Shocking! Mamoswine Actually Gets Abandoned Due to Its Huge Appetite! Is This the Collapse of Morality or the Distortion of Human Nature? Stay tuned for the next episode of 'Release... That... Pokémon!'
...
Looking at the expression on Mamoswine's face, Caleb's mind instantly conjured up one of those sensationalist headlines...
In the end, Mamoswine left the cave, glancing back every few steps as it trudged off into the forest to find its own food.
Caleb let out a sigh of relief. He then pulled out a bag of crackers and munched on them while sitting on a log stool.
After finishing lunch, he took Sandshrew and Marill to a patch of soft soil.
Sandshrew dug the earth, Marill sprayed water, and Caleb was responsible for mixing the mud. Together, they built an ugly little stove in front of the cave, which Dragonite then hardened with a quick Flamethrower.
Soon, a crude but functional mud stove was complete...
Caleb and Sandshrew were covered in mud from head to toe. In the end, Marill had to use a weakened Water Gun to rinse them off.
Watching this harmonious scene unfold, Caleb suddenly felt like he was playing some kind of farming and construction simulator.
The thought made him pause...
'Wait… is this Instance really about surviving on a deserted island?' Because he wasn't feeling it at all.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island… Drake and his five companions panted heavily as they stopped in a small clearing...
Looking at the others' slightly sallow faces, which were worn from hunger, Drake felt like he was on the verge of breaking down.
Heavens knew what they had gone through last night.
First, they'd been chased by a swarm of Beedrills after trying to steal honey. Then, just as they had barely escaped, they ran into a max-level Gigantamax Butterfree!
Even worse, their Pokémon were nearly out of stamina after all the continuous battles. Berries could only restore so much energy. And aside from nighttime, they were constantly being ambushed by wild Pokémon during the day.
Under these extreme conditions, even the most skilled veteran players would struggle to last a week here...
Just then, a loud growl echoed through the clearing. Drake awkwardly glanced down at his sunken stomach. He hadn't eaten in two meals.
Hayate's expression was grave as he looked at Drake and asked, "Was the last survival Instance you experienced like this?"
Drake shook his head, "No, that one was way more forgiving. At least there weren't Gigantamax and Dynamax Pokémon roaming the map at night, and food wasn't this scarce."
Hayate fell silent at that.
Setsuka glanced at her brother and tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, Nii-san. Even if we fail the main quest, once the time limit is up, we'll automatically leave the Instance."
As experienced players, they had plenty of points saved up. The deduction from failing one main quest was something they could handle.
Hayate nodded, but his eyes lingered on the one-word main quest displayed on his panel. For some reason, an uneasy feeling gnawed at him.
Tristan sighed, "Man, if only we had the Viridian Power... That ability boosts affinity with wild Pokémon. With it, they wouldn't attack us on sight…"
"Too bad it's crazy expensive," Drake said, "500 000 points, that's half the price of a ticket to the Pokémon world. Anyone who saves up that much probably isn't gonna waste it on a support-type Trainer skill."
{T/N: I assume the ticket grants the user permanent residence in a Pokémon world/Instance of their choice...}
....
By evening, Caleb had found five Caterpie and traded them a pile of berries for a thick bundle of silk threads...
Freshly spun Caterpie silk was incredibly sticky, but after two hours, the stickiness faded, leaving behind elastic yet durable threads.
He set up a makeshift clothesline outside the cave using wooden sticks, then hung the silk threads to dry. He left Sandshrew, Mamoswine, and Marill to guard the cave while he took Dragonite to the beach...
Riding Dragonite, he knocked five coconuts down from a palm tree.
In the distance, the horizon blended sea and sky, and the sun was 'half-submerged' in the ocean.
The tide was receding, leaving behind shells, clams, and other sea creatures strewn across the wet sand.
Caleb had only come to grab coconuts for their juice, but the sight made him tear off a large thick leaf from the palm tree and start digging for clams.
Clam soup, steamed clams, boiled clams, clam noodles… Add a few drops of spicy berry juice, and even the neighbors would be left drooling.
Salivating, Caleb kept picking until the leaf was full before finally stopping.
He only had one last pack of ramen left. Starting tomorrow, he would have to venture to other parts of the island for more food.
Night was about to fall, and the outside would soon become dangerous again. So, he didn't linger. With Dragonite, he returned to camp...
...
As soon as he dismounted, still holding the coconuts and clams, he noticed another small pile of berries by the cave entrance...
His gaze swept over the three Pokémon on guard duty. He asked, "Who brought these?"
Sandshrew raised its claw, "Squeak!" (It was that blue-and-black guy!)
'Blue and black… Riolu?' Caleb was surprised, 'Is Riolu repaying me?'
He glanced around but saw no sign of Riolu, so he asked "Where is it?"
Sandshrew: "Squeak squeak!" (Dunno! It dropped the berries and ran off!)
"Wuu wuuu!" Suddenly, Dragonite let out a cry toward a certain direction.
Caleb turned and saw Riolu perched on a large tree, its body half-hidden by dense leaves, seemingly watching them.
Caleb sighed, thinking back to the pile of leeks and berries from this morning...
'How long did Riolu spend gathering all that?' he mused.
And sure, berries were one thing, but the leeks… 'Did Roilu overhear me saying I wanted leeks yesterday?'
Caleb walked to the base of the tree and called up, "Come down!"
Riolu didn't move at first. Three seconds later, rustling sounds came from above as Riolu nimbly leaped down, landing softly before looking up at him.
Caleb crouched and gently patted Riolu's head. Riolu stood perfectly still.
Caleb: "Were you the one who brought the berries and leeks this morning?"
After a brief hesitation, Riolu nodded.
Thanks to the Viridian Power, Caleb could directly sense Riolu's thoughts... it wanted to become his Pokémon.
If this had happened in the previous two Instances, Caleb might've excitedly pulled out a Poké Ball right then and there.
But this Instance was a godforsaken wasteland. Forget Poké Balls... aside from the few players here, there wasn't a single trace of human civilization anywhere...