"Uh, what?" Kai muttered, staring at me with a look of disbelief and confusion in his eyes. We were at the harbor, the cold early breeze biting sharply at my skin despite the layers I'd bundled myself in.
The air stung my lungs with the freezing smell of salt and rust from the mix of seawater and iron that clung to the old docks. Wooden planks creaked beneath our boots, slick with dew and sea spray.
The gulls cried overhead, their shadows sweeping across the rippling surface as they soared toward the open sea—probably in hopes of catching their first meal of the day.
Nets hung loosely from nearby posts, dripping faintly into shallow puddles, while a few fishermen moved sluggishly in the background, their breath forming pale clouds in the morning chill.
"I'm going to sea with you!" Eevee curled up by my leg to hide from the cold as I declared. He took a good look at me, my bag already filled to the brim with fishing rods and tools I'd overprepared for. "Besides, you owe me a favor!"
I took a minute, counting on my fingers before giving up and balling my hands into fists. "Multiple favors!"
"Ok, ok!" The inept fisherman scratched at his scalp in frustration, thinking for a minute before pointing his gloved hands at me. "Alright! But if you're getting on, you're not carrying all of THAT!"
"What's wrong with it?" I murmured, shifting the bag up higher on my back only to almost stumble into the water. Kai caught me just barely, taking one big step out of the boat, and now we were both straining not to fall.
"What did I tell you?!" Kai grunted, pushing back against me.
"S-shut up and push already! This is embarrassing enough!" I shot back, teeth gritted as we both wobbled dangerously close to the edge.
With one final shove, Kai managed to steady us both. We stood frozen, half bent, his hand still gripping my bag strap, my foot half in the water. The sound of sloshing echoed before he finally let go.
"You're unbelievable," he muttered, flicking seawater off his boot. I opened my mouth to argue, but the sharp caw of a Wingull overhead cut through the air, reminding us we were making a scene—tired harbor workers giving us the side-eye at our display this early in the morning.
Kai sighed, reaching his arm out toward me. I hesitated and looked away… for now—I'd bite my tongue. The bag that weighed me down dropped to the floor. I gently took his hand as he guided me onto the boat. It rocked and splashed with us on it, my hands latching onto his until it settled.
"Come on, let go already…" His hand slipped from between mine as he left to prep the boat, Eevee jumping into my lap once we were almost ready to set off.
As the tide began to roll in, the boat lifted, its unsteady rocking almost making me nauseous at the foreign feeling.
"If you're feeling sick now, you might as well go home!" he teased, putting his fishing rod together. The rod's alloy shimmered with a faint bluish tint—a Seatrace-brand rod, made to withstand the pull of even a Gyarados.
"I'm not going anywhere! I certainly can't rely on you to catch fish for me!" I snapped.
"Is this what that's about—" Kai mumbled under his breath but groaned aloud.
***
Hours passed us by, and not a single bite. My brow knitted in annoyance as I sat at the boat's edge, legs dangling just above the water.
The sun had fully risen now, glinting off the small ripples and burning away what was left of the morning chill.
Eevee had long since given up on keeping watch, curled into a soft ball at my side.
"This sucks! Where're the fish?!" I snapped, my voice echoing in the vast waters surrounding us, no land in sight.
Kai yawned loudly from behind me, arms stretched, his line hanging slack.
"Maybe they smell desperation," he chuckled, his voice almost muffled by the sound of the sloshing waves hitting against the side of the boat. My brow twitched at his comment, my hands tightening over the rod.
"That explains your luck, doesn't it?" I shot back.
"Ha-ha…" he droned flatly, reaching for the thermos by his seat. "You wanted to come, remember? Don't start complaining now."
I turned my gaze to the water—clear and endless. Beneath the surface, faint shadows darted just out of reach. The silence between waves began to stretch thin.
"Maybe they just don't like you," I muttered, tugging my line again. "Or maybe your bait stinks."
"Or maybe," he said, voice half-bored, half-smug, "you don't know how to fish."
That hit harder than I'd admit. My hand froze mid-reel, a small click echoing through the still air."I do know how," I said quietly. "I used to go with my dad all the time—"
Something caught my line. There was a small tug, like it was nibbling at the bait. A smile found my face, along with an immediate cocky tone.
"Ha! See? I caught something before you—ah!" The tugging got intense, almost yanking me to the edge of the boat. Kai jumped at the sight, scrambling to get over to me and pulling me closer by the waist, my back flushed against him.
"T-the hell are you doing?!" I snapped, face flushed as he tugged at me more and more, determined to pull this thing to shore.
"Just pull!" I shouted over him.
The rod strained violently, the reel screaming as the line blurred out of control. My knuckles turned white, fingers locked around the cold metal handle.
"Pull it up, not sideways!" Kai barked, bracing his foot against the boat's edge.
"I am pulling up!" I shot back, though my arms shook under the weight. The whole boat rocked with each yank of the line, water splashing up against us. Eevee yelped and jumped onto the seat behind me, watching as we took one final tug.
Something leapt up from the water. I couldn't believe what I was seeing—both our eyes widened, blank with astonishment at what we'd pulled from the depths.
"A person?!"