In the water near the surface, a small, blue pokémon was humming softly, its song sweet and melodious.
It had two antennae on its head with spherical tips, large eyes, and two lines extending from its eyelashes, connecting to two yellow dots, and a ruby on its chest.
It was Manaphy, the Mythical Water-type pokémon!
Behind Manaphy, a large group of marine pokémon had gathered, including powerful pokémon like Kingdra, Wailord, Feraligatr, and Gyarados, as well as schools of Tentacool, Goldeen, Staryu, and Corsola.
Manaphy was like a king, commanding its army of marine pokémon.
As a Mythical pokémon, Manaphy naturally possessed the wondrous ability to sense pokémon emotions and communicate telepathically with any pokémon.
While playing in the water, it passed by this location and sensed the strong unease of the Chinchou.
Upon closer inspection, it discovered the human act of illegal fishing.
So, it used its authority and abilities to summon the pokémon of the sea, preparing to rescue the distressed Chinchou.
However, Manaphy hadn't anticipated Adrian's appearance.
He not only repelled the illegal individuals but also intended to board the ship to rescue the Chinchou.
Manaphy perceived all of this through the emotions of Gyarados and Pichu.
Subsequently, the awakened Chinchou, due to 'stress,' fell into a state of confusion and frenzy.
Left with no choice, it could only use its song to purify the Chinchou's negative emotions and help them regain their composure.
This was also one of Manaphy's abilities.
But what surprised Manaphy even more was that it had only sung from afar, never revealing its presence, yet the human boy immediately called out its name.
"Mana~"
Manaphy looked surprised.
How did that human boy know of its existence?
Manaphy, submerged beneath the surface, blinked its big eyes, curiously observing Adrian on the deck through the water.
However, out of caution, it would not easily show itself.
After all, many evil humans had tried to find or even capture it.
"Gone? Or hiding?"
His throat was almost hoarse from shouting, but Manaphy still hadn't appeared. Adrian felt a bit helpless.
If you have the power to Sing, then have the power to come out!
Manaphy, I know you're in the sea!
However, since Manaphy was unwilling to meet, Adrian could only shake his head and sigh, returning to the ship's cabin.
"Yoo-ji Yoo-ji Yoo-ji~"
At this moment, the Chinchou's spirits had returned to normal; they were no longer attacking each other or rioting.
Perhaps it was due to Manaphy's telepathic communication with them, as they no longer feared Adrian and all looked at him with blinking eyes.
However, there was an issue with the water in the pool; they had been in it for too long, and their bodies were still weak.
Moreover, the pool was too deep, and they couldn't get out on their own.
"Chinchou, don't be afraid. I'll rescue you right away!"
Adrian wanted to help but found himself at a loss as to how.
"Pii Pichu"
Pichu climbed onto Adrian's shoulder, scratched his face, and then pointed to Adrian's backpack.
"Are you saying… I should fish them out?"
After understanding Pichu's meaning, Adrian was first stunned, then rubbed Pichu's head and exclaimed joyfully, "You're a damn genius!!!"
"Pii~"
Upon receiving the praise, Pichu couldn't help but puff out its chest, looking smug.
Without delay, Adrian quickly took out his fishing gear from his backpack, assembled and adjusted it, then baited his hook and cast it into the pool.
"Yoo-ji Yoo-ji"
The Chinchou in the pool cried out, eagerly opening their mouths to bite the hook.
With hundreds of mouths opening simultaneously, Adrian almost had an attack of trypophobia.
But at the same time, for a fisherman, this was simply too much fun!
These were hundreds of Chinchou!
In terms of sheer numbers, it was far more than all the Water-type pokémon in the Dragon Sanctuary lake combined.
Even if Adrian cast his rod with his eyes closed, the bait would still land in a Chinchou's mouth; there was no need to worry about coming up empty-handed.
Adrian was only worried about one thing now: whether he had enough bait.
But then he reconsidered, Adrian thought that even if he didn't use bait, these Chinchou would probably still bite the hook.
"Yoo-ji~"
As the Chinchou were reeled in, the cheat ability prompts appeared one after another.
[Caught 'Chinchou', rewarded with 1 'Thunder Wave' TM.]
[Caught 'Chinchou', rewarded with 1 'energy cube'.] × N
[Caught 'Chinchou', rewarded with 1 'Thunder' TM.]
[Caught 'Chinchou', rewarded with 1 'Electric Terrain' TM.]
..."Finally got 'Electric Terrain'!"
Looking at the appearing prompts, Adrian beamed with joy.
Terrain moves and weather moves could not only coexist, but if used well, they could achieve an effect greater than 1+1>2.
Then, Adrian thought of the 'Thunder' TM he had just received, thinking, "This move might be worth considering for Gyarados to learn."
After all, Gyarados itself knew Rain Dance, and with Thunder and Hurricane, it would be a perfect combination.
Chinchou continued to bite the hook, and rewards were continuously being dispensed.
But there were simply too many Chinchou!
Unbeknownst to him, half an hour passed.
The number of Chinchou in the pool had also decreased by half.
"I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted!"
The joy on Adrian's face disappeared, replaced by a bitter expression.
He felt this wasn't fishing!
Because now, he had no anticipation of the unknown variety and size of the catch, nor the uncertainty of whether he would catch anything.
The fish were all Chinchou, and he could catch one simply by casting his rod.
There was absolutely no fun in it!
Now, Adrian was left with the mechanical actions of baiting, casting, landing the fish, and then having Pichu help guide the Chinchou to jump back into the sea from the stern of the boat.
"Pii Pichu"
If Pichu encountered an injured Chinchou, it would also spray Potion spray on its wound.
The Chinchou, receiving treatment, were grateful to the yellow-skinned angel Pichu, even touching its electric sacs with their tentacles, creating electric arcs for play.
Adrian's only remaining expectation currently came from the cheat ability rewards.
Because the cheat ability rewards varied greatly, and occasionally there were surprises... In the deep sea, Manaphy had been observing Adrian's situation.
Seeing the Chinchou being freed one by one, Manaphy also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He now believed that Adrian was a good person!
"Mana Mana"
Thus, Manaphy expressed its gratitude to the pokémon that had come to help, and a large portion of the marine pokémon immediately dispersed.
However, a few pokémon still circled Manaphy, clearly wanting to protect it.
Wailord, in particular, looked impatient and eager to act.
To rescue the Chinchou, couldn't they just overturn and sink the ship?
That would just be a matter of a few of them working together to ram it!
"Mana Mana Mana~"
Manaphy was startled by this and quickly stopped them.
If the ship were to sink, the good person on board might not survive.
Although kind-hearted, it disliked humans, but it was unwilling to harm them.
Especially a good person like Adrian!