Chapter 292: Initial Task Completed

Huo La held the fishing rod, his gaze fixed on the sea surface, while the scheming in his heart never ceased.

Since his doubts about the system grew deeper, he had to conduct further verification—whether the system was indeed the hidden mastermind that made him traverse and fit the prophecy, and what deeper meaning lay behind the Arceus Clone's vague message; all of this deserved careful contemplation.

He subconsciously recalled the system panel he saw yesterday, seeing the Energy Saturation already over fifty percent, and thought to himself: if he fully absorbed the remaining Interdimensional Energy inside the Mystic Tail Darkfish, the energy bar might jump past sixty percent in one go.

Now, the best opening to verify the system happened to lie in that long‑uncompleted Initial Task—capturing the Golden Magikarp.

This Initial Task had been pinned to his panel ever since he traversed, its description crystal clear: "Capture Golden Magikarp at Pallet Town's outer ditch (coordinates X39Y11)."

Magikarp is the most widely distributed and weakest Pokemon in the Pokemon World; in any era or region one can see them, which means a Shiny‑variant Golden Magikarp exists in every Time and Space.

If he can, in the Hisui era and the Qunqing Coast waters, capture a Golden Magikarp, he wonders how the system will judge this cross‑Time and Space mission—whether it will mark it completed or still show it as incomplete?

That is exactly what he is eager to know.

"Heh, with your way of fishing, you might even fish the world's destruction before you catch the Golden Magikarp you want." Daioqixisi's cold voice rang in Huo La's mind again, laced with unabashed mockery, shattering his thoughts.

Huo La was no longer surprised by this, and had even grown accustomed to it.

He offered no superfluous words, replying in his mind: "You have a way to let me fish the Golden Magikarp."

His tone was resolute, without a hint of doubt—Daioqixisi could surely detect the Golden Magikarp's trail.

"What's in it for me if I help you?" Daioqixisi's voice gained a hint of slyness.

Huo La paused, his tone flat yet decisive: "Nothing."

Silence fell in his mind instantly; Daioqixisi said nothing further, as if tacitly accepting this "no‑profit" deal.

After a long while, its voice sounded again, the tone regaining its coldness but now with added certainty: "To the southeast, a school of Magikarp is approaching, among them a Golden Magikarp. Cast your line that way, and I'll lock onto its aura."

A spark of brilliance flashed in Huo La's eyes, and a faint smile involuntarily tugged at his mouth.

He no longer hesitated, abruptly raising his hand to reel in the rod still submerged, the line tracing two crisp arcs in the air, bearing dried fish bait, and precisely flung toward the southeast as Daioqixisi indicated.

The line "plunk"ed into the sea, stirring a ring of fine ripples.

Huo La gripped the rod tightly, his expression more focused than before—this cast concerned not only the capture of the Golden Magikarp but also the system itself.

Beside him, Ming Yao and Xiao Zhao cast curious glances his way.

Xiao Zhao couldn't help speaking up: "Huo La, why did you suddenly change direction? Did you find something?"

Huo La didn't turn, merely gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed on the floating bob on the sea: "Hmm, it's close."

In his mind, Daioqixisi's voice sounded again: "Don't rush, it's very wary; I'll use energy to tug the bait's aura and draw it in."

The words barely finished when Huo La felt a faint tremor travel up the rod, the line extending toward the sea in a strange manner.

Time ticked by second by second, the sea surface remained utterly calm, Huo La's grip on the rod tightened slightly, even his breathing eased a bit.

At that moment, Daioqixisi's voice suddenly rang in his mind, now distinctly sharp: "It's coming!"

Before the words ended, Huo La instantly felt the rod snap down hard, a sizable force traveling up the line, nearly pulling him off balance.

He snapped back to his senses, leapt to his feet, thrusting both arms upward with force.

With the line's taut "buzz", a Magikarp awash in shimmering gold leapt out of the water, its streamlined body cloaked in fine golden scales; under sunlight and refracted droplets, gold radiated dazzlingly, even tinting the surrounding sea with a pale golden sheen.

"Wow! There really is a Golden Magikarp!" Xiao Zhao's eyes widened, she clapped and gasped in disbelief, her tone full of astonishment; earlier she'd been skeptical, now she was utterly stunned.

Ming Yao couldn't help stepping forward, surprise and amazement flashing in his eyes.

Huo La, however, paid no mind to their awe, his gaze locked on the airborne Golden Magikarp, and in a low voice ordered: "Pinch‑tail Scorpion, stop!"

The Pinch‑tail Scorpion, already primed with its tail poised, froze instantly, the Poison Needle it was about to launch halting abruptly, obediently coiling nearby, eyes wary of the golden silhouette.

Huo La dared not delay; he swiftly drew a specially‑styled Great Ball from behind— a prototype developed by Dr. Laben, its material tougher than ordinary Great Balls and its capture rate higher; only three exist in all of Hisui, each given to Ming Yao, Xiao Zhao, and himself.

The Great Ball arced through the air, homing on the Golden Magikarp; the instant it touched the creature, the sphere burst open, a gentle Red Light enveloping the Magikarp and instantly drawing it inside.

The Great Ball landed on the sea surface, bouncing twice lightly without any wobble; clearly the Golden Magikarp offered no resistance and had been successfully captured.

Huo La stood rigid on the shore, his gaze fixed on the Great Ball floating calmly on the sea, his brows knit into a deep line, his aura heavy and suffocating.

He paid no heed to the rod still in his hand; all his attention was seized by the system's repeatedly blasting mechanical tones in his mind, his expression heavy with gravity and vigilance.

"System detected capture of 'Golden Magikarp', Initial Task com…plete." The cold mechanical voice stuttered noticeably, as if the program were being forcibly torn, cutting off before the sentence finished, leaving a strange blank.

Yet that blank was instantly filled by another broadcast, its tone still mechanical but wholly contradictory: "Golden Magikarp not captured at Pallet Town X39Y11, Initial Task incomplete......"

The bizarre loop began then.

The completed and incomplete alerts alternated in his mind, the stutter growing more pronounced; within a brief span they replayed dozens of times, the chaotic soundwaves cutting his nerves like a dull blade, laying the system's anomaly bare.

Huo La's consciousness was trapped by the endless broadcast, all external sounds completely cut off, his fingertips involuntarily clenched, his breathing growing ragged.

He could clearly sense the system's energy fluctuations raging wildly, the Energy Saturation that had risen steadily now spiking up and down as if bearing an unknown shock.

"Huo La, Huo La! Why are you standing still?" Xiao Zhao's crisp voice, tinged with urgency, pierced the clamor in his mind.

This tug finally pulled Huo La's consciousness back to reality.

He snapped back to awareness, the looping mechanical tone in his mind gradually subsiding, finally settling on a clear yet faintly stuttered report: "Initial Task completed."