Pokemon : Rewind

"Yes, who are you?" Tracey asked, looking at the girl in orange overalls with medium-long dark green hair, his surprise evident.

The girl stood out with her delicate features and a ponytail that cascaded down her back. Her orange overalls were slightly cropped, exposing her midriff, and her loose trousers gave her a relaxed yet capable look.

"My name is Maren," she replied, her bright smile revealing her friendly demeanor. "I'm a resident of Shamouti Island. If you're trying to get to Shamouti Island, I can take you there."

She pointed to a yacht docked at the harbor—her vessel for navigating the Orange Islands.

"Of course we want to go!" Misty exclaimed quickly, but then eyed Maren with suspicion. "But why are you helping us?"

Misty's skepticism was understandable; they had just met this girl. Ash and Tracey shared her doubts, glancing at Maren with raised eyebrows.

"It's because of him—Mr. Ash!" Maren said, not offended by their wariness. She had recognized Ash after observing him more closely. Though not a Trainer herself, she had heard of his growing fame.

After all, his recent battle against Lorelei had made headlines.

Misty and Tracey exchanged surprised glances, then looked at Ash. They realized that if Maren was aware of Ash's reputation, it made her offer more believable.

"Let's go! I'm heading back to Shamouti Island now," Maren waved to them, beckoning for them to follow her toward the yacht.

Despite their lingering doubts, Ash and his friends hurried after her. With Ash present, they felt a sense of security—after all, they had Pokémon capable of traversing the sea.

Maren's yacht was sizable enough, featuring a resting area and a driving position above it. While it could carry four people comfortably, it did feel a bit cramped for their group.

She often used the yacht for fishing trips or traveling to other islands, even maintaining a small fish bank inside the cabin for her catches when she visited Little Orange Island.

Misty's eyes lit up as Maren explained her fishing endeavors. "I love fishing! I haven't tried sea fishing yet since coming to the Orange Islands," she admitted, excitement bubbling in her voice.

"We can try sea fishing on our way to Shamouti Island! There are some fish you can only catch this way," Maren offered, warming up to Misty since they shared a common interest.

"Great! I know about some of those fish and hope to catch one!" Misty replied eagerly.

As the yacht set sail north, it gradually left the harbor. Once they were out at sea, Maren engaged the yacht's autopilot and prepared fishing rods for Ash and his friends. 

Ordinary fishing rods wouldn't suffice for the kind of sea fishing they intended to do.

The yacht sped across the waves, with Ash, Misty, and Tracey excitedly sitting at the stern, fishing rods in hand. 

Maren returned to the driving seat, adjusting their course while keeping an eye on her passengers.

However, after an hour of fishing, their excitement turned to boredom. The rods remained motionless.

"Why hasn't a fish bitten the hook yet?" Tracey asked, bewildered by the lack of activity.

"This is normal!" 

Misty chimed in, recalling her previous fishing experiences. 

"We don't have any fish detectors, and we aren't tracking schools of fish. Random fishing like this relies on luck."

"Misty's right!" Maren added, nodding. 

If she had the time, she would have sought out a school of fish, but with a pressing schedule to return to Shamouti Island, she hadn't pursued that route. 

Catching tuna in this manner was nearly impossible.

As a few more hours passed, they did catch some fish, but none were the sought-after tuna. Eventually, Tracey and Ash gave up, but Misty remained determined.

To conserve fuel, Maren decided to anchor at a nearby island around three o'clock in the afternoon. 

They refuelled and took a break for the day before continuing their journey the next morning.

The difference in speed between traveling by yacht and riding Lapras was significant. They had covered more than a third of the distance in just half a day.

Maren estimated that if everything went smoothly, they should reach Shamouti Island by evening the following day. 

However, to be cautious, they decided to arrive the day after tomorrow, preferring daylight travel.

Ash and the others had no objections; safety was paramount, especially with the celebration scheduled for the next day.

After resting on the island overnight, they set off again the next day. 

This time, Maren slowed down the yacht's speed to account for their estimated arrival time. 

Ash seized the opportunity to let Lapras swim alongside the boat for exercise.

Seeing this, Misty asked her Pokémon to join in as well, allowing them to both travel and work out.

With no one to carry, Lapras swam faster than before. 

While it struggled a bit to keep up with the yacht, it could maintain the pace for a long time. 

Ash kept an eye on it, ready to recall it when its stamina waned.

As the day passed, they continued on their journey.

In the afternoon, Maren anchored again to refuel and rest before setting off for the final leg of their journey. 

They were now less than a third of the way from Shamouti Island.

According to Maren's calculations, they would arrive around one o'clock in the afternoon.

Suddenly, Pikachu perked up, staring intently at the sky. 

Its expression shifted to one of concern. As they neared Shamouti Island, Pikachu sensed three powerful presences surrounding it.

It wasn't just a simple intuition; the inheritance light group was pulsing, hinting that something unusual was about to unfold.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, immediately noticing Pikachu's change in demeanour.

"Pika..." Pikachu started to explain, but just then, it spotted dark clouds gathering ominously in the distance, shrouding the sky. 

The sea began to churn violently, and the yacht rocked unsteadily.

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