Chapter 53: Feebas, a Common-as-Dirt Pokémon

Early in the morning, 5:00 AM.
Ash and his companion finally went to sleep.
Early in the morning, 8:00 AM.
Ash and his companion started waking up. After a quick wash, they hurried toward Deck 3... They had promised their friends they would go fishing, so no matter how exhausted they were, they had to push through.
"Haha, what on earth? My friend, your dark circles are massive~!"
"Ash, don't tell me you guys got beaten up? Look at those huge dark eyes. Are you cosplaying as Spinda?"
Meeting up with Misty and Leaf, both girls burst out laughing, their faces full of teasing mockery.
Ash frowned, and deftly deflected the battle lines toward Brock.
"Don't just laugh at me, look at Brock, his dark circles..."
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized there were no dark circles on Brock's face at all—or rather, they had completely blended into his skin tone, making them indistinguishable.
In fact, the areas that should have been dark circles were actually a few shades paler.
"Never mind, then."
Brock: "?"
...
...
The St. Anne fishing competition took place right on the open deck where they were, running from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM.
Participants could fish as many times as they liked during this period, but for the final judgment, only a single catch could be submitted as their official score.
The judging criteria were all-encompassing, taking into account rarity, regional scarcity, combat strength, appearance, and various other factors.
Word had it that the top three winners would receive generous prizes.
At that moment, the deck had been partitioned into two distinct zones, separated by a barrier right down the middle, creating a stark contrast.
One side was arranged with elegance and nobility, featuring various professional high-end fishing rods lined up in the back. In the center stood a massive buffet table; if one grew thirsty, there was 1983 Lafite to quench it, and if one grew hungry, premium A13000-grade steak was available to enjoy.
This was the decadent world of the upper crust.
The waters just outside this deck were also prime coral reef fishing spots, renowned for exceptionally high yields for the luckiest anglers.
On the other side was the commoner fishing zone, where a few crooked, battered fishing rods leaned haphazardly at the back—rods that would likely snap at any moment if used to catch a Magikarp.
As for the food Ash craved the most, it was merely steamed buns with wasabi, looking utterly pathetic.
Their designated fishing spot was even worse: the Dead Sea, completely lifeless and dreary.
To be treated differently even when going fishing was utterly absurd!
The four of them shook their heads, just wanting to experience the lifestyle of the upper class, when they were blocked by a crew member standing in the middle.
"Apologies, this is the domain of the upper class. Please do not enter," he said righteously.
"At the very least, one must wear a necktie."
The four of them: "..."
The crew member glanced over them, and upon seeing a small badge held up in the hand of one of them, suddenly spoke again:
"However, miss, you may enter."
Following the crew member's gaze, the three of them stared in disbelief at the short orange-haired girl.
Misty?
"Oh-ho-ho!!"
Misty brandished her three-star fishing master ID badge, wearing an expression of supreme pride.
...
She was a veteran angler and a high-tier artisan, so naturally, she could still cross the class barrier and live the good life in a fishing competition like this.
Without looking back, Misty stepped right into the upper-class zone, holding her high-end fishing rod aloft and waving from afar at the three people outside.
"Big sis is off to experience high-class living. I'll share my insights on life with you all when I get back."
The three of them: "..."
Damn it!
Yet they were so envious.
...
The three returned to the commoner deck. Seeing the other two looking crestfallen, Ash casually hoisted a battered fishing rod onto his shoulder, patted their arms, and boosted their morale by saying:
"Fishing is all about skill! What good is pay-to-win? Show them the ambition and style we poor folks ought to have!"
The two of them: "?"
Even so, the two of them eventually pulled themselves together, quickly hunted down broken fishing rods that looked slightly less fragile, and joined the fishing army.
By now, most of the prime spots along the edge of the deck had already been occupied by commoner fishermen, leaving the three of them crammed into a tiny corner.
"What in the Farfetch'd... they actually managed to spawn a patch of mud out here in the ocean. Are they expecting me to catch loaches...?! "
Ash muttered helplessly, unable to complain enough.
The sea area right in front of him was nothing more than a giant clump of mud.
With no other choice, he cast his hook, baited with lure, down into the water.
Though when it came to Water-type Pokémon, right now he only wanted to properly raise his Squirtle, he was still very interested in competing for first place.
Brock wasn't greedy either; he just wanted to catch a few Omanyte or Kabuto to display at home.
Leaf's goal was even simpler: she just wanted to fish up a kitchen knife enchanted with iron oxide, so she could find an opportunity in the future to slash right at the main artery of a certain flea.
She had even thought of the name for the technique.
She would call it the Tetanus Blade Style.
The wind blew and the waves rippled. The three of them pulled over small stools and began entering the leisurely lifestyle of early retirement at the age of ten.
...
Half an hour later, amidst idle chatter, Ash suddenly felt the fishing rod in his hand twitch. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile as he jerked upright.
With a flick of his wrist, the fishing rod whipped upward.
Flop, flop, flop!
The next moment, a yellowish-brown little fish soared through the air and landed right on his palm. It had brownish spots on its body and looked rather ugly.
Ash frowned. He felt like he had seen this fish somewhere before.
"Beep. Magikarp's peer—no, Barboach? Wait, Feebas: a commonplace Pokémon, found everywhere, utterly ordinary, and completely worthless," the Pokédex automatically broadcasted.
"Holo-holo...?"
Feebas just stared blankly at Ash, making no movement at all.
"Found everywhere...?"
Seeing this, Ash casually tossed Feebas away.
After all, he wasn't trying to catch Pokémon right now; he needed to catch an ultra-rare Pokémon to win first place.
And this completely ordinary-looking Pokémon had nothing to do with rarity.
Even if a Magikarp was reeled up, it would at least flop around a few times, but this stupid fish didn't even move.
Time for a replacement.
...
On the other side, Brock had simultaneously reeled in a reptile-like Pokémon with a yellowish-brown hard shell on its back and a pitch-black underside, from which a few sharp little claws protruded.
"Beep. Kabuto, an ancient Pokémon. Due to ancient humans finding them delicious, they are now extinct. Their cooking methods are recorded only in ancient recipe books," Ash's Pokédex chimed in to broadcast.
Ash and Leaf: "???"
It seemed they had reeled in something incredible!?
Seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in Brock's eyes as he whipped out a Poké Ball and successfully captured the Kabuto.
He flashed a row of pearly white teeth, smiled, and tossed his fishing float back into the sea.
"I'm not greedy. If I can just catch one Omanyte, I'll be satisfied..."
Seeing that his companions had both scored catches, Leaf quickly focused her gaze back on her own float, secretly cheering herself on and praying to the heavens that she would hook a big one.
She was a girl with faith; the more shrines one worshiped at, the more blessings one naturally received from the gods.
"It's biting!"
Feeling the float twitch slightly, Leaf broke into a radiant smile, abruptly jerked her arms upward, and a dark shadow shot skyward.
It was a big catch!
When she finally gripped it, her hand closed around a dark object.
"Beep. Congratulations on acquiring the item [Worn-out Boot (Left Foot)]."
Her Pokédex automatically broadcasted.
Leaf: "..."
Why is it always me who has such bad luck?!
...
Landing their first catches only fueled the competitive spirit of the trio. Perhaps this patch of mud really was a treasure trove?
However, before they could leave their lines in the water much longer, a sudden roar of engines echoed across the adjacent sea surface, drawing everyone's startled gazes.
A spiky-haired boy wearing loud floral board shorts and flip-flops was surfing atop a turtle-like Pokémon, stringing together one stunt after another.
The massive engine vortex completely churned up the muddy patch, and the resulting waves even scattered the fishing floats of all three.
"Ahhh!! You flea!!"
Leaf couldn't stand it any longer. She stood straight up, ripped off her hat, and made as if to leap right off the deck and drag Blue down into the sea with her.
"Calm down, calm down!"
Ash hurriedly grabbed her. He remembered very well that his fellow townsman was a non-swimmer weak to Water types; if she went into the water, she'd likely sink straight to the bottom.
She had even nearly drowned when she was little.
"Ahahaha, just watch my back~~ Losers~"
Blue flashed an arrogant middle finger at the three on the deck, and the Squirtle beneath his feet surged forward with a fresh burst of speed, gliding dozens of meters away into an empty coral reef zone.
Then, he sat down cross-legged right on top of the Squirtle's shell.
Hmph, who could catch any big fish right on the boat? Naturally, you had to reel in the big catches while your Pokémon was performing surfing stunts!
With a grin, he pulled out a high-end fishing rod and began to fish as well...