"Rain Dance skill?"
Adrian was stunned at first, then his face lit up with joy.
Rain Dance—this was a core skill for a rain team. It could be used to manually change the weather, allowing for greater control over the battlefield.
Although Magikarp couldn't learn Rain Dance yet, having this TM as a reserve completely put Adrian's mind at ease.
As long as Magikarp evolved into Gyarados, his rain team strategy could begin to be implemented.
Suppressing his excitement, Adrian focused his gaze on Poliwag, and its attribute panel immediately appeared.
[pokémon: Poliwag]
[Type: Water]
[Ability: Damp (By dampening the surroundings, it prevents self-destructing and other explosive moves from being used.)]
[Skills: Water Gun, Hypnosis, Pound]
"It's not the Swift Swim ability?"
Adrian sighed inwardly, feeling a touch of disappointment.
Swift Swim was clearly the most suitable ability for Poliwag in a rain team.
If it evolved into Poliwrath, and its ability remained the same, it could become a fast hitter in the rain, confusing anyone who faced it.
If it evolved into Politoed, that would be even better, as its ability would change to 'Drizzle'.
Automatic weather activation—that was the true powerhouse of a rain team!
"Yoni~"
Watching the Poliwag, still devouring bait, its eyes wide and unwilling to leave the water, Adrian found it somewhat amusing.
This little fellow was truly a glutton.
With a glint in his eye, Adrian smiled and picked up a small piece of bait, waving it at the Poliwag: "My bait tastes good, doesn't it? Here, have some more."
"Yoni~"
The Poliwag in the water was timid, seemingly a bit afraid of Adrian.
But the bait was simply too fragrant, so it eventually wagged its tail and swam to the shore.
"Yoni~"
Swallowing the bait in one gulp, the Poliwag squinted its eyes, savoring the taste.
Ah, so delicious!
Adrian took the opportunity to pat Poliwag's smooth, soft, and slick head, saying earnestly: "Go, find your elders! I still have plenty of bait here. You must learn to share, and never eat alone, understand?"
"Yoni~"
Poliwag looked at Adrian, then walked away thoughtfully.
Afterward, Adrian caught a few more Goldeen.
[Caught 'Goldeen', rewarded with 1 'Peck' TM.]
[Caught 'Goldeen', rewarded with 1 'energy cube'.]
[Caught 'Goldeen', rewarded with 1 'Bounce' TM.]
..."Finally, another Bounce skill!"
Seeing the final cheat ability prompt, Adrian's face lit up with joy.
"Karoo~"
Just then, Magikarp surfaced from the water, blowing bubbles from its mouth.
Compared to before, Magikarp was now much sturdier and more powerful.
And as its strength increased, Magikarp's eyes gradually became more spirited, no longer as 'wise' as before.
"Come here for a head pat!"
Adrian waved, and Magikarp obediently offered its head.
At the same time, Adrian activated the 'Bounce' TM in the fishing space.
Buzz!
Its mind trembled slightly, and Magikarp immediately showed a look of joy.
It knew that its trainer was once again imparting knowledge to it.
Before long, Magikarp's understanding and comprehension of the 'Bounce' skill deepened considerably, as if it had diligently trained in a certain space for a long time.
It understood how to better control flying-type energy, how to better use air currents to glide, allowing itself to jump higher, strike further, and with greater power.
At the same time, Magikarp's attribute panel immediately changed.
[pokémon: Magikarp]
[Type: Water]
[Ability: Rattled (When hit by Dark-, Ghost-, or Bug-type moves, its Speed is boosted due to fear.)]
[Skills: Splash (Perfected), Tackle (Perfected), Flail (Learned), Bounce (Proficient)]
"Magikarp's Bounce skill has finally reached the 'Proficient' level."
Adrian first grinned, then seeing Flail at the 'Mastered' level, the smile on his face widened even further.
Goldeen can also learn the 'Flail' skill, so the probability of getting a 'Flail' TM when catching Goldeen was much higher than with Magikarp.
This meant that in just a few short days, Magikarp's Flail skill had been pushed to the 'Mastered' level.
Goldeen, after Magikarp, was the second most numerous pokémon species in this body of water, so Adrian generally didn't worry about catching them.
Poliwag, however, was relatively rare; today was the first time Adrian had caught one.
To Adrian's disappointment, that Poliwag did not return with its elders, leaving Adrian to wait an entire afternoon.
Adrian was utterly disappointed, gritting his teeth and saying, "Darn it! I got scammed!"
"However, with Magikarp's current size and form, coupled with a proficient Bounce skill, using it against Grass-type pokémon should not disappoint me."
Adrian smiled, thinking, "And I heard that Celadon City has a large lake, where many Water-type pokémon live, and the fishing is quite intense. There are even rumors that Krabby come ashore to pinch people—I wonder if it's true!"
Adrian packed up his fishing gear, full of anticipation for his trip to Celadon City... The next morning.
Adrian woke up early, grabbed Magikarp's poké ball, slung his small bag over his shoulder, and embarked on his journey to Celadon City.
Due to his limited strength, Adrian had no intention of hiking through the forest, choosing instead to take the shuttle bus to Celadon City.
Chug chug chug!
The bus started, and before long, it left Cerulean City and arrived at the suburban outskirts.
Adrian sat by the window, the frame enclosing a flowing painting.
Scyther leaped among the treetops, startling a flock of Pidgey into flight with flapping wings.
Butterfree fluttered back and forth collecting nectar in the flowerbeds, and not far away, there were Beedrill, but both sides were in harmony.
In the distant misty mountains and jungles, Mankey could be seen constantly leaping, echoing the Magikarp that frequently jumped out of the water in the stream below.
As the bus passed through the village's residential area, Adrian also saw Rhyhorn plowing fields and Meowth dozing on the eaves.
Soon, a vast, lush forest appeared before Adrian.
From a distance, Adrian saw a large building in the forest, and faintly heard bells ringing.
"That should be the pokémon Research Academy in the Kanto region!"
Adrian guessed the origin of the school in the forest.
This school was of a very high caliber; its students didn't need to collect badges, and upon graduation, they were automatically granted eligibility to participate in the pokémon League tournament.
The school's top student, Giselle, was an immensely popular female trainer.
Her beauty was such that even Ash couldn't resist, feeling a stir in his heart.
"But by now, Ash should have defeated Giselle, and her personality might have changed, right?"
Adrian estimated the time.
Since obtaining the Cascade Badge, Ash and his companions had been traveling non-stop towards Vermilion City.
Perhaps Ash had already defeated Lt. Surge's Raichu and obtained the Thunder Badge.
At noon, the shuttle bus passed through Saffron City.
Saffron City was the largest and busiest city in the entire Kanto region, and it was very famous even in other regions.
This city not only boasted Kanto's central business district but also its largest infrastructure, with the massive Silph Co. headquarters towering proudly in the very center of the city.
"As expected of an international metropolis, it's truly magnificent and grand."
Looking at the skyscrapers and powerful trainers everywhere, Adrian also felt a sense of awe.
Compared to Saffron City, Cerulean City was practically a countryside village; the difference was too vast.
Unfortunately, Adrian was only passing through; no matter how much he wished to linger, he had to go to Celadon City.
In the evening, Adrian finally arrived in Celadon City.
Celadon City was also a large city, second in scale only to the super metropolis Saffron City to its east, and equally prosperous.
Celadon City's bus station was located in the northwest corner of the city, adjacent to the department store.
And the Celadon Department Store was the tallest building in Celadon City, as well as the largest shopping mall in the entire Kanto region.
"It's still early, so I can go check out the department store first! Speaking of which, my fishing gear could use an upgrade."
Adrian's mind stirred, and as he walked towards the department store, he opened his phone's live stream.
"Brothers, I've arrived in Celadon City!"