Pokémon: Reborn as Lucario

Chapter 135: Get Hooked, Lord of the Lake!

Míngzhì is an angler.

Anglers, also called fishing dudes or fishermen, are people active near major rivers and lakes, fishing.

However, Míngzhì likes to call himself an angler, a fishing knight-errant. What a magnificent name.

Isn't that much better sounding than some "fishing dude"?

A sun hat, a life vest, a bucket and fishing rod in hand, sitting by the fishing spot for a whole day—this is Míngzhì's daily routine.

"Today, the wind is gentle and the sun is beautiful, the temperature is comfortable."

Míngzhì carried his equipment out of his house and felt the weather outside.

He raised an eyebrow, a surprised expression on his face.

"Very suitable for fishing... In that case, it's time to challenge that!"

A fiery glint flashed in Míngzhì's eyes.

Among Pokémon trainers, the standard for judging strength is to see who can win in a battle. But in the fishing world, it's more direct and simple: whoever catches the most formidable prey can be revered by all anglers as a Fishing Master.

And Míngzhì, who called himself an angler, naturally also coveted that title of Fishing Master.

The previous Fishing Master, from the Ist Region, had once caught a ferocious and incomparable Gyarados.

So for other anglers, to obtain this title of Fishing Master, one must catch a prey even more awesome than Gyarados to be qualified.

As it happened, Míngzhì knew of a place where a creature known as the "Lord of the Lake" existed.

Catching the "Lord of the Lake" had also become his ultimate goal.

The weather was very comfortable, the feel of the fishing rod was very good, and his condition was even more perfect.

Míngzhì had a faint premonition.

Today, he was destined to achieve an extraordinary accomplishment.

Filled with this drive, Míngzhì rode his little electric scooter out of Yuanqi City towards a lake on the outskirts.

…

A lively clamor woke Rio from his deep sleep.

Yawning, Rio had just gotten up from his lounge chair when he saw a large crowd of people (and Pokémon) gathered by the lakeside.

His own trainer and Ruru were also in the crowd.

"What's so lively?"

Rio curiously ran to where the crowd was gathered and, relying on his agile movements, nimbly squeezed in.

In the center of the crowd, a man wearing a red-and-white hat and a life vest was holding his breath with concentration.

"What's up, what's up? What's this uncle doing?"

Rio poked the Zigzagoon beside him and asked in a low voice.

The Zigzagoon's little head also moved closer.

"Zoon, zoon! (Pokémon Language) This uncle is amazing! He's going to catch the 'Lord of the Lake' here!"

"Lord of the Lake?"

Rio's face was full of question marks.

"Zoooooon~ (Pokémon Language) You don't even know the 'Lord of the Lake'? Oh, right, you must be a Pokémon from out of town. The Lord of the Lake refers to the most powerful creature in this lake. It's said that no human or Pokémon has ever seen the true face of the 'Lord of the Lake'."

Rio looked at the lake before him. From a distance, it didn't seem like much, but upon getting closer, he discovered that this lake was incomparably vast. On the calm surface of the lake, a few slight ripples were stirred up by the gentle breeze. The lake water was clear, yet so deep its bottom couldn't be seen.

Feeling a little creeped out, Rio tried to see through what was in the lake but felt his scalp tingle.

"It's coming, it's coming!"

A little boy's excited voice sounded, but he was immediately stopped by his older brother.

"Shh, don't be noisy. Keep quiet."

After the noise gradually quieted down, the fishing uncle unhurriedly took out his fishing rod.

The fishing rod was a bit old, but from its overall appearance, one could see it was very well-maintained. And what was most eye-catching was the Poké Ball tied to the fishing line at the end of the rod.

The fishing uncle adjusted the various parts of the rod. When everything was ready, he forcefully swung the rod, and with a "plop," only a small bobber was left on the lake's surface.

"Can the uncle succeed?"

Some people were whispering.

"To be honest, whether the 'Lord of the Lake' even exists is a question. For so many years, it's only been a rumor. No one has ever seen the true face of this 'Lord of the Lake'."

There were also some who didn't quite believe this rumor.

However, Rio was very certain that the 'Lord of the Lake' was real.

Because in his Aura perception, within this lake, lay an extremely huge Aura.

Just like that, amidst some people's expectations, some people's skepticism, and some people just joining in the fun, time passed bit by bit.

The bobber moved slightly.

"!"

Everyone waited with bated breath.

However, the fishing uncle remained unmoved.

"The wind moved. It is your hearts that are in turmoil."

The uncle said faintly, his words full of a carefree artistic conception.

Sure enough, there was no further movement from the bobber after that.

He continued to wait.

Suddenly, the uncle abruptly stood up.

"It's here!"

Rio looked at the unmoving bobber, then at the fishing uncle with his grave expression.

Just when everyone thought the uncle had misjudged.

"Boom!"

A huge whirlpool appeared in the center of the lake, directly submerging the bobber.

"Screeech," the long fishing rod seemed to instantly bear a heavy pressure. Its originally straight body was pulled into a round arc.

Veins popped out on the uncle's arms, his face flushed red.

The figure of a giant creature was faintly visible in the whirlpool. 'It' was stirring the lake water, competing with the Poké Ball on the fishing rod.

Seeing the fishing uncle using all his strength yet still being pulled forward by the creature in the lake, about to lose his grip on the fishing rod.

A pair of hands reached over from the side.

"Uncle, let me help you!"

An unfamiliar youth forcefully helped the uncle pull on the fishing rod.

"Uncle, me too!"

"Uncle, and me!"

"Jiji!"

"Zizi!"

To witness the true face of the 'Lord of the Lake,' the crowd surged with emotion. They all came forward to help—men, women, old, young, and even many Pokémon were chattering as they pulled on the humans' pant legs, holding their breath and pulling back with all their might.

No matter how strong the creature in the lake was, it couldn't compare to a large group of people and Pokémon working together.

The advantage in the tug-of-war returned to the side on the bank.

The fishing uncle gritted his teeth, not even caring that his hat had fallen off.

"Get... hooked for me!!!"

With a forceful pull, the fishing line was yanked up sharply. The Poké Ball at its end was now open, flashing with red light.

Following it was that massive, mysterious creature, twisting its body in the air!

"Thump!" The huge creature fell to the ground.

Is this the 'Lord of the Lake'?

Some more knowledgeable people were already shouting in surprise: "A Whiscash!"

A giant catfish, its skin deep blue, its belly yellow. It had a pair of spongy, light-blue lips, and a pair of long, thin yellow whiskers grew from the corners of its mouth. On its forehead was a W-shaped yellow marking.

Whiscash was not a very rare Pokémon; its figure could be seen in many lakes and swamps.

However, a Whiscash nearly three meters long was extremely rare.

No wonder it possessed such monstrous strength that it required so many people and Pokémon working together to fish it up.

So the 'Lord of the Lake' referred to this giant Whiscash? In terms of size and strength, it did seem to deserve this title.

After an angler has fished up their prey, they enter the final step of conquering it.

"Come out, Crawdaunt!"

The fishing uncle threw out his Poké Ball.

Hook, battle, then capture—this is the angler's code.

And anglers who frequented rivers and lakes all year round most commonly had Water-type Pokémon.

"Crawdaunt, use [Double Hit]!"

Crawdaunt, with its pair of large pincers, charged fiercely towards Whiscash.

The Whiscash, battered by the opponent's tail and large pincers, had its originally vacant eyes also turn fierce.

It opened its mouth and spat out a stream of turbid water.

However, also being a Water-type Pokémon, the Water-type move [Muddy Water] was not very effective against Crawdaunt. Crawdaunt clamped its large pincers, directly scattering the water stream, then its body radiated a terrifyingly malicious aura, oppressing the Whiscash.

Although the Whiscash looked massive and had considerable combat power, it seemed to have lived too peacefully in the lake for too long. Its combat awareness was far inferior to its opponent's. Facing the terrifying aura of [Dark Pulse], the Whiscash momentarily seemed to flinch.

"Good chance!"

The fishing uncle's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he threw out a Poké Ball wrapped in a fishing net.

A Net Ball, which can easily capture Water-type and Bug-type Pokémon.

This somewhat special Poké Ball opened in mid-air. The fishing net wrapped around it instantly spread out, enveloping the Whiscash. Then, a white light flashed, and the Whiscash, bound by the net, transformed into a beam of light and entered the Poké Ball.

"Dong... dong, dong... dita."

The light indicating a successful capture lit up.

"Yeah!"

The people who had witnessed the 'Lord of the Lake' get hooked and saw the uncle capture it cheered.

The fishing uncle also appeared very excited. He picked up the hat that had fallen on the ground, then raised his voice to the crowd and said, "Today I'll catch some more fish and treat everyone to a free fish meal!"

As an experienced angler, besides never having caught a Kyogre, he had no problem with all sorts of other fish.

The fishing uncle switched back to a normal fishing rod. Soon, one after another, plump and beautiful fish were caught.

And so, on the grass filled with the aroma of fish, it seemed the story of the 'Lord of the Lake' had come to a happy ending for everyone.

However, had the 'Lord of the Lake' really been caught?

Rio took a deep look at the huge Aura still lingering in the lake.

…

"What! The 'Lord of the Lake' has already been caught??!!!"

Míngzhì, who had arrived late, learned this sad news from the people.

He beat his chest and stomped his feet, then resentfully picked up a grilled fish and began to eat it.

Fortunately, the delicious grilled fish slightly healed his wounded heart.

Míngzhì walked to the lake and dumped the large pile of Pokémon food he had brought into the lake.

This pile of Pokémon food was bait he had specially prepared after long research into the habits and tastes of Water-type Pokémon to attract the 'Lord of the Lake.' But now that the 'Lord of the Lake' had already been caught, he had no use for this pile of Pokémon food and simply dumped it all into the lake.

"A treat for the other Water-type Pokémon in the lake," he said sullenly, then turned and went back to continue eating grilled fish.

If he couldn't catch the 'Lord of the Lake,' he would just have to fiercely eat a few more of the fishing uncle's grilled fish.

…

Deep in the night, the campers had already left.

In the deepest part of the lake.

Two faint yellow lights lit up. 'It' moved slightly, and this simple movement was enough to stir the bottom of the lake into chaos.

A giant black shadow seemed to be chewing something, then its figure moved, swimming from the bottom of the lake back to the sea through a channel.

In the pitch-black depths of the water, several deep red lines flashed past.

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