Chapter 3

Safari Zone

26 Ananeosis, 20 Zenoheld

After Boriates returned to where Volt had first met Kaiser, the two men used the rope to bind the Rocket members' hands together. Kaiser then had Volt wait for him at a house that appeared to be at the edge of the Safari Zone; it was adjacent to a long wooden fence and a gate topped with a sign that had strange writing on it. Kaiser, meanwhile, marched the Rockets off to the nearest city at gunpoint. When Kaiser and the Rockets were out of sight, Volt returned Boriates to ball form.

The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon by the time Kaiser returned from the city and unlocked the door to the house. Immediately inside was some kind of reception area with various pictures and plaques lining the walls.

Kaiser entered the house and shut the door behind him. He then went behind the desk and said, "Alright, let's get down to business. Who are ya, an' how'd ya get inta the Safari Zone without passin' by the front gate?"

Volt answered, "My name is Volt, and you can say that I was … transported here."

"How do ya mean? Do ya have a Psychic Pokémon on ya or somethin'?"

"No. A wormhole dropped me here."

"A wormhole? What, are ya some type of alien or somethin'?" Kaiser asked jokingly.

"Actually, yes."

Volt would have understood if Kaiser had laughed at him. He would have even understood a derisive snort. But Kaiser's reaction was so far outside the pale that Volt had no idea how to react: before Volt knew it, he was staring down the barrel of one of Kaiser's pistols.

"An alien. Right. If'n ya don't start tellin' me the truth, I swear yer gonna get a taste of my Thunderbolt!"

"I am telling the truth!" Volt replied. "Think about it: I get inside your Safari Zone without going through the front door or busting through the fence, which I'm sure would have tripped some kind of alarm. I summon a giant robot from a marble no bigger than the one that spat out that armored creature that tried to zap it—what was its name? 'Aggron'? Does it look like I'm from this planet?"

Kaiser was silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Volt became nervous. Should he try to take advantage of the lull to disarm the old man? Then again, this planet and its inhabitants were unfamiliar; Volt knew nothing of the old man's abilities. What if this humanoid had a strong grip? Or reflexes faster than a Vestal's? Was it even possible for him to turn the tables on Kaiser?

Finally, Kaiser put the pistol back in its holster. "Yer either crazy, a good liar, or tellin' the truth. Ya seem like ya got a good head on yer shoulders, so if yer crazy, yer doin' a good job hidin' it."

Volt released a breath that he did not remember holding.

"But tell me this: if yer not from around here, what are ya doin' here? If'n this is some kinda invasion, sendin' only one person seems like a weird way ta do it."

Volt shook his head. "This is no invasion. I'm here because I've been banished."

"Banished?" asked Kaiser. "As in, ya got kicked outta yer world?"

"That's right," replied Volt.

"And ya have no idea where ya are?"

"That would be the idea of being 'banished,' wouldn't it?"

Out came the pistol again. "But if ya've been banished, then that means that yer some kinda fugitive! And ya still got that giant robot with ya? I don't know if'n everyone on yer planet has some kinda giant-robot servant, but we ain't got nothin' like that in Kanto!"

"Wait a second!" Volt exclaimed, hands raised in a gesture of surrender. "Let me explain!"

"Then start explainin'," Kaiser said, cocking the hammer of his pistol. "An' I better like what ya gotta say."

Without even taking the time to take a breath, Volt launched into his explanation: "As I said, I am not from this planet. I am from a planet called Vestal. I was a member of the Vexos, an elite group of Bakugan brawlers at the service of King Zenoheld."

"That's the fourth time I heard ya use that word, 'Bakugan,'" Kaiser interrupted. "What is a 'Bakugan,' anyway?"

"Bakugan are creatures from yet another planet, called New Vestroia. We Vestals used to pit them against each other for sport, until word came out that they were actually intelligent creatures. My Boriates is actually a mechanical Bakugan; Bakugan from New Vestroia are organic, just like you, me, or the Pokémon."

"So are all Bakugan are as big as yer 'Bore … eye … yay … tees'?"

"They're not all Boriates' size, but Bakugan are quite large in general," Volt replied. "So, as I was saying, I was a servant of King Zenoheld. However, one day, the people rose up against him, forcing him—and us—to flee the planet.

"Of course, the king was not going to just take a rebellion like that quietly. I just don't agree with how he is planning on reclaiming the throne. Even now, King Zenoheld is building a giant battleship powerful enough to destroy the entire planet! I spoke out against him and left the Vexos, and for that, I got banished.

"So right now, all I need are some answers, and if possible, a way back home."

After mulling it over for a few moments, Kaiser said, "If'n I hadn't seen yer 'Boriates' in action, I woulda said that you were completely outta yer mind. Aliens? Kings? Bakugan? Yet ya don't sound like yer lyin'. An' I doubt that a criminal would go so far outta his way ta help a total stranger. I dunno how much I can help, but at the very least…" Kaiser uncocked the hammer, holstered the pistol, and extended his hand. "Allow me ta properly introduce myself. My name is Kaiser, an' welcome ta planet Earth."

After shaking Kaiser's hand, Volt said, "Wait a second. Did you just say, 'Earth'?"

"Yeah, 'Earth'. Why?" replied Kaiser.

"Because I've been to a planet called 'Earth' once before, and if this is the same planet, it looks like I may have a real chance at finding a way back home."

"Whaddya mean by that? I know that there are some kooks out there that believe that Pokémon like Clefairy and Starmie came from outer space, but I doubt that even the government woulda been able ta keep it a secret if we could've gotten in contact with an actual alien civilization!

"But unless banishment means something different fer you Vestal-folk, don't it mean that you ain't allowed ta return home—usually on pain of death?"

"Yes, it does," Volt replied, "but there are some people back on Vestal who wouldn't mind harboring a fugitive from King Zenoheld. As for how I can find a way back home, I might know someone who could help me out."

Kaiser yawned. "Well, even if ya do know someone, he's most likely gonna be asleep by now, an' I don't know about you, but"—Kaiser yawned again—"all that business with Team Rocket is startin' ta take its toll. I'm all tuckered out. I'll show ya where ya can get some shut-eye, an' we can continue in the mornin'."

"After all that happened today, sleep sounds like a good idea," Volt replied, then stifled a yawn of his own. "Thank you for believing me. You won't regret it."

Kaiser brought a hand to his pistol. "I better not."

A/N: In case anyone was confused, "Thunderbolt" is one of Kaiser's pistols. He referred to his pistol as his "Thunderbolt" when he was explaining the Safari Zone rules to Ash and company in Episode 35.