The Wingull, judging from its name alone, was obviously the ferry company's newest cruise ship, designed specifically for Pokémon enthusiasts.
That theme was reflected everywhere throughout the ship.
The interior walls were covered with illustrations of immensely popular Pokémon, and even the tables and chairs were designed in Pokémon motifs.
"Jirachi!"
Jirachi suddenly pointed in one direction, its face lighting up with overwhelming excitement.
Following its gaze, Chen Mo looked over.
There, on a massive mural, dark storm clouds filled the sky.
A vicious-looking Hydreigon hovered in midair, its three heads roaring ferociously.
Above it—
A Pikachu enveloped in brilliant blue and golden lightning leaped high off the back of a Haunter, wearing a determined expression as it charged straight toward Hydreigon.
On the ground below...
A dust-covered young man stood tall, refusing to yield as he looked up at the dragon.
Beside him were a battered Pidgeotto struggling to stand, an exhausted Absol, and a kneeling Roselia.
All three Pokémon gazed anxiously toward Pikachu in the sky, as though placing every last hope on its shoulders.
"Jirachi!"
Having clearly recognized Chen Mo and the others depicted in the mural, Jirachi's eyes sparkled with admiration.
It looked as if tiny stars were shining inside them.
The livestream chat—whether longtime viewers or newcomers—instantly exploded.
"It's definitely been made to look cooler."
Chen Mo silently commented to himself.
Although he had publicly granted permission for anyone to edit or create derivative works from his livestreams...
Only Chen Mo and Pikachu's group truly knew just how miserable that battle had actually been.
Standing beside him, the cruise manager, who had been accompanying him since they boarded, smiled professionally as he explained,
"Before the Wingull's interior design was finalized, we held an online vote asking fans for suggestions."
"These murals all depict scenes that left the deepest impression on everyone."
"If we continue this way, there's also the mural of you, Teacher Mo, fighting the Suicune clone alone with Pikachu and Haunter."
Over the next while...
Under the manager's guidance...
Chen Mo toured the Wingull from top to bottom.
Afterward, he and his Pokémon enjoyed an exceptionally luxurious lunch in the elegantly decorated dining hall.
As soon as the meal was over...
Chen Mo politely declined the staff members who had been accompanying him.
Unable to wait any longer...
He headed alone with his Pokémon to the deck.
It wasn't that he disliked the Wingull's service.
Quite the opposite.
The service was simply too attentive.
Not only were the attendants constantly watching his and his Pokémon's every movement, ready to fulfill any request at a moment's notice...
But even the lunch itself...
Chen Mo seriously suspected the company had replayed every single one of his old eating streams over and over again.
They knew not only exactly what he liked to eat...
They even knew all of Pikachu and the others' favorite foods.
Judging by the service standards aboard this cruise...
The daily necessities and snacks he'd bought at the supermarket earlier...
Were probably, just as Gengar had complained...
Completely unnecessary.
How should he put it?
Whether camping in the wilderness or relaxing at home...
Chen Mo had always lived quite casually.
He genuinely wasn't used to such meticulous luxury.
He smiled toward the camera.
"Sorry for making everyone laugh."
"Anyway..."
"Let's get back to the real purpose of this voyage."
"Let's see what kinds of Pokémon we can encounter out here at sea."
Chen Mo and the others began observing the surrounding waters.
Today's weather was pleasant.
The sea was calm, with barely any waves.
Although they were still sailing in coastal waters...
Ever since Pokémon arrived in this world...
Even the nearshore ocean had become remarkably clear.
They observed the sea for about half an hour.
Then Chen Mo suddenly realized something was seriously wrong.
He hadn't seen a single wild Pokémon.
Even after sending Pidgeotto riding the sea breeze to scout the surrounding area...
There wasn't a single trace of any ocean-dwelling Pokémon.
Suddenly...
Chen Mo recalled yesterday's sea burial ceremony.
Even during the voyage to the ceremony...
He hadn't spotted any marine Pokémon.
In fact...
There had been surprisingly few ordinary fish as well.
According to the locals...
Fishing boats from Crescent Moon Town now had to travel much farther offshore because fish had become increasingly scarce in nearby waters.
"Interesting..."
Chen Mo stared into the seemingly bottomless sea, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
According to the task force's investigation into the Crescent Moon Town incident...
The Pokémon species involved in the attack had been quite diverse.
That suggested...
The coastal ecosystem here had once been incredibly rich.
After pondering for quite some time...
Chen Mo decided he might simply be overthinking things.
He beckoned toward Gengar, who was lazily filming nearby.
"Gengar."
"Take out the fishing rod I bought back in Anping City."
"Gengar..."
Holding the camera in its right hand...
Gengar casually shoved its left arm into its own body and began rummaging around.
Soon...
It found the fishing rods tucked away in one corner of its enormous storage space.
There were two of them.
One belonged to Chen Mo.
The other...
Had been bought for Gengar itself.
The reason?
Because it wanted to try fishing too.
Thinking of that...
Gengar suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
At first...
Being the cameraman had seemed incredibly fun.
It was almost as enjoyable as serving as a trainer during the Pikachu Cup.
But as time passed...
Gengar gradually realized the difference between the two roles.
When acting as a trainer...
It carried no burden.
All it had to do was stand outside the battlefield and cheer wholeheartedly for little Gible.
Battles rarely lasted more than ten minutes.
Being a cameraman...
Was completely different.
Not only did it have to keep the footage stable...
It also had to carry the camera for hours every single day.
For a naturally playful Pokémon like Gengar...
That was torture.
Eventually...
The novelty wore off.
Now...
Every day felt like punching in for work.
The moment it picked up the camera...
It immediately began looking forward to finally putting it down.
Chen Mo noticed the change in Gengar's expression.
After accepting the fishing rod...
He thought for a moment before saying,
"Didn't you buy a fishing rod for yourself too?"
"Take it out."
"Gengar?"
Gengar blinked.
Its face instantly lit up.
Just as it happily reached inside itself for the second rod...
It suddenly noticed the camera still in its hand.
Its expression immediately fell.
It somehow looked even darker than before.
At that moment...
Chen Mo spoke again.
"The sea's calm today."
"The ship's pretty stable."
"Just take out the tripod, mount the camera on it, find a good spot, and leave it there."
The purple Pokémon remained frozen in place.
Chen Mo looked puzzled.
He'd assumed Gengar would immediately carry out the instruction without hesitation.
"What's wrong, Gengar?"
"Gengar."
(I'd better not.)
It readjusted the camera in its hands.
Although Gengar loved having fun...
Living with Chen Mo for so long had gradually helped it understand why Chen Mo insisted on livestreaming.
Why he devoted himself to teaching humans about Pokémon.
Having witnessed the entire Crescent Moon Town incident firsthand...
Gengar finally understood just how difficult it had been for Chen Mo to achieve everything he had accomplished.
It didn't want its own selfishness to ruin any of that.
Several minutes later...
After listening to Gengar explain its reasoning...
Chen Mo couldn't help laughing.
"Gengar..."
"You really have grown a lot."
"But..."
"The audience isn't as fragile as you think."
"If you position the tripod well..."
"The footage won't be quite as good as handheld filming..."
"But it certainly won't make everyone dislike the stream."
"Gengar?"
(Really?)
Gengar scratched its round head.
It still looked uncertain.
It knew Chen Mo well.
Sometimes...
Whenever something troubled him...
He would deliberately pretend everything was fine just so his Pokémon wouldn't worry.
Chen Mo noticed Gengar's lingering doubts.
Just as he was about to reassure it further...
A gentle voice sounded nearby.
"Teacher Mo."
"It seems you've run into a little problem."
The middle-aged manager who had shown him around earlier approached once again.
Beside him stood a young man in his twenties who looked rather timid.
"This is one of our sailors."
"His name is Hao Tianyu."
"His hobby is photography."
"When he was in university, he even made a few short videos."
"They weren't famous, but they did win a few municipal awards."
"Most of the sailing footage we post online is filmed by him."
"So..."
"If you don't mind..."
"He could handle the filming during this trip."
"..."
Chen Mo instinctively looked toward the young man.
The moment their eyes met...
Hao Tianyu shrank even farther behind the manager.
The manager sighed helplessly.
"Tianyu's just a little shy."
"And somewhat withdrawn."
"But don't worry, Teacher Mo."
"His skills are absolutely reliable."
"We all trust him."
Nearby...
After hearing the conversation...
Gengar's crimson eyes lit up.
Chen Mo smiled and nodded.
"No problem."
"Hao Tianyu, right?"
"I'll leave the filming to you from here on."
The latter sentence was directed at the timid young man hiding behind the manager.
After hesitating briefly...
Hao Tianyu finally nodded.
Soon afterward...
He began adjusting the camera.
His movements were smooth and practiced.
Watching him...
Chen Mo couldn't help thinking of an old friend—
Brother Yi...
Who had accompanied him for such a long stretch of his journey.
"Teacher Mo."
The manager walked over beside Chen Mo.
After glancing toward Hao Tianyu...
He lowered his voice and quietly explained something.
Hao Tianyu noticed.
His head lowered even farther.
Only his hands...
Continued operating the camera with machine-like efficiency.
The cruise ship came to a stop upon the calm, boundless sea.
Chen Mo wasn't a seasoned angler.
But in his previous life...
He had gone fishing with friends several times.
When visiting Mount Cangqing...
He had specifically prepared fishing equipment.
Although he'd never had the chance to use it...
His casting technique was still quite practiced.
Unlike Gengar.
Despite following Chen Mo's instructions...
The novice Pokémon was completely flustered.
Fortunately...
It managed to cast its line successfully.
Now...
All they had to do...
Was wait patiently.
Taking advantage of the quiet...
Chen Mo began sharing another bit of Pokémon knowledge with the viewers.
"Generally speaking..."
"Fish Pokémon don't dislike ordinary bait."
"But..."
"If your goal is specifically to catch fish Pokémon..."
"I recommend using bait specially made for Pokémon."
"That way..."
"You'll avoid hooking ordinary fish and wasting your time."
"And..."
"As always..."
"I don't recommend that people deliberately seek out unsupervised wild Pokémon."
"Especially through fishing."
"Why?"
"Just imagine yourself in their position."
"If you were a Pokémon living in the ocean..."
"And one day you swallowed something..."
"Only to be yanked out of the sea by a human..."
"With a hook stuck through your mouth..."
"Wouldn't you want to attack the person who reeled you in?"
"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"
"So trust me."
"Even a goofy Pokémon like Magikarp..."
"Will happily smack you across the face a couple of times with its tail."
"Of course..."
"Some of you might ask..."
"'Then how are we supposed to catch an ocean Pokémon?'"
"'Unlike land Pokémon, we can't slowly befriend them by feeding them over time.'"
"That's a reasonable question."
"So today..."
"I'll recommend another method."
"A much simpler..."
"And much more direct one."
"Win them over with your strength."
"I'm sure that after watching these educational streams for so long..."
"You've already learned some of the unwritten rules of the Pokémon world."
"Simply put..."
"The Pokémon world is actually quite harsh."
"Not every Pokémon species lives together peacefully while discussing dreams and ideals."
"Some species are outright enemies."
"The most famous example..."
"Is Pidgey and Spearow."
"Growing up in such an environment..."
"Most wild Pokémon admire strength."
"So..."
"If you can command your own Pokémon to defeat them in battle..."
"They'll generally acknowledge you."
"They'll believe that following you will make them stronger."
"But honestly..."
"This isn't my favorite way to catch Pokémon."
"If both sides agree to battle beforehand..."
"That's one thing."
"But in situations like fishing..."
"You've already angered the Pokémon the moment it bites the hook."
"So..."
"If you can't defeat the Pokémon you've reeled in..."
"The consequences..."
"Could be quite serious."
"And with that..."
"Those are my sincere recommendations regarding catching Pokémon."
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
Go check it out and dive into the full experience.
Claim early access here: [email protected]/plotwired
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews unlock 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.