18 Let's Go Fishing [Part 3]

"How about it Arthur? You want to have a fishing match with me?" Henry sneered. "Well, if you're afraid then..."

"Hah! You took the words right out of my mouth," Arthur replied in disdain. "Didn't you know that I was called the "Quick Shot" back in my days? That's because I can catch fish faster than anyone else!"

"Quick Shot? So what? Haven't you heard my nickname Mr.Quickie?" Henry challenged. "As long as I cast my bait the fishes will line up and offer themselves to be caught by me."

The old men behind them walked a few steps away from Quick Shot and Mr.Quickie. Their lips were twitching and they could feel their faces burn in embarrassment.

If anyone were to ask if they knew the two old geezers, they would immediately deny it. They would even declare that they have no relationship with shameless bastards who only think with their rods!

Mark clicked his tongue and roared at the two dirty old men. "Stop arguing! Have you no decency? Do you think the two of you have the qualification to boast about your pitiful fishing prowess? Back in my days I was called the Prince of Fishing. Even if the two of you joined forces, you won't win against me."

Mark finished with a snort and turned his head away from Arthur and Henry. However, the two men disagreed with his claim.

"Prince of Fishing? You? Hah! It's time for you to wake up from your daydreams you old fart."

"Prince? You have the nerve to call yourself Prince? Ah yes, I forgot you were also called the 'Tadpole Prince' back then. Sorry, I completely forgot, Your Highness!"

The three old farts glared at each other. Kate looked at the quarrel with interest, Claire with mild curiosity, Chloe didn't even bother and simply leaned on her Big Brother's shoulder.

'Spending time with Big Brother is the best.'

Ciel pretended that he was asleep and Ethan couldn't bear to look at his grandfather. The two boys had a tacit agreement that they would pretend that they were not related to the bickering adults.

"Fine, it's a fishing match then!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Let's see who will have the last laugh!"

The three turned their backs at each other and focused on their fishing. They used the techniques they were proud of to one-up each other. A few minutes passed, and the lures were still dangling in peace.

Kate was about to yawn when she suddenly felt something pull on her fishing line.

"Um? I think I caught something!" Kate announced with excitement. This was the first time she tried fishing and she was the first one among the group to catch a fish.

"Hold it steady young miss. I'll help you pull it in," Mark was the closest so he told Kate how to pull the fish to the pier. Kate reeled in the line patiently. When the fish was close enough, Mark used a fishing net to catch it.

"A carp, and it's pretty big too. Not bad for a first timer." Mark wasn't stingy with his praise. Although carps were very common, it was an unwritten rule to praise beginners when they caught their first fish. "I guess we know what we're having for lunch!"

Kate smiled sweetly as she looked at her carp with pride. She glanced at Ciel and her eyes were sparkling as if saying "praise me!"

"Good job!" Ciel smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "You caught a fish faster than me."

"Mmm! That means Ciel is not a Quick Shot because you are slower than me!" Kate beamed at Ciel while the latter smiled back. The adults on the other hand guffawed holding their stomachs as their body shuddered from laughter.

"Isn't that great, young man? You're not a Quick Shot! Hahahaha!"

"You're a lot better than the self proclaimed Quick Shot and Mr. Quickie!"

"It's a good thing you didn't inherit that trait of your grandpa. How will you be able to satisfy the ladies if you can't even hold it in?"

"Hold what in?" Ciel asked in confusion. 'Is being a 'Quick Shot' not a good thing? I better ask Grandma when we return.'

'Um? Why are the grandpa's laughing? Did I say something wrong?'

[I'm not sure. Let's ask Mama Andrea later. Perhaps she could tell us what Quick Shot and Mr. Quickie means.]

'Un! Good idea!'

(A/N: Press F for Arthur's fate.)

After Kate re-casted her line, Something bit on Chloe's lure. At first she didn't notice it because she was lost in her own world with her Big Brother. However, when the fish suddenly pulled hard, the fishing rod was almost yanked away from her hands.

Ciel was a step faster and held her fishing rod in time. "Are you ok?"

"Yes. I was just surprised, Big Brother."

"Good. Reel it in slowly."

"Mmm!"

Chloe reeled in her fishing line with excitement. Kate and Claire glanced at the fish that was still fighting in the water. The adults pretended that they weren't curious, but their ears were perked up and waiting for Mark's announcement. When the fish was close enough, Mark used the fishing net to show Chloe what she caught.

"It's an eel." Mark said with a grin.

"Good job, Chloe." Claire praised her little sister. "Isn't she amazing, Mr. Quickie?" she added while glancing at Ciel.

"You did great, Chloe." Ciel patted Chloe's head and the latter closed her eyes in satisfaction. Ciel pretended that she didn't hear Claire calling him Mr.Quickie. Although he didn't know what it meant, he had a feeling that it was not a good thing.

"Thank you, Big Sister. Thank you Big Brother." Chloe replied with a smile on her face.

"Great! We can also eat eel for lunch!" Kate nodded her head in approval. "Not bad."

"We can't eat it." Mark said firmly.

"Um? Why Grandpa? Is this eel not edible?"

"It is edible, but it is also a protected species. This eel can't be eaten." Mark explained patiently. "We have to return it to the water.

"Oh, too bad then." Kate looked at the eel with disappointment. She thought that she could eat some fried eel for lunch. .

Mark deftly removed the lure from the eel's mouth and returned it to the lake. two minutes later, Kate caught another carp. She rejoiced that she could eat two carps for lunch. She was about to put another sweetcorn as bait when Chloe's fishing bobber wobbled on the water.

"Big Brother, I caught another one!"

"Good! Don't let your guard down and pull it in."

"Leave it to me!"

Kate glanced at the fish struggling inside the fishing net. Mark's expression was complicated when he saw the fish.

"It's a Twaite Shad," Mark announced. 'How did it even get here?'

"Um? Is this edible?"

"No. This is a rare fish and it is protected by law."

"Ehhhhh?" Kate looked at Chloe in pity. 'You kept on catching fish and you can't even eat them? How pitiful!'

If the old men knew what Kate was thinking, they would have given her a two hour lesson about the rare and endangered fishes that must be protected and released back to the water as soon as possible.

Half an hour passed and Kate had already caught eight carps. For some reason, she kept on catching carps, while Chloe kept on catching rare and endangered fish species. The Prince, Quick Shot, and Mr. Quickie's face turned green every time Chloe caught something. The last fish that Chloe caught was a Pike that weighed 55 lbs and measured up to 55 inches (4.5 Feet). It was a new record among the anglers in the area.

She was almost pulled into the water when the Pike bit on her bait and tried to swim away. If Ciel and Claire didn't act fast enough, then the poor girl would have fallen instantly. The adults immediately came to the rescue and helped the young girl land the big fish.

Kate gulped when she saw the pike and thought about various ways on how to cook it. In the end, she decided to ask the adults to roast it on a pike.

(A/N: Oh the irony~)

The old men were ecstatic and immediately asked someone to take a camera. Heinz volunteered and took out the camera from his pocket. The adults wanted Chloe to pose while they held the fish for her. After all, she was the one who caught it.

Chloe reluctantly agreed and did as she was told. To be honest, she was a bit afraid to approach the fish because it was quite big. Ciel decided to accompany her and held her hand as Heinz calmly took their picture. Kate didn't want to be outdone so she stood beside Ciel and took a pose. Claire was planning to just watch from the side, but Arthur asked her to join them.

In his mind, the photo will commemorate the children's first fishing trip. The pike was returned to the lake after the photo was taken which disappointed Kate. Ciel almost laughed at her expression when Mark announced that it couldn't be eaten.

Chloe snorted and called her a glutton under her breath. It was a good thing that Kate didn't hear her (Stella did, but she didn't say anything).

The fishing session ended and no one caught any fish aside from Kate and Chloe. The Prince, Quick Shot, and Mr. Quickie were teased by their friends because they failed to uphold their titles. They sighed in frustration as they returned to their base camp to prepare their lunch.