We set up on a small outcrop of rocks at the end of the path. A pair of Krabby scuttled away as we climbed on, but it was otherwise pretty secluded, though with a view of the small dock that served as a port for Pallet Town. Beyond the jetty was some scrub, reeds and such dividing the "beach" from the forest that looked like home to quite a few kinds of Pokemon. We'd have to be careful to stay out of their territory. Before assembling my rod, I let Spin and Dart out of their Pokeballs and called over Lucky and Vola, who were playing in the surf. I pointed to the grassy area.
"Okay that area is off-limits, so while Mac and I fish, you can play on this side of the rocks," I said, then gestured to a particularly flat one. "Why don't you each see how many pieces of shell you can find? When we catch something, I'll call over whoever has the biggest pile to help."
They set to it with an energy that made me think Janelle would soon have the beach she'd wanted. Meanwhile, Mac, at the end of the jetty, called out, "Make sure they don't go too far into the surf. It drops off pretty fast. It's one of the reasons this is such a good fishing spot, since there are Pokemon from more than just the shore, but it makes the area kind of dangerous if you're not a water-type." He released Cloyster into the surf, "Cloyster, would you mind resting at the edge of the shallows? Use Icicle Spear to make a fence, too."
Cloyster flared its shell in assent and blasted a barrage of icicles in a line down the beach. They stuck in the sand, their tops just under the surface. Barrier in place, it sank into the water, only one of its spikes visible over the waves.
I turned to my group, "You heard Mac, right? No-one passes Cloyster's icicles. Go ahead and play!" Once they were all occupied, I carefully negotiated my way down the rocks to where Mac sat assembling his fishing rod. I lowered myself onto a relatively flat rock and began putting my own together. My tacklebox still had quite a bit of bait, as well as all the Lure Balls that came with it. Mac was already laying back against a rock, eyes lidded and float bobbing in the water on his dangling line, by the time I was ready. I cast my own line and began the real work of fishing: waiting.
Mac was the first to get a bite, and of course it was a Magikarp. I politely declined to catch it. I'd caught plenty with Dad when I'd been younger, and I didn't particularly relish the idea of training a Gyarados. He tossed it back, then caught twelve more before I'd even gotten a nibble. Finally, I felt a tug on my line. As I started to struggle to keep hold, I glanced back at the debris my team had collected. The biggest pile was rimed in frost.
"Vola!" I shouted, "Get ready!"
Despite only calling my white fox, everyone scampered up the jetty to see. Vola nimbly bounded over the sharp rocks and landed easily at my side. I clutched the rod tightly enough that my knuckles went white, bracing my feet on the jagged rubble and hauling for all I was worth. My rod was bending almost double, the line stretching nearly to its limit. I felt myself starting to lose my balance.
"Whatever this is, it's big!" I said, "I might- EEEP!" I squeaked as I felt strong arms grab me around the waist and anchor me in place. I glanced back and saw Mac right behind me.
"Focus on the rod; I'll keep you out of the water," he said, and winked.
I rolled my eyes, and though I was grateful for the support, we'd have a conversation about boundaries later. I redoubled my efforts, and finally felt something give. A split second later, a spray of water erupted from the waves, soaking all of us. I quickly wiped the water out of my eyes to see thin, whippy tentacles flying towards me.
Vola was ready, though. Wind and hail beat back the grasping purple tendrils. "Make sure it can't pull you in! Disable!" Vola glared at the now-surfaced bulbous blue blob with its signature red "eyes". Her eyes shone, and soon the Tentacruel did, too. It whipped more of its myriad tentacles out toward her in retaliation, but they flopped limply over her. Its red "eyes" flared angrily, and a hideous screech blasted us.
Vola sank to her chest, forepaws wrapping over her sensitive ears. The sound cut off as a single tentacle drove into her side. She screamed in agony.
"Vola!" I cried, "Try to shake it off, use Freeze-Dry!"
A shudder ran down her body from her tails, and she narrowed her eyes, unleashing her freezing breath. The Tentacruel's jiggly surface solidified under the intense cold, but I saw its tendrils still drifting around below the surface.
It wasn't enough. A jet of water blasted Vola, and I heard a faint, strange tone resonate through the spray, no doubt amplified in the water itself. Vola tottered and winced. Her paw landed on a sharp edge of rock, and she scrambled back uncertainly, tripping over a gap and landing hard. This wasn't going to work.
"Return, Vola," I said, pulling her back into her Pokeball. "Lucky, scare it off with Roar!"
Lucky looked over at me nervously from where he'd seen Vola stumble over herself. I nodded to him, and he growled, then barked angrily at the jellyfish. The sharp, loud retorts shattered the tempo of the battle, and the Tentacruel, no longer anchored by my line and finally realizing it, took the chance to sink below the surface and disappear.
I stroked Vola's head softly, giving her a few scratches under her chin. Her tails flopped weakly.
"Have a bite," I said, nudging the Pecha berry closer to her snout. "You'll feel better."
She nibbled on it, but probably more for my sake than for hers. Lucky, who hadn't left my side since scaring off the Tentacruel and stood protectively over Vola since I'd released her onto the grass to rest, nosed it practically onto her with a few plaintive whines. I liked that he cared this much about a friend, and while he'd be a big help with what I was planning next, I wasn't going to dissuade kind behavior. "Good boy, Lucky," I said, putting an Oran berry next to him, "I'll leave it to you to make sure she eats, as long as you're nice about it. Give her this when she finishes that one."
"Row!" he barked seriously, then went back to monitoring Vola.
I waved for my other Pokemon to follow me from where they were watching a short distance away. "Spin, Dart, you come with me. Vola will be okay, and she doesn't need all of us crowding her. Anyway, I have a different plan for our next catch."
Rather than going back to the jetty, I led them to the beach, which they'd cleared pretty well while I'd been fishing. I don't think even Janelle would have any complaints, at least about the area I was planning to use. Mac, who'd been giving us our space, met us there. I went over the plan, and we got to work.
After Mac threw back about seven more Magikarp, plus one Tentacool, which, considering the circumstances, I also turned down, I got another bite. This one felt just as big as the Tentacruel had, but didn't provide nearly as much resistance. It felt like I was just dragging something through the water. I looked nervously to Dart, hovering about ten feet above the surface. She met my eyes, then squawked in acknowledgment. I was really proud of her. She'd spent the first minute or so getting her bearings over the small river, but after that only looped back and forth above my float.
I heaved mightily and jumped back over the small depression Spin had dug out. At the same time, Dart beat her wings and blew a Twister at the surfacing Pokemon. The catch, which had been pulled just out of the water by my efforts, was blown completely free and came spinning towards jump gave me some distance from the huge splash it pulled out of the water, so I clearly saw the round, flat creature flop onto the sand, tendrils bobbing. It completely filled the pit that had been dug large enough to fit even a Slowpoke.
"Ooooouuu," it intoned, almost sleepily. Its feelers waved around, assessing its surroundings.
"Just like we talked about, Spin," I said, even as I goggled at the size. But rather than spraying the huge Chinchou with dirt or rolling into it, Spin jammed his claws into the loose dirt of the pit. Something loosened, and they slowly began to sink. The Chinchou, realizing something was wrong, flapped its little flippers at the sand futilely, then started spraying a stream of bubbles out, making the quicksand sink faster.
Spin took the opportunity to curl up and use the current to his advantage, quickly reaching the angler, bouncing off, and landing outside the pull of the sinkhole. Our quarry stopped sinking after a few more seconds, with barely more than its eyes and the bulbs on its feelers visible above ground. Feeling a little unsporting, I tossed my Lure ball, and my new Pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light.