A/N: Hey everyone. The Safari Zone chapter has finally arrived. I hope you all find it acceptable. I'll have an update of the group's Pokemon team at the end of the chapter. Enjoy! About the last chapter, you guys are right. Maybe three evolution was overdoing it, but what's done is done. I'll try not to mush so many together in the future. Thanks for pointing out about saying Serena was a Baroness. I meant to say Marchioness.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Chapter 37: The Safari Zone Rush!
"Paul…," Ash muttered in surprise.
Sure enough, the cold boy whom Ash and the group had become acquainted with was standing right before them. Judging by the glare he had on his face, it seemed he hadn't changed at all since the group last saw him.
Shaking away his shock, Ash glared back at Paul. "Yeah. I'm still a trainer. I'll have you know I've gotten a lot better since I saw you last!"
"Really?" Paul asked sarcastically. "So does that mean you finally took the advice I gave you about training Pokemon?"
"I'll never resort to raising Pokemon that way!" Ash said defiantly. "My Pokemon and I work together as a team and spent a lot of time bonding with each other! I've won five badges now thanks to all of our hard work!"
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu added.
Ash then opened his sleeveless jacket to show Paul his five badges. These badges were a testament to the hard work he and his Pokemon have been through. Ever since that time in the snow cave, his relationship with his Pokemon had changed for the better. That freezing night showed that no matter what, he and his Pokemon were always there for each other. He wasn't expecting Paul to smirk at him once he saw the badges, though. The smirk soon turned to a cold frown, however.
"After all this time, you still only have five badges? You truly are pathetic," Paul said. If Ash didn't know better, he could have sworn Paul almost sounded disappointed.
Ash mentally cursed at himself. It seemed that no matter how hard he worked, his rivals were always one step ahead of him. It wasn't that he was a bad trainer now. Even casting aside the night in the snow cave, he truly had gotten a lot stronger since he last saw Paul. He regularly trained his Pokemon almost every day now. Any time he saw a weakness of his Pokemon, he redoubled his training to cover that weakness. His time at the Silph Company and Sabrina's gym had taught him that much. It had also taught him to lose his recklessness. It's just he had yet to catch up since he vowed to get better.
"How many badges have you gotten, then?" Ash asked curiously.
"I've gotten seven. The only badge I haven't received yet is the Earth Badge from the Viridian City Gym. I would have already been there, but the gym leader wasn't there at the moment," Paul replied.
"You have seven badges?!" Ash exclaimed.
"Of course. That's where any competent trainer should be, not that you would know anything about that. I just got back from the Fuchsia City gym," Paul said.
Ash felt Serena put a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him. Ash took a deep breath. He knew Paul was only trying to get a rise out of him. He wasn't going to take the bait of Paul calling him a bad trainer.
"If that's how you feel, how about another battle? I'll prove to you that I've gotten stronger," Ash offered.
"No thanks. I don't have time for a battle right now," Paul replied as he turned to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Ash asked. Why was Paul blowing him off like that?
"None of your business," Paul answered rudely as he left the scene.
As they watched Paul leave, Ash felt the tension in his chest relieve. He then sighed. He and Paul were complete opposites. Every time Ash saw that guy, it seemed there could never be a friendly conversation between the two.
"What do suppose is up with him?" Misty scoffed.
"This isn't a new attitude for Paul. I just don't understand how there are people like him. He is so much different from how Damian was, though. Damian was just a cruel, mean-spirited crook who didn't care about his Pokemon. Paul, on the other hand, seems to be a very hard working person who respects those above him, just extremely cold. I can't help but wonder if he was always like that," Ash mused.
"It isn't like Paul would tell us if we asked him," Brock figured. "I say we don't worry about Paul at the moment and focus on resting. He'll turn up later if he is meant to."
"Yeah. Let's head back to the Pokemon Center," Ash agreed as they began to head back to spend the night there.
The Pokemon Center was a madhouse when the group got back. They wondered what could have caused such a commotion in such a short amount of time. It clearly wasn't because there were a lot of injured Pokemon because Nurse Joy didn't appear especially busy. So what could the problem be? The group was thankful they already had rooms reserved here from previous nights.
Deciding to ask Nurse Joy, the group went over to her. She was looking worriedly at all the people in the lobby but not preoccupied. The group knew they weren't interrupting anything.
"Hey, Nurse Joy. What is with all of the trainers here so suddenly?" Ash asked her.
Nurse Joy sighed before giving her answer. "There have been rumors of a Dratini sighted in the Safari Zone this week. It's been all over the news recently which attracted a lot of attention. Naturally, many trainers have come down to Fuchsia City to visit the Safari Zone and hopefully catch a Dratini."
"I think I remember hearing that on the news last night," Brock realized as he crossed his arms and appeared in thought. "I guess it just took the trainers this long to arrive here from other parts of Kanto. With as rare as a Dratini is, I can't say I blame them for coming."
"Right. Some people don't believe the reports and think it is a big hoax. Some even think it was completely made up with no evidence and was really used as a publicity stunt," Nurse Joy said.
"What do you think, Nurse Joy?" Serena asked curiously.
"I personally think it's real. Kaiser is the warden of the Safari Zone, and he has been there an extremely long time. There is actually a picture of him and a Dratini inside of the entrance building that was taken almost thirty years ago. As far as I know, that Dratini is still in the Safari Zone," Nurse Joy answered.
"Well, it gives all the more reason to check it out! Right guys?" Ash asked excitedly. He then looked at Pikachu. "Are you ready to go search for a Dratini tomorrow, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!" the rodent responded in agreement.
"Heh. You actually think a Dratini is going to appear to a trainer like you?" the voice of Paul suddenly said from behind them.
Ash immediately glared as turned to face his complete opposite. "Yeah. What's wrong with that?" he demanded.
"Nothing. Just don't be surprised if your efforts turn up fruitless. There is no way you will ever find a Dratini in the Safari Zone," Paul smirked.
"Oh, yeah? What makes you so sure you will find one?" Ash asked with an edge in his voice.
"A Dratini is only going to appear to a competent trainer. You, on the other hand, can't even get your Pikachu to get inside of a pokeball," Paul answered as he gestured to the rodent on Ash's shoulder.
"If Pikachu doesn't want to go into its pokeball, I won't force it!" Ash defended. "My Pokemon and I trust one another and are sensitive to each other's feelings!"
Paul smirked again upon hearing that. "Heh. You wonder why you only have five badges," he muttered.
A flash of hurt appeared across Ash's eyes, but he quickly masked it. "I'll show you Paul! I'm going to find that Dratini tomorrow!" Ash yelled.
"Well, do your best," Paul said. He then gave a rough smile and walked off to a different area of the Pokemon Center.
Ash felt his hands clench as he watched Paul leave. What is with that guy? He then felt Serena's arms wrap around him. The gesture took him completely by surprise. Despite unexpected, Ash welcomed the embrace Serena was giving him.
"Ash, don't listen to Paul," Serena told him. "You are a wonderful Pokemon trainer. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for you and the help you gave me."
"Ash, remember what I told you about not letting your feelings get the better of you," Brock reminded as he gave Ash a serious look. "We know Paul makes you mad, and truthfully, he makes the rest of us angry, also. You just have to remind yourself that you are a great Pokemon trainer. All of your Pokemon think very highly of you, as well."
"That's right," Misty added. "Just remember that we are going to the Safari Zone to have fun. It isn't a contest with Paul on whether you find a Dratini or not."
"Pika pi!" Pikachu encouraged.
"Cubone!" Cubone added.
"Thanks, guys," Ash replied as he nodded his head and Serena let him go.
His friends were right. He shouldn't let one trainer's opinion get the better of him. Everyone else believed he was a very unique individual who even had the gift of aura, even if he didn't know how to use it yet. Even Gary Oak had called him a good trainer! He was even helping Serena look after a baby Cubone. With all of this positive influence around him, why did Paul's opinion matter to him so much? It must just be his desire to prove Paul's methods are wrong. He hoped that some way or the other, Paul would see the light one day.
When the group arrived at the Safari Zone the following morning, there was already a long line waiting to get in. They were beginning to wish they visited the Safari Zone first so they wouldn't have to deal with all of these other people.
"This place is nuts!" Ash commented as he looked around.
"If there is a Dratini, it certainly isn't going to show up with all of these people here," Serena agreed.
As the group looked around, they spotted Paul a short distance in front of them in line. Paul felt someone was watching him and turned around. Upon seeing the group, he frowned before closing his eyes and turning back around with his hands in his pockets. It looked like he was just going to ignore them.
"Nice to see you, too, Mr. Grouch," Misty muttered sarcastically.
After being in line for almost twenty minutes, they finally made it to the Safari Zone gate where there were several people in a ticket booth. It was clear they had extra workers today.
"Hello. How many tickets for you today?" the man asked somewhat tiredly.
"Four please," Ash replied.
The man nodded and handed the group their tickets before gesturing them to go inside. Once they were in entrance building, they looked around at the large room before them. In corner of the room, a large picture of a young man holding a Dratini in his arms was shown. That must be the picture Nurse Joy was talking about. Many people were crowded around trying to get a good look at it. As the group came closer to get a good look, it certainly didn't look like a hoax. Despite being a long time ago, the Dratini should still be in the Safari Zone, assuming it hadn't changed locations of course.
As the group looked to the side of the crowd of people, they were surprised to see a familiar young girl with brown hair and a white hat sitting in a nearby chair. It looked like she was fast asleep. She was in a slumped position with her mouth open.
"It's Leaf," Ash smiled before raising his eyebrows in confusion, "But why is she asleep?"
"I don't see how anyone could sleep with all this noise in here," Serena agreed before adding, "Do you think we should wake her up?"
"We might as well. We haven't seen her in a while," Ash replied as he went over to her, but stopped. How would he go about waking her up? If memory served correctly, for all of Leaf's cheerfulness and friendly personality, she was like a Krabby if woken up before she was willing to. He still remembered the time he was punched across the face as a reflex by her when he woke her up, and he didn't wish to go through that again, especially in public.
Thankfully, he didn't have to as Leaf began to stir in her chair. She slowly opened her eyes before giving a stretch and looking around the room. It was then her eyes settled on Ash and she gave a wide grin.
"Ash!" she greeted as she got up from her chair and embraced him in a hug. "I haven't seen you in so long. How are you?"
"I'm good," Ash replied, returning the gesture.
"Leaf! Hi!" Serena exclaimed as she hurried over to join the hug, as well.
"Serena!" Leaf replied, hugging her back. She then gave a smile and nod to Brock and Misty.
"So what are doing here, and why were you asleep?" Ash wondered.
Leaf chuckled nervously before replying, "Well, I've been here at the Safari Zone for the past week trying to find every single Pokemon this place has to offer. It is essential for filling up my pokedex. Then I heard the legendary Pokemon, Dratini, was here so I spent a while looking for that to. I've stayed at the Safari Zone from open to close every day trying to find it. I guess I must have skipping out on sleep while doing it."
"That is definitely determination if I ever heard it," Ash commented.
"Yep," Leaf replied before covering mouth because of big yawn. She then reached into her backpack and took out large canned coffee. She took a sip before making a face because it had long since gone cold. She then held her nose and began to chug it
"Are you sure you should be up?" Brock asked as he watched her down the caffeinated drink. "You look ready to collapse."
"I'll be fine," Leaf replied sleepily. "I don't want to rest until I see Dratini. If I miss this chance, filling up my pokedex is meaningless."
"Well, since you're here, we might as well enjoy the Safari Zone together," Ash suggested.
"That sounds great!" Leaf agreed before giving another big yawn which caused the group to sweatdrop. It was then she noticed the Cubone in Serena's arms and gave a smile. "Where did you get the Cubone, Serena?"
"Oh, we found it when we were in Lavender Town. It was an orphan at Mr. Fuji's house so Ash and I are taking care of it," Serena replied. She then looked down the Pokemon in her arms. "That is one of our friends, Cubone. Her name is Leaf. Will you say hi?"
"Cubone!" it replied before smiling and waving at Leaf.
"It's so cute!" Leaf squealed. Her excitement for cute things seemed to still exist.
Paul happened to be walking by at the moment and saw the group once more. Ash turned and saw Paul staring at him. Ash stared right back and got a look of determination on his face. Their gazes were so intense they seemed to pierce each other. Paul then averted his gaze before walking away. Despite his friend's advice, there was a silent battle going on between Ash and Paul right now.
"Who was that?" Leaf asked curiously once she noticed the silent exchange.
"His name is Paul. He has a really strict method on training his Pokemon. He is the complete opposite of Ash," Serena replied.
She then looked over and saw the intense look on Ash's face as he watched Paul go. Serena knew Ash remembered that this wasn't a competition, but she had a feeling Ash and Paul would be turning it into one, regardless. She just hoped that Ash could keep his cool today.
The group was now finally inside the Safari Zone, Fuchsia City's main attraction. The staff explained the rules and told them would have three hours to catch as many Pokemon as they could. Once the three hours were up, they would need to pay again to have the session extended. The only catch was they were not allowed to use Pokemon to battle the wild Pokemon. They were only allowed to use special types of Pokemon called Safari Balls. That meant a lot of their captures would be based on luck. They were turned loose, and it was now time to catch some Pokemon!
"So where do you think we should start, guys?" Ash asked the group as he looked around excitedly.
"I think we should…do you guys hear something?" Misty began, but stopped.
"It sounds like some kind of rumbling noise," Serena muttered.
"It's coming from over there," Misty pointed out as she went behind a bush to investigate. As soon as she looked behind it, she gasped and started running in the opposite direction.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked.
"Don't just stand there! Run! A Tauros stampede is coming!" Misty screamed as she ran by the group.
The rest of the group got panicked expressions before running away also. About a few seconds after they started running, the Tauros plowed through the bush and was on a direct path behind the group. There had to be at least thirty of the wild bull Pokemon.
"I thought stampedes were supposed to be controlled inside the Safari Zone for safety reasons!" Serena exclaimed.
"They are! This is the first one I've seen since I've been here!" Leaf answered, also running at full speed despite her exhausted state.
"Do you think the excessive amount of people today have them in an uproar?" Brock wondered aloud.
"I don't care why we're being chased! I just want to get out of their way!" Misty screamed.
Ash then spotted a clearing that branched off from the main path. They could get out of the way there!
"Guy! Over here!" he called as he gestured to the opening.
One by one, the group jumped into the clearing as fast as they could, each eager to get away from the stampede. Serena was the last one to attempt to get in. Unfortunately, in her haste and carrying a Pokemon with her, she stumbled as she turned, causing her to fall to the ground. Cubone was thrown from her arms and fell right into the path of the incoming Tauros stampede.
"Cubone!" Serena cried as she got up and dashed towards Cubone to save it.
"Wait, Serena!" Ash yelled once he saw her run right into the danger zone. He then took off, as well, setting down Pikachu before he went.
Cubone stood there like a small creature in headlights as it watched the stampede come closer. Its senses were telling it to hurry and move out of the way, but it was too scared. It was absolutely frozen on the spot. It suddenly felt arms wrap around it as Serena grabbed it. It looked up worriedly at her. Serena then huddled herself over Cubone so it wouldn't get hurt, preparing for the worst. She would definitely make sure to protect Cubone at all costs!
"Look out!" she heard everyone yell.
Serena knew she didn't have time to get up and move. She would just have to take the stampede and hope she survives. If she doesn't, she never would have told Ash how she really feels. Serena shut eyes tight, waiting for the Tauros stampede to flatten her like a pancake. Closer and closer they got…but it never came.
At the last second, she felt someone fly into her, immediately pushing her out of the way. A quick glance showed that it was Ash. The two humans and Pokemon were moving through the air quickly. They soon landed on the ground a short distance away, Ash grunting in pain as he came in contact with the ground, the Tauros stampede just missing them. The bull Pokemon continued to charge on, as if not noticing they almost trampled someone.
Both Ash and Serena were panting heavily at the close call. They looked themselves over to make sure they didn't sustain any injuries. They then looked at each other for a moment before Ash finally spoke up.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I am. You saved me," Serena breathed as her face heated up.
"Haha! Yeah. I guess I did. It was like instinct took over for a second," Ash muttered as rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ash, thank you," Serena said sincerely as she took Ash's hands in her own.
Ash immediately felt his face heat up, as well. Serena was holding his hands again, and it was making the inside of his chest contort into all kinds of positions. What was it about Serena that made Ash feel like he could something crazy so lately? He even saw Serena was starting to lean in closer to him, and he wasn't stopping her. Their faces were just inches apart, and then…
"Are you two okay?" Brock asked as came over to them, followed by Leaf and Misty.
Serena and Ash immediately pulled away. Their faces were even redder than before.
"Yeah. We're fine," Serena answered hurriedly. She couldn't believe she almost had her first real kiss with Ash. In retrospect, however, maybe a public place like the Safari Zone wasn't an ideal place to have something like that with, kind of like when she almost did it at the Battle Chateau yesterday. Despite that, why did these moments keep needing to get interrupted?!
"I think Ash and I are starting to rub off on you, Serena," Leaf told her with a smile and crossed her arms. "When we were younger, you were always the shy and cautious one while Ash and I were the ones who always got into trouble. Now look at you!"
"I would do anything to help out the ones I care about," Serena replied as she hugged Cubone, and then gave a knowing glance at Ash, "And I know Ash will, as well."
"Hahahahaha! Yeah. Anyway, we should continue on," Ash chuckled nervously as he stood up. He then helped Serena to her feet.
As Serena was being pulled up by Ash, a million thoughts were running through her mind. Ash wasn't even trying to pull away from her. In fact, he was leaning in, as well! Did that mean Ash intended to kiss her, as well? When would another opportunity like this present itself? Should she tell him how she feels soon? Should she do it today? Should she…
"Earth to Serena," Misty called out while waving her hand in front of Serena's face.
Serena snapped out of her thoughts and saw everyone was staring at her. "Hahaha! I guess I just spaced out for a moment!" she laughed.
"Since we are all okay now, we should really start our search for some Pokemon to catch," Brock suggested. "We've already been here for twenty minutes. The time will be up before we know it."
The group was about to move on when a large mantis Pokemon flew by and landed a short distance from the group. It was a Scyther. It had found some nice bushes nearby and started whacking at them with its sickle-like forearms, perhaps as a show of its strength, or looking for prey.
The group stood their ground, fascinated that a Scyther had just flown in front of them like that. Misty, on the other, hand turned ghostly pale.
"It's a b-b-b-BUG!" she shrieked as she sprinted off and hid behind a nearby tree.
"What's wrong with her?" Leaf wondered once she saw the display.
"Misty has a huge phobia of bugs," Ash explained. He then began to laugh. "You should have seen her when I caught Caterpie! She was yelling and freaking out the whole time!"
"That isn't funny, Ash Ketchum!" Misty shouted from behind the tree. "Besides, this bug has sharp claws and is really big! Make it go away!"
"I know! I'm going to capture it!" Ash declared as he pulled out a Safari Ball. "I haven't had a bug Pokemon since Butterfree. It was then Ash briefly remembered his butterfly Pokemon and how it left to start a family. He didn't stay on this memory too long, however, as he had to focus on the Scyther in front of them.
Ash took a few steps forward and looked at the Scyther before him. The Scyther sensed Ash looking at it and turned to face him. Upon seeing Ash, a glint appeared in its eye, and it gave a smirk.
Ash raised an eyebrow at this gesture before deciding on a course of action. Should he just throw the Safari Ball at it? Should he try to lure it so it will let its guard down?
"Ash, be careful," Leaf said from behind him. "I don't like the way that Scyther is looking at you. It looks too confident."
Ash took a deep breath before mumbling to Pikachu on his shoulder. "Are you ready to go for it, Pikachu?" he asked.
"Pika," the rodent answered.
"Go Safari Ball," Ash suddenly cried as he threw it forward.
The Scyther made no move to get out of the way. In fact, its smirk grew wider when it saw the ball coming towards it. Just before the Safari Ball connected, it swiped at it with it sharp claws and knocked it away. The Safari Ball then bounced harmlessly on the ground a short distance away.
"Ash! Watch out!" Serena cried once she saw the Scyther grin mischievously.
It then flew forward straight at Ash.
"Woah!" Ash cried as he and Pikachu were suddenly backed into a tree. The Scyther landed in front of Ash and smirked at him.
"I don't get it? What is this Scyther's problem with me?" Ash wondered aloud.
As if too answer his question, the Scyther reached out with its blades and made a tear into the sleeve of Ash's clothing. Ash remembered a similar action a couple of days ago with a Scyther at the zoo. Realization hit him. This was the same mischievous Scyther he saw at the zoo! What were the odds of seeing it again?!
"Oh, heheheheh. I guess you are still pretty irritated I called you harmless and tame back at the zoo, huh?" Ash chuckled nervously. "I can see now that you are a very strong and dangerous Pokemon. I really wasn't trying to insult your pride at the zoo. I was just reassuring my friend."
The group stood worriedly as they watched the scene. They weren't quite sure how far the Scyther was willing to go about harming Ash, and they didn't want to find out, either. It was illegal to attack Pokemon or have battles in the Safari Zone, but what if someone was in danger?
Serena then stepped up and brought a Safari Ball out. Ash was definitely in a predicament right now. If this Scyther thought it was tough stuff, she would cut it down size…no pun intended.
The Scyther continued to loom over Ash and Pikachu giving them a very intimidating look. It didn't even notice Serena coming up behind it. Ash saw her, though, but gave no indication he did so it wouldn't alert the Scyther to her presence.
Serena took a deep breath. This Scyther was a pretty scary Pokemon, but she could do it.
"Go, Safari Ball!" Serena yelled as she threw it straight for the Scyther.
The Scyther gave a surprised gasp when it heard her voice and spun around away from Ash to face her, but it wasn't quick enough as the ball connected and sucked it inside. Everyone watched the ball continuing to shake. They really hoped Serena was successful on her first try. They didn't want to have to try again as who knows what the prideful Scyther would do. After shaking for a while, the ball finally let out a 'ding' to show Scyther was captured, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Woah, that was way too close," Ash sighed as he and Pikachu slumped against the tree and put his hand over his chest.
"Pika Pika," the rodent agreed.
"Are you okay?" Serena asked worriedly as she went over to Ash, soon followed by the others.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. Thanks, Serena," Ash replied.
"You really had us worried," Leaf said.
Ash then sighed one more time before lifting himself off the ground and facing Serena. "Well, I guess you better go over and claim your new Pokemon before someone else does."
"Right," Serena agreed as she went over and picked up the Safari Ball.
She stared at the ball for a little bit before it was automatically transported out of her hands. It was then Serena realized that she had now captured enough Pokemon to start rotating her team. Once they leave the Safari Zone, Serena would make sure to give a call to Professor Oak to properly introduce herself to the mantis Pokemon. The Scyther she had caught seemed to have a bit of a mean streak to it, but she would make sure to correct that behavior before long.
"Is the bug gone?" the group suddenly heard Misty call from the faraway tree.
Everyone face-faulted. She had totally missed everything that just happened!
"Yes. I caught it," Serena answered with a roll of her eyes.
Misty immediately came back from behind the tree and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew! For a second, I thought that bug was going to get me!" She joked.
Everyone looked at her with deadpan expression. She had no idea how further from the truth she was. It was really Ash who was in danger the entire time. Upon seeing their expressions, Misty took that as a sign to be quiet for the time-being and laughed nervously.
"Ahem. Anyway, there are still a lot more Pokemon to catch while we are here. We've had a good warm up so I say we spend the rest of our time enjoying ourselves. The Safari Zone is supposed to be fun, after all," Brock spoke up.
The rest of the group nodded their heads in agreement before moving on. While they were moving, Leaf leaned over to Serena and whispered, "So what's been going on with you and Ash lately? You two seem to be a lot closer than the last time I saw you."
"We are," Serena confirmed. "Ash and I have been through so much together lately. I really am getting the feeling he may like me back, after all."
"See. I told you," Leaf said with a smile. "You better let me know as soon as you two become a couple!"
Serena blushed heavily. "Leaf!" she whispered harshly.
Leaf giggled. "I'm just teasing you."
"What are you two whispering about back there?" Ash asked curiously as he turned to face them.
"Nothing, Ash," Leaf replied with a wink.
Ash gave them an inquisitive glance before turning back to around to face ahead. "Girls" he whispered to Pikachu with an eye roll.
The yellow rodent snickered in response.
It had already been about another twenty minutes since the group had encountered the Scyther, and surprisingly, they hadn't seen another Pokemon since. Were all of the people here scaring them away, or were there just so many people they already captured them all? Should the group ever come to a Safari Zone again, they would make sure to go on a day when there were less people.
"So Brock, Misty. Have you two thought about which Pokemon you would like to catch in the Safari Zone?" Ash asked.
"Hmm…well…are there any good water Pokemon here?" Misty asked as she rubbed the back of her head.
"I'm sure there are some nice rock Pokemon here that I would like to capture. Despite not being a Pewter gym leader anymore, rock Pokemon are still my specialty," Brock replied.
As if on cue, the group finally spotted their next Pokemon. It was a giant gray rhinoceros Pokemon with a stone body.
"Hey, guys. Look! It's a Rhyhorn!" Ash said excitedly as he pointed to the rock rhinoceros Pokemon eating some grass nearby.
"I think a Rhyhorn would be an excellent addition to my team since I haven't caught a rock-type Pokemon in a while," Brock figured
"Do you think you are going to try to catch it, Brock?" Serena asked him.
"Of course! I have a theory, you see. I bet if I can show this Rhyhorn how gentle and caring I am, I can coax it to come onto my team. I think it would be a lot more effective than throwing a Safari Ball at it."
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Brock?" Misty asked with a raised eyebrow. "I've heard Rhyhorn can get pretty aggressive."
"Don't worry, Misty. I'm aiming to be the best Pokemon Breeder. It's actually how I captured all of my other Pokemon like Onix, Graveler, and Vulpix. The only one I caught with a pokeball so far is Golbat," Brock replied.
"If you say so," Misty muttered.
Brock then walked over to the Rhyhorn while it was still eating and stood behind it. Everyone else waited a safe distance behind a bush to see how it would play out.
"Hey, Rhyhorn. How are you today?" Brock asked it with a friendly smile.
The Rhyhorn looked up from the grass it was eating and gave Brock a curious expression.
Brock then noticed a scratch on the Rhyhorn's leg and gave it a sympathetic expression. "I see that you've hurt your leg before. I could patch that up in a jiffy for you if you want."
The Rhyhorn continued to stare at Brock, not saying anything.
Taking its silence as a sign to go on, Brock reached into his backpack and pulled out a few Pokemon medical supplies. They consisted of a Potion and some disinfectant. He then kneeled down next the Pokemon to get a better view of the scratch
"Hold still," Brock ordered gently as he sprayed the disinfectant on the scratch. The Rhyhorn growled softly in pain but held fast.
Brock then sprayed the potion on the wound and gave a smile to the Rhyhorn. "There you go! You're all fixed up now!"
The Rhyhorn hadn't let its eyes off Brock the entire time. Is this kid crazy? It still watched as Brock went and put back the supplies in his backpack before pulling out a Safari Ball and holding it in front of him.
"You know, Rhyhorn? I bet we could make a great team together. What do you say? Will you come with me?" Brock asked while giving the rock-type a warm and inviting look. His methods and theories were flawless. This is how he got his previous Pokemon. He formed a bond with them. It was what being a Breeder was all about.
The Rhyhorn continued to stare at Brock curiously. The Pokemon and human were eye-to-eye. Rhyhorn then began to move closer to Brock. It looked like it was going to accept the offer, and then…
"Woah!" Brock cried in alarm as the Rhyhorn went up and thrust Brock upwards with its horn. He went sailing high into the air and past the group.
"I think Brock needs a new theory," Misty muttered as they watched Brock somersault through the air and land on the ground nearby.
They then went over to Brock to see if he was alright. Once they reached him, Brock had dazed look on his face and appeared a little dizzy.
"Well, that was a surprise," Brock murmured in shock as Ash helped him up. "That method has always worked before."
"Maybe, but I think Rhyhorn are a little less willing to join someone because of kindness it showed them," Misty said. "You should probably try with a Safari Ball this time."
"Yeah. I guess," Brock muttered with a shrug of his shoulders.
He then shuffled back over to the Rhyhorn and got a determined glint in his eye. The Rhyhorn stared back defiantly at him.
"Rhyhorn! You're mine!" Brock shouted as he threw the Safari ball forward.
It soared through the air and connected with the Pokemon, sucking it in. The Safari Ball then landed on the ground and began to shake several times. Rhyhorn was clearly putting up a huge struggle. After a while, the ball "dinged" to show Rhyhorn was captured.
"Alright! I caught a Rhyhorn!" Brock cheered as he held the Safari Ball in front of him.
"Great work, Brock! I bet that Rhyhorn will be a good addition to your team," Ash praised.
"Thanks, everyone!" Brock said with a smile. It was then he heard a familiar rumbling again and got a panicked expression his face.
Everyone else looked at his expression before they heard it, too.
"Everyone, I think we are going to need to get out of here again pretty soon," Serena muttered fearfully.
Sure enough, the group turned to their right and saw a large dust cloud not very far away. The Tauros stampede was back! They had to get away quickly!
"Let's get out of here!" Misty cried as she took off running, everyone else following suit.
No matter what, the group always seemed to find themselves being chased by Pokemon. They could only imagine what could be next!
"This is ridiculous!" Serena cried as they continued to run. They didn't notice that they were getting to the far edge of the Safari Zone and covered quite a bit of ground. They passed by a few people while running. The trainers they would pass would look curiously the group before seeing the herd of Tauros and dive into a nearby bush for cover.
After running for a while, the group was starting to get tired. Ash realized that they couldn't run forever. He was going to be a Pokemon Master. It was then he stopped running and turned to face the Tauros, Pikachu on his shoulder. Ash was staring straight at the Tauros charging straight at him and his partner.
"Ash! What are you doing?! You're going to get flattened!" Leaf shouted at him once they saw he wasn't moving.
"No," Ash replied. "We can't keep running from these Tauros forever. If I can catch their leader, it may stop the stampede. Who knows how many other people they have put in danger so far."
"Do you have to stand right in front of them to do it?!" Misty cried.
"I do if I want to find the leader," Ash answered as he scanned each individual Tauros as fast as he could.
He figured the leader would probably be somewhere towards the front of the group. There were about thirty of these Tauros, and there were six in the front. That narrowed it down significantly. The next thing he reasoned was the leader would probably move before any of the others so he had to look for just certain action in the stampede, whether it be a shift to the right, left, slowing down, or speeding up.
Serena stopped running and got a look of horror on her face when she Ash wasn't moving. He had saved her once. Now she was doing the same.
"Take Cubone," she told Leaf as she handed the lonely Pokemon to her before she took off running towards Ash.
"Wait!" Leaf cried after her.
"Cubone!" Cubone wailed as it struggled to break free. It didn't want to lose another set of parents so soon.
The Tauros were getting closer to Ash while he stared defiantly at them. He was going to be a Pokemon Master and couldn't just run like that anymore. He had friends and other people to protect! He would capture the Tauros leader! It was then he saw a particular one speed up a little faster than the others. It wasn't long before the rest of Tauros matched its speed, and Ash knew he found the leader.
"Ash!" he heard Serena scream behind him.
"Stay back!" he yelled as he quickly brought out a Safari Ball. The Tauros were only about fifty yards away from him now. They would be on top of him in only a matter of seconds. He then turned his hat backwards as he and Pikachu got a determined look on their face.
"Come on, Ash," everyone else thought.
"Go, Safari Ball!" Ash yelled as he threw the ball forward at the leader. The Safari Ball soared through the air and connected with the leader just as Serena was reaching Ash. She paused when she saw the ball suck in the bull Pokemon.
The other Tauros got a surprised look on their face as they saw their leader get captured in a Safari Ball. Their movements started to become more wobbly as they slowed down. It was then Ash, Pikachu, and Serena quickly jumped out of the way as the Tauros passed them. The stampede continued to slow down until it got disorganized enough to stop. They then looked around in confusion before going off to do their business.
Meanwhile, the two humans and yellow rodent turned back to the Safari Ball and saw it shaking. It finally 'dinged', and Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He had caught the Tauros leader and stopped the dangerous stampede. He then walked over to the ball and picked up before watching it teleport out of his hands to Professor Oak's lab.
"I bet Professor Oak will have his hands full with a Tauros that likes to stampede," Ash thought in amusement.
"Ash, you are still one interesting guy," Brock smiled in amusement as he and Serena were joined by the rest of the group.
"He's crazy if you ask me," Misty mumbled.
"That's Ash for you," Leaf said before giving another yawn and handing Cubone back to Serena. "Though I guess Serena isn't much better now. I still haven't forgotten when you two told me your stormed the Silph Company."
Ash and Serena exchanged nervous glances with each other. That was a pretty reckless thing to do and had learned a lot since then.
Ash gave a quick look around the area and noticed there weren't any more trainers around. They must be a very remote area around the Safari Zone. There were no benches, vending machines, or anything around here. Had the Tauros really chased them this far?
"Hey, guys. Do you see the main road anywhere?" Ash asked.
"I don't see it at all. We aren't lost, are we?" Misty asked fearfully.
Serena then looked at Leaf. "Leaf, you've been to the Safari Zone multiple times now. Do you have any idea where we are at?"
"I don't," Leaf replied while shaking her head. "I never came out this far because I thought it was past the Safari Zone limits."
"Then how are we supposed to get back?" Misty cried as she threw her hands in the air.
"Calm down, everyone. We can approach this logically. All we have to do is check the position of the sun," Brock pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked.
"Well, if I recall, we were running away from the sun while the Tauros were chasing us because there was no sunlight in our eyes. If we move towards the sun, we should find our way back to the main road," Brock figured.
"Can we take a break before heading back? All this running has made me sleepy again," Leaf said with yawn.
"Hold on, Leaf. I say we follow Brock's advice and head back while the sun is still high up. We don't want to overstay our session," Ash advised.
"I know. Just a short rest," Leaf replied sleepily as her head drooped.
"Looks like I have no choice," Ash said as he went over and picked her up piggyback style, earning a surprised gasp from her. "I'll just have to carry you."
Leaf let out a tired smile and relaxed on his back. "Thank you, Ash."
"No problem. Just promise me you go bed as soon as we leave here," Ash told her.
"Right. I promise," Leaf yawned.
Serena couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when she saw Ash carrying Leaf on his back. She wished that was her at the moment. Ash could be the one carrying her in his strong arms. She bet it must feel so comfortable right now. It was then she had to force those thoughts away from her head. She remembered what happened the last time she was jealous of Ash and Leaf in Cerulean City. She just had to keep reminding herself that those two were just best friends, and there was nothing romantic between them.
They were just about to head back when they heard a strange noise coming from the lake that was nearby. There was a small spot on it that seemed to harbor a strange glow to it. It definitely was out of the ordinary.
"What do you suppose that is?" Serena asked as she went to get a closer look.
The small ripples in the lake continued for a few more seconds until they suddenly stopped. The group gave an inquisitive glance at the lake for a few more moments. They thought nothing was going to happen until a figure popped its head out of the water. It was light blue in color with a white underbelly. It looked like a long snake with fin like ears and a circular snout. It was a Dratini, and it was looking straight at the group.
"Is that what I think it is?" Ash gasped.
"That's really a Dratini. I've been searching for one all week," Leaf said, now wide awake. She hopped off of Ash's back and pulled out her pokedex, Ash and Serena doing the same.
"Dratini, the dragon Pokemon. This Pokemon is full of life energy. It continually sheds its skin to gradually grow larger," said the pokedexes.
"I don't understand. How is that a Dratini just showed up like that? It is an extremely rare Pokemon that would run at the sight of humans," Brock said in a confused tone.
"This must be why no one has seen a Dratini so far," Leaf figured. "We are far off the main path where hardly anyone goes."
"But this Dratini doesn't really look like it wants to run," Misty commented as she saw the hostile expression in its eyes.
Sure enough, as the group took a closer look at the dragon Pokemon, it didn't look timid. If anything, if Pokemon could be considered bad, that is exactly how they would classify this Dratini judging by its expression.
"Yeah. This guy looks a little rough compared to the ones I've heard about," Brock agreed.
"I think I might be able to lure it closer with some bait," Ash stated as he pulled some out that was given to him by the Safari Zone staff. He then held it out in his hand and asked, "Would you like some food Dratini?"
The Dratini gave a quick sniff before it began to swim closer to the shoreline, still not letting up on its unfriendly disposition. To the group's great surprise, another Dratini poked its head out of the water, as well. Unlike the one that was swimming towards Ash, this Dratini had a very nervous and scared look about it.
"Would you like some bait, too?" Ash asked the newcomer Dratini.
Upon hearing Ash's voice, the other Dratini immediately looked alarmed and swam back several feet with a scared expression on its face. The Dratini that came out first saw what took place and glared at the other Dratini before continuing to swim to Ash. Once it came out of the water. It slid a little closer to Ash and stared at the food in his hand for a little bit.
"Go on. Have some," Ash encouraged in an inviting manner despite the Dratini's angry look.
Dratini stared at the bait for a moment before slapping Ash's hand quite hard with its long tail.
"Ouch!" Ash yelped as he threw the food a short distance away. The Dratini chased the food over and began to munch greedily on it and gave an arrogant smirk at Ash, who was massaging his stinging hand.
"Well, aren't you just a pleasant Pokemon," Serena said sassily with her hands on her hips while she glared at the Dratini. "That was uncalled for."
The Dratini gave an uncaring look at Serena before continuing its meal.
The group then cast a look at the Dratini that was still in the water. It barely had its head poked out of the water and was watching the group with a fearful expression. It was apparently acting how the group would expect with a Dratini. They are said to be very cautious of humans. The group thought they were having incredible luck by seeing two wild ones on the same day. They figured that this particular lake must have a few living underwater.
"Maybe I can get this one to come out of the water, as well," Ash figured as he took some more bait out of his backpack to coax it to him. He then gave it a warm smile. "Come get some food, Dratini."
The timid Dratini poked its head out of the water a little higher and cast wary glance at the group. Then, ever so slowly, it began to make its way to Ash.
"That's it. Come on," Ash said gently as it came a little closer.
"It's so cute," Leaf commented as she watched it come forward.
The Dratini slid onto shore and slowly made its way to Ash's hand. It sniffed the food and gave a questioning look at Ash as if to ask that it was okay to take.
"Go on. I promise I won't hurt you," Ash smiled.
"Pika Pika," Pikachu encouraged.
Dratini then leaned over to begin to eat the food, but it was suddenly knocked out of the way by the other Dratini. It was knocked several feet away before getting up with watery eyes. It almost looked ready to cry.
"Hey! What did you do that for?!" Serena asked the aggressive Dratini angrily.
The Dratini said nothing before slapping Ash's hand once more and snatching the food away.
"Pika Pika Pikachu!" the yellow rodent yelled at the Dratini.
The Dratini gave an angry look at Pikachu before tackling it to the ground. Pikachu got up and was preparing to Thunderbolt it, but Ash stopped it.
"Wait, Pikachu! Battles aren't allowed in the Safari Zone or we could get in a lot of trouble!" Ash warned.
Pikachu frowned deeply upon hearing that but relented its Thunderbolt. The Dratini smirked in triumph before eating at the food it had just snatched from Ash's hands.
"That just stinks! It's not even ashamed of itself. It's the complete opposite of how I would expect a Dratini to act. I thought they were supposed to be gentle Pokemon," Misty glared.
"This thing just has a bad attitude," Brock said with disdain.
Ash glared at the mean-spirited Dratini before going over to the other Dratini. Upon seeing Ash coming towards it, its eyes grew wide, and it darted behind a rock. The rogue Dratini got a dark glint in its eye and chased the timid Dratini behind the rock and stood over it in a dominating fashion. The other Dratini cowered in fear as it was loomed over by the other one.
The group had now had enough and decided to do something about it.
"I'll show that Pokemon," Ash said as he pulled out a Safari Ball. He wasn't going to let it pick on anymore Pokemon. He was just about to throw it at the bad-tempered Dratini but another beat him to it.
To everyone's surprise, another Safari Ball flew from seemingly nowhere and struck the rogue Dratini right in the center. The Pokemon turned in surprise for just a split second before it was sucked inside the Safari Ball. It then began shaking a few times before it 'dinged' to show it had been caught.
The group turned to see the other person who had just caught the rogue Dratini and discovered it was none other than Paul.
"Paul…" Ash muttered again.
Paul said nothing in reply as he walked up to the Safari Ball containing the rogue Dratini and picked it up, but not before giving a scornful look at the cowering Dratini that was still on the ground. Paul then pulled out his pokedex and ran it over the Safari Ball to check Dratini's stats. He appeared to be deep in thought as he looked over the Safari Ball. Ash couldn't help but glare that Paul still did something like that. It was almost insulting to the Pokemon, even if the one he captured wasn't exactly friendly.
Everyone continued to watch with a frown as Paul scanned the Safari Ball with an unreadable expression. After about ten seconds, he finally put it away and nodded his head.
"Okay. This one seems to have good stats," he decided.
"You're still going on about that," Ash uttered.
Paul then cast a glare at Ash. "Of course. It's the only way to get Pokemon that can win battles." He then shifted his glare to the other Dratini. "You can have that pathetic one. You two are perfect for each other."
"I stand by what I said that any Pokemon can be strong when trained and loved!" Ash yelled.
"Humph. I saw enough of your so called training in our last battle. Plus, the fact that you still only have five badges reinforces what I said about how your Pokemon are weak," Paul said.
"What was that?!" Ash yelled, getting fired up as his fists clenched, but Serena and Leaf held him back.
"Ash, stop! You know Paul is saying this get a rise out of you," Serena told him.
Ash slumped over in their grips while glaring at Paul. He couldn't believe he could just call a Pokemon weak like that. Where did he get off?!
Paul gave a rough smile before turning around. "Well, I got what I came for so I'm out of here," he muttered as he walked off. The entire group watched him go with disdain on their faces.
Ash just wished he had another chance to show this guy what he had learned since his last battle with him. Ash would definitely admit he made his fair share of mistakes when he did face Paul the first time. He had been so determined to beat Paul back then that it really cost him. If he were to face Paul now, however, he had a lot more confidence that he would be more level-headed and smart with his strategies. The only problem was that Paul thought different and didn't even seem willing to battle Ash anymore. Despite this, Ash was determined to beat Paul one day, not just for the sake of himself, but for his Pokemon and all loving trainers worldwide, as cheesy as that sounded.
"I think you handled yourself a little better with Paul this time," Brock mentioned. "Just remember that even though he didn't battle you now, he will most likely make it to the Pokemon League since he already has seven badges. You might be able to battle him there where it will really count. Maybe fate is just waiting for the right moment for you two to face each other again."
"Right. I'll make it to the Pokemon League and show Paul what I've learned there," Ash said with determination.
"Pika Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"That's right, buddy. We'll definitely get him next time," Ash agreed before turning back to the remaining Dratini.
The dragon Pokemon still had a fearful look on its face as it was trembling before Ash. It's large black eyes show with such shyness yet a strange gentleness, also. Ash believed that this Dratini didn't have a single mean bone in its body.
Ash knelt down to be more eye-level with the Dratini and smiled at it. "Don't listen to what Paul said Dratini. You aren't pathetic at all. There is no shame in refusing to attack something for no reason. You are definitely the better Dratini. Remember that."
Dratini made a soft cooing noise as it looked up at Ash curiously.
"Hey, Serena. Do you have any extra bait? That other Dratini took all of mine," Ash said to her.
"Of course," Serena smiled as she reached into her own backpack and brought it over to Ash.
"Thank you," Ash replied as he took the bait from Serena's hands. He then held it out in front of the Dratini and gave it an inviting smile. "Go on. Help yourself."
The Dratini gave an extremely wary glance at the bait. It looked as if it were trying to decide if it was safe to do so this time. Ash couldn't exactly blame since it was either stolen from or attacked the previous times.
"I promise I won't hurt you. Nothing bad will happen this time," Ash reassured it.
Dratini took a deep breath before slowly crawling a little closer to Ash's outstretched hand. It looked down at the bait. It definitely did smell good and probably tasted good, too. It then slowly stuck its head out before taking a tiny bite. It chewed the morsel before swallowing and got a happy expression on its face. It then gave a cheerful cry before finishing it off.
"There you go," Ash said as he went to rub its head.
Upon seeing what Ash was about to do, the Dratini once again got a fearful expression and scooted away several feet. It still didn't seem to fully trust Ash yet.
"You seem to be a very cautious Pokemon," Ash told it with a sad smile.
The Dratini looked down at the ground. It couldn't help it. It was always shy like that. The other Dratini was one of the only other Dratini in the lake with it, and it had always been a bully.
It was then Serena decided to speak to it as she knelt down like Ash before her. "There is certainly no shame in being a little shy, but if you let it control you, you will be missing out on so many opportunities."
It was then Serena realized what she said and gave a quick look at Ash. She was giving out advice about being shy on things, and she could never seem to muster up the courage to tell Ash how she really feels about him. Maybe she should start listening to her own advice, but now wasn't the time. She just had to wait for the right moment. Oh…why didn't she do it when they had their date!? She then felt Cubone, Pikachu, and everyone behind her looking at her with a knowing expression once they heard her say that.
"That's right," Ash agreed, being the only one who didn't seem to notice Serena's sudden embarrassed expression. "I believe that you are a lot tougher than you give yourself credit for. I bet if it came to protecting something…or someone who you really care about, you would do anything."
Pikachu and Cubone then went over to the Dratini and began to explain to it how Ash and Serena were. They told it how they were shy and didn't trust humans at first, either, but they had grown since then. They believed that this Dratini would be able to overcome its timid nature, also.
"Just know I will never force you, but I believe I can help you if you give me the chance," Ash offered as he extended his hand in a gesture of friendship to the Dratini. "Will you let me?"
The Dratini once more looked at Ash's hand as it thought hard about the decision. This human definitely seemed sincere enough with what he was saying. The other humans he was with didn't seem like bad people, either. The look in his eyes were enough to tell it that much, but if it went on a journey with him, did that mean it would have to battle?
As if reading his mind, Ash spoke up once more. "Don't worry. I will never make you battle if you don't want to. I just want to show you the whole world. There is more to it than that small pond you've lived in so far."
The Dratini was still contemplating Ash's offer. He did have a point. All of its life, it had lived in isolation with no contact with any humans. It was mainly because humans were hardly ever in this area, but it couldn't solely place the blame on that. It was just a scared Pokemon by nature, but was it really willing to change? It remembered how the other Dratini had walked all over it, and it did absolutely nothing to fight back. Maybe it should give this human a chance to help it overcome its weakness. At long last, Dratini nodded its head and crawled over to Ash before nuzzling its head on his arm.
"Awww, that's so adorable," Misty commented with a smile.
Ash nodded his head and took out a Safari Ball. "Thank you, Dratini. I suppose I'll officially ask you now. Will you come with my friends and me on our journey?"
The Dratini responded to Ash's question by pressing its nose on the Safari Ball button and allowing itself inside. The ball made a dinging noise and Dratini had officially become Ash's Pokemon. It then was transported to Professor Oak's lab while Ash nodded his head.
"I'll get you real soon, Dratini. We will see the world together," he thought.
"That was well done, Ash," Brock praised while he nodded his head in approval. "I think you are the right trainer for the Dratini."
"That's right," Serena added. "Unlike Paul, you actually care about Dratini as an actual creature and not just because it's a rare Pokemon. That's a quality you have that he doesn't."
Cubone and Pikachu nodded their heads, as well.
"Thanks, everyone," Ash replied. He then pulled out his Pokegear and checked the time and gasped. "Woah! We only have ten minutes left until our session expires!"
"Yikes! We better head back!" Serena gasped. The group was just about to rush back in the direction they came from when they realized they were missing one person. They turned around and saw Leaf slumped against a nearby rock, fast asleep. Everyone face faulted at how she could have fallen asleep so quickly after all that happened.
"That girl," Ash muttered in disbelief as he went over and picked her up. "Okay, Leaf. Up we go!"
Serena once again felt a pang of jealousy but let it go once more. She hoped Ash would carry her like that one day!
It was evening time now as the group was standing in front of the Safari Zone gate. They had learned there was a boat leaving for Cinnabar Island that evening, and the next one wasn't leaving for another two days. If they wanted to get to Cinnabar Island faster, they would need to go ahead and take this one.
"Well, Leaf, I guess this is where we split up again," Serena said sadly.
"Yeah," Leaf yawned with her hand over her mouth. "I'm so tired I couldn't possibly come with you. I think I'm just going to stay at the Pokemon Center and sleep all day tomorrow…and possibly the rest of the week, also."
"Just try not to push yourself again. It won't do if you wind up getting sick because you're up all day and night looking for one Pokemon," Ash advised.
"Heehee! Like you're one to talk, Ash," Leaf teased.
"Heheheh! I guess you're right," Ash admitted.
Serena then walked up and embraced her friend. "Good bye, Leaf. I hope we see each other again, soon."
"Count on it," Leaf smiled. "After I leave Fuchsia City, I'm going to head back to Pallet Town for a while and see my family. I talked to Gary recently and he will be there, too. You guys will be passing through Pallet Town after Cinnabar Island if I'm not mistaken."
"Sounds like a plan! We'll all meet up in Pallet Town where it all began!" Ash declared with a thumbs-up. "And keep up with that pokedex. You're almost there for Kanto!"
"Hey, guys. I hate to interrupt, but the boat will be leaving pretty soon. We should probably head for the dock," Brock told them.
"Right. Say bye to Leaf, Cubone," Serena said to it.
"Cubone!" it waved with a smile.
"It's so cute!" Leaf squealed again.
"Take care, Leaf! We'll see you real soon!" Ash waved as he and the rest of the group turned to leave.
"Good bye, guys! I'll see you all in Pallet Town!" Leaf called after them while waving before yawning one last time.
After spending many days in Fuchsia City, it was now time for the group to leave. It had been one of their most eventful cities yet: Ash got his fifth badge, Serena achieved the rank of Duchess and could face the Battle Chatelaines next, Brock met his idol Suzy and received Vulpix, Ash and Serena went on their first date, and Misty finally met someone who didn't think she was just a crabby tomboy. To top it off, they all acquired a variety of new Pokemon. They couldn't wait to see what Cinnabar Island had in store for them!
A creature was floating in a glass tube. It had been asleep for a very long time. It still needed a lot of rest before it could awaken. Being a clone, its body wasn't stable enough yet to live properly. It still needed more time.
Scientists were working all around it right now. They were all eager for when it would finally awaken. They were aiming to create the world's most powerful Pokemon by using the legendary Pokemon, Mew's, DNA. They had been working on this project for many years now. It had taken long enough to just find a strand of fur that was claimed to be from Mew. The fruit of their efforts would finally payoff. It only needed a few more days now.
"Doctor, are the preparations complete?" a scientist asked.
"In due time. Our little specimen will be ready soon. All of its vital organs are in place, but it is still too unstable for us to pull the plug right now," the head doctor replied.
"Should we inform Giovanni?" the scientist asked.
"Not yet. Personally, I would like to research this Pokemon first before we turn it loose to Giovanni. It isn't every day that you get to study something like this," the head scientist responded with a wide, toothy grin. "Once we have gotten the information we need, then we can let it go."
"Do you feel somewhat sorry for it?" another scientist spoke up. "Its purpose in life will be used for nothing but experiments and battling."
"It is a clone. A clone does not have feelings," the head doctor replied dismissively before turning back to the sleeping figure in the glass tube.
He couldn't help but grin in anticipation. Any day now, they would have their hands on the world's most powerful Pokemon, and it would be theirs to control!
Well, that was the first actual appearance of Mewtwo in this story. (about time!). Its full arc and introduction isn't for a while, though, so don't get too excited.
Don't you all just want to punch Paul square in the nose? Will there be an epic faceoff between the two opposing Dratini in the future? Maybe. You will all just have to wait and see.
As promised, here is everyone's current team:
Ash (on hand): Bulbasaur (M)
Charmeleon (M)
Squirtle (M)
Haunter (M)
Pidgeotto (F)
Pikachu (M)
(at lab): Muk (M)
Krabby (M)
Hitmonchan (M)
Primeape (M)
Dratini (F)
Tauros (M)
Serena (on hand): Charla (F)
Nidorina (F)
Jigglypuff (F)
Gloom (F)
Hitmonlee (M)
Eevee (F)
(taking care of): Cubone (M)
(at lab): Scyther (M)
Brock: (all male) Graveler, Onix, Golbat, Rhyhorn
Misty: Staryu
Starmie
Goldeen (F)
Psyduck (M)
Magikarp (M)
Okay, everyone. The Seafoam Islands are up next! I will see you all Tuesday in the next update. For those of you that are mad that Misty didn't get a new Pokemon here, she will get one next chapter, and so will Serena.
Chapter 38: Articuno of the Seafoam Islands!
Answering the questions:
Will Cilan, Iris, Bonnie and Clemont appear at all in your stories or will they just be mentioned in the final story, when you skip time?
They will definitely appear in this story, but not for a very long time. They may not make an appearance until Sinnoh for Cilan and Iris, or the last story for Clemont and Bonnie. Regardless, they won't be permanent traveling companions of Ash and Serena and probably only temporary.
Will you have Ash's Dratini/evolution go head-to-head with Drake's Dragonite or a classic Pikachu ftw?
Either one is certainly possible, actually.
You said that Ash's father would make his appearance via flashback. Will that be his only appearance, or will he physically show up in the future?
No, he will definitely make a physical appearance in this story, but I won't reveal how or when. If you are wondering about Serena's father, he is a long ways off before appearing or even being revealed.
Will Ash's Glalie be able to Mega Evolve? And will Brock's Steelix become Mega Steelix?
Maybe.
Will any of the orange crew hit on Ash or Serena?
They certainly won't hit on Ash. Luwanna and Cissy are too old for him. Rudy has Misty so the only one left is Danny, but he seemed to like Misty, too.
Will the Diglett episode still happen?
No
If Team Rocket does make more appearances after Kanto, what do you plan to do about Meowth? Because in several episodes, he's actually thought about joining the 'twerps' before.
We'll just have to see, but at the moment I have no plans for Meowth to join them.
Will Serena get a Gardivor in your future stories?
Possibly
If a Lucario were to join the team and it is supposed to be with Ash, would it be quite a twist if Serena was the one Lucario chooses to be its trainer?
No. Ash will definitely be the one who gets Lucario (eventually)
When's Ash's next badge?
Blaine's gym. Chapter 42.
Will dragon Pokemon of any sort be caught by Ash or Serena?
Does this chapter answer your question?
Will we see at some point a battle between Gary vs Paul?
Yes.
Since you said Misty won't be around in Johto, will Lyra replace her?
Misty WILL be in Johto. When did I say she wouldn't? There was already a poll that voted for me to keep her in Johto a while back, and no, Lyra won't replace her.
Will there be more battle scenes with Serena in the Battle Chateau now that she is a Duchess?
There is actually a spoiler concerning this that I won't reveal, but I will say that yes, there will be a few more battles.
Will Ash and Serena ever have a heated argument?
At some point, yes.
Will Ash and Serena's adventures in Unova and Kalos be talked about in your time skip story?
Yes, but only briefly.
In hoenn, Will Team Aqua and Magma make a huge presence in the Hoenn Arc or will they just be a small thing?
They will play a larger role than they did in the anime, but not completely take over the arc. Ash, Serena, and May will still be the main focus.
Will Ash ever get a Ponyta/Rapidash or maybe an Arcanine?
Maybe.