"Ding!"

  "Daily Task: Catch 1,000 pounds of fish."

  "Reward: Super Fishing Rod, 500 points."

  After finishing breakfast, which repared by Love and Slowking, it was exactly 8 AM. As expected, the daily task notification arrived.

  "So, they wao py fisherman today, huh?"

  Julian muttered to himself. He wasn't particurly excited about fishing; it was only the 500 points that mattered to him. As for the super fishing rod, unless it could reel in Kyogre, it wouldn't be of much use to him.

  Julian was home alo the moment. Jake, had left to spar with some Elite-level friends in preparation for the upie Challenge.

  Meanwhile, Tina, had goo the Breeder's Association in Lake City. Being a Senior Breeder herself and the Vice President of the Association, she didn't go to work often, but today was one of those rare days.

  After breakfast, Love and Slowking began tidying up the house, while Julian headed to the ste room where his father kept his fishing gear.

  Jake was a veteran fishihusiast. Fishing was his biggest hobby, and he had amassed so much gear that he'd dedicated aire small room to store it.

  Yet, despite owning an impressive colle of fishing equipment, Jake's fishing trips almost always resulted in Magikarp.

  It was a cssic case of "all the gear, no idea."

  Julian grabbed a random fishing rod and a pack of bait from the room. He didn't even bother with a .

  His whole setup screamed "plete rookie."

  In the backyard, Julian called out Metagross and Dragoo apany him. The rest of his Pokémon stayed behind to rex.

  There was a reservoir just a few minutes away from Julian's house—well, a few minutes if you had a Dragoo fly on. Within three to four mihey reached the massive reservoir.

  The reservoir was enormous, supplying both domestid industrial water for all of Lake City.

  Naturally, it was teeming with Water-type Pokémon, and from time to time, Magikarp could be seen leaping out of the water.

  The best fishing spots along the shore were already occupied by avid fishermen, each patiently waiting for their catch.

  Juliaurned Dragoo its Poké Ball and strolled casually to a random open spot.

  He tied the litached the hook, baited it, and cast it into the water without even adjusting the float. It was as unprofessional as fishing could get.

  Five minutes passed. No movement on the float.

  Ten minutes passed. Still no movement.

  Fifteen mier, the float finally bobbed.

  Julian's eyes lit up as he yahe fishing rod with all his strength.

  "Wait... where's my bait?!"

  The bait was gone, but there was no fish on the hook.

  A moment ter, a Magikarp surfaced, blowing bubbles at Julian. Its vat stare somehow carried a hint of mockery.

  Magikarp: 'With skills like that, you 't even catch me.'

  Julian sighed. Weren't beginner fishermen supposed to get lucky? He'd heard that fishing was desigo hook newbies with easy catches at first, only for them tle endlessly ter. Yet here he was, getting the "endless struggle" right from the start.

  As a total rookie at fishing, unlike most beginners, he didn't evehe so-called beginner's luck. Instead, he was mocked by a Magikarp.

  "You just wait"

  He muttered, gring at the Magikarp as he baited the hook again.

  One Hour Later-

  "Excuse me, sir, do you have any tips for fishing? I haven't caught a sihing"

  Julian asked an older man who had already reeled in over a dozen Water-type Pokémon—half of them Magikarp, but still far better than Juliay record.

  The old man g Julian's setup: a fishing rod and nothing else. His expression quickly shifted to that of an enlightened master.

  "Fishing has a lot of intricacies," the old man said. "Let me start by expining the materials ahs of fishing rods."

  An hour and a half ter—

  "So, sir, are you saying the better the bait, the higher the ces of catg a Pokémon?" Julian asked.

  Most of what the old man had expihings like mainline sizes, hook types, casting angles, and water flow—had gone pletely over Julian's head.

  "That's correct. Some rich folks even use energy cubes as bait," the old man replied, a trace of disdain fshing across his face. "But that's just cheating. It's no different from hunting at a zoo. There's no challenge in that."

  Energy cubes were highly attractive to Pokémon. With them, you could probably use a tree branch as a rod and still catething easily.

  Julian's eyes lit up in sudden realization.

  "Sir, thank you so much! You're a genius!" he excimed, lookiatic. "Oh, by the way, I happen to be rich. See you!"

  Before the old man could respond, Julian dashed off.

  Old man: 'A rich guy using a 10 fishing rod... unbelievable.'

  Julian found a quieter fishing spot and purchased a pack of beginner-grade Water-type energy cubes from the system store. He baited his hook with one of the cubes and evehe hook tip exposed.

  Ordinarily, an exposed hook tip would make it almost impossible to catch a Water-type Pokémon. But with the system-produced energy cubes? Fet about hooks—even a knife bde would get bites.

  "Here we go!"

  Julian cast his line, and it didn't take long for the float to jerk downwards. With a triumphant grin, he yahe rod back. The for the liold him this time, he'd actually hooked something.

  Uer, a Seaking was thrashing wildly, pulling the liaut and bending the rod into a perfect semicircle.

  "You think you are strohan me?"

  Julian sneered. With his Mega Pallet Town physique, he could pull up Kyogre if he wao.

  (T/N: yeah... sure)

  "Get up here!"

  He roared, yanking the rod upward with all his might.

  CRACK!

  To his disbelief, the fishing rod snapped in half.

  Julian stood there, holding the broken pieces, pletely dumbfounded.

  Seaki out of the water, and spat out a fishhook whid ly at Julian's feet.

  Seaking: 'Thanks for the meal. I'm outta here.'

  Julian stared at the broken fishing rod in his hand and muttered, "What kind of junk rod is this?"

  He couldn't believe that among his dad's colle of gear, there'd be something this low-quality.

  Jake: 'That's a rod from 20 years ago. It's worn out, but I didn't have the heart to throw it away.

  With the rod broken in half, tinuing to fish was out of the question.

  Julian g the system store, where fishing rods were avaible for just 10 points each.

  "No way I'm spending 10 points on a rod. What a waste," Julian scoffed.

  "Dragonite, head back to the house and brien rods!"

  Dragonite obediently flew bae, grabbed ten fishing rods, aurned in record time.

  Armed with a new rod, Juliaed the process from earlier. Before long, the float bobbed, signaling another bite.

  Seaking: 'This human brought me food again. What a thoughtful guy.'

  "e out of there!"

  This time, the fishing rod held firm as Juliaed his strength. With one powerful pull, the Seaking was yanked out of the water and nded on the ground with a dull thud.

  Seaking flopped around, its mouth sore from the hook. Furious, it opes mouth and shot a Water Gun directly at Julian.

  Unfortunately for Seaking, the water Gun was intercepted by Metagross, who swatted it aside like it was nothing. The resulting impaocked Seaking out cold.

  Fishing may seem like a harmless hobby, but it has its dangers. If you reel in a particurly strong Water-type Pokémon and your own team isn't prepared to ha, the sequences could be dire.

  In fact, the number of anglers who die each year because of these kinds of enters isn't any lower thae of actal deaths in other hazardous activities.