At the same time, downstream from where Ash had jumped off the cliff.
A girl with an orange side ponytail stood by the edge of the stream.
In her hand, she held a fishing rod.
She wore a yellow sleeveless top, blue denim shorts, and a pair of red and white sneakers that were lightly stained with mud.
Her outfit radiated youthful energy.
However, her expression at this moment was unusually impatient.
From time to time, she would rise onto her toes, only to stomp back down again in frustration.
Her delicate face was filled with anxiety.
Of course, this anxiety was not entirely because her fishing rod had yet to show any movement.
Well… if she had to be honest, the reality of catching absolutely nothing did irritate her a little, but there were bigger concerns on her mind.
Misty stared at the calm water, so still that not a single ripple could be seen, and could not help but mutter under her breath, “What is going on? It is one thing if I cannot catch any Water type Pokémon, but how come I cannot even hook that idiot?”
She lifted her head to look at the forest across the river, then glanced at where she was standing, mumbling to herself again, “Logically, it should be about this time… hmm… more or less, right?”
At some point, the sky had begun to darken.
Thick clouds rolled in from the distance, and the air carried the damp heaviness of an approaching storm.
Misty gazed at the gradually dimming sky, quietly speaking to herself.
Even she did not understand what had happened.
Not long ago, she had been watching Ash’s Masters Eight Finals together with countless viewers.
When Ash achieved his final victory, when he raised that long awaited championship trophy high above his head, the entire world had been cheering for him.
But at that exact moment, she had only blinked once, and the overwhelming roar of celebration around her had vanished.
In its place was the familiar sound of flowing water.
This place…
Was where her dream had begun.
It was here that she had used her beloved fishing rod to pull Ash and Pikachu out of the river.
And then her precious bicycle had been taken by that idiot without so much as a proper explanation, only to end up being burned into a charred pile of scrap metal by Pikachu’s electricity.
It was precisely because of that destroyed bicycle that she had a reason to chase after Ash relentlessly.
And so, through a twist of fate, she had set off on a journey with him, beginning a noisy, bickering adventure that would later become something incredibly precious when she looked back on it.
Although Misty had no idea why she had returned to the past, she was not the slightest bit panicked by this bizarre situation.
Time travel was nothing special to her.
It was not as if she had never experienced it before.
She was already used to it.
Moreover, judging from the current situation…
This time, the protagonist of the time travel seemed to be her. The source of this chapter is g.com.
At that thought, a blazing determination ignited in Misty’s eyes.
She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes even shimmering with excitement, “This time, I will definitely make up for all my regrets!”
After declaring such a grand and imposing vow, Misty suddenly turned around and fixed her gaze on a brand new, gleaming red bicycle parked on the slope not far away.
She stared at her beloved bike with absolute determination and said word by word, “This time, it all starts with protecting my bicycle. Yes!”
Since fate had given her another chance, she was naturally going to protect her bicycle properly.
Absolutely, absolutely she would not let Ash and Pikachu destroy it again.
After all, a reason to travel with Ash was not limited to just the bicycle.
With her current self, she only needed to show a bit of her skill and express her willingness to teach Ash Pokémon battling.
In that case, Ash would definitely beg her to travel with him and guide him properly.
Hehe.
Just imagining the scene of Ash pleading with her made Misty laugh out loud.
As for those Spearow chasing after Ash…
Misty reached into the pocket at her waist and took out several Poké Balls, weighing them lightly in her palm.
Although fighting outnumbered might be a little difficult, a mere flock of Spearow was no match for her.
After all, she was the future Cerulean Gym Leader.
During the time she took over the gym, she had single handedly built it into one of the strongest gyms in the Kanto region.
Even if the Pokémon she currently had were not particularly strong yet, Misty firmly believed that under her wise and brilliant command, she could easily pull off an impressive victory against superior numbers.
However, when her gaze returned to the surface of the water, she could not help but feel anxious again.
She shifted her position slightly, wondering if she was standing in the correct spot.
Could it be that because she was standing in the wrong place, some kind of butterfly effect had occurred, causing her to fail to save Ash?
Thinking of this, Misty could not help but mutter again, “I have to hook that idiot, otherwise he is really done for…”
Just as she was mumbling to herself, the fishing rod in her hand suddenly jerked downward.
A tremendous force came from the end of the fishing line, instantly bending the rod into an exaggerated arc.
It is here!
A sharp glint flashed in Misty’s eyes.
She bent her knees slightly to stabilize her stance, her arms tensing instantly as she began rapidly reeling in the line.
The force beneath the water was astonishing, but Misty did not budge at all.
Finally, with a shout, she used all her strength to yank the fishing rod sharply backward.
“Get up here already, you idiot!!!”
Splash!
With a huge burst of water, a dark figure was forcibly dragged out of the rushing river, tracing a parabolic arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the grass behind her.
Ash was slammed onto the ground by the immense force, coughing violently as the river water he had swallowed rushed out.
Instead, he immediately looked down at the Pikachu in his arms.
After confirming that Pikachu had only fainted and that its breathing was still relatively stable, Ash finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, when Misty saw that she had successfully fished Ash out of the river once again, the heart she had been holding in suspense for so long finally settled.
Thank goodness.
History had not changed.
Just as Misty composed herself and prepared to step forward to talk to this idiot she was meeting for the first time, and perhaps even help him deal with the Spearow problem right away…
The freshly rescued Ash suddenly jumped up from the ground.
His gaze completely bypassed Misty, darting around as if searching for something with a clear purpose.
Very quickly, his eyes locked firmly onto the bicycle on the slope, the very one Misty treasured so dearly.
Following his line of sight, alarm bells immediately rang in Misty’s mind.
This is bad!
Realizing the situation was far from good, she was just about to speak up to stop him.
But Ash moved far faster than she could react.
“Let me borrow your bicycle for a moment, thank you!”
He gave her no time to respond.
Despite being clearly exhausted, he dashed straight toward the bicycle, carefully placing the unconscious Pikachu into the basket before swiftly mounting the seat.
“My name is Ash. I will be waiting for you in Viridian City. The bicycle… um… I will return it… definitely, probably…”
Only now did Misty fully react, and seeing Ash about to leave, she hurriedly called out, “Wait! If you run into any trouble, I can help—”
But before her words could even finish, Ash had already ridden off at full speed, leaving behind only a hurried figure disappearing into the distance.
The entire sequence was smooth and seamless, completed in one continuous motion, far faster than what she remembered from before.
Watching as Ash sped away on her bicycle, vanishing at the end of the road, Misty’s outstretched hand remained awkwardly suspended in midair.
Meanwhile, in the distant sky…
The dark mass of Spearow was already clearly visible, chasing relentlessly in the direction Ash had gone.
After watching both Ash and the flock disappear into the distance, Misty slowly lowered her arm.
It was as if all the strength had drained from her body.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the cold grass in a perfect duck sitting position.
She covered her face with both hands and let out a cry of despair.
“Even after starting over, I still cannot do anything!!!”
“My bicycle!!!”
(End of Chapter)