“That is TIME, contestants! Stop fishing, and let's get those final scores!”
With the sound of the timer going off, a Bucket Bro wearing a sash labeled “EMCEE” announced the end of the fishing contest, amplifying his already loud voice with a megaphone.
“... Uh, dude?” they called out to Fenris, who just reeled in another fish. “Time’s up, you can stop now.”
“Dumbass, he’s talking to you!” Mr. Bass bonked Fenris, who seemed completely unfazed by the blow. “If this were an actual competition, you could be disqualified for not stopping!”
“... Whoops.” Fenris had a good rhythm going, so he’d forgotten that he was competing.
“ ‘Whoops’, my ass…” Mr. Bass grumbled under his breath. “Anyways, take out the fish you caught so that we can figure out who won-- Hey. No. Put those fillets away. Those don't count.”
And so, after taking a few minutes to tally up the final scores, the contest between Fenris and Mr. Bass finally reached a conclusion:
“With a final score of 46 to 38, our winner is… Mr. Bass!”
“See? Experience and skill trumps all!” Mr. Bass boasted to Fenris, puffing out his chest.
Internally, however, he was sweating profusely. If he were to acknowledge how close the match actually was considering that Fenris had started late, his fragile ego would surely shatter; Fenris, on the other hand, wasn't particularly invested in the results since he didn't understand why they were competing in the first place.
“I see,” Fenris replied with a blank stare. “Congrats.”
Mr. Bass felt his eye twitch before suddenly falling to his hands and knees.
“... Damnit, it still feels like I lost!” he sobbed, his fragile ego shattering anyways.
“——Don't worry,” a voice comforted Mr. Bass while Gen and Lily held back Fenris, stopping him from patting the fallen fisher. “We understand.”
“Who… who are you…?” Mr. Bass slowly raised his head to look at the voice’s owner—Louis.
“We’re his party members.”
“...”
No further words were exchanged, Louis’s final statement conveying all that was necessary for a mutual, empathic bond between the two of them. In their silence, the only sound that could be heard was the clap of their firm handshake—ringing out like a hammer and anvil, and forging their alliance.
Fenris, who was currently being placitated by headpats, felt strangely annoyed by Louis and Mr. Bass’s newfound camaraderie.
He didn't quite understand why it annoyed him. But it definitely did, and he… didn't like that.
“Mrgh…” Fenris narrowed his eyes, his face scrunching into a dangerous frown.
“Oh, did you want some scritchies, Fen-fen?” Lily asked with a baby voice, unaware of the growing threat. With immaculate technique, she rubbed behind his ears. “Scritch, scritch, scritch.”
“A,” Fen-fen let out a noise as the malice left his body and his glower loosened into a dopey smile. “woo…”
Gen gave her a thumbs-up.
“Good job, Lily!” she whispered.
“... Hweh?!” Lily jolted upright from being caught in her pet-owner mode again.
———
With Mr. Bass recovered and Fenris defused, the atmosphere mostly returned to its normal, relaxed state (some people were still giving the group odd looks)—and Louis had some important questions.
“... So, uh… Why’s Brodacious the emcee?” he asked, watching the buckethead flex out of the corner of his eye.
“No clue.” Mr. Bass replied bluntly.
“Oi.”
“Listen, I didn't hire that meatball. Don't even know the guy,” he said, raising his hands in innocence. “Hell—I wasn't even expectin’ a crowd; people usually just mind their own beeswax when there’s a [Fishing Duel] going on.”
… Setting aside the strange emphasis that Louis heard around ‘fishing duel’, he had a strange hunch about who had orchestrated these abnormal events.
‘But even if it was Max who did this… Why would he bother doing it? What does he gain from it?’
“Anyways--” Mr. Bass continued, unaware of Louis’s internal monologue. “Any ideas on what we should do with all of this fish? Normally I’d release the fish after a contest like this, but your buddy here, uh… defeated quite a few of ‘em.”
Gen, Louis, and Lily glanced knowingly at each other.
“... How many are we talking about, here?" Louis gulped.
“... For reference, he only figured out how to catch ‘em normally after thirty-some minutes.”
“Damn.”
While they puzzled over what to do with all of the fish, Fenris’s mind started wandering. However, his attention was brought back by the shouts of a certain, golden retriever-like merchant.
“What a splendid contest that was!” Maxwell spoke with exaggerated flair. “With all that fish on hand, isn't it a great opportunity for a riverside barbecue? Help yourself to that fresh, flame-grilled bass—or maybe some Summer Classics™, like lemonade and watermelon! For today only, the De Brus company is offering a special deal on all food, drinks, and seasonings—including Granny Irma’s famous ‘Genepbeskruid’ sauce!”
“!! Fish!” Fenris’s eyes lit up.
‘—! So this was Max’s plan?!’ Louis realized, bracing himself once he saw Fenris’s tail rev up.
Running even faster than when they were traversing the plains, Fenris zoooomed towards the vendor, perfectly weaving through the crowd and leaving a whirlwind in his wake.
“Woah!” Lily cried out. Gen and Louis stuck their arms out in front and behind her to keep her dress from flying up.
“We gotta move!” Louis shouted as they ran after the ravenous beast.
“... Godspeed, Louis.” Mr. Bass saluted his kindred soul.
———
Despite the chaos that followed [The First Fishing Contest], the positive feedback from its attendees would lead to this occasion becoming a weekly event, run by the game’s devoted fishing community and sponsored by the De Brus company. While some problems occurred every so often throughout its long history, the [Sunday Fishing Tourney] would eventually be officially endorsed by Firrstad’s governor and even by Her Highness, Gunhild II.
One of the event’s progenitors—Bass Pro Tour Fishing, or simply “Mr. Bass”—would help to organize its regular occurrence and frequently presided over the tourney, whenever he was not participating in it himself. Beloved by the community for his ‘tsundere’ attitude (a label which he has repeatedly denied over the course of his career), Mr. Bass became famous for teaching countless novice fishers and is often credited for the drastic increase to the competitive scene’s skill level seen in recent years.
In stark contrast—the event’s other progenitor was never again seen at a [Sunday Fishing Tourney], despite the event's immense popularity—and, as such, their name has been lost to history. It was often believed that the unknown player was a member of the colloquially-named ‘Heroes Party’—namely, Louis—because of the close bond observed between him and Mr. Bass; however, this theory has since been debunked, largely due to the former’s lack of fishing expertise.
… Although Mr. Bass is believed to know the true identity of this elusive personage, he has refused to share it, claiming that the individual “likes the quiet more”.
———
(EXTRA:)
“You really didn't notice anything while you were fishing?" Louis questioned, referring to the very conspicuous Bucket Bro emcee.
Mr. Bass averted his gaze.
“... I'm used to there being a judge when I'm competing, so I didn't think anything of it..."
———
(EXTRA 2: In Fenris’s wake…)
“Nice block, Gen and Louis!” “What a save!”
The peanut gallery cheered.
“Tch…” Saber clicked her tongue.
———
(EXTRA 3: During the barbecue...)
“Sauce... good...” Fenris mumbled while nibbling on some fish.
Lily inspected the jar of Genepbeskruid.
“... Is it really that good?”
... And so, yet another was lost to the sauce.
———
(EXTRA 4: Fishing Fun Fact!)
You can identify how experienced a fisher is based on how often they use [Fishing Lingo].
Mr. Bass is a rare exception that only uses a reasonable amount of [Lingo] when dealing with normal people, which is part of the reason why he’s a good teacher.
———
Spoilerwimbledon
I've decided to name the Bucket Bro from the Ch.29 interview Brodacious. And yes, all of their names are going to be 'bro'-puns.
I was reaaally feeling it, so ended up I writing a lot today.
[collapse]
“That is TIME, contestants! Stop fishing, and let's get those final scores!”
With the sound of the timer going off, a Bucket Bro wearing a sash labeled “EMCEE” announced the end of the fishing contest, amplifying his already loud voice with a megaphone.
“... Uh, dude?” they called out to Fenris, who just reeled in another fish. “Time’s up, you can stop now.”
“Dumbass, he’s talking to you!” Mr. Bass bonked Fenris, who seemed completely unfazed by the blow. “If this were an actual competition, you could be disqualified for not stopping!”
“... Whoops.” Fenris had a good rhythm going, so he’d forgotten that he was competing.
“ ‘Whoops’, my ass…” Mr. Bass grumbled under his breath. “Anyways, take out the fish you caught so that we can figure out who won-- Hey. No. Put those fillets away. Those don't count.”
And so, after taking a few minutes to tally up the final scores, the contest between Fenris and Mr. Bass finally reached a conclusion:
“With a final score of 46 to 38, our winner is… Mr. Bass!”
“See? Experience and skill trumps all!” Mr. Bass boasted to Fenris, puffing out his chest.
Internally, however, he was sweating profusely. If he were to acknowledge how close the match actually was considering that Fenris had started late, his fragile ego would surely shatter; Fenris, on the other hand, wasn't particularly invested in the results since he didn't understand why they were competing in the first place.
“I see,” Fenris replied with a blank stare. “Congrats.”
Mr. Bass felt his eye twitch before suddenly falling to his hands and knees.
“... Damnit, it still feels like I lost!” he sobbed, his fragile ego shattering anyways.
“——Don't worry,” a voice comforted Mr. Bass while Gen and Lily held back Fenris, stopping him from patting the fallen fisher. “We understand.”
“Who… who are you…?” Mr. Bass slowly raised his head to look at the voice’s owner—Louis.
“We’re his party members.”
“...”
No further words were exchanged, Louis’s final statement conveying all that was necessary for a mutual, empathic bond between the two of them. In their silence, the only sound that could be heard was the clap of their firm handshake—ringing out like a hammer and anvil, and forging their alliance.
Fenris, who was currently being placitated by headpats, felt strangely annoyed by Louis and Mr. Bass’s newfound camaraderie.
He didn't quite understand why it annoyed him. But it definitely did, and he… didn't like that.
“Mrgh…” Fenris narrowed his eyes, his face scrunching into a dangerous frown.
“Oh, did you want some scritchies, Fen-fen?” Lily asked with a baby voice, unaware of the growing threat. With immaculate technique, she rubbed behind his ears. “Scritch, scritch, scritch.”
“A,” Fen-fen let out a noise as the malice left his body and his glower loosened into a dopey smile. “woo…”
Gen gave her a thumbs-up.
“Good job, Lily!” she whispered.
“... Hweh?!” Lily jolted upright from being caught in her pet-owner mode again.
———
With Mr. Bass recovered and Fenris defused, the atmosphere mostly returned to its normal, relaxed state (some people were still giving the group odd looks)—and Louis had some important questions.
“... So, uh… Why’s Brodacious the emcee?” he asked, watching the buckethead flex out of the corner of his eye.
“No clue.” Mr. Bass replied bluntly.
“Oi.”
“Listen, I didn't hire that meatball. Don't even know the guy,” he said, raising his hands in innocence. “Hell—I wasn't even expectin’ a crowd; people usually just mind their own beeswax when there’s a [Fishing Duel] going on.”
… Setting aside the strange emphasis that Louis heard around ‘fishing duel’, he had a strange hunch about who had orchestrated these abnormal events.
‘But even if it was Max who did this… Why would he bother doing it? What does he gain from it?’
“Anyways--” Mr. Bass continued, unaware of Louis’s internal monologue. “Any ideas on what we should do with all of this fish? Normally I’d release the fish after a contest like this, but your buddy here, uh… defeated quite a few of ‘em.”
Gen, Louis, and Lily glanced knowingly at each other.
“... How many are we talking about, here?" Louis gulped.
“... For reference, he only figured out how to catch ‘em normally after thirty-some minutes.”
“Damn.”
While they puzzled over what to do with all of the fish, Fenris’s mind started wandering. However, his attention was brought back by the shouts of a certain, golden retriever-like merchant.
“What a splendid contest that was!” Maxwell spoke with exaggerated flair. “With all that fish on hand, isn't it a great opportunity for a riverside barbecue? Help yourself to that fresh, flame-grilled bass—or maybe some Summer Classics™, like lemonade and watermelon! For today only, the De Brus company is offering a special deal on all food, drinks, and seasonings—including Granny Irma’s famous ‘Genepbeskruid’ sauce!”
“!! Fish!” Fenris’s eyes lit up.
‘—! So this was Max’s plan?!’ Louis realized, bracing himself once he saw Fenris’s tail rev up.
Running even faster than when they were traversing the plains, Fenris zoooomed towards the vendor, perfectly weaving through the crowd and leaving a whirlwind in his wake.
“Woah!” Lily cried out. Gen and Louis stuck their arms out in front and behind her to keep her dress from flying up.
“We gotta move!” Louis shouted as they ran after the ravenous beast.
“... Godspeed, Louis.” Mr. Bass saluted his kindred soul.
———
Despite the chaos that followed [The First Fishing Contest], the positive feedback from its attendees would lead to this occasion becoming a weekly event, run by the game’s devoted fishing community and sponsored by the De Brus company. While some problems occurred every so often throughout its long history, the [Sunday Fishing Tourney] would eventually be officially endorsed by Firrstad’s governor and even by Her Highness, Gunhild II.
One of the event’s progenitors—Bass Pro Tour Fishing, or simply “Mr. Bass”—would help to organize its regular occurrence and frequently presided over the tourney, whenever he was not participating in it himself. Beloved by the community for his ‘tsundere’ attitude (a label which he has repeatedly denied over the course of his career), Mr. Bass became famous for teaching countless novice fishers and is often credited for the drastic increase to the competitive scene’s skill level seen in recent years.
In stark contrast—the event’s other progenitor was never again seen at a [Sunday Fishing Tourney], despite the event's immense popularity—and, as such, their name has been lost to history. It was often believed that the unknown player was a member of the colloquially-named ‘Heroes Party’—namely, Louis—because of the close bond observed between him and Mr. Bass; however, this theory has since been debunked, largely due to the former’s lack of fishing expertise.
… Although Mr. Bass is believed to know the true identity of this elusive personage, he has refused to share it, claiming that the individual “likes the quiet more”.
———
(EXTRA:)
“You really didn't notice anything while you were fishing?" Louis questioned, referring to the very conspicuous Bucket Bro emcee.
Mr. Bass averted his gaze.
“... I'm used to there being a judge when I'm competing, so I didn't think anything of it..."
———
(EXTRA 2: In Fenris’s wake…)
“Nice block, Gen and Louis!” “What a save!”
The peanut gallery cheered.
“Tch…” Saber clicked her tongue.
———
(EXTRA 3: During the barbecue...)
“Sauce... good...” Fenris mumbled while nibbling on some fish.
Lily inspected the jar of Genepbeskruid.
“... Is it really that good?”
... And so, yet another was lost to the sauce.
———
(EXTRA 4: Fishing Fun Fact!)
You can identify how experienced a fisher is based on how often they use [Fishing Lingo].
Mr. Bass is a rare exception that only uses a reasonable amount of [Lingo] when dealing with normal people, which is part of the reason why he’s a good teacher.
———
Spoilerwimbledon
I've decided to name the Bucket Bro from the Ch.29 interview Brodacious. And yes, all of their names are going to be 'bro'-puns.
I was reaaally feeling it, so ended up I writing a lot today.
[collapse]