CHAPTER 9

Ethan was sure Wednesday would never come. But, finally, morning sunlight spilled through the cracks in his blinds, and Dad tapped gently on his door.

Dad was all dressed and sporting his new fishing hat, which had an extra-wide brim. “Get up, lazy bones!” he sang. “Early bird catches the fish—or something like that.”

Ethan sprang out of bed and hurried to get changed. Team Mystic was meeting at the lake in one hour to test his new theory about the Magikarp Code. He was half excited, half terrified. What if he was wrong?

He knew his friends would forgive him, even if he was wrong. He just really hoped he wasn’t.

Devin got ready quickly, too. And she had just as much trouble finishing her cereal as Ethan did. “I’m not hungry,” she finally said, pushing the bowl away. “I’m too excited!”

Beneath the table, Mystic seemed excited, too. Maybe she had seen Ethan slip her tennis ball into his pocket again today. Or maybe she could smell the extra Magikarp biscuit that Dottie had given him and Devin. That was in his pocket, too.

If Mystic wouldn’t listen to him today, he’d try giving her a bit of the Magikarp biscuit. To sweeten her up, he thought. Just like giving a Razz Berry to a Pokémon.

Finally, it was time to hop in Dad’s car and drive to the lake. Ethan had a feeling Gianna and Carlo would already be there, and he was right. Their bikes were locked in the rack in the parking lot by the lake.

Ethan was racing down the trail before Dad had even collected his tackle box from the trunk.

“I hope you catch the big one today, Dad!” Devin called over her shoulder.

Mystic ran at their feet, barking excitedly.

“Where are Gia and Carlo?” asked Devin, her head swiveling from side to side. “By the bridge?”

Ethan shrugged. “They probably went straight to one of the one-fish spots on the map,” he said. “The beach or the picnic area.”

Devin stopped running. He could almost hear the screech of her feet on the trail. “But we can’t go there!” she said. “Those areas are off limits for dogs.”

“I know,” said Ethan. “We’ll figure it out. Let’s just get close enough to see if Gia and Carlo are there.”

They walked toward the beach first, ducking around the NO DOGS ALLOWED sign and keeping Mystic on a short leash. When she tugged too hard, Ethan made her sit and then fed her a bite of Magikarp biscuit.

“Are we going to get in trouble?” asked Devin, slowing to a crawl.

Ethan shrugged. “Not if we keep her under control. Wait, I think I see them. Is that Gia’s bug cap?”

Something green and springy stood out from the crowd of kids on beach towels. It suddenly popped up and started bobbing toward them. Sure enough, there was Gia’s smiling face, jogging closer. She met them just beyond the beach, where the grass was still green and dogs were still allowed.

“We couldn’t wait to get started,” she said, her eyes flashing. “And Ethan, I think you were right! The beach and the picnic grounds are both crawling with Pokémon. Someone set a lure at the refreshment stand. Carlo already caught a bunch of Magikarp, plus a Staryu, a Psyduck, and a Seel.” She counted them off on her fingers.

“He caught a Seel?” asked Ethan.

“Yep,” said Gianna. “And all in the last twenty minutes. Carlo is still hunting down by the water. So you were right about the Magikarp Code.”

“Wait,” said Devin. “So one fish on the map means good Pokémon hunting, not bad?”

“I guess so,” said Ethan with a grin. “Just like Badfish Creek. Whoever marked the code on the maps is like a Pokémon fisherman who doesn’t want to give away the best spots—at least, not to everyone.”

“Weird,” said Devin. “So who’s the fisherman? And who is he—”

“Or she,” Gianna interrupted.

“Or she making the map for?” Devin finished asking.

Ethan shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we solved part of the mystery, but not all of it.”

Carlo jogged toward them from the beach, smiling widely. “Good job, buddy,” he said, slapping Ethan on the back. “We brought in quite a haul already this morning! I scored three Magikarp in twenty minutes.”

“So I heard,” said Ethan wistfully. “Did you leave some for me?”

Gianna nodded. “Sure. I’ll watch Mystic so you and Devin can take a turn. But I hope you have a lot of Poké Balls. You’re going to need them!”

Ethan handed her Mystic’s leash, plus part of the Magikarp cookie. “If she tugs, make her sit,” he told Gianna. “And reward her with a Razz Berry.”

“A what?” she asked, looking at the dog biscuit. “Oh, I get it! Cute.” She looked down at Mystic, who was already begging for a bite. “Okay,” said Gianna, breaking off a piece of the biscuit. “I can’t resist. Just one Razz Berry. Can you sit?”

Ethan smiled and raced to catch up with Devin, who was already exploring the beach.

His phone vibrated as soon as he hit the sand. And there was Seel!

Ethan tapped on the seal-like Pokémon, who started blowing bubbles—and blowing raspberries with his tongue.

“This is my lucky day!” said Ethan, tapping his items list. “And yours, too, Seel. You, my friend, get a Razz Berry.”

Ethan sat on the rocks beside the lake, staring at the map. He was fresh out of Poké Balls, but he’d collected a ton of Pokémon. He felt like a whale that had just swallowed a giant school of fish. He was full, but happy.

“So who do we think this ‘fisherperson,’ is—the one who made the map?” asked Gianna. She gazed up toward Badfish Creek Bridge.

Carlo chewed on a piece of grass beside her. “Do you think it’s a real fisherman?” he asked. “Because that really tan kid is always there. He’s leaning against the rail right now. See him?”

Ethan shaded his eyes. “I see him. But why do you think a fisherperson made the map? Wouldn’t it be someone who’s playing Pokémon, not looking for real fish?”

“Well, we did find both maps by the bridge,” Devin pointed out. “So it might be someone who’s there a lot.”

“True,” said Ethan, settling back down on the rock. But something about Devin’s theory still didn’t feel quite right.

Gianna had Carlo’s phone. Ethan watched her turn it upside down to catch a Poliwag.

“Can you really catch them that way?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, just as she snagged the Poliwag. “Sometimes it’s easier, and it’s a lot more fun, too.”

Ethan couldn’t turn his phone upside down to catch Pokémon—not till he had more Poké Balls to fling. So he turned the map upside down in his lap instead.

He stared at the red fish.

“You know,” he said, “maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way. Maybe instead of trying to figure out who made the map, we should figure out who it was made for.”

“Who knows?” said Devin. “Maybe it was made for us! By someone who knows how much we like hunting for Pokémon.”

“But who? Like Dad, you mean?” said Ethan, glancing back toward the willow. Dad was definitely sleeping now, his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. Ethan shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. We found the maps by accident, at least the first one. If Mystic hadn’t chewed it to shreds, we probably never would have even seen it.”

Devin rubbed Mystic’s furry mane. “You’re right,” she said. “Mystic is the one who got us into this mystery. Now can you get us out, Misty?” When she leaned over and kissed the dog on the mouth, Ethan had to look away.

“You know she eats worms, right?”

Devin kissed Mystic again—on the head this time. “Don’t listen to him,” she crooned right into the puppy’s ear.

“Okay, time out, you two,” said Gianna, holding her hands up in a T shape. “Devin just gave me an idea. Maybe the map wasn’t made for us, but it was made for someone like us—someone who likes to catch Pokémon.”

“Right,” said Carlo. “And judging by what we caught this morning, it’s a Pokémon GO player who catches a lot of Water-type Pokémon.”

“Like … Magikarp?” said Ethan.

His eyes immediately flicked toward the bridge. He saw his friends’ heads swivel, too.

There was one Pokémon GO player here at the lake who not only caught Water-type Pokémon, but seemed to love them. Especially Magikarp.

“The Magikarp Kid,” Ethan whispered.