainer?!"

"Uh… maybe."

"I knew it!"

The boy, with Fuecoco on his shoulder, climbs down from the tree and approaches Jin with a beaming smile.

"I'm Roy! So, what's your name?"

---

Jin's Current Pokémon Team:

- Sceptile

- Aggron

- Salamence

- Manectric

- Gardevoir

- Milotic

- Scyther

Even though Jin had just shown out his six Pokémon, he had already caught a new Pokémon, and it was a completely original Scyther. The reason is that while rewatching the anime, I couldn't resist the urge to get a Scyther. Also, though it's a Mega Evolution Pokémon, hehe I have no regrets!

// END

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