Although Slowpoke had only been born recently, it was naturally sharp-witted and could communicate through telepathy, so Caster kept few secrets from it.
The whole point of catching and raising a Shellder was to combine it with Slowpoke for an evolution.
Though the old saying went "parents arrange the marriage, the matchmaker brings the couple together," Caster was a broad-minded trainer, and he would absolutely respect Slowpoke's opinion on the matter.
"Sure."
Slowpoke's reply was brief and to the point.
It understood that its evolution required a Shellder's cooperation. That was simply the nature of things, so it had no objection.
Moments later, a subtle but unmistakable psychic force swept out from its Poké Ball, carefully sensing the condition of each Shellder.
Since all the Cloyster had eaten their fill and left, only the Shellders remained to compete. And because there were far more Shellders than there had been Cloyster, their scramble was considerably more chaotic.
The Shellders crashed into one another in a frenzied heap, each desperate to be the first to snap up Caster's bait.
"Alright, stop fighting, all of you!"
Watching the mayhem, Caster couldn't help but call out.
Cloyster had no real capture value, so one fishing session was more than enough for them. But this group of Shellders was a different story. He still needed to make his pick after reeling them in, and how was he supposed to do that in this kind of pandemonium?
He couldn't tell one from another.
Unfortunately, the Shellders had worked themselves into such a frenzy that a single word from an outsider like Caster wasn't going to stop them.
Left with no other option, he borrowed Jynx from Lorelei.
"What is Caster up to?" Lorelei watched with undisguised curiosity, wondering what he had in mind.
"Jynx, please use your Psychic to keep these Shellders in line. Don't let them run wild."
After giving Jynx her instructions, Caster released Slowpoke.
The moment Slowpoke appeared, the Shellders grew even more agitated, lunging madly toward its tail. But with Jynx's psychic field in place, not one of them could get within three meters. An invisible barrier held them all at bay.
Only then did Caster step forward and address the crowd.
"Shellders, you all really like my Slowpoke, don't you? You want a taste of that tail?"
The Shellders responded eagerly, tongues lolling out as they all nodded.
The tail of a red Slowpoke smelled absolutely divine. What Shellder could possibly resist?
"Good. Then I'll give you all a fair chance."
A small smile played at the corner of Caster's mouth. "As it happens, I'm looking to catch one Shellder and raise it. Become my Pokémon, and you'll be Slowpoke's partner. You'd get to be by Slowpoke's side every single day, and a little taste of that sweet tail would be the least of your rewards."
His eyes glinted with quiet amusement. "So, which of you wants to be my Pokémon?"
The moment he finished speaking, the Shellders that had barely settled down erupted into excitement all over again. They stuck out their big pink tongues and hopped about frantically, each trying its hardest to stand out and catch Caster's eye.
Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!
"Stop! Everyone, stop!"
Watching them descend into chaos again, Caster quickly raised a hand and pressed it downward.
To his surprise, the Shellders actually obeyed, freezing in place. They looked remarkably well-behaved.
The scent of a red Slowpoke's tail was in a completely different league from an ordinary one, the difference being something like that between a glamorous princess and a plain commoner. For a Shellder, getting to taste the tail of such a 'goddess' was simply the greatest happiness in the world.
In that moment, every Shellder on the scene had become a devoted admirer of Slowpoke.
"It looks like everyone wants to be my Pokémon," Caster said, then sighed with theatrical concern. "But there are so many of you, and I only need one Shellder. What are we going to do?"
The Shellders exchanged uncertain glances, looking genuinely troubled, completely unaware that they had already been led right along by Caster's rhythm without realizing it.
After pretending to think it over, Caster snapped his fingers. "Since you all like Slowpoke so much, why not let Slowpoke make the final call? Line up, meet with Slowpoke one at a time, and whoever Slowpoke picks is the one I'll catch. What do you say?"
The Shellders nodded in unison, without a single objection.
It did seem like the fairest approach available.
"Alright, form a line. Anyone who pushes, shoves, or causes trouble gets disqualified from meeting Slowpoke. No exceptions."
At Caster's command, the Shellders immediately organized themselves into a neat, orderly row.
Lorelei stared at the scene, dumbfounded. "Is this a Pokémon capture session or a matchmaking event for Slowpoke?"
The thought of matchmaking immediately soured Lorelei's mood all over again. Slowpoke already had prospects lined up, and she still hadn't found anyone.
"Excellent! Looking sharp!" Caster surveyed the perfectly ordered row of Shellders with great satisfaction, then raised his voice again. "Regardless of the outcome, every Shellder who participates today will get one bite of bait that's been touched by Slowpoke's tail."
With that, he baited his hook, held it out to the first Shellder in line, and announced: "I now declare the Slowpoke Meet-and-Greet officially open!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the first Shellder swallowed the bait whole.
(Caught a Shellder. Reward: 1x Endure TM.)
The cheat ability's notification appeared, followed immediately by that Shellder's stat panel.
Caster scanned it quickly and thought: 'Endure is a decent move, but the rest of the moveset is pretty underwhelming.'
He promptly rebaited the hook and continued fishing through the lineup.
Meanwhile, the freshly caught Shellder bounced eagerly over to Slowpoke and began showing off, but after a brief telepathic assessment, Slowpoke found it thoroughly unremarkable and didn't bother responding.
The Shellder knew right away that it had been rejected.
Clearly unwilling to accept the outcome, it flew into a humiliated rage. With reckless desperation, it lunged at Slowpoke's tail, intent on forcing the evolution and presenting everyone with a done deal.
"Jynx!"
But Jynx had been watching. With barely a flick of her psychic power, the Shellder let out a cry and was hurled into the middle of the lake.
After that, not one of the remaining Shellders dared step out of line. They queued up and went through the process in perfect order.
(Caught a Shellder. Reward: 1x Payback TM.)
(Caught a Shellder. Reward: 1x Spikes TM.)
(Caught a Shellder. Reward: Several Energy Orbs.)
(Caught a Shellder. Reward: 1x Hydro Pump TM.)
(Caught a Shellder. Reward: 1x Explosion TM.)
As one Shellder after another was reeled in, Caster's collection of rewards kept growing.
With each catch, he pulled up the Shellder's stat panel to check its Ability and move list, then relayed the information to Slowpoke through their telepathic link.
No Skill Link Ability? Pass.
Too few moves? Pass.
Nothing impressive in the moveset? Also pass.
The standard was simple: quality over quantity.
After all, his Slowpoke was in extremely high demand. Even if none of the Shellders at Icefall Cave measured up, he could always search other waters and islands.
Poliwraths were hard to come by, but Shellders with a good tongue were everywhere.
And the extraordinary sweet fragrance drifting from Slowpoke's tail was its greatest asset.
Might as well be picky.
The meet-and-greet moved along at a brisk pace. One by one, Shellders were turned away and slipped back into the water, crestfallen.
Yet it wasn't a total loss for either side. Caster had gained his rewards, and they had each enjoyed a brief, private moment with the 'goddess,' along with a bite of bait that carried her scent. No one left completely empty-handed.
The fishing continued.
(Caught a Shellder. Reward: 1x Life Dew TM.)
"Wait, Life Dew?"
Caster's eyes lit up, and his hands slowed.