Seeing that this Seaking was slightly smaller than the one Andreas had caught, Adrian didn't bother to attack, knowing it would be difficult to win the Champion even if he caught it. He let the Seaking eat its fill and leave.
Afterward, Adrian took out the special attack enhancer from his fishing space.
[special attack enhancer: A pokémon's nutritional drink. After consumption, it can increase the pokémon's special attack base stat.]
"Come, open your mouth. I have something good for you to eat."
Adrian called Pichu over and poured the special attack enhancer into its mouth.
"Gulp ~ gulp ~"
Pichu didn't know what it was, but out of trust in its trainer, it still held the bottle and swallowed the special attack enhancer drink in big gulps.
However, unlike the 'Attack Enhancing Potion', Pichu didn't feel a burning fire in its stomach. Instead, it found its head suddenly becoming muddled.
"Pi ~"
Pichu was greatly surprised.
It felt as if it had gotten drunk, instantly losing the ability to think and perceive, its head a complete mess.
But soon, this strange and uncomfortable feeling transformed into a clear mind.
Pichu felt its clever intelligence re-occupy the high ground!
At the same time, Pichu's aura began to climb steadily, its eyes shining brightly.
Pichu's special attack base stat had increased!
What surprised Adrian even more was that Pichu's attribute panel suddenly appeared on its own.
[pokémon: Pichu]
[Attribute: Electric]
[Ability: Lightning Rod (Attracts Electric-type moves to itself, taking no damage and instead raising its Special Attack.)]
[Moves: Thunder Wave, help, Shinny, Sweet Kiss, Agility, Surf, Draining Kiss, Thunder Shock, Thunder]
"Hmm? It actually learned the 'Thunder' move automatically?"
Adrian showed a surprised expression.
But upon closer thought, while this was unexpected, it also seemed reasonable.
After all, Pichu's ability values had greatly increased, similar to leveling up in a game, so learning new moves was quite normal.
"Continue fishing!"
After seeing that Pichu was fine, Adrian quickly reeled in his line and cast his hook again, racing against time to fish.
This place was truly a treasure trove. The rewards he reaped today might be worth as much as a month of his usual hard fishing.
"Seaking is good! Seaking must be fished for!"
Adrian was filled with emotion.
If his strength wasn't still insufficient, Adrian truly wanted to ride Gyarados directly into the ocean to fish.
The vast oceans were the true stronghold of Water-type pokémon.
If he was lucky, he might even catch Phione, Manaphy, or even Lugia and Kyogre.
"Kyogre, huh…"
Adrian's gaze drifted.
If he could really catch this 'daddy' of the rain team, how generous would the rewards be?
Adrian didn't even dare to imagine!
Whoosh!
The float suddenly sank, and Adrian continuously reeled in fish again.
Due to the super strong attraction of the exclusive bait for Seaking, Seaking of average size and strength didn't even qualify to bite the hook.
Correspondingly, Adrian's rewards also became more generous.
[Caught 'Seaking', rewarded 'Protect' tm 1 copy.]
[Caught 'Seaking', rewarded 'Bounce' tm 1 copy.]
[Caught 'Seaking', rewarded 'Liechi Berry' 1 piece.]
..."There are fifteen minutes remaining until the end of the competition. All contestants, please pay attention to the time."
The reminder from the host came through the large loudspeaker, broadcasted three times consecutively, finally pulling Adrian back from the joy of continuously catching fish.
"Why is it ending so soon?"
Adrian had an impatient look on his face.
He still wanted to fish!!!
Whoosh!
Just then, the fishing line was suddenly pulled taut, and the fishing rod bent into a full moon arc. Adrian, caught off guard, almost stumbled and was dragged into the water.
"This force is even greater than the Seaking I just caught. It's a true giant!"
Adrian's eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly gripped the fishing rod tightly, pulling hard to reel in the line.
However, the resistance underwater was enormous. Adrian braced his feet firmly against the boat's deck, but the boat was directly dragged and moved, showing the terrifying power of the underwater giant.
"Pi ~ Pichu ~"
On the deck, Pichu also looked surprised.
Immediately after, it looked at Adrian with excitement, the electric arcs on its electric sacs constantly flickering.
Trainer, give the order. I'll zap it to death!
"Wait a moment!"
Adrian quickly stopped it.
Fishing might greatly weaken the underwater giant's will to resist, but it could also lead to the hook coming off.
Moreover, if the Seaking caught had the 'Lightning Rod' ability, Pichu's attack would instead become nourishment for the opponent, greatly increasing the difficulty of catching it later.
"I, a dignified eighth-rank Fishing Saint, can handle this!"
Adrian held his breath and concentrated all his attention on battling the big fish.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Adrian reeled in the fishing line with difficulty, constantly dragging the underwater giant to the surface, expending a huge amount of stamina.
"I need to find a way to catch a powerful pokémon to help with reeling in the line. Otherwise, even if a big fish bites the hook in the future, I might not be able to reel it in…"
The thought flashed through his mind, and as Adrian exerted all his strength to pull the rod, the underwater giant, which had been struggling for a long time, was finally pulled out of the water.
This was a very brightly colored pokémon, even larger than Andreas's Seaking, truly a giant Seaking.
"Owoo ~"
Its cry was deep like an ox, its eyes fierce, carrying a terrifying pressure.
[Caught 'Seaking', rewarded 'Float Stone' 1 piece.]
The cheat ability's reward notification appeared, followed by the data panel of this giant Seaking.
Although the dense list of moves made Adrian a little intimidated, seeing that the opponent's ability was not 'Lightning Rod', Adrian decisively gave the attack command: "Pichu, Thunder!"
Thanks to the boost from the 'special attack enhancer', Pichu was in excellent condition now.
The key was the newly learned 'Thunder' move, which was a powerful Electric-type move with considerable power, far exceeding the basic 'Thunder Shock' move.
Zzzzt!
A giant current as thick as a child's arm shot out from between Pichu's ears, accurately hitting the Seaking in mid-air.
"Owoo ~"
Seaking cried out in pain, a look of agony on its face.
Faintly, a burnt smell could even be detected.
"Now's the time! Go, Lake Ball!"
Adrian seized the opportunity to throw the Lake Ball in his hand. This was the first time it had shown its effectiveness.
Bang!
The Lake Ball hit, taking the Seaking inside, then landed on the boat's deck.
It shook slightly twice, and the red light on the Lake Ball went out.
"Success!"
Adrian and Pichu hugged each other in celebration, full of joy.
"Competition time is up. All contestants, please put down your fishing rods and come to the registration desk to weigh the Seaking you have caught."
The host's voice came through the loudspeaker again, stating sternly: "Those who continue to fish will be disqualified."
"The timing is just right!"
Adrian wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
Then he picked up the Lake Ball and steered the boat towards the shore.
He was determined to win this Champion!