"Ugh… fine…" Goh groaned, clearly reluctant, but eventually nodded in agreement to Chloe's offer.
He knew full well that Chloe's Spritzee was no weakling. Though it only knew three moves—[Sweet Scent], [Fairy Wind], and [Attract]—those covered key categories: lowering the opponent's evasiveness, ranged special attacks, and status-inflicting control. Combined with its ability to fly, Chloe's Spritzee was easily among the strongest Pokémon handed out to the campers.
Perhaps only Ash's Froakie could outmatch it.
The reason Chloe had only managed two victories in yesterday's challenge wasn't due to Spritzee's strength, but rather because Chloe lacked battle experience—and Goh had sabotaged her.
Unable to accept his humiliating five-loss streak, Goh had whispered deliberately poor advice during her battles, jealous of how his good friend had outperformed him. His pride wounded, he'd dragged her down.
But that was yesterday. Today, he had a chance at redemption—and with Spritzee backing him up, Goh felt certain he'd catch a powerful Water-type Pokémon and blow Ash's score out of the water.
[Ash… I'm going to surpass you…] he swore in his heart, stealing a glance in Ash's direction.
After Professor Oak handed out the special blue Dive Balls to each camper, the group grabbed fishing rods and bait and rushed toward the riverbank, eager to claim prime spots.
Even Gary dashed off in excitement.
But Ash?
Ash was calm. Completely unrushed.
Fishing for Water-types was similar to regular fishing, but not quite the same. It wasn't just about picking a good spot—what truly mattered was the bait. And Ash had something deadly tempting.
The breeze swept through the valley, sending shimmering ripples across the river. Behind them, the forest rustled like an ocean of green. Soon, the riverbank was lined with campers perched on tiny folding stools, rods in hand.
Ash wandered off to a quieter area. There, he took out a special bait—crumbled bean dregs—and began molding it in his hands. Then, focusing deeply, he summoned his Viridian Power, channeling a touch of [Source Resonance] into the bait mixture.
"Fssss…"
Before fishing, you had to prep the zone. Ash scattered the infused bait into the river to lure Pokémon to the area. Only then did he bait his hook, cast his line, and begin to fish.
The Kanto region didn't have that many Water-types, but it wasn't lacking either.
Aside from fossils like Omanyte and Kabuto or ocean dwellers like Lapras, Horsea, and Staryu, there were still plenty of species in inland streams—though mostly common types like Magikarp, Goldeen, and Poliwag lines.
But today wasn't just about catching any Water-type—it was about landing big ones. High scores depended on weight and size.
Ranking Water-types by size and weight in Kanto? Gyarados topped the list, followed by Lapras and Cloyster.
[If I could catch a Gyarados, I'd win today's competition hands down.]
But…
"Does this river even have a Gyarados?"
Ash furrowed his brows. For safety, the League regularly relocated high-level Pokémon from areas near camps.
"Still… could one have slipped through the cracks? A Gyarados that got missed during relocation?"
His eyes narrowed as he examined the river with quiet focus. He was about to release his Aura to check underwater—
When suddenly, a voice pierced the air from downriver.
"I GOT ONE! I GOT ONE!!!"
"I'm the first one to catch a Water-type! It's pulling so hard—it's gotta be a huge one!!"
The excited yelling grabbed everyone's attention. Even Ash looked up.
When he saw who it was, his expression froze in surprise.
The boy shouting was wearing gray cropped athletic pants that left his ankles exposed, paired with a red-and-gray shirt featuring a chibi Gengar on the chest. A small crossbody bag hung at his side, and a bright red hair clip held his bangs up.
A fashionable city kid—none other than Goh.
"Eh?! Goh's the first to catch a Water-type?" Ash muttered, genuinely caught off guard.
"Yo, Ash," Gary called from a few spots over. "That guy Goh says he just hooked a Kyogre. And you're just gonna sit there?"
Ash didn't flinch. His grip on the fishing rod remained steady as he replied with a grin, "No worries. If he's reeling in a Kyogre… then I'll just pull up a Lugia."
What Ash didn't know was that, far to the south of Pallet Town, deep in the ocean's heart, a certain Pokémon stirred.
Its wings beat against the currents, gliding through the deep blue like a ghost of the sea.
"Ooooooo…"
The giant Pokémon opened its eyes, raised its head, and let out a deep, resonant call—aimed directly north, toward Pallet Town.
Back at the riverbank—
"Today's challenge is about Water-types, Ash," Gary smirked. "Even if you did hook a Lugia, it wouldn't earn you many points."
"Oh? What's that supposed to mean?" Ash shot him a faux-offended glare. "Are you disrespecting our great sea guardian, Lugia?"
"Me? Never!" Gary grinned.
"But seriously," he added, "most of us are only gonna reel in Magikarp or Goldeen. So this whole thing's basically going to come down to who catches the biggest one."
"And Goh… whatever he's hooked, it's no Magikarp. If he manages to land that monster and catch it, he'll probably beat all of us."
"We can't let that happen, Ash. I really don't wanna see him strutting around like he owns the place."
Ash looked at Gary with a blank stare.
"…What do you want me to do? Have Froakie dive into the water and snip his fishing line with scissors? What kind of jerk do you think I am?"
But as he spoke, Ash closed his eyes and sent his Aura sweeping through the river toward Goh's side.
[Let's see just what you've really hooked…]
…
…
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T/N:
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