Tentacruel's silhouette sliced swiftly through the water as it swam.
Its gray tendrils continuously waved behind it, and the crimson gemstone embedded on its head flickered with a faint glow.
This gemstone was one of Tentacruel's special abilities—
the gem could emit a type of ultrasonic wave, capable of receiving signals from its own kind even from far, far away.
At the same time, this ultrasonic wave was also an extremely powerful ability in its own right, one that could stir up waves directly across the ocean.
Swoosh—splash—
After a short while, a hint of disappointment surfaced on Tentacruel's face.
They had already entered a much deeper region of the sea, yet still hadn't found the colony of Tentacool it longed for.
Even though it had lived very happily in the Pokémon Domain over this period, and had even successfully evolved into Tentacruel thanks to Lord Aven's help…
it still missed its own kin deeply.
It hoped earnestly that it could find its tribe, bring them back, and let them all live together in the Pokémon Domain.
"I can't get discouraged. I will find them!"
"In order to repay Lord Aven's kindness, I must locate my tribe and help him establish a thriving aquatic Pokémon breeding zone!"
Taking a deep breath, Tentacruel resumed its search through the vast ocean.
The gemstone on its head pulsed again, sending out waves of ultrasound toward the even deeper waters.
But just then—
among the ultrasound it had emitted—
a vague yet enormous figure suddenly appeared in its perception.
What… what is that?
Tentacruel froze for a moment.
Never before had it encountered such an enormous creature.
Thinking quickly, it relayed this discovery to Empoleon and the Floatzel group that were also searching nearby, asking if any of them had ever seen something of that scale.
"Empoooo~"
Empoleon's eyes filled with contemplation.
After hesitating briefly, it decided to go check it out alone.
With its king-level strength, it believed it shouldn't be in too much danger.
Besides, Empoleon was extremely confident in its speed within the ocean.
Even if it encountered a hostile group and got surrounded, it was certain it could still retreat safely.
After giving Tentacruel and the others detailed instructions to remain where they were, Empoleon shot forward through the waters, heading toward the mysterious object Tentacruel had detected.
…
Meanwhile, at the bay—
Aven was busy figuring out how to attract and capture water Pokémon.
He currently held a batch of specially prepared Pokémon food—
food infused with Chesto Berries, which contained highly concentrated Water-type energy.
He tossed the entire batch into the sea.
Instantly, gentle ripples spread out across the surface.
After scattering the food, Aven took out a fishing rod he had prepared in advance.
He hooked a piece of the special bait on the line and cast it into the water.
Then, sitting comfortably on a reef, he quietly began enjoying the act of fishing—
something he had already been fond of in his previous life.
"Lilli~"
Lilligant lay flat on the reef, peering curiously into the water below.
By sensing life energy, Lilligant detected multiple life signatures approaching beneath the waves in no time.
Clearly, a large number of Water-type Pokémon were already being drawn in.
Pokémon food was, as always, irresistible.
Lilligant's round eyes spun as she looked once at Aven, then at the ocean.
She lifted a hand—
and countless green motes sprinkled outward, landing softly atop the water's surface.
Immediately, from every mote, blades of grass began sprouting—
rapidly forming long strands of water plants.
The seaweed stretched downward, aiming to entangle the Pokémon being lured in from below.
In just a short while, several strands had already wrapped around a Pokémon.
With one quick flick—
a water Pokémon was flung straight from the ocean onto the shore.
"Already caught something?" Aven blinked in surprise.
He turned his head and saw a Magikarp tied up by the conjured grass, flopping helplessly on the ground.
"Ah… Lilligant, this isn't called fishing."
Aven shook his head helplessly.
At that exact moment, his fishing rod twitched—
something had taken the bait.
With a swift pull, he lifted his catch—
and another Magikarp flew out of the sea.
"Another Magikarp, huh? Looks like this bay has plenty of them… but unfortunately, no Gyarados."
After hauling it up, Aven crouched down and removed the hook from its mouth.
He patted the little guy on the head before putting it back into the water.
Magikarp was a red fish Pokémon, with long whisker-like filaments near its mouth and a crown-shaped golden fin atop its head.
Although Magikarp was a Pokémon, its strength and speed were abysmal—
to the point it was often labeled the weakest and most pathetic Pokémon in the entire world.
In the Aspiration City Territory as well, Magikarp existed in the rivers—
but because they were incredibly weak and were essentially all bone with no edible value, people never paid them much attention.
Some didn't even view them as Pokémon at all, treating them as nothing more than an ordinary river fish.
"Lilli~"
Lilligant also released her caught Magikarp back into the sea.
Then she turned to Aven, head tilted.
Was Magikarp… really impossible to raise?
"Magikarp isn't outright impossible to raise," Aven replied after thinking for a moment.
"It's just extremely difficult."
Magikarp was considered the weakest Pokémon for good reason—
they could learn very few moves.
Many could spend their entire lives knowing only Splash.
Because of that, raising Magikarp had almost no value in the early stage.
And as for evolving it into Gyarados…
the difficulty was simply astronomical.
According to statistics, only one out of thousands of Magikarp could evolve successfully.
Some Magikarp lacked the potential entirely, even with training, they would never evolve.
Of course, if a Magikarp did manage to evolve into Gyarados, it would instantly gain an extremely high base stat total.
Aven knew many elite trainers whose ace Pokémon was Gyarados—including some Champions.
"Lilli?"
Lilligant tilted her head again.
Even Aven couldn't do it?
"Ahem… I'm just a very ordinary Pokémon breeder," Aven sighed.
Though he did know that some breeders specialized in raising Magikarp.
In their hands, the evolution rate increased drastically.
Magikarp were everywhere.
If one could evolve them into Gyarados consistently, their value would skyrocket a hundredfold—or even a thousandfold.
Naturally, many people would research ways to achieve it.
But such methods were strictly guarded secrets.
Aven had no idea how they did it.
Just then, he felt another tug on the line.
Another Magikarp emerged.
"Hm? It's this one again?" Aven blinked.
Time and time again—
every time he cast his line, the same Magikarp came back to bite.
Aven could only let out a helpless laugh.
"In that case… you can come with me."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He was starting to feel a little interested.
If he could really figure out how to raise Magikarp properly and help them evolve into Gyarados, the maritime power of the Pokémon Domain would increase dramatically.
Now that he had more free time, the thought took root—
maybe he could research Magikarp just like those Pokémon breeders.
After making up his mind, he looked down at the Magikarp staring blankly up at him.
"Little guy, would you like to come with me?"
The Magikarp blinked its wooden, vacant eyes.
Seeing no resistance, Aven gently tapped a Poké Ball to its head—
and it was captured instantly.
"Lilli~?"
Lilligant froze as she watched Aven capture a Magikarp.
She glanced from the ocean to Aven, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Magikarp… surely wasn't the kind of Pokémon one hugged, right?
This kind of Pokémon felt more appropriate, she thought.
She caught another Magikarp, shook her head, and tossed it back.
"Poi-pole~"
The little Poipole looked tired as it fluttered toward Aven, landing in his arms with practiced ease.
Splash—!!
All at once, the entire surface of the water began to surge violently, waves rising and crashing with sudden force.
Lilligant puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, vines forming in her hands as she lashed them repeatedly across the surface of the sea.
So annoying, so annoying… That spot is obviously mine.
She grumbled inwardly with a sense of grievance, muttering nonstop in her heart.
No—this won't do!
She absolutely had to help Poipole train harder.
Once Poipole evolved, Aven wouldn't be able to hold it anymore—
and then she could reclaim her rightful position!
Splash—!
The ocean continued to churn and surge with motion.
Just then, Lilligant let out a soft gasp.
Something… had wrapped itself around her water plants.
Her expression shifted.
She immediately pulled the conjured vines back—
and with one massive sweep, she hauled up a huge tangle of seaweed from the water.
Throwing the seaweed onto the shore, Lilligant circled around it, softly humming as she examined it.
It looked ordinary at a glance—
but Lilligant sensed something strange.
If she hadn't sensed the faint fluctuation of life energy inside it, she might actually have been fooled by the appearance of the seaweed.
"Poi… Poi…?"
Even Poipole sensed something was off.
(End of Chapter)