Fishing Contest

As expected, just like Giratina mentioned, it didn't take long for it to regain its vitality. After spending some time in the Haunted Mansion Sub-Ecopark, it returned to the Distortion World through the Reverse Mirror.

Watching Giratina leave, Yuga let out a long sigh of relief. If Giratina had stayed any longer, the Haunted Mansion Sub-Ecopark would have been thrown into chaos.

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and the fishing contest officially organized by the Pokémon Contest of Verdanturf Town was about to take place.

Taking advantage of the increased flow of tourists in Verdanturf Town recently, Mr. Kobayashi vigorously promoted this event. Almost every day, tourists could hear or see promotions related to the fishing contest in the streets and alleys of Verdanturf Town, making the scene lively on the day of the event.

The location for the fishing contest was set on a section of the river on the outskirts of Verdanturf Town. The official organizers of the Pokémon Contest enclosed both ends of this river section with nets. Inside, there were a mix of wild Pokémon and some they prepared for participants to fish.

The nets enclosing the river ends were made of a biomimetic material, inspired by the web of a Galvantula. They were not only very sturdy but also had a faint electric current, ensuring high safety.

The river, collectively known as the Green Jade River, surrounded the entire Verdanturf Town. Its origin was in the Petalburg Woods, but it had few strong or large Water-type Pokémon living in it because it was too far from the exit of the Petalburg Woods.

It served as the mother river of Verdanturf Town due to its excellent water quality. Almost all the agricultural irrigation and drinking water in Verdanturf Town came from this river.

On the day of the event, the scene was bustling with people. Not only did many trainers participate, but also numerous ordinary tourists and residents also signed up. Those who didn't participate directly crowded around to watch the excitement.

To maintain order at the scene, Mr. Kobayashi had already communicated with the Verdanturf Town Police Department in advance. Therefore, many police officers were present on the day of the event to maintain order.

In addition to this, Yuga made arrangements in the river. Since there were still some wild Water-type Pokémon in the river, to prevent them from causing harm, Pokémon like Milotic and Gyarados couple, Slowpoke, Slowking, Greninja, and Poliwrath were released into the river by Yuga.

They wouldn't bite the participants' fishing hooks; they would only appear if participants were in danger.

To participate in this fishing contest, a registration fee of one thousand Pokédollar was required. This fee was higher than any other activity organized by the official Verdanturf Town in the past, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants.

It was mentioned in the promotion for this fishing contest that among the Water-type Pokémon available for participants to fish, there was also a green potential Milotic and a green potential Gyarados.

The official organizers promised that whoever could catch the Milotic would be the champion, and whoever caught the Gyarados would be the runner-up. Both would be able to take the respective Pokémon away for free.

You can say that the rewards for this fishing contest are unprecedentedly generous, so how could a mere one thousand Pokédollar registration fee possibly dampen everyone's enthusiasm to participate?

Because the fishing contest is an official event organized by the Pokémon Contest official, most of the participants are Coordinator. After all, which Coordinator wouldn't want to have a Milotic?

The most representative figure in the Pokémon Contest is the current Sootopolis Gym Leader, Wallace and Milotic is his signature Pokémon, so Milotic holds a special place in the hearts of most Coordinator.

Water-type Pokémon have always been popular in the Pokémon Contest. With the added attraction of a green potential Milotic and Gyarados, many people from outside specifically came to participate in the event.

On the day of the event, seeing the crowded scene, Mr. Kobayashi grinned. It was the first time he had organized such a lively event.

When he was sent here to manage the affairs of the Pokémon Contest in Verdanturf Town by the higher-ups, he was still a small figure. Verdanturf Town was only left to him because it was an inconspicuous place back then!

But who could have imagined that Verdanturf Town would have such good fortune? Because of having an outstanding Gym Leader, in just a few years, the flow of people in Verdanturf Town was comparable to that of a typical small city. It was no longer comparable to an ordinary small town and had an immeasurable future.

Colleagues who used to look down on Mr. Kobayashi now envy him for being assigned to Verdanturf Town. Verdanturf Town is not the same as it was back then; it's a golden opportunity, and many people want to be assigned to work here.

Not only is Mr. Kobayashi satisfied, but Yuga, as a sponsor, is also satisfied.

Why did Yuga sponsor this fishing contest? Certainly not for the promotion of YoYo Day Care; now YoYo Day Care doesn't need the popularity of a fishing contest.

Yuga's purpose in sponsoring this event is to promote two Pokéblocks, Beautie and Extender.

Why are Milotic and Gyarados so rare and sought after? It's because evolution is too difficult!

The Beautie Pokéblock can evolve Feebas into the beautiful Milotic by enhancing its beauty; the Extender Pokéblock can overcome the stable evolution factor of Magikarp, and increasing the likelihood of evolving into Gyarados.

In the past, because these two Pokéblocks were too eye-catching, Yuga never sold them publicly; he only quietly supplied them to the Sootopolis Gym. But now with the Innovation Potion, Beautie, and Extender are no longer a big deal.

So, Yuga thought of taking the opportunity to promote these two Pokéblocks.

That's also why Yuga provided a green potential Milotic and a green potential Gyarados as the champion and runner-up prizes for this fishing contest.

Of course, if someone manages to catch both Milotic and Gyarados, it's allowed by the rules.

However, Yuga won't sell Beautie Pokéblocks and Extender Pokéblocks as regular Pokéblocks; he plans to package them and sell them at a high price as rare and precious items.

The so-called "rarity makes things valuable," if Beautie and Extender are sold in large quantities at a low price, it will inevitably lead to trainers having an abundance of Milotic and Gyarados, and then Milotic and Gyarados won't be as valuable.

In terms of beauty alone, Hoenn's Beautifly is famous throughout the Pokémon world, but has its value increased by one and a half stars because of its beauty?

No!

Because Beautifly is too common; there aren't many high potential ones, but you can see low potential Beautifly anywhere in Hoenn.

Although, considering the strength of Milotic and Gyarados, they won't fall to the same level as Beautifly. However, if they become too common, a big drop in its value is certain.

So the best approach is to limit the sale of Beauty and Extender at a high price.

As time passes, it's soon time for the competition to begin. Mr. Kobayashi, as the person in charge of the competition, stands on the temporary platform and shouts into the microphone to the participants: "Attention, all participants, the competition is about to begin. Please prepare in advance. Now, I will announce the rules of the competition.

The competition format is simple; the winner will be determined by the participants' scores. Catching a basic form Pokémon earns one point, a second-stage Pokémon earns five points, and a third-stage Pokémon earns twenty points.

In special cases, if someone directly catches a green potential Milotic, they directly advance to the champion. If someone catches a green potential Gyarados, they advance to the runner-up. If someone catches Gyarados but no one catches Milotic, the one who caught Gyarados will further become the champion. If neither is caught, the one with the highest final score becomes the champion.

The competition runs from now until 6 p.m. The top ten will receive rewards, and the top three can choose one Pokémon they caught to take home. Scores are tallied every two hours.

In addition, there's a hidden bonus. In the competition area, there's a wild green potential Pokémon hidden. If anyone is lucky enough to catch it, they will become a special winner, and we have a big gift for them."

The wild green potential Pokémon in the river was discovered by Yuga when he helped inspect the Pokémon in the river. He didn't tell Mr. Kobayashi what type of green potential Pokémon it was, he just reminded him to treat it as a hidden bonus for the competition.

With that, Mr. Kobayashi signaled the staff to bring up two exquisite glass cans, each containing a Beautie Pokéblock and a Extender Pokéblock.

"Our competition's sponsor is the YoYo Day Care in Verdanturf Town, and these two items in the cans are the two new products recently introduced by YoYo Day Care.

The pink can is called Beautie Pokéblock; it can help Feebas evolve into Milotic. The blue can called Extender Pokéblock; it can help Magikarp evolve into Gyarados.

As long as you have these two items, even if you don't catch Milotic and Gyarados in this competition, you will still have a chance to own them. Beautie Pokéblock and Extender Pokéblock will be awarded to the special winners. I hope everyone will do their best."

Mr. Kobayashi's words are full of enthusiasm, and the participants below immediately start discussing animatedly. However, some still don't believe Mr. Kobayashi's words; they have never heard of these two things and are skeptical about their effects.

Mr. Kobayashi knew that some people wouldn't believe him. He continued, "You don't need to doubt the authenticity of the effects of Beautie Pokéblock and Extender Pokéblock. No one would have believed in the existence of Innovaion Potion before, but now it exists. With the Innovaion Potion as precedent, everyone should have confidence in YoYo Day Care.

The Milotic and Gyarados in this competition are the best proof; they evolved after long-term use of Beautie Pokéblock and Extender Pokéblock."

Mr. Kobayashi's words immediately dispelled everyone's doubts. Yes, with the Innovaion Potion, the effects of Beautie Pokéblock and Extender Pokéblock are definitely real.

At this moment, everyone starts to irrationally trust the YoYo Day Care brand, eager to catch Milotic, Gyarados, and the special winners.

Seeing the participants' reactions, Mr. Kobayashi is very satisfied. "Does anyone have any objections to the competition rules? If not, the competition officially begins. Now, please go to the equipment table to receive fishing rods and bait."

To ensure the fairness of the competition, participants are not allowed to bring their own items. All items have been prepared in advance by the organizers, and participants need to go to the designated location to receive them.

Participants quickly receive their equipment and find suitable spots to start fishing. Meanwhile, Yuga, disguised as a scorekeeping staff member, sneaks into the competition.

"Gym Leader Shimizu? Why are you here?"

At this moment, Yuga suddenly hears someone calling him from behind and is startled. He quickly pulls down the hat on his head.

"Phew... scared me. It turns out to be Chief Nan and Miss Suzune!" Yuga turns around to see Jenny Nan and Suzune standing hand in hand behind him.

"Gym Leader Shimizu, why this disguise, and why so sneaky?" Jenny Nan teases with a playful expression.

Yuga quickly made a quiet gesture, "Shh, keep it down. I'm just here to check things out. Why are you two here?"

Jenny Nan shrugged, "Just bored, came to relax a bit. What? Not welcome? No rules against members of the distribution department participating, right?"

Yuga shook his head, "No, not at all. I'm delighted that you two could join this event! Wish you both great success!"

Jenny Nan chuckled, "It's not two; it's three. Look over there!" She pointed in a direction where Tachibana Shizuka had already started.

Tachibana Shizuka and Jenny Nan have always been inseparable, so Yuga wasn't surprised to see him when Jenny Nan arrived.

"Care to share which spot is better, Gym Leader Shimizu?" Jenny Nan joked in a low voice.

Yuga smiled, "Sorry, i can't do that. I believe in the capabilities of the Chief Nan; you'll surely achieve victory."

Jenny Nan grinned, "Of course! Victory will definitely be ours, right, Suzune?"

Suzune nodded, "Absolutely!"

In truth, she had been irritated by Robert who always showing off his Milotic (actually he wasn't) and wanted to win this time or even if that doesn't work at least she can get a special victory.

Seeing Suzune determined, Yuga laughed, "Well then, I wish you both the best."

After parting ways with Jenny Nan and Suzune, Yuga continued to act as a staff member, casually strolling around the competition. Suddenly, he heard someone exclaim, "Look, it's Milotic! There's really a Milotic in the river!"

On the calm surface of the lake, a colorful fan-shaped tail briefly appeared, leaving everyone in awe before disappearing again. The distinctive shape and color confirmed that a Milotic had just swum through the lake.

Milotic's sudden appearance reignited the excitement among the participants. Eyes gleaming, they couldn't wait to jump into the river and catch Milotic.

Seeing this, Yuga smiled. Milotic's timely appearance had successfully boosted the participants' enthusiasm.

A little later, while wandering around the competition, Yuga unexpectedly encountered another familiar face. He didn't expect Drew would also to come to Verdanturf Town for the fishing competition.