He had felt no thrill having to leave his home in a horrified hurry, so he wasn't sure if their circumstances were really the same.

"I see. Has it been as fun as ya hoped?" He said, his dangling legs kicking to and fro over, feet barely skirting over the water's surface. "Can't imagine ya foresaw all the crap that's been going down the past three years."

He certainly hadn't, even though the very reason for which his family had come to Hoenn should've perhaps clued him into the fact that he was in for a rough time.

As his partner shifted the conversation to the task at hand, the youth simply shook his head, reaching up to tip his straw hat.

"Too many possibilities to count. Used to be a limited biome in Hoenn, but with all the recent traffic..." He said, shrugging. "There's so many invasive species it's almost impossible to guess."

But.

"I'm at least pretty sure it's one o' those invasive species, tho." It would explain why such a thing had only just recently started happening at the pond.

As they finished speaking, a hard splash disturbed the peacefulness of the pond, the tailfin of a Magikarp suddenly breaking the surface violently before sinking under.

"Hmm?!" Uttered the youth, shoving his Golisopod into the water without warning. "We're up!"

The bug chittered grumpily, shaking off her sleepiness before turning her attention to the water.

---

PESKY PESCETARIAN MISSION
TAG: Noelani Kekoa

Their conversation would have to wait until they had dealt with the thing- it had already claimed one of their charges.

"Put it down, Kira!" He said, swinging his arm wide. The order given, the pokemon let out a sound growl before dipping into the pond, disappearing under the water's surface.

Silence reigned in the pond for a several seconds, the tension growing palpable to Doug. Kira was taking an awful long time. The fact that the Magikarps had all visibly escaped to the corners of the pond in horror, despite usually being rather slow on the uptake, didn't help the youth's growing nerves.

And then the water's surface broke- with a massive splash, no less.

A thunderous roar tore through the tense silence as Kira broke through the water, flipping through the air while screeching before clamping her plated arms together, a metallic sheen covering them just in time to block the powerful tail whip that snapped out of the water and smashed her back down into the pond with a large splash.

A massive, blue serpent suddenly broke through the surface of the water a moment after, it's red eyes looking around with a vicious gleam to them before they zeroed in to both humans.

The Gyarados released yet another roar, and the water surface trembled and quaked from the sound alone.

"Oh god." Said Doug under his breath, blinking up at the massive pokemon.

It hadn't been an invasive species, nor a pokemon that had slipped in unnoticed.

A single Magikarp had managed to evolve under everyone's nose.

---

PESKY PESCETARIAN MISSION
TAG: Noelani Kekoa

Doug's reaction was comparatively overblown, but then, his encounters knowledge of Gyarados was colored by the Kantonian perceptions of it. That is to say- an absolute engine of destruction who bring even major cities to their knees in a rampage.

Which yeah, was a bit of an exaggeration... but only a bit.

Luckily, Noel's under-reaction to the large sea serpent helped bring Doug out of his shock, his question making the youth blink and shake his head wildly, before offering a grin.

"Sure can! Just try and make it quick-" He said just as his Golisopod burst through the water surface with a furious sneer on her face, the distance between her and the serpent closing in the blink of an eye.

Already distracted from its injuries dealing with the Petal Storm, the Gyarados reflexively turned to bite off the incoming enemy- and paid for it.

The Golisopod returned the favour that had been the tail whipping with a powerful backhand from her armored claw across the Gyarados' face, snapping it back into the pond.

"Or Kira'll make it sashimi before you get in on the action!"

Even as he said this however, the Gyarados burst out of the water's surface with a furious roar, thrashing about wildly in the pond as energy began to waft off its long body, gaining more power as it engaged in an aggressive dance atop the water.

---

Kira used First Impression!
Gyarados used Dragon Dance!

PESKY PESCETARIAN MISSION
TAG: Noelani Kekoa

The Gyarados got turned into Sashimi alright, but Kira's involvement in the process was little, all things considered.

Still thrashing and writhing about in its draconic dance, the sea monster pokemon attempted to weave and dash through the Bellossom's Petal Dance before launching a retaliatory attack, it's fangs looking grim in preparation.

But that was all it would ever manage. In the end, even it's enhanced speed could not handle the outpour of leaves cleaving at its body. It was not a particularly experienced Gyarados, it's only quarry weak, pathetic Magikarps, it's own kind.

The pond was soon painted red with its blood, its body becoming magikarp bait as Doug's Golisopod quickly leapt out of the water, not keen on having her white chitin painted crimson.

"Could've, would've... Doesn't really matter now, does it?" Said Doug, tipping his hat further down, his other hand hovering over his stomach.

He hadn't been able to handle the sight of blood and gore for a while now. For that matter, he had been even more averse to death.

He had hoped to knock out the thing- but he supposed a Gyarados was not the kind of thing one could take so lightly.

Either way,this mission had not helped him out at all.

"... I'll go report our success." He said, turning away, beginning to make his way out. "'twas nice to meet'cha, Noel."

---

TAG: Noelani Kekoa