On the competition grounds by the shore.
By now, countless fishermen had gathered, each holding a Poké Ball in hand, queuing up one by one to weigh their catches.
At the registration desk sat a massive glass water tank, complete with a built-in weighing function.
Contestants only needed to release their caught Seaking into the tank. Its size would be immediately visible to everyone, and its weight would appear right away.
"Contestant Number 5's Seaking weighs 105.8 lbs."
Participants stepped forward in turn to weigh their catches.
According to Pokédex entries, the average weight for Seaking populations was 86 lbs.
However, the Seaking in this bay came from the ocean, so their overall stats were slightly higher.
Plus, those capable of being caught and brought in for weighing were naturally the cream of the crop, larger specimens from their populations.
Even so, the vast majority of Seaking weighed only between 99.2 and 110.2 lbs.
Occasionally, a big guy over 110.2 lbs would appear. They were few and far between, but each time one showed up, it triggered a wave of gasps.
"Next up, let's welcome contestant Andreas!"
While other participants were only announced by number, the host made a point of introducing Andreas, clearly aware of this popular contestant's abilities.
"It's Andreas! I was fishing right next to him earlier and saw him catch a huge Seaking. This time, he's probably going to take the championship again."
"Well, he is a famous fishing expert. Winning would be pretty normal for him."
Amid the chatter and flattery from the crowd, Andreas walked onto the stage with an arrogant air. He tossed out his Poké Ball. "Come on out, Seaking!"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The weighing process began, the numbers climbing steadily.
"Wow, it's reached an astonishing 121.3 lbs!"
The host exclaimed, pushing the competition's atmosphere to a climax.
"Piece of cake! At the last ocean fishing tournament, I even caught a 661.4-lb Lapras! Hahaha!"
Andreas laughed wildly, full of himself.
The onlookers were deeply impressed, some even gazing at him with stars in their eyes.
"Popping champagne at halftime, huh? Asking for it!"
Watching Andreas act as if he'd already claimed the championship trophy, Caster sneered.
But he couldn't be bothered with verbal jabs, so he just waited quietly in line.
Five minutes later, it was finally Caster's turn.
The moment Caster's Seaking appeared, gasps erupted from the crowd again, even louder than when Andreas had gone up.
Because just looking through the glass tank, you could tell by sheer volume that Caster's Seaking was even bigger.
"I thought Andreas's Seaking was unbeatable at this competition, but there's one even larger! Which fishing expert is this?"
"No idea! I've participated in most of the big and small fishing tournaments in the Johto region. I'm familiar with most of the fishing experts, but this guy's a complete stranger."
"Must be a fishing pro from another region. An out-of-towner! Andreas is done for this time!"
...
The appearance of the giant Seaking immediately stole Andreas's thunder. The crowd began buzzing about Caster, sizing him up from every angle.
"149.9 lbs! An astonishing 149.9 lbs!"
The host's eyes went wide as he announced excitedly, "This weight has broken the all-time record for the Seaking Fishing Tournament.
This weight will go down in the competition's history!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd gasped again, then burst into enthusiastic applause.
The fishing tournament was held every year, and there was a champion every year, but record-breaking performances were rare. This was worth celebrating in a big way.
"How can this be? I actually lost to him?"
Watching Caster steal the spotlight, Andreas took a hard hit. Even his Poliwhirl behind him became listless.
Andreas didn't care much about losing Pokémon battles, but losing a fishing competition? That truly shook him to his core.
Without waiting for the final results, Andreas slunk away with his Poliwhirl.
The outcome was no surprise. The final champion was indeed Caster.
After a balding judge with a full head of white hair but skin the color of soy sauce handed the championship trophy to Caster, the host immediately shouted loudly:
"Let's give our warmest applause to this year's Seaking Fishing Tournament champion—Mr. Caster!"
Cheers and celebrations rang out, accompanied by the thunderous boom of confetti cannons. The Seaking Fishing Tournament officially came to a close.
At the end, the host didn't forget to remind everyone:
"All participants, one more reminder: After the fishing tournament ends, this bay will become a no-fishing zone.
For the next month, all fishing activities are prohibited to avoid disturbing the Seaking's courtship and spawning.
Please be sure to take note."
"What? This bay's becoming a no-fishing zone?"
Caster was deeply disappointed.
This bay was huge. The area he'd fished today was just the tip of the iceberg; there was still plenty of untapped potential.
He'd originally planned to spend the next few days continuing to fish here for rewards, but now the entire bay had been designated a no-fishing zone.
Just like that, his plans fell apart.
"Young man, you seem quite disappointed that you can't keep fishing here?"
The old judge, with only a few teeth left, looked at Caster and smiled.
"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kunio, president of the Johto Region Pokémon Fishermen Association."
"President Kunio, hello!"
Caster quickly responded politely, speaking candidly, "I've loved fishing since I was a kid.
If I go a day without fishing, I feel restless all over. I was originally planning to fish in this bay for a few more days..."
Though the old man before him looked plain and ordinary, that tan was no joke. Even pre-transmigration Caster would've had to bow down in respect.
Caster guessed the man had an impressive background, but he hadn't expected him to be the president of the Johto Region Pokémon Fishermen Association.
"A true talent from the fishing world indeed!"
Upon hearing this, Kunio laughed heartily.
"I see you're a new face. You probably haven't joined the Fishermen Association yet, have you?
I can serve as your sponsor and introduce you to the association.
Once you join our Fishermen Association, we'll promptly notify you of fishing competitions being held in various locations. This will make it convenient for you to participate."
"Besides that, our association frequently holds offline salons where skilled fishermen share their experiences and exchange knowledge with each other."
Kunio looked at Caster, coaxing him gently.
"Also, I can give you advance notice: in half a month, the annual Whirl Islands Chinchou migration event will begin.
Though it's not an official fishing competition, you can still meet many skilled anglers there. If you're interested, you can come participate."
"Chinchou migration event?"
Caster's eyes lit up instantly.
He remembered now. When Ash and his group traveled through the Johto region, they participated in the Chinchou migration event and helped the Chinchou spawn and return to the ocean.
Though Chinchou wasn't a particularly powerful Pokémon, it had the advantage of being an Electric-type.
If he could catch one, he could reasonably expect to obtain a large number of Electric-type moves or even Electric-type items.
And that was exactly what little Pichu needed most!
"Let's see, Chinchou should be able to learn Electro Ball, Discharge, Charge Beam, Electroweb, Confuse Ray, Volt Switch, and other moves. Oh, right, and Electric Terrain too..."
Thinking about this, Caster's mouth was practically watering. He couldn't wait to fly to the Whirl Islands right now to start fishing.
Electric Terrain: An Electric-type move that fills the entire field with electrical energy, boosting the power of Electric-type moves while preventing grounded Pokémon from falling asleep.
This was undoubtedly an extremely powerful move.
Most importantly, it was compatible with weather effects!
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~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones