A strange shape in the water

"That was hard. That was seriously hard..."

Tong Hua immediately gripped his fishing rod and called up his profession panel.

[Fisher: Level 2]

[Status: None]

[Experience: 60/450]

[Profession skills: Cast, Set the hook]

He had unlocked the profession and two passive skills. Now even fishing could be automated to some extent.

Tong Hua immediately tried casting again. Sure enough, that feeling of his body moving on its own returned. Even his grip and the pressure he applied to the rod adjusted automatically.

The drizzle showed no sign of stopping, so Tong Hua took the opportunity to keep fishing.

Meanwhile, in the Wind-Circling Forest.

Chuang Yi, the Ranger who was supposed to help ship goods from Fairy Tale Ranch that day, was currently carrying out a request.

The request was simple: find a child who had gone missing in the forest.

According to the information supplied by her parents, the missing child was an eight-year-old girl. For some unknown reason, she had put on a raincoat and entered the forest early that morning, and no one had heard from her since.

Her frantic parents immediately thought to go to the Ranger Base to report the disappearance and submit an assignment request.

Her frantic parents had immediately gone to the Ranger Base to report her disappearance and submit a request.

Normally, an emergency like this should not have been assigned to a rookie Ranger like Chuang Yi.

Unfortunately, Base Captain Palmer and the two veteran Rangers had been urgently dispatched to Harbor Town to the north on a mission the previous night.

That left only two rookies, Chuang Yi and Hitomi, at the Windring Town Base!

Chuang Yi used the device on his wrist to take a photo of the tracks, then looked up and asked his partner in the treetops.

Chuang Yi photographed the tracks with the device on his wrist, then looked up and called to his partner in the treetops.

"How's it looking, Pachirisu? Can you see any sign of the child?"

"Chiri!"

Standing in the treetops, Pachirisu shook the rain from its fur and pointed a little paw deeper into the forest.

Chuang Yi looked in the direction it was pointing. Through the dense curtain of rain, he could just make out a trail of trampled grass.

Chuang Yi looked in the direction it indicated. Through the dense curtain of rain, he could just make out a trail of trampled grass.

"Good work. Let's keep moving!"

He hurried forward while switching on his communicator. "Hitomi, I've found a new lead. I'm tracking it southwest into the forest. How are things on your end?"

Static crackled through the communicator, followed by Hitomi's breathless voice. "I-I haven't found anything yet... The rain suddenly got heavier, and visibility is terrible.

"But I've contacted the captain and the senior Rangers. They're on their way back."

"Understood. Stay in touch." Chuang Yi switched off the communicator, his brow tightly furrowed.

Every minute that passed could put the child in greater danger.

He had to move faster.

"No luck. It really is nothing but Magikarp."

Tong Hua had fished for quite a while longer, and sure enough, aside from grass carp, there were only Magikarp in this stream.

He had even raised his fishing level to four. Although he had not unlocked any new skills, the higher level made fishing easier.

Simply put, the most important thing in fishing was neither technique nor equipment.

It was having fish to catch!

All this Small Stream had to offer were ordinary grass carp and Magikarp whose quality topped out at C. There was little point in continuing.

All this stream had to offer were ordinary grass carp and Magikarp whose quality topped out at C. There was little point in continuing.

Tong Hua estimated the pond's area. It had more than enough room for the Bidoof family and this bucket of fish.

Tong Hua estimated the pond's area. It should have more than enough room for the Bibarel family and this bucket of fish.

Taking its depth into account, it could probably hold another ten buckets of fish.

Just as Tong Hua was about to get up, reel in his line, and head back, the rod suddenly bent sharply downward. An unprecedented force surged up from the water!

"?!"

Tong Hua was nearly dragged into the stream. He quickly steadied himself and clutched the rod with both hands.

"What's going on?!"

It felt as though some enormous creature in the water was locked in a tug-of-war with him. This was completely different from the feel of the fish he had hooked earlier!

"Everyone, help me!"

Tong Hua hurriedly called to the Pokémon beside him. The little ones reacted instantly, each using their abilities to help!

"Grot!" Turtwig moved first, wrapping a thick Vine Whip tightly around Tong Hua's waist and securing the other end to the tree behind him.

"Chiri!" Minccino was not very strong, but it still grabbed Tong Hua's trouser leg and pulled backward with all its might.

The green Celebi was about to fly forward to help, but the pink Celebi stopped her.

"Bii?"

The green Celebi looked at the pink Celebi in confusion. The latter looked just as bewildered.

She seemed to... remember this scene. Another Celebi had stopped her in exactly the same way back then. And then...

A moment later, despite the combined efforts of Tong Hua and the two Pokémon, the fishing rod finally gave out and snapped with a crack!

Thud!

Tong Hua hit the ground hard, landing on top of Turtwig and Minccino behind him.

A huge splash erupted from the stream, and the thing that had taken the hook finally revealed itself!

To his surprise, it was a dark blue tentacle!

"Bii?" The green Celebi stared at the tentacle. It looked very familiar.

"My fishing rod!" Tong Hua scrambled up, clutching his back, his emotions a tangled mess.

"What on earth is that?"

The tentacle curled at Tong Hua provocatively, as though beckoning him closer.

An instant later, it plunged back underwater. Tong Hua searched from the bank but could find no trace of it.

With no other choice, Tong Hua turned his attention to the two Pokémon he had knocked unconscious by landing on them.

Fortunately, neither Turtwig nor Minccino was seriously hurt. They only had a few superficial injuries.

Tong Hua scooped both little Pokémon up in one arm and lifted the bucket full of fish with his other hand, intending to return to the cabin and get them settled first.

"Celebi, let's go!"

The pink Celebi answered and followed Tong Hua, while the green Celebi lingered where she was, seemingly still thinking about that tentacle.

Only when the pink Celebi turned back and took her arm did the green Celebi snap out of her thoughts.

Tong Hua was on his way back to Fairy Tale

Ranch when, in the bushes across the stream, a pair of big, round eyes silently watched them...

Once back at the cabin, Tong Hua immediately dried off the two Pokémon and placed them on the bed. Then he took two bottles of Potion from the first-aid kit beneath it.

"Moo?" "Ama?"

Miltank and Bounsweet, who had stayed home, stared in confusion at the two injured Pokémon, unsure what had happened.

As for the bucket of fish, Tong Hua had already stopped to release them into the pond on his way back.

The Celebi had wanted to use Life Dew to heal Turtwig and Minccino, but Tong Hua had refused.

"Bii?" The pink Celebi tilted her head and looked at Tong Hua in puzzlement.

"Potion is enough for little injuries like these. Besides, they got hurt because of me, so let me treat them.

"Save your strength for a real emergency." Tong Hua explained with a smile while deftly spraying the medicine onto Turtwig and Minccino.

Turtwig soon woke up. It shook its head, then lowered it sheepishly. "Grot..."

"Don't look so down. Thanks to you, I didn't get dragged into the water." Tong Hua rubbed its head and comforted it gently.

"But..." He picked up the half of the fishing rod he had grabbed in his haste and sighed. "Looks like I'll have to find a sturdier rod."

Minccino woke up too, sprang to its feet, and waved its little paws indignantly. "Chiri! Chi!"

"I wonder what that was. A dark blue tentacle? It must belong to some kind of Pokémon..."

Tong Hua sat beside the bed, resting his chin on his hand as he pondered.

"Not many Pokémon have features like that. And this is Almia, so the wild Pokémon here should mostly be ones common to the Sinnoh Region..."

Tentacles, Sinnoh, dark blue...

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Tong Hua thought of a Pokémon that fit the description.