Toward the Curtain of Rain

The seventh day of Desert Island Survival: heavy rain.

"Cough, cough, cough cough—"

Yu Hai had been awakened by rainwater flooding beneath the tree and pouring into his mouth. If the water had not choked him awake, he might very well have drowned in the rising water while sleeping among the roots.

He had not been struck dead by lightning or crushed by a falling tree, yet he had nearly drowned in rainwater—something he had never considered before.

This downpour had continued for a full day and night, and it was still falling. The rising water had already submerged the tree roots where he had slept before.

He had also been awakened by the cold several times last night. Nights without a fire were truly miserable. Every time he fell asleep, he feared he would never wake up again.

But it was daylight now. Though the sky remained gloomy, he had at least made it through the most grueling night.

Today's rain and wind were much weaker, and the thunder had stopped. Only muffled rumbles sounded from time to time, which was still bearable.

A light rain was soothing enough to make one sleepy, but heavy rain was pure torment. It was a miracle he had managed to sleep last night.

But it was still pouring, and he could not do anything. Still, he could release Poliwag.

Poliwag's Poké Ball had always been tucked against his chest. His body heat had seeped into it, and it felt warm when he reached in to touch it.

Bang—

The Poké Ball opened. After surviving the most dangerous night, Poliwag returned to the outside world and saw the gloomy sky still pouring rain, as well as Yu Hai's pale face, bloodless lips, and the smile that still hung on his face.

"Yoyo, yoyo!" Seeing Yu Hai, Poliwag immediately leaped toward his chest.

While hiding in the ball, it could not imagine how Yu Hai had endured last night's storm. The thunder and rain had frightened it so badly that it trembled all over.

Luckily, the Poké Ball had been in Yu Hai's arms. It could clearly feel the warmth Yu Hai passed on to it. Yu Hai's embrace had been warm, and it had slept peacefully.

But Yu Hai had been trembling. It could feel it clearly—his body was shaking.

"Yoyo, yoyo!" After sensing the tremors coming from Yu Hai, Poliwag opened its mouth and called out to him, worried about his condition.

"I-I'm fine." Yu Hai held the little tadpole, the smile still fixed on his face, though it was only a forced smile. He raised a slightly trembling hand and reached toward Poliwag.

Seeing Yu Hai moving so slowly, Poliwag leaned closer like a kitten and rubbed its head against his icy palm of its own accord.

Yu Hai had seemed unfamiliar to it before, and it had been afraid that he would abandon it. Now it understood that Yu Hai had been protecting it last night. Time had been too tight, the rain had been pouring, the wind had been howling, and it had refused to listen, so Yu Hai had lost his temper somewhat.

But now it understood. Yu Hai had not wanted to abandon it—he had wanted to protect it.

"Grrrrumble, grrrumble..."

"Grrrrumble, grrrumble..."

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

It was still raining heavily, and Yu Hai was frozen stiff. After being flooded and tormented by the storm all night, he had no strength at all to look for food.

However, Poliwag's Ability was Swift Swim. Rainy weather was like wings to a tiger for Poliwag; it was nothing to it.

"Poliwag, once the rain lets up a little, we'll go look for food." After stroking Poliwag, Yu Hai withdrew his trembling hand and tucked it back against his chest for warmth.

"Yoyo, yoyo." Poliwag nodded, agreeing with Yu Hai. Then it turned to look at the curtain of rain beyond the tree, sat beside Yu Hai, leaned against him, and quietly waited for the downpour to weaken.

Yu Hai had no idea what time it was, nor did he know how long the rain had been falling during the day.

All he knew was that it had rained for a very, very long time. During that period, Yu Hai fell asleep several times and was awakened by the cold several times. Only when the sky began to grow darker did the rain show signs of easing.

Only then did Yu Hai remind Poliwag, "Poliwag, while the rain is lighter, let's go find food..."

"Yoyo, yoyo." Feeling a cold hand pushing it, Poliwag turned around and saw Yu Hai pointing toward the shore, then at its stomach. Only then did it understand what he meant.

At Yu Hai's urging, Poliwag entered the curtain of rain. It was still worried about him, and as it stood in the rain, it turned back and called, "Yoyo, yoyo..."

"Wait until I untie the rope. No rush." Yu Hai kept smiling as he reached to untie the ropes around his body.

After untying the ropes, he had barely stood up when his vision went black. Helplessly, he sat back down. He was hungry and cold...

He had eaten once yesterday morning, and he had not eaten anything since. He had only survived thanks to that bottle of lukewarm water.

The torrential rain last night had frozen his limbs stiff, and it felt as though his legs no longer belonged to him.

Fortunately, this island was in the tropics rather than the frigid zone. If it had been somewhere cold, he would have been able to spam gg dozens of times last night.

Even though the lowest temperatures in the tropics were still above ten degrees Celsius, he had arrived wearing summer clothes: shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. The only things keeping him warm were those scraps of cloth and rainproof plastic.

There was truly nothing he could do. He had no strength to stand. Seeing him sit down again, Poliwag hurried back from the light rain, came to Yu Hai's side, and called out, "Yoyo, yoyo..."

"What?" Yu Hai truly could not understand what Poliwag was trying to say.

When he tried again to use his hands to brace himself and stand, Poliwag stepped on his hand, stopping him.

"You mean you want to go by yourself?" Yu Hai guessed.

"Yo." Poliwag nodded.

"You understood, and you're nodding already?" Yu Hai smiled helplessly. He did not force it, only waved his hand and sent Poliwag away. "Go on. Hurry back..."

"Yoyo." After being pushed away, Poliwag saw that Yu Hai did not try to stand again and entered the curtain of rain once more.

As it left, it looked back every three steps, afraid Yu Hai would stand up again.

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

Yu Hai said nothing about the little fellow's adorable behavior. He only smiled helplessly, leaned peacefully against the tree trunk, and waited for it to return.

As he waited longer and longer without seeing any sign of the little fellow, he could not help becoming worried.

Rainy weather was an advantage for the little fellow, and no predators would likely hunt in the rain—aside from the fish Pokémon in the sea.

Still, he worried about it. As the light rain slowly turned into heavy rain and the sky grew darker and darker, would the little fellow encounter danger? Would it be attacked by other Wild Pokémon? After all, the attack by Pidgey was still fresh in his mind.

He had nearly lost the little tadpole yesterday, and he did not want to lose it today either.

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