[Bonus Chapter]

"Fuu-iii!" Butterfree darted to intercept the Sharpedo.

With a flap of her wings, she sent a fierce gust slamming into the shark, blowing it straight toward the treehouse.

"Spinarak, move in—bind it with String Shot, especially its jaws!"

"Krabby, go in with your claw—Poliwag, cover him!"

"Wingull, keep up the Wing Attacks—don't let up!"

"Butterfree, maintain the electric net pressure—don't give it a chance to retaliate!"

Reiji saw the shark tumbling toward the treehouse under the force of the Gust. That was the moment he knew: the tide had turned.

He shielded his eyes from the dust and wind, then shouted to the four Pokémon—this was their moment to close in and finish it.

The Sharpedo thrashed on the grass, trying to regain control, but Butterfree's electric net pinned it down. Spinarak followed up immediately, launching layers of sticky webbing that bound the shark's limbs. Even with Aqua Jet firing from its tail, the viscous strands held firm.

Krabby scuttled up next and raised his claw—then brought it smashing down.

Poliwag stayed alert by Krabby's side, guarding against any sudden counterbite. Wingull ceased its aerial strikes to avoid friendly fire.

A sharp crack. The Sharpedo took a heavy blow to the head and slumped, dazed. Spinarak wasted no time—more silk, tight and complete, wrapping the beast like a cocoon.

Only then did Reiji toss the Poké Ball.

The red light flickered, pulsed—and finally clicked shut with a thud. Capture successful.

Reiji finally exhaled, collapsing onto the grass.

That boss… had been terrifying.

Its tail jets explained everything—no wonder it dared to come ashore. It could return to the ocean at will.

In a one-on-one, not a single one of his Pokémon could've taken it.

The only reason they won was because the Sharpedo had gotten overconfident, drunk on its own power. It tried to 1v5 them—charging straight into a group fight, refusing to back down. That arrogance had cost it the battle.

Especially its dodging ability. It had slipped past Krabby's claws and dodged four electric nets in a row. Its reflexes were top-notch—and that was on land.

If they'd been in the water, Reiji wouldn't have even attempted a fight.

Even if he'd led with electric nets, Butterfree alone wouldn't have landed a single shot. The shark was too fast and too tough.

It had taken five Pokémon, cycling attacks, grinding it down. Only then did they win.

Such a strong shark… he had to check its stats.

"Butterfree, bring me the Poké Ball."

Butterfree obediently flew it over.

Reiji took it, activated the screen, and pulled up the Sharpedo's proficiency panel.

[Sharpedo]

Type: Water + Dark

Gender: Male

Potential: 44%

Level: 34.94%

Ability: Rough Skin (27.84%)

Known Moves:

Leer (20.21%)

Aqua Jet (32.31%)

Focus Energy (19.11%)

Scary Face (27.82%)

Bite (31.12%)

Ice Fang (22.14%)

Screech (15.94%)

Swagger (29.49%)

Crunch (28.53%)

Hydro Pump (25.74%)

Surf (27.97%)

Dive (31.96%)

Payback (26.82%)

Hyper Beam (33.29%)

Reiji's pupils narrowed slightly.

The potential, level, and ability weren't especially noteworthy—but the moves? They were blinding.

"Two, four… ten… fourteen moves, all with decent proficiency." He was stunned.

This shark had a ridiculously deep movepool.

Honestly, they'd been reckless going in blind.

Even so, during the battle, the shark had only used four:

Leer, to intimidate him.

Crunch, to crush the reef rocks.

Hydro Pump, to cancel Krabby's Mud Shot.

Aqua Jet, its main mobility tool on land.

As for Focus Energy,Surf, Dive—those hadn't come into play due to terrain.

Good thing they'd fought it on land. In the sea? Even all five Pokémon together wouldn't stand a chance.

It wasn't just moves. The stat differences were stark.

Its level and ability were higher than all of Reiji's Pokémon. Rough Skin made it extra resistant to physical damage.

Even now, the KO'd Sharpedo had stirred, groaning faintly in the Ball. But it no longer had the strength to break free.

Level 34—this was the strongest enemy they'd ever actually fought.

Ten levels above Poliwag, higher in proficiency too, and a movepool that dwarfed theirs. The gap was massive.

If they hadn't surrounded it and ganged up, they never could've won.

And even then, none of their moves were really super-effective.

Hammer Arm: Fighting-type, but proficiency was too low—unusable.

Bug Bite: contact move—not viable. If they got close, they'd be the ones getting bitten.

Absorb: Grass-type, but too weak. Would barely scratch that thick hide.

Fairy-type? They didn't have any.

Electroweb: their only super-effective move—but Sharpedo dodged every shot thanks to Aqua Jet mobility.

Reiji had assumed it'd only be fast in the sea. He was wrong. It was fast everywhere.

And melee combat? Not even a consideration. Reiji always avoided it.

Those jaws… they were as lethal as Krabby's claws.

If anyone got caught in a Crunch, they'd be dead. Even Krabby, after using Harden, was ordered to dodge instead of block.

Only after Poliwag created an opening did Krabby get a chance to strike.

That's what tactics meant—playing to your strengths.

If you had the numbers advantage, press it. No point trying to be cool and go for 1v1s like it's a game.

Victory rewrites history. Only the winner decides what's remembered. Losers keep their secrets in silence.

This wasn't some fantasy where the underdog always wins, defying the odds and types. Not everyone's the game devs' favorite.

The ancients knew: storming a fortress is the worst strategy. Break the enemy's will instead. Why pay a price when you don't have to?

It's the same in Pokémon battles. If someone tries to recklessly type-match you, great—punish them. If they try to counter you, avoid the fight.

Type advantage is basic tactics: hit where you're strong, shield where you're weak.

There are deeper tactics too—weather, Trick Room, hazards, sleep spam, Toxic stall, Perish Song, Baton Pass…

Reiji knew them all. He'd been a competitive battler in his past life. He knew every dirty trick in the book.

But this wasn't a game anymore. Whether those tricks actually worked in real life… was still uncertain.

Still, that knowledge was his treasure trove. Knowing and not using was still better than not knowing at all.

Thanks to his starter Pokémon, his starting point was already above most trainers. All that remained was converting his experience into reality.

As for this Sharpedo—it had surprised him.

But only for a moment.

He wasn't keeping it.

Sure, its movepool was impressive—but its potential was only 44%, it was violent and bloodthirsty, already past its growth phase. Too old to bond easily.

Trying to raise friendship with a savage adult Pokémon like this? Waste of time. Risky, too.

Even worse, they couldn't fully suppress it by force. If it played nice in front of them but turned on Poliwag behind their backs—that would be fatal.

Reiji wasn't taking that chance.

He'd kill that threat before it had the chance to grow.

And now he also knew why the fishing had been dry lately. This Sharpedo had been lurking along the coastline, scaring off everything else.

No wonder nothing was biting.

"Alright. Butterfree, Spinarak—I'm releasing the Sharpedo. Get the electric net ready. It's tonight's dinner. We're having roasted shark."

"Fuu-iii!" Butterfree nodded, ready.

"Yito," Spinarak landed opposite Butterfree, also in position.

Pong!

The Poké Ball opened. Sharpedo appeared on the grass. It tried to resist—but two nets fired in sync, zapping it hard.

It spasmed violently, drool leaking from its jaws.

"Again. Keep the voltage up—knock it out cold."

Reiji wasn't going anywhere near that thing while it was awake. One bite and he'd lose an arm.

Only after it was fully unconscious did he approach to inspect it up close.

The body resembled a great white shark from his past life—sleek blue and white.

Its dorsal and pectoral fins each had notches.

Red eyes, black gills along its sides.

Most distinctive of all: the yellow four-pointed stars on its head and tail.

Aside from the missing tail, it had to be one of the most majestic Pokémon he'd seen.

Someday, he would catch a Carvanha and raise it into a Sharpedo of his own.

But not this one.

To make sure the beast didn't wake during prep, Reiji had Butterfree scatter Sleep Powder and Stun Spore. Full-body anesthesia.

Then he tied its jaws shut tight with rope.

Only then did he pull out his knife.

He'd never butchered a shark before.

In his previous world, shark fins—dorsal, pectoral, tail—were luxury items, the domain of the rich.

Why eat something that cost more than a month's worth of pork?

Still, the demand was real—even in the Pokémon world. Sharpedo had been hunted to near extinction in some places for their fins.

No shame, no secrecy. It was practically advertised.

As for whether shark fin was actually special? Reiji never bought into the hype. It was just food. Cook it right, it's all protein.

The prices were a scam—just like diamonds and their "eternal love" BS.

Buy it, and the resale value immediately dropped to a third—or worse.

Back to the shark.

He skinned it. The Rough Skin was thick, but durable—perfect for making stab-resistant gear.

He also picked out the largest, sharpest, whitest tooth.

A proper trophy from this boss fight. He'd craft it into a fang pendant when he reached human civilization.

After storing away all the usable parts, he lit the fire and began roasting.

Tonight's feast was well earned. Everyone had worked hard.

There was more meat than they could eat, of course. The leftovers would be smoked into jerky—Krabby's rations.

Fishbones too—dried and crushed into calcium powder.

According to official data, Sharpedo weighed 88.8kg. Even if the five Pokémon stuffed themselves, they'd only eat 10kg.

That left over 70kg. Enough to feed Krabby for 10 days or more.

"Speaking of Krabby… he molted again today."

Reiji glanced at the now-full Krabby and pulled up its panel.

[Krabby]

Type: Water

Gender: Male

Potential: 57.5%

Level: 18.16%

Ability: Hyper Cutter (10.22%)

Hidden Ability: Sheer Force (1.53%)

Known Moves:

Hammer Arm (0.22%)

Leer (0.43%)

Water Gun (11.35%)

Harden (10.14%)

Metal Claw (2.34%)

Dig (9.54%)

Mud Shot (2.24%)

Its potential had increased by 0.5%. Now level 18.

Hyper Cutter had crossed the 10% mark. Even Sheer Force rose by 1%.

Water Gun was up 2%, thanks to consistent practice.

Harden rose by 3%, no surprise after using it during both molts.

Metal Claw passed 2%—it had been used during the Sharpedo fight.

Dig gained 1%, though the ambush had failed.

Mud Shot broke 2%. Its firing style was similar to Water Gun—Krabby had picked it up quickly.

But most exciting of all—Krabby's missing claw had finally grown back.

Reiji hadn't even noticed in the morning. It was only during dinner that he saw the tiny claw.

Compared to the massive one on the other side, it looked like a baby next to an adult.

Still, it helped him eat.

Not useless at all.

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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