Ages:

Ash: 18

Misty: 18

Brock: 23

Gary: 18

May: 18

Max: 13

Drew: 17

Dawn: 18

Paul: 19

Cilan: 22

Cress: 22

Chili: 22

Iris: 20

Ritchie: 18

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Clemont: 18

Serena: 18

Harley: 24

Solidad: 24

Zoey: 19

Barry: 19

Kenny: 18

Nando: 25

Stephan: 19

Bianca: 20

Cameron: 18

Trip: 18

Georgia: 19

Burgundy: 19

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Various others:

Delia: 37 (based off her age of the novelization according to bulbapedia [29] + 8 years from the start of Ash's journey.

Giovanni: (Unknown) but in this story: 58

Prof. Oak: 64

Redrick(Red Ketchum): 38

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Normal Talk

Thoughts

Lucario talking unless stated otherwise

Zorua talking unless stated otherwise

Let the journey continue...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

By the afternoon of the next morning, the boat approached the port and the group was finally back on land.

"Ah! Nothing like good ol' Terra Firma!" Gary said and stretched.

"You said it Gary!" Ash said as he did the same.

"Whatever. I like the water," Misty said as she joined Ash.

"Oh.. Well the water's great too Mist," Ash said nervously.

"Chill, Ash I'm just messing with you," Misty winked.

"Well don't," Ash pouted getting some laughs from the group.

"You may have gotten a girlfriend before me, big guy, but you still have a lot to learn about girls," Brock spoke laughing.

"I would've been more shocked if you had gotten a girlfriend before Ash," Dawn said with a mischievous sideways glance. Brock and Ash both then sulked and everyone laughed. Eventually they entered Fushia city where they would stop before reaching Stone town next.

"Oh wow!" Max said before running past the group, causing May then the rest to follow behind quickly. They approached a sign that said there was going to be a Rapidash race that offered a full set of evolution stones to the winner.

"Awesome! Maybe I should enter with Rapidash! We could use those stones later, you know?" Ash said with a smile

"I think you should, Ash!" Dawn smiled.

"Dream on! This race is for professionals only!" A man said as he approached them. He was wearing a jockey uniform.

"Leave them alone, Jack!" Another voice said suddenly, "The competition is for anyone with a Rapidash." The newcomer walked up and revealed herself to be Lara Laramie.

"Lara!" Ash, Misty, and Brock exclaimed.

"Oh! It's you guys! Long time to see!" Lara said cheerily.

Everyone was introduced and they explain what they are doing.

"Wow! The Master's Challenge, huh? Sounds hard, but I know all of you will do great." Lara said.

Brock then jumped forward and clasped Lara's hands.

"With you cheering me on and by my side, I could accomplish any feat!" Brock gushed. Misty then came to Lara's rescue, dragging Brock away.

"Hmmm... I've kinda missed doing that," Misty smiled as she dropped Brock heavily on the ground.

"Hmph, Whatever. Just don't enter in the competition." Jack spoke to the group before turning and leaving.

"Don't mind him, he can be a jerk sometimes," Lara said, "Any who, when did you get a Rapidash, Ash?"

Ash told her his story,

"Wow! A different color? Can I see?" Lara asked and Ash soon released Rapidash.

"Hey buddy, this is Lara, she's a friend." Ash said as Rapidash nuzzled him.

"He's beautiful! I can't wait to see him run!" Lara says happily, "How about you guys stay at my farm instead of the pokemon center?" Everyone agreed and thanked her before heading towards the Laramie ranch. Ash let Rapidash into the field with Lara's Rapidash who came up and nuzzled Ash before running off with Ash's Rapidash

"Ha! I guess she recognized you, Ash." Lara said

"It's hard to forget Ash," Misty said with a mocking grin.

"Ha ha so funny, Misty," Ash replied.

Everyone sat in the house and gathered around the fire to tell stories. They all were given a mug of hot chocolate.

"And then the kid wouldn't stop talking to me about how strong his Rattata was," May sighed, "I will never visit route 31 again..."

"Ha ha ha! Oh man..." Max said.

"What was scary was that he wouldn't stop following us both," Drew replied shaking his head.

Everyone laughed and joked, even Paul told and entertaining story about the start of his journey. Everyone then went to bed.

zzzzz

The next morning everyone was walking out with Lara to get both her and Ash's Rapidash. They then traveled to the race track where they unfortunately met up with Jack and his employer, Mr. Rapido.

"Ah... Lara I expected you to be here, but who...?" Mr. Rapido stopped talking once he saw Ash's shiny Rapidash.

"Where on earth did you find that fine specimen?" Mr. Rapido rambled and came closer to Ash's Rapidash

"Oh. Um in a field beyond the Safari zone. It's protected now I think though, right Gary?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. A couple months ago they enlarged the Safari zone," Gary nodded.

"Oh, yes I've been there before... This wouldn't happen to be the herd you're referring to would it?" Mr. Rapido asked gesturing to a paddock nearby. One of the mares noticed Ash's Rapidash and whinnied; several others then did the same. Ash's Rapidash trotted over and started to nuzzle his mother.

"That's... That's Rapidash's mother," Ash said in shock, "How were you allowed to catch them?"

"Money... makes the world go round, boy... Speaking of money... I'll pay 50, 000 poke' for your stud there... I would love to have him in my breeding stock, plus he'll get to be with his momma," Mr. Rapido smiled and then smirked.

"What!?" Everyone yelled.

"50, 000 poke'..." Ash almost whispered.

"I can see you aren't used to such high dealings... I can imagine your mother would be quite happy if her son brought home such earnings," Mr. Rapido grinned placing an arm around Ash's shoulders.

"No... She wouldn't if I sold a friend. I'll only do it if Rapidash wants that," Ash said looked Mr. Rapido in the eyes. Misty smiled happily at her boyfriend, while he did what he did best and stand up for a friend.

"If... that's... what Rapidash wants? What on earth do you mean, boy? This is a business. Sure we care for our Rapidash, but time is money," Mr. Rapido frowned as Ash walked past him and up to Rapidash,

"Hey... It's great that you got to see your herd again, huh buddy?" Ash asked stroking Rapidash's neck.

"Whinny!" It replied.

"Would... would you like to stay with them now? Or would you like to continue to travel with me? It's your choice," Ash said with a sad smile.

Rapidash looked at his mother and then to Ash and the group and back again. His mother whinnied softly. He nuzzled his mother and then walked over to Ash and grabbed his hat from his head and nuzzled him before placing his hat back.

"You... wanna stay with me?" Ash asked, then getting licked by Rapidash. He turned around to face Mr. Rapido,

"Sorry, no deal. Rapidash wants to continue to be with me," Ash said with a smile.

"100, 000 poke'," Mr. Rapido replied simply.

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"You heard me, I will pay 100, 000 poke' for your stud," Mr. Rapido stated.

"Sorry, Rapidash doesn't want to. No amount of money will change my mind," Ash said now getting a little angry.

"I will not accept no as an answer," Mr. Rapido said sharply.

"Hey Pal, leave Ash alone he doesn't want to sell Rapidash!" Misty said angrily.

"Be quiet missy! This is a dealing between men," Mr. Rapido said harshly getting glares from everyone in the group.

"Don't talk to Misty like that!" Ash said angrily and Pikachu's cheeks started to spark. Misty looked at Ash and saw anger sparked from within his eyes. She knew he was really mad.

"Forget it boss, you won't change his mind. That Rapidash is a battler. He belongs to a trainer and they need their players. He wouldn't breed good for racers anyway," Jack said, entering the conversation.

"What's wrong with a battling Rapidash?" Paul asked with a bit of anger in his voice. He wasn't to happy the way Jack seemed to speak about trainers.

"Nothing except they're too busy learning to dodge and weave instead of running forward without fear," Jack replied smirking.

"I've trained my Rapidash to be fast! He's very fast!" Ash came back.

"How fast?" Mr. Rapido asked with a glint in his eye.

"Um. Well it took us an hour to climb Mt. Hideaway and down again," Ash stated.

"...two hours up and down? Pathetic," Jack snorted.

"No, one hour up and down," Ash replied. Both Mr. Rapido and Jack stared at him for a minute.

"Impossible," Mr. Rapido said finally.

"Well, you'll see in the race, right buddy?" Ash said stroking Rapidash.

A crooked smile crossed Mr. Rapido's face, "I'll tell you what... How about we make a wager? If my Rapidash wins the race... I get your stud. If you win... I let his herd back out into the wild. Deal? We even have witnesses here to solidify the contract," Mr. Rapido said before holding out his hand to Ash.

"I...Rapidash?" Ash said and looked up at his pokemon, "I can't make that call for you. Do you want to take that risk?"

Rapidash looked hard at Ash before nuzzling him and shaking his head, he reared ready to race for his family.

"It's a deal then?" Mr. Rapido asked.

"Yeah, If Rapidash is willing to I'm more than willing to." Ash said as he shook the man's hand

"Hey and if neither of you win, then nothing changes," Lara said with a wink, "Don't count me out!"

zzzzzzzzzzzz-In the stables next to the race track-zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"It's necessary, to have clothes like this. They are more durable and aerodynamic," Lara said, facing to group.

"I wonder how much longer he's going to take?" May asked, "He's been changing for a while."

"These clothes are kinda tricky to get into unless you're used to them." Lara said with a smile, everyone then turned to see Ash come walking out of the changing room. His hat had been placed on Misty's head and Pikachu squeaked happily when he saw him again. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with a tight collar. His pendant rested on his chest. His pants were dark navy blue and fit tightly to his legs. He had boots that looked rugged and dirty with hidden luster underneath. He rubbed the back of his head,

"Not really my normal style, but whatever." Ash said. He tugged at some various places on his clothing, "Man this stuff is itchy."

"I don't think it's too bad, sure it's not you but it's just one race," Misty said with a smile, blushing a bit at how tightly fitting the clothes on Ash were.

Everyone agreed and then made their way towards the race track. Ash's group made their way into the stands and Ash and Lara made their way to the show ring where their horses were already being walked. They mounted their Rapidash, and all started making their way towards the starting line. The riders placed their eyewear on and prepared to load. They were in the slots ready to hear the bell to start the race,

"Say goodbye to your stud there pal, you shouldn't of made that deal, heh heh," Jack laughed and some of the other jockeys sneered at the new amateur.

"We'll see, Jack. Don't count me and Rapidash out," Ash said with a competitive and reserved smile before rubbing Rapidash's neck. Suddenly the bell rang and Ash's Rapidash leaped from the gate at perfect time to begin the race.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz-In the stands-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Wow! Ash and Rapidash got out of the gate really well!" Chili said excitedly.

"It's must be because as a pokemon that battles, Rapidash must be prepared to react in a moments notice, maybe even before Ash warns it of an attack." Cilan responded.

"Go! Ash!" Misty yelled with Pikachu joining in.

Everyone else cheered and commented further as the race began.

zzzzzzzzzzzz-On the track-zzzzzzzzzzzz

Ash felt a surge of power, flow from Rapidash. His eyes flashed blue and Ash could feel the aura in Rapidash thundering through its body. He couldn't help but raise his arms as they flew ahead of the pack and shout out,

"Woohoo!" Ash cried out loudly as Rapidash thundered on. Soon the rest of the pack found they were being left behind quickly, and with the race being only one lap and finishing once they reached the point they started at, Jack got nervous.

"Whip'em!" Mr. Rapido yelled out desperately, "Forget the plan, just run it out!"

Jack heeded his boss's words and whipped his ride causing it soon to become a two man race. Lara watched in awe and amusement as she settled into leading the rest of the pack.

Ash regained his more aerodynamic posture on Rapidash and let him run. He glanced back to see Jack gaining on them.

"Be wary, Rapidash. Jack's coming," Ash said into his pokemon's ear. It responded by picking up the pace more, "How long you think you can keep this speed up?" Ash asked. Rapidash snorted signifying he could do it. Ash nodded but felt for Rapidash's energy level, taking note that Rapidash might be able to keep this speed until the end of the race, but unless they paced themselves he wouldn't have a speed burst at the end. Ash pulled back slightly on the reins getting a frustrated snort from Rapidash, "I'm sorry but we need a bit of a kick at the end, trust me," Jack then made his move,

"Ha ha! See you at the finish line, rookie!" Jack cackled as he flew past and fell into gate in front of Ash and Rapidash, kicking dirt and mud into their faces.

zzzzzzzzzzz-In the stands-zzzzzzzzzzzzz

"What a dirty trick!" Dawn blurted out.

"Yeah!" Max growled.

"Sadly it's completely allowed," Brock said with frustration.

"Yeah. It's not truly hindering Ash or Rapidash's potential, just playing mind games with them both," Gary commented further.

"Ash will figure something out. I know it," Misty said as Pikachu nodded.

"Yeah, Rapidash has spirit," Drew said.

"And that can't be bred into a pokemon, it has to be brought out by its trainer," May said with a smile.

"Go Ash!" Iris, Chili, and Ritchie yelled at the same time.

"Go Rapidash!" Cilan and Cress yelled out soon after.

Paul nodded as a sign of his agreement.

Everyone continued to watch the race unfold.

zzzzzzzzzzzz-On the track-zzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Yuck!" Ash sputtered as he pulled some dirt from his mouth, "So he wants to play dirty, huh?" Ash growled, Rapidash snorted, "Okay sorry that was a bad pun, but it was true. Anyways lets ride; go around him Rapidash but don't go all out!" Ash called Rapidash nodded in excitement and sped forward as the two riders, rounded the final curve.

Jack noticed his movement and attempted to block him,

"Oh no you don't kiddo!" Jack yelled out and moved his Rapidash to block them. Ash then commanded his Rapidash,

"Move the other way now, quick!" Ash spoke. Rapidash obeyed and jerked the opposite direction that Jack was attempting to block Ash, successfully getting around Jack. Ash's Rapidash ran then at full gate leaving Jack behind in great strides.

zzzzzzzzzz-In stands-zzzzzzzzzzzz

"Yes!" Misty yelled out happily almost causing Pikachu to fall out of her lap.

"Awesome move, Ash!" Max called out with glee.

Suddenly they felt a rumbling underneath them. Everyone watched in horror as pillars of solidified earth started heading towards the race track, erupting up from the ground. Paul took a quick look at Mr. Rapido and felt himself grow ill once he realized the man was smiling. Misty would have looked too, but she was too busy watching helplessly as the pillars made their way out in front of Ash and Rapidash. It appeared as though they would strike them directly.

"Ash! No!" Misty called out in fear.

zzzzzzzzzzz-On the field-zzzzzzzzzzzz

Ash felt rumbling and saw earth pillars coming out of his peripheral vision. He also thought he heard a warning from Misty on the wind whipping past him. He leaned down to talk in Rapidash's ear, "Ok buddy, when I tell you to move, move right then, okay?" Ash asked getting an affirmative whinny from Rapidash. Ash watched as the pillars seemed to be on a course to collide with them, they would end up blocking the rest of the pokemon from racing but Ash knew that would only be a side effect. He waited until a few moments before they were struck, "Use, Bounce!" Ash yelled suddenly. Rapidash responded lightning quick thrusting them both into the air very high as the pillars collided with nothing and blocked off the rest of the Rapidash from racing. Ash felt Rapidash bend its mid section getting ready to land, Ash braced himself as they struck the ground. Rapidash then took off towards the finish line. Ash flashed a goofy double peace sign as they ran through the white tape and everyone, almost everyone, erupted into cheers.

zzzzzzzzzzzz-In the stands-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Thank goodness!" Dawn said and let out a breath.

"Leave it to Ash to do something so random and crazy and it end up working," May said as she smiled.

Everyone got up and made their way towards the winner's circle, they didn't notice Paul separate from the group.

zzzzzzzzzzzz-Everyone-zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Ash allowed Rapidash to rear and whinny happily before the officials approached.

"Congratulations, Mr. Ketchum. Here is your set of evolution stones," The official said as he placed each stone into a bag and handed it to Ash, "And your Rapidash's ribbon for winning the event," the official finished as he placed the ribbon in Ash's hand.

"Thanks! It was real fun, I'm glad I tried it out and Rapidash had fun too," Ash said with a smile as a few reporters approached for the local paper.

"Congratulations, Ash!" Max said happily as the group approached.

"Hey guys, thanks! It was a little crazy there at the end, but Rapidash pulled through," Ash said

Misty walked up and hugged him now he was on the ground, "I'm glad your okay. I swear you're going to give me a heart-attack, Ash."

"Sorry, Mist. This time it wasn't my fault though," Ash hugged her back and smiled.

"Speaking of which, whose fault was that? Is a good question," An officer Jenny said as she walked up to them.

"Yeah! That wasn't normal!" Ritchie said nodding to the group.

"I think... I think that was a Earthpower attack," Brock said rubbing his chin.

Suddenly everyone turned to the sound of an explosion. They saw Paul fighting a Nidoking with his Gastrodon. They ran forward and saw Mr. Rapido standing at a distance,

"Just admit it already! You commanded this Nidoking to attack Ash! You could of seriously hurt any of the people or pokemon on that track!" Paul growled.

"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about, you hooligan! I've never seen this pokemon in my life!" Mr. Rapido yelled and then turned to officer Jenny, "Please Miss Jenny, arrest this young man for assaulting me!" Mr. Rapido yelled.

"Paul wouldn't do that," Dawn said simply, causing Paul to look at her in reserved awe.

"Yeah, no way," Ash said and everyone else in the group nodded. Paul smiled ever so slightly and then jerked his face back into a scowl while turning to face Mr. Rapido. He walked up to him and pulled a pokeball out from his jacket. He turned to the Nidoking as Mr. Rapido fumbled behind him,

"Return," Paul said and Nidoking returned into the pokeball, "Here I believe this belongs to you," Paul gave him back the pokeball before walking over to Jenny as Mr. Rapido's eyes bored into his back, "The Nidoking was under the stands... That's were I found him. He hid there to use the Earthpower move without being seen," Paul said before turning around to face Mr. Rapido with the others.

"I'm going to have to place you under arrest, Mr. Rapido," officer Jenny said as she approached him and handcuffed him.

"Oh and don't worry! I'll let the herd go!" Lara yelled as Mr. Rapido was taken away and as she approached the group.

"Well, that ended well," Drew said with a smile.

"Yes that would have been quite awful to have to get our friend out of jail and prove his innocence," Cilan said.

"Defiantly would've put a damper on this fun trip we've been having," Gary said with a smirk

Everyone laughed at the humor, even Paul smirked. Ash let Rapidash say goodbye to his family as they were released. He then returned Rapidash and they started walking into the city after saying goodbye to Lara. Ash had changed back into his normal clothes.

"I know something I would like to do, before we leave Fushia and thusly Kanto later," Cress said suddenly.

"What's that bro?" Chili asked.

"I want to explore the Safari Zone and see what pokemon are available there!" Cress said with a smile.

"Sounds quite delightful," Cilan said happily.

The group agreed and decided to check out the Safari zone the next day. Early in the morning, they got into the check station and were getting ready to enter when a problem arose,

"I'm sorry sir, but the Pikachu can't come into the Safari zone. He will have to be placed in a pokeball and left here," The official said.

"You don't understand though. Pikachu won't go in a pokeball. Besides I'm not going to attack anything," Ash said sadly.

"Sorry sir... Regulations," The official said and Pikachu drooped his ears.

"Fine. I guess me and Pikachu will wait out here for you guys," Ash said.

"Awwww," Iris frowned.

"You guys go on. Have a good time." Ash finished with a smile and rubbed Pikachu's cheek to erase the sad look from its face.

"I'll stay with you, Ash," Misty said sitting down next to Ash on the nearby bench.

"But, Mist," Ash said confused.

"They can have fun... and maybe we can too," Misty said kissing him.

"Hmmffmmmmm," Ash melted into the bench until Misty stopped, "Okay..." Ash said with a big goofy smile. Misty giggled and then turned to the others as Ash put his arm around her and held her hand,

"Don't worry guys... I've got him entertained," Misty said and blushed.

"Geez... Who would've thought, Ash of all people," Gary mumbled with amusement.

Brock just shook his head and smiled. Everyone then walked towards the entrance of the Safari zone and went in.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz-In the Safari zone-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Okay... I thought the best idea is to split up into pairs, so we can really get a good look at all of the Safari zone," Brock smiled.

"Okay me and Ritchie are gonna go together!" Max said with a smile and high-fived Ritchie.

"I'll go with you, Cilan," Iris smiled. Cilan blushed and growled at his two brothers when they gave him knowing grins.

"Me and Cress are a pair!" Chili yelled with excitement.

"I'll go with you, Drew," May smiled and Drew smiled back.

"How about you and me, Brocko?" Gary asked.

"Sure," Brock smiled.

"I guess that means, It's you and me, Paul," Dawn smiled and turned to him.

"Alright," Paul said. Dawn smiled, realizing he had said something much nicer than normal.

Everyone nodded and then split up.

zzzzzzzzzzzz-With Ash and Misty-zzzzzzzzzzzz

They walked outside to the nearby park and sat down together. They talked for a while mostly just enjoying each others company. Soon after a few kisses they had their first make-out even if it was a little awkward since both were in unfamiliar territory; it didn't matter to them though.

"You're the best, Mist," Ash said looking into her eyes after they parted from their most recent kiss. Ash had never realized what kind of feelings he had been missing out on, not having a girlfriend.

"You too," Misty said. Misty was happy she was finally with her childhood crush. They held hands as Pikachu snoozed nearby.

"You know what?" Misty said suddenly.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"We haven't even told your mom or my sisters about... us," Misty said with an amused smile.

"Oh yeah. I kinda forgot about that... Mom's gonna be mad," Ash said rubbing the back of his head.

"Well we could go tell her now," Misty said.

"Yeah... That's probably a good idea, but what about your sisters?" Ash asked.

"...We can wait for that," Misty said with a wicked grin, "If we come by Cerulean city, I want to mess with them and see if they can figure it out. They used to always tease us about it."

"Geez, Mist. Pranking your sisters like that?... Why didn't I think of that?" Ash grinned suddenly.

"Because you can be slow sometimes," Misty winked.

"Ha ha. Am not," Ash replied.

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Alright, you win," Ash said with a smile before pecking her on the cheek and helping her up. Pikachu woke up and leapt onto Ash's shoulder. They then walked hand in hand towards the pokemon center.

zzzzzzzzzzzz-With Ritchie and Max-zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Max and Ritchie walked for a while before they found a nice secluded spot near one of the lakes.

"This place looks good. There is bound to be a great place to catch some pokemon," Ritchie said.

"Yeah! This is so cool and exciting... It's a shame Ash and Misty didn't get to come," Max frowned.

"Yeah, but we can make them happy by bringing back more pokemon. Besides I think Ash with be fine," Ritchie chuckled.

"Yuck," Max stuck his tongue out.

"You'll change your mind one day, Max," Ritchie smiled before stopping, "Hey look!"

A Tangela came walking out from the underbrush and scuttled towards the water and started to drink.

"I want to catch it! I need a strong grass type," Ritchie said before grabbing one of the stones from the ground. Max nodded and then Ritchie tossed the rock and it splashed in the water. The Tangela looked over at them and then Ritchie bent down and placed some pokemon food on the ground in front of them. The Tangela approached cautiously and finally started to eat.

"It's really weird trying to catch a pokemon without our own pokemon to help us," Max whispered.

"Yeah, this takes a little bit more skill and patience, but It's worth it with all of the rare pokemon here," Ritchie replied before pulling a Safari ball out of his bag. He stood up and threw the ball, "Go, pokeball!"

The pokeball hit Tangela and pulled him inside. It rocked, once, twice, three times, and dinged.

"Awesome! You caught it, Ritchie!" Max said, pumping a fist in the air as Ritchie reached down and grabbed his new pokemon.

"Sweet!" Ritchie said, "Hmmmm... I think I'll call him... Romeo."

"Oh yeah! I forgot you nicknamed your pokemon," Max smiled. They started to turn around to walk another way when Max tripped,

"Ack!" Max hit the ground and a Safari ball rolled over to the lake and fell over the edge of the bank. After a moment, a ding noise was heard.

"You okay?" Ritchie asked helping Max up.

"Yeah, but I wonder where that Safari ball went? I saw one roll away and fall in the lake, I hope it didn't sink," Max said as he walked with Ritchie over to the edge. The Safari ball was floating on the water surface. Max picked it up and noticed it had captured something, "Huh? I wonder what I caught?" Max asked.

"I guess we'll have to wait until we leave the Safari zone, otherwise it'll be released here," Ritchie replied. Max nodded and they both started walking back to the entrance.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz-With Brock and Gary-zzzzzzzzzzzz

"That does sound like a good way to raise pokemon... Oh and sorry about the whole Professor Ivy thing," Gary said then noticed Brock sulking far off, "What is it something I said?"

"Don't mention her name..." Brock mumbled.

"Okay, sorry, heh heh," Gary said.

They continued walking until they noticed a rustling noise from some nearby bushes.

"Hmmm. I wonder what that could be?" Brock asked.

"I guess we could always find out," Gary answered walking closer, suddenly a Rhyhorn leaped form the bushes growling.

"Oh nice! A Rhyhorn! I've always wanted to have one of those," Brock smiled.

"Then go for it, Brock-o," Gary said with a grin.

Brock nodded and then stepped forward; he leaned down and placed some food. The Rhyhorn eyed him and once Brock backed off he started to slowly approach. The pokemon started to eat until it stopped and stared at Brock's pocket,

"Huh? Oh!" Brock reached for the rocks in his pockets, "You want a treat instead?" Brock asked, walking forward slowly. The Rhyhorn reached out and grabbed one of the stones with his mouth before chomping down on it and eating a few more, "Hey careful. No more for now, you'll give yourself a stomach ache. Would you like to come with me Rhyhorn? I'll make a lot of good food for you and we can train and grow strong together."

The pokemon nodded and Brock tapped it on the head with the Safari ball, easily capturing the pokemon.

"Nice capture, Brock," Gary said.

"Thanks. I guess we should start heading back right?" Brock asked.

"Sounds like a plan," Gary answered and with that they started back leisurely, until they heard a roar and a couple screams...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz-With Dawn and Paul-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Dawn and Paul walked for a while in silence, until they reached a stream.

"How about we look around here? I looks nice and peaceful," Dawn smiled.

"I guess," Paul said simply.

Dawn looked at him and spoke again, "You know Paul... It's okay to open up to us..."

"What?" Paul asked.

"You don't need to be afraid... We won't hurt you. We're here for you Paul," Dawn smiled sweetly.

"*sigh* I'm not afraid of anything. I just don't see the gain from having friends," Paul stared at her but instead of unnerving her, she continued.

"You know you have improved since your battle with Ash and your traveling with us. You may think you're hiding it all well... but I know better. I just want to thank you for trying and encourage you to continue trying," Dawn said before walking towards the stream.

"Hmph," Paul replied.

"What?" Dawn asked, some how knowing he was confused, which surprised him.

Does she know me that well? How open have I been? Paul asked himself before speaking, "I don't know, I suppose I was just surprised that you didn't try to lecture me on why friends are important; my brother does it to me all the time."

Dawn was silent for a moment and then smiled, "Well that's because... I can't tell you whether or not you think friends are important or not, because that's an opinion... You have to decide if that's your final stance or not, not me or anyone else... All I can tell you is that having friends will change you."

Paul was hiding how dumbfounded he was, well. Eventually he responded, to break the silence and change the subject, "I see... Well let's continue what we started, shall we?"

Dawn nodded and turned around in time to see an Oddish tottering along next to the stream, "Awesome! I don't have a grass type!" Dawn walked forward and sat cross-legged while she placed food on the ground in front of her. Paul walked over to the stream and placed his fishing rod in.

"Come here little Oddish... I want to be your friend!" Dawn smiled and the Oddish slowly started to make its way over to the food. Paul heard clapping after a moment and looked over his shoulder to see a surprising sight. Dawn was clapping as Oddish was spinning around and around like it was dancing, "Wow! That's awesome Oddish! You would be great in contests. What do you say? You want to try to capture the stage with me?" Dawn asked it. It nodded and allowed Dawn to tap it on the head with the Safari ball and soon it dinged to signify capture. Paul smiled a little until suddenly he felt a pull and remembered his rod.

"Ah!" Paul yelped in surprise as the rod bent and tried to fly out of his unprepared hands.

"Paul? You okay?" Dawn asked turning and walking hurriedly over to him.

"Yeah. I just wasn't paying attention like a should've," Paul muttered as he strained against the rod.

"You can do it!" Dawn said.

Paul looked at her and nodded before pulling hard on the rod and flinging a good sized Magikarp into the air.

"KarpKarpMagiKarp," The pokemon gurgled as it flopped on the ground in front of him.

Both trainers stared at the pokemon before looking at each other,

"I certainly thought it was a larger catch than that," Paul said in a bit of surprise then... Dawn started to laugh,

"No kidding!" Dawn said as she laughed and soon she was joined in by Paul laughing, which surprised her at first but then they simply continued to laugh. Eventually Paul turned to the pokemon,

"Well I suppose this Magikarp does have some potential if it wishes to evolve into a Gyarados," Paul said and tossed a Safari ball and easily caught the pokemon.

"Yeah he could be real powerful one day if you work hard with him." Dawn smiled as Paul returned his common scowl, but she could tell that his face was slightly more relaxed. She couldn't help but also notice his choice of words when referring to Magikarp, Well I suppose this Magikarp does have some potential if it wishes to evolve into a Gyarados. He actually cares what Magikarp thinks. Dawn and Paul then turned to leave when they heard shouting and then familiar screams. They started to run back...

Paul couldn't help but feel a cold pit form in his stomach... He remembered he felt the same way when Mr. Rapido had tried to hurt Ash during the race. Am I really starting to see these people as my friends? Do I really fear this much for their safety? I've never felt fear like this before... His thoughts soon vanished as he came face to face to what was in front of him...

zzzzzzzzzzz-With Cress and Chili-zzzzzzzzzzz

"Hmmm," Chili moaned.

"What's wrong, brother?" Cress asked looking over to see his sibling sighing with boredom.

"Nothing... Just bored," Chili said.

"Oh well try to hold on okay? I'm the only one of the three of us brothers that still has only one pokemon. I really need to catch one," Cress said as he tossed his rod back into the lake they were resting near.

"Oh yeah I do have Heatmor, okay. Don't worry I'm sure you'll find one soon, Cress," Chili smiled.

"Thanks, Chili," Cress nodded and then felt a tug on his line, "Hey! I got something!"

Cress pulled until finally a slowpoke was brought up on land.

"Oh... Well it's certainly a unique pokemon..." Chili said trying to be nice

Cress meanwhile was staring at the slowpoke silently then, "It's absolutely amazing! What a wonderful water type pokemon! It will blossom under my tutelage!" Cress said excitedly, "Go pokeball!" The Safari ball hit slowpoke, who didn't even blink, before he was sucked into the capsule. It dinged almost instantly. "Yes!" Cress cried happily.

"Good job, Cress!" Chili said.

They turned around to start walking back when they heard a familiar scream...

zzzzzzzzzzz-With May and Drew-zzzzzzzzzzz

"I'm really glad I came with you guys as a group," Drew spoke as they walked along.

"Well that's good, I'm glad you came too," May said blushing a bit.

"I've learned some things from you guys... and I've really had fun so far. I never knew how much fun it was to travel with friends... It feels good to be able to trust someone and rely on them to help out... And Misty was right, traveling with Ash is crazy. You never know what will happen next," Drew smiled.

"I know. All these people Ash knows are really neat and kind. I'm glad you got to see the fun we had, and I can't wait for the rest of our journey. Will still have five other regions to visit after this..." May said smiling.

Drew nodded and they continued onwards until May stopped, "Look! It's so cute!"

Drew looked forward and saw a Nidoran female sniffing the ground in the pathway next to them, "Yeah, you should try to catch it. I don't think you have a poison type and if it evolves a couple times, then you can have a ground type too," Drew added.

May went forward and placed food on the ground. The Nidoran began to eat and then May threw a Safari ball, "Go pokeball!" The capsule rocked three times and then dinged, "Yay!" May said as she rushed over into the pathway. Drew and May then heard two screams and saw two figures run past and rumbling soon followed. Drew watched with fear as a large pokemon thundered towards May. He then did something that he would have called stupid in earlier years. Drew ran forward and tackled May out of the way. The large and angry pokemon continued down the path after the two retreating figures.

"You okay?" Drew asked, blushing when he realized he was still on top of May.

"Yeah... I'm good thanks, Drew," May said and blushed. They got up quickly and looked the way the figures and pokemon went. They both looked at each other with wide eyes as realization hit them that they recognized the figures. They started running back towards the entrance, the direction the figures and pokemon had run...

zzzzzzzzzzzzz-With Ash and Misty-zzzzzzzzzzzzz

"I'm so happy for you two!" Delilah said giddily, "I just knew you two had an eye on each other!"

"Mom!" Ash said blushing with Misty.

"Oh I'm sorry Ashy! I just can't help but gush!" Delilah said happily, "Now you two just remember to treat each other with respect! And wait until after marriage!"

"MOM!" Ash and Misty's faces went fiery red at that and Ash soon decided to end the call quickly, "Anyways, I love you and we'll call you again soon."

"Okay honey! I love you too! Bye!" Delilah said before both sides ended the call.

"Well... That could've of been worse," Misty said with a smile.

"Speak for yourself... I love my mom but sometimes she just embarrasses the crap out of me," Ash sighed, "But I guess that's what mom's are for..." Misty nodded and pecked him on the cheek. They turned around and saw Pikachu snickering at them.

"Oh you think that's funny, huh? Just wait until I let Dawn's Buneary have her way with you," Ash grinned and Pikachu muttered it's name weakly and rubbed the back of his head before jumping up on Ash's shoulder.

"I think we should head back to the Safari zone gate. The others should be done by now," Misty said. Ash agreed and they made their way back towards the entrance of the Safari zone.

zzzzzzzzzz-Cilan and Iris-zzzzzzzzzzz

"What a wonderful place..." Cilan said as they walked.

"Yeah! It's amazing and there are soooooo many pokemon!" Iris grinned.

Suddenly they spotted a Paras in front of them, "Oh wow! I think that's a Paras, it's a grass and bug type! I'd love to add it to my team!" Cilan said happily.

"Then what are ya waiting for? Go for it!" Iris smiled.

Cilan walked forward and placed food on the ground. The Paras slowly made it's way to the food. Suddenly a large pokemon charged form the woods and knocked the Paras away and started to eat the food.

"Wow! That's a big pokemon and it's being a big bully!" Iris pouted.

"I... I think that's a Kangaskhan," Cilan stumbled over his words slightly since he had been surprised so

The pokemon finished eating the food and turned on the Paras who was still out cold.

"Hey! Leave that pokemon alone!" Iris yelled and the Kangaskhan turned and roared.

The next few things happened quickly, Cilan tossed a Safari ball at the Paras to try and save it and caught it, Iris fell backwards and hurt her ankle, Cilan heard her call out in pain as he reached his new pokemon, Kangaskhan became even more enraged since Cilan had approached and then it had charged,

"Pardon me for the rough treatment, Iris, but we need to move fast!" Cilan said as he literally swept her off the ground and took off running towards the entrance and away from the angry Kangaskhan. At the moment the two realized they were being chased, they screamed.

Gotta run, Gotta run! was all Cilan could think as he ran like he had never run before. He thought he saw two people on the path as he ran past but he didn't pay any attention. Cilan kept running until he reached the entrance. He turned around with Iris still in his arms as the Kangaskhan charged towards them.

zzzzzzzzzzz-Everyone in the Safari zone-zzzzzzzzzzzz

Brock and Gary, Ritchie and Max, Dawn and Paul, Cress and Chili all ran up in time to see the angry Kangaskhan roaring at Cilan and Iris. Not too long after May and Drew entered the scene as well. Suddenly each of them started to try and draw attention away from Cilan and Iris,

"Hey over here!" Gary yelled.

"Hey Hey!" Drew yelled as well.

But none of it worked. Cilan put Iris behind him as the angry pokemon bared it fangs at him,

"I'm sorry but... as... as... a... a.." Cilan stuttered, "Pokemon Connoisseur... I can't allow you to hurt a... young lady..." Cilan gulped as the pokemon reared back, he shut his eyes... I few moments passed... and then, he heard a ding. Slowly he opened his eyes and no longer saw the Kangaskhan, but a Safari ball laying on the ground. Cilan scanned everyone and saw only relief, especially from Cress and Chili. He then slowly turned around to see Iris smiling up at him,

"I got your back," Iris said simply and grinned, "Thanks Cilan for helping me."

Cilan smiled and turned around and bowed, "I'm glad I could be of service." He stood back up and then passed out.

Everyone looked upset at first until Gary and Brock approached,

"He's okay, he'll wake up in the little bit," Gary said with a relieved smile. They all then helped carry Cilan and Iris grabbed her new pokemon before having Dawn and May help her walk with her hurt ankle. They then entered the lobby and got swarmed by a concerned Ash, Misty, and Pikachu.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"Are they okay?" Misty added.

"I'll tell you what I know later... and Yes Cilan just passed out from excursion and Iris hurt her ankle," Brock spoke.

"I'm fine, No need to worry," Iris said, "Thanks to Cilan."

The group made their way towards the pokemon center and as night fell, Cilan woke up. He and Iris both told their story after Iris had her ankle checked, she would just need to not walk too far each day. After the big fiasco was explained everyone then told their stories of their captures. Finally everyone decided to go to bed and slept easily after the day's events; tomorrow they would reach Stone town and climb Evolution mountain.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The others will catch pokemon outside of Safari zones too. If you notice not everyone who went in came out with a pokemon.

Also Max's pokemon he caught will be revealed next chapter.

Next chapter will have the beginning of an intense moment in their adventure.

I hope you've enjoyed! Thanks for any support :)