AN: I will be basing the Safari Zone from the Fire Red/Leaf Green games since they have more pokemon than Red, Blue and Yellow. I also managed to find a map SOMEHOW that also has a lot of those random towns the group runs into whenever they are lost (as usual). So I shall probably start throwing those in some places.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.
Chapter Warnings: Language
Chapter 6 – Safari Zone
Ash slowly opens his eyes as he feels something move in his bed. He reaches out to pet the soft fur and hears a quiet squeak from underneath the covers.
"Morning buddy." Ash calls out sleepily.
Ash groans as he sits up and looks over to see if his partner is awake yet, but the bed is empty. Where did he go?
Ash showers and does his usual morning routine. Just as he begins to strap his weapons into place, Gary strolls in with a heaping tray of food and a large bag of pokemon food. Ash grabs the tray and sets it on the desk while Gary fishes out the bowls they use for their pokemon.
"I was wondering where you got off to." Ash states happily as he digs into his large breakfast.
Gary smirks at his statement as the brunet releases Squirtle from its pokeball.
"Well I wasn't the one who needed his beauty sleep now was I? I reserved our room for a few days so we can leave our stuff here while we explore the town and Safari Zone. We aren't allowed to bring weapons or regular pokeballs in anyway. I also picked up a region map for when we leave."
Ash holds his hand out for the map which Gary hands over after pulling it from his pocket. It's been refolded to show Fuchsia City and the surrounding routes for ease of access. After perusing the map, Ash puts it on the desk and calls out Krabby to join Squirtle and Pikachu for breakfast.
After a quick breakfast, the duo remove the pokeball pouches from their belts since they will only be confiscated later. The water pokemon are left to play in the bathtub as the soldiers head downstairs. Ash pauses at the front desk to speak with Nurse Joy.
"Good morning Nurse Joy! How is Lapras doing today?"
Nurse Joy smiles up at Ash as she checks one of the charts that is stacked up on the desk.
"Good morning Ash. It looks like Lapras' vitals stabilized last night so that's wonderful news. She is on antibiotics for the infection and some low dose painkillers, so she is probably still asleep. Once the infection starts to diminish, you will be allowed in to see her."
Ash smiles gratefully at the woman and thanks her. He turns to follow his partner out the door and into the sunshine. Wow this place is big. It seemed so small when we were rushing to get Lapras here.
The duo turn north as they slowly make their way to the Safari Zone. Gazing at the buildings around him, Ash notices a PokeMart off to his left which Gary seems to be bee lining towards.
"What do you need at the PokeMart?" Ash asks as he follows behind his partner. Gary turns his head to give him a quick smirk before heading inside.
Walking over towards the counter, the brunet looks over a large display of sunglasses. Smart.
Ash joins him and they end up purchasing matching pairs of Aviators that have a silver-tinted reflection to the lens.
Decked out in their new shades, Ash walks next to his partner in companionable silence. Ash speeds up his pace as a large building surrounded by a high electric fence comes into view ahead.
Ash walks in with Gary close behind him. However, the place seems deserted. With sunglasses perched on top of their heads, they begin to look around the room. Pictures of various pokemon are along the walls. Depicting the native pokemon that make the Zone their home.
At the squeal of hinges, Ash turns to see a smartly dressed old man behind the desk. He stares at them with a raised brow.
"Here for the safari challenge?" He asks tersely.
At a nod from Gary, the man bends down to grab two buckets. Filling both with food, he sets them on the counter followed by four small sacks, two full and two empty. He comes around the counter and stands in front of Ash.
"I am going to have to check you both for weapons. I can tell you are both soldiers and I don't want any of those pokemon out there being injured."
Ash eyes the old man with disdain. There is no way we would ever intentionally hurt a pokemon! We just saved that Lapras for crying out loud!
Slowing raising his arms, he allows the man to give him a quick pat down. After searching Gary, the man returns behind the desk and points at the buckets and bags.
"The buckets contain specialized pokemon food. It will make the pokemon easier to catch and less aggressive if you feed them some. Mellows them out a bit. You are also allowed 30 pokeballs. They are specially designed for one use only so once you run out, you will be done for the day. House rules. You can put any captured pokemon into the empty bag. There are four habitats in the Safari Zone, each having unique pokemon. If you injure a single pokemon, your winnings will be confiscated. No exceptions. There are only so many pokemon here. Now this comes to $200 each." The old man quickly explains.
Both soldiers flinch at the high price. Pulling money out of the pouches on their belts, they pay the man and grab the items off the counter. With a wave of his hand, the man beckons them back out the front door and towards a large metal plated gate. He pulls a large key from his pocket and pushes the large door open after unlocking it.
Hills spread out before them. Ash stares in awe at the various pokemon he can already see roaming around. This is going to be so epic!
Hearing the door close behind him, Ash turns to his partner with a smile on his face.
"Gary! Let's have a contest to see who can catch the most pokemon!"
The brunet smirks down at him. Ash can see the challenge swirling in his partner's green orbs. Oh it is so on!
Ash smiles down at the excited yellow mouse at his feet before breaking off into a run away from his partner. He spots a herd of bulls grazing in the distance. Tauros.
Once he is close to the herd, he grabs a few pieces of food and toss it to one of the bulls on the edge of the group. Smelling the tasty snack, it wanders closer to the raven as it begins to eat.
Ash smiles as he slowly turns his hat backwards before reaching into his ball bag. Pulling out a safari ball, he tosses it at the beast. It disappears in a flash, startling the other Tauros and causing them to run away.
However, brown eyes are locked on the shaking pokeball in the grass. As the ball stops moving, he jumps up and gives a cheer. I caught a Tauros!
Pikachu runs out to collect the ball for his trainer. Ash pets the mouse in thanks and drops the now full ball into the empty bag. 1 down and 29 to go.
Pikachu jumps up onto Ash's head as a lookout for any more nearby pokemon. With a squeak, it hops down into his trainer's arms and point off to the northwest.
"Another one over there huh? Well let's get going!"
Ash walks in the direction indicated by his starter. A few minutes later, he comes across a cluster of pink eggs at the base of a tree. He stares at the bunch and blinks when he notices that all the eggs have eyes.
"Exeggcute! Awesome! We don't have any grass types yet do we buddy?" Ash glances down at Pikachu whose ears twitch at the question.
Grabbing a small handful of food, Ash gently tosses it towards the wary pokemon. A few eggs sniff the food while the largest one continues to stare at Ash. Looks like that one is in charge.
Just as the raven throws the ball to catch the egg pokemon, Ash is knocked off his feet by the horde of Tauros as they stampede by. He holds Pikachu close to him for its safety as he watches in horror as the safari ball hits one of the bulls and sucks it into his depth. No! He caught another one?!
Once the herd vanishes, he quickly looks around for the Exeggcute he was trying to catch but can't find it anywhere.
"Damn it! The herd scared it away!" Ash glares at the ball a few feet from him before stomping over to pick it up and shoving it into the bag with the other Tauros.
Pikachu jumps up into his trainer's arms and puts his small hands on Ash's chest in an attempt to calm his master down. Ash sighs and looks down at his worried pokemon with a small smile.
"Thanks buddy. Let's look for some other pokemon alright?"
The duo continue to walk around the flowing hills but can't seem to locate any other pokemon. Did the Tauros scare ALL of them away?
He looks to his right and sees a pink blob at the edge of the plains next to a short cliff. That must be the next area. What pokemon is that though?
Ash slowly approaches the blob. Its features gradually come into focus as they get closer. A Chansey! That's probably one of the rarest pokemon here!
Ash grabs a large handful of food and gently tosses it to the egg pokemon. He doesn't want it to bolt since it seems to be quite fidgety already. He even squats down to appear less threatening. Quietly watching the pink pokemon eat, he tosses a few more pieces once it is almost done.
He slowly looks around to see if any Tauros are nearby but does not spot any. Good. I definitely don't need any more.
He slowly reaches in and pulls out a safari ball. As if sensing danger, the pokemon watches him carefully with slightly dazed look in its eyes from the drugged food.
Ash tosses the ball into the air towards Chansey. It opens up in mid air to release the bright red light. And immediately sucks in a Tauros. It doesn't even shake once.
Ash watches in complete and utter shock as the herd runs inches away from his face. Between the running bodies, he sees Chansey waddle out of sight around the corner of the cliff. You have to be fucking kidding me.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Gary walks with a bounce in his step through the wooded habitat of the Safari Zone. He has been pretty successful so far. After running around for 45 minutes, he was finally able to corner a Doduo up against a cliff. The twin bird pokemon was fast and seemed to have a relatively large amount of intelligence which is rare for its kind. While the two heads did fight over the food at first, they immediately worked together on the defensive once Gary threw his first safari ball. One head would destroy the safari ball with its sharp beak while the other ate.
After wasting a good 10 safari balls, Gary finally had enough. He had placed two relatively large piles on each side of the bird causing the two heads to go down in opposite directions.
With both heads distracted, Gary was finally able to get the pokemon inside of a safari ball. He also found a strong Nidorino a few minutes later. That one took another 12 safari balls to capture.
Gary turns his head sharply as he hears a thudding noise off into the trees. Heading carefully in the direction of the disturbance, he darts from tree to tree for cover. Low growls and clicking noises filter down into his ear from just up ahead.
Slowly glancing around the trunk of a large oak tree, he is surprised to see a small clearing that is currently the location of a battle between two pokemon.
One is green and is darting around in the air on fast moving wings. In place of arms are long hooked blades that gleam in the sunlight. Scyther.
The other looks like a large brown beetle. Pinsir. Its giant silver horns at the top of its head click together over and over as it lunges for the flying green mantis pokemon. Its mouth is a black cavern with horizontal piano key like teeth.
I wonder what they are fighting over?
Green eyes wander around the clearing. Directly across from him, he sees a tree covered in sap. They must be hungry.
Slowly sliding to his knees, he carefully crawls between two bushes and leaves two piles of the drugged food just inside the clearing. He pauses as he once again glances toward the battling pokemon. Good. They haven't noticed he is there yet.
Quietly sliding out of the bushes, he makes his way around towards the sappy tree. Once directly across from the two piles he made, he quickly throws a piece of food between the two fighters and towards the piles of food. He ducks back behind the tree and holds his breath. Hoping the smell of the sap and food will block out his scent.
Silence. Gary waits with bated breath for any indication that the pokemon have discovered him or are eating the food. He slowly turns to peak around the tree. The two pokemon have moved over to the piles of food but are looking around into the nearby forest as if waiting for an enemy to appear.
Once the two bug pokemon bend down to eat, Gary slowly emerges into the clearing. He reaches down to grab two safari balls out of his bag. Just as Scyther tenses up as if sensing his presence, he throws the ball at it quickly followed by one at the Pinsir.
Both pokemon disappear into the balls. One roll. Two rolls. A small smile forms on the brunet's face. It quickly falls as the two balls burst open and he is faced with two very angry andVERY dangerous bug pokemon.
Shit.
Gary quickly tosses another ball at the Scyther since it is the faster of the two before he begins to run around the clearing. He throws food and safari balls at the Pinsir in hopes of it at least stopping it for a few seconds so he can hide.
A quick glance back behind him shows a stationary ball on the ground. At least one of them is caught. He sticks his hand back into his ball pouch. Only two left.
Darting quickly to the right, he heads back towards the sappy tree. He rips a piece of the bark off and tosses it at the enraged beetle. Thankfully it sticks to one of its horns. The pokemon stops and tries to pull it off.
Gary throws a ball at the distracted pokemon. It hits just as it managed to pull the bark off. One. Two. Damn it.
It emerges once more but Gary's last ball is already in the air. Once again it is sucked inside. One roll. And then nothing. The ball stills. No flashing lights. A critical capture? No freaking way.
Gary walks forward to claim his new pokemon. He turns around to head back to the entrance with a smile on his face. I wonder how Ash is doing?
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Gary had been waiting in the main room for a good 20 minutes when the door slams open. Ash charges in with a thunderous look on his face. That can't be good. Gary stands to soothe is furious partner.
"What happened to you?" He asks cautiously. Ash glares sharply at him before pacing quickly back in forth across the room. The old man watches them from behind the counter.
"It's all those damn Tauros! Every time I went to go catch another pokemon, they would race by and get sucked into the safari ball instead! Twelve times Gary! TWELVE! What the hell am I going to do with twelve Tauros?! I almost even caught a Chansey! We would never have to worry about having injured pokemon again but nope! It ran away when the Tauros ran right by my face! Damn it!"
"You caught 12 Tauros and nothing else?"
Ash instantly stops and glares at the ground.
"I spent the rest trying to catch a Rhyhorn but it just wouldn't stay IN!"
The brunet looks at his friend's upset face.
"Ash they were probably just protecting the rest of the pokemon there. No need to be angry at pokemon protecting their friends right?...Why don't you release 11 of them? There's no need for that many and will just take up space carrying them around."
The raven nods in agreement before silently handing the bag back to the old man after digging out a single safari ball. Gary watches as he looks at the ball with a mix of sadness and disappointment.
Gary slides an arm around the upset man's shoulders. Better get him some food. That will cheer him up.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Ash looks around with a smile on his face. He's in a wayyyy better mood since his partner bought him some lunch at a nearby cafe. He also got a chance to see Lapras when they got back to the Pokemon Center. She apparently can leave urgent care tomorrow as long as she doesn't battle for a while.
He follows the brunet to the Eastern gate. Gary wants to look to see which direction they should take for when they leave tomorrow.
Once outside, he notices the multitude of ledges that makes up Route 15. This is going to be a hell of a hike. Would be a lot easier if we could just fly over them.
Fate seems to favor Ash at the moment as Pikachu cries out in alarm from his arms. Ash looks up to see a large shadow descending on him fast.
"Ash look out!"
Gary knocks him over as a Pidgeotto darts at them from overhead. Why is it attacking me?! I didn't know it was even here until now!
"Ash you idiot! You are covered in the food that old man gave us! Did you roll around in it or something?!
A memory of being thrown back from the herd of Tauros into the pile of food he was using to lure the Rhyhorn to him comes to mind. Shit.
Pikachu jumps in front of his trainer, cheeks already sparking as it waits for a command. It's black eyes trained on the large bird circling above them.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
A powerful stream of electricity screeches through the air towards the Pidgeotto who barrels away in midair. It turns and dive bombs straight towards the yellow mouse.
"Use Agility! And then another Thunderbolt!" Ash calls from his place on the ground.
Pikachu darts around in a blur avoiding the sharp Pecks from the speedy bird pokemon. Once he gets behind it, another powerful stream of electricity is unleashed. With no room to avoid the blast, it strikes Pidgeotto's wing. It falls to the ground in a heap glaring at the mouse and two trainers while electricity causes its feather to fluff up from the static charge.
Ash slides out from under Gary as he reaches down to pull a pokeball from his bag. He spins his hat backwards and throws it towards his opponent. The ball shakes before dying down. Pikachu retrieves the ball for him as he helps Gary off the ground. Ash looks at the ball sadly.
"I'm sorry Pidgeotto. I will get you fixed up soon and then give you a nice big meal." The raven attaches the pokeball to his belt as they head back into Fuchsia.
The duo cross town to check out Route 18. They walk in companionable silence. Today is turning out to be quite eventful.
Ash follows Gary through the gate to see a small building and fence blocking the route up ahead. What's that for?
The soldiers enter and walk towards the young woman at a small desk. She eyes their large guns before giving them a small, nervous smile.
Ash locks eyes with his partner. I got this one. Gary rolls his eyes and nods his head in agreement. Ash turns back toward the girl with a large, friendly smile on his face. Her smile widens in return.
"Hey there! We were just checking out the routes around Fuchsia. Why is this one blocked off? Did something happen?"
The girl looks at him in confusion. She hesitantly points to a sign behind the desk. 'Cycling Road! The quickest way to get from Celadon to Fuchsia! No bike, no access.'
Well shit. I feel silly now.
Ash glances back at the woman with a sheepish smile on your face.
"My apologies. Sorry to disturb you!" He retreats quickly back towards the doors.
Ash grabs the smirking Gary by his arm and drags him out of the building.
"You knew that was the Cycling Road didn't you?! I looked like an idiot!" Gary starts to snicker which only pisses Ash off further.
"Well you are one so I don't know why you are so upset Ashy-boy...gimme a minute."
Ash's tirade is cut off as he watches his partner call out his Squirtle and stalks to a tree next to the building.
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"
Squirtle aims its jet of water up into the tree. With a squawk, a giant Fearow bursts from the branches and into the air. It immediately dives at the tiny turtle pokemon.
"Withdraw!"
The blue pokemon sucks itself up into its shell but the beak pokemon slows its dive to wrap long talons around the shell. Large wings beat hard to raise both pokemon off the ground.
"Quick Squirtle! Rapid Spin and Water Gun!" Squirtle begins spinning rapidly, flinging itself from the beak pokemon's talons as a high powered stream of water spins out in all directions. The water hits Fearow right in the face causing it to fly into the tree it was originally perching on. Gary catches his starter and throws a ready pokeball.
The full ball falls down before rolling three times. Captured.
Impressive. That was a massive Fearow.
The brunet picks up the ball and turns to give his starter one of his rare smiles. Ash watches with a small smile of his own as he watches his partner's joy of catching a wild pokemon.
Maybe he can be saved from his overwhelming hate after all.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
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Next up: Chapter 7 – A New Foe