Tong Hua felt the fishing rod suddenly drag downward, nearly wrenching itself out of his hands.
The line snapped taut, letting out a teeth-grating creak.
"What a strong pull!" Tong Hua exclaimed. His Fisher class's passive skill instinctively made him plant his feet in a firm stance.
At the commotion, Nagi sprang to her feet with a kip-up and watched Tong Hua's tug-of-war with the fish, grinning. The sea breeze lifted her loose white short-sleeved shirt, revealing her slender waist.
"Don't rush to reel it in. Let it tire itself out first." Barefoot on the sun-warmed stone embankment, she leaned over beside Tong Hua and gazed out at the distant water.
Tong Hua gritted his teeth and steadied the rod. This was the first time he had ever felt a fishing rod grow so heavy.
Focused on his struggle with the fish, Tong Hua caught a glimpse of Nagi idly swinging her feet out of the corner of his eye.
Nagi had sat down beside him again, gently swaying both feet to the rhythm of the waves.
"So what kind of fish is this?!" Tong Hua shouted, his arms aching as he saw how relaxed Nagi still was.
"So what kind of fish is this?!" With his arms aching, Tong Hua couldn't help shouting when he saw how relaxed Nagi still was.
"No idea. Maybe a sillago.
"They average two to three times the length of a small horse mackerel. With this much strength, I'd guess it might be close to half a meter long."
"That big?" Tong Hua had tried sea fishing before, but as far as he knew, sillago were usually only about fifteen centimeters long.
A half-meter-long sillago? Have I hooked a Barraskewda from the Galar Region or something?
"Focus!" Nagi suddenly slapped his back. "Now reel it in slowly. Pull it toward us."
Tong Hua snapped back to his senses and tightened his grip on the rod. A burst of spray erupted from the sea, and in the sunlight, he saw a large, bright red fish leap high into the air!
"It's a red seabream!"
For the first time, Nagi looked surprised, both her eyes opening wide.
"A red seabream?!" Tong Hua's eyes widened too as he watched the large fish gleam gold and red in the sunlight.
It was well over half a meter long, its scales shimmering like gemstones as its tail fin traced a graceful arc.
All traces of Nagi's lazy expression vanished. She moved swiftly over the rocks on bare feet. "Steady! Lower the rod. Don't let it jump again!"
"We can't let this one get away!" Nagi produced a landing net from somewhere and watched the red seabream thrashing and pulling wildly through the water like a hawk.
Tong Hua's arms had begun to tremble, but his Fisher class's passive skill, along with the Fishing Ability bonus from yesterday's B-grade dish, forced him to maintain perfect control of the rod.
The fishing line carved sharp S-curves across the sea's surface as the red seabream made its final struggle.
"Tur!" Turtwig suddenly darted forward and wrapped a Vine Whip around Tong Hua's waist to help steady him.
"Min!" Minccino grabbed Tong Hua's trouser leg, anxiously pulling him backward with small paws.
Nagi seemed like a completely different person now. She briskly rolled up her seawater-soaked sleeves, exposing her well-defined forearms. "Now! Back up slowly!"
Her bare feet moved over the slippery rocks as easily as level ground. "I'll get the net ready!"
Following her instructions, Tong Hua reeled in the line while taking small steps backward. The red seabream's pull made every step a struggle, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the rod.
"Almost there!" Nagi knelt at the edge of the breakwater, her landing net already submerged. The waves had soaked her short hair, plastering it to her cheeks.
With one last soft click of the reel, the red seabream, more than half a meter long, finally surfaced. Nagi reacted instantly, scooping it into the net and lifting it out!
"Got it!"
Amid a shower of spray, the valuable red seabream was safely hauled up. It thrashed fiercely in the net, scattering droplets that formed a tiny rainbow in the sunlight before falling onto Nagi's smiling face.
Tong Hua and his two Pokémon slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. Only then did he realize his T-shirt was completely drenched in sweat, and his arm muscles were still trembling uncontrollably.
Nagi hurriedly put the red seabream into a water tank, shook out her wet hair, then suddenly leaned in close to Tong Hua.
At this distance, Tong Hua could smell the distinctive mix of sea salt and a faint fishy scent on her. As the sea breeze swept past, he looked at Nagi's smiling face and suddenly felt that his arms didn't ache quite so much anymore.
"Hehe, I really struck gold this time." She gave Tong Hua a sly wink. "You can have this fishing set. In exchange..."
Half an hour later, Tong Hua's two Pokémon were sitting on the wooden porch of the little fishing tackle shop. Soon, Tong Hua and Nagi came out carrying two plates of food.
"Here, give these a try."
Nagi gently set her plate on the porch's small table. It held five deep-fried small horse mackerel.
Tong Hua's plate looked rather more luxurious: an entire platter of red seabream sashimi.
"I never would have guessed your knife skills were so good, Tong Hua."
Nagi picked up a slice of sashimi as thin as a cicada's wing. In the sunlight, the translucent flesh was almost see-through.
She dipped it in a little specially prepared soy sauce and put it in her mouth. Her eyes instantly widened! A fresh sweetness bloomed on her tongue, carrying the sea's distinctive freshness. The flesh was firm, yet melted in her mouth.
"Delicious! I really did strike gold!"
Seeing her exaggerated reaction, Tong Hua and his two Pokémon hurried to pick up slices of fish and try them too.
"Mmm, I think this is even better than the fish we had in the hot pot. So this is what red seabream tastes like~"
"Tur~" "Min~"
Turtwig and Minccino looked just as satisfied. The two little ones picked up the fried horse mackerel beside them and bit down. Crunch!
Crunch, crunch! It was simply delicious!
Tong Hua chewed the delicious fish and couldn't help asking for confirmation again.
As Tong Hua chewed the delicious fish, he couldn't help asking for confirmation again.
What Nagi didn't say was that this one Red Seabream alone was worth at least 5,000 League Coins—actually, even more than the fishing tackle set.
What Nagi didn't mention was that this red seabream alone was worth at least 5,000 League Coins, actually a little more than the fishing set.
Still, the difference could count as payment for borrowing her kitchen.
"Researching the fish you want to catch, putting together your tackle, finding a fishing spot, then enjoying your catch right away-that's what fishing should be.
"That's the joy of fishing!"
"The joy of fishing? I think I'm starting to understand!"
Tong Hua bit into a fried horse mackerel. The rich aroma of its oils filled his mouth, and its crisp texture was simply unbeatable.
Once they finished eating, Nagi stood up with the plates. The wooden floor creaked softly beneath her bare feet.
She went back inside the shop and walked behind the counter, taking a yellowed notebook from a drawer. Its cover was decorated with simple drawings of various fish.
"Here, you can have this too." She tossed the notebook to Tong Hua. "These are my own notes on the fish at every fishing spot around Chicory Village.
"If there's anything else you want to catch in the future, come here and I'll help you put together the tackle."
Tong Hua opened the notebook. It was packed with notes on different fish species' habits and preferred bait, and even included hand-drawn illustrations.
"This... is too valuable." Tong Hua looked up and found Nagi gazing absently at the children in the waterway behind the shop. Sunlight shone through her white short-sleeved shirt, outlining her slender figure.
"It's nothing valuable." Nagi turned back with a sly smile curling her lips. "I've already memorized everything in there anyway. Besides..." She suddenly leaned closer. "If you catch any tasty fish, remember to cook them here. I want some too!"
At that, Tong Hua didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Of course, of course."
After saying goodbye to Nagi, Tong Hua packed away his fishing tackle, picked up his food basket, and left the little tackle shop.
"She really is more like a fox than a cat..." Tong Hua glanced back at Nagi inside the shop and saw her carrying another plate of sliced fish back to the riverside behind it.
With the fishing rod sorted out, his next stop was the Chicory Woodwork Hall.
Before you continue