Chapter 39, everybody! My goodness it's been a while! Had a bit of a stall on this section, and probably will for a bit until I get the Kanto flow figured out and what happens where—I do have lots of chunks written up (actually about 150 more pages), just nothing immediately after this. On the positive side, I pretty much wrote up the last chapter in a day, so that's done….Anyway, still a work in progress, bear with me and accept my apologies. ^^; And my continuing awe at the attention this fic has gotten, my goodness….

Also, rewatched the episode where Ash and Co. go to the Safari Zone…I'm going to guess that the Pokémon world doesn't have anything resembling child services.

11JJ11, thanks for the review! Yes, well, who wouldn't want Frenzy on their roster?

LuminousMoonRay, thanks for the review! I agree, Koga is treated quite well by the fanfiction community. :D I think we might warrant one—if I were to make a popularity poll for the characters, Frenzy would probably win by a landslide, considering all the reviews that mention him. ^^

Maidengarnet, thanks for the review! And glad you like Frenzy—and Koga and Janine. Aha, I figure that would be the natural reaction after fear. :D Lenny knows what's up….

Kiri Kaitou Clover, thanks for the review! And glad you like it so far! Aha, I prefer being able to laugh, so I'm glad you like the humor. :D And Darkrai's sarcasm. And I'm glad that I'm keeping the characters in character! That's important to me in a fic. :D I've been sweating about avoiding OP Ash, so glad to know I'm doing that so far. Thank you. :)

Jakeroo123, thanks for the review! Well, the world doesn't revolve around Ash, despite being saved by him on a number of occasions…stuff does happen without him. It does. Oh goodness yes—I wonder how insurance companies work in the Pokémon world? "Oh, I see you have a fire type now—so we'll tack on fire insurance and raise your payments by five hundred dollars." Oh. Ha, I'd like to think Ash is a bit more competent than that, but the show did basically say "oh yeah ten is totally a legitimate age to send you out to live on your own—no we didn't bother with Home Ec before then." And I think it was established that in the show universe, Ash wasn't all that good at school either. ^^; To be fair, Jessie probably couldn't afford to be picky growing up. No he didn't—but then again how much of him do we see in the show prior to the incident with Mewtwo? Mostly we see through Team Rocket's filter, and (hopefully) that's not very accurate. O-o Yes! The Tauros will definitely be mentioned later on in the story, don't worry. :D Agreed.

Thor94, thanks for the review! Thank you—yes. And hopefully!

Nozomi Higurashi, thanks for the review! I feel you—I've marathoned fics before, and am flattered that you decided to do so with mine. :D Ask him if he'll stream Distortion Zone episodes while you're there. ;)

JuptileNamudori253, thanks for the review! Thank you! We'll see….Another fan of Frenzy! :D

Scarlet Firesong, thanks for the review! Hopefully you got some sleep since then. ^^;

Albertasteinthe21stgenius, thanks for the review, and glad you like it! :D

Duskrider, thanks for the review! Good question….

And a Merry Christmas, happy New Year, and assorted other holidays to you, guest! I'm glad you find the story both amusing and relaxing, thank you. Don't listen to those critics. ;)

IceDragonGirl36, thanks for the review! And the funny thing is, the only Star Wars movie I watched was Episode I, and all I remember from it (because it was the only parts I liked) was Jar Jar Binks. For some reason, that's an unpopular opinion….That would be nice—dragon types are fun to raise and battle with, and are absolutely gorgeous in contests (Gen III contests will always have a special place in my heart). Now that's dedication—and happy new year! Only took me six months….

Vulaan Kulaas, thanks for the review! And I'm glad you like the story enough to reread it, wow! It's on my to-do list. :) I guarantee Darkrai will lose his cool at least once while we're watching. ;)

Yourfriendlyneighborhoodturtle, thanks for the review! And thank you, I'm glad you like it! :D

Popcornrocks13, thanks for the review! Glad you're liking it so far—even Bill's moment. Alas, poor Bill….

ReneeSarah, thanks for the review! Eh, it's a transition scene, what can I say. And I'm working on getting into scriptwriting, so that might actually be a good thing….I'm curious as to if anyone actually like commercials, except to run to the kitchen and get a snack—ruins the whole flow.

AlienGhostWizard14, thanks for the review! And thank you, I hope to continue to please! :D

Guest 16, thanks for the review! And Misty gave no Muks that day.

Fairy Tail D Slayer, thanks for the review! Aha, and just watched that movie too….

Greatazuredragon, thanks for the reviews! Glad you like the intro, and Darkrai's snark, and the absurdity of it all. :D And the Abbott and Costello moment. :D And glad that I made you laugh too—I hope I can continue to please! :D

Istwill56, thanks for the review! And glad you like my own spin on the "Ash with a legendary" story—could never find one that properly tickled my fancy, so I decided to write my own. Glad you like it! :D

Dragon of Ying and Yang, thanks for the review! Well wait no more, here it is!

NightFlowerLuv, thanks for the review! Yes! Thank you, I'm glad you like it! I've noticed that mixing the two is rather tricky (game VS anime Kanto map? Oi), but I'm glad you decided to take a chance on it. :) And I'm glad you like Darkrai too! And the route I'm taking with Giovanni—the first time I heard that theory I was utterly fascinated, so I'm definitely exploring it. Yes, actually—it's all on the radio, something which at least one of the characters takes very seriously. Let's be honest, by the time Ash hits Hoenn, someone will be back to poking one of the Legendaries with a stick again. ^^; Me neither—Unova and Alola are at the bottom of my list, only because they forgot that game means play, not read. :P

Ash the Aura Guardian, thanks for the review! Glad you appreciate the changes to the roster—and Frenzy. Frenzy seems to have amassed a following. I wasn't too sure when he showed up either, but following his thread convinced me. :D Eventually…and I hope you enjoy this update! :)

Johnny Spectre, thanks for the review! We'll see. And good question—soon, I would think….

ThisBadge, thanks for the review! June 6th, 2018—updates might be slow, but they'll always be coming, and the day I abandon a story is the day that I am deceased. Me too….

That One Riolu Kid, thanks for the review! And the suggestion as to what ASH stands for—it may be accurate….

Sand Soldier, thanks for the review! And that you found that funny—most seem to view it as a tad dark….

Adra4522, thanks for the reviews, and how! I love getting long reviews, and hopefully I can address any and all concerns. Glad you like how Team Rocket is behaving, and the Clefairy! That little moon-ish stone is definitely going to have a purpose later on. ;) The Chosen One bit only seems to show up in the movie, and their canon status with the rest of the show tends to be spotty—let's be honest, as one writer on this site has shown, if all the Legendaries paid in their favors, Ash would be swimming in goodies. I'm glad you like the story—and the world-building and the foreshadowing; I've got several Pokémon headcanons rattling around, so being able to implement them makes me happy. :D And I feel you there—I was big on the original series too, and I'm a bit bummed that I couldn't implement Butterfree and Pidgeotto. Eh, splitting up the starters was only an option because I saw another fanfic do it quite well, and it struck me as interesting. At least there's that! And I'm glad you like it despite the changes. :D And glad you like how the team is shaping up, and how Ash is handling things—and don't worry about the egg just yet, we'll be explaining it once we get there. :) And agreed, Meowth's speech is a pain in the patoot to write, but most of the time I can get away with writing it out with only a few dialect edits because we know what he sounds like on the show. Once again, thank you for the lovely reviews, and I hope I continue to please! :D

Raj8, thanks for the reviews! Glad you like it—and still a bit shocked that it warranted a recommend on TV Tropes. ;v; Yes…and thank you! I hope you enjoy any other stories I write as well! :D

Cindar, thanks for the review! Another one for Frenzy! Good question—Darkrai…seems to have a healthy respect for him at the moment…and no problem! I hope to continue to please! :D

AverageHiveMind, thank you for this lovely long review! And I'm glad you like the story well enough to reread it several times, wow! Glad you like Ash and Darkrai's dynamic—someday….And most likely there will be a Dark VS Psychic beatdown, don't worry. Everyone seems to like Frenzy—I like him too; I tend to giggle when I write him. :D And glad I'm keeping the other characters in character too! And that you like how Team Rocket is being handled—and very good questions….And glad you like the Clefairy subplot as well! Perhaps….And good question—we shall see….Yes, I can't imagine Ash being anything but Ash, but having a snarky friend definitely adds a fun dynamic. :D Thank you, you make me blush! And I hope to continue to please! :D

Pokémon © Game Freak; Nintendo

Jurassic Park © Steven Spielberg (Misty quotes Ian Malcom here)

And now, for something completely different:

In other news, the Safari Zone is now open to visitors. Visit Fuchsia City today to try your chance at getting those impossible-to-find Pokémon. This message is sponsored by the Fuchsia City Tourist Bureau.

Night was spent at the Pokémon Center, in a fairly average room. Ash was starting to get used to narrow windows and hard cots.

The next morning, after eating breakfast and getting their Pokémon back, they headed off towards Route 15 and the Safari Zone.

"There's our turning," Brock said about thirty minutes later, pointing at a left-hand turn.

"Thank you, Brock," Misty said. "I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me."

"Is sarcasm really necessary?"

"It is when the sign's that big."

Ash gave the huge safari-pattern sign a cursory glance before heading down the side road, picking up speed as they neared a huge gate.

"What do they even have in there?" Misty asked, stopping to give the Safari gate a look. "King Kong?"

"Kangaskhan and Dratini and Tauros and Dratini and Scyther and Dratini—" Ash called back, running for the doors.

"Let me guess what you're hoping to find."

"A dragon that'll be so awesome we could power through just about anything—"

"Do you have any idea how much work raising a dragon is?" Brock hollered after them as Ash burst through the double doors.

"Hi!" Ash said, looking around and running for the front desk. "I'd like to check out the Safari Zone, please!"

"Wait in line," the person behind the desk said, waving at him and focusing on the couple in front of him. Oi.

"Now wait a minute!" the man in front of him said, rounding on him. "You want to go into the Safari Zone—are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"Uh, yeah," Ash said, as Misty and Brock arrived behind him. "I've already got four badges!"

"Wonderful!" the lady said, causing Ash to puff up a little bit.

"Then we would like to give you a little job," the man said, grabbing Ash's hands. "We need you to scour the Safari Zone—these bureaucrats won't let us—"

"Vehicles of any variety aren't allowed in the Safari Zone," the deskperson said.

"We were going to use our helicopter!" the lady protested.

"It still counts."

"We would of course pay you handsomely," the man said.

Ash kind of liked the sound of that, but he'd much rather know what it was he was getting into first. "Uh…what are you wanting, exactly?"

"Well, you see, our little boy is missing!"

"Missing?" Misty echoed, startled.

"Yes, his name is Tommy—here's a picture," the lady said, holding a picture out for them to look at. Ash looked at it, figured the boy in the picture didn't get his looks from the father.

"That's terrible—what happened?" Brock asked.

"Well, it all started five years ago," the man began.

"Five years ago?" Brock echoed.

"Yes, that was when he fell out of the helicopter."

"Do what?" Misty asked flatly.

"Don't worry, he had a parachute. But we figured that at three years old, it was time for little Tommy to start seeing the world with us."

"How did a three-year-old fall out of a helicopter?" Brock asked, tone much cooler than it had been.

"Oh it was terrible—all he wanted was to get a closer look at the Pokémon!"

Ash tried very hard to keep his expression from being a grimace and didn't think he was succeeding—at times like these, he was reminded of Darkrai's comments, that Pokémon generally had a dim view of humans and their child-rearing abilities. Guys like this probably did nothing to help that perception.

"All right, sure, we'll look for Tommy while we're in there," Ash said, if for nothing else so he could actually get out into the Safari Zone.

"That's splendid!" the man cheered, grabbing both of Ash's hands in his. "We're so glad there's still a spot of good in humanity! Oh thank you!"

Ash was pretty sure his expression was a grimace now, and turned his attention to the attendant. "We'd like to get into the Safari Zone, please."

The attendant nodded, put a tray on the counter, and then pulled another one out with a wrist-device on it. "Please put your Pokéballs and Pokémon in this empty tray, please."

Ash blinked. "Ah, do what?"

"We can't let you bring foreign Pokémon into the Safari Zone—it would run the risk of disrupting the ecosystem too much. Your Pikachu will have to go back into its ball as well."

Oh boy. "Can I leave them with a friend back in town?" Ash asked, freeing up his hands to more effectively gesture. "It's just—Pikachu doesn't like being in a ball."

"I suppose so," the lady sighed.

"Great, thanks. I'll be back."

Misty and Brock followed him as he darted back outside and started casting about for a likely hiding space.

"Hey, Darkrai!" Ash called upon finding one.

"What?" Darkrai asked flatly, drifting out.

"Will you keep an eye on my Pokémon for me? The safari lady won't let me take them in, and you know Pikachu doesn't like a Pokéball."

"Pika chu," Pikachu said, ears pinned back as Ash held him out to Darkrai.

"News flash, I'm not thrilled about being stuck with you either," Darkrai said, hands on his hips.

"As much as I hate to suggest it, we may need you to bring our Pokémon over so we can…I don't know, are we going to help those people?" Misty asked, glancing at Brock. "I mean, they seem broken up about it all, but…."

"But they dropped a three-year-old out of a helicopter over unpopulated territory five years ago," Brock said tightly, arms folded and demeanor bristling. "I guarantee you, one of my siblings got lost, I would be turning Kanto over looking for them. This here, this is just ridiculous."

"I need context here," Darkrai said, narrowing his eyes at Ash.

"This couple in there lost their kid like, five years ago," Ash said, pointing at the building. "And they want us to go look for the kid while we're in there."

"Bless your stupid bleeding heart—this is why no Pokémon thinks anything of humans."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Misty asked.

"I mean that starter Pokémon view their role as 'teaching the kid properly seeing as how the parents want to get rid of the brats as soon as possible.'"

"As it's explained to me, Pokémon have very dim views of humans and our ability to take care of kids," Ash said.

"They send you out into the wilderness at ten with an under-leveled Pokémon. You they send out into the wilderness at ten with an under-leveled Pokémon that wanted you dead. Are you seeing an issue here?"

"But you got better, right?" Ash asked Pikachu.

"It's very telling that you didn't deny that Pikachu wanted you dead," Misty said.

"Yeah, well…."

Brock nodded once, apparently coming to a decision, and unbuckled his Pokéball belt, handing it to Darkrai.

"No traumatizing anyone," Brock said as Darkrai took it with a questioning look. "As much as it pains me to say it, I'm going in there and looking for that kid—if for nothing else, to give the parents a sense of closure."

"You don't think he's alive?" Misty asked, looking at Brock with an appalled expression.

"No one's seen him, he's been in the wilderness for five years, at an age where he wouldn't understand how to take care of himself properly," Brock said. "Unless some Pokémon took pity on him, the prospects are probably dim."

Ash looked at Darkrai. "Would a Pokémon take care of him?"

"Most likely," Darkrai said, scratching at his sawtooth ridge. "Like I said, most Pokémon view it as their duty to take care of human children—it's why those professors keep sending out little brats to do their field work."

"I thought it was because everyone past a certain age was drafted," Misty said.

"Human stupidity at its finest."

"Not now," Brock said, spotting Misty steaming. "Now come on, are we going to do this or not?"

Misty huffed, but handed her Pokéballs over to Darkrai. "Don't you dare do anything to them."

"I think I'll drop them in a lake," Darkrai decided, expression studiously bored as Ash draped his Pokébelt over Darkrai's arm. Pikachu hopped down to stand next to Darkrai, apparently drawing the line at actually touching the Legendary.

"He's kidding," Ash told Misty, who looked like she was going to take Darkrai on, Pokémon or no. "Now come on, let's go look for that kid."

The wrist device at the Safari Zone was explained in short order.

"It uses the same technology that most compacting devices use," the lady explained, as Ash focused on the wrist device and tried very hard to ignore the couple watching them expectantly. "You see here? This button launches a Safari Ball for you, and this one launches bait. You can also throw rocks at a Pokémon, but I don't recommend it."

"I can't imagine why," Misty said drily, putting her wrist device on. "What's this counter here?"

"That's your time limit. It's five dollars for five hours, and you can only go in once a day."

"We can cover a lot of ground in five hours," Brock said. "Any suggestions?"

The lady glanced at Ash, who was starting to vibrate in anticipation. "Let me guess: you want to know where the Dratini nest is."

Ash nodded vigorously.

"Don't forget our son!" the man interposed.

"Uh, yeah, but he could be near the Dratini nest," Ash tried.

"We haven't forgotten," Brock said, still with that cool tone as he glared at the couple. "But I don't recommend getting your hopes up. Five years is a long time for a child to be left to his own devices."

"Have you heard anything about this?" Misty asked the lady at the counter.

"Just what I heard today," the lady told her. "To be honest, I've been working here a year and haven't heard of any lost boys."

"That's because they're with Peter Pancham," Ash said, earning a thunking on the head by Misty.

The lady shrugged and pointed to the door. "Well, there's the entrance. Your time starts as soon as you step through the gate. Anything happens, you hit that big red button on the device and services will come find you via the GPS in the wrist device. Understood?"

"You got it."

They took a moment to admire the rolling field the safari gate opened out on before making a beeline for the nearest patch of woodland cover.

Darkrai was waiting for them as soon as they lost sight of the grasslands, Pikachu sitting on the ground next to him.

"So let me see if I understand this correctly," Darkrai said. "You're going to spend the time allotted here, that you would usually spend hunting for a rare Pokémon, hunting for some people's kid that you don't know from Adam. Have I made any inaccurate statements yet?"

"I'm going to be looking around the Dratini lake," Ash pointed out. "I hear that's where they nest."

"Considering the line tends towards aquatic when not flying…."

Brock took his Pokéballs back quietly.

"We'll look for the kid," Brock said. "But like I said, the prospect of finding him is very low. Of all the Pokémon listed in the Safari Zone, would any of them actually take care of a human toddler?"

"Assume for a minute that I would know what Pokémon live here."

"Tauros and Dratini and Scyther and Nidoran and Dratini and Nidorino and Dratini," Ash rattled off.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, and you said 'Dratini' three times."

"We know, we already heard it," Misty said, looking at Ash. "And you said Kangaskhan were found here too."

"Yeah, them too."

Darkrai cocked his head. "Of any Pokémon in existence, Kangaskhan would be the most likely to randomly adopt an abandoned human toddler. They like kids, for some reason."

"So we find the Kangaskhan, and we find the kid. Seems simple enough—like it wouldn't take a whole lot of time out of our safari."

"If the Kangaskhan were the ones to find the kid first," Brock pointed out.

"I find your persisting pessimism refreshing, by the way," Darkrai said, scratching under his chin.

"It's more realism—these people did drop a three-year-old out of a helicopter five years ago."

"As you said. Multiple times," Darkrai said, tipping his head back and forth slightly. "Well, if this is all you're going to do, I might as well go do something entertaining for these five hours. Ta."

"See if you can find the Kangaskhan while you're at it!" Ash called after him. Darkrai waved dismissively over his shoulder as he disappeared.

When he was gone, Ash looked at Misty and Brock.

"I…really don't want to find some little kid's corpse," Misty said finally.

"There's probably nothing left to find," Brock told her. "We're talking forty pounds of fresh meat and bones, in a biome full of Pokémon known for not wasting anything."

"Thank you for that thought—and what idiot thought that going in a Safari Zone without Pokémon for protection was a good idea?"

"Probably the same people who thought holding a kid out of the window was a good idea," Ash said. "Welp! I'm off to find the Dratini nest! If I find anything, I'll holler."

"Go in the direction Darkrai went," Brock told him, before looking at Misty. "We'll look in a different direction—who knows? We might get something."

"All right," Misty sighed. "See you soon, Ash."

"See ya!" Ash chimed, already dodging into the underbrush.

Now to find those Dratini! And the kid, he supposed.