"Alright, Cinccino, you can let Lapras go now."
Hayato reached out and caught the Cinccino that jumped back toward him, praising her without hesitation.
"You did a great job!"
His hand gently squeezed her ears.
Cinccino closed her eyes in delight, letting out a contented purr.
After praising Cinccino, Hayato turned his attention to the small Lapras.
If he remembered correctly, Lapras were social Pokémon that lived in groups.
If he simply let this little one go now, it would most likely end up wandering alone.
Since he had been the one to hook it out of the ocean, Hayato felt responsible for it.
Once the Lapras herd discovered that one of their members was missing, they would surely return to search for it.
Instead of wandering the vast ocean, waiting in this area was the best option.
"Alright, you can put your flippers down now."
A Lapras that raised its flippers in surrender—
There probably wasn't another one like it in the entire world.
"Little Lapras, you can play nearby for now, but don't leave my sight. Got it?"
"Lapra~"
So strict… just like the clan leader.
After asking Kangaskhan and the others to keep an eye on it, Hayato hooked another piece of fermented corn onto the line.
This time, he was definitely going to catch a big fish.
Now that Lapras had playmates, the earlier unpleasantness quickly disappeared.
Before long, it became friends with Kangaskhan and Cinccino.
Friendship among Pokémon really was that simple.
The laughter drifting over from nearby even improved Hayato 's mood after his earlier fishing frustrations.
Then suddenly—
Whoosh—
The fishing rod bent instantly into a ninety-degree arc.
Before Hayato could even grab it, the rod was yanked straight out of his hands and flew into the air, splashing into the ocean as it began to sink.
"Lapraaa!"
Immediately afterward, Lapras's sleek figure cut through the water.
The little Pokémon chased after the rod, bit down on it, and struggled to drag it back toward shore.
Whatever was beneath the water…
It wasn't small.
Another monster catch had taken the bait.
"That's it, Lapras! I'll make you something delicious later!"
Hayato watched eagerly as Lapras pulled the rod back.
If Lapras hadn't been here today, his newly bought fishing rod would have been lost—and he would have spent the whole afternoon catching nothing.
Cooking a good meal for Lapras as a reward was only fair.
After wrestling with the giant creature beneath the sea for a while, Lapras finally dragged the rod into the shallow waters.
Hayato rolled up his pant legs and stepped into the water to take the rod.
The moment he grabbed it, an enormous force nearly pulled him forward.
Instead of panicking, Hayato felt delighted.
The monster was still there.
He had personally felt Lapras's strength before, yet whatever was underwater had fought with it without seeming to struggle much .
Through the tension in the fishing line, Hayato could clearly feel the creature's resistance.
The rod bent sharply again—ninety degrees—like it was facing endless strength.
But Hayato had prepared himself.
There was no way he would back down now.
His expression tightened, more serious than ever.
Lowering his center of gravity, he forced the rod upright and stabilized it.
Using the line, he alternated between reeling in and letting out slack, gradually exhausting the creature beneath the water.
Fishing wasn't just a tug-of-war.
It was a battle of endurance.
Hayato 's strategy was simple:
When the fish retreated, he advanced.
When it paused, he provoked.
When it weakened, he pressed the attack.
When it fled, he pursued.
He never allowed the creature even a moment to rest.
"It's coming!"
Hayato wiped the sweat off his face with his shoulder.
After more than an hour of struggle, he finally caught sight of it.
Beneath the deep blue sea, a dark shadow like spilled ink slowly rose toward the surface.
Splash—
A pink tail fin struck the water before disappearing again.
At the same time, another powerful pull surged through the rod.
Hayato knew this was the creature's final burst.
Victory was close.
Now, more than ever, he couldn't afford to lose focus.
Taking a quick breath, Hayato continued carefully reeling in the line while teasing the creature with small pulls.
Every so often the creature would struggle violently.
Whenever that happened, Hayato stopped immediately.
Reel.
Release.
Reel again.
Little by little, the massive shape beneath the water became clearer.
It was roughly two meters long—a huge pink creature.
Luckily, Hayato was using a special fishing line designed for catching Pokémon.
According to the manufacturer, it could even handle a Wailord.
Victory was within reach.
"Lii lii!"
Cinccino's surprised voice suddenly rang out nearby.
The little Pokémon pointed at the enormous pink fish with wide eyes.
Wait—
Had the hook come loose?
Hayato quickly focused on the water.
But the moment he looked closely, he was stunned.
The giant creature that had surfaced halfway above the sea—
Half of its flesh was slowly falling away, revealing a pink skeleton underneath.
At the same time, the powerful force pulling the rod gradually weakened.
The line reeled in much faster.
Hanging from the hook was a large silver slab of fish meat.
"…Huh?"
He had caught half a fish?
What kind of situation was this?
Soon, the system provided the answer.
Apparently, the creature he had hooked was an extremely rare Pokémon.
[Veluza Fillet: A top-quality premium ingredient.
There is a chance to obtain it only after battling Veluza.
A rare delicacy in the Pokémon world.
The meat has a light texture but an exceptionally delicious flavor.
Recommended to keep it chilled before consumption.]
Veluza.
A Water/Psychic-type Pokémon, known as the Discard Pokémon.
It shed excess flesh from its body to train its mind and strengthen its psychic power.
Just now, Hayato had unknowingly helped this Veluza shed a layer of excess flesh.
There was no need to worry about the Pokémon being injured.
Veluza possessed powerful regeneration abilities, and its psychic transformation made the process natural.
Even after shedding its flesh and leaving behind only its skeletal frame, Veluza remained alive.
In fact, it became even faster after discarding the extra weight.
"Bubble, bubble…"
A string of bubbles rose through the water as a pink figure darted forward like an arrow.
Veluza glanced at Hayato .
As if saying:
Human… I acknowledge you. Let's do this again sometime.
Watching Veluza disappear into the depths of the sea, Hayato shifted his attention to the piece of fish in his hand.
"Oh right, right! It needs to be frozen!"
His gaze moved from Kangaskhan to Cinccino before finally settling on Lapras.
"Little Lapras, could you use Ice Shard to fill this bucket with ice?"
"Lapra~"
"You want coconut milk soup again? No problem."
Lapras slid forward and gathered Ice-type energy.
One chunk of ice after another clattered into the bucket.
Seeing this, Hayato quickly placed the fish meat inside and covered it with ice to preserve it.
"Thanks, Lapras."
"Lapra…"
Suddenly being praised, Lapras shyly lifted its head, its cheeks flushing slightly.
So adorable—getting embarrassed from just a compliment.
"Kangaskhan , Cinccino, stay here and keep our little hero Lapras company. I'm heading back to make dinner."
Although it was only around five in the afternoon, Hayato planned to go to Shalour City later to sell the fish.
So dinner would have to be prepared early.
The shimmering sea suddenly filled with distant cries.
A group of Pokémon appeared on the horizon, their calls both melodic and anxious.
The little Lapras, lying on the sand with its milky-white belly exposed after eating its fill, jolted upright.
It quickly flipped over and answered with an excited call toward the sea.
Soon, a herd of more than thirty Lapras—large and small—appeared in the shallow waters.
"Go on," Hayato said, gesturing toward them. "And don't wander off again and make your family worry."
Despite its large size, this Lapras had only been born a few months ago.
It was still a baby.
"Lapra~"
Their meeting had been unexpected, but Lapras had already formed a bond with Hayato .
Its soft pink tongue—covered in drool—licked across Hayato 's face as it tackled him to the ground.
"You little—"
Hayato pushed it away helplessly.
"If you pass by this area again, follow the river over there and you'll reach my ranch."
"When that happens, I'll cook something delicious for you again."