Rhyhorn, the spikes Pokémon. Rhyhorn's brain is very small. Rhyhorn is so dense, while on a run it forgets why it started running in the first place. Rumour goes it remembers sometimes if it demolishes something – Nurse Evergreen.
With Nurse Isabelle being constantly on the road as a Pokémon nurse, and Dominic Whitewater always travelling as a ranger, the two had very little time to spend together. Their way of seeing each other was to either bump into each other by coincidence or meet up at work.
Potentially feeling guilty for not giving her a lot of attention during his time at the fighting dojo in Saffron city, Dominic invited her to join him as he spent at least an entire week at the Safari Zone, where he worked while in Kanto. He mentioned he grew up near the Johto Safari Zone and was here to learn from their neighbours and the Pokémon they held there.
Despite having lived in Kanto her whole life, Isabelle had never been in the Safari Zone, so this was quite a unique experience. She didn't get the full Safari Zone experience, though, because she was a nurse. There was no time limit, nor was she given park balls. She had work to do, after all.
Dominic met her just inside the gate, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her in a tight hug. He held her for a long time, burying his face against her neck as if he had missed her a lot and she tried to convey that the feeling was entirely mutual. While she still didn't need a man to be complete or be happy, he certainly made her life a lot less lonely. She missed him when he wasn't there.
Only a few minutes in, Isabelle decided her life had definitely been lacking before coming here. The Safari Zone was great! There were so many Pokémon, living freely without the fear of being attacked by greedy trainers. The worst trainers could do was throw rocks at them.
A Nidorino and Nidorina were hopping through the grass together, chasing each other, obviously in love. Psyduck and Slowpoke laid floating in the water. Parasect crawled in front of Dom and Izzy, forcing them to wait until it had finished crossing the road. Izzy could definitely see why Dom loved this place so much and she quietly hoped she could see the Johto zone as well, one day.
In a quieter place, tucked in the shade of a very large tree, Dominic sat down with Izzy, apologising he did not bring a blanket for her to sit on. Isabelle merely shrugged, saying the dirt would wash out.
They were sitting there under a big oak, having sandwiches, chatting pleasantly, watching clouds and occasionally kissing. She could not stop touching him, running her fingers over the exposed skin of his arms, or sneaking under his t-shirt. Resting her head on Dominic's lap, Izzy dozed off in the warm weather of the Safari Zone. She rarely had the opportunity to nap, so she did not fight it when she felt it coming
After what felt like five minutes of sleep, she felt herself being lifted in someone's strong arms and carried away urgently. She jolted awake, seeing Dominic's grim face. Just as they were away from the place they were sitting, a Pokémon smashed into the oak tree with a mighty crash.
As Dominic lowered her to the ground, Izzy looked over to discover what happened. A Rhyhorn was stuck with his horn in the tree, snarling angrily.
"He just showed up. When a Rhyhorn charges, they don't stop until they hit something," Dominic said, running his hand through his brown hair. He looked pale and shaken, having come so close to getting seriously hurt.
Isabelle wrapped an arm around his waist and hugged him. "Thank you for getting me away from there." Dominic grinned and merely kissed her forehead. Their lunch was ruined, their backpacks damaged, but at least they were unharmed. Still, the Safari Zone might not be such a safe place to have a nap.