PokéShipping Week 2017
Day #1 - Fishing
"Ah, this is the life."
Contentment lacing every syllable, Misteria Waterflower has an easy smile on her face. Her trusted fishing pole in hand, her Pokémon enjoying the cool, refreshing water of the river before her, the sun burning above all help create a truly tranquil scene.
The sounds of nearby Pidgey only accentuate the loveliness of the scene.
However, her fishing companion clearly feels much different about the current state of affairs.
"And I'm bored." Ashton Ketchum says, groaning. Pulling his fishing pole back out of the water, he falls back against the ground he's sitting on. "So, so bored."
Misty shoots a sour look at her boyfriend, her attention simultaneously on him and her fishing pole.
"You know," Misty starts, turning away from him with an irritated huff. "you didn't have to join me."
"You're right." Ash agrees. He readjusts himself so he's laying on his side. Facing his girlfriend, he gives her a grin. "But it isn't like I could let it you wander into some uncharted dangerous territory alone."
"Ash," Misty starts, her tone deadpan as she looks him straight in the eyes. "It's a ten-minute walk back to Cerulean City from here."
"I'm not sure how that matters." Ash says.
Misty shakes her head, sighs with exasperation. Plastering a cheerful smile to her face, she looks out over her Pokémon. All of them enjoying the water, having fun; it does her heart exceptionally well.
"Besides," she adds. "It's not like I'm all alone."
"I guess you're right about that."
"Of course I am."
"Pika Pikachu Pikachupi!"
"Whose side are you on?!"
As Ash moves on to grumbling about Pikachu and his supposed traitorous ways, Misty turns back to her fishing. And just in time for her line started to shake back and forth. Slowly at first to and fro, it isn't long before the swaying becomes much more vigorous.
"Wow, it must be a really big Pokémon!" Ash remarks, watching as his girlfriend strains against her fishing pole, the pull of the Water-Type nibbling on her lure.
"It's definitely heavy." Misty says, groaning with a particularly passionate tug of her fishing pole.
A few more moments of this strenuous back-and-forth ensue before Misty manages to pull her fishing pole and the Pokémon attached out of the water. Up and out and over her head, Misty turns around, grinning expectantly-
And finds any expectations she may have had unceremonious dashed as she sees just who exactly was tugging on her fishing line.
"Psyduck!"
The Duck Pokémon merely swings back and forth, his lips still firmly wrapped around Misty's fishing pole.
"I guess this means you accidentally caught him a second time." Ash muses, grinning at the redhead as she, with closed eyes, puts her hand to her forehead.
"Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"Not helping."
Ash chuckles sheepishly. "Alright, let me see what I can do."
With that said, Ash approaches the Water-Type clinging to Misty's fishing implement. Moving his hands up his arms to mimic the gesture of rolling up his sleeves, he grabs Psyduck and begins pulling.
"C'mon Psyduck!" Ash exclaims as he starts walking backwards in an attempt to make removing Psyduck easier. "Time to let go of Misty's fishing pole!"
As Ash keeps a firm grip on the Pokémon, it seems to him that all he's managing to accomplish is tire himself out. No matter how much effort he expends, Psyduck doesn't budge at all, much less an inch.
"Mist," Ash says, glancing at his friend. "A little help here?"
"You look like you're handling it just fine."
"Misty."
"Ash."
The two stare each other down for the briefest of moments.
"He's your Pokémon."
Misty holds Ash's gaze for a moment more before relenting. Sighing, she walks over to stand behind him.
"Fine," she says, placing her hands on his hips. "But only because I don't have anything else to do."
"Yeah, yeah." Ash says. "Now, let's remove this duck!"
Their goal set, Ash and Misty work in tandem to try and extricate Psyduck from the latter's fishing pole. Ash pulls Psyduck while Misty pulls Ash.
It takes a good five minutes before they make any progress. The sound of progress being a distinctive noise that could only be Psyduck releasing his hold on the fishing pole.
However, Ash and Misty are given no time to celebrate. Faster than either of them can react, it would appear that their momentum from getting Psyduck off of the fishing pole sends them tumbling back.
And as they stumble, Ash, Misty, and Psyduck end up falling into the water.
The first to resurface is Ash. Shivering, he hugs his arms.
"Geez," he mutters. "This water's cold."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Misty says as she resurfaces alongside Psyduck. "This water's pretty nice compared to other places I've been."
"Of course you would say that." Ash mutters, already making his way to get out. "The water being your home and all."
"The water isn't my home." Misty says with a sniff.
"Is too."
"Is not."
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
Ash and Misty glare at each other, the sight proving incongruous with the beaming smiles on their faces.
"I just really like the water is all." Misty says, clearly determined to have the last word.
She would have too, if it weren't for how Ash shivers once more. He sneezes.
"But seriously, I'm gonna freeze if I don't get out soon."
After Ash, Misty, and Psyduck got out of the water and dried off, Misty went back to fishing.
Ash on the other hand, still finding fishing painfully tedious, decided to - at Misty's suggestion - do a little battling to keep his skills sharp.
He all but jumped for joy at the idea.
And so, Misty sits there near the water's edge, listening to the calming sounds of nature. The gentle undulation of the river is punctuated by the sound of Pikachu's Electric-Type attacks and Charizard's Fire-Type attacks.
Ah, this is the life.
Misty thinks they probably would've spent the whole day there. She wouldn't know for certain as her eyes catch sight of something a few feet down the river. Something enchantingly blue and gleaming red.
Something blue and red.
The expectant smile from before returning to her features, Misty begins packing up her fishing supplies. When she finishes, she recalls all but one of her Pokémon.
It's only when she jumps onto Gyarados' back that she thinks to alert Ash of what she's doing.
"Ash," she calls over her shoulder. "Meet me down river!"
Ash narrowly dodges a Flamethrower attack from Charizard before responding, confusion written on his face.
"What's down river?"
If possible, Misty's smile only grows. "I think I spotted a wild Tentacool!"
With her message delivered, two things happens next.
The first is how realization dawns on Ash's face as he soon gives her an encouraging grin.
The second is, without a moment's delay, Misty orders Gyarados down river.
"I hope you're ready for a battle Gyarados." Misty says, her Ferocious Pokémon tearing through the water at considerable speeds.
The expectant smile fading from her face, morphing into something much more serious, Misty's eyes blaze with determination.
Hope burning away within her heart, Misty feels confident.
She isn't entirely sure why, but she knows that something truly great is about to happen.
Originally Added: November 1st, 2017