Kanto Region.

  The outskirts of Viridian City.

  As dusk crept over the riverbanks, the clouds in the western sky were stained deep crimson by the setting sun.

  The fading light spilled across the water's surface, while Butterfree occasionally fluttered from the bushes, their wings stirring a breeze that rippled the golden reflections.

  Looking along the winding, shimmering river toward the bank, a silhouette with a distinct orange ponytail came into view.

  A fishing rod hung low, its bobber dancing slightly with the rhythm of the waves.

  Unfortunately, the dry bucket sitting nearby told the sad story of the girl's ckluster harvest.

  "Three whole days, and not even a goddamn bite... This is bullshit! Forget about a rare Water-type, why won't even a Magikarp get on the hook?!"

  The girl sat on a jagged rock, gripping her rod and venting her frustration to the wind.

  She was the world's number-one beauty, the future Master of Water Pokémon—if word of this pathetic fishing record got out, her three useless sisters would ugh their asses off!

  "Ugh..."

  After a brief burst of rage, she let out a long, heavy sigh characteristic of a fisherman who's been skunked.

  But before she could wallow further, a violent tremor from the bobber jerked her back to reality.

  "Here we go! This weight... could it be a legendary monster?!"

  Feeling the massive vibration through the handle, the girl's eyes lit up with excitement. Her back straightened, her muscles tensed, and she twisted her wrists to lock the line, determined to win this tug-of-war.

  However, as every fisherman knows, you can pull anything out of the water except a fish—

  She reeled in hard, swinging the rod back.

  It wasn't the legendary beast she imagined, but a soaking wet... man, and a soft, soggy kitten.

  Shaking, she reached out and pressed her fingertips beneath the man's nose to check for breath. A moment ter, she covered her mouth and let out a sharp, piercing scream.

  "Eeeek??!!"

  ...

  Falling, weightless.

  The moment that massive gravitational pull sucked him in, Hakuya's vision went pitch bck, and he felt himself plunging into an endless void.

  His body was paralyzed, his strength drained, unable to react to anything around him.

  Soon, the cold, dark void was repced by the sensation of a flowing river. Strangely, he never felt like he was suffocating; he simply felt the cool current washing over his skin again and again.

  "Cough—cough!"

  Choking on a mouthful of water, Hakuya struggled to open his eyes.

  The first thing he saw was the silhouette of a girl whose expression had suddenly frozen in shock.

  Her eyebrows were as thin and delicate as crescent moons, her nose small and perfectly shaped.

  Her vibrant orange hair was tied in a side ponytail, looking as soft and lustrous as high-quality silk.

  Beneath her meticulously styled hair was a face as pale and smooth as fine porcein, the kind of skin that looked like it would bruise at the lightest touch.

  Wait... isn't this Misty from the original series?

  Looking around, he saw a fishing rod that had clearly just been cast onto the shore. There was no sign of Ash or Brock anywhere nearby. If he had to guess, he was probably in a timeline before Ash even started his journey.

  Within seconds, his brain was firing on all cylinders. Just as he had accepted being pulled into the Emerald game world, he quickly accepted the fact that he had been dumped into the Pokémon anime world.

  He nodded inwardly, his gaze returning to the orange-haired girl who was almost pressing her body against his chest.

  She was just as pure and beautiful as he remembered, radiating a charm that made it impossible not to like her.

  The only "tragedy" was that her "valley" was a bit too shallow—the girl was as ft as a board.

  "..."

  Unlike Hakuya, who was busy critiquing her ck of curves, the girl was turning a deep shade of scarlet.

  On one hand, she had never been this physically close to a guy before.

  On the other hand, she had been genuinely trying to save his life, but being caught in the act made her freeze. Staring into his amber eyes, a wave of intense shyness washed over her, making her forget to even get up.

  Just then, Sprigatito—who had been tossed onto the grass—flickered her eyeshes open and caught sight of the intimate scene.

  "Nya? NYA!"

  Sprigatito's face darkened instantly. Hissing with possessive rage, she forced her small head right between the two of them.

  "Ah! I... I..."

  Caught between Hakuya's questioning gaze and Sprigatito's bared fangs, Misty's brain finally rebooted. She scrambled to her feet, waving her hands frantically in a desperate attempt to expin.

  "I thought you were drowning and I was going to... no, wait! I didn't mean I wanted you to die! I mean..."

  After a chaotic, stuttering expnation, Hakuya finally pieced together the truth from the blushing girl.

  Apparently, she realized he wasn't breathing after she dragged him ashore. Even if she rushed him to the Viridian City hospital, he would have been a corpse before they arrived.

  In her desperation, Misty had steeled herself to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She had just finished her mental preparation and was leaning in to press her lips against his when he suddenly woke up.

  "I'm terribly sorry. It seems I've caused you quite a bit of trouble."

  Looking at the girl whose face was flushed a lovely shade of pink from embarrassment, Hakuya gave a soft smile and pressed his hands together in a sincere gesture of thanks.

  "My name is Hakuya, and I'm from the Hoenn region. This is my partner, Sprigatito. Thank you so much for pulling us out of the river; you really saved our lives."

  "Nya~"

  Beside him, although she was still gring warily at the girl who had just been practically on top of her trainer, Sprigatito followed up with a polite, appreciative cry.

  "It's... it's fine. I just happened to be fishing nearby. I'm gd you're okay. I'm..."

  Misty wanted to brush off her heroism as quickly as possible.

  But just as she was about to introduce herself, Hakuya cut her off as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head.

  "Wait, if I'm not mistaken, you must be the famous Misty from the Cerulean Gym, right?"

  "Eh?"

  Misty blinked, her expression going bnk.

  She never expected to hear her name from a complete stranger out in the middle of nowhere.

  The Cerulean Gym was somewhat famous in Kanto, sure, but as the youngest of the four sisters, her presence was overshadowed by her three airheaded older siblings.

  Forget about Viridian City—hardly anyone in Cerulean City even recognized her.

  Yet this handsome guy was looking at her... like a fan meeting a superstar he had been dreaming about?

  "I know your name because I've spent a lot of time collecting detailed info on Water-type Gyms across the world," Hakuya expined.

  He wasn't lying. Besides Misty, the one he knew best was Nessa—and he knew everything about her.

  "Most people only think of the Cerulean Gym for its underwater ballets, but I'm not like those shallow idiots. I dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, and I have a deep passion for Water-types..."

  The best way to win someone over is to seek common ground and then pile on the compliments.

  Understanding this perfectly, Hakuya watched Misty nod along in approval, before pausing for effect and adding more fuel to the fire.

  "But more importantly... I've admired the grace and beauty of the 'Cerulean Mermaid' for a long time. If I get the chance, I'd love to have a battle with your powerful Starmie."

  !!!

  She forgot everything he said at the beginning. She forgot everything he said in the middle.

  That single phrase—"Cerulean Mermaid"—was like a master key that unlocked Misty's heart. Her eyes widened, her emerald pupils sparkling with excitement as her entire body vibrated with joy.

  "Hmph~"

  "Wh-what 'Cerulean Mermaid'? I've never heard anyone call me that before... but... wow, Hakuya! You clearly have amazing taste!!!"

  Compared to her initial shyness, this pyful, tsundere energy felt much more like the Misty he knew—