[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia flashed a good-natured smile at the person currently in the seat before tossing the ball at the target. Would she make it this time?

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[attr="class","juliaw"]

Once Julia had shaken off the dizzies, she was raring to go again. She was already off to a good start with her first trick, so even though the next trick, Over-the-Gyarados, was daunting, she was determined to get it right. Let's go!

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[break]Okay, how did it go again? Back flip, left roll, front flip—wait, shoot, it was a right roll! She didn't have enough height to restart the trick, though, so she let the Mantine land without completing it. Back, right, front. She'd get it next time.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Ooh, that was a big pearl! That definitely counted as treasure! Julia pumped her fist victoriously, then began sifting through the sand for more shinies.

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[attr="class","juliaw"]

Yeah, it was definitely just luck. Julia had gotten close last time. If she could land this throw and get back up there, maybe she'd make it this time? Here's hoping!

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[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Lazuli's a good swimmer, but... You know, I don't even think we've tried to go that fast before, have we?" she asked the Lapras. The first part had mostly been said out of reflex. Julia wasn't sure if Josh even saw Lazuli's prosthetic back flipper or if he was just commenting on how fast Snacker was, but she still felt the need to point out that Lazuli could swim just fine with it, thank you very much. Just like how Julia could still walk, run, climb, and do all kinds of other stuff with her own prosthesis. In response to her trainer's question, Lazuli let out a low hum. That was a "no," then.

[break][break]Lazuli watched Snacker swim around her, then let out a gently scolding hum. Julia giggled to herself. Some people had a mom friend. Julia had a mom Pokémon.

[break][break]Once the duo was past the wave generators, Josh spoke up again. Julia beamed. "I thought you looked familiar! Small world, huh?" A shiver clung to her spine. Those words were a lot darker given current events, but she had to box that thought up for later. It was time to get to work.

[break][break]"I might have an idea," she said. "The poacher's after Sharpedo, right? If we split up, they might go after you, then I'll keep watch and move in when they spring the trap."

[attr="class","juliaw"]

[break][break]Julia looked back to her assailant at the cringe-inducing sound of metal screeching against asphalt. She gasped and widened her eyes when the Bisharp began riding right toward her. He leaned over so his wrist blade scraped against the pavement, sending sparks flying in its wake. His laughter was like grinding gears.

[break][break]His laughter was like falling rocks.

[break][break]Julia scrambled backwards and started to rise on trembling legs. "Chester!" she shouted. She didn't know why she did. She didn't even know if Chester could do anything against a motorcycle or if he'd just end up getting hurt—no, he already was hurt. She couldn't let him get even more hurt. With the sounds of Sparkie and Chester crying out behind her, she leapt to one side to avoid the oncoming bike.

[break][break]There was a rocky rumbling that caught her breath in her throat. It couldn't be. She was outside, right? She forced herself to take a deep breath, then realized that it wasn't rumbling; it was stomping. She turned toward the source to see a Rhyhorn burst from an alleyway and lift the front half of the oncoming bike with its horn. On its back was the Rocket. The Bisharp was gone now, and Julia realized that, along with the Rhyhorn's footsteps, she'd also heard the sound of a Pokémon being recalled back to its Poké Ball.

[break][break]She stared at the scene, and her still-lagging brain tried to piece everything together. The Rocket had recalled his Pokémon and stopped the bike before it could hit Julia. But... why? Where had he gone, and why had he come back?

[break][break]Chester let out a low, angered "wark" as he was held at bone-point. His right head glared at the Cubone, the middle's eyes darted around as it tried to come up with some sort of plan, and the left looked worriedly at Julia. Sparkie, meanwhile, stood on all fours, fur raised but no electricity sparking from her cheeks. Seemed she didn't want Chester getting hurt, either.

[break][break]And then the Rocket spoke. The fear that Julia had been running on seemed to gather in her chest, then explode outward: "That's your idea of making a point? Trying to kill me?!" She stopped to take a breath; as it turned out, shouting at someone didn't help with keeping her breathing steady. She was uncomfortably aware of how her heart clattered against her ribs, too.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Another day, another set of Mantine Surfing tricks! Julia made sure to stretch before hopping on her Mantine and taking to the waves. Today, she'd start with the Starmie 720. It'd be a lot of spinning; she hoped she didn't get too dizzy!

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[break]One roll, two rolls, three rolls, "Whoo-hoo!" Julia shouted as she spun around and around and around. Was this what a Frisbee felt like? Her tummy tickled, making her giggle as she went back down toward the water. Perfect landing! That was fun! She needed a moment to reorient herself, though...

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Huh, another Poké Ball. On its own, it didn't seem like treasure, but it was the key to a potential new Pokémon friend, and that was exciting, too! Friends were their own special type of treasure, after all. Now, what was over here...?

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[attr="class","juliaw"]

At this point, it wasn't about dunking people. It was about getting back in the seat so she could go for a "survival" streak, too. Was there some trick to it, or was it just luck? She'd have to think it over after trying to dunk aaron faust.

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[attr="class","juliaw"]

Now that she thought about it, Julia had never been one for "grace." She was the determined, energetic type who tackled her problems head-on and wore her heart on her sleeve. So maybe it wasn't about being graceful. Maybe it was about embracing that energy and determination to finally land the Primarina Twist. It was worth a shot, at least.

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[break]With that raw Julia energy, she directed the Mantine to do two front flips before she stood up and hopped onto its outstretched wing. Then, without a moment of hesitation, she backflipped back onto the saddle, landed on her good leg, and held her hands up in victory, cheering all the while. She had plenty of time to get back in the saddle before the Mantine landed. Finally, she'd done it! And all she had to do was be true to herself!

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia was starting to feel like a little kid with how excited she was getting over shiny things. But how could she not? She was on a genuine treasure hunt, and she was finding actual treasure! Her finds weren't chests filled with gold coins or anything, but even she knew that wasn't realistic. Unless she found an underwater temple or something.

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