Night fell faster than Ren expected.
One moment the sky was painted orange and pink, the next it was deep purple fading to black. Stars appeared overhead, more than he'd ever seen on Earth. The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a river of light.
It would have been beautiful if he wasn't so cold.
Ren sat huddled against a large boulder near the pond, arms wrapped around himself. The hospital gown provided exactly zero insulation, and the tropical warmth of the day had given way to a chill that seeped into his bones.
The Lotad had disappeared into the pond at some point, probably sleeping beneath the water. The Bidoof had waddled off into the underbrush, presumably to its den.
He was alone again.
Ren's stomach growled. He'd found some berries earlier, blue ones that the system had identified when he focused on the bush:
[Species: Oran Berry Bush
Berries: Ripe, Edible
Effect: Restores minor HP when consumed]
He'd eaten three of them. They were sweet, slightly tart, and did absolutely nothing to fill the gnawing hunger in his gut. He needed real food. Protein. But hunting in the dark with no tools seemed like a great way to get killed by whatever nocturnal Pokemon lurked on this island.
So he sat. And waited. And tried not to think about how utterly screwed he was.
A rustling sound made him tense.
Ren's hand closed around his branch-club, which he'd kept within reach. His eyes scanned the darkness, but he couldn't see anything in the shadows beyond the pond.
The rustling came again. Closer.
Then a pair of yellow eyes appeared in the dark, low to the ground. They reflected what little starlight there was, glowing faintly.
Ren focused on the creature, and the system activated, providing just enough information in the dim light:
[Species: Poochyena
Level: 11
Gender: Male
Type: Dark
HP: 100%
Status: Healthy
Known Moves: Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack, Bite
Ability: Run Away
Nature: Brave]
A Poochyena. Dark-type, hyena Pokemon. This one looked lean, probably hungry. It crept forward slowly, eyes locked on Ren.
"Not interested," Ren said quietly, raising his branch. "Go find something else to eat."
The Poochyena's lips pulled back, revealing sharp teeth. It didn't growl, didn't make a sound. Just stared.
They faced each other in the darkness for a long moment.
Then the Poochyena lunged.
Ren swung. The branch caught the Pokemon mid-leap and sent it tumbling sideways with a yelp. It scrambled to its feet, shook itself off, and this time it did growl.
"I said no." Ren stood up, gripping the branch with both hands. "I don't want to hurt you. Leave."
The Poochyena circled him, looking for an opening. Ren turned to keep it in view, his back to the boulder. His heart was pounding, but his hands were steady.
The Pokemon lunged again, going low this time, trying to get under his guard.
Ren kicked.
His bare foot connected with the Poochyena's ribs, and the Pokemon went flying. Actually flying. It sailed through the air and crashed into a tree trunk ten feet away with a solid thump.
Ren stared at his foot.
What.
The Poochyena lay on the ground for a moment, stunned. Then it scrambled up and fled into the darkness, whimpering.
Ren looked at his foot. Then at the tree the Poochyena had hit. Then back at his foot.
"That's not normal," he said to the empty air. "That's really not normal."
He'd kicked a Pokemon hard enough to send it flying into a tree. A Dark-type Pokemon that probably weighed thirty pounds. With his bare foot. And his foot didn't even hurt.
Transmigration perk. Had to be. He'd already sent the Carvanha flying with a branch. This was just more evidence.
But how strong was he, exactly?
Ren looked around the pond area, searching for something to test with. His eyes landed on a large rock near the water's edge, roughly the size of a backpack. In his old life, he wouldn't have been able to lift that. Too heavy, too awkward.
He walked over to it and grabbed it with both hands.
The rock came up easily.
Too easily.
Ren held it above his head with straight arms, barely straining. It probably weighed sixty or seventy pounds, and he was lifting it like it was a basketball.
"Okay," he said, slowly lowering the rock. "Okay. So I'm strong. Really strong. Probably three or four times stronger than a normal human."
He set the rock down and looked at his hands again. The scars caught the starlight, thin white lines across his skin.
What else could he do?
Ren walked to the edge of the pond and jumped.
He cleared ten feet easily, landing on the opposite side. The impact should have hurt his bare feet, but it didn't. He barely felt it.
He jumped back. Another ten feet, no problem.
"This is insane," he muttered. But a small smile was creeping onto his face despite himself. "This is absolutely insane."
He was strong. Fast. Durable. The transmigration had given him enhanced physical abilities, probably to help him survive in a world full of superpowered monsters.
A splash from the pond made him look over.
The Lotad had surfaced, watching him with those large, curious eyes. It tilted its head, lily pad wobbling.
"Sorry," Ren said. "Did I wake you?"
The Lotad chirped softly. It didn't seem upset, just... observant.
Ren sat down on the moss near the water's edge. The Lotad paddled closer, stopping a few feet away.
"I don't know what I'm doing," Ren admitted quietly. "I'm on a deserted island with no memory of how I got here. My body is different. I'm stronger than I should be. And I'm talking to a Pokemon like you can understand me."
The Lotad chirped again.
"Yeah, well. Maybe you can. I don't really know how this world works yet." He looked up at the stars. "I should probably build a shelter. Make a fire. Find real food. All the survival basics."
The Lotad drifted even closer. Close enough that Ren could reach out and touch it if he wanted.
He didn't. Not yet. Pokemon weren't pets. They were intelligent creatures with their own agency. He'd wait for it to make the first move.
"You know," Ren said, more to himself than the Lotad, "in the games, you're supposed to get a starter Pokemon from a professor. Then you go on a journey, catch Pokemon, battle gym leaders, become Champion. Standard hero story stuff."
The Lotad tilted its head the other way.
"But I didn't get a starter. I got dumped on an island with no supplies and no memories. So I guess my story is different." He paused. "Though I did meet you. And that Bidoof. So maybe that counts."
The Lotad made a soft trilling sound and bumped its head against Ren's knee.
The gesture was so sudden, so trusting, that Ren froze.
Then, slowly, he reached out and placed his hand on the Lotad's head. Its skin was cool and smooth, slightly damp from the water. The lily pad on top felt like an actual leaf, soft and flexible.
"Thanks," Ren said quietly. "For not running away."
The Lotad chirped and settled down next to him, apparently content to keep him company.
They sat there together in the darkness, human and Pokemon, both far from whatever homes they'd come from.
Ren didn't sleep much that night. Every sound made him tense, expecting another Poochyena or worse. But the Lotad stayed with him, a small presence in the dark.
And when the sun finally started to rise, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink, Ren made a decision.
He was going to survive this.
He had questions about his body, about the scars, about how he got here. But those could wait. First, he needed to establish a base. Find food. Learn to coexist with the Pokemon on this island.
And maybe, if he was lucky, find a way off it.
"Alright," Ren said, standing up and stretching. His muscles were stiff from sitting against the rock all night, but he felt surprisingly okay. "Day one of actually trying to survive. Let's see how this goes."
The Lotad chirped encouragingly.
From the underbrush nearby, the Bidoof waddled out, yawning widely. It looked at Ren, looked at the Lotad, then plopped down by the water and started drinking like nothing unusual was happening.
Ren couldn't help but smile.
"Alright then. First priority: better shelter. Something that'll keep out Poochyena and whatever else hunts at night."
He looked at his hands, remembering how easily he'd lifted that rock.
"And I think I know exactly how to build it."