Trials of a Champion - Kanto [Pokemon x OC]

46 The Golden Rule

Two days later, we finally left the forest, at least for a bit. We neared the coastline, walking along a pleasant road where the salty breeze moved past the trees and waves roared. A sandy strip of land met the choppy water.

"Yay, we've finally reached the coast!"

"Good." Paul consulted the guidebook again. "If we just stick to this and keep going east, we'll reach a path stretching north all the way to Saffron City. There are a couple of small towns before that, though, and the closest one is Stone Town. That's where the nearest Pokémon Center is."

"That's great news! So, let's get to Stone Town quickly!"

"Hold on. What's that?"

Down by the shore, a crowd stood just before a small pier. Fishermen dotted the wooden planks, lines cast into the water. They all patiently waited for bites, and the crowd remained as quiet as possible so the fishers could concentrate.

The sight reminded me of a painting.

"Is there something going on?"

"Let's check it out. Do we have time?"

Paul checked his Pokétch. "Yeah. Quite a bit, actually."

The pier stretched out far into the water and wrapped around to a small peninsula nearby. The twenty or so fishermen put six feet of space between themselves, ample room to avoid hooking their neighbors when casting their lines. They seemed to enjoy the crowd's attention.

With a lack of clues explaining the surplus of people, Paul asked the first person we came upon. "Excuse me. What's going on?"

"Today's the annual Magikarp Fishing Competition."

"Magikarp fishing?"

"It's one of many fishing competitions that are held all around the world. All these fishermen are here for the event. The winner gets a big trophy and an awesome fishing prize, usually a new rod."

"Sounds fun," I replied. "How do they decide the winner?"

"It's whoever catches the biggest, rarest Magikarp."

"Hey! Look at Frederick's Magikarp!" cried someone in the crowd.

The nearest fishermen presented his catch: a Magikarp measuring three-feet at least!

"That's huge!"

"Biggest one caught today!"

"If he catches one like that for the contest, he's sure to win!"

"If you guys are interested in competing, you can sign up at that booth. Registration closes in thirty minutes, and then the contest starts right afterward." With a wave, he ran off to get a better look.

Paul groaned to himself. He wasn't particularly interested in wasting time here, but he knew someone else who would definitely—

"Paul! We should try it out! It sounds fun."

He stopped me from shaking his shoulder. "Hang on. For one, we don't have rods."

"I don't think that'll be a problem."

At the registration booth, contestants walked away with fishing rods that they didn't have a few minutes earlier.

"Then that brings me to the next issue: we can't work together."

"What do you mean? Why is that an issue?"

He made a face and put a hand on his hip. "You don't recall the fact that your upper-arm strength isn't top-tier? You said it yourself."