Give me something

As the shimmer of flames and sparks began to settle into content practice movements, Ayan dusted himself off and stood. He was halfway through calling everyone back when he suddenly remembered something.

"Fishing rod," he murmured, snapping his fingers. His Pokémon choices had been very random, which wasn't a good sign. He wasn't having a long term plan, mainly because he knew that eventually he would have legendary Pokémon and thus everything was a stepping stone for him. 

But it didn't mean he could neglect the normal Pokémon that he would catch. He would have multiple teams. He dreamt of having Sandstorm team, Rainy team, Sunny team or even the Hailstorm team. But for that he would need to choose his Pokémon wisely. But he also wanted to have freedom and not be tied down. He would catch Pokémon that he liked and not if he didn't want to.

He would need a huge space for this and for that he needed to have money and power, for which he would work for and strive to be. He was in a dilemma and for the time being he wanted Pokémon of each type before furthering his vague plans and for that he needed to catch a Water Pokémon for sure. 

He turned on his heel and jogged back into the Poké Mart.

"Back again so soon?" The shopkeeper glanced up, recognizing him from earlier.

"Yeah, I forgot to ask," Ayan said. "Do you have any fishing rods?"

The man nodded and walked toward a tall display near the side wall, where several rods of varying lengths and finishes hung.

"We've got standard Old Rods—good for catching common low-tier Pokémon. Not great, but they work. Then there's the Good Rod, and finally—" he paused, giving Ayan a knowing look, "the Super Rod. Top-of-the-line. Pricey, but you'll be pulling in evolved Pokémon, maybe even rare ones, depending on where you fish."

Ayan tilted his head, feigning indecision. But really, the choice was obvious.

"How much for the Super Rod?"

"600 Poké Dollars."

That would leave him with 415. Not much breathing room, but this was too good an opportunity.

"I'll take it."

"Bold choice, young man. You'll be glad you picked this one." The shopkeeper whistled as he wrapped the rod.

As he exited the Poké Mart, the Super Rod slung diagonally across his back, Ayan grinned to himself. That's one step closer to building a regional-class team. Now came the question—Viridian Forest or Route 22?

He stood still, mentally tracing the layout. The Forest would eventually be unavoidable, but Route 22, if he remembered correctly it had a lake, unlike the Forest. More importantly, he wouldn't have to deal with Bug-types, being in Route 1, he was now a bit bored of seeing them everywhere. 

"Let's check out Route 22," he decided. "Catch something good before the forest grind."

The route unfurled like a rustic trail, winding between low cliffs and tall grass. Wild Pokémon weren't shy about attacking him, and he was only too happy to let his team stretch their legs. Everyone got their chance.

Charmander handled a feisty Mankey, dodging flailing limbs and retaliating with a Fire Spin that left the monkey running with its tail smoking. Pidgey fought a Nidoran with sharp aerial dives, her Steel Wing making the final blow glint like a slash of silver light. Cyndaquil was a little too eager and knocked out a Spearow with Take Down, tumbling clumsily afterward and landing belly-first in the dirt. Ayan winced, but the little guy just rolled back to his feet, chirping proudly.

After much thought he didn't catch the fighting type or the poison type just yet. He wanted to settle for a good water type in this route first and only then he would decide to go for other types. It's not like these Pokémon were running away and they would always be available here. 

Shinx, meanwhile, stayed at the edges. She intervened only when a Pidgey swooped too close to Ayan's blind spot—biting the poor bird mid-flight with a crackling Thunder Fang and scaring it off. She then calmly returned to her silent watching post, keeping her distance but clearly tuned in to the group's rhythm.

Eventually, they arrived at a large shimmering lake, its surface smooth as glass under the fading afternoon sun. Trees crowded the edges, and Pokémon chirped quietly from the shadows.

"This'll do," Ayan whispered.

He carefully unstrapped the Super Rod and chose a spot near a mossy rock that jutted slightly into the water. His team sat around—Charmander and Cyndaquil squabbling again in some weird fire-flickering contest, Pidgey perched nearby watching the ripples, and Shinx curled under a bush, eyes scanning the lake.

He cast the rod.

The moment the line hit the water, the air changed. There was something deeply peaceful about it all, watching the bobber float silently while surrounded by his team. Ayan let out a slow breath.

It wasn't long before he felt a strong tug.

"Oh?" He braced and reeled in hard.

The water thrashed. Something powerful, heavier than he expected. With a final pull, a large blue-and-black blur shot from the surface—splashing onto the bank with a flopping sound. It was a Poliwhirl—its spiral belly pulsing hypnotically as it flailed on the grass.

"No way… first try?"

The Pokémon groaned out a confused whirl! as it tried to get back to the lake. He didn't even send out a Pokémon. Instead, he crouched to inspect it. Level 10. Pretty solid, stronger than his current Pokémon. But he shook his head.

"You're great," he said, patting it lightly with a gloved hand. "But not what I need right now."

With that, he let the Poliwhirl go. It didn't fight back or try to show attitude like it was known for doing, simply rolled back into the water with a splash. He cast again.

Then again.

Over the next 45 minutes, Ayan caught at least seven Magikarp, another Poliwhirl, and two Poliwag, all varying between level 5 to 12. While some kids might've been thrilled, Ayan had higher standards. He wanted something worth raising. Even a Slowpoke would've been acceptable—he already had a King's Rock blueprint in mind, and Slowking could talk, which would be insane to have this early on.