I've been working on this one for a little while so I'm very excited to share it with you all! I actually started this about a month ago; I was inspired by the Ash and Misty reunion episode in Aim to be a Pokémon Master! This fic does have some minor spoilers from that episode, so just a heads up in case you're waiting for the dub to release!

Michelle: 3 years old


Fishing Fanatics

"I'm -cited, Mama!"

"Yeah? Because we're going fishing?"

"Yea!"

Misty giggled at her daughter's exuberance. The two were walking hand in hand, with Vaporeon at Michelle's right side, searching for a good spot to settle in. When Misty announced she was leaving the house to go fishing, she had been surprised when Michelle scurried up to her begging to tag along. Misty used to take the twins fishing along with her when they were little babies; they would enjoy the fresh air and nap in their stroller for most of the time. But it had been a while since then, and Misty would generally leave the twins at home with Ash now whenever she went. She just assumed the toddlers would get too restless and figured it would be easier for everyone if they stayed home. After all, that was why she couldn't even stand it when Ash would join her and start complaining 10 minutes in that he was bored.

But Michelle had been insistent. She asserted that she loved fishing and that she really wanted to go with her mother. And, perhaps selfishly, that was enough to convince Misty to bring her along. She adored her daughter and would've loved nothing more than for the two of them to enjoy the same activities, especially fishing. It was Misty's favorite way to unwind, and she could see it being Michelle's too.

"Mama, there!"

Misty stopped when she felt the tug on her arm. "Where, sweetheart?"

Michelle pointed straight ahead towards a large tree, providing a decent stretch of shade. "Dere! Dat's the spot!"

Smiling, Misty agreed, "yeah, that does look like the perfect spot! Let's go!"

She took off, making sure to keep her pace so she didn't pull Michelle along. The little girl shrieked with excitement, however, and started to run as quickly as she could, to the point where she was nearly pulling her mother along.

"Come on, Mama!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Misty laughed.

"Nuh uh, you can go faster! I seen you!"

"Yeah, but I don't want to run you over!"

Michelle stopped short, causing Misty to stop as well. "Oh…yeah."

Misty smirked and freed her hand to pat her daughter on the head. "Silly girl! You're just really excited, huh?"

Michelle grinned and nodded.

"Well, Mama is, too!" Misty chirped. "Why don't we start setting up?"

"Kay," Michelle murmured, reaching out with her right hand and gently grasping Vaporeon's neck fin. "You too, Vaypy!"

"Vay," Vaporeon mewled, smiling at the caring toddler.

The water type walked forward, gently bringing Michelle along with her. Misty released Michelle's other hand so she could reach into her backpack and retrieve her fishing rod. The little girl had watched her mother over her shoulder, however, and she quickly let go of Vaporeon so she could spin around and beam at her mother. "Mama, I has one too?"

Misty glanced at the rod in her hands before sheepishly turning her gaze back onto her hopeful daughter. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I don't have one for you. But we can share mine! How does that sound?"

Michelle's mouth fell open. "You share, Mama?"

"Yeah, I love to share!" Misty giggled. In reality, she actually didn't, especially when it came to her fishing rods. She tended to use very nice ones and was quite particular about them. In fact, Misty didn't know how many times she'd had to shoo Ash away from her prized possessions. But Misty couldn't exactly tell her three-year-old that, especially when she was always trying to teach her and her brother that sharing was super important and nice. Besides, sharing a fishing rod with her delicate young daughter rather than her clumsy husband was a much different thing…to Misty, anyway. "I think it's fun!"

Michelle giggled. "Me too!"

"Oh, really?" Misty asked teasingly, placing a hand on her hip. "Then how come you and Aiden are always fighting over toys?"

"-cause he doesn't share, not me," Michelle quickly replied, batting her eyelashes at her mother.

Smirking, Misty shook her head. "Your aunts taught you that little trick, didn't they?"

"Yea," Michelle mumbled, having become distracted by the lake. The sun was shining off its surface, causing the water to sparkle. "You think we're gonna catch a Pokémon?"

"I hope so!" Misty chirped as she took a seat on the ground. "There's a lot I like about fishing, but that's one of my favorite parts."

Blinking, Michelle walked over to her mother, crouching down to crawl onto her lap. "What's your other favorite parts?"

Misty smiled down at her daughter before casting her line. "I like that it's nice and quiet, and you can just sit here and enjoy the weather."

Michelle tilted her head back and stared up at the tree that she and her mother were seated under. She watched as the leaves fluttered in a delicate breeze, one so slight that she could barely feel it herself. And, just like her mother had said, it was pretty quiet, too.

"Is nice," Michelle murmured, her voice barely audible.

Misty was used to her daughter's soft-spoken demeanor, however, and heard her clear as day. With an enamored giggle, Misty squeezed the little girl in her arms, leading Michelle to tilt her head back down and laugh herself.

"You're so sweet!" Misty squealed. "My precious little girl."

Beaming, Michelle looked out towards the water. "Does it take a long time to catch a Pokémon, Mama?"

"Sometimes," Misty mused, tucking her daughter's head beneath her chin. "It depends on the day!"

"Has you catched a lotta Pokémon fishing?"

"I have!"

"Who's one you catched?"

"Clauncher is one of the Pokémon I caught from fishing."

"He is?!"

Misty giggled at her daughter's surprise. "Uh huh!"

"He's silly," Michelle laughed softly. "I like it when him and Corphish play!"

"Yeah, they're friends!" Misty replied. "Dada was there when I caught Clauncher. Actually, he wanted to catch him too!"

Michelle's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

"Yep!" Misty cheerfully confirmed. Her daughter loved stories, but she especially loved stories about Pokémon, particularly her parents'. "We had a battle over him, and I won, so I got to catch him. But he and Corphish are really good friends, so they were always training with one another and hanging out. They still do! That's why you always see them playing together."

"Was Dada sad he lost?" Michelle asked.

"No," Misty refuted, shaking her head. "He knew even back then that you can't win all the time! He just likes to have a good battle. And Dada and I always have a good battle."

"Das good!" Michelle chirped before finally looking ahead at the water once again. "I like dis, Mama!"

"What, chatting?" Misty presumed, Michelle quickly nodding her head in response. "I do too! It's a good way to pass the time while you're fishing."

"I like chatting with Mama mostest," Michelle murmured, holding onto her mother's wrist. "Is fun!"

Misty's smile softened a bit, and she had to internally remind herself not to start crying. The twins just had a special way of melting her heart, and they didn't even realize it. For whatever reason, that just made Misty tear up even more. She was never as gruff as people assumed she was, but Aiden and Michelle had definitely managed to soften her up to an entirely different degree.

"Aw, I like chatting with you, too," Misty cooed, kissing the top of her daughter's head. "And sitting with you, and fishing with you…I love doing anything with you, Shelly!"

Michelle smiled herself and leaned back against her mother, reaching up from the woman's wrist and grabbing onto the fishing rod instead. "We catch a Pokémon?"

"We're gonna try!" Misty trilled.

The two slipped into comfortable silence for a while. Every once in a while, Michelle would pipe up to ask a question, or to point out different things she saw to her mother, like a flock of wild Pidgey or the berries on a nearby tree. At one point, the little girl crawled off of her mother's lap in order to chase around Vaporeon, who was more than happy to entertain the child. Misty, who remained in her spot with her fishing pole, watched the two amusedly. She had never expected Michelle to sit still the entire time they were there, but she was still happy to see that her daughter was perfectly content to get up and play instead of begging to leave. It gave her hope that maybe her daughter really was enjoying the fishing trip. Eventually, after a long stretch of playtime, Michelle returned to Misty's lap where the toddler pretty quickly fell asleep.

When Misty looked down and saw the girl fast asleep, she smiled sweetly and took one hand off the fishing rod to gently stroke her daughter's bright red hair. It brought her back to all the times she'd gone fishing while she was pregnant with the twins, using it as a way to actually slow down and appreciate what her body was doing, and dreaming of one day being able to take her children on those same kind of day trips. The fact that day had finally come was amazing to the young mother.

With Michelle asleep, Misty was able to continue fishing in near silence. Every once in a while, the little girl would shift on her lap, or roll over in the opposite direction. Whenever Michelle stirred, Vaporeon would stop what she was doing in order to check on the girl. And every time, Misty would giggle softly and reach over to stroke the water type's head, silently assuring the Pokémon that she was the best partner in the world.

An hour and a half flew by in a flash, and that was when Michelle began to wake from her slumber for real. The toddler yawned and rubbed at her eyes, slowly opening them after the fact and being met with the sight of Vaporeon hovering over her. Michelle giggled herself, the delicate noise gaining her mother's attention.

"Silly Vaypy."

Misty smiled at her daughter's comment. "Vaporeon kept a close eye on you the whole time you were napping! Wasn't that nice of her?"

Michelle hummed in agreement and nodded her head.

"Speaking of, did you have a nice nap?" Misty asked, placing her fishing pole on the ground so she could grab onto Michelle and pull the girl into a sitting position.

"Ya," Michelle murmured, rubbing her eye again. "But…I missed fishing!"

"Oh, it's okay," Misty breathed, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. "Mommy hasn't managed to catch any Pokémon, so you haven't missed much!"

Michelle tilted her head. "No Pokémon?"

"Nope," Misty confirmed. "Maybe they're all taking a nap, just like you were!"

Surprisingly, that didn't manage to get a smile out of Michelle. Instead, the little girl turned her head to look over her shoulder, out towards the lake. Before Misty could ask her daughter what she was doing, Michelle climbed off of her mother's lap and crawled over to the fishing rod, picking it up in her hands and shooting Misty a determined look. "I help!"

Misty blinked. "Help…catch a Pokémon?"

Michelle nodded confidently. "I can be the bestest at fishing, like you, Mama!"

A sense of pride filled her chest as Misty beamed at her daughter. "You sure can, seashell! Would you like some help?"

"Uh huh!" Michelle chirped. Unlike her twin brother, Michelle was not super insistent on being independent and enjoyed it when her parents offered to lend her a hand.

Of course, Misty knew this, and was wise enough to use it to her advantage. Michelle may have been keen, but she'd never actually fished on her own before, so the basics were rather foreign to the girl. That made this the perfect learning opportunity, and fortunately for Misty, her young daughter was eager to do just that. The gym leader grabbed onto the fishing rod as well, placing her hands a distance above the toddler's, and instructed her on how to cast the line into the water.

"How'd we know when a Pokémon's dere?" Michelle asked once the line was in position, gazing up at her mother.

"We'll feel a tug on the fishing rod," Misty explained.

Michelle furrowed her brow. "What if it takes forever?"

Misty smirked. Her daughter could be quite dramatic when she wanted to be…a trait Misty had to admit came from her. "Well, we definitely can't stay here forever! We have to go home to Dada and your brother eventually. So, we might just have to leave without catching any Pokémon if it takes too long."

Michelle gasped, further adding to her flair for dramatics. "No! Mama, we hafta catch one!"

"I know you'd like to, sweetheart, but you don't get to catch a Pokémon every single time you go fishing," Misty sympathetically replied.

The little girl huffed and pouted. "Dat's not fair."

Unable to help herself, Misty giggled. "Maybe not, but that's just part of life! Besides, it's part of what makes fishing so much fun. You might not always be successful, but when you are, it's super exciting and you're really proud of yourself!"

Michelle twisted her mouth, thinking her mother's words over. Before she could ask another question, however, the fishing rod shifted. It was very faint, hardly noticeable in fact. But for someone like Misty who was an expert at fishing, it was clear as day. Interestingly enough, however, Michelle noticed it too, and whipped her head around just as quickly as Misty had.

The rod stilled as soon as they both locked eyes with it, but in a matter of seconds it was back to tugging, this time stronger and more obvious.

"Pokémon!" Michelle cheered. "Catch it, Mama!"

Without hesitation, Misty moved her hands down to the reel, quickly spinning the handle towards her while pulling on the rod. Michelle, who was watching her mother intently, began to tug on the fishing rod as well. Normally, Vaporeon would've backed herself up against Misty to brace her trainer, but it was pretty obvious to the water type that this wasn't necessary. Indeed, it didn't take much of a fight on Misty's end, and after a final pull, the gym leader managed to bring her and Michelle's catch to the surface.

The little girl looked ahead, her eyes widening as soon as she saw the Pokémon. "Wow! Mama, look!"

Misty did look over at the Pokémon, but she wasn't quite as exuberant as her daughter when she saw what it was. "Oh, yeah, look at that…"

Attached to the end of the line was a desperately flopping Magikarp, small in size for even that kind of Pokémon. It certainly wasn't Misty's most impressive catch…

"I love him!"

Misty turned away from the Magikarp and glanced down at Michelle, who was positively glowing with excitement. Watching her daughter gush over the fish Pokémon, Misty mentally smacked herself. What a selfish thought, that it wasn't her most impressive catch. Technically, that Magikarp had been Michelle's first fishing catch, and that was a very big deal for the toddler.

Her subdued look quickly transforming into one of excitement, Misty commented, "he sure is a nice Pokémon! You did such a good job fishing up your first Pokémon, Shelly!"

Somehow, Michelle's eyes managed to widen even more. "Mine?"

"Yeah, you fished up that Magikarp!" Misty giggled.

"But…you helped," Michelle sheepishly murmured.

"I did, but I couldn't have caught that Magikarp all by myself," Misty stressed, Michelle's mouth falling open at the explanation. "So, really, it was you who helped me!"

"Oh…yay!" Michelle squealed, clapping her hands together before stilling. "So…now what?"

"Well, since you're still too young to have a Pokémon just yet, I think it's best if we release Magikarp back into the water," Misty replied. "He probably has to get back to the rest of his family, just like we have to!"

"Good idea," Michelle agreed with a nod. Looking back over at the water type, Michelle grinned and waved at the fish Pokémon. "Bye, Magikarp! T-anks for letting us catch you!"

With a satisfied smile, Misty cast Magikarp back into the lake before turning towards her daughter. "You ready to go home, too?"

"Uh huh!" Michelle chirped. "I wanna tell Dada and Denny -bout Magikarp!"

"I'm sure they'll be very excited to hear all about it!" Misty giggled. "You might even be able to brag to Dada about being a fishing prodigy!"


I do believe Michelle would become better than Ash at fishing pretty quickly. She's got the patience for it (as you can see here!) and really enjoys the whole process of fishing.