Walking Towards the Rain Curtain

The seventh day of surviving on the deserted island, heavy rain.

"Cough, cough, cough—"

Yu Hai was woken up by rainwater flooding into his mouth as he was submerged under a tree. If he hadn't been choked awake by the water, he might have drowned in the rising floodwaters while sleeping among the tree roots.

He didn't die from lightning, nor was he crushed by a tree, yet he almost drowned from the rain, something he hadn't anticipated.

This heavy rain had been falling for a day and a night, and the rising water had already submerged the tree roots where he had been sleeping.

Last night, he had woken up from the cold several times. Nights without a campfire were truly difficult to endure. Every time he fell asleep, he feared he wouldn't wake up again.

However, it was dawn now. Although the sky was still gloomy, he had finally survived the most arduous night.

The rain and wind were much lighter today, and the thunder had stopped. There were only occasional muffled rumbles of thunder, which were bearable.

Light rain could be hypnotic, but heavy rain was pure torture. It was a wonder he could even fall asleep last night.

But it was still raining heavily, and he couldn't do anything. However, he could release Poliwag.

He had kept Poliwag's Poké Ball hidden in his embrace. The Poké Ball was warm from his body heat, feeling cozy to the touch.

Poof—

The Poké Ball opened, and Poliwag, having survived the most dangerous night, emerged into the outside world again. It saw the gloomy, still-raining sky and Yu Hai, whose face was pale, lips bloodless, yet still wearing a smile.

"Yoyo, yoyo," Poliwag chirped upon seeing Yu Hai and immediately leaped towards his chest.

While it was inside the ball, it couldn't imagine how Yu Hai had endured the storm last night. The thunder and rain had terrified it, making it tremble.

Fortunately, the Poké Ball was in Yu Hai's embrace, and it could clearly feel the warmth Yu Hai was transferring to it. It was very warm in Yu Hai's arms, and it slept soundly.

But it could clearly feel Yu Hai shivering.

"Yoyo, yoyo," Poliwag sensed the trembling radiating from Yu Hai and chirped at him, inquiring about his current physical condition with some concern.

"I'm, I'm fine," Yu Hai said, hugging the little tadpole. He maintained his smile, though it was just a forced smile. He even reached out a slightly trembling hand towards Poliwag.

Seeing Yu Hai's slow movements, Poliwag nudged its head forward, like a kitten, and actively rubbed against Yu Hai's slightly cold palm.

The Yu Hai from before had felt unfamiliar, and it feared being abandoned. Now it understood that Yu Hai had been protecting it last night. But time had been too tight, with heavy rain and strong winds, and it hadn't listened, which was why Yu Hai had become a bit irritable.

But now it knew. Yu Hai wasn't trying to abandon it; he was trying to protect it.

"Rumble, rumble..."

"Rumble, rumble..."

At that moment, both Yu Hai and Poliwag's stomachs growled with hunger.

It was still raining heavily, and Yu Hai was frozen, soaked, and tormented by the storm all night. He had no strength to find food.

However, Poliwag's ability was Swift Swim, and rain was like adding wings to a tiger for it. It wasn't a problem at all.

"Poliwag, when the rain lessens, we'll go look for food," Yu Hai said after stroking Poliwag, then withdrew his trembling hand and tucked it into his embrace for warmth.

"Yoyo, yoyo," Poliwag nodded, agreeing with Yu Hai's idea. It then turned its head to look at the curtain of rain outside the tree and sat down with Yu Hai, leaning against him, quietly waiting for the heavy rain to subside.

Yu Hai didn't know what time it was, nor how long the heavy rain had been falling during the day.

In short, it had rained for a very, very long time. During this time, Yu Hai had fallen asleep several times and woken up from the cold several times. Only when the sky grew darker did the heavy rain show signs of lessening.

At this point, Yu Hai reminded Poliwag, "Poliwag, now that the rain has lessened, let's go find something to eat..."

"Yoyo, yoyo," Poliwag felt a slightly cold hand pushing it. It turned its head to see Yu Hai pointing towards the sea and then towards its stomach. Only then did it understand what Yu Hai meant.

At Yu Hai's prompting, Poliwag entered the rain curtain. It was still worried about Yu Hai and looked back at him from the rain, chirping, "Yoyo, yoyo..."

"I'll untie myself, no rush," Yu Hai said with a smile, reaching to untie the rope around him.

As soon as he untied the rope and stood up, Yu Hai's vision went black. He had no choice but to sit down again. He was hungry, cold...

He had eaten a meal yesterday morning and hadn't eaten anything since. His survival depended entirely on that bottle of lukewarm boiled water.

Last night's storm had frozen his limbs stiff, and he felt like his legs were no longer his own.

Fortunately, this island was located in the tropics, not the frigid zone. If it were the frigid zone, he would have "GG"-ed dozens of times last night.

Even though the lowest temperature in the tropics was still above ten degrees Celsius, it couldn't withstand the fact that he had traveled wearing only summer clothes—shorts and a t-shirt. The only warmth came from those rags and the waterproof plastic.

It was truly helpless. He had no strength to get up. Seeing him sit down again, Poliwag hurried back from the light rain, came to Yu Hai's side, and chirped, "Yoyo, yoyo..."

"What?" Yu Hai genuinely couldn't understand what Poliwag was trying to express.

When he tried to stand up again, supporting himself with his hands, Poliwag stepped on his hand, stopping his movement.

"Are you saying you want to go by yourself?" Yu Hai guessed and asked.

"Yo," Poliwag nodded.

"Understood? Just nod," Yu Hai said with a helpless smile. He didn't force it, but instead waved his hand, shooing Poliwag away. "Go on, be quick and come back..."

"Yoyo," Poliwag was pushed away. Seeing that Yu Hai wasn't getting up again, it re-entered the rain curtain.

As it left, it kept looking back every few steps, afraid that Yu Hai would stand up again.

Only when its big eyes could no longer see Yu Hai, and Yu Hai still hadn't stood up, did Poliwag finally disappear into the rain curtain with peace of mind.

Yu Hai didn't say anything about the little one's cute behavior, just smiled helplessly and leaned back against the tree trunk, waiting for the little one's return.

As the waiting time grew longer and longer, he still hadn't seen the little guy's figure, and he couldn't help but start to worry.

Although rainy days were an advantage for the little guy, and no predators would hunt on rainy days, except for fish-type Pokémon in the sea.

But he was still a little worried about the little guy. As the light rain slowly turned into heavy rain and the sky grew darker, he wondered if the little guy would be in any danger, if he would be attacked by other wild Pokémon. After all, he still vividly remembered being attacked by a Pidgey before.

Yesterday, he almost lost his little tadpole, and today he didn't want to lose it either.

The more he thought about it, the more worried Yu Hai became. He once again struggled to support himself and slowly walked into the rain