Returning to his fishing spot, Jack cast his hook again.
As Jack adjusted the float, the fishing line was suddenly yanked downward.
"This time it's definitely a fish!"
Jack flicked his wrist, and the fishing rod bent into a beautiful arc. But when he reeled it in, he saw another Slowpoke swinging from the hook with its tail.
And it wasn't even the same Slowpoke as before—the previous one was still sitting on the ground, staring blankly into space.
"No way..."
Jack sighed, holding his forehead, and gently placed this Slowpoke back into the water.
The Slowpoke in the water blinked their round eyes. Their tails continued gently patting the surface, as if they didn't understand what was happening.
Jack helplessly packed up his fishing gear. "I need to find another spot. If I stay here any longer, I'll probably catch a bucketful of Slowpoke."
"Meltan!" (Fishing is so hard, Jack.)
Meltan followed behind, holding a branch in his mouth and occasionally looking back.
"This is an essential skill for us farmers, Meltan. You need to have patience!"
That group of Slowpoke were still lying on the bank, their heads all facing the direction Jack and Meltan had left, their tails suspended motionless in the water.
Walking about a hundred meters upstream, Jack found a shallow beach where the current was gentler. He sat down and scattered a handful of fish food. "This time, it has to be real."
Meltan also mimicked him, sticking his branch into the water and squatting beside it to watch.
The fish food spread across the water's surface, quickly attracting small fish to peck at it. Not long after, the float suddenly plunged down. Jack flipped his wrist, and the fishing rod instantly bent. "Got one!"
With a splash, a fish was pulled out of the water, glistening in the sunlight.
"Melo!" (Amazing, Jack!)
Meltan jumped up and clapped excitedly.
"Fishing is all about mindset and perseverance—seeing who can endure more, who can sit still longer!" Jack was beaming with pride.
Meltan's praising actions slowly ceased. He'd rather fish on his own—this felt so embarrassing...
Meltan felt an itch, so he pushed the branch deeper into the water. Suddenly, he felt a heavy tug, even heavier than when he'd caught the Slowpoke earlier.
"Melo! Melo!" (Something's on! It's heavy!)
Meltan cried out excitedly. His hind legs dug into the ground as he pulled hard. The branch creaked under the tension.
Jack had just placed the fish into the bucket when he saw Meltan suddenly lean backward. The little one fell to the ground along with the branch.
Meltan didn't bother rubbing his sore backside—he quickly got up to examine his trophy.
Hanging from the branch was a dusty, broken boot. One shoelace was snapped, and muddy water dripped from inside.
"Did you catch an antique?"
Jack walked over, laughing and teasing. The Fisherman's Redemption ability had worked!
Meltan, however, angrily pawed at the boot and tossed it aside. He picked up the branch again and poked it into the water, as if he wouldn't give up until he caught a fish.
An hour later, Jack's fishing line moved again. This time he caught another Fish, even bigger than the previous one.
"Just finished the bait."
Jack looked at the empty bait bag and placed the two fish into the bucket.
"Melo!" (Enough for two meals for us!)
Meltan immediately scurried over, his claws gripping the bucket rim to peer inside. Water droplets from the fish's tail splashed onto his face.
"Of course."
Jack was about to pick up the bucket and leave with Meltan when, from upstream, a collection of frozen fish suddenly floated down. They were only partially frozen, and the fish were still alive.
"Are there Pokémon battling upstream? There are so many fish."
Jack walked about a dozen meters upstream. However, there were no Pokémon to be seen, nor any signs of a recent battle.
"Hehe, Meltan, let's collect these fish!"
None of them showed any signs of injury, which allowed Jack to take advantage of this fortunate opportunity.
"So many fish!"
Meltan and Jack jumped down and began carrying fish to the shore. The fish were all frozen and couldn't move, making them easy to transport.
The fish in the bucket instantly went from two to over twenty. If Jack hadn't brought two buckets, they wouldn't have fit. Moreover, there was a wide variety—at least three species Jack didn't recognize.
"Hehe~ That's enough for today. We need to practice sustainable fishing—bah! Sustainable development—to prevent overfishing!"
Jack carried the buckets and his fishing rod, while Meltan followed beside him, holding the branch in his mouth. One trainer and one Pokémon walked back as the sun set.
The rhythmic sounds of the buckets and fish hitting the ground mixed together, creating a lively symphony.
Upstream, a large Pokémon emerged from the forest, watching as Jack and Meltan disappeared into the distance.
"Mamooo..."
"Today, we're returning with a full haul!"
Jack found a large basin and placed twenty-one fish inside to keep them alive. He kept two for himself to eat and planned to sell the rest to help develop the Ranch!
"Today, I'll make braised fish!"
Jack opened the "Complete Guide to Home Cooking" he had purchased earlier. Bulbasaur didn't know how to make braised fish, so Jack had to learn and cook it himself.
"Scraping scales and gutting... sounds difficult."
Jack muttered, his fingertip tracing the recipe steps repeatedly.
Bulbasaur brought over a small stool, and when he handed Jack a small knife wrapped in a vine, Jack's hands trembled slightly.
"In for a penny, in for a pound."
Jack took out the largest fish and held down its slippery body. The blade slipped as soon as it touched the scales, and the fish's tail slapped against the bucket rim with a loud "pah," splashing water onto his face.
"Ouch!"
"Melo!" (Jack, I've got it!)
Jack's grip loosened, and the fish nearly jumped back into the bucket. Meltan quickly leaped over and pressed down on the bucket rim.
After much effort to hold the fish steady, Jack scraped twice, sending scales flying all over the stove.
"This fish is too slippery..."
Killing a fish for the first time was proving quite difficult for Jack.
Jack sighed, not paying attention, and the moment the scissors cut open the fish's belly, a fishy smell rushed into his nostrils. The tip of the knife accidentally pricked his fingertip, and a drop of blood immediately appeared.
"Bulba!" (Jack, are you okay?)
Bulbasaur was so frightened that his leaves curled into a ball. He ran out to find the first-aid kit, hooked the alcohol bottle with a vine, then pulled out cotton swabs and scrambled back over.
"Bulba..." (So much blood...)
"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt, Bulbasaur."
"Meltan!" (Band-Aid!)
Meltan was calmer than Bulbasaur, stepping onto a stool to pull a Band-Aid from the drawer.
"It's just a small cut."
Jack pulled out a tissue to press on the wound, smiling at the two flustered Pokémon.
Jack took the alcohol swab, cleaned the wound, and then applied the Band-Aid.
"Thank you both. Let's continue working."
Following the recipe's instructions, Jack made a few cuts on the fish, then marinated it with cooking wine and ginger slices.
Bulbasaur took the opportunity to prepare green onions and garlic, while Meltan stood on his tiptoes to open the spice cabinet, placing soy sauce and the sugar jar one by one onto the counter. After arranging everything, he stepped back two paces, tilting his head to check if anything was missing.
"Next is frying the fish."
Jack poured oil into the pan, and once it was hot enough, he carefully placed in the marinated fish. With a loud "sizzle," golden oil splattered. Meltan jumped back but couldn't help peering over curiously.
Bulbasaur, holding a pot lid with his vine, stood nearby, shielding Meltan from the hot oil.
Once both sides were golden brown, Jack scooped in two spoonfuls of soy sauce. Meltan immediately handed him the spatula, watching as Jack stirred the seasonings evenly, then poured hot water over the fish.
"It needs to simmer on low heat for a while." Jack secured the lid tightly.