After the frightening S.S. Anne incident, Ash and his friends decided to relax in the nearby resort city—Blue Lagoon City—to soothe their shaken nerves.
Ash and Brock eagerly rushed toward the beach. After changing into their swim trunks, they headed straight for the water. Pikachu even brought along a swim ring.
Of course, Pikachu actually could swim—using the classic doggy paddle. It probably just thought the style looked embarrassing.
Brock took a running start, leapt high into the air, and his body traced a beautiful arc.
Splash!
Brock slammed into the water with a loud crash, sending a huge wall of spray into the air.
That dive deserved a solid 9 out of 10—absolutely spectacular.
"Ash, we're swimming, not diving. Why make such a huge splash?"
Hearing Misty's voice, Ash casually turned his head—and then couldn't look away.
"Doesn't it look nice?" Misty said, striking a pose while holding a beach ball.
She was wearing a red one-piece swimsuit. The design was simple, yet it couldn't hide her natural charm.
Under the sunlight, her skin looked especially fair and smooth. Her long legs were slender and eye-catching.
Although Misty wasn't particularly "gifted" in certain areas compared to older women, eight years later she'd definitely be impressive.
Right now, she still carried a youthful innocence that made her look energetic and lively.
Even the "smaller" look was pretty cute…
Ash wisely kept that thought to himself—he wasn't ready to experience Misty's legendary strength.
"Pikachu, stop using that doggy paddle."
Misty lifted her chin proudly and walked toward the ocean.
As the youngest sister of the Cerulean Gym, she had always grown up around water. Her movements were graceful like a mermaid as she dove into the sea and began swimming happily.
She nodded in satisfaction as Pikachu swam around in the water.
Originally, Pikachu's swimming could only be described as chaotic doggy paddling—flailing limbs everywhere, inefficient and ugly.
Ash released the rest of his Pokémon.
Squirtle was immediately thrilled. Wearing its sunglasses, it dove straight into the sea and floated leisurely on its back.
"Squirtle squirtle!" (Come on in!)
Squirtle urged the others to join.
Charmander resisted desperately, clutching its flaming tail to keep it from getting wet.
Butterfree and Pidgeotto refused to enter the water entirely. Instead, they flew overhead, exchanging flying tips with each other.
"Bulba bulba~" (I have an idea.)
Bulbasaur extended its Vine Whip, grabbed Squirtle like a surfboard, and hopped on top, signaling Squirtle to start swimming.
Squirtle paddled forward while Bulbasaur tested the balance. It seemed stable enough.
Bulbasaur then used its vines to pull Charmander aboard. Soon, Bulbasaur and Charmander were both standing on Squirtle's shell while Squirtle paddled hard beneath them.
It was Bulbasaur's first surfing experience.
Charmander kept nervously watching its tail.
Meanwhile, Squirtle began swimming faster and faster—eventually even overtaking real surfboards nearby.
"You can play like that too?"
Ash caught the beach ball and looked toward the noisy trio.
With Squirtle swimming that aggressively, hopefully they wouldn't capsize.
When Squirtle evolved into Blastoise, it could probably be used as an actual boat.
And if it added Rapid Spin, maybe it could even function like a glider.
Misty splashed some water toward Ash.
Beside her, Starmie was trying to play with the beach ball, while Goldeen wanted a turn too.
"Ash, aren't we playing anymore?" Misty said mischievously.
The teams were simple:
Ash and Brock
Misty, her Pokémon, and Pikachu
Misty's Pokémon were surprisingly good at the game—especially Goldeen, which skillfully used its tail to smack the beach ball around.
"Want to learn? I can teach you," Misty said proudly.
She swam in a cheerful circle. But when she resurfaced, she discovered Ash already lounging comfortably on a beach chair.
She splashed water onto his face.
She couldn't beat Ash in Pokémon battles, and even his cooking had recently become slightly better than hers.
But now—finally—she had found something she was better at.
"Squirtle squirtle!"
Squirtle suddenly shouted loudly as it raced toward the shore with its two "brothers."
CRASH!
They slammed straight into the sand.
Dust flew everywhere.
Ash quickly pulled the three Pokémon out.
Aside from swallowing some sand, they were fine.
"Squirtle squirtle~" (You two are too heavy. I can't swim anymore.)
Squirtle collapsed onto Ash's chair, grabbed a drink, and decided relaxing here was far better than swimming.
"Bulba bulba!" (If you can't do it, just admit it. Don't make excuses.)
Bulbasaur found a shady spot to rest.
Ash meanwhile took over Misty's seat and pulled out a pile of food for the three Pokémon to eat.
After swimming for one or two hours, everyone returned.
Ash brought the group to eat lunch.
Later he still had to pick up his mom—she said she was coming to watch the Cosmetic Pokémon Beauty Contest being held in the city.
Professor Oak was also coming to attend a community event, and would drop by to check on both Ash and Gary.
After all—one was his student, and the other his grandson.
"Ash, I found a great job!" Brock suddenly announced.
He pulled out a poster featuring a beautiful woman.
"The job is being a host for the event," Brock said happily.
"There's also a 30,000 Poké Dollar prize!" Misty carefully read the poster, studying every detail before slamming it on the table.
"This competition is perfect for me—and there's prize money!"
"I'm entering!!!"
Well…
Her looks definitely gave her an advantage, though certain aspects still couldn't compare with mature women.
"Brock will be the host, and I'll be a contestant," Misty declared.
"Ash, you'll be our cheerleader."
"Sure," Ash replied. "Pikachu and I will cheer for you."
His mom Delia was only visiting briefly anyway, so it would be nice to introduce Misty and Brock to her.
Ash checked the time.
The contest started at 4 PM, so his mom should arrive just in time.
He also wondered whether Professor Oak was still collecting research material about Ancient Dragonite.
After all, Bill hadn't managed to capture any photos.
But Ash had.
That information alone could be incredibly valuable.
Maybe he could earn some extra money again.
"Brock, help me register. I'm going to prepare first," Misty said.
After eating quickly, she strode off confidently with her long legs.
Once lunch was finished, Ash changed into casual clothes.
He needed to go pick up his mom.
Professor Oak had already arrived earlier—probably to visit Gary first.
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu tapped Ash with its tail, pointing toward the crowd ahead.
"Ash! Pikachu! Long time no see!"
Delia Ketchum waved warmly, gently stroking Pikachu's soft fur. She looked at her son with a proud smile.
Seeing his mother again, Ash felt a surge of emotion.
Since starting his journey, time with family had become especially precious.
"Mom, you got here early?" Ash said, surprised.
She had arrived half an hour ahead of schedule.
Ash picked up her suitcase.
"Mom, have you eaten yet?"
"There's a really good seafood restaurant nearby."
Delia looked at her son gently. Seeing how much more mature he had become since leaving home made her feel proud.
"How has your journey been?"
"And how many friends have you made?"
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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