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Old Rods aren't the most well known for their larger catches, but under the right claws even the most experienced fishers couldn't keep their jaws from dropping. With each Magikarp, Shellder, and the occasional Chinchou that ended up under the keen eye of Bryna's measuring tape, it was starting to become more evident that they needed to make tracks elsewhere. The Vermillion City port was home to boats big and small: two person rowing boats dotting the horizon as the alluring hues of the early morning sun made way for freight and cruise ships to arrive and depart on time, and with more people coming to the Kanto region every year the water pokémon were starting to stray further away from the shore line.
Over the past few months, even the Alolan Meowth furred Hrothgar could barely raise an eyebrow at the outlying catches any more. Her mentor, the self titled 'Fishing Dude' (which still gave her a chuckle each time he introduced himself to budding fishers looking to start from scratch) could see the disappointment in rose coloured eyes. No longer holding the same sheen that he had seen the first time she came scuttling through his doors with probably the smallest Magikarp he'd ever seen, yet it had looked like the catch of a lifetime in the small child's arms. No longer excited upon hearing when a swarm of Wingull were seen scouting a suspiciously darkened patch of ocean. No longer sat at the edge of the pier each and every morning as if she hadn't moved from the day before.
Still, Bryna fished. An innate desire to be by the ocean, to feel the pull as the tides rose along the thin line, to get that same exciting rush that felt like a far off dream nowadays. She knew something had to change, but the waters that stretched out to the ends of the world were too comfortable to leave.
"Here again, I see?" The charged sneer of a voice that sent the fur on the back of Bryna's neck on edge reared it's head once more, but this was a lure that she had learned over the years not to bite. Eyes still focused on the circular ripples emanating from her line, the familiar burst of a laugh echoed in the once calm winds, a clap of his hand on her tense back not enough to "Been a while since you've decided to clear the weak from around here, but good to know you're making sure no-one makes any... interesting decisions."
When most people heard of a gym stationed at the developed seaside, they always asked when they could catch a glimpse of Misty: the water type leader at the waters edge, nothing could be more fitting after all. When instead they were thoroughly blindsided by the charged air inside the gym instead, confusion bled into disappointment which sparked into understanding. Lieutenant Surge wanted to show off how strong electric pokemon were? Why not then be surrounded by a type it was strongest against.
Under 'normal' circumstances, if Bryna had known that the leader had returned from whatever travelling had taken him far from his stomping grounds, she wouldn't have chosen to settle down at the front of the Vermillion Gym. But today wasn't one of those days. Long fangs caught the reflection of the rising sun across the water's surface, the corner of her lips trembling with a badly held back smirk. Reeling in the line, the hook remaining as empty as when she cast it, the fisher rose to her feet to meet Surge's eyeline, only having to tilt their head a couple inches to do so.
"Actually, I'll be making my own 'interesting decision' today." Pulling out a minimised pokéball from the bag resting at her hip, she taps the button to prime it before letting it fall from her fingers to bounce out of the ground. A bright light pulses out and starts to take on the blue and yellow form that had ben contained within, the echoing cry of a clear bell resounding as the Chinchou floats between the pair. "I'm coming for your badge, and I'll prove that the water you try to lord over is enough to take you down."