While Ash and his friends were taking a break by a riverside and conducting some special training, Misty's Poliwhirl ran into a bit of trouble.
Poliwhirl had been happily swimming through the water when, all of a sudden, a swift figure burst out of the river. A large, muscular Poliwrath immediately chopped down at Poliwhirl with a Karate Chop without any warning.
Although it had held back its strength, the sudden attack still frightened Poliwhirl, causing it to hurriedly swim back to its trainer.
"Hey! What's your problem?" Misty immediately stepped in front of Poliwhirl protectively, glaring at Poliwrath's trainer.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Andreas."
Not only did the trainer named Andreas fail to apologize, he arrogantly folded his arms across his chest.
"My Poliwrath only gave it a little tap, and your Poliwhirl got scared out of its wits. It's way too timid. No wonder it still hasn't evolved. Its experience is obviously lacking."
Those words completely infuriated Ash.
He strode forward, fixing Andreas with a sharp stare.
"I thought you might be a trainer worth battling. I didn't expect you to be this ignorant."
"What did you just say?" Andreas's expression immediately darkened.
"You don't even understand how Poliwhirl evolves, yet you're speaking with such confidence." Ash's tone remained calm, but carried unquestionable authority. "Poliwhirl has two different evolutionary paths. Using a Water Stone evolves it into Poliwrath, while trading it while holding a King's Rock evolves it into Politoed. It has absolutely nothing to do with its level or battle experience."
After carefully observing the Poliwrath beside Andreas, Ash continued.
"If I'm not mistaken, you caught that Poliwrath after it had already evolved, didn't you? No wonder you know nothing about its evolutionary process."
Having been exposed so accurately, Andreas became both embarrassed and furious.
"Quit showing off your knowledge! If you've got the guts, battle my Poliwrath!"
"Oh, we'll battle," Ash replied calmly. "But I think the Seaking Catching Competition would be a much better stage. Defeating you there fair and square will make you accept the outcome without any complaints."
"How do you know about the fishing tournament?" Andreas asked in surprise.
Ash pointed at the professional fishing rod slung across Andreas's back.
"Was it really that hard to guess? Besides, I've long heard that the Seaking Catching Competition is one of Johto's traditional events. It's especially popular among Water type Pokémon enthusiasts."
"Hmph. At least you know something," Andreas snorted. "If you really dare to enter, I'll show you what real skill looks like!"
After Andreas left, Misty looked at Ash with concern.
"Are we really going to enter that fishing tournament?"
"Of course," Ash answered with a confident smile. "Not only are we entering, we're going to win it."
Following Andreas's trail, the group soon arrived at the tournament venue.
Around a large pond filled with lush aquatic plants, numerous trainers had already gathered, each accompanied by a Water type Pokémon.
Schools of Magikarp occasionally leaped from the water, their orange-red scales shimmering brilliantly beneath the afternoon sun.
The tournament rules were straightforward. Contestants could use either their own fishing rods or rent one from the organizers. Within the allotted time, they had to catch as many Seaking as possible, but in the end, they could only select one to place into a special Lure Ball for the final judging.
The deciding factor was simple: the heaviest Seaking would win.
"I'm entering!" Misty signed up without hesitation the moment she saw the beautifully crafted Seaking Trophy and the grand prize of a year's supply of chocolate. "My partner will be Poliwhirl!"
"Of course, I'm joining too." Ash patted Croconaw beside him. "It'll be a good chance for this guy to get used to his newly learned moves."
Since each contestant could only bring one Pokémon, Ash left Pikachu in Brock's care.
Misty took out her customized "Misty No. 1" fishing rod, while Ash rented a standard rod from the tournament organizers.
As the starting whistle sounded, thousands of fishing lines were cast into the pond simultaneously.
Although Ash had very little fishing experience, the countless fishing videos he had watched in his previous life finally proved useful.
Even better, his Aura abilities allowed him to perceive everything beneath the water with remarkable clarity, letting him accurately sense the movements of the schools of fish.
"Ash, isn't that basically cheating?" Misty complained as she watched him fish with effortless ease.
"I call it making reasonable use of my resources." Ash grinned mischievously. "Besides, I'm not even trying to win."
Ash had only entered the competition to cheer Misty on. For him, it was simply about participating while taking the opportunity to see if there were any rare Water type Pokémon in the pond.
After looking around for a while, he quickly gave up on that idea and simply caught a medium sized Seaking with one of the tournament's special Lure Balls.
Meanwhile, thanks to her extensive fishing experience and specially prepared bait, Misty successfully reeled in an enormous Seaking.
When the giant Seaking was lifted out of the water, the spectators erupted in astonished cheers.
The weigh-in pushed the excitement to its peak.
Andreas's Seaking temporarily took first place at 55 kilograms, and he proudly looked toward Ash and Misty.
However, when Misty's Seaking was placed on the scale, the number displayed left everyone speechless.
56 kilograms!
"Facts speak louder than words," Ash said as he walked over with Misty to stand in front of Andreas. "Now you have to admit that experience and skill aren't something you can prove just by talking."
Andreas remained silent for a moment before finally lowering his head.
"I lost this time. But next time, I'll definitely win it back!"
Holding the exquisite trophy and the year's supply of chocolate, Misty's face was filled with the joy of victory.
Not only would the chocolates provide plenty of energy during their travels, but they would also make excellent ingredients for Brock's homemade desserts.
By the time they left the tournament grounds, the setting sun had already painted the sky a brilliant shade of orange.
Ash looked back at the shimmering pond one last time.
It had given them more than just memories of the competition. Without either of them realizing it, the bond between him and Misty had grown even stronger.
"Next stop, Ecruteak City," Ash said, gazing into the distance with anticipation shining in his eyes.
A new Gym challenge awaited them there, and with every step of their journey, the bond they shared continued to deepen.
...
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