Ash's Story (Part 6: Unova)

Chapter 31: Twin Currents

The road away from Castelia still smelled faintly of harbor salt when the city finally fell behind us. For a while, no one spoke much. The wind was gentle, the path was open, and yet my hands still kept closing whenever I heard distant engines.

Pikachu rode on my shoulder with his ears tilted back. His meaning came quietly against my cheek. "You are listening for danger again."

"I know. I just do not want Team Rocket or Team Plasma getting another free shot at us," I murmured, keeping my eyes on the road.

Alice walked close enough that her sleeve brushed mine whenever the path narrowed. She did not tell me to calm down. She only watched the fields, the bridges, and the trucks passing on the lower road, the way she always watched exits when my breathing got too sharp.

Cilan lifted his travel map with a bright, polished smile. "According to the route notes, there is a well-known fishing competition before the next Contest stop. A fine appetizer before the main performance, if I may say so."

Iris hopped onto a low stone wall and balanced with Axew tucked against her chest. "Fishing sounds better than walking all morning. Maybe Ash can stop looking like every bush is about to attack him."

"Iris," Alice said softly, though there was no anger in her voice.

"What? I said maybe. That is practically gentle," Iris asked, waving one hand.

Golly adjusted the bag that held our HMs and papers. "A competition also means registration rules, borrowed rods, caught Pokémon records, and supervision. If Team Rocket appears, there should be officials to witness it."

Eve looked at her younger sister and sighed. "Only you could make a fishing contest sound like a legal hearing."

"That is because legal hearings are what happen after people ignore rules," Golly replied with perfect seriousness.

The road dipped toward a wide riverside town filled with banners, wooden docks, and blue flags painted with leaping Water-type Pokémon. Competitors were already gathering near long tables where fishing rods, bait boxes, and numbered tags were being handed out.

Cilan's eyes sparkled like he had just seen a five-star kitchen. "Excellent! This is a traveling fishing competition. Competitors fish within the marked river zone, show their catches for strength and condition, then release them unless a Pokémon accepts capture."

"So we are not just grabbing anything we pull up?" Iris asked.

"Of course not. A true fishing competition respects the river's flavor, and the Pokémon's will must be part of the final taste," Cilan said, sounding almost offended.

Alice looked toward the water, where ripples crossed each other in quick, restless lines. "Then we can enter. If a Pokémon wants to stay, we ask. If not, it goes back."

"That is the correct procedure," Golly said immediately.

We signed our names with the other competitors, and the official gave each of us a rod. Eve tested the reel before accepting it, while Iris swung hers so quickly that Cilan nearly ducked under the hook.

"A fishing rod is not a dragon lance," Cilan warned.

"It could be if I had enough style," Iris said proudly.

The competition began with a whistle. Lines flew over the river, splashing into the current one after another. Pikachu leaned forward on my shoulder, his tail twitching each time a shadow passed under the surface.

For a little while, it almost felt peaceful. Cilan narrated the river's current like a performance judge. Iris cheered every splash, even when it was only someone's bait drifting back. Eve helped Alice keep her line steady when the current pulled hard.