It was a bright and sunny day.
Adrian was sitting by the shore, fishing as usual.
Whoosh!
The float suddenly dipped, and Adrian quickly reeled in his line.
As the big fish emerged from the water, the cheat ability's reward arrived as promised.
Caught a 'Magikarp', rewarded with 1 'energy cube'.
The number of 'Magikarp' caught has reached its limit; subsequent catches will no longer grant rewards. Please go and catch other pokémon!
"Hmm???"
Adrian was stunned at first, then said disappointedly, "There's a catch limit for each pokémon? This is tough!"
Magikarp is, without a doubt, one of the most numerous pokémon in the Pokémon world, able to survive wherever there is water.
The key is that it's not picky, it eats whatever food is available, and it's not afraid of being caught by a Trainer.
Because once they are caught, it means they will no longer have to worry about food, having a stable source of meals.
So Magikarp is the easiest fish to catch, and it's Adrian's favorite!
His original plan was to solo-grind Magikarp until Magikarp evolved into Gyarados, and then start his fishing journey.
But if catching Magikarp no longer grants rewards, then that's undoubtedly a problem.
Magikarp, don't come next time, I'm afraid the other pokémon in the water will misunderstand!
"When will that idiot finally arrive? It's been three days, and there's no sign of him."
Adrian looked to the west, towards Mt. Moon.
He was still hoping to discuss bait making methods with Misty!
Before, catching Magikarp gave him rewards, so Adrian wasn't that anxious.
But now, he really was anxious!
However, some things couldn't be rushed, so Adrian sat cross-legged on a rock by the shore and opened PokéStation.
His video, "Magikarp God, Gym Battle 1v3!", now had a million views, and his follower count had surpassed fifty thousand, still steadily increasing with thousands of new followers daily.
But due to the lack of new viral content, the popularity inevitably began to decline.
As Adrian scrolled, he came across Elesa's channel, which was live streaming a fashion show.
"A Gym Leader who insists on doing fashion shows, really not doing her job properly."
Adrian first complained, then happily 'criticized' her, eyes glued to the screen... Meanwhile, three figures walked from the distant end of the road, one of whom had a Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Ash! Brock! We're almost in Cerulean City, hurry up!"
The girl in a yellow vest and blue shorts, with orange hair, turned around, constantly urging her two companions behind her.
"Misty, what's wrong with you? You didn't want to go to Cerulean City before, why are you suddenly in such a hurry?"
Ash, wearing a blue short-sleeved jacket and a hat, was very puzzled.
Pikachu stood on his shoulder, also blinking his small eyes.
"Misty saw a video online earlier, and she's been like this ever since."
Brock, with his eyes narrowed to a slit and a mature, steady demeanor, had keen observational skills.
"Huh? A video? What video?"
"It seems to be about a Trainer who won a Gym battle with a Magikarp, I was also recommended it before."
"What? Isn't Magikarp the weakest pokémon?"
Ash said bluntly, "What kind of weak Gym can be beaten by a Magikarp?"
No sooner had he spoken than Ash suddenly felt a chill down his neck, sensing a murderous aura.
He turned his head and saw that Misty was fuming.
She seemed to want to retort, but couldn't.
After all, it was true, and it had gone viral online.
"It's all that 'Fishing Dreamer's fault! How could he be so mean!"
Misty stomped off to the roadside, sulking.
While Magikarp's victory certainly brought Adrian traffic and popularity, the Cerulean Gym had completely become the laughingstock of the Pokémon world.
Online public opinion was tumultuous, with widespread condemnation.
After all, if they couldn't even defeat a Magikarp, was there really a need for such a Gym to continue operating?
Before becoming a Water-type pokémon Master, Misty hadn't wanted to see her sisters again, but now that the Gym was facing a crisis, she, as a part of it, naturally couldn't stand idly by.
"If only I had been there that day, a mere Magikarp wouldn't have been my opponent at all."
Misty gritted her teeth.
Although Misty was the youngest of the Cerulean Sisters, in terms of pokémon battling ability, she was undoubtedly the best.
So, her rushing back this time was actually to restore the Cerulean Gym's reputation.
"Huh? Is that person..."
Suddenly, Misty saw the handsome young man sitting by the lake not far away, and her eyes widened, saying, "It's him! That Fishing Dreamer?!"
After confirming the identity of the person opposite, Misty walked over fiercely: "You made my Cerulean Gym a laughingstock, and you still dare to appear before me? You're asking for death!"
"Hey, hey, hey, Misty, what are you doing?"
Seeing this, Ash and Brock sensed that something bad was about to happen and quickly followed... By the shore, Adrian, engrossed in his phone, vaguely heard footsteps and reflexively turned off his phone.
Then, looking up, his face immediately lit up with joy.
The protagonist group had finally arrived!
Oh~ Pika-God!
So cute, I really want to pet him!
"Hey, you're the PokéStation Streamer 'Fishing Dreamer', right? I'm Misty, and I challenge you!"
Misty came on strong, immediately pulling out a pokémon ball.
"Huh? Misty? Misty of Cerulean City?"
As the instigator, Adrian naturally knew the reason for Misty's anger.
But he already had a contingency plan in mind, so he feigned surprise: "The 'genius beauty' among the Cerulean Gym's four sisters, 'the playful mermaid' Miss Misty?"
Adrian's acting went online, like an ardent fan meeting a celebrity. After scrutinizing Misty for a few moments, his eyes sparkled as he exclaimed, "It's really her! She's even prettier in person than in pictures, I almost didn't recognize her."
"???"
Adrian's combination of moves completely threw Misty off balance.
Her initial intention to demand an explanation had long been thrown to the winds.
"You... know me?"
Misty's eyes lit up.
The Cerulean Gym clearly had four Trainer sisters, but almost everyone only knew the name of the Cerulean Sisters and focused on their synchronized swimming.
As for Misty, she was always overlooked.
Over the years, Misty had grown used to it.
But she never expected that here, someone would pay so much attention to her?
"Of course!"
Adrian nodded and flattered her, "I think among the four Cerulean Sisters, you have the best foundation and the most potential. Your three older sisters are just relying on their age and early development; in reality, in terms of both beauty and understanding of Water-type pokémon, they are far inferior to you..."
"I never thought you had such good taste!"
After hearing him, Misty laughed proudly.
Adrian's words had truly resonated with her.
Seeing this, Adrian struck while the iron was hot, continuing to press his attack: "To be honest, when I went to challenge the Cerulean Gym that day, I was actually aiming for Miss Misty, I just wanted to learn from Miss Misty about Water-type pokémon battles and training."
"But unfortunately, you weren't there that day, so I could only battle your three sisters. And then I accidentally won..."
"So that's how it is! If that's the case, it seems I really can't blame you."
Misty suddenly understood, feeling that everything was reasonable and nothing was amiss.
After all, this young man in front of her was so handsome and so admiring of her, what bad intentions could he possibly have?
On the contrary, Misty knew best the level of her three sisters.
The most infuriating thing was that sometimes, even when a Trainer came to help clean the pool, her sisters would give away a badge as a thank-you, which was simply outrageous.
They had completely disgraced the Gym Leader's reputation!
Misty's favorability towards Adrian, however, skyrocketed in a short amount of time.
Hearing the content of their conversation, Ash and Brock exchanged glances, shocked: "What? So Misty is a Trainer at the Cerulean Gym?"
"Also, is he the Trainer who beat the Gym with a Magikarp online? He must be a very powerful pokémon Trainer."
Ash looked at Adrian, his battle spirit ignited, and he quickly stepped forward to challenge him: "Hello, I'm Ash from Pallet Town, may I have a pokémon battle with you?"