My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Tong Hua felt the fishing rod in her hand suddenly sink, and almost dropped it.

The fishing line tightened instantly, making a teeth-grinding "squeak" sound.

"What immense force!" Tong Hua exclaimed in surprise, his passive skill as a fisherman instinctively allowing him to steady himself in a horse stance.

Hearing the noise, Nagi sprang to her feet with a jolt, watching with a grin as Tong Hua played tug-of-war with the fish. A sea breeze blew by, lifting her loose white short-sleeved shirt and revealing her slender waistline.

"Don't be in a hurry to reel in the line, let it run around for a while first." She walked barefoot on the warm stone embankment and leaned close to Tong Hua, gazing at the distant sea.

Tong Hua gritted his teeth and steadied the fishing rod; this was the first time he had ever felt the fishing rod become so heavy.

Tong Hua was focused on the struggle with the fish in front of her, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Nagi leisurely swinging her toes.

Nagi sat down next to him again, her legs gently swaying with the rhythm of the waves.

Her skin was tanned to a healthy wheat color by the sun, and a few tiny salt crystals clung to her arms and collarbone, sparkling in the sunlight.

"So what kind of fish is this?!" Tong Hua's arm was aching, and seeing Nagi still so relaxed, he couldn't help but shout.

"I don't know, maybe it's a sand mullet."

Its average body length is two to three times that of a small mackerel; one this strong must probably be close to half a meter long.

"So big?" Although Tong Hua had tried sea fishing before, he knew that sand mullet were usually only about 15 centimeters long.

A half-meter-long sand barb—this must be a Gallard barb from the Galar region!

"Focus!" Nagi suddenly patted him on the back. "Now slowly reel in the line and pull it over."

Tong Hua snapped back to reality and quickly gripped his fishing rod. A wave burst open on the surface of the sea, and in the sunlight, he saw a large, bright red fish leaping high into the air!

"It's a red sea bream!"

Nagi showed a surprised expression for the first time, and both her eyes opened wide.

"Red sea bream?!" Tong Hua couldn't help but widen her eyes as she looked at the large fish that shimmered with a golden-red light in the sunlight.

The fish is more than half a meter long, its scales shimmer with a jewel-like luster, and its tail fin draws a beautiful arc.

Nagi had completely abandoned her lazy expression, moving quickly barefoot on the rocks: "Keep it steady! Press the fishing rod down, don't let it jump out of the water again!"

"We can't let it get away!" Nagi pulled out a landing net from somewhere and stared intently at the red sea bream that was frantically dragging in the water.

Tong Hua's arms had begun to tremble, but the passive skill of the fisherman profession, along with the fishing power boost from yesterday's B-grade dish, forced him to maintain a perfect rod control posture.

The fishing line drew a sharp "S" shape on the sea surface; the red sea bream was making its last struggle.

"Game!" The grass turtle suddenly lunged forward and wrapped its vine whip around Tong Hua's waist to help him regain his balance.

"Trembling!" The foam squirrel grabbed Tong Hua's trouser leg, its little paws nervously pulling him back.

Nagi was a completely different person at that moment. She deftly rolled up her sleeves, which were wet from the seawater, revealing her well-defined forearms: "Now! Slowly back away!"

She walked barefoot on the slippery rocks as if they were flat ground. "I'm going to get the landing net ready!"

Following the instructions, Tong Hua retreated step by step while reeling in the line. The pull of the red sea bream made each step extremely difficult, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the fishing rod.

"Almost there!" Nagi knelt on the edge of the breakwater, her landing net already submerged in the water. Her short hair, wet from the waves, clung to her cheeks.

With the final soft click of the reel turning, the red sea bream, over half a meter long, finally surfaced. Nagi, quick as a flash, scooped it up with the landing net!

"It's a success!"

Amidst the splashing water, the valuable red sea bream was steadily scooped up. It struggled vigorously in the net, the splashing water droplets forming a small rainbow in the sunlight, landing on Nagi's smiling face.

Tong Hua and the two Pokémon collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Only then did he realize that his T-shirt was completely soaked with sweat, and the muscles in his arms were still trembling uncontrollably.

Nagi hurriedly put the red sea bream into the tank, shook her wet hair, and suddenly leaned close to Tong Hua.

Even at such close range, Tong Hua could smell the unique scent emanating from her, a mixture of sea salt and a faint fishy odor. A sea breeze blew by, and looking at Nagi's smiling face, Tong Hua suddenly felt her arms weren't so sore anymore.

"Hehe, I really struck gold this time." She winked mischievously at Tong Hua. "This fishing rod set is yours in exchange..."

……

Half an hour later, Tong Hua's two Pokémon sat on the wooden veranda of the fishing tackle shop. Soon after, Tong Hua and Nagi came out of the shop carrying two plates of food.

"Come on, have a taste!"

Nagi gently placed the plate on the small table in the wooden corridor. The plate contained five fried baby mackerel.

Tong Hua's plate was more luxurious, consisting of a whole plate of sea bream sashimi.

"I never expected Tong Hua to have such exquisite knife skills."

Nagi picked up a slice of sashimi as thin as a cicada's wing; the translucent fish meat was almost translucent in the sunlight.

She dipped it in the special soy sauce and put it in her mouth, her eyes widening instantly! The sweet and fresh taste burst on her tongue, carrying the unique freshness of the ocean, the meat firm yet melting in her mouth.

"Delicious! I really struck gold!"

Seeing her exaggerated reaction, Tong Hua and the two Pokémon quickly picked up fish slices to try as well.

"Hmm, this tastes even better than the fish in the hot pot before. Is this red sea bream?"

"Game~" "Terrible~"

The grass turtle and the foam squirrel were also eating with great satisfaction. The two little guys then picked up the fried baby mackerel next to them and took a bite! Crunch!

"Crunch crunch!" It's so delicious!

"Speaking of which, are you really going to give me that fishing rod and rig for free?"

While chewing on the delicious fish slices, Tong Hua couldn't help but confirm again.

Nagi leaned lazily against a pillar, her bare feet swinging gently: "Of course! After all, we've already eaten sea bream."

What Nagi didn't mention was that the price of this one red snapper alone was already at least 5000 Alliance Coins, which was actually higher than the fishing rig.

However, consider the extra price difference as a kitchen rental fee.

"To catch the fish you want, you should research, assemble your tackle, and find the right spot. Once you catch the fish, you should enjoy it immediately. That's what fishing should be like."

That's part of the fun of fishing!

"The joy of fishing? I think I'm starting to understand!"

Tong Hua took a bite of the fried baby mackerel, the aroma of the oil filling her mouth, and the crispy texture was simply unbeatable.

After finishing her meal, Nagi stood up with her plate, her bare feet making a slight creaking sound on the wooden floor.

She went back into the shop, walked behind the counter, and took out a yellowed notebook from the drawer. The cover had simple drawings of various fish.

"Here, this is for you too." She tossed the notebook to Tong Hua. "This is a record I made of the fishing conditions at all the fishing spots near Chicory Village."

If you want to catch any other fish in the future, come to me for your fishing rig.

Tong Hua opened the notebook, which was filled with detailed records of the habits of various fish, their favorite baits, and even hand-drawn illustrations of fish.

"This... is too precious." Tong Hua looked up and found Nagi staring blankly at the children in the river behind the shop. Sunlight shone through her white short-sleeved shirt, outlining her slender figure.

"It's nothing valuable." Nagi turned her head, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Anyway, I've memorized everything inside. And..." she suddenly leaned closer, "If you really catch any delicious fish, remember to come here and cook it for me, I want some too!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Hua was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"Definitely, definitely."

After saying goodbye to Nagi, Tong Hua packed up her fishing rig, picked up her food basket, and left the fishing tackle shop.

"Sure enough, she's more like a fox than a cat..." Tong Hua glanced back at Nagi in the shop, only to see her carrying another plate of fish slices back to the river behind the shop.

After settling on the fishing rod, the next step is to head to Chicory Wood Hall.