The Seaking Catching Contest, much like the Bug-Catching Contest, is held periodically throughout the Johto region. It attracts a large number of fishing enthusiasts and trainers who love Water-type Pokémon, such as Misty.
Following Shiro to the venue, Ash and his friends discovered a massive crowd of trainers carrying fishing rods. The contest site was a beautiful pond lush with aquatic plants, home to a large school of Seaking that were mostly very well-developed.
Misty had a beautiful Goldeen of her own. It was a standard size, well-raised, and one of her key team members, though for some reason, it had never evolved.
The rules were identical to the Bug-Catching Contest. Participants could bring their own rods or rent them from the organizers. Within the time limit, you could catch as many Seaking as you wanted, but only one could be officially entered into the contest using the specialized Lake Ball. These were just like the Park Balls used in the Bug-Catching Contest.
The judging criteria were much simpler than the Bug-Catching Contest since only one species was involved. Whoever caught the heaviest Seaking was the winner. The prize was a delicate trophy featuring a Seaking and a year's supply of chocolate—something Snorlax would definitely enjoy.
"It's decided! I'm joining the contest!" Misty declared. "My fishing partner will be Poliwhirl!"
Ash wasn't about to be left behind. "My partner will be Totodile!"
"Pikachu, take care of Molly, okay?"
The four of them boarded a boat. Pikachu sat out the contest and was held in Molly's arms. Misty had her own rod, while Ash had to rent one.
"Big Brother Ash, Big Sister Misty, do your best!" Molly cheered excitedly, holding Pikachu as she experienced her first boat ride.
Once they found an ideal spot, the competition began. Ash didn't know the first thing about fishing, but he had a "cheat code"!
With a flash of blue light, Ash used his Aura to scan the water. He found several massive, well-developed Seaking, but hooking them wouldn't be easy. The water quality here seemed perfect for Seaking; while other Water-types existed, they were few and far between.
"Ash, are you seriously using your superpowers to fish?" Misty couldn't help but complain when she saw the blue glow.
"Hehe, I don't know how to fish normally!" Ash wasn't ashamed at all. What was the point of being a transmigrator if you didn't use your advantages?
"Huh?"
As Ash's Aura delved deeper into the water, he coincidentally discovered a rather large Shellder! To survive in a territory dominated by Seaking, it clearly had to be tough. Ash's eyes glowed blue as he manipulated his lure to sink to the bottom, teasing the Shellder hiding there.
Surprisingly, the little guy didn't hide. Instead, it snapped its shell shut right over the hook.
"Whoa, Ash! You got a bite already?" Misty was shocked to see his line go taut so quickly. Even with superpowers, this "cheating" was a bit too efficient!
"It's not a Seaking!" Ash explained as he pulled the Shellder out of the water. Up close, it was clearly a size larger than average. The nutrient-rich water here didn't just benefit the Seaking.
"Totodile, Ice Fang!"
The Shellder was instantly frozen, and Ash threw a Poké Ball to catch it. Since this was a Seaking contest, catching a Shellder with his own ball didn't break any rules. He planned to train it for a bit to raise its Bond Level.
Then, it would finally be time for Slowpoke to evolve!
Back on the boat, Totodile was still doing its cheerful dance when suddenly, its body began to emit a brilliant light! It was finally evolving!
Under Ash's disciplined training, its frame grew stronger within the light. The evolved Croconaw was much taller and more muscular than Totodile. With red bony plates on its head, back, and tail, this crocodilian predator looked far more ferocious.
After evolving, Croconaw's personality became much steadier and more aggressive. While it stopped dancing at every opportunity, its combat power and speed had improved significantly.
"Great job, Croconaw!"
With this, all three of the Johto starters Ash had caught had completed their first stage of evolution. Bayleef, the first to be caught, was likely close to its final form. Given its high Bond Level with Ash, it might even achieve Bond Evolution immediately upon evolving. Ash was looking forward to it immensely.
"So cool!" Misty looked at Croconaw with envy. She hadn't been lucky enough to encounter a wild Totodile like Ash had.
"Big Sister Misty, a bite!" Molly shouted as Misty's line suddenly snapped tight. Misty's fishing experience far exceeded Ash's, and she quickly reeled in a Seaking.
"It's huge!" This Seaking looked to be over 50 kilograms.
"Poliwhirl, use Double Slap!"
Poliwhirl leaped up and delivered a flurry of slaps to the Seaking's head—a brutal sight!
"Go, Lake Ball!" Misty threw the ball, capturing the dazed Seaking. These Lake Balls weren't permanent; they were just for temporary containment, so there was no "ding" of a successful catch.
Ash was satisfied with Croconaw's evolution and the new Shellder. Besides, if he had actually won using his Aura to cheat, Misty would never have let him hear the end of it.
Misty ultimately won the championship with her giant Seaking, earning the trophy and the year's supply of chocolate.
"Yay! We have chocolate to eat!" Molly was the happiest of all. She took the chocolate Misty shared with her, opened a box, and popped a piece into her mouth. "Candy tastes best after hard work!"
"It was Big Sister Misty's hard work, you know!" Ash teased as he lifted Molly onto Bayleef's back. "Let's head out!"
"Molly helped by cheering!" she insisted.