Chapter 265: Real Anglers Never Get Skunked
Saturday, November 28.
A gentle breeze swept through Cerulean City’s seaside port.
A white cargo ship sounded its long horn as Wingull fluttered overhead.
Lu Ye looked at the picturesque view—but instead of peace, a strange discomfort filled his chest.
Never thought… I’d end up back in Cerulean City!
“It’s fine. Just a fishing tournament. Not like I’m here to challenge the Gym.”
Lu Ye reassured himself and gave a resolute nod.
Today, I’m definitely going to teach Gold a lesson—in the art of fishing!
Last night’s snooker game had left Gold sleepless.
That miracle-level spin shot Lu Ye pulled off— Gold had spent the whole night scratching his head, still unable to figure out how it was possible.
But today, the focus was the Cerulean City Fishing Tournament.
The grand prize? A custom Super Rod set from Silph Co., the holy grail of anglers.
Also included: the beloved Mystic Water, a favorite among Water-type enthusiasts.
Second and third prize came with High-grade Rod Sets, plus either a Water Stone or a Dive Ball gift box.
Given that Dive Balls were rare and valuable, it was no surprise that Brock had shown up to fish—he was a true grinder.
Lu Ye checked his phone.
“Let’s head to the port restaurant first. Yellow and the others are waiting there.”
Gold held his rod in both hands like a seasoned pro and scanned the crowd.
“Dang… so many contestants.”
The tournament venue was right here at Cerulean Port, and the registration booth by the shore was absolutely packed.
“Plenty of anglers from other leagues too,” Lu Ye said. “Be careful with your rod. Don’t break it!”
“Relax!” Gold laughed. “It’s not so different from a pool cue—I’m great with those!”
As he spoke, Gold extended his collapsible rod and spun it around his hand like a baton.
Yeah, no. That’s not even close!
You owe every serious angler here an apology!
“Gengar?”
From Lu Ye’s shadow, Gengar poked its head out.
“Oh, I wasn’t calling you,” Lu Ye looked down. “If you wanna go play, go ahead. Just meet me at the restaurant later.”
“Gengar! (๑`▽´๑)۶” Gengar leapt from the shadow.
The chubby little shadow ball scanned the area—and locked eyes on an ice cream stand.
Even in winter, Cerulean’s sugar-dusted, handmade ice cream was a local delicacy.
“Gengar~ (¯﹃¯)” Gengar wiped away drool, fished a coin from its fourth-dimensional belly, and floated over gleefully.
At the handmade ice cream stand, three staff members bowed deeply at a perfect 90° angle.
“Welcome~!”
“Sooonansu!!”
“Quit jumping out like that, you idiot!”
“Gengar?” Watching the staff bicker, Gengar tilted its head.
Wait a second… don’t they look kinda familiar?
…
Inside the port restaurant, a squinty-eyed man was shoveling curry rice like a machine.
“Excuse me—one more plate!”
“Coming right up, sir~!”
Yellow, her orange ponytail bouncing, sat beside him with Pikachu in her arms, waving happily.
“Teacher Lu! Over here!”
The two of them walked over.
Gold wiped his nose, grumbling, “I’m literally right here—why are you ignoring me?”
“Oops! I’ll pay attention next time,” Yellow said shyly, scratching her head.
Looking at the mountain of empty plates, Lu Ye was puzzled at how Brock could eat so much.
Then he noticed the restaurant’s “All-You-Can-Eat Buffet – Limited Time Discount” banner and understood immediately.
No wonder I respect this man!
“Teacher Lu.” Technically, this was their first real meeting.
Brock took a sip of ice water, coughed politely, and reached out a hand with a squint.
“Pleasure to meet you!”
“Likewise!” Lu Ye gave a bright grin.
At the moment their hands met—
Their eyes locked, a fiery spark seemed to ignite.
Kindred spirits!
Well… at least that’s what Brock thought.
Lu Ye still wasn’t sure whether Brock’s eyes were open or not.
“Do we have to line up too?”
Gold released Pichu into his arms and fed it milk while asking, “Looks like the registration area’s jam-packed.”
“No need. Blue already signed us all up,” Yellow smiled.
“Oh!” Gold set down the glass of milk. “Then we’ll just head over later!”
“No rush. There’s still an hour before the tournament starts.”
Brock folded his arms. “More important than that is understanding the rules—that’s the key to victory.”
“Huh? It’s just fishing. What kind of rules?” Lu Ye asked in surprise.
“Technically, it’s a point-based competition. Every kind of Water-type Pokémon has a set score value.”
Brock explained, “Like the Bug-Catching Contest, you can only use the official Poké Balls provided, and all catches must be released back into the sea afterward.”
“Whaat?!”
Gold groaned, “I wanted to catch some Basculin and cook ‘em up at Teacher Lu’s place!”
Lu Ye rubbed his chin.
That… probably refers to the famously tasty savage Basculin, huh?
Still, he already had Squirtle, and wasn’t planning to catch more Water-types. Releasing them made sense.
“Also, participants can rent fishing boats or use Surf Pokémon.”
Yellow added, “Sea fishing usually scores way higher than fishing on land!”
“I’ll ride Big Wing-taro for surfing.”
Gold turned and asked, “What about you, Teacher Lu?”
“I’ll just rent a boat,” Lu Ye replied.
“Using Surf Pokémon is more efficient, but it can scare away rare fish.”
As a seasoned fishing master, Yellow clearly understood Lu Ye’s strategy.
She smiled warmly. “That’s so like you, Teacher Lu!”
Lu Ye: ???
Wait a sec—
Isn’t it just because Squirtle is way too small to carry me on the waves?!
“I’ll just fish from the shore,” Brock nodded. “With the right bait, you can still reel in a high score!”
…
Meanwhile, at the ice cream stand—
Gengar received a double-scoop cone from Meowth.
“This one’s on the house, nya!”
Meowth rubbed its paws together and chuckled.
“We just hope… you can put in a good word with the boss for us…”
“Gengar!” Gengar grinned and gave a big thumbs up.
“Ohhhh! Thank you so much!” The trio bowed in unison.
They even handed over another cone for Lu Ye.
Before it could melt, Gengar ran off toward the restaurant.
Watching it leave, the trio whispered among themselves.
“If Gengar’s here… does that mean a top officer is nearby?”
“Could he have found out about our plan, nya?”
“We’re gonna use the money we made from selling ice cream,” Jessie said dramatically, “to build a giant Gyarados robot!”
“While the twerps are busy fishing, we’ll catch loads of rare Water-types!” James twirled and dipped Jessie like a waltz.
“Then hand ‘em over to Boss Giovanni—promotion and fortune, here we come!” Meowth laughed greedily.
“Such a beautiful plan~~” they all chimed together.
“Soonansu~~!!”