Alex, the girls, and their guests continued their conversation until early evening, when dinner was ready. They enjoyed Elite ranked meat, a rare treat for most of their guests, including the Elite ranked couple from Alola. Being Elite didn't mean they regularly hunted Elite ranked Pokémon for food, so they savored the luxurious and undeniably delicious meal.
After eating, Sophie, one of the teenagers, challenged Alvera to a battle at Alex's request. They had roughly the same rank of Pokémon and were closer in age, so it wasn't exactly an unfair fight. What was unfair was the Pokémon Alex picked out from her roster, a Swampert.
"One-on-one match, Sophie versus Alvera," Alex announced as he took his place as referee on the ship's wooden deck. "Battlers ready?"
On one side stood Sophie behind her Swampert, which wore an overall relaxed expression. On the other was a pumped-up Alvera, with an excited Ampharos eager for battle.
"Begin!"
"Thunderbolt!" Alvera immediately shouted, thinking it would be an easy battle since Swampert was a Water type.
"Mud Shot!" Sophie commanded, having been asked by Alex to take it easy, given that they were fighting on a small ship.
Swampert finished charging and released its move first, opening its mouth to fire a clump of mud straight at Ampharos. Ampharos confidently braced for the hit while unleashing its Thunderbolt. The two attacks briefly clashed midair, and then the Thunderbolt fizzled out harmlessly as the mud ball continued its trajectory, striking Ampharos dead center and knocking it back, dealing significant damage.
"Just my luck, hitting a Ground type move with an Electric attack," Alvera complained. "Again, but make sure to hit her Pokémon this time!"
"Another one, Swampert," Sophie called out.
They repeated the exchange, but this time Ampharos aimed for Swampert's feet, causing the attacks to miss each other. The bolt of yellow electricity struck Swampert and fizzled out harmlessly, while the clump of mud it fired threatened to knock Ampharos out.
"What! No effect?" Alvera shouted before realizing her mistake.
The blue Pokémon wasn't just a Water type, it also had Ground typing. That made it immune to Electric attacks, but extremely weak to Grass type moves.
"Evasive maneuvers, Trailblaze!" Alvera shouted.
Ampharos slid forward, carried by Grass type energy, while Swampert simply launched another Mud Shot. Just as Ampharos was about to be hit, she skated to the side, evading the attack, and finished her charge with a Grass type energy–infused shoulder slam straight into Swampert's gut. The blow was super effective, dealing massive damage.
"Circle behind and hit it again!" Alvera commanded.
"Now, Swampert!" Sophie shouted, her face lighting up with a bright smile.
Ampharos attempted to slide to the side, circle around, and attack with Trailblaze from behind, but that was when Swampert closed both arms around her, locking her in a clinch and refusing to let go. It then opened its mouth and, at point-blank range, fired another Mud Shot directly into Ampharos's face with enough force to knock her out, ending the fight.
Alvera sighed and recalled Ampharos into her Poké Ball, disappointed. She understood that the loss was entirely her fault. She had wasted the first two attacks through lack of knowledge, and the third was another blunder born of inexperience. She should have had Ampharos use a hit-and-run strategy with glancing hits, but she failed to specify, allowing Swampert to grab hold and finish the fight.
"Winner, Sophie!" Alex declared as he carefully studied Alvera's expression.
She often won against her classmates whenever they battled, since her Pokémon were simply stronger, even against Ground types. The advantage she held was simply that significant, which is why she barely had any real challenges at the base.
He had tried using weaker Pokémon to challenge her, but she brushed those losses off, blaming her dad for being too strong and learning nothing from the experience. He had her face the girls or the bounty hunters in training, but it all had roughly the same effect. He figured a fight with real trainers might finally help her improve.
Alvera stepped closer and held out her hand to Sophie for a handshake, which she accepted with a kind smile.
"It's my loss. Thank you for the fight," Alvera said.
"You're welcome," Sophie replied. "You should probably keep studying all the different types of Pokémon so you don't make the same mistake again."
"I will," Alvera said confidently before returning to the twins, deep in thought.
Alex smiled from the sidelines, pleased with the outcome. As long as Alvera continued to be challenged, she would eventually improve and learn to cover her weaknesses. Hopefully, she would take this loss as a sign that it was time to take her studies seriously.
After the battle, they called it a night and went to bed early. Their guests slept in tents on the deck, while Alex and the girls retired to their cabin.
Early the next morning, Alex woke just in time for breakfast. Since they were on vacation, he had been skipping his usual early-morning training and often rose around the time breakfast was ready.
Eating on the deck, he watched Alvera spar with the teenage girls one after another, using the bouts as a warm-up for the Trainer Tower. The twins stayed close by, watching with interest as their new friend battled adults in relatively even matchups.
Nearby, Victor and Nolan were doing weighted push-ups, already drenched in sweat from the training regimen Alex had recommended. Off to the side, Serena stood with towels in hand, watching them train with a warm smile.
"What's up with that?" Alex asked Nyx, who was lounging near him. "Serena looks like a maiden in love."
"I'd like to ask you the same thing," Nyx replied. "What did you say to Nolan and Victor yesterday?"
"They wanted to know how I got myself a harem, and they decided it was because I could outlast all of you in bed. So I gave them some workout routines to build strength and stamina."
"Great. You just messed up our plan to have Serena add them to her harem."
"Really?" Alex asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah. Now Serena won't be able to outlast them in bed."
"If you're that bothered by it, why don't you just give Serena a year's supply of Elite ranked meat? It'll boost her training efficiency tenfold compared to those two."
"Damn, why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Alex," Nyx said.
She stood, planted a quick kiss on his lips, and hurried off toward Lina to grab supplies. The small gift would ensure Serena reached Elite rank first, and by a wide margin compared to her companions, assuming she consumed it in secret alongside her Pokémon while watching the boys struggle to catch up.
Alex shook his head before turning his attention to Marlo, who was fishing peacefully off to the side. Curious, he approached and quietly studied Marlo's setup.
An open tackle box lay nearby, holding all the expected tools of the trade, hooks, colorful lures, sinkers, bobbers, and several small containers filled with bait. Mixed among them, however, were items Alex didn't immediately recognize. There were Poké Ball–shaped containers fitted with small cage-like openings, designed to release scent or bait gradually, as well as neatly packed portions of Expert ranked Pokémon meat.
The first set of tools was obvious enough, consisting of standard fishing equipment that even a layman from Earth could recognize. The second set, however, was clearly meant for luring Pokémon rather than hooking them directly. It made Alex wonder why someone wouldn't just make Champion ranked hooks to literally hook Pokémon instead.
"Interested?" Marlo asked without taking his attention away from the line.
"A bit," Alex replied. "I recognize the gear you use to hook fish, but what about these Pokémon lures? I get how they attract Pokémon, but what's stopping them from getting away? Wouldn't using a hook be more effective?"
"I'm surprised you know about fishing gear meant for regular fish," Marlo said. "Usually it's the other way around. Everyone knows you can't hook Pokémon because it's dangerous, but barely anyone knows how to properly catch fish."
"As for your question," Marlo continued, "you don't hook Pokémon because you don't want to anger them by accident. If you happen to hook a Master, you can say goodbye to your life, not to mention your line and your boat. Regular fish bait doesn't interest them, so there's no risk of hooking anything but fish, but when it comes to luring Pokémon, you have to be careful."
Alex realized he had taken his own strength for granted. Already at Champion rank, he could survive even if he hooked Kyogre itself. Normal people, however, didn't have that security. They had to be cautious when fishing in open waters, where wild Master ranked Pokémon could be lurking in the depths. It put into perspective just how dangerous this world was for the average human.
"I have a spare rod if you're interested," Marlo offered.
"Sure," Alex said, taking a seat beside him as Marlo handed him a rod.
"What are you planning on catching?" Marlo asked.
"Same as you, I guess," Alex replied.
"Got it," Marlo said, pulling out a Pokémon lure, placing some Expert ranked meat inside, and tying it to Alex's line. "Now, to cast, you set the reel loose and hold the line just above it. Then swing the rod forward and, as it reaches the top of the arc, release the line."
Alex followed the instructions and sent the lure flying west toward the deeper waters, traveling so far that they could barely see it in the distance.
"I forgot you're a Champion. I should have told you to take it easy," Marlo said with a chuckle.
"Sorry," Alex replied, settling into a comfortable position on his seat before asking, "How do you know when you've caught something?"
"The line will tug just like it does when you're fishing for regular fish, because the Pokémon will actually swallow the bait," Marlo explained. "As you reel it in, the lure will slip out of their mouths, and they'll chase after it. That's your chance to strike and knock them out once they surface. If the lure doesn't come free while you're reeling it in and the Pokémon is too strong for you to handle, cut the line immediately. You definitely don't want a powerful Pokémon too close to your boat."
Suddenly, Alex's line started running fast, shooting out from the reel as whatever he had hooked made a powerful escape.
"Don't just stare at it!" Marlo exclaimed excitedly. "Reel it in!"
Alex started reeling, but the line kept being pulled away.
"Lock the reel first before you crank it."
Alex followed the instructions and began reeling in, fighting the Pokémon for control. The line remained taut, so the lure wasn't slipping from its mouth, but Alex was strong enough to contend with its strength.
He continued reeling and pulling with all his might, steadily bringing the Pokémon closer, when something caught his eye in the distance.
A shape was skipping across the water, gliding and bouncing along the surface. Then, with a sudden surge, it launched into the air, attempting to fly off while dragging Alex along with it.
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