Meanwhile.
Roy was in no hurry to leave Port City.
The system's hint for the 'High-Potential Horsea clue' pointed to a specific area of sea near the city.
He followed the clue to the destination, bringing Misty and Delia along.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a designated public fishing area.
A long wooden pier extended into the sea, with platforms and seats for anglers at regular intervals.
Many fishing enthusiasts were quietly sitting in their spots, intently watching their bobbers.
Misty's eyes lit up the moment she saw the scene.
"It's a fishing area!" she exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Roy's arm and giving it a light shake. "Roy, Roy! I'm a fishing expert, you know! Back in Cerulean City, I often had fishing competitions with my sisters, and I won more than I lost!"
She looked up at him, her expression a mix of Charm and challenge.
"Let's have a contest! Let's see who can hook a powerful Water-type Pokemon first!"
Roy looked down at Misty's slightly flushed cheeks, flushed with excitement, and smiled.
"Alright," he agreed readily. "But don't cry if you lose."
"Who's going to cry!" Misty puffed out her cheeks like an adorable blowfish. "You just wait to admit defeat! Sister Delia will be our referee!"
Delia smiled gently and nodded from the side. "Sure, I'm looking forward to it."
Misty immediately took out a well-maintained fishing rod from her backpack, handling it with great care.
The rod was a pinkish-blue color, with a cute Staryu pattern engraved on the handle.
"Look! This is my 'Magical Invincible Lucky Fishing Rod'! With this, I'm sure to catch the best Pokemon today and definitely beat you!" Misty declared confidently, giving the rod a little wave.
Roy and Delia went to a nearby rental booth and rented two sets of ordinary fishing gear.
Choosing a relatively less crowded spot, the three of them got ready.
Roy skillfully baited the hook and cast the line.
The sinker drew an arc through the air with the fishing line, landing in the distant sea, the bobber standing steadily on the surface.
He sat on the folding chair, his gaze fixed on the gently bobbing bobber, but his mind began to wander.
"The clue points here... but how exactly do I find that high-potential Horsea?"
"This area of sea isn't small. While Horsea aren't particularly rare, an individual with high potential must have something special about it, or inhabit a special place..."
"Do I need to go into the water to search? Or use something like Aura sensing..."
Just as he was deep in thought, the fishing rod in his hand suddenly jerked downward!
"Hmm?"
Roy reacted extremely quickly, instantly gripping the rod tightly, giving his wrist a flick to feel the struggling force coming from underwater.
"Got a bite."
He skillfully began reeling in, letting out line, playing the fish. His movements were fluid and seamless, carrying a unique sense of rhythm, completely unlike a beginner.
A few nearby anglers who hadn't paid them much attention earlier looked over at the commotion.
"Hey, the newbie's got some luck, huh? Got a bite so fast?"
"Probably just a small fish. Beginner's luck."
Before the words had even finished.
Roy had already lifted his catch out of the water.
In the sunlight, an orange-red figure struggled fiercely, its tail splashing water.
It was a Magikarp.
"A Magikarp..." someone breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a twinge of envy. "But getting a Magikarp this fast is pretty good luck."
Misty and Delia also came over to look.
"It's a Magikarp!" Misty looked at the fish-shaped Pokemon in the sunlight and wrinkled her nose slightly.
She had a psychological shadow regarding Gyarados, and by extension, didn't particularly like Magikarp either.
Delia looked at Roy gently. "Roy, you're amazing, catching one so quickly."
Roy examined this Magikarp; its potential was only 'average'.
He removed the hook and gently released the Magikarp back into the sea.
"Average potential. Go on back."
The Magikarp flicked its tail and disappeared into the blue waves.
"You're just letting it go?" A middle-aged uncle who had been fishing for half the day without a single bite couldn't help but speak up. "Young man, Magikarp might be common, but it's still a catch! You..."
Roy just smiled, re-baited the hook, and cast again.
His movements remained steady and composed.
Just as the surrounding anglers were inwardly shaking their heads, thinking the youngster was impulsive and didn't know how to appreciate his catches, Roy's rod moved again!
This time, it was even faster!
Only two or three minutes had passed since his last cast!
"Again!" Misty exclaimed softly.
Roy lifted the rod and reeled in.
This time, what he hooked was a Goldeen, also with average potential.
Roy released it again.
The surrounding anglers were starting to get a bit restless.
What's going on with this kid?
Next.
Within ten minutes.
Roy's bobber seemed to have a Magnet attached to it, sinking down one after another.
Although what he hooked were all common Water-type Pokemon with low potential, which Roy released one by one.
But this frequency of bites had left all the anglers in the area dumbfounded, their own rods feeling less appealing in their hands.
They stared wide-eyed, watching Roy elegantly lift his rod and release the fish again and again, as if the creatures swimming in the sea weren't wary Pokemon, but silly fish lining up to bite the hook.
"This... this can't be possible, right?"
"Is his spot particularly good feng shui?"
"Is his bait especially fragrant?"
A few anglers couldn't help but quietly shift positions, trying to get closer to Roy's spot.
But even sitting right next to Roy, their bobbers remained as steady as Mount Tai, while over at Roy's spot, there was inevitably action every so often.
"This is bizarre!" muttered an old angler wearing a straw hat, looking at his own empty bucket, then at the ground near Roy's feet—empty, yet 'brilliantly victorious'—feeling his decades of fishing experience were being challenged.
Misty also hooked a Magikarp. She pouted. "A Magikarp... oh well, you go home too."
She carefully removed the hook and released the Magikarp. While she wasn't afraid, she really wasn't interested.
Her gaze towards Roy was filled with amazement and admiration.
"Roy, you're too amazing! How are you doing this?" She practically clung to Roy's arm, her breath sweet, her eyes full of curious stars.
Delia also looked at Roy with shining eyes, finding him especially charming when he focused on fishing and controlled the situation.
Feeling the soft touch on his arm and the faint, sweet fragrance from Misty, Roy's mind wavered slightly.
He roughly understood.
This was probably his 'Fishing Grandmaster' halo at work.
This halo enhanced his fishing skill and success rate.
"Maybe I'm just more patient, or luckier," Roy answered casually, ruffling Misty's hair.
This intimate gesture made Misty's face turn even redder, her heart feeling sweet, and she forgot to press for an answer.
But Roy's mind became active.
The Fishing Grandmaster halo... attracts Water-type Pokemon... So, could I possibly just use fishing to... 'hook' that high-potential Horsea?
This idea invigorated him.
If that were really possible, it would be much simpler and more direct!
He gathered his focus, concentrating even more on feeling every subtle movement transmitted through the rod and line, quietly integrating his 'presence' into the surrounding waters through the fishing rod.
As if invisible ripples were spreading out from him into the sea.
This time, the wait was slightly longer.
Seeing Roy inactive for a while, the surrounding anglers finally felt a bit more balanced.
"See, no one gets bites all the time. There's always a lull."
"Exactly, he must have just had a burst earlier. Now it should be our turn..."
Before their self-consolation was finished.
The fishing rod in Roy's hands suddenly bent into a heart-stopping arc!
The ordinary rental rod groaned under the strain.
The force this time was completely different from before!
Heavy, fierce, carrying a stubborn unwillingness to be restrained and a sense of latent power.
A creature with decent potential!