"Hello, my name is Caster." After introducing himself, Caster looked at Ash and Pikachu and said, "I only have a Magikarp, so I can only battle in water.
If you have a Water-type Pokémon, I'd be happy to accept your challenge."
The implication was clear: don't even think about using Pikachu to electrocute fish in a barrel!
"A Water-type Pokémon? I don't have one yet!" Ash said, sounding disappointed.
He currently only has three Pokémon: Pikachu, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto.
As for Squirtle, that wouldn't come until later.
"Your Pikachu is so cute. Can I pet it?" Caster pointed at the Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder.
This was the legendary Pikachu!
Ash glanced at Pikachu, looking troubled. "My Pikachu might not like being touched by strangers."
"Pika~"
Seeing Caster reach out, the red electric sacs on Pikachu's cheeks immediately sparked with arcs of electricity, showing clear resistance.
Seeing this, Caster activated an Energy Orb and channeled it into Pikachu's body.
"Pika?"
Pikachu froze for a moment.
"Pikachuuu~~"
The next second, Pikachu's eyes narrowed in bliss. It was clearly in heaven.
What Pokémon could resist such temptation?
Caster took the opportunity to go all in, petting, rubbing, squeezing, and giving Pikachu the full treatment without any resistance whatsoever.
Brothers, I'm actually petting the legendary Pikachu!!!
"Huh? Pikachu has never acted like this with me before." Ash was stunned.
His Pokémon was being petted by another trainer right in front of him.
The key thing was that Pikachu seemed to be enjoying it immensely, even addicted to it. This was something he'd never seen before.
How was Ash supposed to feel about this?
"It feels so good! How can there be a Pokémon as cute as Pikachu? If I get the chance, I definitely need to catch one myself."
After petting for a while, Caster decisively pulled his hands back.
Because as the energy in the Energy Orb depleted, clarity returned to Pikachu's eyes.
Who am I?
Where am I?
I want more!!
"Pikachu~"
However, out of pride and consideration for Ash's feelings, Pikachu struggled to resist the urge to jump onto Caster, merely studying the young man carefully with its eyes.
"Pikachu seems to really like Mr. Caster."
While Ash was still reeling, Brock immediately twisted the knife.
This made Ash withdraw even further into himself.
"Hello, I'm Brock from Pewter City. My goal is to become a Pokémon Breeder Master."
After Brock's self-introduction, Caster chatted with the group for a bit, and they quickly became familiar with each other.
Having achieved his goal, Caster shifted his attention to Misty, asking at just the right moment, "Misty, I've been fishing all morning without any big fish biting.
Can you help me see if there's something wrong with my bait?"
Naturally, Misty didn't refuse.
She picked up Caster's bait container, opened it, and took a sniff. Immediately, her face showed disgust.
"Your bait is way too low quality! Unless a Pokémon is starving, or it's a Magikarp, who would want to eat this stuff?"
"So it really is a bait problem. No wonder I haven't had any other Pokémon biting."
Hearing this, Caster quickly nodded in agreement.
The reason for not catching fish was found. It definitely wasn't a problem with his fishing skills!
"This is Pokémon bait I made with my special secret recipe. It has a special attraction for Water-type Pokémon."
Misty opened her own bait box, which contained doll-shaped pieces of bait. She handed it to Caster. "Try this!"
"Oh, I couldn't possibly..."
Caster said "I couldn't" with his mouth, but his hands "honestly" accepted the bait and attached it to his hook.
"Thanks!"
After casting his line into the water, Caster didn't forget to express his gratitude and praise.
"With your special bait, Misty, I'm sure to catch an awesome Pokémon."
Misty's special bait had even hooked a ferocious Gyarados before, so its quality went without saying.
"Of course!" Misty smiled, not being modest at all.
Remembering that he still didn't have a Water-type Pokémon, Ash also stepped forward to ask, "Misty, can you give me some of your bait too?
I also want to catch a Water-type Pokémon."
"No problem!"
Misty generously gave both Ash and Brock a portion of bait, and then all four of them started fishing together by the river.
Before long, Caster's float was the first to show movement, going straight under.
"I've got a bite! And it's a big one!"
Feeling the tremendous force coming from the fishing rod, Caster shouted excitedly.
Because the feel was different, this catch probably wasn't a Magikarp.
Splash!
Accompanied by a spray of water, a Pokémon with a sharp horn on its head, pink lips, and a wavy tail was pulled from the water.
"It's a Goldeen!"
Caster was thrilled.
Finally, something other than a Magikarp!
[Caught 'Goldeen', rewarded with 1 Luxury Ball.]
[First time catching 'Goldeen', bonus reward: 1 Bounce TM.]
"Bounce?"
As the system notification appeared, Caster rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things wrong.
Just a few days ago, he'd been planning to catch more Goldeen to see if he could obtain the Bounce move to teach his Magikarp.
Who would have thought that on his very first Goldeen catch, he'd already achieved his goal?
"Truly worthy of a first-catch reward. It really is generous!"
Caster was filled with emotion.
At the same time, Goldeen's stats appeared before Caster's eyes, though Ash and his group couldn't see them at all.
[Pokémon: Goldeen]
[Type: Water]
[Ability: Water Veil (shrouds itself in water, preventing burn status)]
[Moves: Tail Whip (Proficient), Peck (Proficient), Supersonic (Proficient), Water Pulse (Proficient)]
"Water Veil ability? That's pretty mediocre!"
After looking it over, Caster immediately shook his head, his interest instantly waning.
As far as he knew, Goldeen had three possible abilities: Swift Swim, Water Veil, and Lightning Rod.
Swift Swim made a Pokémon faster in rain, making it a god-tier ability perfect for rain teams.
Lightning Rod wasn't bad either, drawing Electric-type moves to itself, which could help mitigate the weaknesses of Water and Flying-type Pokémon to some extent, and is also suitable for rain teams.
Only Water Veil had the most ordinary effect.
"Caster, aren't you going to have a capture battle?"
Seeing Caster let the Goldeen he'd caught swim away, Ash couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Nah! That Goldeen didn't really appeal to me."
Caster smiled and shook his head, explaining, "Besides, I also want to catch some Pokémon that can battle on land."
"True! Goldeen is the Goldfish Pokémon and can only battle in water, so it's relatively limited."
Misty quickly nodded in agreement.
She also had a Goldeen and knew its strengths and weaknesses inside and out.
Quietly taking the last special bait from Misty's bait box and attaching it to his hook, Caster cast his line again.
It seemed Lady Luck was smiling on him. While Ash and the other two were still waiting, Caster's float showed movement again.
"This one's pulling even harder. It's a monster!"
Caster's face showed excitement as he gripped the rod tightly and kept pulling back.
"Need help?"
Ash wanted to come over and assist.
But Caster quickly refused. "No need! I can handle it myself."
Battling with a big fish was an extremely important part of the fishing experience. How could Caster let Ash interfere with that?