"This bait works on Blastoise too?"
Caster's eyes lit up as he read the bait's description.
He had no idea how many Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise lived in Professor Oak's yard. He did know that a Champion-level Blastoise was lying on the grass beside the pond. It was Blue's starter Pokémon.
Caster had tried to lure Blastoise with bait before, but it hadn't shown the slightest interest. Even Mystic Water had failed to tempt it.
Most Water-type Pokémon would go wild for an item like Mystic Water.
A Champion-level Pokémon was another matter.
Blue's Blastoise surely had access to the best resources. Type items and Type Gems were nothing special to it.
But bait made specifically for Blastoise? That could be different.
It might not offer any nutritional benefit, but its flavor hit the G-spot of Blastoise's taste buds.
Caster's gaze grew heated as he looked at Blastoise.
"Blast..."
Blastoise seemed to feel Caster's covetous stare. Irritation crossed its face.
The kid looked like he wanted a piece of it!
If Professor Oak hadn't just spoken to it, Blastoise would have taught Caster a lesson.
Caster hadn't actually done anything yet. He had only imagined it.
But as far as Blastoise was concerned, even thinking about it was a crime!
"Blast..."
Blastoise gave a disgruntled cry, swallowed its annoyance, and walked back into the pond.
Out of sight, out of mind.
It had no idea that its retreat only excited Caster more. "Blastoise is in the water. Here's my chance!"
The bait needed to dissolve and spread through the water to work at full strength.
As long as Blastoise stayed on shore, Caster couldn't do much with it.
Just then, Gary grew bored of fishing. He put away his rod and took Arcanine back inside to rest.
That left Caster alone by the pond.
"Good. With Gary gone, I can get to work."
With a thought, Caster took the Squirtle-family bait from his fishing space and pinched off a small piece to hang on his hook.
"Here we go!"
He cast his line and waited for the big turtle to bite.
At the bottom of the pond, Blastoise dozed with its head and limbs tucked inside its shell.
Suddenly, its nose twitched.
"Blast?"
Its eyes snapped open, gleaming with hunger.
That smelled incredible. Exactly what Blastoise liked.
"Blast!"
Blastoise poked its head and limbs out of its shell and checked the current. It quickly found the source of the smell.
A pale pink piece of bait, almost as lustrous as white jade, bobbed in the water.
Two Squirtle and a Wartortle had already swum up to it. All three opened their mouths and raced to bite the hook.
"Blast."
Blastoise scoffed and sent Water-type energy surging through its body.
Whoosh!
The water around the bait began to swirl. Before the younger turtles could bite, the current swept them backward. They couldn't get within three meters of the hook.
Strangely, the water above the bait remained perfectly still, without so much as a ripple.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
"Wartortle!"
Driven half mad by the smell, the Squirtle and Wartortle fought the current with all their strength.
No matter how hard they swam, they made no progress.
That unremarkable current might as well have been an impassable chasm.
"Blast..."
Blastoise finally paddled toward the bait with its limbs and tail fin.
The moment the smaller turtles spotted it, the frenzy vanished from their eyes. They came to their senses.
"Blast!"
Blastoise called out to them.
You're in over your heads, little turtles.
Leave this to me!
It drew close and sniffed the bait carefully.
Oh, that smelled good.
"Blast!"
Blastoise bit down without another thought.
At once, a tremendous tug on the hook hauled it toward the surface.
The pull was so strong and sudden that even Blastoise's huge, heavy body couldn't keep it underwater.
"Got it!"
On the bank, Caster and Dragonair pulled on the fishing rod together.
When they landed Blastoise, Caster beamed.
[Caught "Blastoise." Reward: 1 Aura Sphere TM.]
[First time catching "Blastoise." Bonus reward: 1 Ability Orb (Torrent).]
The reward notifications appeared, followed by Blastoise's status panel.
Its enormous move list made Caster's scalp tingle.
Then Blastoise realized Caster had tricked it. Its face darkened, and the look it gave him made his scalp tingle even more.
"Blastoise..."
Caster shuddered and swallowed. He hurried to placate it. "If you like that bait, I've got more. Here, take it! We can be friends, right?"
He held out all the bait he had in his hand.
"Blast!"
At the sight of it, Blastoise's anger vanished. It broke into a broad, sunny grin, swaggered over, and took the bait. Then it gave Caster a friendly pat on the shoulder with one clawed hand.
"All right, little buddy! We're friends now."
"I've got this whole yard covered. If anyone gives you trouble, tell me, and I'll take care of them."
A deep, steady voice rang out inside Caster's head, nearly making him jump out of his skin.
"Y-you..." Caster stared at the Blastoise beside him as though he'd seen a ghost. "Blastoise? That was you?"
"That's right!"
The voice came again. Paired with Blastoise's almost human expression, it was uncanny. "No need to be surprised. It's an advanced use of Aura."
Caster calmed down.
It made sense that Blue's Blastoise would command Aura at such a high level.
This was a Blastoise that could stand up to Red's Charizard.
It might well be the strongest Blastoise in the world.
If Lucario could speak to people through Aura in the movie, there was no reason Blue's Blastoise couldn't do the same.