"Is it a Tynamo?" Naoki recognized the fish-type Pokemon's appearance immediately.
The name Tynamo might not be very well-known, but its evolutionary form, Eelektross, is definitely famous.
Naoki remembers that Lono loves using Tynamo evolving into Eelektross as a metaphor for Trainers becoming more formidable.
The Tynamo before him was struggling wildly, releasing a faint electric current to attack.
Naoki got a mild shock from it and had no choice but to toss the Tynamo back into the sea.
At the same time, a fierce whirlpool suddenly appeared out of nowhere far from the shoreline.
Beneath the surface, hidden currents surged as five Dragonairs charged into the whirlpool, striving to overcome the force of the water.
The sea was refining their bodies; the world seemed to be filled with nothing but this whirlpool and the intense sound of water rushing past the Dragonairs' ears.
A strange feeling welled up inside the five Dragonairs.
They felt like they could clearly perceive the movement of the surrounding seawater...
This sensation compelled one Dragonair to move its body with the water.
The next moment, a violent wave burst forth from its body, seemingly sending vibrations through the surrounding water.
Water Pulse, mastered!
However, the vibrating water affected the other four Dragonairs.
The sudden attack caught the four Dragonairs off guard—they were highly focused and didn't have time to react before the whirlpool swallowed them, battering them severely with intense water currents.
The initiator of it all saw its companions getting caught by its own move, becoming anxious and instinctively trying to reach out and grab them.
"Woo!"
The Dragonair cried out and charged at its friends.
But at that moment, the Dragonair realized something.
It didn't have hands!
No—in this situation, as long as it grows hands, it can help!
With this thought, a brilliant light suddenly burst from the Dragonair.
The dense evolution light shattered the whirlpool created by Dragonite.
In the glow, the Dragonair's form rapidly began to change.
The newly evolved Dragonite quickly extended a hand, catching the four companions and gathering them in its embrace.
*
Time ticked away minute by minute. With only five minutes left in the three-hour window, Naoki had caught a lot of fish.
The small bucket for fish was filled to the brim.
Naoki glanced at it with sharp peripheral vision.
Five bright red Magikarps, two vacant-eyed Feebas...
Originally, there were also a few Basculin, but those Basculin had terrible tempers and started fighting as soon as they were caught, tackling Naoki's chest.
With no other choice, Naoki had to release them all.
Now, the remaining fish are only these weak-bodied, slow-witted Magikarps and dazed Feebas.
Compared to the aggressive Basculin, these two types of Pokemon couldn't be more different.
Even when about to be caught, they were utterly docile, not resisting at all.
Looking at these few Magikarps and Feebas, Naoki felt like he could cosplay as the Magikarp vendor from the festival.
"Too bad I didn't catch a Gyarados or Milotic..." Naoki muttered.
These two types of Pokemon seem hard to find near the shore; to fish them out, one would have to venture deep into the sea.
However, Naoki was quite satisfied with the current situation.
With the boost from Paldea Seafood Rice, his fishing skills improved significantly, even though it seemed to enhance luck rather than skill—but it didn't make much difference.
With this, Naoki could participate in the fishing contest planned for next summer!
He hadn't gone to last year's fishing contest, nor to this year's, because his fishing skills were poor; early on at the ranch, Koraidon had to help catch fish.
Yet all those fish ended up being credited to Naoki by the townsfolk.
Not to mention, they even dubbed him the title of Fishing Master...
But now, with the added boost from Paldea Seafood Rice.
Naoki couldn't help but imagine the scene.
At the fishing contest, he successfully caught many fish, including many rare and unique fish-type Pokemon.
The townsfolk gathered around him, praising: "Truly the Fishing Master!"
Just then, Naoki was snapped back to reality by the movement of the bobber in front of him.
The float moved, another fish has bitten!
Naoki suddenly started reeling in, but at first, he couldn't pull in the big guy.
This is a giant! The thought immediately crossed Naoki's mind.
He instantly increased his strength, using all his might to wrestle with the big fish that had taken the bait.
The seasoned anglers nearby were drawn to this scene, and seeing the reaction in the sea, they realized right away that this young man had hooked a big fish.
"Come on, young man!"
"Don't give up, fishing is all about competing with the fish in patience and guts!"
"You can definitely do it!"
The anglers started cheering enthusiastically for Naoki.
Naoki's confidence soared, but at that moment, he suddenly felt the rod in his hand go slack.
Next, there was a disturbance on the sea surface, accompanied by a splash, a massive figure soared out from the waves.
It was a Dragonite, a plump Dragonite with an orange-yellow body.
At this moment, this Dragonite, with a delighted face, flew out of the ocean with the fish hook in its mouth.
The sunlight shone upon it, its smile was so lively and vivid.
Naoki: "?"
The anglers behind him all had their mouths wide open in an "O" shape.
"Whoa—"
Dragonite landed.
The anglers were in utter disbelief, this young man actually caught a Dragonite!
Such advanced fishing skills... it's terrifying! Unbelievable!
Naoki hadn't recognized this Dragonite at first, until he saw his own Dragonite flying over with four Dragonair from the sea, he finally realized what had happened.
He asked in surprise: "Dragonair?"
Dragonite spat out the fish hook and cheerfully responded: "Awoo!"
Naoki: "..."
He turned to see the astonished anglers behind him and awkwardly explained: "This is my own Dragonite, it's just playing with me."
The anglers now also saw the Dragonite and Dragonair flying in from the sea.
One observant angler recognized the Dragonite: "That Dragonite is the town's delivery Dragonite! In that case... are you Naoki from Naoki Ranch?"
Naoki nodded with a smile: "That's right!"
"That makes sense!" The angler mumbled: "I've heard of your reputation as a Fishing Master long ago, I heard that last spring, you single-handedly supplied half of the seafood market's fish in just half a month!"
Naoki: "...those are all exaggerations, it's not that impressive!"
The anglers were so excited, they wished they could pull Naoki in right away for a fishing competition.
But now it was already noon, and it was time for them to reel in and head home.
"Next time, when you have time, you must have a good match with us!" The anglers earnestly said.
Naoki: "..."
The anglers left.
Naoki finally breathed a sigh of relief, these fishing folks were a bit too much.
He turned around and released the Magikarp and Feebas he had caught back into the sea.
Then he packed up his fishing rod and asked: "How were the gains from this special training?"
"Woo!" The four Dragonair who hadn't evolved yet nodded their heads enthusiastically.
They also felt they were close to evolving!
And the already-evolved Dragonite was full of excitement.
Because starting today, it could officially join the ranch's delivery team, helping Naoki with work just like the three senior Dragonite!
Seeing this Dragonite's demeanor, Naoki was at a loss for words.
How could there be a Pokemon so willing to work proactively?
"Work can be really exhausting!" Naoki said.
Dragonite No. 5 shook its head, eyes full of determination: "Awoo!"
It wasn't afraid of the hard work!
Moreover, Naoki prepared delicious food for them every day, helping them grow stronger.
So, they also wanted to help Naoki!