Sea Fishing

Reclining in a chair on the deck and enjoying the sea breeze, Tetsuya occasionally saw a few Wingull and Pelipper fly across the black night sky.

They were the sailors' Pokemon on deck, responsible for long-range surveillance.

Quite a few of their aquatic Pokemon were also stationed in the waters around the ship, such as Tentacruel and Mantine.

After all, those aboard were either wealthy or influential. If anything happened, St. Anne's reputation would be ruined beyond repair.

It was said that the shipowner spent a great deal every year to hire a water-type Champion and several Quasi-Elite Four trainers specifically to protect the vessel.

No one knew whether that was true, since nobody had ever seen a Champion make a move. They had, however, seen several Quasi-Elite Four trainers.

Yawning, Tetsuya was starting to feel tired.

Checking the time and seeing that not much time had passed, he asked a waiter beside him for a fishing rod.

He walked over to a designated area and began sea fishing.

As for not having any Pokemon with him, Tetsuya figured that if he hooked a Pokemon, he could either catch it himself or ask the trainers nearby to drive it back into the sea.

Each sea-fishing area was watched over by one Elite Level trainer and two highly capable Normal Level trainers, so there generally would not be any problems.

After all, it was hardly realistic for one person to haul up a particularly powerful Pokemon. Most of what was caught were Magikarp, Krabby, Goldeen, and so on.

If someone could actually reel in a Gyarados that stood 6.5 meters tall and weighed 235 kilograms, Tetsuya could only say that he was impressed.

Forget Gyarados—he did not think he could even reel in a Seaking. With an average weight of nearly forty kilograms combined with a Pokemon's own strength, and since he could not use his physical body to fight a Fighting Type Pokemon, how could he possibly pull one up?

It was precisely for this reason that the ocean would always remain an unknown land to humanity.

No one knew how many Pokemon lived in the depths of the sea.

Without further ado, Tetsuya cast his fishing rod into the ocean. The float bobbed along with the waves as he yawned and waited boredly for a Pokemon to take the bait.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes.

Time gradually passed, but the fishing rod did not so much as twitch.

An elderly gentleman nearby, who was also sea fishing, saw that Tetsuya had not caught a single Pokemon for so long yet remained patient, so he struck up a conversation with him.

"Kid, aren't you worried that you can't catch any Pokemon?"

"It's fine. I'm not here to catch Pokemon anyway. The point is to enjoy fishing."

Holding the fishing rod in one hand and a drink in the other, Tetsuya answered as such.

"Haha, there aren't many young people as patient as you." The elderly gentleman laughed heartily and popped a piece of candy into his mouth.

"Are you here on vacation, sir?"

Since he had nothing better to do, Tetsuya continued chatting with him.

"Yeah, my kids gave me this ticket and told me to travel and relax.

I think they're just too busy and didn't want to deal with an old man like me.

Luckily, my granddaughter recently came aboard to keep me company. Otherwise, it would have been rather boring."

The elderly gentleman looked very stern, but his words were filled with childlike innocence and kindness.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself too, sir." Seeing the flashy beach outfit the elderly gentleman was wearing, Tetsuya teased him.

"Ha, this old man works out and fishes every day. He's healthy as can be.

Yesterday, I even saw him chatting with an old lady."

A middle-aged man nearby heard their conversation and cheerfully joined in, teasing the elderly gentleman.

"I couldn't tell you were still so vigorous at your age, sir."

"Hahahahaha!" The people fishing around them all burst out laughing.

"He's afraid his wife will find out and give him an earful."

Another middle-aged man, as though he knew the elderly gentleman's circumstances, said with a smile.

"Go on, get out of here. At your age, stop talking nonsense." The elderly gentleman waved the man away.

Generally speaking, those who came fishing were older men. Most young people and women were not particularly interested in such a somewhat boring activity.

Thus, everyone's exchanges tended to be reserved and steady. After all, they did not know one another and still had to maintain their image.

However, once Tetsuya started the teasing, the following conversation completely opened up.

They relaxed even more after learning that Tetsuya was not even seventeen yet.

He was about the same age as their own children, perhaps even younger, and they all began making jokes at Tetsuya's expense.

He repeatedly said he could not take it anymore. The gossiping ability of middle-aged and elderly men was even greater than that of women.

From time to time, someone nearby would catch a Pokemon and show off, drawing laughter and playful scolding from the others.

Tetsuya was not entirely without gains over the next two-plus hours. He caught two Magikarp with beginner-level potential, then casually tossed them back into the sea.

After all, Magikarp were known as the weakest and most pitiful Pokemon in the world. They had virtually no strength or speed, and aside from their tenacious vitality and being found everywhere, they had no other merits.

There might not even be one Magikarp capable of evolving into Gyarados in an entire river.

He also received quite a few good-natured laughs.

Of course, he did not take it to heart. What fisherman had not been "blessed" by those around him with the good fortune of catching nothing but Magikarp all day?

"Ding-dong~"

His wristwatch chimed. The three little guys had finished their care.

Tetsuya said goodbye to the middle-aged men and elderly gentlemen around him. When they asked, he said he would be coming often over the following week as well, then got up and left.

After he left, everyone continued chatting cheerfully when someone suddenly asked, "That young man just now seemed pretty decent. Do any of you know which family he's from?"

"Seems like he came to represent Pewter Gym at this Kanto Gym gathering. Old Fu, you know Brock, so why don't you ask him?"

Old Fu, the man who had been mentioned, casually replied, "I think he's a trainer invested in by Brock's eldest son. He mentioned him to me before and said he had pretty good talent for raising Pokemon."

"What, interested in finding yourself a son-in-law?"

Someone nearby teased the man who had asked the question.

"Get lost. Whoever wants to marry my daughter will have to beat me first."

"Hahahahahaha!" Everyone laughed together.

Then, as if by mutual understanding, they changed the subject.

The elderly gentleman who had first asked the question shook his head and stood up. "Everyone, I'll be leaving first. My granddaughter has come to find me."

"Alright, sir, go get some rest first. It's not good to stay on deck in the wind so late at night." Everyone bade him farewell.

"Alright, I'll come again tomorrow. None of you better run away—we'll see who has the better skills."

With his hands clasped behind his back, the elderly gentleman slowly headed toward the cabin.

A woman with waist-length golden hair hurried over to support him. "Grandfather, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"I met a pretty good young man.

I'd be even happier if you stayed on the ship a little longer to keep me company."

The woman acted coquettishly. "Oh, Grandfather, didn't you say Professor Oak needed me for something?

I'll come play with you once I'm done."

Then she gave a sly smile. "Besides, without Grandmother here to keep an eye on you, aren't you having quite a good time alone on the ship?"

Please invest, bookmark, recommend, and send Monthly Passes!!!

I want everything!!

Thanks to Yuelong for the 100 Qidian Coin tip.

Thanks to Monster Ma for the 100 Qidian Coin tip.

P.S. Everyone knows who the woman is, but who is the elderly gentleman? (It's pretty obvious.)