When the host appeared, the many contestants on site immediately focused their attention, listening carefully to the rules of the competition.
"This bay area is connected to the sea, and every year a large number of Seaking migrate here. This is also the origin of the Seaking Fishing Tournament..."
The host was a young man, wearing a Seaking-shaped bow tie, and he spoke earnestly on stage: "Regarding fishing rods, there are no restrictions in this competition; contestants must bring their own. It doesn't matter how many Seaking you catch."
"However! Each person can only put one Seaking into this Lake Ball. The fisherman who catches the heaviest Seaking will be the Champion."
The host first took out a special pokémon ball, then pointed to the mountain of chocolate piled not far away, and said: "The Champion will not only receive the Champion trophy, but also a year's supply of chocolate..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd.
The mountain of high-quality chocolate looked incredibly impactful; it was truly a paradise for sweet tooths.
Even if one couldn't finish it all, it could easily be shared with friends and family, or sold for money.
After the cheers subsided, the host continued: "Each fisherman is limited to one pokémon partner. Please register at the front desk first, and then we will all go out together to start the competition."
"Need to register a pokémon partner? It seems just like in the anime, after catching a Seaking, a pokémon battle is required to capture it."
Adrian understood.
This rule was basically the same as the Bug-Catching Contest.
As for whether the captured Seaking should ultimately be taken away, it was up to the fisherman to decide.
Like Misty in the anime, she eventually released the giant Seaking she caught... At the registration desk, countless fishermen were queuing up, waiting to register.
When Andreas appeared and released his partner Poliwag, there was inevitably another stir in the crowd.
Because Andreas's reputation was very well-known among fishermen.
Andreas enjoyed listening to the compliments and discussions of the crowd.
However, when he saw Adrian, he immediately snorted coldly, turned his face away, and left.
"My fishing partner is this Pichu."
When it was Adrian's turn, he pointed to the Pichu in his pocket.
"What a cute Pichu."
Seeing the adorable pokémon, even the young lady at the registration desk was smitten, and after registering, she took the opportunity to pet it.
"Pi~"
Pichu cooperatively complied.
It was already used to it!
Subsequently, Adrian received his Lake Ball and a motorized dinghy, which he could freely navigate in the bay area.
Before the official start of the competition, many contestants still needed to drive their boats to find their respective fishing spots, and then wait for the official start of the tournament before casting their hooks.
If anyone tried to fish early, they would be disqualified.
"I'm still not very good at driving this boat."
Adrian started the engine and maneuvered the small boat slowly forward, but he wasn't very skilled.
Pichu stood at the bow, finding everything so new and exciting.
Splash!
Just then, a contestant's boat suddenly sped past, and the waves it kicked up splashed over, nearly overturning Adrian's small boat.
"You can't even drive a boat, and you have the nerve to participate in a fishing competition? How ridiculous!"
A mocking voice came from the rapidly departing boat, belonging to Andreas, whose face was full of arrogance.
"Yo~"
At the stern of that boat, a Poliwag could be seen making faces at Pichu.
"You dog!"
Adrian's face was ashen.
Andreas's personality was indeed a bit too annoying, and his conduct was extremely nasty.
"Pi~ Pichu~"
Pichu, who had almost fallen into the water, was furious. It climbed to Adrian's waist, patted the Gyarados's pokémon ball, and then pointed at the retreating Andreas and Poliwag.
The usually cute Pichu was genuinely angry this time.
Trainer, quickly release Big Brother and teach him a harsh lesson for me!
"Don't be angry, let's focus on the competition first!"
Adrian stroked Pichu's head, comforting it: "Winning the Champion is the most important thing!"
If he had encountered Andreas in the wild, Adrian wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson, letting him know why flowers are so red.
But this was a competition, and if Adrian dared to resort to violence, he would inevitably be disqualified for violating the rules.
Perhaps, that was exactly what Andreas wanted to see.
Adrian naturally wouldn't let him have his way.
"Pi~"
Pichu patted its chest, indicating that it was determined to win the Champion.
After the small interlude, Adrian drove his small boat to a fishing spot.
"There are quite a few rock pillars and caves here, so I imagine many Seaking are dwelling underwater."
Adrian looked around with satisfaction, then began to set up his fishing gear and bait.
According to the Pokédex, Seaking are pokémon that like to inhabit riverbeds or sea bottom caves. The male's duty is to use the horn on its head to break through river stones to build nests, preventing the eggs from being washed away by the current.
Now was the season for Seaking to migrate and spawn, so they should be congregating among the rocks.
"Pi~"
With electric arcs flickering on its cheeks, Pichu was also eager to try, ready to electrocute fish at any moment.
"And now, this Seaking Fishing Tournament officially begins!!!"
As the host's announcement blared from the loudspeakers, fishermen scattered across the bay area quickly baited their hooks and cast their rods, with countless baits falling into the water.
"Owooo~"
At the same time, the Seaking underwater also became agitated, and countless whirlpools formed at the bottom of the water.
The annual free meal festival had begun again!
After migrating for so long, they could finally have a full meal.
Whoosh!
As soon as Adrian's bait entered the water, before the ripples on the surface had even fully dissipated, the float was directly dragged underwater.
"A black float right off the bat? The fishing here is really aggressive!"
Adrian grinned, overjoyed.
Because this also meant that he might have a huge harvest today.
Since Magikarp became 'Madam Cow', Adrian hadn't had such a massive catch in a long time!
"Come up!"
Adrian strenuously pulled the fishing rod back, but the pokémon underwater was also very strong, even able to drag the small boat along.
"It's a big one! A giant!"
Adrian became even more delighted.
The larger the size of the pokémon caught, usually the stronger its power, and thus the more generous the rewards given by the cheat ability.
"Owooo~"
With a splash, a massive Seaking was reeled out of the water.
Compared to previous Seaking, at this time of courtship and spawning, the Seaking's body fat had increased significantly, and its colors had become even more vibrant and beautiful, making Adrian's eyes light up.
"This size! This color! Amazing!"
Adrian exclaimed.
The Seaking here were all migrating from the ocean to spawn.
And compared to pokémon in small rivers and ponds, pokémon in the sea were generally much better in all aspects due to the harsher environment and more intense competition than their counterparts in small ponds.
[Caught 'Seaking', rewarded with 1 'Waterfall' TM.]
The cheat ability's reward prompt appeared, followed by the Seaking's attribute panel.
"It's the Lightning Rod ability!"
Adrian raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
Lightning Rod is Seaking's hidden ability, so it is relatively rare. Adrian had caught many Goldeen and Seaking in ponds, but had never encountered one with this ability.
He didn't expect to encounter a pokémon with this ability as soon as he arrived at the seaside.
"What a pity! I already have Pichu!"
Adrian shook his head, having no intention of battling, and let the Seaking go.
Because for Adrian, the Seaking itself wasn't important; the reward received when catching it was the most important.
"Gyarados is in for a treat now!"
Glancing at the 'Waterfall' TM, Adrian smiled and quickly continued to bait and fish.
As soon as the bait hit the water, the float immediately went black again.
The Seaking underwater seemed to be impatient.
"Aggressive! So aggressive!"
Adrian happily pulled the rod, exclaiming: "I really love this competition!"