Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

The middle-aged captain shouted this, and the young sailors on board responded in unison, instantly creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.

Although Lillie had been on many luxury cruise ships, they were all passenger ships, and she didn't have much contact with sailors or captains. Most of the time, she was greeted by waiters hired by the ship.

In such an environment, it's actually impossible to come into contact with these most authentic sea men. The first meeting was quite novel.

Lowe was quite interested in the so-called "Island of Awakening" that the old man Hatch had visited, as mentioned by the captain.

"The so-called Island of Awakening is..."

Upon hearing Luo Wei's question, the middle-aged captain immediately spoke up proudly, "Oh, that's the most dangerous sea area in our Hoenn region, also known as 'Whirlpool Island,' because there are many large and small whirlpools and reefs around that island, and the climate is extremely harsh, with storms and torrential rain all year round, making it very difficult to reach that island from either the air or the sea..."

"Even with the power of Pokémon, it's impossible?"

"That's why that island is famous..."

The middle-aged captain's tone was full of sighs and emotions, "...The weather around that island was extremely harsh, even Pokémon had a hard time crossing it. Of course, we later learned that it was because a group of 'remnants' who lived in seclusion on the island had set up the harsh weather and the surrounding whirlpools and reefs, using the power of Pokémon!"

That's why, to cross this sea area and reach Whirlpool Island, one needs to be stronger than the opponent's Pokémon. Whirlpool Island was later also called "Awakening Island" because a secret is kept on this island.

"The inhabitants of that island have passed down a unique technique called 'Ultimate Technique' through generations. Their Pokémon, relying on Ultimate Technique, possess power far exceeding that of ordinary Pokémon..."

"Wow, that's amazing? So, the reason why Whirlpool Island was made so dangerous was to protect this unique skill and its legacy?"

“That’s right…” Old Man Hatch nodded in affirmation. “Oh dear, it was quite a perilous journey back then. Me, Zvoch, and Genji, the three of us organized a fleet to challenge Whirlpool Island.”

"Eh, is President Zvoich involved too?"

This was indeed surprising. Old Man Hatch knew that President Rowe of Zvoch had known for a long time, after all, it was President Zvoch who entrusted Old Man Hatch to help with the collaborative research at the Kusnogi Shipyard.

However, it seems that these two had known each other for a much longer time, and had even sailed out to sea together with Genji, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Dragon King.

According to the old man Hatch, the fleet at that time was funded and established by President Zvoch, with the old man Hatch serving as the captain to oversee the overall situation, while Genji was naturally the main force of the fleet, responsible for protecting others when encountering danger.

This combination was quite reliable. At the time, President Zvuch was still young, and Devon Corporation, although not as large as it is now, was already one of the top companies in the Hoenn region.

President Zvoich himself is very interested in the deep sea, otherwise he wouldn't have collaborated with Kusnogi Shipyard to develop a deep-sea submersible.

In short, regarding the Whirlpool Island of the Hoenn region, the three at that time... President Zufitch was still young and vigorous, roughly the same age as Daigo is now, while Elder Hatchi and Genji were in their prime, at the peak of their physical abilities.

Sending such a fleet to challenge the most dangerous wilderness in the Hoenn region would indeed be a thrilling adventure.

The middle-aged captain here was one of the sailors under Old Man Hatch's command, and he participated in this adventure together.

In short, after the fleet entered the area of ​​Whirlpool Island, it suffered continuous losses due to the harsh environment. Of course, there were no casualties, but after it was determined that it could not continue, the crew members and ships that could no longer hold on were allowed to disembark.

They continued their journey in this way until finally, only the ship piloted by Old Man Hachi remained in the entire fleet. All the other ships in the fleet had withdrawn, and Old Man Hachi thought that this expedition was about to fail. However, they successfully crossed the seas of storms, gales, whirlpools, and reefs, and arrived at Whirlpool Island.

It was indeed a small, secluded island. I thought it was an uninhabited island, but I never expected that an ancient tribe had been living on the island all along. The arrival of President Zivchi and his group made them the first outsiders to visit in more than a thousand years.

"And so, we came into contact with the native inhabitants of Awakening Island and learned about the secret techniques they have passed down. They set up Whirlpool Island to create a 'test,' and only trainers who can pass the test and come to the island are qualified to receive the 'legacy' of Awakening Island..."

In other words, Grandpa Hachi and the others passed the test...

However, the old man Hatch did not accept the inheritance because he was not a trainer skilled in Pokémon battles, and among the people who were with him at the time, only Genji was capable of mastering the ultimate technique.

Genji himself gave up, and the reason is not clear at the moment. However, Genji made an agreement with the other party, and the qualification to pass on the mantle is still there, including that of Old Man Hatchi and President Zvoch.

They chose to relinquish their right to inherit the ultimate technique, but they can pass that right on to a trainer they deem capable in the future...

After that, President Zuvoki chose his son, Zuvoki Daigo, who then passed on this secret technique to his best friend...

It seems that Genji recently passed on his skills to a new trainer, but Hatchling has yet to find a suitable successor...

"Well?" Old Man Hachi smiled as he looked at Luo Wei. "If you're interested, young Luo Wei, this old man can transfer the qualification to you. Are you interested?"

Chapter 212 The New Fishing Guy

Luo Wei also knew about the storyline of the Island of Awakening. The island was where three ultimate techniques were passed down, each corresponding to one of the three major attributes: water, fire, and grass...

In that process, President Zuvoki received the inheritance of the Water-type Secret Technique, and he passed on the right to inherit it to Daigo, who in turn gave it to his best friend Michael.

After all, Wallace is the Gym Leader of the Water-type Gym in the Hoenn region. His strength as a Gym Leader is beyond doubt, and he has no problem passing on his secret techniques.

Next, Genji received the inheritance of the Fire-type Secret Technique, and Elder Hachi received the inheritance of the Grass-type Secret Technique...

Currently, Genji has passed on his skills to a promising new trainer. Although the identity of the trainer has not been revealed, Rowe feels that he may have already guessed it.

Just like when May was sent by the League to save the day at Chimney Mountain, May showed no fear in the face of Crimson Pine and seemed confident. Lowe later learned that May had already obtained the power of Mega Evolution inherited from Sigana.

In that case, she would have enough confidence with this trump card as a backup. However, after thinking about it, Mega Evolution was May's trump card, and at that time, Sigana should have only had private contact with May. The League did not know Sigana's position.

The League probably doesn't know that Haruka has the trump card of Mega Evolution. Therefore, Haruka must have another trump card to make the League recognize her strength so much.

Having gained the recognition of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Alliance and been granted the corresponding secret techniques by Pi, such strength... is naturally worthy of this trust.

In other words, at that time, May actually possessed two trump cards: Mega Evolution and Ultimate Technique. Compared to Rowe, who had not yet mastered Mega Evolution, she was even more confident.

...No wonder.

"Actually, that old bastard Genji originally wanted to pass on the ultimate technique to you, Rowe, but at the time, you didn't have a suitable Pokémon to pass it on to. Besides, I also felt that I could pass the technique on to Rowe, so that old bastard Genji went to find another suitable trainer..."

Genji possessed the inheritance of fire-type ultimate techniques, and at that time, there was indeed no one suitable for the entire Rowe team. Rowe's Masked Cat was just right to inherit the ultimate grass-type technique...

Considering that May's ace Blaziken is a Fire-type Pokémon, it was indeed more suitable than Loewon at the time to inherit the secret technique obtained by Genji...

Therefore, since President Zvuch and Dragon King Genji had already found suitable successors for their respective inherited secret techniques, Old Man Hachi took this opportunity to talk to Rowe about it, hoping that Rowe could inherit this Grass-type secret technique.

"That way, the old man's responsibility is finally over. Haha, carrying such a heavy burden of passing on the torch must have been quite uncomfortable~"

When he, Genji, and President Zvoich formed a fleet and landed on Awakening Island, they obtained the three ultimate techniques passed down by the island's natives, and he felt the weight of this responsibility.

Theoretically, one cannot let the profound secrets passed down for thousands of years be lost in one's own hands. Therefore, after meeting Luo Wei, the old man Hachi had already set his sights on it.

However, he wasn't entirely at ease at the time. But after experiencing so many events, Old Man Hachi was finally able to be certain that Luo Wei was absolutely qualified to inherit this profound technique...

"Haha, this is really..."

To be honest, Lowe also felt that this responsibility was not light, but after all, he had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. Higanbana gave him the power of Mega Evolution, hoping to help him end the long-cherished wish of the Meteor Dwellers. Nebula gave Lowe the inheritance of the Ultimate Power, most likely also hoping that he could solve the problem of Ultra Beasts.

Now, having received the ultimate secrets of the Awakening Island, and with so much debt to pay anyway, accepting this secret means accepting the corresponding responsibility...

...The responsibility to pass on this profound knowledge!

When a suitable successor is found in the future, it will be passed on to the next generation, so that this ancient secret can be passed down...

"Yes, of course I'd be more than happy to!"

"Haha, alright, then it's settled. Once we disembark, the old man will pass on his profound knowledge to you. Until then, let's get down to business."

Loewy and Lillie specifically set sail this time to capture new Pokémon and expand their team...

As for what exactly will be subdued, that's up to fate...

Soon, Lowe and Lillie each received a fishing rod. The first thing to do when catching a Pokémon is naturally to "encounter" it. As for catching Pokémon in the sea, the only options are to jump into the water and touch them or to fish for them.

"Haha, does Lillie know how to fish?"

Luo Wei took the fishing rod and couldn't help but ask Lillie, who was standing nearby, about it. Lillie blushed and replied, "Well, I learned from my brother before... but I'm not very good at it, so I probably won't be good at fishing..."

“It’s okay…” Rowe proudly puffed out his chest, “I’ve never learned how to fish!”

"..."

With one confident sentence, Lillie was completely rendered speechless. No, I've never learned from you before, why are you so proud?

Even so, Lillie couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Pfft, haha... I see, I thought Rowe knew everything~"

"That's a misunderstanding. There are still quite a few things I'm not good at..."

As he spoke, Luo Wei patted the masked cat beside him, "...When I was little, I did go fishing with Haruka in the stream behind our house, but because of Shin-chan, she ended up catching fish by herself."

Later, Luo Wei discovered that it was much more efficient to let Xin Ye Miao jump in and catch fish than to fish himself. So Luo Wei quickly and decisively gave up fishing, since there were plenty of other things to do in the mountains anyway.

In short, Luo Wei had never learned to fish. Back then, he just dug up some earthworms in the mountain stream and used a makeshift hook made from a pull tab from a soda can to fish. In fact, he wasn't even a novice; he was just messing around.

At this moment, this should be the first time that Luo Wei has actually touched a real fishing rod.

But it doesn't matter, there are plenty of experienced sailors on the ship who are good at fishing, and old man Hachi himself is also a skilled fisherman.

The elderly man, having nothing to do in his old age, enjoys going to the shallow sea for sea fishing, and his skills haven't been wasted at all.

Everyone has a first time when they're not good at something. With so many teachers around, and with Luo Wei being very eager to learn, he quickly learned to cast a proper shot after a few hours of practice, and then quietly waited for this brand new encounter...

"I wonder what kind of companions I'll meet this time?"

Chapter 213 Believe me, the next shot will definitely be a winner!

Including his previous two lives, Luo Wei had never been involved in fishing.

After all, he was a corporate slave who died from overwork in his previous life, and he didn't have any leisure time to enjoy life. Fishing was a rather luxurious hobby for him.

So, this was actually Luo Wei's first time seriously trying fishing. Fortunately, he learned quite quickly. After a few hours, he was already able to cast a line properly and then wait quietly.

Theoretically, the key is after the fish takes the bait; casting the fishing rod is only the first step. The real difficulty of fishing lies in outsmarting and outmaneuvering the fish that has taken the bait.

However, it's relatively less troublesome in the Pokémon world. Since the target is a Pokémon, it's incredibly "brave," and you don't even need to fish it out. Once it takes the bait, it will pounce on you on its own...

"Ok?"

Just as Luo Wei was intently watching the changes on the sea, his fishing rod trembled. Luo Wei immediately perked up and lifted the rod to reel in the line.

However, Gardevoir, who was standing behind Lowe, had a very subtle expression on her face at that moment. She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to say it.

Sylveon seemed to sense something as well, but she simply watched with her beautiful big eyes as Loew pulled up the fishing line.

"They've taken the bait, yes... uh..."

With a splash of water, Luo Wei saw a dark shadow being pulled out by him. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a large piece of rotten wood.

"...No, how did this thing get into the sea? Did it wash over from some nearby island?"

Seeing this, Luo Wei was both amused and exasperated, while Gardevoir and Sylveon had clearly detected what had taken the bait long ago through their telekinesis.

With their current psychic power, they can detect almost everything within a radius of several dozen nautical miles. Of course, this is limited to a few hundred meters below the sea surface; their psychic power is greatly hindered at deeper depths.

Almost a thousand meters below sea level... It's not easy to detect with telekinesis, and the average depth of the ocean is more than three thousand meters, which means that at least most of the ocean cannot be sensed.

But at least the waters near the upper area can still be felt, and with the power of Pokémon, it's not impossible to go even deeper.

But at least the moment they were hooked, Gardevoir and Sylveon could sense it, while Loewon helplessly removed the hook and shrugged...

"...It certainly doesn't look easy."