her next find was another pokeball. she was starting a collection, or maybe this would be the motivation she needed to drag a friend out to go hunting. currently, the amount of pokemon she had at her disposal in hoenn was dismal.

still, she hoped for something a little more exciting this next time.

ZfQbiKXR

+ pokeball

that last one had gone pretty well. maybe she would stick to that for the rest of the competition instead. she could easily make it to 10000 with a little bit of luck and determination.

"try another primarina twist!"

and they went for the peak, taking off and flipping through the air gracefully.

|pajaXmg

total points previous round: 8100
^{( 100 + 1000 + 1750 + 2500 + 1750 + 1000 )}

some people were just born with a little something extra. it made plenty of sense to find such charm at the top of the food chain. iseult possessed charisma of her own, but much of hers had been carefully built this way over time. mars oozed natural talent for life.

he’d saved her, and it was no big deal, and he would take care of alerting the rangers after getting her back to land where she had been reminded she belonged.

“wonderful. i really can’t express my gratitude enough.”

with a sigh to soothe the rush, she smiled over at the alolan raichu. “you were very brave,” she complimented.

when they reached the shore, she would thank mars again before parting ways.

the next business day, a charcuterie basket would arrive at Martín del Mar ’ office with a bottle of vintage pinot noir from the babineaux’s own kalosian vineyard. along with it was a thank you letter from iseult’s father, warmly inviting him to their estate when the barrier let up.

Martín del Mar

she had to make a decision at this point. to go for the splash, and try to get everything? or to play it safe, and try to make it to 10000 the easier way?

she opted for the better chances, this time.

"let's go. primarina twist!"

H4pod7pt

total points previous round: 7100
^{( 100 + 1000 + 1750 + 2500 + 1750 )}

it seemed that maybe she wasn't going to find what she was looking for after all. the end of the festival was nearing. she stayed for the remainder, hoping her luck might turn around at the last minute.

C6LLu5nn

+ pokeball

a bruxish. ugly fish. though she wasn't very keen on any fish, this fish in particular was very low on the list. as it was also very average in size, she had no problem with releasing it back to the ocean and casting her line again.

40KGf5iW

8/17 - SHARPEDO (87) SMALL (25)
8/18 - WISHIWASHI (15) AVERAGE (48)
8/23 - MAGIKARP (8) AVERAGE (60)
8/24 - BRUXISH (79) AVERAGE (28)
8/27 - MAGIKARP (10) AVERAGE (28)

magikarp. though they were nearly worthless in battle, she was partial to them as fish. they had a regal look to them, apart from their dumb faces. not to mention, they grew into fierce battlers. maybe she would keep this one.

taking it in a pokeball, she then cast her line back out.

GZYLdVHi

8/17 - SHARPEDO (87) SMALL (25)
8/18 - WISHIWASHI (15) AVERAGE (48)
8/23 - MAGIKARP (8) AVERAGE (60)
8/24 - BRUXISH (79) AVERAGE (28)

she'd taken a break and come back on the last day to try her luck one more time. securing long white hair back, she dove in and began her search, reaching for the first thing that gleamed in the reflecting sunlight.

zIOQoM|w

+ pokeball

what a beautiful last trick. should've tried the splash. oh well. hindsight is 20/20, and rng is bitch.

she still needed the lanturn 360, so she tried for that one this time. soon spinning in the air, she hoped for the best.

G6|plJ9x

total points previous round: 7100
^{( 100 + 1000 + 1750 + 2500 + 1750 )}

nothing particularly remarkable was coming up yet on her line. this time, she had to sit a while before something bit. this was certainly an exercise in patience, she realized, but it wasn't that bad. she didn't mind it all that much. mostly, she was enjoying the breeze and the sun between her catches.

4E9ZP9d1

8/17 - SHARPEDO (87) SMALL (25)
8/18 - WISHIWASHI (15) AVERAGE (48)
8/23 - MAGIKARP (8) AVERAGE (60)

didn't get it that time. oh well. back to basics. she still had to get one of the easier tricks, anyways.

this time, ashe went for the lanturn 360. front flip, back flip... full spin?

8jx7uFEU

total points previous round: 5350
^{( 100 + 1000 + 1750 + 2500 )}

another pokeball. just how many pokeballs was she going to find down here? perhaps she should have just been leaving them in the sand, knowing how rarely she went out to catch wild pokemon herself.

keeping it anyways, in the end, she kept on, hoping to discover something a little more exciting eventually.

Mum77P2B

+ egg tutor

though it were a scrolling neon sign above his head: pay day. pay less. pog bank. she blinked, in a daze. not quite starstruck, just… in shock, really.

”yes, you too,” she agreed. and once they’d gotten formalities out of the way, it was back to what was going on in the water. the shark had dived down, gone, at least for now. the life dew that sprayed up was refreshing to say the least. in her rush of adrenaline, she’d forgotten about the cut on her foot, which quickly began to heal.

with the return of the gift-bearing alolan raichu, she gazed and held her hand out. what dropped into her hand was the last thing she expressed. her eyebrows raised. impressive.

”thank you.”

it was sincere, lavender eyes focused on the rodent’s with gratefulness. fingers curling around the tooth, and she then turned her attention on mars again.

”and you, mr. del mar. i’m not sure how i can repay you, but i am in your debt.” go figure.

Martín del Mar