Very quickly, Chikorita realized it wasn't just her imagination; something was pulling on her. In fact, she was even starting to get dragged toward the lake.
Just as Jumpluff noticed something was wrong, Chikorita braced herself, dug all four limbs into the ground, and leaned back with all her strength, forcefully reeling in her 'Vine Whip'.
She could feel that something underwater had been hooked and was now being dragged along with the whip. Her curiosity fired up, and just as Jumpluff rushed over to her side, Chikorita gave a powerful swing, flinging her 'Vine Whip' toward the shore.
A red figure soared through the air, narrowly missing the hovering Eevee and Espurr.
Even Marill emerged from the water, scrambling ashore to check out the thing Chikorita had pulled up.
The red figure flopped violently on the ground, its fish tail slapping against the dirt as it tried to 'Bulk Up' for a good bounce.
…Chikorita had just fished up a Magikarp?!
Surrounded by curious Pokémon, the Magikarp suddenly seized its chance. While everyone else was still stunned, it mustered all its strength, slammed its tail down hard, bounced high into the air, and rolled a few times along the lakeside before, with everyone watching in amazement, it flopped its way back into the lake.
The terrified Magikarp dove straight into the deep water.
'That was terrifying, really terrifying!'
'I actually made it out, surrounded by so many Pokémon, and got back into the lake alive?!'
Espurr used her psychic power to float Chikorita's Vine Whip back to her. Both she and Eevee took turns sniffing it.
No wonder. The sweet scent of Pecha Berry Jam was thick on the 'Vine Whip'. Once it had dipped into the lake, the aroma basically turned it into natural bait, and the 'Vine Whip' became the fishing hook. For water-dwelling Pokémon who liked sweet things, this was a delicious trap.
Jumpluff gave Chikorita a stern lecture. 'What if a heavier Pokémon had bitten down?' Chikorita would've been yanked straight into the water.
Feeling guilty, Chikorita hid her face behind her big leaf. Once the scolding was over, she weakly mumbled that 'it was really fun... and yes, she knew she'd acted on her own, but… could she try it one more time?'
This… was just admitting: "I know it's wrong, but I'm gonna do it again."
Chikorita thought the feeling of reeling something in was incredibly satisfying. The danger before had only happened because Jumpluff wasn't close. Now that Jumpluff was watching, nothing could go wrong, right?
Jumpluff was just about to say no when the prank-loving Marill excitedly backed Chikorita's idea. Even Eevee and Espurr thought it sounded fun.
"But the question is," Jumpluff asked, "What are you going to do with the Pokémon you catch?"
"Feed them Pecha Berry Jam!"
Bop!
Jumpluff lightly smacked Chikorita on the head.
Hearing the commotion, Kirlia, Pachirisu, and Corsola came running over. After listening to Jumpluff's question, Kirlia thought for a moment and asked: "Do you guys remember when Luther used berries to trade with that Ursaring for our lost items?"
All the Pokémon's eyes lit up, they instantly understood what Kirlia meant.
Usually, it was Luther and Mai who gave them gifts. But if they could catch something today, wouldn't they finally be able to give something back?
Jumpluff immediately changed her stance. She even helped Chikorita smear more Pecha Berry Jam on the Vine Whip herself. Under the watchful gaze of all the Pokémon, Chikorita once again lowered her Vine Whip into the lake.
She swayed it gently beneath the surface, letting the sweet scent of the jam slowly spread through the water, and then she waited quietly.
Before long, Chikorita felt a tugging weight on her Vine Whip. She quickly tied one end into a loop.
Marill immediately grabbed one of the Vine Whips and used her strength to help pull it up little by little.
Espurr and Kirlia used their Psychic powers to control the other Vine Whip. Working together from both sides, they slowly hauled up a blue-skinned Pokémon with a white belly, its stomach marked with a dizzying swirl pattern.
Poliwhirl had been peacefully licking the Pecha Berry jam off the 'Vine Whip' when he was suddenly entangled and yanked out of the water mid-snack.
Seeing a group of Pokémon crowding around him, Poliwhirl trembled. He turned around to try to jump back into the lake, only to be blocked by Corsola and Pachirisu.
Kirlia held up a jar of jam and waved it in front of him, explaining that if he could help them find anything valuable underwater, they would even trade him some Lum Berries in exchange.
Poliwhirl considered the offer. Seeing that Corsola and Pachirisu would let him leave after their conversation, he finally believed Kirlia was being serious.
With a nod, he agreed and said he'd be right back. Then, he dove into the lake.
This lake was right next to a well-traveled route. Over the years, many Pokémon Trainers had passed through, camped, and battled here, naturally leading to all kinds of lost or discarded items sinking into the water, some even mixed with garbage and washed down by rain.
Water Pokémon usually didn't pay attention to these things. But now that someone wanted them… that was a different story.
One Poliwhirl wasn't enough. Chikorita and the others kept fishing.
A Goldeen, fond of sweet flavors, was reeled up next. After Kirlia sweet-talked her a bit, she cheerfully returned to the water to help search.
The third time, Chikorita's 'Vine Whip' had clearly snagged something huge, but then it suddenly snapped. The break was unnaturally clean.
While everyone was still confused, a massive Kingler leapt out of the water.
Thankfully, Kingler wasn't the angry type. Even though Chikorita had tried to bind him with her Vine Whip, he stayed calm and listened to Kirlia's explanation. After thinking for a moment, he mentioned he had seen something shiny and round in the water, likely a piece of human jewelry.
Before Kirlia could say anything more, Kingler abruptly dove back into the lake, sending a huge splash flying and soaking all the nearby Pokémon.
'What a rash fellow… Came in a flash, left in a splash.'
Meanwhile, Chikorita's control over her Vine Whip had grown increasingly precise. She could now estimate the size and position of underwater Pokémon just from the weight and vibrations traveling up her Vine Whip. She was even able to accurately entangle them and haul them onto shore.
Her list of "victims" was growing: Wooper, Corphish, Finneon…
Because the lake was fed by a river that flowed into the sea, she even managed to reel in Pokémon like Chinchou and Gastrodon, who had swum upstream into the area.
Finally, when Chikorita was completely worn out, the fishing operation came to an end. By now, it was almost afternoon.
She'd actually been fishing for half the day!
Eevee ran back to the camp to retrieve some Lum Berries and more Pecha Berry jam, waiting for the lake Pokémon to return with their treasures.
Poliwhirl was the first to come back, floating up with a pile of muddy objects in his arms. Seeing Kirlia and the others still waiting on the shore, he hopped out of the water and laid his findings on the ground.
Soon after, the other Pokémon also began returning, each carrying their discoveries, those with hands held them, those without used their mouths, resulting in a variety of odd postures. One by one, they piled their treasures on the shore, waiting eagerly for Kirlia and the others to trade with them.
(End of Chapter)
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