New Rock Town!
After leaving Water Metropolis, Lin Yu headed south through China.
This was a small town along his route.
"The New Rock Town Fishing Competition starts now! Winners will pick a stone from the Mayor's secret treasure stone vault!"
Though called a town, it was actually quite large.
Lin Yu had planned to visit the local Treasure Bureau to look for materials —
his Special Attack Energy Cubes were missing one ingredient for Fire and Psychic types.
But New Rock Town was unusually busy today.
It piqued his curiosity.
A fishing competition?
With stones as prizes?
What was so special about these stones?
Lin Yu walked with Riolu and Dira,
joining the crowd to check it out.
On a temporary wooden stage stood a scruffy-bearded man,
with a Lairon beside him.
"These stones all come from the New Rock Secret Realm —
they're treasure stones detected by energy tools!
You can definitely open treasures inside!
Once, a young kid in the fishing competition cracked open an A‑Grade Hard Rock from my stones!
Now, enter my competition, and you'll get a chance to pick one!"
The crowd booed playfully.
"Mayor, stop bringing up that three-year-old story! It's been ages!"
"Haha, everyone knows how much you regretted it! An A‑Grade treasure sells for over a million on the market!"
"To be fair, his fees are high, but the stone quality is actually good!"
"Yeah, people got B‑Grade treasures the last two years!"
"Ugh, but the Pokémon are so hard to catch — even Energy Cubes barely work."
Lin Yu checked the rules.
Ah, I see.
The small lake behind the stage was the competition area.
Bring your own bait.
Points were based on the rarity of the Pokémon caught.
Final rankings were decided by total points.
But entry cost 10,000 Huabi.
Not a small sum.
This didn't really appeal to Lin Yu.
He was about to leave with Latias and Riolu
when his constantly active Aura Power flickered.
Not only that —
his equipped [Historical Resonance] Entry was also reacting.
Among the stones the mayor had laid out…
there was a historical relic!
That caught Lin Yu's interest.
For both his Entry and Aura Power to react at the same time, it had to be something good.
In that case,
he had to join the competition.
When it came to attracting Pokémon…
an ancient recipe immediately came to mind.
Rosemary Extract!
What worked better for luring Pokémon?
It was also the perfect chance to level up his [Fishing Pro] Entry.
He strolled over to the sign-up desk.
"Riolu? Using Aura Power to find fish schools? Smart choice!"
The man registering people was none other than the mayor himself.
Lin Yu looked young, but when he saw Riolu at his feet,
he praised him sincerely.
Aura Power was no secret.
But so far, only Riolu's evolutionary line could use it.
"Good luck, kid! Try to win a place!"
Lin Yu: "Will do. I'm gonna take first place."
The mayor froze, then laughed loudly.
"Get first, and I'll double your treasure stone pick!"
The quick registration process finished,
and the main competition began.
Contestants rubbed their hands, equipped with top-tier gear.
Fishermen!
Even if they caught nothing, their equipment was always fancy!
Only Lin Yu broke off a sturdy-looking stick from nearby
and bought tough fishing line from the System.
[Tough Fishing Line — Once in water, even the strongest "fish" can't break free! 10 Entry Coins.]
People nearby stared in shock.
He paid 10,000 to enter…
and he's only using a stick and some line?
Could he really catch Pokémon like that?
Pokémon weren't just fish —
when hooked, they often attacked angrily.
Nearly every contestant had a Water-type Pokémon,
like Lotad or Poliwag.
A regular stick couldn't handle a Pokémon's strength!
A spectator who hadn't entered tried to lend Lin Yu his gear,
but staff stopped him.
"Sigh — young hothead who thinks Riolu alone gives him an edge!"
"Pokémon aren't fish! They're smart!"
"Lots of people catch zero every year."
The crowd muttered.
Lin Yu thanked the kind spectator.
The lake was huge.
Using Aura Power, he picked a spot with lots of Pokémon.
Before he even cast his line,
he could feel Magikarp gathering below.
For a small competition like this,
the lake was mostly Magikarp and Goldeen.
Even with [Fishing Pro], he couldn't attract anything legendary.
"Greedy little things. Never had good food, huh?"
Lin Yu sat down and grinned.
The second his line hit the water,
ripples spread everywhere, like a small wave.
"So many fish…"
Latias sat beside him, amazed.
The Magikarp below fought over the bait like it was a feast.
"What the…?!"
A nearby contestant gaped.
What was going on?
That was Magikarp!
If there was a ranking for the dimmest Pokémon, Magikarp would be a top contender.
What was happening?
"Got one!"
Less than three seconds after casting,
Lin Yu happily reeled in his line.
A plump, blank-eyed Magikarp flopped on the shore.
Cast again. Reel again.
The motion repeated rapidly.
In just a few minutes,
his fish bag was already overflowing.
The huge commotion left nearby contestants stunned.
They checked their own lines —
not a single bite.
They could swear every Magikarp in the lake had swarmed to Lin Yu.
"It's full! It's full!"
An hour later,
the mayor of New Rock Town stared at Lin Yu with a complicated expression
and reluctantly announced the results.
There were only two ranks:
first and second.
Because besides Lin Yu,
only one person caught one Magikarp!
Lin Yu had even caught a Cloyster —
a rare Pokémon with base stats rivaling the starter Pokémon!
The contestants watched, dumbfounded…