Morning mist clung to the jungle like a veil, drifting lazily between the trees as Alex crawled out of his makeshift shelter. His body protested immediately—stiff joints, aching muscles, a dull throb across his back from sleeping on uneven stone.
Roshi-style training wasn't glamorous.It wasn't divine technique or miraculous leaps in ability.It was soreness, repetition, discipline, and pain.
Poliwag bobbed at the surface of the pond, spiraling its tail slowly. The Water-type blinked at him, then dipped beneath the water to cool its body again.
Alex splashed water on his face, cold enough to wake him sharply. The system chimed in his head, tone neutral and polite:
[RECOMMENDATION: Continue Physical Conditioning Before Attempting Ki Growth][Host Level: 5.7 (Human Equivalent ~57 power units → Pokémon Level 5.7)][Projected Host Potential: Limited without structured growth]
Alex sighed. "Yeah, I figured."
He rubbed his sore shoulders and faced the clearing.
The first rays of sun illuminated the volcanic fog drifting above the treetops. Everything glowed in shades of gold and ash.
Roshi's Rule #4 – Endurance First
The system displayed a training plan in his mind:
[Turtle School Endurance Drill – 3 km Run][Objective: Build stamina, strengthen ki flow, develop survival mobility][Note: Running with proper form will increase growth rate]
Three kilometers.Through uneven jungle.On an empty stomach.
Alex resisted the urge to curse out loud.
He stretched his legs, adjusted his stance, and began jogging—a slow, awkward pace at first. His legs felt heavy, each step burning down his shins. The terrain was unforgiving. Roots snagged at his shoes, branches whipped his shoulders, small stones slid beneath his feet.
But he continued.
Slow.Steady.
Poliwag hopped out of the pond and followed him—wobbling on land, slipping into puddles, then reappearing again. It didn't keep pace but trailed at a distance, watching curiously. Not loyalty. Not friendship. Instinct.
Large animals moving through the jungle created paths for smaller ones.
He wasn't a trainer.He wasn't its protector.But he was something new in the ecosystem—and Poliwag was adapting to him.
Alex pushed through another thicket, heart pounding in his ears. His lungs burned. Sweat streamed down his face. Every breath felt like he was inhaling steam.
Halfway through the run, the system chimed:
[Breathing Irregular – Adjust to Ki Pattern 1A]
Alex took a deeper breath—slower, measured, letting it fall into his stomach instead of his chest. The air felt cooler. His steps stabilized.
He continued running.
The Silent Pokémon Reveals Itself
By the time he looped back toward the clearing, Alex's legs were ready to collapse. He leaned on a large tree trunk, gasping. Poliwag arrived a moment later, flopping onto its belly with a tired "Waaag…"
But something felt wrong.
The air had a charge.The leaves rustled with unnatural rhythm.
Alex straightened slowly.
Something watched them.
He sensed it—not with ki, which was still too weak, but with the primal awareness that comes when a predator locks onto you.
He scanned the branches.
At first he saw nothing but leaves and vines.
Then, higher up, two round eyes gleamed through the shadows.
Wide.Sharp.Focused.
A Pokémon crouched on a high branch—fur the color of volcanic ash, limbs long and slender, tail coiled around the trunk for balance. It moved with silent grace, like a creature born of stillness.
Its face was triangular, marked with faint dark streaks running from its eyes to its jaw.
Alex didn't recognize the species.
It wasn't in any of the books he skimmed back in Vermillion.Not in any of the marine academy pamphlets.Not in any TV shows he remembered from Earth.
The creature tilted its head.
Not aggressive.Not curious either.
Judging.Evaluating.Studying.
Alex took a cautious step back, raising both hands.
"I'm not looking for a fight," he said softly.
The creature blinked once.
Then leapt.
Not at him—past him.
A blur of grey fur and silent motion.
It landed several meters behind him with barely a sound, then vanished into the denser trees.
Poliwag let out a distressed squeak.
Alex exhaled slowly.
The system finally spoke:
[UNKNOWN POKÉMON DETECTED][CLASSIFICATION: NOT FOUND IN HOST DATABASE][LEVEL ESTIMATE: 12–15][RECOMMENDATION: Avoid Direct Conflict]
"Yeah," Alex muttered. "No kidding."
But a thought nagged at him.
That Pokémon had watched him train for days.It wasn't curious.It wasn't territorial.It wasn't hungry.
It was observing him specifically.
That was far more concerning.
Ki Conditioning – The Hard Way
Back in the clearing, Alex drank slowly from the stream, careful not to disturb Poliwag bathing nearby. His legs felt like jelly. His lungs still burned. But the run had unlocked small improvements:
[Stamina +3%][Breathing Control Improved][Ki Circulation More Stable]
Small numbers.Barely noticeable.Exactly what he expected.
Roshi's methods were not instant power-ups—they were foundations.
The system suggested the next drill:
[Ki Endurance Test – 5 Minutes Horse Stance][Goal: Build ki channels in legs and core]
Alex groaned.
But he crouched anyway.
Feet apart.Knees bent deeply.Back straight.Arms tucked.
Immediately his legs shook.
Poliwag watched from the edge of the pond, spiraling its tail lazily as if mildly entertained by the human's suffering.
Thirty seconds in, Alex's thighs screamed.
One minute in, sweat dripped freely.
Two minutes in, his whole body trembled.
At three minutes, the system offered:
[Host may stop to prevent injury]
"No," Alex grunted. "Roshi would banish me."
At four minutes, his vision blurred.
At four minutes forty-five—
His legs collapsed.
Alex fell forward onto the grass with a loud thud, breathing as if he'd run a marathon.
The system chimed calmly:
[Ki Endurance Improved +0.15][Host Level: 5.7 → 5.8]
Meaningful?Barely.
But progress was progress.
Alex rolled onto his back, staring at the smoky sky.
The island wasn't going to gift him power.The world wasn't going to pity him.His system wasn't going to carry him.
He had to earn everything painfully, inch by inch.
Poliwag waddled over and poked his forehead with its tail.
"Waaag?"
Alex laughed breathlessly. "Think I'm dead?"
The Water-type blinked.
"…Waaag."
Discovery of the Lost Station
As the afternoon deepened, Alex wandered a bit farther from the clearing—slowly, carefully, making sure Poliwag stayed nearby in the stream that cut through the jungle.
That was when he saw it.
Half-buried in thick vines and volcanic ash, hidden under the roots of a toppled tree, stood a rusted metal structure. Its roof had collapsed ages ago. Moss crawled up its side. The air inside smelled of old chemicals and ocean salt.
Alex brushed away some vines.
Letters were still visible on the rusted sign:
"ORANGE RESEARCH INITIATIVE – SITE 04"
He froze.
A research station.Long abandoned.On an island that was supposed to be uncharted.
Poliwag waited nervously behind him, spiral glowing faster in anxiety.
Alex stepped into the dark interior.
Broken crates.Shattered glass.Twisted metal.And something else—
Scratches along the walls.
Massive scratches.Three parallel gouges dug deep into the metal.
Alex touched the grooves.
Cold.
Not old.
"Something big was here," he whispered.
The jungle rustled behind him.
Poliwag let out a frightened cry.
Alex spun, fists up—
But nothing emerged.Only shadows.
The system whispered urgently:
[Host should retreat. Area unsafe.]
He backed out slowly, heart pounding.
He didn't know what the research team was studying.He didn't know what Pokémon roamed this island.He didn't know what watched him from the treetops.
But he now knew something else for certain:
This was not just a random island.Something brought him here.Something powerful lives here.And something is waiting.