Your two birds take flight, but hesitate in front of such a terrifying foe. It leers at Fetcher, until Farrah distracts it with her own Leer. Using the distraction, Fetcher darts in under the wyrm's head, and comes back out holding a pink berry.

Bertram is too far to hear Jake over the noise of the engine, but he can't miss the the sudden battle taking place. He stops his ship and waves at you to come closer.

"Yeah!" Seymour exclaimed as he saw Fetcher perform his darring feat. He silently willed both Farfetch'd to keep up the great work, but refrained from yelling anything more, seeing as it would work against their goal of drawing the huge pokemon away. He had to trust in Farrah to keep following her original orders on her own and use her own judgement.

When Bertram signaled for them to come closer, Seymour did as directed. Although he still did his best to keep the Magikarp on course as he moved.

Jake kept in formation with Seymour as they approached the boat. He glanced over his shoulder to see how the 'battle' was going. He also didn't adjust his orders the whole 'steal and run away' was his whole strategy... and one he was not unfamiliar with. A part of him wished that he was free to surf around the Gyrados and race it! Of course, the reasonable part of Jake won out.

Farrah and Fetcher do their best to avoid the wyrm's attack, diving at the edge of the surf and kicking it into the Gyarados' eyes to ruin it's aim, but it's little help when he unleashes draconic energy at the birds. First as a direct blast, then as a whirlwind.

As you draw near the boat, Bertram sends out a pokémon of his own, that floats pass you to join the fight.

As Seymour bobbed between the waves, the concern he had for the two Farfetch'd was plain on his face. They were getting roughed up quite a bit. But when Bertram sent a third pokemon into the fight, Seymour's hope was raised. His concern was not lessened, but he knew Bertam's experience would be invaluable. He tried using his pokedex to get a bit of information on the new flying squirrel combatant so he could try and formulate new strategies if they became necessary.

After getting near the boat and seeing Bertram send out a pokemon of his own, Jake modified his instructions with a shout,
"Alright Fetcher, now overwhelm it with cut!"

Jake figured the pokemon might focus down the pokemon one at a time if only a single one was attacking, so the best way to support Bertram's pokemon might be to attack along side it. Jake would then focus again on getting the nets full of magikarps, but if they finish that, he would surf over to get a closer look at the battle.

"Emolga, the Sky Squirrel pokémon.
They store up electricity to fly through the air. When thunder cracks at night, sometimes there are almost enough of them to blot out the sky. As it flies, it scatters electricity around, so bird Pokémon keep their distance. That's why Emolga can keep all its food to itself."

Bertram shakes his head. "Sorry kids, I messed up. I should have expected that this would be a feeding pod. They don't usually divert from their path so wildly otherwise. But I would never have expected a Gyarados that big!" He stands up straight as his companion glides over the waves. "Don't worry, Arcus will give that overgrown snake what's comming to him! Don't worry about the Magikarp for now, pushing back that critter is top priority!"

Fetcher barely hears Jake's command due to the distance, but still turns to attack after dodging the Gyarados' gaping maw. Farrah continues her distraction attempts, just as Arcus reaches the fray. It zaps your foe with an impressive Thunderbolt, forcing the fish to dive under.

Bertram frowns, and says "that seems... too easy..."

Jake shouted back to Bertram,
"No worries old man, we still have the Karpers and no one got hurt yet! We are still on track! Plus, this is more exciting. "

Despite the voiced optimism, Jake was a bit concerned the Gyarados would attack from below, so he sent out Roach, who was only moderately quicker than Skipper,
"Alright Roach, I need you to go underwater, and see if the Gyarados is coming at us. If he is, try to lure it to the surface where we can hit it again! Make sure it doesn't go for the boat!"

Jake hadn't spent much time with Roach, so he didn't know if the new pokemon was up to the bold task of seeking out and luring a much larger, stronger pokemon, but it at least was AN idea. Jake then shouted up to Fetcher,
"Get ready to dive-bomb it with a devastating cut from above the second it emerges!"

"You too!" Seymour shouted to the vortex-battered Farrah, echoing Jakey's command. If the Gyarados decided to return, he figured it would be with a vengeance. Which is why he also let his Lotad and Shroomish out of their pokeballs.

To Glumpy, he instructed, "We have a big Gyarados out here somewhere. If it shows its face again, try and stun it Glumpy. I'm counting on you!"

Even though the adrenaline of the current battle still coursed through his veins, there was a chance the Gyarados wasn't coming back. And even if it did, there were now a lot of pokemon ready to face its challenge head on. Seymour steered Nimbus back around to see if there was anything to be done about their school of Magikarp, or if it would need to be re-wrangled at this point.

Looking at the Magikarps, you see they are... gone. Well, not completely. You can see a few red shapes near the surface some distance away. But it's clear most of the pod is missing.

As you look around you, Roach breaches the surface, looking panicked. At the same time, Lotad quickly moves closer to Seymour. The reason becomes clear when the Gyarados jumps out of the water, aiming right at Farrah, it's maw surrounded by a cold mist. Surprised by the jump, she's hit by the bite. Rather than be torn in two by the fearsome jaws, instead she is trapped in a block of ice.

Fetcher moves to counter attack... only to find a wall of Magikarps in his way! The massive pod is still following your opponent, even as it jumps in the air, and you find yourselves in an inverted rain of fishes. Glumpy panics at that, releasing a cloud of spore, only for it to be scattered by the splashing fishes.

The Gyarados clamps down on the ice cube in it's maw, shattering it and freeing Farrah. After a moment to recover her wits, she zooms between the Magikarps to land another blow on the wyrm. Thought it seems to shrug it off, it gives enough distraction for Arcus to release another powerful Thunderbolt. With nowhere to ground itself other than the Gyarados, it briefly glows at it's entire body is filled with electricity.

That was all it took it seems, as it falls back into the water, as the other fishes fall all around you...

Jake was overwhelmed by the chaos caused by the Gyarados emerging followed by all the Magikarps. He lost track of the action while trying to stay afloat as the Magikarps rained down from the sky. Thankfully, Sirius was well-trained so navigating through the rain of fish was not impossible. Apart from survive, his only meaningful contribution was to bring the frightened Roach back into its pokeball.

Once the Gyarados began to fall into the water from the epic Thunderbolt, Jake was able to assess the situation, he called Fetcher down to see if it needed any healing and cheered on his companions,
"Whoa, that was INSANE. I can't believe we managed to take down a Gyardos! Should we finish up bringing the Karpers in, or are we done for the day?"

Bertram shakes his head. "We won't be chasing anymore fish today. With their feeder gone, they won't show up for a while. Plus..." He points at his nets and the deck of his boat.

Not all the Magikarp fell back in the water. A lot of them are now flopping about on the deck. And even raised, the nets caught a bunch more both on their way up and down. "I need a hand sorting through this bunch! Come onboard, we need to sort the small fry from the meaty catches."

Seymour guided Nimbus back toward the boat so that he could help Bertram sort the Magikarp. On the way, he returned his Lotad and Shroomish to their pokeballs. "Great job you two. You did great. And Farrah!" He called his bird pokemon over and extended an arm so she could land. "You were downright marvelous! You certainly got your feathers ruffled today. And frozen! But you pulled through like an ace. I'm really proud of you." He gave Farrah a good long scratch under her chin, then returned her to her pokeball as well. "You deserve a good long rest."

When he reached the boat, Seymour climbed aboard and followed whatever instructions Bertram gave them. Even with Bertram's guidance, the trainer managed to get swatted in the face by flopping Magikarp more than once. "If there are any that are too small to keep, but big enough to train, I wouldn't mind tossing a pokeball at it," Seymour said. He knew that he probably wouldn't be winning any battles with a Magikarp, but there was more to training than just battles. Such as friendship, exploration, and cooperation. Seymour kind of liked the idea of having a Magikarp friend. Although he would feel a bit guilty about the rest of the Magikarp's school. But then again, the food chain was just a part of life.

Jake celebrated being mostly done with the work by trying something foolish. He spurred Sirius  away from the boat to get some distance, then surfed at high speeds right at the boat before pulling up and trying to get Sirius to fly over the boat with him on its back, then, when over the boat, Jake tried to dismount and land in one piece on the boat. If he was able to accomplish this, he would be awfully proud of himself.  If not, well, Seymour may need to find a Human Center to heal Jake up.

Assuming Jake is not horribly crippled, he'd offer to feed his Fetcher the berry is heroically stole from the Gyardos and give it some positive attention,
"Great whacking with your stick out there Fetcher! We showed that overgrown fish who is boss alright! You're the boss!"

He kept Fetcher out to continue soaring around the boat as it saw fit. While Fetcher did its thing, Jake helped out the best he could sorting out the big fish from the little. He laughed at Seymour's want for a Magikarp though,
"Its a miracle that Gyardos even exists, these fish are so wimpy I can't believe any of them could evolve like that. Then again, even if you don't use it, you can still send it back to your family, right?"

"Right," Seymour agreed. "Perhaps it will even be able to take on the role of welcoming other pokemon I may catch, and help them get settled in!" It was an extremely optimistic view, but not an impossible one. But it was irrelevant unless he actually caught a Magikarp (or two).

---

Seymour will catch up to two Magikarp, if they are available. That way they won't be lonely if they are the only fish in their pond for a while.

Jake makes an impressive jump unto the boat's deck, and lands perfectly... on a slippery Magikarp. Swinging his arms wildly, he desperately tries to keep his balance, as he slides across the wood, right toward the cargo opening. At the last moment, Jake manages to grab a dangling part of the net, sparring him an undignified dive into the fish-filled hold.

Bertram laughs out loud at the display. "Great moves kid, but maybe you should use your arms to throw them in the hold instead?" he says between bouts of laughter. "If you want some, be my guest! We got enough here to make my day. And seeing how big that Gyarados was, I'd wager these Magikarps have some great potential!"

Compared to what you've done those last few days, sorting and pushing Magikarps about is a pretty easy job. You're done not long after noon, and Bertram makes sure to give you a filling meal.

After you're done, the fisherman gives you an impressive stack of Pokédollars, before guiding you to his Mantine pool. "As promissed, you two have well earned these. Go ahead, those eggs are yours."

OOC: Okay, this may be a bit long.

First off Jake, the berry is a Persim Berry. If you give it to a pokémon (his 'held item') or throw it at them during a fight, it will automatically cure Confusion.

Second, I've sent the stats for both Magikarps. Bertram wasn't kidding about their potential, all their stats are higher than that of a normal Magikarp.

Third, you can both have a Mantyke egg. Bertram has more than enough eggs for his needs.

And now, the level ups!
Your pay increases your Pokédollar to Below Average.
You've both earned 20 Favors
Seymour's Agility increases to Low
Jake's Toughness increases to Exceptional

For Seymour's Pokémons:
Lotad's Defense increases to Below Average
Glumpy's Attack increases to Below Average
Laconney can learn one of these abilities:
         Winter's Kiss (Ice moves have -2 Pow against the Pokémon, and getting hit by one heals one wound)
         Dazzle (User's Fire type moves gives -1 Acc on a critical hit)
Farrah's Def and SpD both increase to Above Average
Doom's Speed increases to Average
Basher's Att increases to Exceptional

For Jake's Pokémons:
Skipper's Att increases to Exceptional
Fetcher's Speed increases to Above Average, and can choose one of these abilities:
    Keen Eye (Acc cannot be reduced, and ignore opponent's Evasion increase)
    Defiant (When user's stats are reduced by something other than his own moves, his Att is increased by 2)
Lackey's SpD increases to Above Average
Duder learns
Smack Down    Rock      P   Average   0   Target looses resistance to Ground and Groundsource moves
Roach's HP increases to Average

Ouf, that was a lot of writing.

With a delicious meal in his belly, two new Magikarp on his team, and a Mantyke egg in his hands, Seymour was currently on top of the world. What an exciting day! It had been an experience he would be telling to his grandkids one day, of that he was sure. Although his entire body was now beginning to ache from all of the exercise.

"Do these eggs come with any instructions?" Seymour asked Bretram as he held the egg tenderly. He was afraid he might drop the precious thing. "Do they need to stay wet?"

---

I believe my sheets should all be up to date. That was a lot of record keeping. But in a good way!

It did not take Jake long to recover from the embarrassing spill, after all, his landing would have been perfect if not for the dumb Magikarp that found its way under his feet. After all the work and good food, Jake's eyes widened when he was handed a fat stack of cash. His mind raced with irresponsible ways of spending it, but that would have to wait until they got to a place where he could spend.

The egg was also something Jake was impressed by. He managed to suppress a laugh as he pondered any match against Seymour would be a mirror match with three of their pokemon being the same. Jake piped up in a lower pitched voice, as if he were talking in an 'underwater voice,'
"Oh wow, yeah, I can keep it wet if need be! I already have two water pokemon. I am practically a water trainer now."

Jake then proceeded to give a thumbs up to both Seymour and Bertram after delicately placing the egg in his backpack. He then proceeded to do a couple squats and continued in his normal voice,
"Wow, so what now. How far is it to the next town from here? I don't want to get stuck camping out at night again if I can avoid it."

"Actually..." Bertram checks his watch. "It be a bit tight, but you should be able to reach it..." He pauses as both of your eggs begin to shake, and cracks appears on their surface. "Welp, looks like you're in luck!"

Jake's egg breaks apart first, releasing a Mantyke in his hands, looking up at him with a smile. Seymour's egg shakes a bit more, only to stop, long enough for him to wonder if it's actually hatching. But just as he's about to say something, it burst to pieces. But Seymour doesn't see his new pokémon. In fact, he can't see anything...

As amazed as Jake was with his new pokemon hatching in his hands, he could not help but laugh in Seymour's direction,
"Woah, your Tyke is sure attached to you, it... its on your face! Looks like you will be best friends!"

Jake managed to control his laughter and asked Bertram a question,
"Do pokemon usually hatch when they find a good partner, or are we just super lucky?"

As Jake talked he licked his hand and pet the water pokemon with the moistened skin.

"Uh! Eh! Pleh!" Seymour struggled to pull the Mantyke off his face without being too rough with the tender hatchling. "What a naughty little Mantyke!" he scolded playfully once his face was free enough to speak properly. He already loved his new little companion. "I think you might be right," he replied to Jakey.

He would have liked to pet his Mantyke too, like Jakey. But instead he struggled to merely hold on to the wiggly, slippery, newborn fishy that just seemed to refuse to sit still. He would definitely have to come up with a good name for the naughty little 'tyke.

"And do you know where a handy public PC is for pokemon transfers, Bertram?" Seymour added to Jakey's question. "I am going to need to store one of my current 'mons if I am going to care for this little guy. Because he is definitely going to need a pokeball."

"Lucky seems like a good term for you, kids!" At Seymour's request, he pauses. "Maybe... let me check. I wonder if it still works..."

He returns to his office, but heads to a computer covered in a plastic sheet. As he pulls it, you notice space to hold two pokéballs on the side. After a painfully slow booting time, the screen shows a stylized pokéball, above options to transfer, retrieve, or trade. "You really are lucky!" Bertram takes a moment to wipe away some old cobwebs. "I haven't used that since I was a kid. My pa used to rent the boat to trainers who wanted high-seas pokémons. Happened often enough that he got this installed.

Course, the army put an end to that. Didn't want civilians straying too far south during the Kanto war."

Jake seemed impressed by the old machine. He hadn't needed to store pokemon yet, but it was good to see someone use the machine. Still he was not sure exactly how it worked,
"So is it like a pokeball teleporter? When you store pokemon, does it get teleported into a warehouse?"

For the most part, he stayed relatively quiet while watching Seymour operate the mysterious machine.

"I'll show you the ins and outs," Seymour replied to Jakey. Despite his confidence, Seymour did not have a lot of experience with these machines. And certainly not such an old model. Still, this was much closer to his comfort zone than riding pokemon out on the open ocean. And he seemed to have handled that challenge just fine.

It took him a bit to figure it out, especially with a wiggly Mantyke in one arm, but it wasn't long before he figured out how to do what I want to do. "Alright, so, I am going to store two of my pokemon in this computer. They will be essentially turned into raw data in a global system that can be accessed by any computer like this one. Then, hopefully, my family back in Hoenn can retrieve their data with my permission and turn them back into physical pokeballs to release my pokemon on their land until I retrieve them again." He looked to Bertram. "At least that's how I always understood it. Did I mess any of that up?"

Regardless of what answer Bertram might give, Seymour had one last thing to do before sending his pokemon away. He released Lotad and Roggenrola in front of him to explain his plan. He explained to them how he was sending them both to his family's land in Hoenn so that they could prepare the area for future pokemon he might catch. He wanted Lotad to show Roggenrola and the two Magikarp around the area, land and water, so that they knew all of the ins and outs of the space. Lotad was his only pokemon who had been there before, which is why that task was being given to him. Roggenrola would then be a sort of host for other land-based pokemon who show up, and his Magikarp could be the water-based hosts. He would retrieve Lotad again after a day or two once Basher, Magnus, and Marigold felt comfortable in their new environment.

After his pokemon knew his wishes, he returned them to their balls and beamed them into the computer. He crossed his fingers as the old machine whirred, praying that there were no fatal glitches in its system. If all went well, he then offered a pokeball to his new Mantyke friend, Turbo.

"Not sure where they go. Never been big on that electronic stuff. I'm more into mechanic."

Despite the slow speed (and a scary screeching noise as it connects), there's no issues with the transfer. You do, however, get a message on your Pokédex, warning you that there may be a delay in transferring pokémons outside the region. You see no explanation why that may be the case, but assume it may be liked to the border still being closed.

With everything settled, you wave goodbye to Bertram, and head back toward Windzall.

OCC: That you will reach in the thread Windzal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:33, Sun 14 June 2020.