Joseph was in good spirits today as he walked through the village. As he had hoped the fishing rods he ordered arrived on time, the same day that Mandy was to begin her water training, and he and the rest of his family were excited to have their first fishing and picnic trip together. Right now the group was currently on their way to Moreau's reservoir, all wearing their weird club shirts, to meet up with Mandy and Daniella as they had left that morning to get started early. Donna and Heisenberg had agreed to meet them there as well.

Joseph couldn't help but ponder to himself as he walked along the path. The part of the triathlon his sister would be doing would be in the ocean, which would undoubtedly be more of a challenge to traverse through than a freshwater reservoir. So he was curious as to how Moreau planned on training her for those conditions.

Donna, Angie, and Heisenberg were already waiting for them when they arrived at the windmill, and after briefly greeting each other, they made their way into the elevator that headed down. The smell of fish became apparent, and even Joseph had to admit that it smelled terrible, but surprisingly Heisengerg said it smelled a lot better than what it used to be, which really made Joseph uneasy. If this was the way it smelled now, he did not want to know how it smelled before.

His thoughts of the smell were quickly forgotten however as they approached the reservoir, and he stopped while his eyes widened in shock and worry. He saw Mandy in the water swimming in her new swimsuit that Donna had made her with Daniella on a nearby dock cheering her on, but what got his attention was the huge creature that was in the water with his sister. It was over twenty feet long, with long skinny limbs and a tadpole-like tail. Its skin was a sickly green color, and its head was covered in small eyes. If Joseph were to describe it, it looked like a more grotesque version of the monster from the movie The Host.

The creature was currently using its tail to create waves in the water that Mandy was trying to swim against or dive under, but Joseph was more focused on the fact that his sister was in the water with it, but before he could say anything, Cassandra stepped forward and shouted.

"Uncle Moreau! We're here!"

The creature suddenly stopped what it was doing and looked over at the group. Upon seeing them, it put Mandy on its back and slowly began to swim over to them, which made Joseph uneasy, but then the creature spoke in a familiar voice when it reached them.

"Hi everyone! You came at a good time, because we were just finishing up. You should have seen Mandy! She did a great job!"

Joseph's eyes now widened even further.

"Moreau? Is that you?" He asked.

The creature nodded.

"Yes. This is my beast form that I can turn into to help me swim in the water better. Except for Donna, all the lords can change like this."

Now Joseph turned to his family with a look of surprise and slight annoyance.

"Why didn't you guys tell me this?! I thought for a moment Mandy was in trouble!"

The Dimitrescu family looked amongst each other before Alcina sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Joseph. We thought you knew that already. We didn't mean for you to get scared."

Angie just shook her head.

"Wow, Vampy. Epic fail."

This got a laugh out of Heisenberg and a sigh out of Alcina. Miranda put her hand on The Countess' shoulder.

"It's alright, Alcina. Everyone forgets something every once in a while.

Joseph nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. I didn't mean to sound angry. I was just caught off guard, that's all."

"Same here." Mandy spoke up on Moreau's back. " But he's actually a really good trainer! He's been making waves for me to swim in to help prepare me for the ocean, and it's been working!"

At this point, Daniella had swarmed over and looked excited.

"You should have seen her! She'll be swimming like a dolphin by the time the triathlon comes!"

This made Joseph smile.

"That's good to hear, and thank you for training her Moreau. This is definitely going to give her the preparation she needs."

Moreau nodded, which in his beast form, caused a few small waves.

"Happy to help! Shall we head to the lake now that we're done?"

Everyone nodded back, but then Joseph turned back to Alcina.

"So, what kind of beast form can you turn into?"

The Countess gave a soft smile.

"Well, I don't wish to brag, but I can turn myself into a dragon if need be."

Joseph's eyes again widened in surprise before he turned to his girlfriend, who nodded to confirm her mother was telling the truth. Mandy looked just as surprised, and then smiled like a dork.

"That. Is. Awesome! You have to show that to me! Oh my god, can you breathe fire too?"

Now Joseph sighed and turned back to Alcina.

"That was dumb of me to ask. Now I got her going. Let's head to the lake before she goes full nerd on us."

His sister pouted.

"What's wrong with being nerdy?"

"Nothing. It's just we can get really carried away at times. Remember when we went to the New York Natural History Museum during our trip to New York City?"

Now Mandy snorted.

"Oh yeah. I had to practically pull you away from the dinosaur area, you were so into it."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"In Joseph's defense, what young boy doesn't love dinosaurs?" Miranda asked.

Joseph just sighed.

"I know, but I got a bit carried away."

Cassandra then spoke up.

"Okay, I know that look Joseph is getting in his eyes. So let's get to the lake before we get him going too."

….

"Wow…" Joseph and Mandy both said in wonder.

Moreau wasn't kidding when he said that the lake was beautiful. It looked like something you would see in a nature documentary or on a postcard. It was surrounded by trees, some of which were starting to bloom with the arrival of spring, but there were also several banks with short grass and small bushes. The water rippled only slightly with the wind and the sounds of birds filled the air. It was the perfect place to set up a picnic and some fishing rods.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Moreau asked with a smile.

"It is gorgeous, Moreau." Alcina said. "We absolutely have to make coming here a tradition."

"I second that." Bela said.

"Alright then, shall we set everything down?" Donna said.

Everyone nodded eagerly.

As Alcina, Donna, Bela, Angie, Miranda, and Elena got started getting the blankets and picnic baskets in place, Joseph and Moreau began setting up the polls and showing everyone how to set them up and figure out their preferences.

Heisenberg didn't disappoint with the hooks and lures as he made various different sizes, shapes, and colors, much to Joseph's delight. The lord had even made led weights which Joseph wanted to use for one of the more heavy duty polls. Cassandra was a bit confused as to why he would bring such heavy gear to a freshwater lake, but she had learned at this point to trust his instincts so she didn't question it.

Bela, Elena, Daniala, and Mandy all decided to use standard polls with average sized baits and lures to help them get into the groove of fishing, while Joseph, Cassandra, Moreau, and Heisenberg went for the heavier stuff. Cassandra decided to try using lures as she preferred to be active rather than just sitting and waiting for a bite, and Heisenberg shared the same mindset.

Joseph and Moreau got to work putting bait, good sized pieces of meat, on the two larger polls and casting them out far. This made the brunette raise an amused eyebrow.

"What are you trying to do, catch a lake monster or something?"

Joseph turned to her and smiled.

"If it goes well, maybe."

Cassandra just shook her head and chuckled as she began to cast her lure. It turned out that fishing wasn't that much different from hunting, as it required her to know where the best places to look were as well as what technique to use to bag a fish. She was using a shiny lure as Joseph told her that was a great one for catching large predatory fish.

The group didn't have to wait long as Bela soon got a bite and reeled in her catch, which turned out to be a decent sized trout. She was careful to handle it as Moreau told her that they were very sensitive fish and could get sick easily, and she didn't want to upset him. Joseph took out one of the cameras that Alcina had given him for Christmas and took a picture of the Blonde holding her catch.

Soon other people started catching fish of their own with Daniella getting a decent sized carp, Elena getting a trout of her own, and Mandy getting a zander. Cassandra was happy for them, but she really wanted to get a fish of her own. And right now, she was having no luck. When Heisenberg also caught a zander however, she started getting frustrated.

How come I'm not the only one who isn't catching anything? She thought.

As her frustration built, she looked over and saw Joseph and Moreau by their polls. Turns out, they didn't have any luck yet either, but they were being patient and keeping an eye on the water and the lines that sat in them.

The brunette at that moment remembered to be patient as well and not let her frustration get the better of her, because being angry would get her nowhere. So after taking a few breaths, she decided to try a different spot. As she walked around, she noticed an area close to one of the banks that had some nice underwater vegetation in it. It looked like a good place for a predator to lie in wait for an ambush, and she had a feeling that she should cast her line there.

Trusting her instincts, she threw the lure in front of the vegetation and started reeling, and a few seconds later, she felt a sharp tug on the line, and she set the hook. She had a fish on.

As the brunette tried to reel in her quarry, she was surprised at the level of strength it was using. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle, but the fish was still putting up a good fight. At one point it leapt out of the water, trying to throw the hook from its mouth but was unsuccessful. Cassandra's eyes widened at this as she saw that the fish was at least three feet long, bigger than she thought.

"Woah!" She shouted in surprise.

This caught everyone else's attention, and they all got excited when they saw that Cassandra had a big fish on.

"Keep that pressure on, Cassie! Don't let it get away!" Joseph yelled.

The brunette didn't need to be told that twice. She kept fighting the fish as her family came over with looks of excitement. The fish was too big to be lifted out so Joseph used a net to haul it out instead.

"Oh my god, that's huge! You go, Cassie!" Daniela said as she gave her sister a high five.

Cassandra couldn't help but smile as she looked down at her catch. It was at that moment she got a good look at it and saw just how beautiful looking it really was. It had a muscular streamlined body, with a pointed head that had large eyes set in it. Its body was dark brown on the top and a lighter shade of the bottom, complete with white spots.

"That's a pike, and a good size one too." Moreau said. He looked proud of the brunette for her catch.

"I didn't know a freshwater fish could look this beautiful." Elena said.

"Neither did I. This fish looks like a work of art." Alcina said

"Joseph, you have to get a picture of Cassie with that fish!" Mandy said.

"You think I wouldn't?" Joseph said with a chuckle.

Cassandra picked the fish up (although it took her a few tries since it still had some fight in it) and smiled widely as she posed with her catch. Her boyfriend was smiling too as he took the picture and looked just as proud of her as Moreau. The brunette asked Joseph if he could join her in a photo, and he happily agreed and handed the camera to his Godmother.

"Smile!" Miranda said as the couple posed, and amusingly, the pike raised its head and opened its mouth to expose its sharp teeth, almost like it was smiling too, which got a good laugh out of everyone.

Once the photos were taken, Cassandra put her catch back in the water and watched happily as the fish swam away. She was happy she could have a great memory to look back onto from this day. They say that your first prize fish is always the most special one, and she couldn't help but agree.

Her thoughts were interrupted however when a clicking noise came from the other bank.

"What's that noise?" Angie asked.

Joseph immediately started sprinting towards the bank, and that's when the brunette realized that the noise was coming from his pole. His bait had been taken, and when he picked it up and set the hook, something pulled so hard, it nearly yanked the rod out of his hands.

Everyone ran over with wide eyes as Joseph fought against his opponent. It was obvious that this fish, whatever it was, was bigger than anything anyone had caught so far, and Joseph was struggling with it which surprised Cassandra. He was in great shape, but even then this fish was giving him a run for his money. The reason why soon became clear as about twenty feet away, there was a swell, and the back of something huge emerged for a moment before submerging again.

"Oh my god! There really are lake monsters here! Run!" Angie yelled as she turned to flee, but Donna stopped her.

"That's not a monster, Angie. That's a fish." She assured.

"Nuh uh! No way a fish in a lake can get that big!" The doll replied.

"I promise you, they can." Joseph grunted as he fought his quarry.

Finally, after about ten minutes, he was able to get the fish close to the bank. It was too big for the net so Moreau got into the water and pulled it out by its mouth, winching as it bit him. Despite his appearance, he was surprisingly strong.

Everyone was shocked at the fish in front of them. It was at least five feet long, almost double the length of the pike. Its body had a more serpentine look with no scales, but it was no less muscular. The head was short but broad with small eyes and whiskers on the sides. The coloring was similar to the pike's but it didn't have any white spots. It was a very alien looking fish.

"Okay, what the fuck is that?" Heisenberg asked.

"It's a wels catfish." Joseph said. "They're the biggest fish around here. I've always wanted to catch one!"

"And they get this big?!" Mandy asked.

"Actually, they can get much bigger than this." Moreau said, which shocked the group.

"How much bigger?" Bela asked.

Moreau looked back at the fish and scratched his chin as he thought.

"Well, this one is about one hundred pounds, but the world record was over two hundred and fifty pounds."

Everyone was stunned. This fish wasn't even mutated and it was almost as big as Joseph, and apparently, this was only around half the size they could get.

"Well, if anyone could reel in a fish such as this, it would be you, Joseph." Miranda said with a smile.

Cassandra sighed.

"Way to show me up, Joseph. I catch a good sized pike, and then you catch this beast."

Her boyfriend just smiled.

"Yeah, but your fish was way more beautiful. Not as beautiful as you, of course."

The brunette blushed.

"Shut up." She said, smiling back.

"Awww!" Daniela said. "Let's take a picture of you guys with the fish!"

"You read my mind!" Joseph said as he motioned for his girlfriend to join him, which she gladly accepted.

She made a face however when she touched it.

"Ew. It's really slimy."

Joseph chuckled.

"If you think that's bad, you should see how slimy eels are."

"Ugh. I'd rather not."

Once again, Miranda took the pictures, and as the group watched the fish swim away after it was released, Donna spoke up.

"You know, that fish is actually quite beautiful, in its own way."

"I would have to agree." Alcina said. "'Beauty of the grotesque' I believe is how Duke phrases it."

Bela shook her head.

"No, mother. Not grotesque, just different." She said as she pointed at her wired club shirt. Her mother smiled.

"I'm sorry, Bela. You're absolutely right. It's just different from other fish."

Elena perked up

"Hey, that gives me an idea. Maybe we can use the wels catfish as the symbol for the triathlon team."

Everyone's faces lit up at that suggestion.

"Now you're talking, Elena!" Heisenberg said. "That's how we could do it. The Wels Catfishes, sponsored by Koi Fish Outdoors."

"That's a great idea, Uncle Karl! We'll get started on that as soon as we get back!" Bela said.

Joseph smiled as he stood up.

"Sounds good to me! But before we continue our day, let's eat lunch. I'm starving."

"I was just thinking the same thing myself." Miranda said with a smile. "Although we should probably wash our hands first. They probably have fish slime all over them."

Joseph chuckled.

"Agreed, but just to give you a heads up, we're not going to be able to get the smell off no matter what. Believe me, I've tried."

Alcina sighed upon hearing that.

"Wonderful."

Heisenberg laughed and put his hand on the Countess' shoulder.

"Ah relax, Vampy. It won't kill ya. There's nothing wrong with smelling bad every once in a while."

Alcina scoffed.

"You would know a thing or two about that."

"Hey!"

Now everyone was laughing, much to Heisenberg's displeasure.