"Sounds like a plan! Maybe someone will even know who's camp we stayed at last night," Seymour said as he followed Jakey toward the shore. "I also wonder what pokemon we might find in the ocean. I'm sure your new fish might like to stretch it's fins, if it has regained consciousness..."

As you get close, you see a small loading dock on the side, as well as a sign saying 'Mantine Ranch'

The main door is wide open, and leads to a room with a desk. The walls are decorated by pictures of people who you guess are employees, some doing jumping tricks on a Mantine. You have little time to look at them though, as you hear someone shouting further inside. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T!? The pod's almost here!!! I can't wrangle them on my own! I NEED you!"

The voice pause as you take a glimpse through the back door. An over muscled man bald man with dark skin is talking on the phone, waving his arm toward the window showing the ocean, and clearly agitated. "I can't. They're on their wedding trip in Rivierstel. Even if they answered, they wouldn't get here in time. And Laurie's leg is still broken. You're the only one..." There's another pause, before the man slams his phone down. "Damn it!"

Jake strides in with a wave, looking rather filthy from mucking around in the swamp
"Hey man, you're just in look, two trainers just walked in your door looking for a place to crash tonight. I'll help out with whatever you need if we can crash somewhere around here tonight. Spend the last night in a swamp, so we are just as in need as you."

As a demonstration, Jake cracked Skipper out of its pokeball. Despite having an unevolved starter pokemon on display, Jake oozed with confidence (and a bit of mud). Jake didn't stop to think that the task could require swimming in said ocean, swimming being something Jake wasn't really that familiar with.

Seymour may not have been quite as eager to offer to help as Jakey, at least not without hearing the details, but he had to admit he was intrigued. "What kind of pod are you wrangling? Mantine? I have a Lotad and Farfetch'd that might be able to assist out in the water. I'm not a great swimmer myself though."

The man looks a bit surprised at your arrival, but he looks at you up and down with his steel-grey eyes. "Hmm... you look like you've spent a lot of time outside... maybe you could do..."

He leans against his desk. "I'm Bertram Armstrong, the owner of Mantine Ranch. The pod in question is a group of Magikarps that were spotted heading this way. This could be a great harvest, except..." He sighs as he points at a photo on the wall. On it, you see Bertram with two men and two women. "I wasn't expecting such a pod this month, so all my assistants are off. If you two're willing to help, I could make it work your while.

It's a tough job," he adds with a grin, "but it's also crazy fun!"

Jake nearly jumped with excitement,
"Crazy fun and a tough job is exactly what I am best at! I cleared a mountain of Duder's for a biking company a couple of days ago! I was so sweaty and sore by the end of it, but it was 100% worth it!"

Jake then figured it was a good time to formally introduce himself,
"I'm Faulkner, one of the trainers from Kanto here for the tournament and I have been loving Cadien so far! Everyone here is really friendly, except one spooky masked dude, but that's about it."

When he heard it was a pod of Magikarps, it bolstered his mood even more, but led to a question,
"How can a bunch of Karpers be hard work? All they do is flop around, everyone knows that they are hardly even proper pokemon!"

"We're talking food production here, kid. They don't need to be strong to be edible. The hard part is herding enough of them in the net to be worth the effort." He grabs a piece of paper, and starts drawing. "Some company like to use large area moves to knock-em out wholesale, but I prefer live capture."

"The way we work is we have two Mantine surfers ride up the sides of the pod, spooking the fishes toward the nets. On a decent sized pod, it's enough to fill the cargo hold."

Jake seemed impressed, this man had dedication, a man who wouldn't take the easy way out, capturing them live instead of going for a KO. That was hardcore, something Jake could relate too (even though more often than not, Jake DID end up taking the easy way out). There was still more than one concern,
"Woah, that is awesome. I'd love to try it. Is the pod going to be here like almost now, or do we got some time to practice a bit. And if I fall in, will the Mantines help get me safe? I'm not the best swimmer. If not, I got a Mudkip and a Barboach that could probably help keep me afloat."

He then turned to Seymour,
"Are you game? This could be just the thing to rinse off all those nasty marshy memories!"

Already the memory of the spooky ghost pokemon was fading from Jake's mind as he mentally prepared for a proper physical challenge.

Seymour considered the potential dangers, but ultimately realized he wouldn't forgive himself if he passed up this once in a lifetime opportunity. "I am willing to give it a try. Can't promise we will get great results, but we'll try." Seymour still wasn't sure why anyone would even want to eat a Magikarp though, since he had heard they were all scales and bones. But that was none of his concern. It was probably just an urban legend anyway.

Bertram grins. "Glad t'a hear it! The pod will get here tomorrow afternoon. It's a bit short, but it should be enough to get you used to the Mantines." He pauses, as if remembering something. "Oh, I hope I have suits your size..."

Luckily, he does. You're soon fitted in a thick wet suit, and experiencing the cold water. "Don't worry, your body will soon warm the water that slip inside, and help insulate you. We're close to the lower limit of what those suits can deal with, but since you'll stay close to the surface, you won't have issues. Now, let me present you your partners, Nimbus and Sirius." Moments after, two Mantine jumps out of the water, soaring over you head for a moment, before diving and returning close to you.

"Whoa!" Seymour exclaimed in fascination as the Mantine soared above him as he tread water. He began doggy paddling toward Nimbus and rubbed its head when he reached the pokemon. He could already tell this was going to be a great experience, even if it was also likely to be difficult. Back in Lilycove City he had spent a lot of time on the beach, but usually no more than knee deep. Certainly not out in the open sea! Lotad wasn't a strong enough swimmer to support him for very long, and Seymour was not a strong swimmer on his own either.

But that reminded him, so long as he was going to be training to handle the sea, it would be good for some of his pokemon to get some practice as well. He let Lotad and Farrah out so they could bob among the waves. He then released Glumpy atop Lotad's rain dish. To Bertram he explained, "I'm not sure how this usually goes, but hopefully it's alright if my pokemon get a bit of training in too. I figured my Farfetch'd could help watch things from the sky, and Lotad and Glumpy can scoot around to dissuade other water pokemon from interfering. Or at the very least, today they can get some experience dealing with ocean waves in case any emergencies arise tomorrow." Seymour did love to planning ahead and being prepared!

Jake was obviously impressed with the Mantines soaring, incredulous even,
"Woah, it is a water pokemon that positively FLIES, so cool!"

Jake did not mind the cold as much as he minded the water, even through the suit he was visibly uncomfortable. That was not enough to dissuade him from trying his best to paddle forward. He noted how Seymour navigated the water and did his best to mimic it. In time, he made it safely to Sirius,
"I guess I get to surf on Serious!"

Then he continued to mimic Seymour by releasing most of his pokemon -- with the exception of Duder and his newest catch. He hadn't healed up 'Roach', so for the first outing he kept it in its pokeball; as for Duder... Jake saw how much the pokemon had struggled in just a puddle, so he didn't want to scare the poor thing to death.

Skipper and Lackey immediately headed to the shallows to play in the less dangerous (and more exquisitely muddy) area while Fetcher did some aereal maneuvers with Farrah.

Bertram chuckles. "They need a bit of a run-up, but when they catch a good wave they get some real air! You should probably avoid too fancy a move, just let'm glide you over the water. But first..." He pulls out two large red disks, with a white band across it.

A quick whistle draws the ray's attention, and they float near Bertram so he can place the disks on them. With a glow similar to that of pokéballs, the disks turn into a harness surrounding the Mantines, holding a riding platform with a pair of handles on their back. "There. Mantine surfing gear, straight from Alola. Now, let's get see how well you manage."

It takes a bit of getting used to, but the Mantines are quite friendly, responding well to your commands. Seymour is a bit shaky, but as long as he sticks to straight-forward maneuvers, there shouldn't be any problems. Jake however, revels at the fish's speed, even daring to make a few jumps over the waves and letting Sirious glide over the sea.

Time passes fast, and before you realize it, you're skimming the sea under the light of Bertram's boat. "Seems you've got it down! I think it's enough for the day, let's go back in for some grub!" He shows you how to remove the harness, and hands you a few berries to feed the Mantines and your pokémons while he prepares your meal.

While Jake was impressed and excited by the surfing, one thing caught his ear and drew some light suspicion. Not suspicion enough to call things up, more a point of curiosity than anything else. Between the walking, biking, and now surfing, Jake was again pretty worn out, so he didn't ask what was on his mind until they were eating their food (which Jake ravenously consumed, as usual),
"Wow, Mr. Bertram, that was a blast, I am looking forward to messing with those Karpers tomorrow. I'm sure we will get them all!"

Between the bites, he decided to ask the question... though indirectly,
"Hey, how did you get by before you had those harnesses?"

Jake wanted to ask how the man had gotten his hands on Alolan harnesses when Cadien was still pretty isolated, but he wasn't sure how closely Seymour's pokedex was being monitored by the government... in case Bertram was involved in smuggling.

Your host chuckles. "You mean back in my grand-pa's days? Back then, they'd ride the Mantine bareback. A lot more dangerous then. More than a few helpers ended up downing, even though they had a lot more training..." His gaze lingers on some of the older photos on the walls, probably as a trip down memory lane.

"That changed back in my pa's days. A navy ship took a trip in the Alola region, and were pretty impressed with the harness they used. Well, the storage at least. Seems the local egg-heads never thought to use pokéball tech to store gear. So the captain bought a ton of them for research. Some trickled down to civies like my pa, and I learned to ride with them.

Now-a-days, they make those harness locally, but I still think the original Alolan ones are the best. They ain't easy to get, but every one in a while a trader will grab some and bring em in. They're pricey, but that's quality for you."

Once supper is finished, Bertram shows you a small two-bed bedroom you can sleep in. You're left with the evening free to relax.

Seymour enjoyed the supper and light conversation. Even the history of the Mantine riding gear was interesting. He was tired from the day, but also excited for the next one.

After they were showed their room, Seymour let Jakey and their host know he was going to go sit on the shore for a while. He wanted to relax, watch the sunset, and maybe even see if there were any interesting pokemon along the shore. He also brought his Shroomish and Lotad along with to see if they had managed to improve their "surfing" skills at all. He hoped that Glumpy would be able to keep balance on the waves, and that Lotad would be able to compensate well for Glumpy's weight wile performing maneuvers in the water. Much like how he had learned to ride Nimbus today.

---

Seymour is relaxing on the shore, testing Lotad and Glumpy's progress, and keeping an eye out for any interesting coastal pokemon.

It seems the two managed to imitate you well enough. They won't be able to keep up with the Mantine or the ship on their own, but you think they'll be confident enough to jump in to help if needed.

As you walk around the fishery, you spot Bertram heading for what looks like another docking bay, though closed off from the ocean. "Hey there, kiddos. You doing well?" Looking closer, you see about half-a-dozen Mantine gather at attention. "You did well, you two. And how are these two doing?"

He lays on the floor, dipping both hand into the water. Pulling back out, you see he's holding a two-tone, light blue egg. "Looks like you're coming along nicely... if we're lucky, you could even hatch tomorrow..."

Jake accompanied Seymour down to the beach, but spent his time letting Roach out with Skipper and had them bond while he let Roach recover from Skipper's tackle the day before,
"See, you two can be friends. You both like shallow water!"

It was a rather simplistic take, but he didn't anticipate them to feel much animus towards each other in the first place. Jake was also eager to see the egg,
"I'm feeling good after getting filled up and on dry land. Looking forward to some wild times tomorrow though. Is that a mantine egg? Super cool! How often do you get those? I hope we can watch it hatch, I've never seen a pokemon hatch from an egg before!"

"I haven't seen a pokemon egg hatch before either," Seymour added as he leaned in to get a good look of his own. "At least not in person. I've seen a few in documentaries on television. But if you will allow it, Bertram, I would love to see a baby Mantine hatch when the time comes! Or whatever it is that is in that egg."

"He, you could get the chance. Every once in a while, one of them girls will bring me an egg." He carefully replace the egg, next to another, nearly identical. "That where the succession of our team comes from. Though we normally get more eggs than we need, so we often end up giving them to traveling trainer or the occasional hired hands."

He gives the two of you a knowing look. "What da ya say? Like to train up a Mantine of your own?"

Seymour's face took on a happy shocked expression as he looked from Bertram to Jakey, and then back to Bertram again. "Are you serious? Because I think it would be AMAZING to raise a pokemon from birth! And Mantines are so cool too!" Seymour knew it was a huge responsibility, but felt he was up to the task.

Jake gave Seymour a thumbs up indicating that if anyone gets a pokemon egg, it should be someone who knows more about what they are doing,
"Yeah! Seymour would be a great trainer for a newly hatched pokemon. I can learn more about little pokemon by watching too! I have my own Roach to train up in the mean time."

"Well, you've got a reason to do your best tomorrow!" Bertram says with a smile, before you all head to sleep.

You spend the next morning training a bit more, this time on signals so Bertram can guide you from the ship. You also take a moment to heal up Roach, in case you need her help.

Finally, you head further out to sea, following Bertram's boat. The pod of Magikarp is... intimidating, the say the least. Seeing around a hundred red fishes moving in a massive swarm is almost terrifying, even with pokémons as weak as a Magikarp. Still, following Bertram's signals, you take your positions and circle the pod, pushing them toward the nets. Most of the swarm swims under them, and the net's links are wide enough that the smaller fishes can swim through, but there's so many that by the time the pod has passed the ship, both nets are filled.

"Bring them around for another pass," says Bertram. "I'll empty the nets and turn the boat around while you do!" You follow his instructions, and start to turn the pod...

But something's wrong. It seems something else is pushing the pod in another direction. Then the pod splits, as another pokémon jumps into the air...

Seymour's jaw dropped as the Gyarados emerged, leaping into the air. He nearly lost his footing as his mind struggled to retain function. He was glad he was wearing a wetsuit, because he may or may not have wet his suit a little at the sight.

"Um, um, uh..." Seymour's brain struggled to regain traction. In hindsight the trainer knew he should have considered the possibility of encountering a Gyarados today. After all, Magikarp evolve into them. Thankfully Seymour's mind started to process the situation after only a couple seconds, even though they felt like hours.

"Um, uh, Farrah!" He threw his Farfetch'd's pokeball skyward to release her into the air. "Leer at the Gyarados and lead it away from us while we finish things up here. Stay evasive and as far away as you can manage while keeping its attention. Faulkner! Think Fetcher could help too? Maybe they can help keep the heat off of eachother."

Seymour was already steering Nimbus around, trying to get to an inconspicuous location without completely abandoning his herding duties. If the Farfetch'd failed to lead it way safely, his only real backup plan was to have Glumpy try and paralyze it before it could eat everyone...

Jake's also jaw dropped as the Gyarados emerged. It was hard not to be shocked by the emergence of such a large, powerful and famous pokemon. Even Jake knew that the worthless Karper grey into a mighty and fierce Gyarados. Jake even knew the right name for it. He wouldn't argue with Seymour's plan. It was as good as anything Jake could think of at the moment,
"Yeah! Fetcher go get it, after Farrah uses Leer, use Thief to try to take something, anything from it, then fly away!"

As he gave his instruction, he unleashed Fetcher to do his bidding. He wasn't sure if the Gyarados had anything in its possession, but even if not, he hoped the Gyarados would be distracted and unable to catch up with the other flying pokemon. After the quick bit of instruction, Jake returned his attention to making sure the pod could be salvaged and shouted at Bertram,
"Hey, you got any aces up your sleeve?!"