Slippery as an Eel

Speckle huffed as she dragged her ice cooler over. The ice fishing contest was starting today, and she was intent on winning. Not out of competitiveness, or love for the sport, however. This was to win the grand prize.

She gazed over at the stall on the ice where said prize was on display, to help encourage the competitive spirit - a pearl. But not just any pearl - this one was enchanted. If someone used this pearl, they could attain a form more powerful than their current one. Why wouldn't Speckle want something like this?

She haphazardly opened the cooler - it was filled with all the things she'd need for this new quest. A collapsible fishing rod, some bait, and enough ice to keep her catch fresh all until it's time to show off to the judges. She was set for a win, all she needed now was... well, to catch something worthy of the reward.

She fits together her fishing rod back into its uncollapsed form, and starts off by putting some bait on the hook, preparing to cast it into the ice hole designated as her fishing spot. This spot was perfect, she thought - not only was it far enough away from the other contestants that they wouldn't get in her way, it was also close to the center of the lake. Everyone knew that the center of the lake was the deepest, and deeper waters meant better fish.

To be honest, she didn't understand why nobody else had picked this spot first. But she wasn't going to complain - she had something to catch.

She cast the rod into the water, and begun the greatest feat any fisher must achieve - wait. It was quite boring, which made her glance over the lake to check out the competition. All the ice holes were the same circumference - all cut by professionals for exactly this reason, to ensure nobody had an unfair advantage over each other. The lake was quite boring other than that, and the competitors, but it was surrounded by some lovely pine trees, coated in snow... Maybe that would be fun to watch and look at, while she waited?

She watched. She waited. The cold wind blew across the trees a little, causing the snow powdered onto them to flutter off a little. ...It was actually pretty boring.

Speckle sighed. Was she even going to get a...?

Right as she thought it, there was a tug on her line - and a big one, at that! She started reeling in as quick as she could. Her line went so taught, she had to actually start pulling against the rod itself.

Some other competitors began to come over, looking and gasping as she fought against the fish. Just as she had begun to bring it to the surface... the object she saw beneath her, under the ice, made her eyes go wide.

She tugged once more. The creature was massive.

With one more tug, it was up... almost.

The crowd went wild. The issue wasn't that Speckle was too weak - it was that this fish, whatever it was, was too big.

Its snout was pressed up against the small cut-out for the ice fishing - one that Speckle had thought of as fairly big a few seconds ago. It snorted, steam coming out of its nostrils as it writhed beneath the surface, causing a few gasps to come from the crowd. It looked almost eel-like, to Speckle. Jet black, and smooth, and...

Snap! Her line finally snapped under the pressure, and the beast turned over, escaping back into the sea.

A small round of applause was given, but a judge padded their way awkwardly over, leaning down to whisper to Speckle.

"Hey, um... I'm sorry, but-- only fish you fully catch count for the prize. So, ah, that won't... count as a catch."

Speckle grimaced. Great.

That was just perfect. A fantastic ending to her day.