Part CXXII: An Interesting Fishing Break

It was 2 days after the Pledging Festival and Ash, Misty, May, and Serena had made good progress towards Laverre since then. They'd left the morning after the Festival as it was an unfamiliar route to the two who'd traveled the region before, so they wanted to get an early start. Well, that and this was a trip with Ash, anything could happen along the way when you traveled with him, so they expected at least one major distraction along the way.

In all honesty, they could actually use a distraction or two. They were making good time as they traversed the Kalos region. Ash was ahead of schedule with 5 badges and plowing on to get the last 3 in potentially record time, Serena had two ribbons, so she was one away from qualifying for the wildcard at least, and Misty had shown potential in her debut Showcase. Besides, Misty was doing them for fun, if she made the Master Class then good, if not then oh well she at least got an interesting experience out of it.

A distraction, some fun adventure or two that Ash was used to having, would slow them down but they could afford a couple of them right now due to the swift progress they'd already made. In fact, it might even be for the better if they did have a couple distractions on the road from Coumarine to Laverre.

Based on the route, which was new to them, they should reach Laverre within a fortnight if they weren't held up at all which was good timing for them but there was a Contest scheduled in Laverre in a little over month's time, so they'd miss it at this rate unless they waited in Laverre for it. That and the Dendemille Showcase was 7 weeks away and if they hit the Laverre Contest then they'd easily hit that as well due its location on the route from Laverre to Anistar. For once, being ahead of schedule was actually a bad thing for them.

Thankfully May and Serena had never made it to northern reaches of Kalos when they were here last year as they'd taken the route from Coumarine to Lumiose and then went onto Dendemille from there, so they'd missed Laverre entirely. That meant that this whole area was unknown to them so there was a chance that they would run into some distraction or event along the way that could hold them long enough to reach Laverre at the optimal time for everything they needed to do there, as well as Dendemille afterwards.

May had met Valerie after the incident last year but of all the Kalos gym leaders, May probably knew her the least. She knew that Valerie was strange even by the standards of the Kalos gym leaders and apparently that oddness had increased since she'd become the first, and still only, recognized fairy type specialist in the world after the change. That was something they would of course find out and likely have to deal with once they reached Laverre but that was a ways off so they could focus on it later.

Right now, they were taking a needed rest. They'd pushed a bit too hard to get some distance from Coumarine the day before as many trainers would be leaving the city following the Festival and were now well away from the city, though still within what was considered Coastal Kalos despite heading deeper into the region as they traveled northeast. It had been a fast pace to ensure that they weren't crowded but that was behind them now so they could relax a little and they'd found the perfect place to do so, a surprisingly nice lake.

It had been a little bit of a shock to come across it as they crested a hill they'd been climbing and saw a large lake below them. It was in a large plain of grass and wild flowers with little else going on, though there were rocks and reeds around the lake's edge.

Bisecting it was a river that flowed east to west based on their compass so May had deduced that it must be coming from the Wetlands which were currently to their east and heading to the ocean in the west. At the far north, where they had to go, was a forest but that would come in time. For now, though, they'd found a place to relax for a bit.

It was decided that they'd spend the rest of the day here, camp by the lake and then cross a bridge they could just make out to the east as they continued on. According to the map that they had, there was a series of at least 3 towns located between here and Laverre with the first being located within the forest before them. If they were marked on the map then they had to have something going for them, or at least a Pokémon Center present, so they decided to check at least the nearest one out as they had the time and see what the overall area had going for it.

That was what they planned at least as they made camp, let all their Pokémon out to stretch their legs in the large plain as it could fit all of them, and enjoyed a nice lunch in the good weather of this part of Kalos. It was good to relax a little after the busy week that they'd had in Coumarine, just what they needed before the next bit of chaos they would inevitably have to deal with.

"Well, what shall we do now that lunch is over?" May asked as they finished the meal and stretching out on the blankets they were using to sit on. "Ash and Serena prepared it so it is only fair that Misty and I clean up but after that we should at least do something while here. We aren't traveling again until tomorrow so no point in wasting a location like this."

"Perhaps a bit of training then." Misty suggested. "I didn't do as well as I had hoped for in the Showcase so I was wondering if Serena could show me some things regarding where I went wrong. We had a bit of a turnaround back in Coumarine, so we didn't have much time."

"Sure, I can help." Serena said with a smile. "I know exactly where you went wrong Misty."

"You do?" Misty asked. "I mean I know what the issue was, I think, but if you can elaborate on it more due to your experience that would be a great help."

"Of course and as you are aware, you treated it more like an appeal with you in the middle rather than a freestyle." Serena said kindly as she explained exactly what Misty had done wrong in her freestyle. "A freestyle is more than showing off you Pokémon's moves, it is a combination of Pokémon and trainer."

"Huh?" Ash asked confused. "I thought Misty looked great in her freestyle."

"Thanks Ash but you are biased and like me you don't really understand what Kalos is looking for in these things as we aren't from this region." Misty said with a little blush at Ash's complement. "Go on Serena, what should I do to improve?"

"You have to move and interact as well with your Pokémon not just command them." Serena explained. "For me I prefer dancing with mine but that's just my own style, others do things differently as it usually takes a few Showcases to find what works for a performer and her Pokémon. The girl who won for example, she went with a more circus show theme but always made sure that she was as much a part of it as her Furfrou so that is either her overall style or one tailored for her Furfrou, I can't tell as I don't know her at all."

"I see." Misty said thinking on what Serena was saying. "That does make sense. I prepared it with a mindset like a coordinator and not a performed. We trained as we would if I was going to use Vulpix and Piplup in a double appeal. My only concession to the performance style was to put myself in the middle of it as I know that I have to be part of it. I didn't move that much though."

"No, you didn't and that is what cost you." Serena said simply and not unkindly. "It's a standard mistake and your skills as a coordinator, which allows you to create a good spectacle of moves with multiple Pokémon, still got you third so you clearly have was it takes, you just need to work yourself into it more."

"That I can do." Misty said as an idea began to form for what she was going to do in her next Showcase. "Just out of curiosity, when it comes to voting, how good is it to really stand out when doing it. Like memorability wise."

"That's a good thing for sure." Serena said with a nod. "You don't want to be too flashy or all over the place, you need that grace and style as well, plus some intrinsic factors that I don't understand but have the potential to have to really be top class. However, if you can do that along with something memorable or unique that the audience isn't expecting then you will stick out more when it comes to voting. That can cover some weaknesses for sure and you might win if it gets close, but I wouldn't rely on it in the Master Class, that takes true skill to do well in."

"You have an idea don't you Misty." May said looking at her friend. "You have the look Ash usually gets when he's thinking of some strange new tactic for a battle."

"The beginnings of one yes." Misty said with a slow nod of her head as things began to fall into place. "May, when is the next Showcase that we are likely to cross paths with?"

"Depends on our schedule." May said pulling it out and looking at it again. "The next ideal one would be Dendemille Town's Showcase in about 7 weeks. We'd have to pass through that town, though it's basically a city if I remember it correctly, on our way to Anistar and the gym there. There's actually another Showcase in Anistar only 2 or 3 weeks after that so they are pretty close together and within reach and if we are at both we will likely have to judge a Contest in one of those locations but that is to be expected. There are numerous other Showcases of course but our path doesn't take us near them before the Dendemille one."

"They are the third of our concerns this year so that's fine with me that we only hit the ones that come up as we follow the route Ash needs for his gym battles, the Contests are common enough for Serena to not worry." Misty said as her idea began to flesh out in her head. "That could work though. I have an idea, but I need to sort a few things out first, so I'll wait until we know if we will be in Dendemille for that Showcase for sure before I start working on it. For the moment, I need to work on how to integrate myself into a freestyle routine."

"A good plan." Serena said with a nod. "Find what style works best for you and then adapt with your Pokémon to it while also working with what they are best at to really nail it."

"Plus, we'll probably end up spending a fair bit of time in Dendemille or Anistar regardless so you can practice there." May said. "We'll need to slow down at some point because of the timing of the Wallace Cup so if we reach that place early we can take some time off there."

"Unless we end up with a few distractions along the way and start to get pushed for time." Misty said looking to Ash who was busy sorting something out from his bag and not paying attention to them. "You know how it is with Ash. We are bound to find one distraction along the way to Laverre, Dendemille, or Anistar. The law of averages ensures that."

"Yup I know that all too well." May said with a chuckle. "Almost missed the last Contest of the season my rookie year out in Pacifidlog Town because of one such adventure and I only had 4 ribbons at the time, so I needed to win it. Kinda became a trend, I got my 5th ribbons for Hoenn, Kanto, and Johto in the last Contests of the season. Broke it in Sinnoh thankfully."

"I don't know the Ash distraction well, though I have seen it a bit with what happened in that forest with Hawlucha and Machamp." Serena said. "And certainly nothing on the scale of what I've heard from May, but I know it can happen at any time it seems."

"Yeah we've had a few small adventures on this trip." Misty said. "Though I don't count the trio of assholes as one of them as they sought us out, so it wasn't natural. Ash and I avoided it last year unless you count our side trip to Hoenn as one, so we are due for something interesting."

"Yeah and if this year is surprisingly calm then you know what that means." May said. "Ash at least is going to be in for something ultra in the future."

"So long as we don't run into Arceus himself again, especially not when Arceus is schooling the Creation Trio in a furious battle that we are somehow in the middle of and only escape because Dialga sent us back in time to correct humanity's sins against Arceus." Misty said with a shudder. "Dealing with Dialga and Palkia fighting each other was one thing, those two plus Giratina fighting Arceus was a whole other level. I will always thank Dialga for saving us then."

"Wow, you guys had some wild adventures out in Sinnoh because I've heard of your one with the Lake Guardians as well." May said her eyes wide. "We had some pretty wild ones as well, dealt with Deoxys and Rayquaza, as well as a near region annihilation event with Kyogre and Groudon but nothing compared to the creator himself and his three most powerful offspring duking it out before us, at least that I recall."

"Yeah the fun of traveling with Ash in Sinnoh." Misty said with a smile as she subconsciously reached up and squeezed her locket that had the Lake Trio engraved on it in various places, a wonderful touch to it as it really connected her and Ash and how they got to know each other in her home region. "He's a magnet for stuff like this for some unknown reason and Sinnoh seems to be the bastion of creation for our world, at least to us it is according to our legends, so of course he'd run into Arceus while there."

"That's Ash for you." May said with a shake of her head. "Only he would meet the creator of our world and have to go back in time to help Arceus out. Hopefully he doesn't find anything like that here."

"There are a few Kalos legends, and we dealt with Zygarde last year but nothing on the scale of what Misty is saying." Serena said thinking on it. "Ever Xerneas and Yveltal aren't as extreme as that as far as I know."

"Well, are they considered deities?" Misty asked curiously. "I know nothing about the legends outside of Sinnoh which I realize is not a good thing."

"In a sense they are deities to us." Serena said. "Though I don't know them well. They are called the Aura Trio and are tied to nature according to Professor Sycamore. Xerneas is the bringer of life so it can be seen as a life deity while Yveltal is the bringer of destruction, as in literally it can kill with its power, so it can be seen as death deity. Zygarde however is different."

"How so?" Misty asked her curiosity peaked.

"It, well I guess he as it is kinda masculine based on what I could tell from meeting it, is always watching us." Serena said.

"Um what?" Misty asked confused.

"I don't know the legend, but I know Zygarde from last year." May said. "Zygarde is not normally a complete Pokémon. Rather it is spread out over all of Kalos in the form of individual cells that have two cores, one of which we found, and Bonnie bonded with."

"Sounds like something that would happen with Ash on an adventure." Misty pointed out.

"Pretty much it was." May said. "Zygarde has two cores that can draw cells to it independently and form either a dog-like Pokémon or a snake like one. The former is about 10% of it's form while the latter is 50% according to Sycamore. Only under extreme situations can Zygarde merge its two half forms into its full form. That is what happened at the end of the incident last year and Zygarde ended it while Team Flare's leader, the man who instigated the incident, fell into some green portal and likely died."

"Woah that is intense, kinda like what happened when Team Galactic's leader forced the Lake Guardians, along with Dialga and Palkia, to create a new world for him at Spear Pillar within Mt. Coronet." Misty said recalling the incident well. "Course that was with Ash not May but still, that's the kinda thing we deal with."

"Um what?" Serena asked confused. "That was your adventure with Ash in Sinnoh, Misty?"

"One of them but that was the one that took the longest to unfold." Misty said with a shrug. "Anyway, about Zygarde, if these Xerneas and Yveltal represent life and death respectively, what does Zygarde represent?"

"Balance." Serena said. "Or so the legend goes. Zygarde is the balance of the trio."

"Ah that makes sense." Misty said understanding it and fitting Zygarde in with her comparison to the Creation Trio of Sinnoh. "I get it now."

"What about the Sinnoh legends?" Serena asked now curious as well. "They are deities, right?"

"Some are, others are representations of what they brought humanity." Misty said. "In Sinnoh, we consider Arceus, along with the Creation Trio as deities but that is it as far as I am aware. Arceus is the creator while Dialga is the deity of time, Palkia the deity of space and Giratina the deity of antimatter. The Lake Guardians aren't treated as deities, but they are revered for what they brought humanity which are knowledge, willpower, and emotion. Then we have the Lunar duo of Darkrai and Cresselia but they're a whole other story."

"Woah that is complex." Serena said as she tried to process what Misty had told her. "That is a lot to take in. What about the Hoenn ones May? I don't think I've ever asked you about them."

"Ours are strong and the legends do speak of how they made the elements of Hoenn." May said thinking on it. "Groudon and Kyogre were primordial back then and fought which forged our land and sea respectively before Rayquaza quelled them though that part of the legend is lesser known. Whatever the case, Rayquaza has come to represent the sky and is seen as a protector. Latios and Latias are known as the Eon Duo, but I know less about them than I do about the other three. There are others as well that are either stand alone or that I don't recall the legends for."

"Ash would probably be the expert there." Misty said looking over to Ash. "He's met at least two Latios in his time I believe and one Latias if the story I heard is correct."

"Ash." May called out. "What are you doing? We're discussing legendries here and could use your input on it given how you've met basically every legendary or mythic Pokémon in about 5 regions at this point."

"Huh, oh I'm just preparing a fishing rod." Ash said holding it up a little confused as to why the girls were talking about legendary Pokémon. "I figured I'd do some fishing while here seeing as there is a large lake over there. We have the time and the last time I fished I ran into my Dratini so who knows what I'll find this time."

"You know, that's a good idea." Misty said. "We fished in Sinnoh and Kanto, why not take this moment to fish here as well."

"Sure, why not, we did it Hoenn and Kanto as well as last year here in Kalos." May said. "Maybe Serena can try and catch something this time."

"I was still a novice back then and that Corsola was slippery." Serena said remembering her failed attempt to catch the rock and water type. "However, I want to do some training with Meowstic now, so I'll pass but you guys have fun. We're going to work on our next appeal as I want Meowstic to do it, hopefully in Laverre if we get there, so best to start now."

"Good plan and shout out if you need any help." May said getting up and taking the dishes to the lake while Serena nodded her thanks before heading over to her Pokémon to begin training with them. "Misty and I will clean up. Ash, can you prepare another two poles for us?"

"Sure, we have 4 just in case." Ash said as he began sorting them out. "Though the Dawn lure is mine, that's her personal one so it's special to me."

"Trust me, that's fine." Misty said thinking of her friend and rival as she went to help May and decided to let Dawn have this one as it was a sign of Ash's close friendship with her. "I think it would bite me somehow if I used it."

"I wouldn't put it past Dawn to somehow affect it even when she's not here." May said with a laugh as they headed to the water. "But she's harmless once you get to know her."

"I know, it just took us a lot of time to warm to each other and stop being petty bitches whenever we met." Misty said recalling her tumultuous relationship with the water specialist before they finally sorted everything out. "Especially when you start on her jealous side."

May just nodded at that knowing enough to know how bad Misty and Dawn's relationship had been at the start, which given how they met, and Dawn's infamous jealousy was understandable, before it finally got better. That was in the past though, right now they were going to clean the dishes and then do some fishing with Ash. The chances of something interesting happening were high as Ash was present, and they didn't want to miss whatever it was.

It didn't take long for May and Misty to finish cleaning things up and return to their camp. By that time Ash was done sorting out the fishing rods and handed them to them to the girls along with lures for them to use. It was time to fish and see if any Pokémon were interested today.

At first nothing was biting for them after they casted their line. They just ended up standing there trying to catch something, but it wasn't working. However, this was fishing so patience was key and none of them were experts like Cilan was so it was understandable that it would take them a little more time to catch something.

Some of their Pokémon came over to watch, or in Piplup's case go swimming that prompted Frogadier to jump in as well to do some aquatic training on his own, as their humans engaged in this strange ritual. Pikachu had to explain to them what was going on as he'd seen this before, but he also knew that Ash was not great at it as he'd only had one success that Pikachu could remember when he'd managed to help out Dratini the year before.

As if to prove Pikachu's point, it wasn't Ash who finally got a bite but Misty. Her line suddenly went taught and her rod began to bend in her hands. Both Ash and May noticed it, but Misty was too busy engaging in a battle with the Pokémon on the end of the line to pay attention as she tried to reel it in with all her strength. However, either she was weak, or the Pokémon was too strong on the other end as she was struggling to get it in.

That was until Machamp came over to help her. He'd seen his human struggling and naturally went to assist her as he was Misty's protector. All it took was for one tug from one of his hands to yank the Pokémon free of the water. Of course, he was so strong that he pulled the Pokémon clean free of the water and over Misty's head, getting her a little wet in the process, as she watched a brown and purple blur pass over her head.

The Pokémon let go of the bait before it landed hard on the grassy plain behind her as she turned to face the pissed off Pokémon that she was now blocking from returning to the lake. As it got to its, er, base, Misty looked at it and realized she'd never seen a Pokémon like it before.

The Pokémon was about half a meter tall and stood on three brown fin things at its base that was solid enough to support its body on land it seemed. Its oblong body was brown with a fin on its back and two transparent flipper like things on its side. It had a purple belly, face and nose with red eyes, a brown hat like thing atop its head and two more brown fins to the side while a final brown strand with another transparent fin shot out of the back of its head.

The only thing Misty could guess about it was that it had to be a water type as she'd fished it out of the lake. Other than that, she had no idea what the Pokémon was or if it had a secondary type to it.

"What is that?" Misty asked as she pulled out her Pokedex. "May, Serena, do you know?"

"It's a Skrelp." May said recognizing it at once. "I fished one out of the ocean last year and tried to catch it, but I failed. It's a good one to have as I hear its evolution is one of those that changes its secondary type, which is actually water as it is a primary poison type, so a strange one for sure. You should go for it Misty; I don't think it's not common in this area as the one I fished out was on the coast so likely got lost swimming up here. Seeing as we are going inland you may not get another chance."

"Let's see what it has going for it first." Misty said scanning it. "But I will have to battle it regardless as it is clearly pissed at me for fishing it out of the water."

"Skrelp, the Mock Kelp Pokémon." The Pokedex chimed helpful once it identified the Pokémon it was scanning. "Camouflaged as rotten kelp, they spray liquid poison on prey that approaches unawares and then finish it off."

"Huh it's a poison and water type with the latter secondary as you said May, not what I was expecting." Misty said noticing that as she put her Pokedex away. "Well, we can deal with that fine and it does look pretty good so I don't see why I should waste this opportunity. Helioptile, I need you. As soon as you are here use Charge."

Right away Helioptile came forward to stand in front of Misty as he'd seen his friends do when their human used them in battle. He looked out and saw the angry poison and water type glaring at him as it realized it would have to go through the humans to get back to the water. Clearly Misty wanted him to battle it and as he hadn't had much battle experience he was eager to show that off for Misty.

Skrelp meanwhile was pissed, both at himself for his stupidity and the human girl who'd yanked him out of the water. He'd been enjoying a standard day pretending to be kelp, having a good time as he stored his energy to evolve, when the bait had floated down right into his spot. It had been too tempting to pass up, so he'd gone for it and now he was here. He was annoyed at himself for falling for the fake food but also annoyed at being yanked out of the water so hard and far as that had done by the strength of a Pokémon, he was certain of it.

Still, it had been impressive that this human had managed to get a Pokémon to help her with it. Said Pokémon had to be the musclebound, four armed, fully evolved fighting type behind her. Its mere presence showed Skrelp something, this human knew how to handle a Pokémon. Only a human of skill could have such a strong Pokémon, especially one that was clearly close to the human, so perhaps he could get strong as well if he had a human.

He'd heard that it was easier to get stronger with a human so maybe this was the one who would help him evolve. He was closing in on it, but a human could assist him in getting that last bit of energy he needed.

First though, he was going to have to test her, and it seemed that he was going to be dealing with a small, quadrupedal, reptilian-like Pokémon that was standing in front of her. Judging by its color and the sparks crackling on it, it was almost certainly an electric type.

That wasn't good for Skrelp. He was still a water type, he wouldn't get rid of that hinderance against electric types until he evolved, but if he put up a good fight then this human might be impressed enough to catch him and that wouldn't be too bad. That meant he had to start with an all-out attack, though his best strategy was for something physical to happen.

With that in mind, Skrelp opened his mouth and spewed out spray of purple acid, usefully called Acid, at his opponent. If he got the upper hand early then he could really show off, so he went with his better ranged attack against an electric type.

"Dodge that and then use Thunder Shock." Misty said as soon as Skrelp attack, impressing her with its preemptive strike. "I'm not sure what that move is but it's definitely a poison type one and those can be nasty if they hit."

Helioptile just nodded and dashed off to the side as fast as he could. Like his human, he wasn't too sure what the purple stuff was other than that he knew that he really didn't want to touch it, so he ran clear as it splattered the ground and dissolved the grass that was there. Then as soon as he was free, he skidded to a halt and sent out a blast of electricity at Skrelp as it was turning to face him.

Skrelp wailed in pain from the super effective attack and spasmed where he was. It was a good move and Misty saw her advantage and pressed it.

"Quick Attack." Misty ordered.

At once Helioptile shot off at Skrelp as fast as he could. Skrelp was just recovering from this and realized he couldn't dodge it, but he could, if he was quick enough, increase his chances of poisoning his opponent so he began to build the poison in his tail as the other Pokémon bore down upon him. Then, as soon as Helioptile hit him, he lashed it across the face with his tail as he was thrown away from the impact.

Helioptile roared in pain as the poison type move hit him, doing more damage thanks to being a critical hit as well. Luck was not on Helioptile's side that day that as the contact of his Quick Attack triggered Skrelp's ability and he was poisoned. Almost at once he wailed in pain from the poisoning and Misty swore when she saw the tell-tale purple line of poisoning under his eyes.

Skrelp just grinned as he got up and spewed Acid again at Helioptile as it was convulsing from the poison. It was the perfect time to strike and neither Helioptile nor his human could react before the Acid hit Helioptile where he stood causing him to wail in pain from it. To add to it, a new spasm of poison rocked through him, and he was clearly feeling it.

Misty grimaced at the hits that Skrelp landed but she was also now convinced that she had to catch it. This Skrelp clearly already knew some sense of tactics in battle and was strong, easily holding its own against an electric type despite the advantage that Misty had over it. It was worthy of a try at least and Misty intended to do so, once she beat it with Helioptile that is.

Helioptile wasn't done yet and he felt the electricity begin to flow from him. In his mind he knew what it was at once. It was some new move, and it was just the one he needed in this moment. He didn't even wait for Misty to give the order to use it. He knew that it was disobedient, but there was a chance that she wouldn't know that he had just learned it and with his current health situation he needed to use the move right away.

With a roar, or at least as close to one as he could, Helioptile unleashed his electricity in a wide circle attacking everything around him. Thankfully the other Pokémon, at Malamar and Machamp's insistence, had retreated to a safe distance before the battle had started so the only Pokémon who was affect was Skrelp.

The Mock Kelp Pokémon didn't have time to react before the electricity hit him and he wailed in pain from the attack. The second super effective attack was too much for him and he collapsed to the side with swirls for eyes, his body twitching slightly as the last of the electricity left him. As this was happening, Helioptile recovered health from his move and smiled at Misty in victory before wincing in pain from another round of poisoning.

"Ash, May, can you get Helioptile that berry that can cure poisoning." Misty said as she pulled out a Poke Ball. "I need to catch this Skrelp."

Misty didn't look to see if they were doing as asked, she knew that they would be. Instead, she just tossed the ball at Skrelp and hoped that she'd done enough to catch it. The ball hit it in the side and bounced up before engulfing it in a flash of red. It then fell to the ground and began to shake and flash as Misty looked at it. It kept this up for an agonizing few seconds before it finally dinged to indicate a completed capture, shrunk, and vanished to be sent to Lumiose City to join her Pokémon there.

"Alright, I caught a Skrelp." Misty said jumping up as her Pokémon cheered, and Piplup came out of the water to see what was going on and why no one was paying attention to him. "I'll sort that out at the next Pokémon Center but right now I need to make sure that Helioptile is ok after that battle."

With that, and before Malamar could slap her for not doing so, Misty hurried over to Helioptile who had just finished eating the necessary berry that Ash had provided him and leapt into Misty's arms making happy noises at his victory for his human. She hugged him close and smiled at the success of what had just happened.

"Well done Helioptile, you won that and now we have a new teammate thanks to you." Misty said happily. "And you learned a new move in that, whatever that was."

"It was Parabolic Charge; I am pretty sure of it." May said as she and the Pokémon came over to congratulate them. "I've seen Clemont use it with his Heliolisk when I saw him take on a challenger about this time last year during our return to Lumiose City, though I don't think he used it in his battle with Ash if I recall. I don't know much more about the move though as I've only seen it once."

"Well, we can ask Clemont about it when we next see him then, he would know it best." Misty said as she set Helioptile down and he went over to his teammates and friends to brag about his victory. "I will probably get Skrelp back for either Helioptile or Vulpix, not sure who yet, so that we can bond a bit as we make our way to Laverre but soon I'm going to make a bigger change when I start preparing for my next Showcase."

"Sounds like you are already planning things out." May said as Ash went back to get their fishing rods and Serena and all her Pokémon approached drawn by the noise. "That's good and Skrelp will be a good Pokémon for you going forward."

"What happened here?" Serena asked as she saw the signs of a battle with a poison type, or at least a Pokémon that knew a poison type move and raised her eyebrow at them. "What did I miss."

"I just caught a Skrelp." Misty said with a grin that caused Serena's mouth to fall open. "Yeah it was unexpected but worth it. It went like this…"

Misty proceeded to tell Serena what had happened as they all gathered to discuss it and enjoy their break by the lake. It was just what they needed after the busy week in Coumarine, with the added bonus of a capture and new member to their team as well. Everything was going well, and they were ready for what the future would hold as they made their way to Laverre City and faced whatever the road ahead had in store for them.