Chapter 267

In the restaurant.

"Jie jie~!" Gengar trots all the way, handing the ice cream to Luke.

Luke is slightly startled, smiles, and takes it over. "Thank you~"

"Jie jie~ ~(≧∀≦)♪"

Seated on a chair, a person and a ghost lick ice cream in sync.

"It tastes good," Luke's eyes light up.

Even Teacher Luke, a connoisseur from "Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma," can't find fault with it.

With this ice cream, the boss of this shop might turn it into a national chain?

Teacher Luke doesn't care too much.

As the game is about to start, the entire group rushes to the harbor.

On the azure sea, anglers from all over the world are already waiting.

Lapras, Starmie, and even fishermen riding on a Sharpedo.

"Sharpedo... can you really catch fish?" Yellow asks in a whisper.

"Don't worry; the angler will never be the main force," Luke coughs. "There's also a Mantine Surf rider over there; it's not a big problem!"

Following Teacher Luke's gaze, Gold uses a billiard cue as a skeleton and seems to regard Mantine as a paraglider. Yellow seems to nod.

With the referee's whistle, the anglers move out.

"Hmm!" Gold puts on his goggles and rides Mantine up the waves, gliding into midair.

"Tibo, use Whirlpool on the sea!"

"Wu~~" Mantine flaps its wings, and the sea surges with a vortex, blocking the way for many anglers.

"Referee, this smelly brat has fouled!" The players are noisy and shout.

"Don't let me catch it; it's not as good as it seems!"

In the commentary, the host shouts:

"Player Gold from Johto seems to be arousing public anger!"

"Just got news from the organizing committee; because Gold did not directly attack the players, the game continues!"

"Hey!" Gold grins and waves his hand. "I'm going one step ahead!"

Looking at the very flashy 'Gold.'

Teacher Luke freezes for a moment: "Isn't this a fishing competition?"

Surf racing; are you going to use these tricks?

"But, maybe this is Gold's style!"

Yellow chuckles. "Teacher Luke, the fish around here are scared away. Let's split up."

Luke nods, paddling with a small oar, sitting on the bow of the boat with Gengar, gradually moving away from this place of commotion.

The commotion caused by Gold.

Many anglers have joined the ranks of hunting Gold.

The opponent competition in the competition was suddenly less...

"Not good, Gold fell into the water!"

In the commentary stand, the host exclaims:

"What? That was just a tactical deception? But this is not a field battle!"

As a guest, Miss Daisy from Cerulean Gym, says with a smile:

"Let's pay attention to the fishing Integral Points of other players..."

The commentator nods and loudly says:

"Now, ranked first is Yellow from Viridian Forest, leading with amazing Integral Points."

"Oh? The player captured by the aerial camera seems to have something new!"

In the aerial camera picture, Teacher Luke is leisurely throwing the fishing rod.

[Fishing Lv3] means that every time the rod is thrown, there is a great probability of catching fish.

But...

On the bow of the ship, Magikarp is snapping and jumping, looking lively like a dragon and animated like a tiger.

"This is the tenth one."

Luke sighs while using the Poké Ball provided by the race to win Magikarp.

On the Integral Points panel, Teacher Luke bounces out '+1'.

Yellow from Viridian Forest, the first place, has accumulated more than 300 points.

Teacher Luke, besides Magikarp, it's more Magikarp.

"The 11th only." Luke holds his cheek, his expression numb.

"Twelve..."

"There is no end, there is only Magikarp in this sea! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

Teacher Luke is snarling.

A passing fisherman mentions the fishing rod, and a Shellder holds the bait tightly.

"Little brother, do you need help?" The fisherman kindly asks.

"No, no more..." Luke says with a heavy heart.

This fishing ability; it's probably not fake!

Thirteen Magikarps take the bait, and the system sends a mocking reminder.

[Chain*12, proficiency is rising!]

[Chain*13, proficiency is rising!]

[Ding! Ability upgrade!]

[Fishing Lv4: As a fishing expert, you know the habitats and habits of various fishes, and the probability of catching Magikarp is significantly reduced. (Magikarp can be caught but not defeated.)]

The probability is significantly reduced?!

Luke freezes for a moment and tries to cast his pole; in less than a moment, there's movement from the fishing rod.

And there it is, the fourteenth Magikarp!

Luke: How can this be reduced! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

The fisherman next to him, looking at Luke's skillful techniques and the Poké Ball placed on the deck, looks a little shocked.

Even Magikarp... caught so much in half an hour; it's too amazing!

"I am a fisherman from Alola."

The fisherman with deep blue hair and a beard says kindly, "Sir, can I get to know you?"

"I'm just a passing angler."

Luke waves his hand, "I'll try elsewhere."

"Save a call, sir; come to Alola when you have time. I invite you to my house!" shouts the fisherman.

On the water, a gentle breeze blows, and the waves playfully caress all the heroes.

Observing the vast waves, Squirtle experiences a sudden enlightenment.

Perhaps being brought here is the Lord's way of guiding me to comprehend a new Water Type move.

His eyes flicker as Squirtle gets lost in contemplation...

Meanwhile, Teacher Luke manages to catch the twentieth Magikarp, securing a score of '20' and placing him at the bottom of the leaderboard for now.

Despite Brock wearing a stern expression, his score surpasses Teacher Luke's.

Yellow from Viridian Forest leads with almost 500 points, while Gold, having abandoned the original purpose of the competition, gracefully glides through the air with Mantine Surf.

Sighing, Teacher Luke puts down the Fishing Rod, and Togepi tugs at his sleeve.

"Do you want to play?" Luke asks, handing the Fishing Rod to Togepi.

"Ke ke~~ ~ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ," Togepi responds with enthusiasm, pulling the Fishing Rod with all its might.

The fish marker suddenly sinks. "Really caught it?!" Luke exclaims, helping Togepi with the Fishing Rod.

An unusual gray fish leaps out of the water.

"Heavens!" the host exclaims, "Contestant Luke has caught the precious Feebas!"

"This is the first Feebas in the conference! It might give Contestant Luke the opportunity to overtake!"

Onlookers are astonished, and Yellow smiles slightly; at Teacher Luke's level, such feats are not uncommon.

"Good job, Togepi!" Luke praises, throwing the Poké Ball with Barrage.

The "knowing blow" prevents the Poké Ball from shaking, capturing Feebas successfully.

However, just as Feebas is about to be secured, it breaks free, defying the typical "knowing blow" protocol.

"Isn't it a knowing blow? Does it not work?" the audience wonders.

Snarling, Teacher Luke clarifies, "Then I didn't explode it!"

The audience is left in bewilderment; even with a "knowing blow," Pokémon breaking free is an extremely rare occurrence.

Undeterred, Luke decides to catch Magikarp and calls it a day.

As he contemplates returning, a massive column of water erupts, revealing a colossal Gyarados.

Measuring fifteen meters long, this Gyarados appears almost robotic.

Luke, soaked but astounded, braces himself against the boat.

Gengar pokes the Fishing Rod, indicating a desire to catch one more.

Luke, slightly exasperated, questions, "Can you still catch Gyarados?"

Complaining, he witnesses a colossal Gyarados rising from the water, resembling a robotic giant.

In the interior of the oversized Gyarados, the trio is in a state of panic.

"Why is Executive here?"

"Is there a special plan?"

"What should we do? Should we initiate the self-destruct program, Meow?"

Amidst the trio's hesitation, the narrator dramatically declares, "Contestant Luke has caught the super huge Gyarados!!!"

"Shattering the previous record! Contestant Luke secures a whopping 1000 Integral Points, creating a sensation among the spectators.

Squirtle leaps onto the deck, its eyes filled with awe-inspiring determination. Sensing the perfect moment to experiment with new moves, Squirtle lets out a resounding "uirt~!"

Emulating a whale taking in a massive gulp, Squirtle inhales deeply, even drawing water from the surrounding water into its mouth. The surging Aura Force seems to transform the sea territory into steam.

Momentarily frozen, Luke glances at Squirtle's Pokédex. Bewildered, he wonders when Squirtle learned this move.

"Squirtle, Hydro Pump?" Luke inquires.

"Uirt~!!"

Resounding like a thousand horses and thunder combined, the Hydro Pump creates thick dark clouds and a deafening surge of water.

Bang!

Although it doesn't make a direct hit, the turbulent Hydro Pump manages to penetrate the body of the oversized Gyarados. Exposing wires, the inside of Gyarados erupts in a loud explosion.

While Gyarados is blown up again, it doesn't deter the trio's major event. The trio, blown by the explosion, transforms into meteors on the horizon.

"It's an incredible feeling~~"

"Hey!"

Ding~.

Staring at the meteor in the sky, Luke is taken aback.

Are these three really fools? Can they create giant Gundams now?

Luke wears a perplexed expression, remarking, "With the physique of these three, it shouldn't be possible."

The super-sized Gyarados causes quite a stir. However, the trio, causing a sudden incident, doesn't even declare their home before being blown away.

Blushing, Officer Jenny, responsible for maintaining law and order, explains to Luke, "Thanks to you, some Pokémon hunters didn't cause greater panic."

The trio, currently identified as Teacher Luke's subordinates, isn't restrained too much. They occasionally engage in some harassment operations.

"They need a good scolding," Luke contemplates.

The Chief-In-Charge of the organizing committee rushes to inquire about the situation.

"Thanks to Mr. Luke, the tournament can proceed."

Relieved, Chief-In-Charge smiles, "Your Integral Points are still valid. You are the Champion of this fishing tournament!"

Luke, frozen for a moment, smiles, saying, "What a shame then!"

"Speaking of which, can I get a discount on the fishing rod? No other reason, just curious!"

...

At the awards ceremony, Yellow joyfully stands on Luke's right side, while Brock, arms crossed, positions himself on Luke's left. These three sweep up both the champion and runner-up titles.

As for Gold, he hasn't returned yet.

Daisy, responsible for presenting the awards, greets Luke with a smile:

"It's an honor to see you, Teacher Luke."

"Do you know me?"

"The inexperienced girl is Cerulean City's Gym Leader, Misty. She specifically mentioned you to me."

Daisy smiles, "Didn't expect to run into you here."

Luke senses something amiss.

"She meant that she wanted me to challenge you... but I'm not very skilled in Pokémon Battles," Daisy sighs.

Nervously, Luke says, "You don't have to fight then, it's okay."

"You're so understanding." Daisy hands him a tray.

"This is Mystic Water for the Champion prize, along with trophies. Congratulations, Teacher Luke!"

Thinking to himself that he'll have to purchase another Mystic Water for Squirtle, Luke notes that the Mega Fishing Rod doesn't make much difference, as it was Magikarp that caught it.

Daisy clenches her fist and presents something metallic to Luke with a smile:

"And this is also one of the Champion's prizes."

Curious, Luke extends his hand, feeling the cold metal.

[Ding! Task progress update]

[Task goal: Badge collection (3/8)]

Luke is puzzled.

"Didn't you say not to participate in Gyms?" Luke looks conflicted.

Why give another Badge?

"That's correct." Daisy blinks, "That's why I'll just give you the Badge directly."

"How do you feel, happy?" Daisy smiles.

Suddenly, Teacher Luke feels a tightness in his chest.

He almost forgot – Misty's elder sisters love giving away Badges the most!

Even disguising it as a prize for a fishing tournament.

Too much scheming!

Teacher Luke makes a mental note of this grudge!

...

As the days pass, the fishing convention comes to a close.

Luke contacts the Team Rocket Trio and inquires about their progress.

"The only target you managed to capture is Pikachu. Don't worry about anything else, do you understand?"

Aware that the Executive will likely make significant moves, the trio nods vigorously, promising, "Please don't worry; we will definitely catch Pikachu back!"

They're more likely to catch ghosts than Pikachu!

However, this time, the trio is crucial to securing the championship.

"You guys are in for a good meal tonight," Luke whispers. "I'm treating."

All the funds were spent on building the robot, leaving the trio to survive on steamed bread and pickles, and their gratitude pours out in tears.

"Thank you so much!"

The matter comes to a close.

Aside from the Cerulean Badge, Teacher Luke is a bit weary.

Squirtle's "Hydro Pump" is particularly extraordinary.

What makes this formidable power deserving of the name Hydro Pump?

Although the hit rate is a cause for concern, it's undoubtedly an upgraded version, Hydro Cannon!

Yet, for Teacher Luke, the hit rate of Hydro Pump is oddly endearing.

"Next time, let's use Water Gun," Luke sighs. "Hydro Pump can't seem to hit anything anyway."

Gold, lost in thought as the river flows, unconsciously remarks, "It's a pity; I almost won!"

Clearly, he didn't even catch a Magikarp!

As Luke bids farewell to Gold and the others, he returns home.

From Luke's hands, Squirtle solemnly accepts the second "Mystic Water."

Although it's not enough, he will still fulfills the Lord's wish.

"uirt~!" Squirtle's eyes brim with determination.

For the Lord's sake... it's time to continue growing steadily!