Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

A strong wind suddenly swept through the small grove, and the eagle flapped its wings and landed on the ground.

With a habitual flip, Tetsuya quickly sat on Pidgeot's back.

"See you again someday."

He said politely that it would be best if the next time they met, the situation would be the same as now, with him giving money.

The next moment, Pidgeot carried Tetsuya into the sky.

Starting a trip to a new area with a day of making money is truly wonderful. Whether it was the strong wind or his laughter, Tetsuya's eyes were squinted into slits.

"Chengdu, what a wonderful place!"

Chapter 304 Islands in the Water

"Trainer #22, Tetsuya Tamaki."

Your Pokémon, which you left at the center, has been restored. Please go to the front desk immediately with your number to collect it.

Miss Joy's familiar and sweet voice echoed throughout the small fairy center.

Tetsuya, who had been sitting to the side with his eyes closed for a short rest, opened his eyes and stood up.

Unlike the Kanto region, the Johto region, while also possessing technology, has a more retro overall lifestyle.

For example, the matter of retrieving a Pokémon from the Pokémon Center.

Even the more conservative Kanto region uses sending information to the trainer's wristwatch as a reminder, but Johto insists on calling out the numbers manually.

This may be related to the legends of various mythical beasts and the long history of the Johto region.

Through such long-term persistence and development, this style has become a distinctive feature of the Tokyo area.

Although he was a little unaccustomed to the place at first, Tetsuya also found it quite novel.

"Thank you, Miss Joey."

As Tetsuya walked to the front desk, he handed over a wooden number plate and took the Poké Balls of his six companions from Nurse Joy.

"You're welcome. I hope you have a memorable trip in Jihua City."

Miss Joey replied in a very gentle and polite manner.

Yoshihaya City was the city Tetsuya was heading to for rest after completing his mission at the Capital Waterfall.

Rather than a city, Yoshika City is actually about the same size as Wakaba Town.

As the only central thoroughfare connecting Wakaba Town and Cilantro City, Yoshihaya City has only one insignificant, relatively weak single-player gym stationed there for protection.

This is probably because, given the geographical location of Yoruichi, surrounding cities can easily provide support should a wild Pokémon attack the city.

An even more important reason is that next to Yoshihaya City, which is famous for its fragrant flowers and sea breeze, there is a waterfall called "Blue Full Moon Waterfall," and a group of Swamp Kings who autonomously protect Yoshihaya City live on the waterfall.

Don't be fooled by the Swamp King's goofy appearance into thinking it's not aggressive. As a creature whose diet consists mostly of meat, a group of Swamp Kings can be quite intimidating in the wild.

These swamp kings have been silently fulfilling their duty of protection since the birth of Jihua City, and people still do not know why they do so.

However, out of gratitude, people also bring the spherical objects that the Swamp Kings need during the annual Swamp King celebration ceremony.

In any case, these objects will still drift back into the river below the waterfall the next day.

This is also one of the biggest differences between Johto and Kanto.

In the Kanto region, you will often see wild spirits fighting against humans in the city, vying for territory. In the shadows and corners of every city, there are no shortage of wandering wild spirits eyeing the city covetously.

In the capital, you'll see humans and elves living together in harmony.

The people of the Johto region do not believe that wild Pokémon will harm them; on the contrary, they believe that they protect them. In many towns, certain types of Pokémon are even regarded as "totems" and protected by each other.

If we delve deeper into the reasons, according to Tetsuya's thinking, it should be related to the Johto people's obsession with bringing back Ho-Oh.

According to the information Tetsuya obtained from the Pokémon Center City tourist guide, the next Swamp King Ceremony will begin in about two months, and he will unfortunately miss the opportunity to witness this beautiful sight.

"If you're interested, you can try fishing at the seaside fishing grounds. Enjoying the fun of fishing in the gentle sea breeze at night is also part of the meaning of travel."

Miss Joey, seeing Tetsuya constantly browsing and flipping through the manual, kindly offered her suggestions.

Fishing? Tetsuya thought to himself, "That's a pretty good suggestion."

He hadn't fished in a long time since his last fishing trip on the St. Anne's.

Although the types of Pokémon living in the water are not much different between the Johto and Kanto regions, there are still some differences, which is a good opportunity to experience them.

"Miss Joey, could you recommend where to buy a fishing rod and where is the best place to fish?"

Tetsuya put away the manual and decisively asked Miss Joey a question.

When you arrive in a city and don't know what to do, you can't go wrong asking Nurse Joy. They are the living maps of the city—one of the trainers' maxims.

"Hmm~"

Miss Joey leaned on the counter, cutely putting her finger to her lips as she began to think.

"Looks like you're not a seasoned fisherman; you don't even have your own equipment."

In that case, I suggest you go to a shop called "Gudao Fishing Tackle" on the west side of the city and ask the owner. He is the most experienced angler in Jihua City.

In addition, his isolated island fishing ground is the best seaside fishing ground in Jihua City.

Miss Joey answered Tetsuya's question with a smile.

Tetsuya felt as if his heart had been struck.

"No, no, I'm not Xiao Gang."

He hurriedly and frantically repeated the mantra in his mind.

It has to be said that Miss Joy is truly one of the gentlest people in the world of elves. You will be influenced by their charm without even realizing it. No wonder there is a group of people in the elf world who make pursuing Miss Joy their goal.

Of course, no one but themselves knows whether they truly cared for Joey or the Joey family.

After thanking Miss Joy repeatedly, Tetsuya walked towards the direction she pointed out, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Yoshika City is indeed not very big. Following Miss Joey's instructions, Tetsuya crossed three streets and saw the fishing tackle shop she mentioned.

It wasn't exactly dilapidated, but it looked very old; even the door was a hand-operated roller shutter.

"Dong Dong~"

Tetsuya stepped forward and knocked on the pillar next to him: "Hello, is anyone here? I came here to buy a fishing rod on the recommendation of Miss Joey."

No one replied.

Tetsuya repeated it again, but there was still no sound.

Looking at the "Open for Business" sign at the entrance, he thought for a moment and then stepped inside.

Wow~

Upon entering the shop, Zhe was immediately drawn to the various fishing rods hanging on the wall.

The wall was casually hung with rare, limited-edition fishing rods from various famous and large fishing grounds in the Kanto and Johto regions, as well as several impressive fishing rods personally signed by fishing masters.

He was now completely convinced of what Miss Joey had said about the shop owner being a fishing expert.

High-quality fishing rods are not common. These items, which are considered the highest-grade tools among fishing rods, are as rare as some fairy items.

Even rarer are fishing rods signed by masters, as this signifies that the master angler has used the rod to achieve significant honors. Usually, only recognized rivals are gifted such a powerful rod, and ordinary people simply cannot obtain it.

"Ok?"

As he looked around, Zhe noticed a map of Jihua City hanging on the wall, and he subconsciously uttered a questioning sound.

Unlike the map of Jihua City in his memory, this map showed that there was a sizable island next to Jihua City.

However, this did not align with his understanding.

"This is an isolated island."

A deep, middle-aged male voice sounded beside Tetsuya.

"An isolated island?"

Tetsuya asked in return, curious.

He was certainly not intimidated by the man. His honed senses were real; even without the highest alert level, he was still capable of reacting to anyone who approached him.

"Yes, that's where the name of my shop comes from."

The man, who was also the owner of the fishing tackle shop, said slowly.

"Joey sent you, right? How much money did you prepare?"

The shop owner walked behind the counter and asked directly.

"Um, no upper limit?"

Tetsuya hesitated for a moment before speaking, but having just made a fortune, he felt confident in his ability to back it up.

The shop owner chuckled: "It's probably unrealistic to say there's no upper limit. A fishing rod is just a tool, not a prop."

Judging from your appearance, you're in excellent physical condition. If this is your first time fishing, I recommend using a good fishing rod of this type.

He casually pulled out a not-too-large box from under the counter, and from inside he pulled out a very long red fishing rod that defied common sense.

Tetsuya took it and tossed it in his hand.

Ignoring the feel of the object, he continued to ask questions to satisfy his curiosity: "I want to know if this isolated island really exists."

Tetsuya's intuition told him that there must be many good things on this island.

The shop owner glanced at him and said, "Many trainers have asked the same question as you. I can only tell you that it does exist because I've been there. But as for more specific details..."

The shop owner smiled again.

"You'll have to pay more."

Chapter 305: The story of the fisherman never going home empty-handed.

"what?"

Zhe was taken aback by the shop owner's sudden outburst, and he uttered a sound of disbelief.

"What 'huh'?" the shop owner replied lazily. "It's not easy to run a business these days. It's not unreasonable for me to charge you a small information fee for selling information, is it?"

That's definitely not an exaggeration.

Tetsuya subconsciously followed the shop owner's train of thought and continued to think.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

"How many people bought this information?" Tetsuya asked speechlessly.

"About... five or six hundred?"

The shop owner pondered for a moment and then gave Tetsuya an answer that made him want to vomit blood.

Tetsuya closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his expression had returned to its usual blank look.

He really shouldn't have had any expectations of this kind of information that's just hanging on the wall.

"I'll take this fishing rod. How much?"

Ignoring the map, Tetsuya cast a few lines to get a feel for the fishing rod in his hand. Finding it quite good, he asked the shopkeeper for advice.

"Ten thousand, no bargaining."

The shop owner quoted a price that was a bit too high.

Tetsuya frowned. He wasn't one to be easily fooled and willing to be ripped off; even for a good fishing rod, this price was too high.

"By the way, I can tell you about the island for free, as a bonus when you buy a fishing rod from me."

A sly smile appeared on the shop owner's face.

Tetsuya was almost amused by the middle-aged man in front of him, but after thinking about it, he readily agreed.

This underwater island, which doesn't exist on a normal map, was indeed very tempting to him.

Or rather, it's very tempting for every trainer.

Presumably, the other trainers who bought the information shared the same thought.

Being scammed? Tetsuya said he shouldn't need to worry about that.