Shen Yu woke up again, not knowing where she was. All she could see were coconut trees around the coast and feel was the warm sea breeze blowing on her face.
Based on her knowledge of Pokémon ecology, small islands in tropical or subtropical regions tended to have more Water-type Pokémon. Of course, other types would also inhabit such places, but due to the weather, Pokémon in these areas tended to be more irritable.
Using the knowledge acquired at school, Shen Yu roughly estimated her location and began to organize her survival gear.
Her Poké Balls were all still there; the sea currents hadn't caused a tragic return to square one. As long as she wasn't empty-handed, Shen Yu was confident she could carve out a foothold here.
Although Shen Yu hadn't had a backpack on the ship, she was fortunate enough that her backpack had also been brought to this island. She opened it to take inventory and found no losses, which was good.
Her phone was also with her, but after being submerged in water for so long, it wouldn't turn on. Even if it did, Shen Yu looked around. She had no idea where she'd been brought. There were no signal towers, not even other islands in sight. It was impossible to communicate with the outside world. Shen Yu sighed, "This is trouble. I might be stuck on this darned deserted island for the rest of my life."
While theoretically, there was a possibility of returning to the Minglong Kingdom with the help of a legendary Pokémon, even Xia Hu Nao wouldn't dare claim he could summon one to take him away. It would only be possible if a legendary Pokémon happened to discover him.
Returning to Shen Yu, after organizing her current possessions, she headed straight into the depths of the forest without looking back. She didn't plan to stay by the sea, at least not on the beach. What if there was extreme weather?
The island she was on was one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, scattered across the ocean of Lingyao Star. These islands were undoubtedly subject to extreme weather events every few years.
Shen Yu entered the small forest by the sea and found a tree that looked reasonably sturdy to set up her temporary tent. As soon as she took the tent out of her backpack, a monkey appeared and tried to spit fire to burn it down.
Shen Yu reacted quickly, kicking the tent aside and saving it. She then threw out her Buneary from its Poké Ball to battle the Pansear.
Statistically, a Delphox would have been a better fighter, but with two Fire-type Pokémon spitting fire in the forest, Shen Yu would undoubtedly end up in the same predicament as Xia Hu Nao.
Buneary and Pansear faced off, one in the tree and one below. Suddenly, a few Gimmighoul darted out and tried to drag the tent into the forest. Shen Yu heard the rustling and turned her head, but the tent was almost gone.
"Zorua, stop them!"
One Zorua facing several Gimmighoul and trying to protect Shen Yu's tent was clearly struggling. In this situation, Shen Yu had to send out another Pokémon to help.
With the over two-meter-tall A-kong present to deter them, the Gimmighoul couldn't move much. A-kong was also clever and directly put the tent on his back, making it much easier to carry.
While the fight was raging on this side, Pansear was also kicked out of the tree by Buneary. This wasn't due to Buneary's jumping ability or strength in kicks; it was mainly because Pansear was, after all, a monkey. Monkeys are known for their agility, but this one got arrogant. It thought Buneary couldn't do anything to it and acted smugly on the tree branches. However, Buneary delivered a swift kick that shook the small tree, causing Pansear to fall.
Buneary seized the opportunity and delivered a flurry of blows. Pansear wanted to fight back but was head-shotted by a Gimmighoul that flew over. Zorua and A-kong teamed up for a double kill.
Buneary paused for a moment, then decided to let it go.
After dealing with the Gimmighoul and Pansear, Shen Yu thought she might get some peace. However, the forest was truly not peaceful. Another Primeape jumped out, wanting to battle Shen Yu.
"Primeape, it's a Fighting-type! Go, Delphox."
Primeape's temper was as fiery as its name, and it was quickly dealt with by Delphox.
After fighting three or four battles in a row, even with the Pokémon having a lot of subjective control, Shen Yu was exhausted. She rested for a while with her hands on her hips before resuming setting up her tent.
Setting up the tent went smoothly. The Pokémon in the forest didn't come out to cause trouble, but that was entirely because the forest Pokémon had learned their lesson.
Human nature is such that when assets appear in the form of real estate, humans become rooted, and this creates problems with letting go for everyone, including Shen Yu.
Just as the tent was set up, the Pokémon from the forest came out again, and this time, there were quite a lot of them, swarming in like a tide. If it were earlier, and Shen Yu couldn't fight them, she might have thrown the tent onto A-kong's back and run. But now, how could she escape? She couldn't possibly have a second tent.
Forced into a tent defense battle, Shen Yu positioned her four Pokémon around the tent and quickly used berries to create various supplies. At this moment, Shen Yu also realized that there were no Pokémon Centers or supply lines in this unfortunate place. What was she going to do?
While making Poffins, Shen Yu took out her Pokédex to check for information. "Hmm, I hope this island has Oran Berries, Pecha Berries, and Sitrus Berries."
These three berries were what she needed most urgently. They could restore HP, PP, and cure status conditions, respectively, making them the best long-term combat supplies. Most importantly, they were easy to find.
However, right now, all of Shen Yu's Pokémon were on guard against the surrounding Pokémon, and none were free to search for berries. Shen Yu paused her crafting, looked at the surrounding Pokémon, and wondered if she should capture one to find berries. She only had four Pokémon with her, and there were two empty slots.
Then, Shen Yu scanned the surroundings and spotted a small Pokémon nearby. Shen Yu stood up and pointed at the little one. "I've decided to capture you!"
The little one pointed out by Shen Yu was confused. Why was it chosen? However, the surrounding Pokémon were surprisingly cooperative, truly creating space for Shen Yu and the little one.
Shen Yu never expected to encounter a Munchlax at a time like this.
After the college entrance exams, Xia Hu Nao had decided that Shen Yu had a unique talent for building rapport. He had then looked at all the Pokémon that could evolve through friendship, of which there were eighteen. Among these eighteen, Xia Hu Nao most recommended Shen Yu capture a Munchlax.
Although it conflicted with Buneary's type, it indeed filled the gap in Shen Yu's team, which lacked a proper tank. As for Chansey, another Pokémon that evolved through friendship and acted as a healer, Xia Hu Nao believed there were more suitable configurations.
Returning to Shen Yu and Munchlax, after being pushed forward by the Pokémon, Shen Yu looked at him menacingly. "Which senior do you want to spar with?"
Munchlax looked at the "fierce and formidable" group and burst into tears, instantly breaking Shen Yu's heart. "Don't cry, don't cry..."
For most people, casually approaching a wild Pokémon would be dangerous, but Shen Yu's affinity was maxed out. After hugging Munchlax, she gently patted its back, and Munchlax truly calmed down, starting to act spoiled in Shen Yu's arms.
Frankly, if Munchlax weren't over a hundred kilograms, Shen Yu would have loved to hug and dote on it. Having captured Munchlax with lightning speed, Shen Yu was full of high spirits and immediately unleashed her full power, repelling a wave of attacks.
The tide came quickly and receded just as fast. Shen Yu and her five Pokémon sat outside the tent, feeling relieved. Shen Yu personally placed the bells she had previously given to Buneary and A-kong onto Munchlax's neck. Munchlax happily played with the bells around its neck, while the previous owners looked kindly at the new addition.
Humans are in completely different states when busy and when idle. When the tension is high, and one becomes idle, they feel tired. This is how Shen Yu felt now. After repelling a small attack, Shen Yu lay on the ground, deciding to rest for a while. However, she didn't lie down for long before sitting up again.
Touching her chin, Shen Yu discovered something terrifying. "Why do I feel like the sun hasn't moved at all?"
Generally, it's difficult for the human eye to discern the sun's movement in the sky, but that's only within a very short timeframe. Shen Yu calculated from the moment she woke up on the beach. She entered the forest, had a back-and-forth with some mischievous Pokémon, set up a tent, made a bunch of Poffins, dealt with a wave of Pokémon attacks, and finally captured a Munchlax. This whole process should have taken at least an hour. Shen Yu felt a little tired and hungry, so why hadn't the sun moved at all?
Could it be that the sun had fallen asleep in the sky?
After thinking for a long time without any clues, Shen Yu gave up. If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it. If she was hungry, she'd eat; if she was sleepy, she'd sleep. Waiting for rescue or actively pursuing an exit were more important than pondering why the sun wasn't moving.
So, Shen Yu lay on the ground for a while longer, then stood up and began to explore the island she was on. Leaving wasn't something to rush. It was more important to first understand her surroundings.
Looking at her Pokémon, Shen Yu made a plan and commanded, "A-kong, you and Munchlax stay here and guard the house. If anything happens, forget it, Delphox, you stay and guard."