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Ooh, this was a big Horsea! And it seemed friendly, too! Julia pat it on the head before gently setting it back in the water so it could join her school. Then, she cast her line once again to see what would bite.

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Okay, lesson learned: There was such a thing as being too much like a Magikarp, even if you were trying to do the Magikarp Splash. So maybe she had to think of it as only being part of a Magikarp. Maybe a Magikarp mermaid?

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[break]That actually almost worked! Her form still wasn't quite right, but she was at least able to do all the steps the trick required! Now she just needed to hone it!

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Wait, Pokémon were allowed to throw? And did that mean that Julia was trying to dunk Raziel Beckett or the Meowstic? She'd give it her best throw either way.

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A new friend! Julia waved at the Clamperl. After a moment, it opened and closed its shell in what Julia assumed was its own way of saying hello. Awesome, it liked her! Julia put it into a Poké Ball and continued her search.

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This Basculin was not happy about being reeled in! Lazuli had to soothe it with a Sing just so Julia could release it back into the ocean.

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To do the Magikarp Splash, one must become the Magikarp. Focus. Allow your humanity to be overtaken by the essence of a flopping fish.

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[break]Wait, hold on, she still needed a little humanity to do the first bits!

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Another shot at the dunk tank! Julia focused her aim, then tosses the ball as hard as she could at the target. Hopefully she could take priam conrad down!

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Another blue shard! Where did one even find the other colors, anyway? She'd have to ask around later. For now, treasure time!

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Phew, she was glad she'd just pulled up one Wishiwashi! Apparently, when they were in trouble, they'd school up into huge fish monsters to scare off prey. Good thing this one didn't see her as a threat once she unhooked it! It joined the school, and Julia cast her line again.

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Julia wasn't giving up just yet! The Magikarp Splash would be hers to master, come... well, maybe not Hell, but definitely high water!

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[break]The water wasn't high enough this time, though. She'd need a better wave if she wanted to pull this off.

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Another shot at the dunk tank! Julia focused her aim, then tosses the ball as hard as she could at the target. Hopefully she could take Guillermo Marceliño down!

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Well, it sounded like he wasn't going to train Kurze to run people over, so that was good.

[break][break]Julia hadn't even been trying to pull a fast one by asking where Dhelmise was. Her concern had pushed the words out of her mouth without realizing, oh yeah, a criminal isn't just gonna tell me where the stuff is. But she still couldn't let anyone get hurt! She was ready to go into full questioning mode (she was probably too soft to do a proper interrogation), but then Isaac reached into his jacket pocket. Julia and her Pokémon tensed up, unsure of what to expect.

[break][break]It certainly hadn't been a clearly labeled box of fireworks.

[break][break]Julia stared in shock silence for a few seconds. "You were... just getting fireworks?" That chase, that fight, that fear of someone getting seriously hurt had all just been for fireworks? Julia should have been relieved that it wasn't some huge plot to blow up Splashfest or something. Instead, she just felt all the energy being sapped out of her. She was gonna need a nap after this. Or would that just be regular sleep with how late it was?

[break][break]She knelt down and examined the box. It was still sealed, and when Sparkie gave it a sniff, she didn't seem to smell anything amiss. Yeah, that was a box of fireworks, all right. Julia picked it up. "Uh... thanks?" What a weird night.

[break][break]She and her Pokémon watched closely as Isaac released Sunny from his frantically shaking Poké Ball. The Golbat waved shyly at Sparkie before squeaking and hiding behind Isaac. Sparkie let out an embarrassed squeak of her own and rubbed the back of her head. Julia couldn't help but smile. "Hehe, yeah. Just be careful with the fireworks, okay? Don't wanna set something on fire just for a show." To go through all this trouble for fireworks for a "special someone"... It honestly sounded really sweet.

[break][break]But then Julia realized something as Isaac rode off. "Hey, wait a minute! These are still stolen, aren't they?!" Why else would he have gotten them in a mall parking lot at 3 AM? From Hank Winters, of all people? She took a few futile steps forward, but Chester squawked to stop her. Trying to chase him would be futile in the team's current state. She sighed and let her head drop. "Dang it..." This was why she wasn't a cop.

[break][break]The crackle and chatter of the walkie-talkie drew her attention. Was it working again? She picked it up off the ground and tested the talk button. No static, phew!

[break][break]"This is Ranger Cadet Julia Davis," she said into the radio. "I gave a report on two Rockets in Slateport Mall's parking lot. ... One of them froze my radio, sir. I gave chase to the north, but... but I lost him. I'm sorry. ... It turns out they were just fireworks, sir. He, uh, dropped a box before he got away. ... That might be a problem, sir. Chester got hurt during the battle. ... 10-4, sir. We'll wait here." She looked around for a street sign, then gave her approximate location.

[break][break]She put the radio back on her belt and stroked Chester's back feathers. "Looks like we're getting picked up." She noticed Chester's left head giving her a dubious look. "Well, I'm not just gonna tell them he gave me a box before he drove off! That'd make me look like an accomplice or something!" That head sighed, prompting Julia to reach up and pet it. "It's okay, buddy. We did what we could, and everything's gonna be fine. Why don't you rest, okay?"

[break][break]The exhausted Chester allowed himself to be recalled back into his Poké Ball without much fuss. Julia looked to her shoulder to see Sparkie looking equally worried, so she scratched the Pikachu behind the ear with a weary smile. "You should sleep, too. You did good tonight." Sparkie let out an uncertain "Piii," but her drowsiness quickly won over. She gave Julia one last comforting nuzzle before allowing herself to be recalled.

[break][break]With both of her Pokémon safely tucked away, Julia sat down on the sidewalk and looked up into the sky, waiting for her ride. She was going to have to file one heck of a report on this... and she probably wasn't going to be allowed to do volunteer patrol duty again. Oh, well. There was a reason she was a Ranger and not an officer.

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Ahh, another Poké Ball. Still not the most exciting of finds, but she'd take it! Ooh, what was over there?

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