New Pokemon fanfic out now! Please check it out and show your support :) 'From Ranger To Pokemon Master'
----------------------
"——It's not usually like this."
Willy stared at the empty hook in Sailor's hand, exchanged a glance with the old sailor, and under the other's gaze, said somewhat awkwardly, "Really, it's not usually like this."
If it were any other day, having its fishing skills questioned, Sailor would immediately catch a few fish to show others its true fishing prowess.
But today, Sailor had none of that spirit. It sat blankly, and after a long while, swung its fishing rod back into the sea.
"You haven't been yourself lately." Willy frowned, losing the desire to continue chatting with the old sailor. He tapped his pipe, then sat down right next to Sailor. "Did something happen?"
"Rattata——" Sailor looked at Willy with a powerless expression, then rested its chin on its paw and let out another long sigh.
Just then, the bobber on the water started moving again. Sailor raised its paw and tugged, then leisurely started turning the reel.
"Maybe it's something to do with romance." The old sailor glanced at Sailor's back and said with some certainty. "Looks exactly like those lovesick young men and women I've seen before."
"Do Pokémon have these kinds of troubles too?" Willy was taken aback, staring at Sailor's back with a complicated expression for a moment.
"Ratt—ta—" Sailor's tone dragged out long. It reached out a paw, unhooked the fish from the hook, and cast the line out again.
This was completely outside Willy's area of expertise. Even if he wanted to say something to comfort Sailor, he couldn't find anything from his limited life experience that could apply to this situation.
After a long while, Willy silently sat down next to Sailor and started fishing alongside it.
"When you need it, you can come buy a Mermaid Pendant from me." The old sailor couldn't help but say. "Maybe if you give a Mermaid Pendant to the Rattata you like, you might just win her heart."
If it were a human, you'd also need a big house sufficient to support a family. But a Pokémon didn't need to think that much. If worst came to worst, maybe finding a cave would be enough to build a new home.
"——" Sailor silently glanced at the old sailor, then slowly shifted its gaze back.
No matter how torn up Sailor was, time still arrived at Summer 20, the day of the Fishing Derby.
Ron woke up bright and early this day, finished making breakfast, and glanced at Sailor, who had also come out of its room early.
"Morning."
"Rattata~"
Sailor waved at Ron and went to the washroom to wash up. After scrubbing the fur on its face clean, Sailor gave the mirror a little wave, put on its fine sailor hat, adjusted its collar, and then marched proudly to the dining table.
Anyway, overthinking it wouldn't produce any results. Sailor decided to set its troubles aside for now and properly enjoy the annual Fishing Derby. When Indeedee came back, it would have a proper talk with it.
"You seem like a weight's been lifted off your shoulders." Ron said, handing the bread to Sailor's paw. "You're going fishing with Willy today, right?"
"Rattata!" Sailor nodded excitedly.
The Trout Derby ran for two days, so it and Willy had agreed to camp together by the river. With the intention of dedicating themselves entirely to fishing for these two days, Willy had already prepared tents and sleeping bags. Sailor would stay until the morning of Summer 22 before returning to the farm.
Hearing this, Ron took some food portions from the fridge and handed them to Sailor's paw.
These were the ready-to-eat meals Ron had been developing these past few days.
He'd had plans to develop ready-to-eat meals before, but he hadn't had much time back then, so the ones he made were just given to Abigail and the others, to tide them over when they had no time to cook during their travels.
Now that he had some free time, Ron had spent the last couple of days researching new recipes.
Since the backpack also had a freshness-preservation function, food packs didn't really need to worry about preservation. The only thing to figure out was how to maintain the original flavor and texture after reheating food that had been stored for a while. Beyond that, there wasn't much else to worry about.
Gus was also somewhat interested in this matter. Harboring the dream of having people all over the world eat his Gus-brand cuisine, Gus was also racking his brains at the saloon trying to figure out how to make ready-to-eat meals.
"Rattata?"
"You just heat this up in a pot and it's ready to eat." Ron gave Sailor a simple demonstration, then continued. "Like this. They all taste pretty good. If you like them, next time you go fishing with Willy, you can grab some from the fridge yourself."
"Rattata!"
Sailor cheered, quickly finished breakfast, and set off carrying the luggage Ron had prepared for it.
Heading out through the farm's south gate, Sailor spotted from afar the tent, and Willy, who had already started setting up camp by the river early in the morning.
Seeing Sailor approach, he waved at it.
"Morning."
"Rattata!" Sailor trotted up to Willy with its backpack on.
"What's this?" Willy asked, eyeing the small pack on Sailor's back while securing the tent.
"Rattata!" Hearing this, Sailor immediately turned around, rummaged through its bag, and after a moment, pulled out a ready-to-eat meal pack and held it up in its paw, introducing it with a proud expression.
It's the food Ron prepared so it wouldn't go hungry!!!
For a Pokémon, this was truly something worth showing off!
This was love from Ron!
Although he couldn't understand what Sailor was saying, after a few glances, Willy guessed the gist of it. He chuckled, tapped his pipe, and after confirming the tent was secured, started pulling out his fishing gear.
Krabby, meanwhile, lay next to Sailor, staring intently at its meal pack.
"Krabby? Krabby?" Krabby waved its pincers, staring at Willy without blinking.
Why doesn't it have one of these?
Willy felt a bit guilty under Krabby's stare. He tossed his hook into the water and patted Krabby's head to comfort it. "Later, later. The first fish I catch, I'll feed you first."
"Krabby~" Krabby waved its pincers, looked at the meal pack, then looked at Willy, and reluctantly accepted. So it lay down attentively beside Willy, waiting for a fish to bite.
Sailor tidied up its things and started fishing alongside Willy.
"I can't even remember the last time I participated in the Trout Derby." Willy said, turning to Sailor beside him. "Fishing for two days straight isn't easy, you know."
"Rattata?"
"You need enough stamina, endurance, and—one secret weapon." Willy said, patting the bag next to him with a hint of faux mystery.
"Rattata?"
"A kind of food that quickly replenishes your energy." Willy said. "But the way you eat it isn't very popular. It's a method only veteran anglers use when they really can't spare their hands."
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)