Pidgey's sharp gaze pierced through the layers of green leaves, and after circling a few times, it swooped down like a sharp arrow, landing steadily on Ash Ketchum's outstretched arm.
It cooed urgently, its wings pointing in a certain direction within the forest. Its small head bobbed, mouth opening to mimic the action of biting a hook, and finally, it fluttered its wings to imitate the undulating waves of water.
"Pika-pi?" Pikachu looked up with its small head, glancing at Pidgey and then at Ash Ketchum, a look of blank confusion on its face.
Ash Ketchum frowned, trying hard to interpret Pidgey's body language.
This was the only trouble right now; communication was far from smooth.
He wondered when he would be able to awaken the power of Aura.
"Hmm... over there... is water? Something moving? Eating? ...Wait, biting a hook?"
Ash Ketchum's eyes lit up. "Someone is fishing? By the river?"
If nothing unexpected happened... could it be Misty?
"Coo-coo!" Pidgey nodded vigorously, flapping its wings even more cheerfully.
"Ha! Anglers never go home empty-handed!" Ash Ketchum grinned. "Let's go take a look! Pikachu, Pidgey, keep it quiet!"
"Pika~" Pikachu immediately covered its little mouth.
"Coo." Pidgey also softened its movements.
One human and two pets suppressed their presence. Guided by Pidgey, they pushed aside the dense bushes and soon arrived at a riverbend within the forest.
The river water was clear, shimmering with sparkling waves under the sunlight.
Sitting on a large rock by the shore was a young girl with orange hair.
She was staring with rapt attention at the fishing float on the water's surface.
A water bucket sat by her feet; silver light seemed to flicker inside, indicating a decent haul.
Hmm, it was indeed Misty.
The clear river water flowed with a gurgle, the sunlight shattering into jumping golden scales upon the surface.
Misty's orange ponytail swayed slightly with her focused posture, the fishing rod held steady in her hand, the float bobbing gently in the ripples.
Inside the bucket, two Goldeen were swishing their tails.
Ash Ketchum's face instantly switched to a smile that carried a bit of silliness but was full of pure enthusiasm, and he walked out with long strides.
"Wow! You caught so many!" His voice carried the characteristic boisterousness of a teenage boy, successfully startling Misty so much that her hand shook, nearly throwing the fishing rod into the river.
The Goldeen in the bucket were also frightened into splashing water.
Misty turned back in a huff: "Hey! You scared my fish away!"
She looked at this strange boy who had suddenly popped up, along with the Pikachu by his feet and the Pidgey landing on his shoulder, her eyes holding wariness and the displeasure of being disturbed.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry!" Ash Ketchum put his hands together.
"I'm a rookie Trainer who just set out, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
"I didn't expect to find a fishing expert here, I couldn't help but come over to look!"
He stared intently at Misty's fishing rod and water bucket, his gaze so sincere it almost sparkled:
"That's amazing!"
"I've been suuuper into Water-type Pokémon since I was little!"
"It's a pity..."
Ash Ketchum sighed at the right moment, his expression becoming incredibly regretful, and he even patted his flat pockets:
"I left in such a hurry that I forgot to bring a decent fishing rod! And... I got shocked by Pikachu a few times on the road by accident, so my wallet seems to have..."
He glanced at Pikachu. Pikachu immediately cooperated by scratching its head with a small paw, two tiny electric sparks sizzling from its cheeks, looking the picture of innocence.
"Pika? Chu?" (Don't I?) Pikachu's little brain hadn't yet realized Ash Ketchum was just talking nonsense.
Misty's brow loosened a little.
The other party seemed to be just a clumsy rookie Trainer, and... loved Water-type Pokémon?
This commonality lowered her natural vigilance considerably.
Especially seeing Pikachu's "adorkable" appearance, and Ash Ketchum's look of eyes lighting up at the mention of Water-type Pokémon.
"Hmph, is that so." Misty's tone softened, even carrying a subtle sense of validation at meeting a "fellow enthusiast".
"Loving Water-type Pokémon is certainly something worth affirming!"
"They are the most beautiful, most elegant, and most powerful existences in the world!"
"But the greatest Water-type Pokémon Master will definitely be me!"
"Hello, I'm Misty from Cerulean City."
She puffed out her chest.
Unfortunately, no matter how much she puffed, there was nothing there.
What can you have at ten years old?
Flat as a washboard!
"I won't hand that title over to you~" Ash Ketchum was going to become the greatest Champion, so naturally he couldn't lose in the Water-type department either~
"I love ones like Greninja, Inteleon, and Gyarados, they're simply too cool!"
"Of course, Seaking, which evolves from Goldeen, is also very majestic!"
Hearing this, the corners of Misty's mouth couldn't help but curl up.
This kid has pretty good taste!
She took a spare fishing rod out of her backpack.
It was a travel folding rod, not as high quality as the one in her hand, but still quite decent.
"Here," Misty looked at the spare rod. "Seeing that you're so sincere, and a fellow Water-type fan... I'll lend it to you."
"Don't break it! I maintain this carefully!" she emphasized.
Even though it was a spare, it wasn't cheap.
"Thank you so much! Misty, you're such a good person!" Ash Ketchum cheered, immediately lunging over to grab the fishing rod, skillfully hooking the bait—his movements unexpectedly practiced.
In his system view, a tiny notification flashed:
[Obtained Item: Misty's Spare Fishing Rod (Fine)]
The two sat on rocks by the riverbank a few meters apart and cast their lines into the water.
"Speaking of which," Ash Ketchum started his "bragging" mode while staring at the float, his tone carrying the emotion of someone who has seen the world. "When I used to fish in Pallet Town, that was truly thrilling!"
"Guess what I caught?"
"What?" Misty's curiosity was piqued.
"A Gyarados!" Ash Ketchum lowered his voice. "Those red scales under the moonlight, tsk tsk... At the time, one Dragon Rage from it nearly flipped the surrounding forest!"
"But in the end, moved by my (future) comradeship, I released it back into the deep water."
Ash Ketchum had a deep look of "the past is unbearable to recall" on his face.
In reality, he was fishing in the courtyard behind Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Since they were all Pokémon raised by Trainers, they were just playing with a kid.
And Gary's sister Daisy was there with him, plus Professor Oak's Dragonite escorting them, so there was absolutely no danger.
Misty's eyes widened as she listened: "A Gyarados?! For real??"
"Absolutely true!" Ash Ketchum vowed solemnly. "There was another time I almost caught a Wailord! That guy, when it opened its mouth, it felt like it could suck my whole boat in! Luckily I was quick-witted and used the special 'Wailord's Favorite Innards-Flavored Bait' to lure it away... otherwise, you might not be seeing me now."
"Wailord's Favorite Innards-Flavored Bait?" Misty looked at him like he was kidding. "What the heck is that?"
"Exclusive secret recipe!" Ash Ketchum winked proudly. "...Uh, it's very hard to get!"
He spouted nonsense with serious affectation.
Misty's mouth twitched. Although she felt this kid was full of hot air, the tall tales had enough detail to sound strangely interesting.
She couldn't help but retort: "Nonsense! ..."
The two began a heated discussion over the various bizarre fishing experiences Ash Ketchum fabricated and the habits of Water-type Pokémon.
Misty would occasionally roll her eyes at being choked by Ash Ketchum's unconstrained "experiences," but she couldn't help wanting to hear what other flowers he could weave.
Pidgey stood on Ash Ketchum's shoulder, its sharp eyes scanning the river surface and surroundings, dutifully acting as a sentry.
Pikachu squatted by Ash Ketchum's feet, looking at its Trainer, who was spraying saliva as he spoke, and then at Misty, who was listening with a complicated expression. Its small head was filled with big question marks.
"Pika?" (Humans... are so complicated...)
______
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