"Ding!"
"Daily Task: Catch 1,000 pounds of fish."
"Reward: Super Fishing Rod, 500 points."
After finishing breakfast, which was prepared by Love and Slowking, it was exactly 8 AM. As expected, the daily task notification arrived.
"So, they want me to play fisherman today, huh?"
Julian muttered to himself. He wasn't particularly excited about fishing; it was only the 500 points that mattered to him. As for the super fishing rod, unless it could reel in Kyogre, it wouldn't be of much use to him.
Julian was home alone at the moment. Jake, had left to spar with some Elite-level friends in preparation for the upcoming Elite Challenge.
Meanwhile, Tina, had gone to the Breeder's Association in Lake City. Being a Senior Breeder herself and the Vice President of the Association, she didn't go to work often, but today was one of those rare days.
After breakfast, Love and Slowking began tidying up the house, while Julian headed to the storage room where his father kept his fishing gear.
Jake was a veteran fishing enthusiast. Fishing was his biggest hobby, and he had amassed so much gear that he'd dedicated an entire small room to store it.
Yet, despite owning an impressive collection of fishing equipment, Jake's fishing trips almost always resulted in Magikarp.
It was a classic case of "all the gear, no idea."
Julian grabbed a random fishing rod and a pack of bait from the room. He didn't even bother with a net.
His whole setup screamed "complete rookie."
In the backyard, Julian called out Metagross and Dragonite to accompany him. The rest of his Pokémon stayed behind to relax.
There was a reservoir just a few minutes away from Julian's house—well, a few minutes if you had a Dragonite to fly on. Within three to four minutes, they reached the massive reservoir.
The reservoir was enormous, supplying both domestic and industrial water for all of Lake City.
Naturally, it was teeming with Water-type Pokémon, and from time to time, Magikarp could be seen leaping out of the water.
The best fishing spots along the shore were already occupied by avid fishermen, each patiently waiting for their next catch.
Julian returned Dragonite to its Poké Ball and strolled casually to a random open spot.
He tied the line, attached the hook, baited it, and cast it into the water without even adjusting the float. It was as unprofessional as fishing could get.
Five minutes passed. No movement on the float.
Ten minutes passed. Still no movement.
Fifteen minutes later, the float finally bobbed.
Julian's eyes lit up as he yanked the fishing rod with all his strength.
"Wait... where's my bait?!"
The bait was gone, but there was no fish on the hook.
A moment later, a Magikarp surfaced, blowing bubbles at Julian. Its vacant stare somehow carried a hint of mockery.
Magikarp: 'With skills like that, you can't even catch me.'
Julian sighed. Weren't beginner fishermen supposed to get lucky? He'd heard that fishing was designed to hook newbies with easy catches at first, only for them to struggle endlessly later. Yet here he was, getting the "endless struggle" right from the start.
As a total rookie at fishing, unlike most beginners, he didn't even get the so-called beginner's luck. Instead, he was mocked by a Magikarp.
"You just wait"
He muttered, glaring at the Magikarp as he baited the hook again.
One Hour Later-
"Excuse me, sir, do you have any tips for fishing? I haven't caught a single thing"
Julian asked an older man who had already reeled in over a dozen Water-type Pokémon—half of them Magikarp, but still far better than Julian's empty record.
The old man glanced at Julian's setup: a fishing rod and nothing else. His expression quickly shifted to that of an enlightened master.
"Fishing has a lot of intricacies," the old man said. "Let me start by explaining the materials and lengths of fishing rods."
An hour and a half later—
"So, sir, are you saying the better the bait, the higher the chances of catching a Pokémon?" Julian asked.
Most of what the old man had explained—things like mainline sizes, hook types, casting angles, and water flow—had gone completely over Julian's head.
"That's correct. Some rich folks even use energy cubes as bait," the old man replied, a trace of disdain flashing across his face. "But that's just cheating. It's no different from hunting at a zoo. There's no challenge in that."
Energy cubes were highly attractive to Pokémon. With them, you could probably use a tree branch as a rod and still catch something easily.
Julian's eyes lit up in sudden realization.
"Sir, thank you so much! You're a genius!" he exclaimed, looking ecstatic. "Oh, by the way, I happen to be rich. See you!"
Before the old man could respond, Julian dashed off.
Old man: 'A rich guy using a $10 fishing rod... unbelievable.'
Julian found a quieter fishing spot and purchased a pack of beginner-grade Water-type energy cubes from the system store. He baited his hook with one of the cubes and even left the hook tip exposed.
Ordinarily, an exposed hook tip would make it almost impossible to catch a Water-type Pokémon. But with the system-produced energy cubes? Forget about hooks—even a knife blade would get bites.
"Here we go!"
Julian cast his line, and it didn't take long for the float to jerk downwards. With a triumphant grin, he yanked the rod back. The force on the line told him this time, he'd actually hooked something.
Underwater, a Seaking was thrashing wildly, pulling the line taut and bending the rod into a perfect semicircle.
"You think you are stronger than me?"
Julian sneered. With his Mega Pallet Town physique, he could pull up Kyogre if he wanted to.
(T/N: yeah... sure)
"Get up here!"
He roared, yanking the rod upward with all his might.
CRACK!
To his disbelief, the fishing rod snapped clean in half.
Julian stood there, holding the broken pieces, completely dumbfounded.
Seaking leapt out of the water, and spat out a fishhook which land neatly at Julian's feet.
Seaking: 'Thanks for the meal. I'm outta here.'
Julian stared at the broken fishing rod in his hand and muttered, "What kind of junk rod is this?"
He couldn't believe that among his dad's collection of gear, there'd be something this low-quality.
Jake: 'That's a rod from 20 years ago. It's worn out, but I didn't have the heart to throw it away.
With the rod broken in half, continuing to fish was out of the question.
Julian glanced at the system store, where fishing rods were available for just 10 points each.
"No way I'm spending 10 points on a rod. What a waste," Julian scoffed.
"Dragonite, head back to the house and bring me ten rods!"
Dragonite obediently flew back home, grabbed ten fishing rods, and returned in record time.
Armed with a new rod, Julian repeated the process from earlier. Before long, the float bobbed, signaling another bite.
Seaking: 'This human brought me food again. What a thoughtful guy.'
"Come out of there!"
This time, the fishing rod held firm as Julian exerted his strength. With one powerful pull, the Seaking was yanked out of the water and landed on the ground with a dull thud.
Seaking flopped around, its mouth sore from the hook. Furious, it opened its mouth and shot a Water Gun directly at Julian.
Unfortunately for Seaking, the water Gun was intercepted by Metagross, who swatted it aside like it was nothing. The resulting impact knocked Seaking out cold.
Fishing may seem like a harmless hobby, but it has its dangers. If you reel in a particularly strong Water-type Pokémon and your own team isn't prepared to handle it, the consequences could be dire.
In fact, the number of anglers who die each year because of these kinds of encounters isn't any lower than the rate of accidental deaths in other hazardous activities.