Seeing that, Reiji no longer fussed over the size of the island. Instead, he pulled out fresh water, Pokémon food, and two food bowls from his bag.

He poured food and water into the bowls—when Pelipper was done resting, it could eat on its own.

Thud, thud, thud—

Reiji then took out four Poké Balls and released Butterfree, Poliwhirl, Spinarak, and Krabby. "Butterfree, Poliwhirl, go scout the island. Krabby and Spinarak, you two stay behind."

"Bii~!" Butterfree studied the unfamiliar island, gave the area a sweeping glance, then took off to scan it from above.

Poliwhirl moved along the coastline, also heading off to explore.

Meanwhile, Reiji took out his map and the compass tucked into his shirt, double-checking his bearings—but he hadn't gone the wrong way.

This wasn't Fukuhara Island No. 4, so it had to be one of the small islets between Fairchild Island and Fukuhara Island No. 4.

He still needed to continue flying in the same direction to reach Fukuhara Island No. 4, and from there recalibrate before heading northeast.

By the time he put away his map and compass, Butterfree and Poliwhirl had returned. Both shook their heads—there was nothing of note on this island.

Seeing that, Reiji pulled out an inflatable tent and a groundsheet from his bag, setting them down on the higher ground amid scattered rocks.

He also took out a coiled plastic pump—like a spring—and handed it to Poliwhirl.

"Poliwhirl, inflate the tent. We'll spend the night here," Reiji said as he set up the tent properly on the mat before letting Poliwhirl start pumping.

By the time the tent was ready, dinner was as well. It was a simple spread—rice, meat, bread, Berries, honey, and various seasonings...

The firewood came from dry branches he'd collected during his time on the previous uninhabited island.

While eating dinner, he released the rest of his team: Rhyhorn, Wishiwashi, Magikarp, and Slowpoke.

Including Poliwhirl, that made nine Pokémon—but no Farfetch'd.

As his team ate, he also brought out a jar of honey, pouring some for Pelipper along with an Oran Berry to restore its strength.

Poliwhirl had been through the toughest training over the past couple of days.

But these past two days, Pelipper had been the one carrying him through the skies—it was now the one most exhausted.

Later tonight, Krabby and Spinarak would have to stand guard—those two would be working hard as well.

During dinner, Rhyhorn tried to sneak some of Pelipper's honey but got a light tap on the head from Reiji, who told it to wait until they returned to civilization. There'd be plenty of good food then.

While they ate, he heard dull thunder rumbling from the moonless sky. It was probably going to rain hard tonight.

After finishing dinner with his Pokémon, he put out the fire and recalled two of the "slow duo," Rhyhorn and Slowpoke, back into their Poké Balls.

Those four—plus Pelipper and Butterfree—were all better off resting inside their balls.

Outside, only Poliwhirl, Spinarak, and Krabby remained.

Before sleeping, he decided to reinforce the tent by pulling four cords from each corner and tying them securely to heavy rocks—just in case strong winds came.

He tugged each rope to check the knots. Once satisfied, he crawled into the tent. Poliwhirl followed him in.

Rain began to fall lightly outside. He had originally planned for Krabby and Spinarak to stand guard outside.

But with the rain coming down, he had no choice but to bring them in too.

"Krabby, Spinarak—come inside to keep watch."

"Ko-cha-ko-cha," Krabby responded, crawling into the tent. Spinarak joined as well.

The outside watch was canceled. Spinarak clung upside down in the corner of the tent. Krabby and Poliwhirl slept on one side, while Reiji took the other. The rest remained in their Poké Balls.

The inflatable tent wasn't very large—it could barely fit Reiji and three Pokémon. Any more would've been impossible.

After bidding his Pokémon good night, Reiji drifted off. He and Pelipper had been flying all day—both of them were utterly spent. Pelipper was already fast asleep.

Best to rest early. Tomorrow was another day of travel.

He hoped to reach an inhabited island—Kinnow Island—by tomorrow evening.

…

The next day. Day two of the journey to Kinnow Island.

The uninhabited-island survival segment was over, so he wouldn't count the days like that anymore.

After last night's downpour, the sky had cleared once more. It was another sunny day with a cloudless blue sky.

They still had to continue flying today, aiming to reach Kinnow Island.

Compared to dreary rain, Reiji much preferred the blazing sun. Sunny weather meant fewer hassles. But he did feel bad for Pelipper—it had to fly under this harsh sun.

He rose early, let Pelipper out of its Poké Ball, then returned Krabby and Spinarak, leaving only Poliwhirl.

He prepared a quick breakfast: three portions—one for himself, one for Pelipper, and one for Poliwhirl.

The others didn't get breakfast—since they weren't going to be active today and would be resting inside their Poké Balls, they didn't need to eat.

After their rushed breakfast, he packed up the inflatable tent and didn't linger on this sparse island, which was only a few hundred meters wide.

He recalled Poliwhirl, pulled out his compass and map, recalibrated direction, and they took off again.

The journey so far had been surprisingly smooth—and he hoped it would stay that way. Ideally, they'd make it to Kinnow Island without any drama.

That was also why he chose to fly during the day under clear skies.

This time, they hadn't flown long before spotting a much larger island—twenty to thirty times the size of the one they'd slept on.

It was also far more resource-rich. It even had forests.

"Pelipper, fly over and check it out—don't land," Reiji said, guessing that this was likely Fukuhara Island No. 4.

Pelipper soared above the island, circling but not descending.

Reiji took the chance to observe and saw no signs of human activity—no structures or buildings either.

The island resembled Fairchild Island and also had an inland lake, though the lake was more like a lagoon than a prairie lake.

Upon seeing that lagoon, Reiji confirmed—it was indeed Fukuhara Island No. 4. They had only flown for about half an hour and already arrived.

And inside that lagoon was where Kabuto slept.

After finding a landing spot along the inner edge of the lagoon, Reiji had Pelipper land.

He remembered, from watching the anime in his previous life, that the cliffside of this lagoon had once been broken through by Nurse Joy's archaeological team—revealing a tunnel that led to Kabuto's resting chamber.

But if he wanted to go in, there was no need to break the cliff. There should be an underwater passage beneath the lagoon that led into Kabuto's chamber.

"Breeeh!" Pelipper suddenly let out a startled cry at the clear water below—apparently spotting something interesting.

"What's that? Kabuto? So there are still active Kabuto here... No wonder the others got discovered," Reiji muttered as he looked down into the water and saw stones moving.

Upon closer inspection—yes, those were Kabuto. Had he not known in advance, he wouldn't have recognized them at a glance. Their appearance closely resembled trilobites—shell-like and segmented, classic arthropods.

Even so, he had no intention of catching them. Instead, he sent out Poliwhirl.

"Poliwhirl, scare them off into the water—see where they disappear to, then block the entrance."

"Yobo!" Poliwhirl peered into the water, also spotting the moving stones—those must be Kabuto.

With a leap, it splashed into the water, startling the Kabuto into swimming away beneath a large rock. Poliwhirl followed.

There, under the rock, it found a wide cave opening. It began shifting stones to block the entrance, sealing off the exit for the Kabuto—just as Reiji had asked.

Poliwhirl resurfaced shortly after, calling out to Reiji, "Yobo! Yobo!"

"I saw it. Good job, Poliwhirl. Come back now," Reiji said, recalling it into its Poké Ball. He pulled out his compass and map again, recalibrated toward Kinnow Island, and took off from Fukuhara Island No. 4 on Pelipper.

What they didn't realize was that their every move had been silently watched by an elderly man with graying hair.

After they left, the old man stepped to where they'd landed and stared into the now-cloudy lagoon water.

He released his Tentacruel, which dispersed the murkiness—revealing the massive stones Poliwhirl had moved.

He remembered clearly: that was the exit Kabuto used. Now it was blocked.

"That kid…" the old man murmured. Realizing the chamber had been discovered, he knew Kabuto could no longer be hidden.

Yet the boy hadn't tried to capture any—he'd actively concealed them instead.

"That boy knew Kabuto were here… yet felt no greed? What a strange kid…"

He muttered to himself, unsure whether Reiji planned to return with help or round them up to sell.

Either way, the old man would stand his ground. Even at the cost of his life, he would protect the Kabuto here.

And in the end, he didn't remove the stones Reiji had used to block the entrance—because it matched his own intent perfectly.

If his Pokémon had been strong enough to move those rocks, he would've sealed the cave long ago.

…

Reiji and Pelipper, unaware of the events unfolding behind them, were already soaring northeast—toward Kinnow Island.

Why take a triangular route instead of a straight line?

Because without yesterday's small island as a resting stop, they would've crashed into the sea.

Flying six to seven hours a day was already near Pelipper's limit—it hadn't been long since its evolution.

They weren't in a rush. This was their first time flying long distances over the ocean. Adjusting direction in real time was important. No need to compress two days of travel into one.

Compared to the distance from Fairchild Island to Fukuhara island No. 4, the trip from Fukuhara island to Kinnow was shorter—by roughly a third.

And the closer they got to Kinnow Island, the more small islands appeared—some just a few hundred meters, some several kilometers across.

As they neared Kinnow Island, they also saw multiple fishing boats and even a large cruise liner. The humans aboard were all very friendly.

Seeing Reiji and Pelipper flying overhead, they waved enthusiastically, but he couldn't hear what they were shouting.

Still, he didn't dare let Pelipper fly too close. What if it was a setup?

Friendly waves might lure them in—then they'd get captured.

Followed by extortion, ransom calls to family… and worse.

But Reiji had no family in this world. He had to be careful.

He wasn't being paranoid—he was being responsible. For himself and his Pokémon.

It's like how kids are taught never to take candy from strangers. Just because you're grown up doesn't mean you forget that basic wisdom.

Caution is a basic adult survival skill—especially when you're constantly surrounded by strangers and unfamiliar terrain.

After veering away from the cruise liner, Reiji and Pelipper flew on. After another four hours, they spotted another large island.

Traffic had increased—more boats large and small. They had to pass over several vessels to reach the nearby island.

This side of the island was all rocky shoals. No port. No structures.

He could've followed the ships to the other side and landed at the port.

But he had social anxiety—this side suited him better.

Until he figured out what kind of island this was, he had no intention of contacting other humans.

Learning about the local culture would have to wait until tomorrow.

He and Pelipper had flown all day—they were exhausted. Rest was non-negotiable.

And don't think just sitting around isn't tiring—constant mental strain was draining.

His bloodshot eyes told the whole story. He just wanted to eat and crash.

Tomorrow, he'd head into the city and confirm if this was truly Kinnow Island—his intended destination.

Thud, thud, thud—

While making dinner, he released his Pokémon to keep watch. Food was ready in no time.

After a quick meal, he recalled Rhyhorn, Slowpoke, Wishiwashi, and Magikarp. Those four were no help here.

In such unfamiliar territory, he couldn't risk letting mischievous Rhyhorn wander off and cause trouble.

He also recalled Pelipper and Butterfree—Pelipper needed rest, and Butterfree was too curious. It'd be better to let it out after a nap.

That left just three: Poliwhirl, Krabby, and Spinarak.

"Poliwhirl, Krabby, Spinarak—you stay by the tent. Don't wander off. If anything happens, wake me up. Got it?"

All three nodded seriously. That was why he left only these three—they were the most obedient, the most reliable, and patient enough to sit still on command.

"Alright, that's it then. I'm going to sleep," Reiji said as he crawled into the tent, leaving the flap open.

There was no rain, and with Pokémon on guard, no need to seal it.

Closing it would've just made things too stuffy—he wouldn't sleep well...

(End of Chapter)

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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