"Wow...So many Pokémon," a little girl exclaimed, her eyes wide as she gazed at countless creatures roaming the vast green fields.
"Hey Dawn, do you think there might be a Beautifly there? I really, really want to catch one," Another little girl, May, asked Dawn with a hopeful, excited look.
Dawn, the older girl, looked at her friend with a dry expression. "May, Beautifly are not native in Kanto. You absolutely won't find them here."
May immediately pouted, the disappointment clear on her face.
"Though we might not have Beautifly, we do have our Butterfrees," a deep, kind voice said. An old man appeared behind them, a beautiful, butterfly-like Pokémon perched on his shoulders.
"Freeee," the Pokémon chirped, waving a small appendage at the girls in a welcoming gesture.
"Woah, sooo cute!~" Both girls gasped, utterly charmed by the Butterfree.
"Oho, so you like this little girl, huh?" the old man asked, a gentle smile on his face. "So what do you think about Kanto? Think you'll love to live here?"
The two girls instantly blushed, thinking of the reason they were in Kanto: their shared fiancé.
The old man laughed heartily at their reaction.
"Alright, Professor Oak, no need to bully my daughter anymore," a man's voice called out, rescuing the girls from the intense teasing.
"Yes, Senior Oak, my daughter is too young for now. Please refrain from teasing her like that," a woman added, joining the man.
The two newcomers were the girls' parents, Professor Birch and Johanna. Professor Oak smiled and turned to greet them.
"I wasn't teasing your daughters," Professor Oak insisted, his eyes twinkling playfully. "I was simply giving them a taste of the hospitality they'll enjoy when they finally join the family."
"A little playful tease is just part of the welcoming ritual here in Pallet Town, wouldn't you say, Birch?"
Professor Birch, a friendly, stocky man, chuckled warmly. "That's why we brought them early, Samuel. To get used to your legendary cheekiness."
"Cheekiness? I call it observation," Professor Oak replied, pretending to be offended. "The blush on their cheeks tells me the idea of marriage here isn't a completely terrifying one yet. You're doing well, Johanna."
Johanna, Dawn's mother, smiled, though she squeezed Dawn's shoulder reassuringly. "Thank you, Professor. We just want them to be happy in this arrangement. But they are still just children, easily flustered by talk of their future."
May leaned in to whisper to Dawn. "He called him 'Samuel'! That sounds so incredibly serious for a grandpa!"
Dawn nudged her friend back. "Shush, May! Don't be rude! He's a very important man."
Professor Birch sighed dramatically.
"All right, all right, let's change the subject before these two hide behind us permanently. Samuel, I have those peculiar soil samples from Hoenn—the ones with the very high mineral count I mentioned last week."
"Ah, the Hoenn Paradox! Excellent," Professor Oak exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "We can dive into that over some tea in the lab. It sounds like a problem worthy of my attention."
Johanna looked from the two eager researchers down to the girls. "Now, May, Dawn, your fiancé is out doing some fieldwork with Gary, but he'll be back shortly to greet you."
May and Dawn exchanged a quick, meaningful glance, a silent acknowledgment of the boy who was waiting for them.
"While the grownups talk about tedious paradoxes and dirt," Birch interrupted, winking at the girls, "Why don't you two go explore the ranch? It's completely safe. The Pokémon here are all friendly and used to humans."
May's face immediately brightened, her disappointment forgotten. "Really? We can go?"
"Yes, but stay within the fences, and please don't try to catch the Pokémon. They all have their homes here," Johanna instructed firmly.
"We promise!" Dawn and May shouted in unison, already moving towards the grassy hills.
"Off you go then," Professor Oak waved them toward the wide field. "Enjoy the freedom of Kanto. Just remember, the lab is strictly off-limits!"
.......
...
With a squeal of excitement, the two girls darted off into the immense, green expanse of the Pokémon Ranch.
"This is infinitely better than listening to them talk about our future husband!" May declared, skipping ahead. "Come on, let's find that Snorlax he mentioned!"
"Last one to the huge oak tree is a Magikarp!" Dawn countered, pointing to a giant tree in the distance.
They ran across the soft earth, their giggles trailing behind them. They spotted a family of Nidoran rolling playfully, an elderly Pidgeot soaring overhead, and a trio of Tauros grazing calmly.
"You know," May whispered as they paused, watching a little pink Jigglypuff hop past, "you blushed way harder than I did when he mentioned joining the family."
Dawn shoved her lightly. "I did not! I was just surprised! And besides, you were pouting like a Spoink! It was obvious you wanted to stay here forever with—"
She cut herself off, not wanting to say his name out loud.
This sparked a new, playful chase. They began running and laughing in wide circles, completely forgetting their surroundings.
"Wait, look out for the... oh, too late!" Dawn yelled, but her warning came seconds too late.
May, who was laughing and running backward to tease Dawn, suddenly lost her footing. With a squish and a horrified yelp, she landed squarely on her rear end in a thick, alarming patch of dark brown mud hidden by long grass.
"Aww, gross! I'm ruined!" May shrieked, scrambling uselessly to stand up. Her clothes, from her waist down, were completely coated in sticky, foul-smelling earth.
Dawn stopped and instantly burst into loud, unstoppable laughter. "May! You look exactly like a Swampert that just finished a mud bath!"
May, initially ready to cry, couldn't help but crack a smile at the ridiculous comparison. "Oh, very funny! Now help me up, I'm genuinely stuck!"
Dawn reached out, but as she pulled, May slipped again, dragging Dawn's hand and the entire sleeve of her jacket across her own muddy thigh.
"Now we look like Swamperts!" Dawn groaned, wiping her hand on her trousers. "If our mothers see this, let alone him, they will never forgive us."
"We need to find water fast! We can't let our fiancé see us looking like this when he gets back!" May exclaimed, her panic returning. She frantically pointed toward a break in the trees. "That way! I see a worn path!"
They quickly followed the path, realizing it was a route the Pokémon used to access water. They had to push aside thick, wet ferns, getting even wetter and muddier in their haste.
"Hurry! Before they finish talking about the Hoenn paradox and come looking for us," May whispered urgently.
Suddenly, the path opened up, and they froze.
In front of them lay an immense, glittering expanse of water. It was a vast, clear lake, so large it seemed like a natural inland sea tucked within the ranch. The surface was perfectly still, flawlessly reflecting the blue Kanto sky.
"Wow," Dawn breathed, completely forgetting the dirt and the panic. "That's not just a pond... that's a legendary lake."
"It's perfect," May whispered back, already moving toward the shore. "We can get completely clean here. Quick, before anyone sees!"
They rushed to the water's edge. .
Seeing how deep the mud had soaked into their clothes—and realizing there was no other option—they quickly stripped down to their underclothes.
They didn't even care about the chill; getting clean was the priority.
With a shared sigh of relief, they both dipped into the water.
"Oh, wow, this is so much better than I expected!" May said, wading out until the cool water hit her waist. She vigorously scrubbed the sticky mud from her legs and arms.
"I know! It's freezing, but it feels so clean," Dawn agreed, dunking her head under to wash the wet grime from her hair and jacket sleeve.
"The water is amazingly clear."
After a minute of urgent scrubbing, the panic subsided, replaced by the sheer relief of being clean.
They looked at each other and burst out laughing again, the earlier frustration completely gone.
"Well, since we're already halfway in trouble," May declared, splashing Dawn playfully. "We might as well enjoy it!"
"Hey! You started it!" Dawn shrieked, splashing back twice as hard.
They quickly forgot about the Hoenn Paradox, the angry professors, and even their yet to be met fiancé.
They started wading deeper, throwing handfuls of water at each other and giggling like the carefree little girls they still were.
May spun around, creating a delightful spray.
"We should pretend we're on a deserted island! You can be the brave explorer, and I'll be the shipwrecked princess!"
"No way, I'm the princess!" Dawn argued, dodging a big splash. "You're too clumsy to be a princess! You fell right into the Swampert mud!"
"That's just further proof I need rescuing! The explorers always get dirty first!" May countered with a wide grin, before slipping under the surface briefly.
The large, calm lake, reflecting the Kanto sky, was now filled with the joyous chaos of two girls splashing, playing, and forgetting their worldly problems
Then suddenly.
A sharp rustling sound suddenly ripped through the quiet greenery lining the lake's edge.
Both girls froze, mid-splash.
The bushes parted violently, and a boy—no older than they were, with messy black hair and a baseball cap—stumbled out, letting out a frustrated sigh.
"Man, that was tough, having to help around the ranch with Gary of all people," the boy muttered, pulling off his cap and wiping sweat from his brow.
He didn't look up immediately. "Thankfully, I have this hidden spot where I can finally have some fun and clear my head."
He took another step closer to the water's edge, finally lifting his gaze to the lake.
His eyes, initially scanning the water, landed directly on the two girls.
He stopped dead.
His frustrated expression instantly vanished, replaced by a look of utter, blank confusion.
His mouth opened slightly.
"Eh..." he uttered, completely stunned by the sight of two unfamiliar girls—dressed only in their underclothes—splashing around in his secret spot.
The girls' moment of shocked silence broke in a flurry of movement and sound.
They instantly shrieked, splashing the water and frantically trying to cover themselves with their arms.
"Kyaaaaaa! Pervert!" Dawn screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Get out of here!" May yelled, grabbing the nearest piece of clothing—a muddy towel—and trying to shield herself and Dawn.
The boy, who was still frozen at the water's edge, finally seemed to snap out of his daze. His blank confusion turned into sheer panic. He didn't run away; he simply shut his eyes tightly and spun around, shielding his face with his cap.
"Wait! I—I didn't see anything! I swear!" the boy stammered out, his voice high and nervous. "This is my spot! I just came here to... to think! I'm sorry! I'm leaving!"
He spun back around and sprinted into the bushes even faster than he had arrived, leaving behind the furious and embarrassed girls.
.....
Dawn and May scrambled out of the water, quickly grabbing their clothes and pulling them on over their damp underclothes. They were red-faced, shivering, and absolutely livid.
"I can't believe that just happened!" May hissed, clutching her water-soaked shirt to her chest.
"I can," Dawn muttered darkly. "Maybe all guys from Kanto are that clumsy and idiotic. Did you even see his face?"
"No! I was too busy screaming!" May wailed. "We need to go, right now. If he tells anyone, I will die of embarrassment!"
They snatched up their shoes and hurried back the way they came, their grand ranch adventure completely ruined.
They decided not to mention the incident, or the secret lake, to anyone.
When they returned, their parents and Professor Oak were still deep in conversation about the Hoenn Paradox.
They quickly mumbled a story about falling into a stream and retreated inside to change.
The girls never spoke about the boy at the lake again. Until...
They found out that boy they met was actually their husbsnd to be
...
Back in Serena's Room
"Hahaha, so you met him half-naked? That's hilarious!" Misty laughed, covering her mouth with her hand after hearing about their first encounter with Ash.
"Yeah, that truly sounds like it had been ripped out of a typical rom-com anime," Green uttered with a deadpan look, glancing dismissively at May and Dawn.
The other girls present weren't sparing them any judging glances either.
"Okay, that's enough! Are you satisfied now?" May exclaimed, her face flushing crimson all over again.
"Yes, let's move on," Dawn looked down and muttered, clearly embarrassed.
Serena, who was left to continue the story, sighed and took the cue.
"Then where should I begin?"
....