Aboard the gently swaying S.S. Anne, Kazuki and Delia were once again working together, this time making a fresh batch of cream pies.
"Kazuki! Kazuki!"
Before Kazuki could even respond, Misty's excited voice rang out at the door.
The moment Delia heard Misty's voice, she froze, tensing up in panic, terrified of making any sound.
Kazuki, however, remained calm and called out casually, "What's up, Misty?"
"You're so lazy! It's already late, and you're still not out of bed!" she teased with the casual affection of a girlfriend.
"We just entered a special part of the ocean! The captain said there are tons of Water-type Pokémon here!"
"So they're holding a fishing competition!"
"You might even catch a rare Water-type Pokémon!"
"Are you coming?"
"I'm coming!" Kazuki exhaled comfortably.
"You go grab a spot for me first!"
"I'll... tidy up the pillows a bit."
"Pillows? Why are you tidying up pillows?" Misty scratched her head, confused.
"Whatever! Just hurry up—I'm heading to the deck to save us a spot!"
"This time, I'm definitely catching a rare Water-type Pokémon!"
Hearing Misty's footsteps thudding away, Kazuki lazily stretched his arms.
Delia, finally able to relax, collapsed onto the bed.
"Are you coming fishing, Delia?" Kazuki asked as he dressed.
Delia clutched two tissues from the nightstand, her voice soft and languid.
"You go ahead first... I'll tidy up the room and join you later."
"We're in a VIP suite—you don't have to clean anything! The crew will handle it," Kazuki said as he buttoned up his shirt, gently brushing aside Delia's discarded lingerie.
"Mmm... no..."
Delia buried her face into the pillow, mumbling, "I'd be too embarrassed if someone else saw the... mess."
"You go ahead! I'll come find you after I lie here a bit longer... I'm all soft now..."
Kazuki laughed.
"Alright, get some rest! I'll see you up there."
After straightening his clothes, Kazuki headed toward the deck.
The deck was already bustling with trainers casting out their fishing rods, though as he scanned the crowd, he noticed—no one had caught anything yet.
"Kazuki, over here!"
Misty waved enthusiastically, having secured a prime fishing spot.
"You're amazing, Misty!" Kazuki praised as he walked over.
"Snagging such a good spot with all these people around."
Misty puffed up proudly.
"Of course! But this time the captain helped me pick it out," she admitted.
"He said this was the best place to catch Pokémon!"
Kazuki grabbed a fishing rod from the stand nearby.
"Actually," he said, "I could catch one anywhere."
"Wow, listen to you brag! You always say I'm the cocky one!"
Misty huffed and cast her line first, determined to beat Kazuki to a catch.
Just then, a neatly dressed waitress came over with two glasses of fresh juice.
"Mr. Kazuki, Miss Misty—here's the juice the captain specially ordered for you!"
Kazuki turned to thank her, only to be met by an impressively curvy sight.
Seeing this, Misty quickly shoved herself between them, pressing her modest chest against Kazuki's side.
"Kazuki! Focus! Let's see who can catch something first!"
"Alright, let's do this," Kazuki said confidently, casting his line.
Though the waters here teemed with Water-types, ocean fishing for Pokémon was still no easy task.
The event was mainly for fun—most trainers aboard the S.S. Anne were still beginners without much experience.
Historically, reeling in even three Pokémon during the contest was considered a big accomplishment.
And sure enough, half an hour passed with barely any action—only a few false alarms from over-eager trainers.
Just as the captain began worrying that this year's tournament would end in a total bust, Kazuki's rod twitched.
But Kazuki didn't cry out. Calmly, he tested the line and began reeling it in.
He hadn't expected much, just wanted to try out his newly acquired Beginner Fishing Master Aura.
Soon enough, he hauled up a Krabby!
Last one to cast a line, yet the first to catch something!
Though Krabby wasn't exactly rare, it still sparked a round of cheers.
"Whoa! As expected of Mr. Kazuki!"
"Quick! Send a couple of girls over to cheer him on!"
The captain was especially fond of Kazuki now—not only had he saved the S.S. Anne, but he'd basically saved the captain's career.
He practically wanted to give Kazuki everything.
Fortunately, one of the sailors whispered urgently,
"Captain, remember—Kazuki's girlfriend is right there. Maybe... tone it down a little?"
The captain slapped his forehead.
"Right! I almost forgot!"
"But honestly, a hero like Kazuki deserves multiple wives!"
"Later, if there's time, I'll introduce him to a few good candidates!"
The small diplomatic crisis was averted.
Misty, however, wasn't focused on that at all.
Watching Kazuki haul in a catch before her, she puffed up her cheeks indignantly.
"Hmph! How did you catch one first?! No way! I'm not losing to you!"
Although the fishing contest was meant to be a relaxing event, Misty treated it like a life-or-death struggle.
"Relax. The captain said it's just for fun. No need to be so serious," Kazuki said, chuckling.
"I am serious! As the daughter of a Water-type Gym Leader, I can't lose when it comes to anything involving water!"
"If you caught one, then I'm catching one too!"
Kazuki shook his head, amused.
Glancing at the Krabby in his hands, he noticed it was slightly larger than the one he'd caught previously, though its potential wasn't as high.
"You were looking for a Krabby before, right? Want this one?"
"Really...?!" Misty's eyes lit up, but then she hesitated.
"No... I want to catch my own Water Pokémon."
"If I just take yours, my sisters will never let me hear the end of it!"
Misty's pride when it came to Water-types ran deep. No matter how much she liked Kazuki's Krabby, she politely refused.
Seeing her determination, Kazuki let the Krabby scuttle a few circles around the deck before releasing it back into the ocean.
The deck soon returned to its earlier quiet.
Kazuki pondered silently: Looks like this Beginner Fishing Master Aura works—but just barely.
At least he could still catch something when others came up empty.
Just then, another fishing line twitched—
But it wasn't Kazuki's—it was Misty's!
"Got one!"
Misty jumped to her feet, muscles tense as she reeled in with all her might.
Kazuki watched from the side, noticing how the sunlight highlighted Misty's figure.
Aside from her modest chest, her athletic build was actually perfect—tight abs and strong lines visible as she pulled.
With a splash, a massive red figure burst from the water.
"I caught one! Hahaha!"
Misty cheered triumphantly—until the red figure came into view.
It was a Magikarp.
Misty's smile froze.
Before she could react, the Magikarp flopped straight into her arms.
"AHH!!"
Screaming, Misty reflexively threw the Magikarp back into the ocean.
"Aww, what a shame! That was a huge Magikarp!"
"Yeah! No one expected anyone to haul up something that big!"
The surrounding trainers murmured in sympathy.
Kazuki chuckled, securing his fishing rod as he handed Misty a tissue.
"You know, that Magikarp had decent potential."
"You sure you wanted to just toss it back?"
Misty laughed awkwardly, wiping her hands.
"Eh, I just wanted to prove I could catch something too!"
"And... well... Magikarp are... kinda dopey-looking..."
But the real reason was more complicated.
The moment that Magikarp flew at her, Misty had caught a glimpse—
A glimpse of something fierce lurking behind those blank eyes.
A hint of Gyarados.
Terrified that the Magikarp might suddenly evolve on the spot, Misty had instinctively thrown it away.
After a round of laughter, the event wound down.
No one else managed to catch anything after that, and the trainers gradually drifted toward the dining halls.
Misty, satisfied she had proven herself, finally relaxed, her stomach growling audibly.
Today marked Kazuki's first fishing experience—and matching Misty's haul made him pretty happy with his Beginner Fishing Master Aura.
After all, you couldn't expect to hook a Kyogre with just a beginner-level aura, right?
Just as Kazuki was about to pack up, his fishing line suddenly jerked violently.
This wasn't a small nibble.
Something big was on the line.
Kazuki and Misty exchanged a glance, identical looks of surprise on their faces.
The next second—
Kazuki gripped the rod tightly, preparing to reel it in.
Misty rushed to the railing, eyes wide, ready to see just what monster Kazuki had hooked!