For many fishing enthusiasts, the joy of fishing lies in the anticipation of the catch.
You never know what kind of creature is on the other end, how much it weighs, whether it will snap your line, or if you'll end up being pulled into the water yourself as "human bait."
Kashiwagi, whose goals were crystal clear, shared their anticipation—but he certainly wasn't enjoying himself.
After all, whenever he finally got a bite and exerted every ounce of strength to pull it up, he was met with the same sight:
Who are you?
Magikarp!
Again?
Another Magikarp!
...And this time?
It's still a freaking Magikarp!
Mawile tirelessly kicked each one back into the water, while Kashiwagi hoped for something new with every cast, only to be trapped in a cycle of catching the same species over and over.
Thankfully, a few of them varied in size and appearance; otherwise, he would have genuinely suspected he was catching the exact same fish repeatedly.
Even so, Kashiwagi began to suspect he had accidentally stumbled upon a Magikarp nest. How else could he explain the complete absence of any other Pokémon?
An old man two spots away from him had even managed to pull up a Staryu!
Granted, it was only because the hook and bait had snagged the gold core on the Staryu's body, but it was enough to make the surrounding crowd gasp in wonder for nearly a minute.
"Big Brother Kashiwagi, maybe you should just pick a Magikarp. I saw a few that looked pretty energetic," Max leaned in and whispered.
Pick a Magikarp? Not a chance. Even if he were to raise one, it would have to be a "Golden Magikarp" (Shiny). A regular Magikarp just didn't cut it.
Kashiwagi let out a long, weary sigh. "I have my own plans."
"Alright then..."
Max retreated quietly. He actually had his own problems to deal with; ever since that Lumineon had leaped onto the deck and escaped, he hadn't caught a single thing.
A Corsola had nearly been pulled up, but because his reeling speed was too slow, it spit out the bait and swam away, leaving him to watch it disappear with regret.
Beside him, Kirlia was getting anxious, looking like it wanted to use its psychic powers to grab a fish for him—but that would be cheating.
So, while the two of them sat there fishing in silence, both were inwardly fuming with frustration.
Max was worried because everyone around them was making catches. Currently, the frontrunner was a man who had caught a Clawitzer. It had taken some effort to reel in and subdue, but the crowd had already pegged him as the "Grand Prize" favorite.
Kashiwagi, meanwhile, was frustrated that the "destined partner" he had waited three days for had yet to show its face.
If there weren't so many people around, he probably would have dived into the sea to find it himself, just to see which "Ghost" was tormenting him like this.
Maybe it's not caught by fishing? Maybe it's obtained through another method?
Like winning the tournament, or during a Pokémon trade meet-up after the event? He was also curious about what exactly was inside the "Luxury Surprise Grand Prize."
As he pondered, someone nearby shouted:
"A Magikarp swarm is coming!"
~Fishing can go to hell!
Kashiwagi was so annoyed he retracted his rod and quit. He was already catching nothing but Magikarp; a swarm would just turn the sea into a literal wall of orange scales.
What are those lure boats even doing?!
He looked out into the distance. Within his line of sight, several speedboats were circling, dumping Pokémon food into the sea to lure aquatic Pokémon toward the Eros Milotic.
Aside from the ship's official lure boats, there were a few private dinghies floating quietly on the water, with people extending fishing rods for some independent angling. These folks weren't part of the tournament; they were just there for the sport.
"Let's take a break."
Kashiwagi decided to soothe his mood. He took some crackers out of his bag to share with Mawile.
"Maw-wile!"
Mawile's eyes lit up. As a lover of sweets, it couldn't resist the temptation. It quickly grabbed a cracker, covered its mouth with its small hand, and began taking dainty little bites.
Crunch, crunch, crunch. Within seconds, the cracker was gone.
Seeing its cheeks bulging as it reached for the next one, Kashiwagi's lip twitched. He pulled a thermos from his bag and poured it a cup of black tea. "Eat slowly... Do you want one too?"
He directed the question at Kirlia, who had been peeking over from the corner of its eye. He wore a gentle smile.
"Kir-lia~"
Kirlia looked a bit embarrassed. Max noticed and simply propped his rod against the railing. "Big Brother Kashiwagi! I want some too!"
"Help yourself."
Kashiwagi waved him over, knowing Max was just trying to make Kirlia feel less awkward.
The two humans and two Pokémon settled into a quiet "afternoon tea mode," a stark contrast to the intense, adrenaline-fueled fishing fanatics surrounding them.
Of course, they weren't the only ones taking a break. Unlike a high-stakes battle tournament, a fishing competition was a more casual affair... mostly devoid of actual combat.
After a while...
Something seemed to bite on Max's line. He lunged back to the railing, only to find nothing there and retreated his head in disappointment.
"Must be nice. They're all getting such great catches."
He looked enviously at the guy with the Clawitzer. "At this rate, I think the only way to beat him is to catch a Gyarados..."
"A Gyarados? That's not going to happen," Kashiwagi shook his head.
"It's possible! Magikarp swarms occasionally have a few Gyarados mixed in. It's not uncommon for a group of them to follow the school!" Max pulled out his Pokédex to show him the data.
Kashiwagi countered: "I'm saying our rods won't hold. Do you really think your line can lift a Pokémon of that size? Besides, even a ship as big as the Eros Milotic wouldn't want to provoke such a violent Pokémon. There's no way the lure boats would lead a Gyarados here."
"Uh... fair point," Max scratched his head awkwardly.
Mawile and Kirlia sat like proper ladies on small stools, but they were going through the crackers at a rapid pace. Before long, the bag was completely empty.
"I wasn't paying attention for one second..."
Kashiwagi tapped Mawile on the head. The latter clutched its forehead and looked up with puffed-out cheeks, staring at him indignantly. "Maw-wile!"
"We agreed you'd only have ten. You and Kirlia ate them all. Am I not allowed to say anything?" He spoke with a half-amused, half-exasperated grin.
"Maw-wile!"
Fine, say it, but don't get physical! Mawile glared.
It had a reputation to maintain!
"Alright, alright, my bad. I shouldn't have tapped you. But are you sorry for eating them all?" Kashiwagi apologized and asked back.
Mawile puckered its lips. "Maw-wile~"
"You little rascal, that was the most perfunctory apology ever..."
BOOM!
"ROOOAAAARRRR!!"
A thunderous roar interrupted Kashiwagi. He looked out and immediately saw one of the private fishing dinghies being flipped over by a sudden Gyarados. The people and Pokémon on board all tumbled into the water.
"Ah! Someone really did hook a Gyarados!" Max's voice was shocked, but his tone suggested he wasn't entirely surprised.
The onlookers turned their attention toward the scene, creating a massive hubbub. The ship's crew quickly deployed lifeboats to close in on the area.
Soon, a Trainer on one of the lifeboats lured the Gyarados away, while the people who had fallen into the sea were rescued by another boat.
The Eros Milotic staff seemed very experienced in this regard, knowing exactly how to handle a temperamental Pokémon like Gyarados.
But for some reason, Kashiwagi had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough.
Among the group of people who had been rescued, one man—whether out of a desire for revenge or an attempt to catch it—suddenly sent out a Pidgeot to attack the Gyarados that was being led away.
An Air Slash struck. The Gyarados's "aggro" immediately locked onto the Pidgeot, and by extension, the lifeboat where the Trainer was sitting.
"ROOOOAAARRRR!!"
The furious Gyarados roared at the Pidgeot and the lifeboat. The people on board suddenly froze, paralyzed with fear.
By now, the "hatred" was locked in. A Clefairy on the other lifeboat tried to use Follow Me to draw the attention away, but it was useless. The Gyarados's eyes were fixed.
"ROAR!"
The crazed Gyarados opened its maw and unleashed a blast of blue, dragon-shaped flames directly at the lifeboat!
Dragon Rage!
"You idiot! Why would you provoke a Gyarados with an attack?!" Max shouted in panic.
Kashiwagi knew the man's biggest mistake wasn't just the attack—it was failing to follow through. Why would anyone attack a Pokémon once and then just stop?
Was it because of the Intimidate ability?