Jin and Liko ventured into a forest on a small island off the coast of Kanto, searching for the missing Fuecoco. There, they encountered a boy who had been with Fuecoco.

"Hey, hey! Tell me!"

"Ah, I'm Jin, and this is Liko. Nice to meet you."

"N-Nice to meet you..."

The boy they met in the forest was named Roy. Following Roy's lead, Jin and Liko introduced themselves as well.

"That battle just now was amazing! It was my first time seeing a battle up close, and it was really impressive!"

"Ha ha, thanks."

"Where did you two come from? How did you get to this island? Do you have other Pokémon? Tell me, tell me!"

Roy, bursting with excitement, fired off questions like a machine gun. He was already standing close, but with each question, he stepped closer to Jin, until they were almost touching.

(...This kid is really close.)

Liko watched the two with a slightly complicated expression. The only consolation was that Roy was a boy. If Roy had been a girl, things might not have been this simple.

"Hey, calm down."

Jin put a hand on Roy's face to create some distance.

"Oh... Sorry! I've never met anyone my age on this island before, so I got a bit carried away..."

"Don't worry about it. I have some questions for you, too."

Jin had many things he wanted to ask, such as about Fuecoco and the Scyther he had just caught. It was definitely worth exchanging information.

"But first..."

"Yeah?"

"Excuse me for a moment."

Jin lifted Fuecoco, who was perched on Roy's shoulder, up to eye level.

"Fue?"

"Fuecoco, did you eat all those berries from that tree?"

"Fue!"

Fuecoco cheerfully raised one hand in response, seemingly confirming Jin's suspicion.

"Just as I thought..."

"Ha ha..."

Jin couldn't help but hold his head in his hands at the predictable reaction, while Liko gave a wry smile.

"So, this one's called Fuecoco, huh?"

"Fuecoco!"

"He sure looks like a Fuecoco. Nice to meet you!"

"Fue~"

(Fue~? Seriously...)

I thought about making Fuecoco understand the trouble it caused, but seeing it happily chatting with Roy made it hard to stay angry.

"Aaaah!"

(Oh... I forgot.)

In the excitement of the battle with Scyther and the sudden appearance of Roy and Fuecoco, Jin had completely forgotten about the wild Pokémon that had attacked us. He had already released them from the 'Bind' move, so most of the Pokémon were free. However, Caterpie and Weedle were still tangled in their own silk, manipulated by Gardevoir's 'Confusion,' and unable to move.

Jin tried to untangle Caterpie and Weedle, but the silk was too tangled and too strong to break. He had to ask the two Scyther present to cut the silk...

"The Pokéblocks you worked so hard to make are all gone."

"..."

As Liko pointed out, Jin's Pokéblock case was completely empty. The Scyther had demanded the Pokéblocks as compensation.

Apparently, they had really enjoyed the taste of Jin's Pokéblocks and were satisfied enough that they thought having those Pokéblocks would mean they wouldn't need to gather food for several days.

"Well... I'll just consider it compensation."

Ultimately, it was Fuecoco's fault, and they were the victims. If that was enough to make them happy, then it was a relief.

However, as for Fuecoco, the one who started it all, it was now happily chatting with Roy. Whatever had happened in that short time, they seemed to have become friends.

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"Well, whatever. Next up."

Jin said, pulling out a Pokéball from his pocket and throwing it to the ground. Out came the Scyther he had just caught.

"...Scy...ther..."

The Scyther that emerged from the ball was on one knee, enduring its injuries. The 'Thunder' attack it had taken directly had paralyzed it, and there were black burn marks all over its body.

"Hey, you're in bad shape."

(Although it was to ensure the win, that last 'Thunder' might have been a bit too much... No, that's just making excuses.)

It was true that using 'Thunder' had inflicted significant damage on Scyther, but it was the best move to secure the victory. Holding back in that moment would have been disrespectful to both Manectric, who fought valiantly, and to Scyther.

Jin took out a specialized Pokémon healing potion from his bag and approached Scyther.

"This might sting a bit."

With a hissing sound, Jin applied the potion to Scyther. Scyther shuddered as the medicine touched its wounds, enduring the pain without making a sound.

"...I thought it during the battle, but you're pretty stubborn, aren't you?"

Jin had sensed this when Scyther kept using 'Air Slash' despite it being ineffective against the 'Light Screen.' Now he was sure.

"Scyther!"

With some of its energy restored, Scyther showed a combative attitude again. If there were a translator, it would likely interpret it as, "Mind your own business!"

"Calm down. I just want to talk."

"..."

"I think you already understand, but I'll say it anyway. You lost the battle and were caught by me."

"Scyther."

"I'm glad you understand quickly. Now, I have a question. Do you want to return to the wild?"

"Scy?"

"Huh?"

Liko and Roy, who were listening nearby, exclaimed in surprise at Jin's question.

"If that's what you wish, I'll set you free."

There was no lie in Jin's words. He had no intention of keeping a Pokémon that didn't want to stay with him.

"But... only if you're satisfied with your current strength."

"Scyther!"

"Scyther, you're strong. That's true. Your battles have shown how many foes you've faced and defeated."

The combination of defense and skill enhancement through 'Swords Dance' was not something that could be achieved overnight. Seeing that alone was enough to understand how much Scyther had honed its skills through countless battles.

"But that's only as a wild Pokémon."

"!"

"You're experienced and high-level, but with your current wild battling style, you won't get any stronger. At least, you won't be able to defeat me or my Pokémon."

"Scytherrr!"

Scyther, angered by those words, pointed one of its scythes straight at Jin, threateningly. The distance between the scythe and Jin was only a few centimeters. At this range, evading an attack like he did earlier would be nearly impossible.

"Jin!"

"Jin, run!"

Seeing this, Roy and Liko instinctively tried to rush to Jin's side, but he raised a hand to stop them.

"I'm still talking."

"..."

"But that's only if you stay in the wild."

"Scy?"

"If you become my Pokémon and endure the training, you can become even stronger. I guarantee it."

The Scyther in front of him certainly had talent for battle. It had a beneficial ability and a strong fighting spirit. Such favorable conditions in a Pokémon were rare.

"You don't have to trust me completely right now. I wouldn't expect you to trust an opponent you were just battling."

Through the battle, they had gotten to know each other a little. However, there was still much they didn't know about each other. Expecting complete trust would be unreasonable.

"So, just give me a little time."

"..."

"If you find that you can't get stronger with me, I'll set you free anytime."

"...Scyther."

After a moment of contemplation, Scyther slowly lowered its scythe and nodded. It seemed to accept his proposition.

"Heh... Return, Scyther."

The red beam from the Pokéball hit Scyther, drawing it back inside. This was the moment Scyther officially became one of Jin's Pokémon.

"Scyther, from now on, let's do our best together."

(Is this... Scyther acknowledging Jin? So this is what it means to catch a Pokémon! Amazing!)

"...That Scyther actually listened to him."

Watching the scene, Liko thought this silently, while Roy blurted it out in amazement.

"Huh? Was this Scyther really that wild?"

"Yeah. Actually, this Scyther isn't native to the island. It suddenly appeared one day and started challenging every Pokémon on the island. It was so strong that no one could defeat it, and when the adults tried to talk to it, it wouldn't listen at all. Everyone was at a loss."

(Wow... that must have been a real problem.)

Liko, having seen the earlier battle, could easily imagine the situation and couldn't help but grimace.

"It was like a wandering swordsman."

"Yeah... exactly like that. That's why I thought it was amazing when Scyther listened to you!"

"Roy, I wasn't too worried about that."

"Huh?"

"Scyther is a proud warrior by nature."

Yes, Scyther was a warrior. It sought to challenge stronger opponents and become stronger itself. That's the nature of Scyther as a Pokémon. A Scyther like that would engage in battle head-on, and while it might feel anger and frustration when its honed skills were defeated, it would also pay due respect to a worthy opponent.

"That's why I believed that if I conveyed my thoughts properly and respected Scyther's will, it would respond."

Pokémon have their own will. As a Trainer, one should never forget that. Jin respected Scyther's will and showed it a path to become stronger, which is why Scyther became his Pokémon.

"...Alright!"

Hearing Jin's words, Roy seemed to think for a moment and then made up his mind about something.

"Hey, Jin. Look at this."

With that, Roy pulled out a strangely shaped Pokéball from his backpack.

"What is that?"

"My treasure. I call it the Ancient Pokéball. I asked my grandpa, and he said it might really be from a long time ago."

"What's inside?"

"Well... actually, my grandpa found it a long time ago, but it doesn't open, so it's probably empty."

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure."

Jin had a fair amount of knowledge about Pokéballs. He had seen various Pokéballs throughout his travels, but he had never seen one like this.

(The Pokéball I saw at the professor's lab from nearly half a century ago had a knob on the top, giving it a distinctly old appearance.)

That one was called a Retro Ball, and it was a bit troublesome to use as a Pokéball since the top knob had to be turned several times.

(But this one looks closer to a modern Pokéball... yet it still feels old and carries a mysterious power.)

"I dream of becoming a Trainer. Not just any Trainer, but one like the ancient adventurers my grandpa told me about when I was little."

"Ancient adventurers?"

"Challenging legendary Pokémon, traveling the world, seeking treasures with their Pokémon! I want to be an adventurer like that!"

"Is that your dream, Roy?"

"Yeah! So... Jin! Please! Be my master!"

Roy looked Jin in the eye, expressing his feelings earnestly.

"...Huh?"

---

This concludes the story of "A Washed-Ashore Treasure."

The story on the island will continue, but if Liko and Roy don't catch any Pokémon soon in the anime, I feel like I might end up making them catch some myself.

// END

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