Pokeshipping Week - 2017

Day 1 - Fishing

Author's Note(s): Greetings fellow Pokeshippers/AAML fans! Despite having been admittedly been on board as a fully pledged Pokeshipper since the summer, I still felt driven to write for this years Pokeshipping week. And here's the first one, under the theme 'Fishing'. Enjoy.

Fishing in Thought

"Thanks for the fishing rod, Lana!  You're the best," Ash complimented to his classmate that evening.  It had been a long day for sure.  In the Alola region, Ash had taken to one very surprising thing at the age of seventeen, he decided to attend a Pokémon school, insanity. 

That day his class had gone on a fishing trip out on the ocean from Melemele Island, and it had been an interesting trip.  Only Lana had caught any Pokémon that day, and Lillie fished one Milotic... That got away in the end, and also sent Ash flying into the water.  The class had also had another interference done on them that day in the form of Team Rocket up to their usual antics, but Lana and her Popplio were quick to save the day with Popplio having found the inner strength to finally blow a balloon – as Rotom-dex had described – 1000% times bigger than what Popplio could've done before in order to saves the classes ride Pokémon from certain injury.

But now that the day was over and they were all back home – well, not really home for Ash Ketchum, but that's beside the point – on Melemele Island, and Ash had gone back to Lana's house with the intent of returning the bluenette's fishing rod back to her.  Lana just stared at him for a bit, surprised by the unannounced visit as he had caught her whilst walking out of her house.  "Ash, you can keep the fishing rod you know, right?  I have plenty of spares so you keeping one is okay with me," she stated.

"Oh, really?  It is?!" Ash asked, Lana nodded her head in the positive. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I've plenty of others, you're more than welcome to keep it."

"Oh wow, thanks Lana!"  Ash then had a bit of stray thought then.  "Hey?  I don't suppose you're the type who makes her own lures then?"

"Um... Not really, no," Lana replied, quite surprised by Ash's odd question, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just that I've had friends in the past who keep retractable fishing lures with them.  Heck, there were two who made their own custom lures in the mirror image of themselves.  I just figured maybe you also do the same, what with you loving water-type Pokémon like her a lot," Ash said with a shrug.

"Oh, I see.  Those two friends of yours sound like amazing water Pokémon lovers then," Lana smiled, always eager to discuss water-types.  "Who were they and what were they like?" she continued as she closed the door and beckoned Ash to join her as she sat down over the pier next to her house to gaze out on the ocean.

Ash plopped down uneasily next to her as Pikachu went to go talk to Lapras whilst Ash pulled a sleepy Rowlet out and put him beside him.  Rotom-dex just sighed.  "Always asleep that one.  Bzt, bzt," it beeped.

"Well," Ash began, "There's Cilan.  He's a Pokémon Connoisseur, and a great chef too!  But he's also this big fan of a bunch of other things like skyscrapers, underground trains, detective shows, and as I mentioned, fishing.  The guy carries a retractable fishing rod around with him all the time, and also creates his own custom lures..." Ash trailed off, Lana was left wondering why.  But then Ash started to talk again as he raised his head to gaze out on the ocean.

"Heh, Misty did the exact same thing too, using custom lures to go fishing with."

"Who's Misty, Ash?" Lana asked, pondering if Ash might...

"Oh, Misty is a gym leader back where I'm from, the Kanto region I mean," Ash began, a sort of light growing in his eyes, it wasn't as bright per se as it may get when Ash was battling or catching Pokémon, but it was there.  "She's gym leader of the Cerulean gym, a water-type gym, you'd love it there Lana, they even have an aquarium setup, and lemme tell you, Misty's no pushover when it comes to water-types.   Love them to bits," he ended with a fond smile.