Chapter 125: Shooting Pokémon Videos (2),
Taking Froakie back to the forest camp, Ash noticed that the others including Tierno, Trevor, and Serena were already deeply engaged in their short film shoots. Respecting their concentration, Ash didn't interrupt or visit their sets.
Instead, he borrowed two fishing rods from the camp administrator stationed at the supply booth, then headed back to the boys' cabin to change into a fresh Myron-brand T-shirt and shorts a style popularized in Kalos, often worn by young coordinators like Shauna.
With Froakie at his side, the two left camp quietly and made their way straight to the stone pool in the upper river basin, discovered earlier that morning.
Sitting at the pool's edge, surrounded by a canopy of whispering trees and dappled sunlight, Ash felt the noise of his thoughts dissolve. The serene stillness of the place made his previously restless mind settle into a deeper calm.
Although he had resolved to shoot a fishing-themed short film in this environment, now that everything was ready, Ash realized that something crucial was still missing a kind of emotional resonance or atmosphere.
"Plop!" A sound broke the stillness. A tiny, fingernail-sized fruit fell from a high branch overhead, splashing into the crystalline surface of the pool. From the point of impact, ripples gently fanned out across the water.
"Fruit...? No, it sounds more like raindrops." Ash's eyes lit up. "That's it. While the location is tranquil, the broad daylight makes it feel too gentle too pale. But if it were raining... if I filmed a scene of fishing in the rain, the mood would deepen."
Now brimming with clarity, Ash became visibly excited.
And for Ash who wasn't an ordinary kid but a Trainer blessed with Pokémon who wielded supernatural abilities this wasn't just a passing idea. It was a doable scene.
"System, teach Froakie 'Rain Dance'!" Ash commanded mentally. Earlier, he'd copied the move from a Gyarados in the Cerulean Lake Challenge and stored it in the system.
Instantly, a stream of glowing data disintegrated from the system's inventory and streamed into Froakie's consciousness.
[Ding! Rain Dance successfully transferred! Host's Pokémon Froakie has learned Rain Dance!]
[Froakie]
Level: LV.14 (72/88)
Type: Water
Nature: Serious
Abilities: Torrent | Hidden Ability: Protean | Divine Blessing: Bond Metamorphosis
Potential: S (Transcendent)
"Chosen by Kalos' fate, Froakie bears the destiny of protecting the region during its eventual crisis."
Skills (Copyable):
Mastered: Pound (37/1000), Bubble (36/1000)
Proficient: Growl (23/500), Quick Attack (12/500), Water Pulse (16/500), Protect (4/500)
Unfamiliar: Lick (1/100), Rain Dance (1/100)
With the system's aid, Froakie now possessed the move that could unlock the atmosphere Ash had envisioned.
Wasting no time, Ash handed Froakie the smaller of the two fishing rods. Then, activating his wristband's sync chip, he signaled Drone Rotom hovering nearby to begin filming.
"All right, Froakie Rain Dance!" Ash ordered.
"Froaa!" Froakie leapt forward, a shimmering orb of water forming between its palms before launching skyward like a misty firework.
Boom! A deep roll of thunder echoed. The air shifted. In moments, clouds swept across the clear sky, and dark gray layers cloaked the sun.
Sshhh... The rain came gently at first drizzles kissing the forest canopy, trickling off leaves, and splashing against the surface of the pool in expanding rings.
The cold droplets felt refreshing on Froakie's smooth skin. Its eyes closed in contentment.
Ash, however, shivered slightly as icy water trickled down his neck. "Ugh... Fishing in the rain is atmospheric, but soaking wet isn't exactly ideal. Still, using an umbrella would ruin the whole aesthetic."
Looking around for a natural solution, Ash's eyes caught sight of several wild calla lilies or Kalos water taro growing in the damp rocks near the pond. Their massive, heart-shaped leaves stood on long stalks, glistening with rain.
"Perfect!" Ash hurried over, picked two of the broadest leaves, and returned. He handed one to Froakie and kept the other for himself.
He tucked the thick stem into the back collar of his shirt, and the leaf fanned out like a natural parasol above his head. Froakie mimicked him, inserting the leaf stem into the gap between the scarf-like frills on its nape.
"Nice touch," Ash grinned.
"Froa~! (n=n)" Froakie chirped back with a smile.
Now that everything from setting to mood was finally aligned, Ash glanced up at Drone Rotom, which was already tracking their movement in slow, cinematic pans across the rainy pool.
He gave a nod of approval.
The filming had officially begun
"Rotom, it's almost time to start," Ash said calmly, adjusting the taro leaf umbrella on his shoulder.
"Froakie, let's have a little contest see who catches a fish first?"
"Froaa~!" Froakie responded with a spirited croak, nodding confidently.
Plop! Plop!
Both fishing lines dropped into the calm, rain-speckled surface of the stone pool.
Above them, the gray Kalosian sky drizzled a steady curtain of light rain. The leaves and vines draped over the surrounding cliff walls shimmered with moisture, appearing even more lush and emerald under the misty conditions.
On a larger, flat stone by the edge of the pool, a boy and his Froakie squatted shoulder to shoulder, each holding a fishing rod with intense focus. Neither made a sound as they fixed their gaze on the water.
The stone pool, naturally carved into the terrain of the Anistar Valley, was unusually clear. Looking through its glassy surface, dozens of Magikarp could be seen drifting beneath the rain-dappled water.
Due to the refraction caused by the rain and shallow depth, their normally fiery orange-red scales had taken on a soft, dull grayish-blue hue, making them blend into the stone floor like ghostly apparitions.
Some Magikarp floated still, nearly motionless, suspended like leaves in the windless water, while others darted around playfully. One would pause for several seconds, only to suddenly zip away with a flick of its tail, weaving between the rocks like it was teasing the boy and Froakie baiting them into the game.
"…"
Ding-dong…
A single raindrop hit Ash's watch screen, momentarily lighting it up, but neither Trainer nor Pokémon moved a muscle. They remained in a frozen pose back straight, eyes trained on the lines so focused that they almost resembled sculptures placed there by nature itself.
Yet despite the lack of speech or action, the moment wasn't silent.
The faint patter of rain on taro leaves, the gurgling of the narrow stream feeding the pond, the distant trills of Fletchling singing their Bug Buzz call, and the occasional gust stirring the trees behind them all combined to form a kind of living natural symphony.
The entire atmosphere was rich in sound but none of it was noise. It was soothing, immersive, alive. The scene felt like a painting in motion—one not driven by dialogue or action, but by mood.
Even without words, the bond between Ash and Froakie was evident in their shared stillness. The quiet trust of two beings aligned in purpose.
Overhead, Drone Rotom, custom-upgraded and calibrated by the Saffron City TV Station's Breeder Division, recorded the footage masterfully. It alternated between slow pans and elegant close-ups capturing every subtle shift in expression, every droplet sliding off a leaf, every twitch in the fishing lines.
One moment, it zoomed in for a tight close-up of Ash's concentrated face and Froakie's serious gaze. The next, it pulled back for a wide-angle shot, showcasing the entire forested glade, the stone pool, and the tranquil ambiance.
From time to time, Drone Rotom switched to shooting "empty cuts" the rain falling on a moss-covered branch, the slow ripples across the water, a Magikarp rising briefly to the surface before disappearing again.
Piece by piece, shot by shot, the short film Ash envisioned "Fishing at Xiaoshitan" came together.
And by the end, it wasn't just a fishing clip.
It was a story of quiet connection, serenity, and the gentle rhythm of coexistence with Pokémon and nature.
The shoot was complete.
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