Although his psychic ability hadn't improved much, Cain still felt much more relaxed. That constant feeling of having a dagger hanging over his head had disappeared, and after the deep meditation, he felt in a state of total emptiness, as if not only his mental strength had grown, but every cell in his body was enjoying it.
He twisted his neck, making his bones crack, and with a smile, patted his Pokémon on the head before turning his gaze to the bobber in the water.
It was a beautiful day, and Cain thought that when his strength was great enough that no one could influence him, finding a beach and enjoying this life would be wonderful.
"Yadon~!" Slowpoke let out a soft grunt and lay back down to rest.
Perhaps other Pokémon didn't notice much, but Slowpoke, being very sensitive to psychic abilities, could perceive the change in Cain; it was as if a stormy lake had calmed down. However, that didn't mean the lake was harmless but rather that it was gathering strength for an explosive moment.
As Cain watched the bobber, he noticed it move slightly, bobbing up and down a few times. Cain was perplexed, as he had never fished before and wasn't sure if this meant a fish had bitten the hook.
While he was still hesitating on whether to pull on the rod, the bobber suddenly sank. Even someone with no experience knew that something had been caught. Cain stood up and grabbed the rod with both hands to keep it from being pulled away.
After familiarizing himself with the fish's resistance, he gave a firm pull and pulled a red Magikarp out of the water. It started wildly jumping around on the sand, spitting bubbles, looking quite lively.
Magikarp is known as one of the Pokémon with the greatest survival capacity in the aquatic world, the equivalent of persistent little insects on land; they can survive in any kind of water, no matter how dirty, and in the ocean, they make up a large part of the marine fauna.
Additionally, Magikarp is a classic example of a Pokémon whose potential transforms drastically after evolution. Its base value is only 200, but upon evolving into Gyarados, its base value rises to 540, practically tripling.
Gyarados's combat power is well-known to everyone, and its fierce temperament and tendency to appear in groups make most trainers prefer to avoid facing them.
However, since Magikarp practically has no combat abilities, it is considered a fairly weak Pokémon in the water, so few trainers choose to raise them to evolve into Gyarados.
Most trainers who have a Gyarados have directly caught one that has already evolved.
Cain was quite interested in capturing a Gyarados if he found a suitable one. However, Gyarados isn't called that for nothing; its violent nature makes it difficult to tame, and this is the main reason why, despite being such a strong Pokémon, so few trainers have one.
For now, he set aside the idea of Gyarados and didn't pay more attention to the Magikarp that was jumping on the sand. Cain knew these Pokémon have incredible survival abilities and that even if they stayed out of the water for a day, they would still be very active. When Cain finished fishing, he would return them to the sea.
He baited the hook for a second time, and he already felt much more skilled at it. He cast the rod, sat down, all in one smooth motion, and was starting to look like a real fisherman.
However, he hadn't been sitting long before the bobber sank again; another fish had taken the bait! Cain, thinking about how good the bait recommended by the seller was, saw another Magikarp fall onto the sand next to the first and start jumping.
Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth... all Magikarp, and each time at shorter intervals. In the end, as soon as the hook touched the water, a Magikarp was biting it.
"..."
Cain looked at the dozen Magikarp jumping on the sand and thought his fishing day might be over. They were too intense; even knowing there was a hook, they kept biting without fear, and Cain could clearly see that in the area where he always cast his line, there was a group of Magikarp lurking, waiting for Cain to fish again.
Cain wondered if this area of the ocean had so few resources that the Magikarp were desperate for any food, even if it was on a hook. However, aside from Magikarp, Cain didn't see any other aquatic Pokémon. Could it be that there was an overpopulation of Magikarp?
It didn't seem to be the case because if there were so many Magikarp, the fishermen on the beach wouldn't be so interested in fishing here. Just then, Slowpoke suddenly got up, and Cain frowned, looking toward the horizon. A large dark cloud was approaching the coast.
Additionally, beneath that cloud, there were several water whirlpools and some brief flashes of lightning in the sky.
"Is a storm coming?" Cain murmured as he watched the scene.
Cain just wanted to relax and fish, but first, he encountered a horde of Magikarp, and now it seemed an unusual storm was approaching. Not only Cain noticed the approaching cloud, but the other fishermen as well, who began gathering their gear to take shelter from the rain.
But as the cloud approached, Cain felt something wasn't right. The cloud was too solid and contrasted too much with the surrounding sky; it didn't look like a natural storm cloud.
"Is this a cloud formed by the Rain Dance move?" Cain asked in a doubtful tone, but he was almost sure it was.
He gathered his few fishing tools and kicked the Magikarp back into the water.
Cain was ready to leave because the situation didn't seem normal. Other trainers also noticed the peculiarity of the cloud and quickly decided to leave.
"Was that cloud formed by the Rain Dance move? It's huge!"
"Could it be from just one Pokémon? That cloud is getting closer to the city!"
"What are we doing standing around? Let's go to the shelter at the Pokémon Center now! If something happens, someone will handle it."
"Yeah, yeah, hurry, let's leave before it's too late."
The trainers on the beach, seeing that the cloud didn't seem friendly, rushed to leave the area.
(End of chapter)