Pidgey's sharp gaze pierced through layers of leaves. After circling a few times in the canopy, it dove like an arrow and landed steadily on Ash's outstretched arm.
It cooed rapidly, wings pointing in a certain direction of the forest. Its little head bobbed, then it opened its beak and mimed biting a hook, finally flapping its wings in a way that looked like flowing water.
"Pika pi?"Pikachu tilted its head up, looking at Pidgey, then at Ash, completely lost.
Ash frowned, doing his best to decipher Pidgey's body language.
This was the one annoying part right now—communication was still pretty rough.
Who knew when he'd awaken Aura or something.
"Hmm… over there… water? Something's moving? Eating? …Wait, biting a hook?"
Ash's eyes lit up. "Someone's fishing? By a river?"
If nothing went wrong… that should be Misty, right?
"Coo!"Pidgey nodded vigorously, flapping even harder.
"Hah! A true angler never goes home empty-handed!" Ash grinned. "Come on, let's check it out! Pikachu, Pidgey, stay quiet!"
"Pi~"Pikachu immediately clapped its tiny paws over its mouth.
"Coo."Pidgey also toned down its movements.
One boy and two Pokémon suppressed their presence as much as they could. Following Pidgey's directions, they pushed aside dense shrubs and soon arrived at a bend in a forest river.
The river water was crystal clear, sunlight dancing across the surface in shimmering ripples.
On a large rock at the bank sat a girl with bright orange hair.
She was staring intently at the bobber floating on the water.
At her feet sat a bucket. Silver flashes flickered inside—she'd clearly had a good haul.
Yep, that was Misty.
The clear river flowed with a gentle murmur, sunlight scattering across the surface like leaping golden scales.
Misty's orange ponytail swayed slightly as she leaned forward in concentration. She gripped her fishing rod steadily, the bobber trembling lightly with the ripples.
Two Goldeen in the bucket flicked their tails lazily.
Ash's expression instantly shifted into a dopey, pure-hearted grin. He strode out with big, excited steps.
"Whoa, you caught so many already!" His voice had that loud, unfiltered energy only a young boy could pull off, and it startled Misty so badly her hand slipped—her rod almost flew into the river.
The Goldeen in the bucket splashed wildly in shock.
Misty glared back. "Hey! You scared my fish away!"
She eyed this stranger who'd suddenly popped out of the bushes, then glanced at the Pikachu at his feet and the Pidgey on his shoulder, her expression full of wariness and annoyance at being interrupted.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry!" Ash pressed his palms together in apology.
"I'm Ash, a rookie Trainer who just set off from Pallet Town!"
"I didn't expect to run into such a skilled angler out here. I just had to come take a look!"
His eyes shone as he stared at Misty's rod and bucket, so earnest he practically had sparkles around him.
"That's amazing!"
"I've loved Water-type Pokémon ever since I was a kid!"
"It's just a shame…"
He chose just the right moment to sigh. His expression turned deeply regretful, and he patted his sadly flat pockets.
"I left in such a hurry, I didn't even bring a proper fishing rod! And on the way… Pikachu here accidentally zapped me a few times, and I think my wallet kinda…"
He glanced at Pikachu. Pikachu immediately played along, scratching its head with a tiny paw as two small sparks popped from its cheeks, eyes full of innocence.
"Pika? Chu?" (I did?) Pikachu still hadn't realized Ash was making stuff up.
Misty's brows relaxed a little.
He really did look like just a clumsy rookie Trainer. And… he loved Water-types?
That shared interest lowered her guard significantly.
Especially when she saw Pikachu's dopey-cute face, and Ash's eyes literally lighting up when he talked about Water-type Pokémon.
"Hmph. I see how it is."Misty's tone softened, even carrying a hint of "fellow enthusiast" approval.
"Loving Water-types is something I can respect."
"They're the most beautiful, most graceful, and strongest Pokémon in the world!"
"But the greatest Water-type Pokémon Master is definitely going to be me!"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Misty from Cerulean City."
She straightened her back proudly.
Not that there was much to straighten.
They were ten. There was nothing to straighten.
"Can't let you have that so easily~" Ash said. Since he wanted to be the greatest Champion, he definitely couldn't fall behind in the Water-type department.
"I love Pokémon like Greninja, Inteleon, and Gyarados—those guys are insanely cool!"
"And Goldeen's evolution, Seaking, looks pretty mighty too!"
At that, Misty's lips couldn't help but curl up a little.
Okay, this kid had decent taste.
She pulled a spare rod from her backpack.
It wasn't as good as the one in her hand, but it was still a solid, high-quality folding travel rod.
"Here," she said, looking at the rod. "Since you're so sincere—and a fellow Water-type fan… I'll lend you this."
"Don't break it! I take really good care of that one." She emphasized the last part.
"Spare rod" or not, it wasn't cheap.
"Thanks a ton! Misty, you're the best!" Ash whooped, rushing over to grab the rod. He baited the hook in a few quick, practiced motions—surprisingly skilled.
In his system overlay, a tiny message flickered:
[Acquired Item: Misty's Spare Rod (Fine Quality)]
The two of them took spots a few meters apart along the riverbank, each finding a rock to sit on and casting their lines.
"So," Ash started, eyes on his bobber as he slipped into tall tale mode, voice full of world-weary depth, "back when I used to fish in Pallet Town, that was real thrill fishing."
"Guess what I've hooked before."
"What?"Misty couldn't help biting.
"A Gyarados," Ash whispered, lowering his voice. "Its red scales shining under the moonlight… tsk. It used Dragon Rage once and almost flipped the whole forest."
"But in the end, it was moved by the bond between us and went back to the deep water."
Ash wore the expression of someone weighed down by "painful memories."
What actually happened: he went fishing in the pond behind Professor Oak's lab.
All the "wild" Pokémon there were raised by Trainers, so the whole thing was just a game for kids.
Plus, Daisy—Gary's older sister—had been there to watch over them, and Professor Oak's Dragonite had been on standby. Danger level: zero.
Misty's eyes went wide. "Gyarados?! Seriously??"
"Totally serious." Ash said earnestly. "There was another time when I almost caught a Wailord. That thing opened its mouth and I swear it felt like it could swallow my whole boat. Good thing I was clever enough to distract it with this special 'Wailord's Favorite Intestine-Flavored Bait' I made… otherwise you might never have met me."
"'Intestine-flavored bait' for Wailord?"Misty gave him a look that clearly said are you kidding me. "What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Secret recipe!" Ash winked smugly. "…It's very, very complicated."
He bullshitted with full confidence.
Misty's mouth twitched. She was sure this guy was talking out of his ass—but his stories had enough ridiculous detail that somehow they were… entertaining.
She couldn't help retorting, "You're full of it…"
And just like that, the two of them launched into a heated back-and-forth over Ash's bizarre "fishing adventures" and the habits of different Water-type Pokémon.
Every now and then, Misty was so exasperated by his wild stories she rolled her eyes,
but she still wanted to hear what kind of nonsense he'd come up with next.
Pidgey perched on Ash's shoulder, sharp eyes scanning the river and the surrounding forest, dutifully acting as lookout.
Pikachu squatted by Ash's feet, looking at its trainer who was spinning tales like a pro, then at Misty with her complicated expression. Its small head was full of big question marks.
"Pika?" (Humans are… complicated…)
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