Using battle to capture Pokémon was the most common method of obtaining Pokémon in the original series.
Even Ash, a Trainer known for winning Pokémon over through friendship, frequently relied on battles before making a capture.
However...
The battle capture system in the original world was very different from the one Chen Mo had just described during the livestream.
In the original world, Trainers would usually weaken a wild Pokémon through battle before throwing a Poké Ball while it was exhausted.
As the Poké Ball shook violently, the wild Pokémon still had a chance to break free.
If the ball finally stopped shaking and its red light went out, it meant the Trainer had successfully captured the Pokémon.
Reality, however, worked very differently.
Poké Balls in this world couldn't override a Pokémon's will.
If a Pokémon didn't want to follow you, then even if you knocked it unconscious and sealed it inside a Poké Ball, the moment it woke up—even with only the slightest bit of strength—it could easily break free.
In other words...
Compared to the rather forceful capture method from the original games and anime, which barely considered the Pokémon's own wishes...
Battle captures in reality demanded far more from the Trainer.
Judging from the current Trainer system developing within society...
This method would most likely become something suited only for experienced Trainers in the future.
While casually chatting with viewers...
Chen Mo patiently waited for a bite.
He considered himself a fairly patient Trainer.
After all, whether fishing for ordinary fish or fishing for Pokémon...
The greatest test was always the angler's patience.
As for getting skunked?
A true angler never gets skunked!
...
Chen Mo himself wasn't in the slightest bit anxious.
But after nearly an hour had passed...
The Gengar beside him was already struggling to sit still.
It scratched its head.
Then set down the fishing rod to wander around.
Then picked it up again.
Then put it back down.
Finally...
After waiting for an hour and a half...
Gengar angrily threw its fishing rod aside and went off to play tag with Pikachu, Gible, and Jirachi.
"This guy..."
Chen Mo shook his head helplessly.
Then he stared at the calm ocean and fell into thought.
Since very few Pokémon were active on the sea surface...
He had asked Gengar to bring out the fishing rods in hopes of drawing some Pokémon from the surrounding waters.
Judging from the results...
Things weren't looking promising.
"...Let's try switching to ordinary bait."
Chen Mo muttered to himself.
The fishing location had been specially chosen by the cruise manager after hearing Chen Mo wanted to fish.
They were seasoned sailors and naturally knew where fish were most likely to gather.
Still...
Considering that Pokémon and ordinary schools of fish might frequent different waters...
Chen Mo decided to replace the special Pokémon bait with regular bait, chum the area again, and give it another try.
Yet...
Another half hour passed.
The fishing rod remained completely motionless.
"Could something really be wrong with this stretch of sea?"
Just as Chen Mo was pondering...
A powerful downward tug suddenly came through the rod.
Something had taken the bait!
Chen Mo immediately reacted and began reeling it in.
Beside him...
Pidgeotto, who had been patiently keeping him company, looked even more excited than Chen Mo himself.
It let out a loud, clear cry.
"Pidgeotto!!"
Hearing the cry...
The Pokémon that had been playing elsewhere on the ship immediately stopped and rushed over.
"Pika!" "Jirachi!" "Gengar!"...
All of them were far more excited than Chen Mo himself, cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines.
Since this rod had been baited with ordinary bait...
Chen Mo subconsciously assumed he'd hooked an ordinary sea fish.
But...
To his complete surprise...
As a crimson figure gradually emerged from beneath the waves...
Chen Mo froze.
The Pokémon beside him froze as well.
Looking at the enormous red carp wearing a golden crown...
Chen Mo rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"Magikarp..."
"Why are you the one that bit the hook...?"
That's right.
The one on the line was none other than Magikarp.
His own Magikarp.
Looking perfectly calm...
Magikarp blew a string of bubbles underwater.
Blub blub.
(This way... at least you won't end the day empty-handed.)
"..."
Silently removing the hook...
Chen Mo couldn't help muttering inwardly.
Well... thanks for that.
He cast the line again.
This time...
He even used the rod Gengar had abandoned earlier.
One rod was baited with ordinary bait.
The other with Pokémon bait.
He decided to fish for another thirty minutes.
If they still found nothing...
He would report the situation to the Special Response Bureau and have them investigate.
Ever since Pokémon arrived in this world...
Many plants and animals within Earth's ecosystems had been dramatically affected.
The Bureau had already begun cautiously intervening in certain ecological matters.
After all...
Back when humanity knew almost nothing about Pokémon...
They hadn't dared interfere recklessly.
Now...
With a reasonable understanding of many common Pokémon...
The Bureau had slowly begun experimenting with methods to preserve ecological balance after Pokémon appeared.
It was undoubtedly a difficult road.
But...
For the sake of the future...
Someone had to walk it.
Just as Chen Mo was considering what kind of circumstances could leave an entire sea region devoid of both fish and marine Pokémon...
The rod he'd only just recast suddenly lurched downward again.
Chen Mo immediately set aside the unmoving rod and focused on the one that had gotten a bite.
At the same time...
He glanced around to make sure Magikarp was still quietly floating nearby before concentrating fully on reeling it in.
This rod had been baited with special Pokémon bait.
That meant...
This catch was definitely a Pokémon.
Not only were the Pokémon standing beside Chen Mo excited...
Even the countless viewers who had watched him fish for over two hours suddenly became animated.
Hao Tianyu silently turned the camera toward the sea.
Soon...
A small blue-and-white fish emerged from the water as Chen Mo reeled it in.
It struggled fiercely, splashing water everywhere.
"Looks like we've got quite a lively little fellow."
Chen Mo smiled.
He had already recognized it.
After glancing at the flood of comments on the livestream...
He continued explaining while carefully wrestling the fish closer.
"Some of you are quick."
"I can already see people checking the Pokédex."
"That's right."
"This Pokémon is called Wishiwashi."
"Just from its appearance, you can tell it's a small fish Pokémon."
"The most distinctive feature is its pair of bright blue eyes."
"If you look carefully..."
"It almost feels like ripples are shimmering inside them."
"That alone makes Wishiwashi quite extraordinary."
Feeling the fish's struggles becoming increasingly violent...
Chen Mo temporarily stopped talking.
Meanwhile...
Gengar, who had somehow produced a landing net...
Excitedly floated over the water.
Timing its move perfectly...
It scooped Wishiwashi into the net before quickly flying back aboard.
"Gengar!"
(I caught it!)
As Gengar cheered excitedly...
Pikachu and the others immediately crowded around.
At the same time...
Wishiwashi suddenly realized...
It had left the sea.
A sinister-looking Pokémon had dragged it aboard a strange ship.
Through the mesh of the net...
It stared at the unfamiliar Pokémon surrounding it with curious eyes.
A feeling of utter despair spread through its heart.
"Waa..."
With a pitiful cry...
Wishiwashi tilted its head.
The beautiful eyes that resembled shimmering water instantly lost all light.
Floating closest beside Gengar...
Jirachi gasped.
"Ji... Jirachi!"
(It... it died!)
"Gengar?!"
(What?!)
The ecstatic Gengar was so frightened that its jaw nearly hit the floor.
It hurriedly set down the net, picked Wishiwashi up with both hands, and began frantically shaking it.
Its face was filled with panic.
"Gengar!"
(Pull yourself together! You have to hold on! We have Chen Mo! Chen Mo will save you!)
Beside them...
Pikachu, Gible, and the others all started shouting anxiously.
Having already put down the fishing rod...
Chen Mo watched the chaos with a face full of black lines.
"Wishiwashi isn't dying."
"It's simply unconscious."
"And honestly..."
"The reason it fainted..."
"Is mostly because all of you frightened it."
"Gengar?"
Gengar blinked blankly.
By then...
Chen Mo had already walked over and gently taken Wishiwashi into his arms.
Looking over the little fish's body...
His brows gradually furrowed.
Even without using Eye of Insight...
The numerous wounds covering Wishiwashi's body made its terrible condition obvious.
That was precisely why...
When Jirachi saw the fish suddenly go limp...
It had immediately assumed the worst.
And why Gengar and the others had believed it without question.
"It really has been through a lot..."
Chen Mo looked toward the large purple Pokémon.
"Gengar."
"Bring me the healing spray first."
"Wishiwashi needs treatment immediately."
"Gengar!"
Understanding the seriousness of the situation...
Gengar moved with incredible speed.
Within moments...
It had pulled out an entire pile of medical supplies that Chen Mo had stocked up on before leaving Anping City.
Several minutes later...
After confirming through Eye of Insight that Wishiwashi's condition had begun improving...
Chen Mo asked Gengar to fetch a basin of seawater.
He carefully placed the unconscious Wishiwashi inside.
By now...
The entire livestream was discussing what might have caused Wishiwashi's injuries.
After washing his hands...
Chen Mo glanced at the countless theories flooding the chat.
Then calmly began explaining.
"I've mentioned before..."
"Among Water-type Pokémon..."
"The two most numerous species are Magikarp and Feebas."
"Both possess incredible vitality..."
"Outstanding reproductive abilities..."
"And astonishing adaptability."
"They can survive in rivers..."
"Lakes..."
"The ocean..."
"Even filthy polluted water."
"As a result..."
"Anywhere there's water..."
"You're very likely to find those two species."
"So..."
"Excluding Magikarp and Feebas..."
"Which Pokémon ranks third in terms of population?"
"That's right."
"Wishiwashi."
"Wishiwashi mainly inhabit the ocean."
"Their reproductive ability is no weaker than Magikarp or Feebas."
"In fact..."
"It may even be slightly stronger."
"Some viewers might wonder..."
"'If they reproduce that quickly...'"
"'Shouldn't there be far more Wishiwashi than Magikarp or Feebas?'"
"Actually..."
"They still only rank third."
"The reason is simple."
"Wishiwashi..."
"Live up to their name."
"They're extremely weak."
"Meanwhile..."
"Magikarp and Feebas, despite also being weak..."
"One has too many hard bones..."
"And the other is simply too ugly to bother eating."
"So they have surprisingly few natural predators."
"Wishiwashi, however..."
"Occupy the absolute bottom of the ocean's food chain."
"They have countless predators."
"For example..."
"The Wingull and Lapras populations we saw near Crescent Moon Town."
"Both feed on Wishiwashi."
"And Wingull's evolved form..."
"Pelipper..."
"Can swallow more than thirty Wishiwashi in a single meal."
"So..."
"I'm sorry..."
"There are simply too many possible causes for these injuries."
"Just from looking at the wounds..."
"I honestly can't determine exactly what happened to it."
The livestream erupted.
"That's... way too pitiful..."
"The Pokémon world really is brutal."
"Teacher Mo already saved it. Why not let it stay with you? It probably escaped from one of its predators with great difficulty. Please give it a chance to live!"
"I checked the Pokédex. Wishiwashi doesn't even evolve... That's so unfair. At least Magikarp and Feebas have a chance to turn things around someday."
"People used to call Magikarp and Caterpie the weakest Pokémon. Now Wishiwashi has arrived—they both need to step aside. Living up to its name!"
On the cruise ship...
After hearing Chen Mo's explanation...
Gengar, Pikachu, Jirachi, and the others looked sympathetically at the unconscious little fish resting in the basin.
However...
Just then...
After a brief pause...
Chen Mo looked at the wall of comments...
And suddenly smiled.
"If we're only talking about individual strength..."
"Then yes."
"Wishiwashi can certainly compete with Magikarp and Caterpie for the title of weakest."
"But..."
"Wishiwashi possess another side."
"A side almost no one knows about."
"A power so overwhelming..."
"That it has earned another title."
"A power..."
"Comparable to the Monster of the Sea."
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