Feng Che watched as the wild Pokémon scattered like startled birds.
"Ditto, we need to get back to the treehouse immediately. Once the rain starts, this area will turn into a vast inland sea."
The air on Death Island had grown incredibly heavy and humid. Within moments, both Feng Che and Ditto were drenched in sweat. Even the slumbering Oddish were jolted awake by the rolling thunder and the howling wind. They poked their leafy heads out, staring at the pitch-black clouds and the jagged arcs of lightning dancing across the sky.
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning struck a nearby ancient tree, instantly igniting it into a towering torch.
"Rainy days on this island are the worst—you have to worry about the floods and the lightning strikes," Feng Che muttered as he slipped back into the safety of the treehouse just as the deluge began.
"Today was exhausting," he sighed, stretching his limbs. "But the good news is, we aren't short on resources for a while. Once we leave this island, I can exchange this gold for high-grade berries and professional training equipment for you both."
He picked up the pink blob and spun around in excitement. Ditto, however, was completely limp in his arms, too tired to even wiggle a protest.
Just then, his communicator buzzed.
Alice:Kongjian, we found more chests. The guards aren't too strong—some were even buried with no guard at all.Alice:We found another Gold Chest, but the key-holder was too powerful. Tianchen and I barely escaped.Alice:Instructor Viper was right; the keys are the real bottleneck.Kongjian:I've found a way to open the chests without keys. Keep any you find; I'll open them when we regroup.Kongjian:Focus on Gold Chests. I found a map fragment in one—it looks like there are eight in total.Tianchen:Understood. Drowzee and I are the ultimate 'surface radars' using telepathy. I'm also logging the locations of key-holders for later.
Tianchen put down the device and looked grimly at the pack of Poochyena surrounding them. Despite the pouring rain, not a drop touched Tianchen or Alice; a psychic barrier from Drowzee kept them dry.
"Using the rain to ambush these Poochyena... only you could think of that, Alice," Tianchen remarked. As a psychic, he hated the 'dirty' aura of Dark-types.
"They're like chewing gum—you can't shake them off," Alice said, chambering a round in her Desert Eagle. "If we don't thin the pack now, their vengeful nature means they'll hunt us to the center of the island. Luckily, there are no evolved Mightyena here yet."
Death Island: Second Zone.
A tall woman in high heels stood under a massive tree, her purple eyes cold as she watched her partner, an enormous Ariados, feast on a Beedrill.
"I hate the rain," she hissed. "This island turns into a swamp the moment it pours."
"Lina, join me." A voice drifted through the rain. A masked figure stepped forward, a Xatu perched on his shoulder, using its power to part the rain around him.
"Who are you?" Lina asked, her Ariados hissing in warning.
"You can call me Starhunt. My goal is first place in this trial, and I want 'Poison Rose' Lina on my team."
Ariados lunged, venom dripping from its fangs. It was a lethal strike, but the Xatu let out a burst of raw psychic force, slamming the spider into a tree trunk.
"I'm here because I'm stronger than you," Starhunt said coldly. "Don't test my patience again. Next time, I won't be so merciful."
Lina bit her lip, looking at her injured partner, then bowed her head. "I understand, Lord Starhunt." In Team Rocket, strength was the only law.
"Good. Meet your other teammate, Fujiro." Another recruit stepped out of the rain, his Pidgeotto manipulating the wind to keep him dry.
"Your job is to scout chests and keys. If you hit a wall, call me. But if I have to step in, I take fifty percent of the loot," Starhunt declared before vanishing in a blur of blue psychic energy.
The Treehouse.
Feng Che had lit the fireplace. He noticed that during the rain, the Abomasnow from the snowy peaks would descend into the forest, bringing a biting chill that turned the tropical woods into a frozen wasteland.
Ditto was out cold, but Rookidee was still awake. "Your combat precision was a bit off today, Rookidee. Let's fix that."
He set up a target drill: strike a specific mark on a log in total silence. "If you hit too soft, you do nothing. If you hit too hard, you shatter the wood. You need to master the exact force needed to pierce armor without losing your momentum. If you can do that, you might even learn Drill Run."
Rookidee listened intently, her eyes reflecting the firelight. She practiced until she fell asleep on the bed.
The next morning, the rain was still falling, and the ground was completely flooded. Water-type Pokémon were swimming between the trees, playing in the two-meter-deep accumulation.
Feng Che saw a massive Gyarados roar past, a Golden Key glinting on its scales. If Ditto couldn't pick locks, I'd be diving for that right now, he thought.
He donned his high-tech diving suit. "Wake up, Ditto. Breakfast first, then we're heading out."
Ditto yawned, its thoughts sluggish. [Ditto: Oh god, it's Feng the Skinner! He won't even let me sleep in on a rainy day. I'm the most pitiful blob in the world...]
"I heard that," Feng Che said with a smirk. "Eat up. We're going to the lake. The flood has washed most of the dangerous predators out into the forest—it's the perfect time to explore the lake bottom for chests."
He kicked the Arbok-transformed Ditto out of the treehouse and into the icy water.
[Ditto: Ch-ch-ch... I'm freezing! I'm literally a popsicle!]
Feng Che jumped in after it, his own teeth chering. "Let's go. The lake is waiting."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
⭐ Read chapters early on Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/Bagga_10 ⭐
Advance chapters are already written and waiting.
Patreon readers receive early access to content before its public release.
BONUS CHAPTER REWARDS
• Every 20 reviews = 1 bonus chapter
• Every 40 Power Stones = 1 bonus chapter
Your support directly unlocks more content and faster releases.