An entire afternoon of battling came to an end.
Max's attitude toward Kashiwagi had shifted from simple admiration to pure reverence.
Even though they were both technically "rookie" Trainers who had just set out, the latter was simply on another level—whether it was his combat experience or his tactical consideration for stamina.
At dinner, Max was calling him "Big Brother Kashiwagi" with such genuine warmth that he'd arguably never been this polite even to Ash.
It could only be said that once one starts raising Pokémon personally, one realizes it's not as easy as it looks on paper. After traveling alone for a while, Max had also learned the importance of being kind to others.
However, Max had his own strengths: he possessed a level of insight far beyond his peers. Combined with his past travel experience, his Pokémon knowledge was incredibly vast. He occasionally brought up facts that even Kashiwagi didn't know.
In that regard, he definitely deserved praise.
"So, your idols also include Ash?" Kashiwagi asked, slowly sipping his grape juice.
"Yes! My wish is to become a persistent and unyielding Trainer just like Ash!" Max nodded vigorously.
He probably wouldn't have been able to say these things to Ash's face, but behind his back, Max held him in the highest regard. He had seen everything Ash had done with his own eyes.
Even if his League results weren't always ideal, the Ash of the Advanced Generation era was a powerhouse who had conquered the Battle Frontier! He'd even taken down two Sub-Legendary Pokémon, and that clash with Articuno had sent Charizard's popularity through the roof.
"Heh... interesting," Kashiwagi replied noncommittally.
Being ten years old meant Max was still quite naive; once a bond of trust was established, he was willing to share everything—including the impact Ash had left on his life.
"One day, I'm going to have a real battle with Ash!" Max declared, full of fighting spirit. Then he grinned sheepishly. "But I have to get stronger first. Right now, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"That's for sure," Kashiwagi agreed.
While XY Ash had ultimately lost his final League match, his strength was formidable, and his unique Ash-Greninja was no joke.
-----
The Eros Milotic had already set sail, heading toward its next destination. Soon, the Fishing Tournament would officially begin.
Upon learning that Kashiwagi was participating, Max had hurried to sign up as well.
"They said the tournament is judged based on a point system, and you can only catch one Pokémon to enter for evaluation. Big Brother Kashiwagi, do you want to go buy a better rod?"
"Already bought one."
Kashiwagi showed off the rod, float, and hooks he had bought while shopping with Mawile. Just like in the games, the more expensive the gear, the better the quality.
The "standard" rods provided by the organizers were only slightly better than the Old Rods from the games; they looked like they'd snap the moment a catch exceeded twenty pounds.
You can't catch the wolf if you're afraid to lose the bait. Kashiwagi had spent a fortune for the sake of a new Pokémon.
Though Max came from a well-off family, Norman hadn't given him much spending money, so he could only afford a mid-range rod.
"Alright! I'm definitely going to catch a super-strong Water-type!" Max shouted.
Despite his earlier boasts about three-on-three or six-on-six matches, he actually only had two Pokémon on him: Kirlia and Shuppet. Both were Pokémon he had befriended during his travels with Ash. There were a few others he liked, but he hadn't been able to find them when he went looking, so he'd had to give up for now.
He believed that if they were meant to be, they would meet again in the future.
-----
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
For someone like Kashiwagi—who had completely dropped his burdens to look toward the future—life on the Eros Milotic fulfilled his earliest impressions of the Pokémon world.
The beautiful environment (the botanical gardens), the Pokémon seen everywhere, the passionate yet non-lethal battles, and a surrounding community of mostly kind people. If he didn't know that Hoenn was even more pleasant than the ship, Kashiwagi might have never wanted to disembark.
Because he was a frequent face in the Battle Arena and held such powerful Pokémon, he won far more than he lost. His name gradually spread throughout the ship, and he even made several Trainer friends.
Soon, the Eros Milotic dropped anchor less than ten nautical miles from the Lental Region.
While Lental was a sanctuary for ecological researchers and strictly forbade outside Trainers from catching Pokémon on the islands, the open sea was not restricted.
The Fishing Tournament began as scheduled. Whether they were participating or not, most of the passengers came to watch the fun. Those who had befriended Kashiwagi and Max cheered them on.
Kashiwagi held his rod, silently pondering which Ghost-types could actually be fished up.
Frillish or Jellicent?
Jellyfish seemed hard to "hook"; they might not even bite.
Dhelmise? Unless there was a shipwreck nearby, the conditions for a Dhelmise to be born probably didn't exist—unless one had swum over from another sea.
...It couldn't be Basculegion, right?
That was a Pokémon from the Hisui era; it should be extinct in modern times. Well, maybe not. If the Tree of the Beginning could have living Fossil Pokémon, why couldn't a Basculegion pop up? In the anime world, anything was possible.
What about Dreepy? He remembered they were once Pokémon that lived in ancient seas. After being reborn as Ghost-types, they were known to wander their former habitats.
As he was daydreaming, the voice of the announcer boomed with excitement.
"Another Fishing Tournament is about to begin! The rules are the same as always: you are only allowed to keep one Pokémon caught during the event for evaluation. Once you decide to keep one, you cannot catch another unless you release the first!"
"After the competition, our professional judges will score the Pokémon. The winner will receive a Luxury Surprise Grand Prize!"
"Now, without further ado—here come the fish!"
With the announcer's shout, a massive dark shadow appeared beneath the cruise ship. It was a huge school of Water-type Pokémon.
The people around him cast their lines in unison. Max cast his line with a mixture of impatience and clumsy haste, but Kashiwagi remained calm and steady.
He wasn't here for the grand prize, anyway. He just wanted a Pokémon he liked.
However, just as he cast his line, someone nearby already had a catch.
"It's a Lumineon!" someone shouted.
Kashiwagi glanced over and saw a beautiful, deep-blue fish Pokémon with light-blue ring patterns and fins that looked like butterfly wings.
It was a shame it was daytime; if it were night, Lumineon's fins would glow with a starlight-like radiance. A whole school together would look like a flowing galaxy.
In an instant, more catches were made—still Lumineon.
Many Trainers uninterested in Lumineon immediately pulled back their lines, realizing that a school of them was currently passing under the ship and there was no point in wasting time.
Kashiwagi didn't pull back. Having no prior fishing experience, he was worried that if he encountered his "destined" Pokémon later, it would get away. He took the opportunity to practice his hooking technique.
Beside him, Max was having the time of his life. Even when a jumping Lumineon slapped him twice across the face, he didn't care, laughing along with the crowd.