"Good morning, Rosa."
After helping the cow-girl loli drain her overflowing milk, Hakuya pushed open the door and saw a figure walking out of her room.
"G-Good morning, A-Ya~"
Looking at the face she had dreamed about all night, Rosa's face flushed as she shyly lowered her head.
Since her clothes from last night were all soaked, she had changed into a new outfit this morning.
Her original plain white top was replaced by a deep blue, high-collared knit sweater. The unique drape of the knit fabric created a stunning curve over the busty girl's chest, outlining her full silhouette in a way that made it impossible not to stare.
"After breakfast, let's go fishing by the lake."
Hakuya smiled and rubbed her soft chestnut hair, arranging the day's itinerary.
Since the farm's planting tasks were mostly finished, they could take it easy today and enjoy some leisure time on the farm.
"Fishing?!" "Saa!"
Hearing this, Rosa and the Serperior beside her both showed looks of anticipation.
Hiyori Town Farm. The Lake.
A Lotad lazily drinking water by the shore looked up to see several figures marching toward him.
"Lo~!"
Startled, it immediately scrambled and dove into a nearby bush.
After the daily watering of the crops and the Berry saplings on the hills, and feeding the remaining Poffins to the Miltanks on the pasture, Hakuya led Rosa and the Pokémon to the lakeside to experience a relaxing fishing life.
After all, he hadn't had a chance to try out the Super Rod that Uncle Yoshino had given him.
"Wow, this lake is huge~"
Rosa looked at the mist-shrouded surface of the lake in surprise.
At this moment, the morning light was gradually bleeding out; the eastern horizon was smeared with rouge-colored clouds, tinting the lake water like semi-transparent agate.
Occasionally, a Wingull would skim across the surface. Wherever its snowy silhouette passed, thousands of tiny gold flecks were stirred up—the morning sun was piercing through the clouds, plating the rippling waves with liquid diamonds.
If Hakuya hadn't specifically brought her here today, the busty girl probably wouldn't have known such a large lake was hidden on the farm.
"Alright, let's enjoy some leisure time fishing—"
Handing out the old fishing rods from the warehouse to Rosa and the Pokémon, Hakuya gripped his rod and found a good spot, preparing to fish for Pokémon.
When fishing, one should generally choose areas with lush water plants, many obstacles, or where currents meet. These places are often where ordinary fish and even water-dwelling Pokémon rest or feed.
Hakuya tied some specialized Pokémon food to the hook and then cast the end of the rod into the water.
His goal today was to see if he could catch some rare Water-type Pokémon girls.
"Meow meow~"
Beside him, Skitty mimicked her Trainer's movements. She took an old rod from the warehouse, baited it, and cast it into the mirror-like lake.
"Meow meow~"
Once the rod hit the water, Skitty watched the calm, ripple-less surface with anticipation.
Unlike net fishing, a specialized rod combined with Pokémon food was primarily for angling various Water-type Pokémon.
So, what would be the first Pokémon they caught?
As the leaves on the branches drifted down and a Beautifly lightly touched a flower bud, the drifting Skitty, almost asleep from the gentle breeze, was suddenly startled awake.
She looked at the old rod being pressed down and struggling violently under her paw, and immediately cheered happily.
"Meow meow!" There's a bite!
Skitty leaned down to bite the fishing rod, trying hard to pull up the unlucky Pokémon that had taken the bait.
However, as the angle between the rod and the lake surface grew smaller and smaller, she found she couldn't subdue the strange Pokémon darting back and forth.
"Meow meow!"
Skitty let out a sharp cry, using all her strength to retract the rod.
If everything went well... after a long while, Skitty sat there biting the broken line of the old rod, looking completely dejected. As expected, something went wrong.
"It's okay. Doing this well for your first time is great."
Seeing Skitty's crestfallen look after her first failure, Hakuya smiled and comforted her. He then began to teach her the experience he had gained from several "Master Anglers" in his previous life.
"When fishing, don't be in a rush at first. You have to use clever strength to gradually wear down their stamina. Then, when the timing is right, pull the rod up quickly and decisively..."
As he was teaching, Hakuya's rod also began to move.
"Watch closely!"
The previously lazy Hakuya instantly became sharp-eyed, a powerful aura radiating from him.
Skitty was amazed to find that the Pokémon struggling violently didn't last a single round against her Trainer.
Splash!
Under the sun, a dazzling flash of light appeared as a bright red Magikarp leapt out of the water.
"Meow meow!" I want to learn too!
Clearly, Skitty was impressed by her Trainer's divine fishing technique.
However, although Hakuya's fishing plan was going smoothly, just half an hour later, he looked at the basket full of Magikarp—all of which could only stupidly use Splash—and couldn't help but snap.
"Why are all the Water-types I'm catching just Magikarp?!"
While they could evolve into the powerful Gyarados, this number was just too much.
After wailing for a bit, Hakuya could only resign himself to his fate and cast the rod back into the water, waiting for the next bite.
Finally, hard work paid off.
After catching over a hundred Magikarp, the pull on the rod finally felt different.
"Is this a Feebas!?" Hakuya cried out as he looked at the Pokémon about to be pulled from the water.
"Hey, Oleana, where are you now?"
"Just arrived at Hiyori Town, Supervisor."
A blonde woman wearing square-framed glasses moved the noisy communicator away from her ear and responded lazily.
Due to a shortage of personnel in the company, as a researcher, she was forced to put down her work and follow the orders of that hot-tempered female supervisor—to go to Hiyori Town and negotiate a cooperation agreement with a farm owner there regarding the purchase of raw Miltank milk.
Hearing the reply, the female voice on the other end paused for a moment and then continued to ramble.
"Oleana, let me tell you... we aren't the only ones watching. Many companies in Sinnoh are scrambling to cooperate with this farm. Once you get there, no matter what method you use, you must secure the agency rights for their raw milk..."
"Understood."
After a simple reply, the blonde woman looked at the vast farm ahead and decisively hung up the phone.