SZ: *sees the latest reviews*...okay...seriously?
GT: You learned the new names of the games really are Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee?
Z0: *comes in holding a buster sword* What's wrong with Eevee?
SZ: Who said something bad about Eevee? *takes out a Laser Gunblade* Who wants to die?
GT: WHO BE MAKIN' FUN OF DA CUTE ONE?! *pulls out Mega Rayquaza with a Life Orb held*
SZ: ...*looks at the readers* Oh...eh heh...hey. Sorry about that. Was just defending one of the cutest Pokemon in existence.
GT: Yep. So...uh...what was up with the latest reviews? ...It's not trying to put game logic into anime logic, is it? Or about Ash being paired with Kira despite there being no good interactions or hardly any outside of last chapter?
SZ: ...what do you think?
GT: …*turns to the readers* No. *sprays them with a spray bottle filled with water* Bad. Bad reviewers, bad. No pairing crazy twenty-year-olds with innocent eleven-year-olds.
Z0: I'm kinda...not a norm writer here...but isn't she also drastically older?
GT: Yes, yes she is I believe. Also, we are using ANIME Logic for the story, not GAME Logic. I apologize to the smarter reviewers, but one...one actually reviewed that Pikachu's attack shouldn't have worked on Onix since that's not how it works in the games. We are not using the games, but the anime and movies for the logic. We do incorporate thing from games and mangas, but not the game logic.
SZ: Exactly. It's reviews like this that...that...ugh...headache.
GT: Easy now, SZ. We need a distraction. Ladies and Gentlemen, we do not own anyone but the OCs. MR…*Mega Rayquaza looks down* Dragon Ascent the stage!
Z0: On that note remember folks: we broke and don't own anything but OC's! Kay enjoy the read! Remember we still love you bye! *Jumps out the window in a swan dive just before the stage explodes*
Entry 035: Tsubaki Yayoi, making the current entry in our log in this world. It turns out we went the wrong way once more and ended up on a path to Stone Town. Along the path, we encountered an Eevee tied up to a tree. We were worried it was Cross's doing once more, but were relieved when it wasn't. We learned that the Eevee belonged to a young boy named Mikey...who lived in a mansion with three older brothers who were throwing an Evolutionary Stone Party that celebrates Pokemon that evolve with evolution stones like the Fire Stone, Water Stone, and Thunder Stone. They also wanted Mikey to evolve his Eevee into one of their Pokemon, which is why Mikey hid Eevee outside of town.
Aside from them trying to get us to evolve all our Eevee, it was a rather enjoyable time. At least...until Team Rocket appeared. They managed to not only steal the stones, food, and Pokemon outside of their balls at the time...but also all our Pokemon on our persons! H-How?! ...I...I think I'm going to not let my guard down anymore around those three. Idiots they may seem, but being able to do that? ...Fortunately, they didn't take La's Pokedex, which houses a Rotom she named Alakai and has the function to let her call any Pokemon she owns. She used that to bring out Hanzo, a...a scarred Greninja. My goodness...All those scars a-and he was missing the end of his tongue and one of his fins on his head...just...just what happened to that Pokemon to leave him in that state?
*clears throat* We eventually found a trail left behind by Misty's Horsea and followed it to find the trio...with Black Ideals and White Truth. We were able to get our Pokemon back and while the three brothers fought Team Rocket, the rest of us were left to deal with the two higher ups. Things were going well...until another member of Team Rocket appeared. She…*shudders* She felt like her codename: Empty Void. She also showed she had no care for even her ally's Pokemon as evident by her using a Z-Move with her Spiritomb to hurt not just all our fighting Pokemon, but also the Pokemon of her allies. Such...such terrifying power…
She then proceeded to speak and...and all it did was make Ash and Hanzo angry. It was...strange. It felt like they were speaking in unison, saying the same thing. Alakai mentioned that Ash was resonating with Hanzo and when La said Ash could take command on Hanzo for fighting her Spiritomb...Hanzo transformed. I think I managed to see Ash's Rainbow Wing light up when it happened, but I think I was more shocked by Hanzo transforming. I'm so glad that Ash has been studying on Greninja since we first saw Kage because all that studying came to fruition when he was having Hanzo beat down that Spiritomb. La and Alakai eventually told us that Hanzo...is from an Ultra Wormhole and that they've seen Hanzo use this form before, calling it Battle Bond. With a last Water Shuriken, Hanzo defeated the Spiritomb, but when Empty Void wanted to continue, they were forced to retreat on orders of their leader.
We were both fortunate and unfortunate. Fortunate in that they left when they did since Ash collapsed just a few moments after they were gone, drained of his energy. But we were unfortunate because Team Rocket was able to steal all the Pokemon of the other Trainers that had been at the party...we really need to be more careful around them from now on. We're just lucky the Pokemon that were injured from the attack were safe and healed up. We all needed to destress after the long day, so the girls and I went to the local hot springs. ...We're running into quite a few of them on our travels through this place, aren't we? Makes me wish we could find more of them where we're from. Though...I do wish that Makoto would stop groping others in them! If it's not me, it's Mai. If it's not Mai, it's me. If it's not us, it's someone else! In this case, it was La. She threatened Makoto with her Mimikyu...which frightened Kajun of all people.
And just as we were starting to relax again...the guys ended up crashing it. While the majority of us forgave Ash, considering he apologized before anything else and Pikachu even hid Ash's eyes with his own hat along with the fact he was eleven and hasn't hit puberty yet, we could not forgive Brock, Takuma, or Ken. So we left them upside down tied up in a tree the entire night. ...I voted for just having them sleep without a tent for a night. We're now back on the right path, so hopefully things go well for us.
"Why are you two always putting your Charmander into a Rage?" La pondered, looking at Ash, Brock, and a panting Charmander with a scorched Geodude twitching on the ground.
"It seems the little guy has some incredible potential," Takuma spoke, walking over and rubbing Charmander's head, "Yeah...you got something special to you." he mused, "Ash...I think you need to train with Charmander some more. Maybe if he evolves, he can regulate the power for Rage. As it stands...it's too much energy for his current state."
"I know, but...I'm trying to get him to not use Rage," Ash noted.
"Why?" La pondered.
"Well, it's because of this pamphlet Nurse Joy gave us when he first learned Rage," Ash explained, showing them it, "If he uses Rage and evolves while in it, his brain's gonna make him really aggressive and attack everyone."
"So I see…" Takuma mused, "You know, the opposite might also be true. By making a Pokemon hold itself back, its frustrations will manifest towards their Trainer." he explained getting their attention, "Pokemon, just like us humans, strive to better themselves. It's possible Charmander wishes to learn control over his power rather then not use it. Perhaps there is a third path."
"A third path?" Ash pondered.
"One where you and Charmander gain power that makes both of you happy. A power only the two of you can find." he explained, "Watching him battle, I'm sure deep down he wants to be strong...for you."
"...Yeah. You're right!" Ash nodded before patting Charmander, "Sorry, buddy. I've just been really worried. Let's try to figure out a path to get ya evolved while still letting you go all out."
"Char!" Charmander replied with a large smile and an excited nod.
"He says he's all for it," La translated.
"Great!" Ash beamed before looking over at Kajun, "Hey, Kajun, where are we?"
"Hm? Oh, I thought Ken was leading us," Kajun replied.
"Hmm...I think…" Ken began as he pulled the map out, "...Well...this is awkward."
"Hmm?"
"We...somehow ended up in the Safari Zone."
"...Safari Zone?" Ash repeated.
"Some regions have zones for rare and oftentimes endangered Pokemon to live. They are also somewhat nature preserves," Takuma explained, "You can catch them, but you have to use the Safari Ball-a rather basic PokeBall with a unique coloration on the top. No Pokemon Battles allowed either." he went on earning some stares, "Hoenn has one of its own. I use to visit it a lot to enjoy the scenery...ahaha."
"Alola doesn't have that. We do have the Aether Paradise, but it has a device on it that prevents Pokemon from being let out of their balls and also locks unused Pokeballs," La noted, "But I have been to the Kanto Safari Zone with Takeru before. There's Chansey, Kangaskhan, Rhyhorn, Cubone, Nidorino and Nidorina, and so many other kinds of Pokemon."
"Hoenn's Safari zone has Johto Pokemon regularly," Takuma muttered, going off memory, "I never really tried catching any. I prefered using it as a place to relax; the scenery was beautiful."
"That seems interesting," Kajun noted before looking around, "...And Ashton has gone off."
"Huh?" La pondered before she looked to see Ash running towards a building up ahead with a large wooden gate by it, "...Wow, he moves fast."
"When it comes to Pokemon…" Misty sighed.
"Mayhaps we should have added that the caretakers for Safari zones are allowed to use...forceful methods to prevent poaching," Takuma muttered in concern.
"Forceful?" Noel repeated.
Takuma muttered for a moment before making a motion of quick drawing a gun and shooting.
"Oh…" Noel squeaked.
"After that excitable eleven year old!" Makoto shouted.
"Ash! Wait!" Brock panicked, the group running after him.
"Ugh...I can't believe how long it took ta get outta dat jail…" Billy grumbled as he and his partner walked down a dirt road.
"...Still mad at you," Kit frowned
"Why?! We're out!"
"But we spent another month in there because you tried to tunnel out with a spork."
"It woulda worked if ya helped me!"
"...ugh…" Kit groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Let's just report to base."
"Whatever. It was….hold on," Billy skid to a halt, "...That smell...Open grass...Lots of Pokemon around...oh hell yes! Safari Zone!"
"No."
"Aw come on! We can get some primo Pokemon fer da boss!"
"We're already late as is an-you're already gone, aren't' you?"
"Watch out Safari Zone! Here comes da Ultimate Safari Zone Hunter!"
"...I don't know you...I don't know you...I don't know you…" Kit muttered as she followed him.
"A whole place filled with all kinds of Pokemon!" Ash beamed, "Oh man...I can't wait to see what's there!"
"Pika/Char!" Pikachu and Charmander cheered in agreement on his shoulders.
"But wait...where to go first? ...Am I even allowed to use regular PokeBalls?" Ash pondered.
"Pika-pi…" Pikachu pointed back towards the others with his tail.
"Haha...you're right. I bet someone mentioned it the moment I ran off...oops." Ash laughed as his Pokemon sighed and shrugged at his behavior and change of mood, "...Well, let's find someplace to wait on them then...hmm…" he muttered as he looked around before seeing a nearby house, "...That might be a good spot."
"(...You get the feeling we're about to meet someone unstable?)" Pikachu whispered to Charmander as Ash approached the house.
"(More then some of the ones we know or even?)" Charmander asked with a chuckle.
"(...Fair,)" Pikachu admitted as Ash knocked on the door.
"Hello? Is anyone home?"
"Ugh...who is it? I was busy nappin'," a voice spoke as the door opened, revealing an elderly man in a red vest, "...Got a question fer ya, kid."
"Wh-" Ash began before tensing when the man pulled a gun out and aimed it at him. The two Pokemon joining him in panicking at seeing the firearm.
"You want to get shot?"
"No, no, no, no!" Ash replied quickly, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't shoot!"
"(I knew it was gonna be an unstable human!)" Pikachu panicked.
"(Please don't shoot my blanket~!)" Chamander pleaded.
"...I'll let you go this time," the man frowned as he holstered his gun.
"Phew…" the trio sighed in relief.
"Ashon Satoshi Ketchum!"
"...Uh oh," Ash gulped as Kajun and the others ran up to him.
"Honestly, you should've waited...y-" Kajun began.
"Oi. You kids."
"Hmm? Y-" Kajun began before the old man pulled the gun out again and aimed it at them.
"Do you wanna get shot?"
"Gh?!" Ken tensed.
"Whoa!" Makoto yelped, "Easy now, sir! We don't want any trouble!"
"...Is that a Black Finish .45 Caliber 1873 Buntline Revolver?" Noel gasped in awe.
"Oh?" the old man raised a slight brow as he looked at Noel, "You know your guns, little lady?"
"Who uses a gun to greet people?!" Takuma shouted.
"I do, sir. It's...a bit of a side hobby," Noel replied, "Noel Vermillion."
"Kaiser, Kaiser Colt," the old man replied, holstering his gun, "The caretaker for the Safari Zone."
"..."
"...Let me guess, you accidentally walked in?"
"We have a habit of getting lost because we keep forgetting to check the map regularly," Noel admitted.
"...I keep tellin' them to build a fence for the outer parts, but they never listen," Kaiser muttered, "Come in. You kids must be tired."
"I get the feeling this is gonna be one odd day…" Takuma muttered, still unnerved by that.
"...I get the feeling that all of you have a Science Mode," Misty noted, sweatdropping a bit as Kaiser and Noel kept chatting about multiple gun types and preferences for various gun-related activities.
"In this case, wouldn't it be Gun-nut Mode?" Takuma asked.
"It seems this house doubles as a place to purchase Safari Balls," Tsubaki noted, seeing a counter with register nearby.
"...I don't wanna get near those two to ask for fear of brain overload," Ash admitted, moving closer to Kajun ironically enough.
"Hmm...quite a few Pokemon here…" Kajun noted, looking at the Safari Zone pamphlet, "Tauros...Nidorino and Nidorina...Rhydon...Chansey...oh? 'Dratini?'"
"No!-!" everyone looked over at Kaiser, who glared at Kajun, "There are no Dratini here!-!"
"But..this s-" Kajun began.
"Do you wanna get shot?" Kaiser asked as he aimed his gun at her.
"Ah! No, no, no! There is no Dratini here! We get it! Understood!" Ash yelped.
"...Yer Pokeballs and rod are on the desk over there. Turn them in once yer done," Kaiser frowned, holstering his gun once more as he walked out, slamming the door behind him.
"...It seems to be a sore subject," La noted.
"Do you think Professor Oak might know more?" Mai asked.
"Wouldn't hurt to ask," Ken shrugged.
=Hmm? Kaiser? Ah, so you're in the Safari Zone, eh?= Oak pondered.
"That's right," Kajun replied with a nod.
=It's quite an interesting place, isn't it? Having to use special Pokeballs made just for the area and not being allowed to battle at all= Oak reminiscenced.
"True. but...he seems adamant on there being no...D-R-A-T-I-N-I."
=Ah. Well, that is a bit of a story, but I'll try to make things a bit simple. You see, Kaiser found a Dratini here long before it became the Safari Zone= Oak explained =But when the news got out...those who wanted to catch a Dratini came in droves. Many Pokemon in the area became endangered in the area and so Kaiser pleaded with the then Elite Four and then Champion to protect the area. They swept in, defeated all those there while preventing them from battling the Pokemon, and soon set up the Safari Zone to prevent this from happening again=
"So his behavior is just the norm he's developed from years of protecting the Pokemon here," Brock spoke, "Not that I condone it…"
"But we can understand it," Takuma agreed.
"He must feel guilty for everything that happened...all because he met a Dratini…" La noted sadly.
"I guess it's why he's so...intense." Brock added.
"What happened to the Dratini?" Ash pondered.
=No one ever found it. But there is a picture of it left= Oak informed before chuckling =Though I do understand some of them. Dratini is an extremely rare Pokemon to find. I hope you enjoy you time at the Safari Zone, though=
"Sure thing, Professor!" Ash assured before Oak hung up.
"...You are not going out to try to find that Dratini," Kajun informed.
"Aw, I just want to see it," Ash pouted.
"...Kit, please tell me you heard that?" Billy quietly asked his partner, an excited grin on his face.
"Catching a Dratini would be a good opportunity to offset our arrest in the eyes of our superiors," Kit admitted, "Though given what we overheard, it could very well have evolved already."
"...Which means it's most likely a Dragonair…" Billy's grin grew wider at that, "YES! When I catch it, I'll TRULY be the world's Ultimate Safari Zone Hunter!"
"Oh boy...keep it down. I don't think they heard us in Johto!"
"So?! I want the world to know my title! In fact...just to prove an example.." Billy paused as he shot up, dramatically pointing a finger in the air, "I'll catch every single Pokemon in the Safari zone today!"
"...I don't know you...I don't know you…" Kit muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"As soon as your Safari Balls are used, come back," Kaiser instructed as he opened the gate to the Safari Zone, "I even see a Pokemon getting poached by you kids...I will not hesitate to shoot on sight."
"...he's joking, right?" Ken asked as Kaiser walked away.
"No...I don't think he was…" Takuma sighed.
"Alright Kit! Le-OH HELL NO! NOT YOU AGAIN!"
"Eh?" the group blinked as they turned, seeing Kit and a slightly annoyed Billy standing there.
"Why'd it had to be you kids again?!"
"...who are you?"
"..." Billy said nothing as a depressed aura appeared around him, Houndoom pawing at him in slight concern, "They….don't remember us…"
"I don't blame them." Kit spoke up, "They only did encounter us once a few months back."
"...You gonna try and do a motto too?" Ken asked.
"...We're not those old fogies that keep following you brats," Billy muttered.
"...what do you…" Kajun began.
"Oi you two!"
"Eh? W-" Billy began before yelping as he and Kit began to dodge bullet shots from Kaiser, "Gah! The hell old man?!"
"Well...we're dead…" Kit muttered in fear, seeing the firearms.
"I was trying to tell you ya forgot your Safari balls."
"SO YOU SHOT AT US?!" Billy snapped, "With actual bullets?!"
"You weren't paying attention," Kaiser countered, tossing a basket of Safari Balls at Billy as he walked over, "Have fun."
"..."
"So this is the day that I die...fantastic." Kit sarcastically groaned.
"...As I asked before I was interrupted, what are you two doing here?" Kajun asked.
"...3...2….1…" Kit counted down as Billy shot up.
"Well if ya must know, WE'RE gonna catch every single Pokemon here!" Billy declared, "And guess what? We're gonna do it fair and square too! No cheating or anything!"
"...Actually in fact, let us make a contest of it," Kit suggested, "Your group catches the Most Pokemon, we will inform the higher ups to have the Team Rocket group following you to stay away for a few months."
"...And should we lose?"
"Whatever silly thing Billy comes up with." she shrugged indifferently.
"...hmm…" Billy crossed his arms, tilting his head as he thought for a bit, "...got it! We win…we get all the Pokemon you caught, AND all the Pokemon you have on hand, and in storage!"
"Eh?!"
"...That's...actually plausible," Kit blinked before giving a firm glare at her cohort, "Who are you and what did you do with my idiot teammate?"
"What? I can think of good ideas!" Billy argued.
"Debatable…"
"...A moment please," Kajun informed before pulling the others into a huddle, "I feel that we are at the greater advantage and should agree."
"Oh totally. These guys won't stand a chance," Makoto grinned.
"But you do realize we're betting our own Pokemon on this right?" Brock asked.
"Yeah but it's an easy bet!"
"That doesn't make it better!" the others snapped.
"...They seem to think this will be easy…" Kit noted, her eyes trailing over to a set of bushes that were ruffling nearby, a large stone rhino-like Pokemon walking out, "...Billy, a demonstration of your...talent?"
At that, something went off in Billy, a glint in his eye as he tackled the Pokemon, tumbling about before he picked it up and slammed it hard into the ground, followed by hitting it with a Safari Ball as it was caught.
"..."
"Wha…..what just happened?" Brock asked first.
"As a reminder…" Billy began with a grin, twirling the Safari Ball on his pinkie finger, "My title is the Ultimate Safari Zone Hunter, meaning…." he paused as he caught the ball in his open hand, "I don't need a Pokemon to catch a Pokemon, especially Safari Zone Pokemon."
"..."
"..." Makoto pulled them into a huddle once more, "And now I'm worried."
"Same…" Kajun admitted.
"Should we walk away?" Ken suggested, "I honestly mean that. I mean..he just slammed a RYHORN into the ground...with no problem."
"It would probably be for the best…" Takuma spoke, "I'm not sure this is in our favor. I believe they hustled us by acting stupid."
"I think it would be for the best…" Tsubaki admitted, "So let's…"
"Um...wh-were's Ash?" Noel asked.
"...no….."
"Hey!"
Hmm?" Kit raised a brow as Ash stepped forward.
"I thought about your bet…" Ash began.
'No. No. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!' a majority of the others mentally exclaimed.
"I accept!"
"..." the elders of the group all put their hands together and took deep breaths through their noses.
"Perfect...then the hunt is on!" Billy declared as he bolted off, dragging Kit along with him.
"...Ashton, we will be discussing what you did wrong tonight," Kajun informed.
"Huh?"
"Someone give him a physical learning aid," Takuma ordered.
"Gladly…" Misty growled, her mallet already out.
"..." Ash slowly blinked as he began to run….right into the Safari Zone with a livid Misty hot on his trail.
"He really deserves this," Takuma spoke bluntly.
"Sadly yes...he does," Brock sighed.
"...welp, we better catch up and help before Misty ends up killing him," Makoto suggested as she ran ahead.
"If that wasn't just exaggeration, I'd say let it happen…" Takuma spoke "But strange part is...I almost fear that was serious."
=That is a lot of wild Tauros!= Alakai yelped, seeing a herd of bull-like Pokemon with three tails and plating on their foreheads charging at La and Ash...the latter sporting a few bumps on his head.
"Tauros...I'm gonna catch one," Ash grinned as he pulled a Safari Ball out, "Safari Ball go!"
"Go, Safari Ball!" La called, throwing her own out.
The two balls flew out and La's hit one near the far right while Ash's hit the one in the lead that had a few scars on it. Both opened and sucked up the Pokemon in. La pulled Ash to the side as the herd ran where they had been standing. They two heard the Safari Balls click, signifying the capture.
=Oh! Congratulations!= Alakai beamed before registering it =Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon. Originally known in ancient Kanto as Kentauros, this Pokémon is not satisfied unless it is rampaging at all times. If there is no opponent for Tauros to battle, it will charge at thick trees and knock them down to calm itself. Though in Alola, Tauros are much more docile and it's said that the Alola Region invented that art of riding on Tauros=
"Sweet!" Ash beamed before noticing a Rhydon grazing nearby, "...Oh, a Rhyhorn...Safari Ball go!" he called as he tossed another ball at the Rhyhorn...only for the same herd of Tauros to run in front of it as one was caught, "What?!"
=An important piece of advice in the Safari Zone is that, when catching a Pokemon, you always look around first before throwing the ball= Alakai advised =Interesting, though. The first Tauros you caught has the Hidden Move Sheer Force while this one has Intimidate=
"...Let me try something else…" Ash whispered, carefully looking around before seeing a giraffe-like Pokemon grazing at a tree, "...What Pokemon is that?"
=Oh! Girafarig! The Long Neck Pokemon and a Normal/Psychic Type. Girafarig's rear head also has a brain, but it is small. The rear head attacks in response to smells and sounds. Approaching this Pokémon from behind can cause the rear head to suddenly lash out and bite= Alakai informed =Old fossils discovered that the tail was originally just actually just like the first head is like now but evolution took its course to give us the Girafarig we now know=
"Remember, Ash, look first and make sure there isn't any Pokemon coming this way if you're trying to catch this," La reminded.
"Right," Ash nodded, carefully looking around to make sure nothing else was in the area, "...no sign of the Tauros….perfect…" he pulled out another Safari Ball, "Safari Ball go!" he called as he tossed it out at the Girafarig...only for the Tauros to come barging in again and one was caught, "..."
=...there was no sign of those Tauros anywhere in the area= Alakai blinked.
"...uh…" Ash began, seeing a Dodrio resting on a tree branch, "...Safari Ball go?" he tossed another ball at the three headed bird….only for Tauros to get in the way again, "..."
"Well, Ash, you're cursed," Takuma spoke, seeing this happen a couple times.
"You may need to change strategy," La advised before pulling out a bag of PokeBeans, "You might need to get close to them and offer them some of these."
"...okay," Ash nodded, taking the bag as he carefully approached the Rhyhorn from before, "...hey buddy...you want s-" the Tauros returned once more, grabbing the PokeBeans as they passed by, "..."
"..." Pikachu slowly blinked.
=...One of them must have learned Teleport somehow…= Alakai muttered.
"...well….hope the others are having better l-"
"DANG IT! MAGIKARP AGAIN?!"
"Ack! Don't hurt it, Misty! We don't want it to evolve!" Noel yelped.
"...n-noted."
"...uh...maybe Makoto and Mai are having better luck?"
"Okay...just gotta be real...quiet…" Makoto whispered, eying a Girafarig as she and Mai hid in some tall grass.
=Girafarig, the Long Neck Pokemon. Girafarig's rear head contains a tiny brain that is too small for thinking. However, the rear head doesn't need to sleep, so it can keep watch over its surroundings 24 hours a day= Dexter informed, on loan from Ash.
"At least we're making good on getting more information sent to the Professor," Mai noted.
"Oh yeah…" Makoto nodded, "Berry, Cherry, you see any sign of interlopers?"
"Ga," Cherry replied, looking around on top of Makoto's head with pair of binoculars while Berry was doing the same from Makoto's tail.
"Chipa!" Berry gave a thumbs up.
"I think you're good to go, Makoto."
"Yosha lucky," Makoto grinned, whipping out a Safari ball as she reeled her arm back, "Safari ball go." she quietly called out as she tossed the sphere at Girafarig...only for a crow-like Pokemon to fly in and snatch it mid-air, "..."
=Murkrow, the Darkness Pokemon. Feared and loathed by many, it is believed to bring misfortune to all those who see it at night. It hides any shiny object it finds in a secret location. Murkrow and Meowth loot one another's stashes= Dexter informed.
"..."
"...Makoto? Are you okay?"
"...just…..peachy…." Makoto muttered through gritted teeth, her eye twitching.
"I'll try then," Mai noted before tossing her own Safari Ball out...only for the same Murkrow to swoop down and grab that one, "..."
"...I think Dexter's info on those damn crows needs to be updated…" Makoto muttered.
"Do you have the Tauros herd in sight, Takuma?" La asked.
"So far, we're in the clear...I don't spot them to the east or west."
"Alakai?"
=They are currently taking a drink at the river over there= Alakai informed, pointing to the south =I know it is them because I've been taking pictures all five times so far=
"Okay," La nodded, "Gengar, did you do a Mean Look to make sure they won't teleport?"
"(Sure did. The first three times were funny, but fourth time just made it annoying)," Gengar replied, sitting on a large rock and keeping his eyes focused on the Tauros.
"Ash, you are good to go."
"Right! Safari Ball, go!" Ash called, throwing the ball at a Rhyhorn….only for a Murkrow to fly in and snatch the ball midair, "..."
"..."
=...=
"(Excuse me. I need to give a Murkrow a bad day now)," Gengar growled.
"You stay right there and keep Mean Looking those Tauros," La ordered, her eye twitching.
"...maybe I'll try the food approach again," Ash suggested, grabbing a new bag of PokeBeans...only for a long tongue to snatch them right from him, "..."
"Tongue~"
=That's a Lickitongue, th...=
"Not...now….Alakai…" La muttered through gritted teeth.
=Um...R-Right= Alakai gulped before flying over to Ash =Maybe the next time that happens, try it with a Safari Ball out to use at the moment the beans are taken?=
"...Good idea."
"...So cute…" Noel whispered, she and Misty looking out at a herd of small sheep-like Pokemon with light yellow wool.
"Those are Mareep, the Wool Pokemon," Kajun noted, "They're Electric-Type Pokemon and its fleece grows continuously. Clothing made from it needs to be treated to prevent electric shocks."
"...I want one," Noel whispered as she shot up, "I want to cuddle that fluffy wool."
"Vul-vul/Eevui," Yuki and Nymph agreed, stars in their eyes.
"...You sure? Because I heard the o-" Misty began.
"Safari Ball, go!" Noel shouted as she tossed the sphere out, a Murkrow trying to catch it...only to miss when it curved around and hit a Mareep, flinching a bit as it was caught, "Yes. Capture get!"
"How did you do that?" Misty gawked.
"That...that's not how the laws of aerodynamics work...at all." Kajun spoke, "...Though to be fair, you were the best when it came to far range at school….but regardless, that..."
"What should we name her?" Noel asked Yuki and Nymph as she held the Safari Ball Mareep was in.
"And totally ignored," Misty and Kajun deadpanned.
"...see anything?" Brock asked as he, Ken, and Tsubaki looked around.
"Nothing...and that worries me slightly," Ken admitted, "Those two must've beat us to the punch here."
"If they can clear out one clearing so fast, then I really worry," Brock sighed.
"Same…" Tsubaki admitted, "...Luca, you sense anything?"
"They did not take all the Pokemon. In fact, there's a clear abundance of them," Luca noted, his eyes closed and the four black bulbs on the back of his head pointing out to the sides, before he knelt down and tapped between two mushrooms gently, making a Paras poke up.
"Oh a Paras," Brock spoke recognizing it quickly.
"Nice. L...wait…" Ken paused, looking around carefully as he carefully pulled a Safari Ball out.
"What's wrong?" Brock asked.
"Making sure there's nothing to run interference…" Ken explained, "Like a Murkrow flying in or a Lickitongue snatching your food while you're not looking...okay. Don't see anything wrong, so Safari Ball g-" he tensed when he saw something large poke its head out from a set of bushes, "...A…..a Bewear….here?"
"A Bewear?" Tsubaki repeated.
"Think Ursaring, only with the possibility of its hugs crushing your bones to dust," Brock warned.
"Wear~!"
"And it wants a hug," Luca informed.
"...n-now come on. It doesn't look th-" Tsubaki began when one of Bewear's arms smacked into a tree, causing it to snap in half, "...run….now!"
"Something hates us today!" Brock exclaimed as they began to run, Bewear chasing them.
"Did we anger Arceus or something?!" Ken added.
"What is wrong with this place?!" Brock cried as the Bewear picked up speed.
"I don't know!"
"I don't want to see this place for a while!" Luca screamed.
"...s-so...any luck?" Noel asked as the group gathered back near the entrance.
"I caught six Tauros," Ash noted.
"It turns out that they kept trying to get caught by Ash since they thought their leader, whom Ash caught, had ordered them to get caught as well," La explained, giving a sigh of exasperation.
"And when I tried catching anything else that wasn't Tauros, a Murkrow would fly in and snatch the Safari Ball mid-air," Ash added.
=Joke's on Nevermore. La caught the pesky one when Ash threw his second-to-last ball= Alakai informed =She also has one of the Tauros, whom is named Rampart, and he tends to talk in the third person=
"...I caught nothing…" Makoto muttered, "Mai on the other hand...caught a Shinx."
"Really?" La asked.
"Mmm hmm," Mai nodded as she held the Safari Ball up, showing the small feline-like Pokemon inside.
"I...I caught a Mareep," Noel added.
"Me and Kajun caught nothing…" Misty muttered.
"...Actually...while you two were busy fishing…" Kajun began as she held a Safari Ball up, "I caught a Slowpoke."
"What?!"
=...Yeah...don't expect much conversations with a Slowpoke. It takes them twelve hours to respond to a topic until they evolve into Slowbro or Slowking= Alakai advised.
"Personal experience," La explained.
"Ahh...noted."
"...We got chased…by a Bewear…" Ken deadpanned.
"...Did you catch it?" Ash asked.
"We did not. We were lucky to survive since it got distracted by a Rhydon tackling it since it entered the Rhydon's territory," Luca informed.
"So to count Ash's and La's Tauros, the Murkrow she caught, Mai's Shinx, Noel's Mareep, and Kajun's Slowpoke...we've only caught eleven Pokemon here in the Safari Zone," Tsubaki stated.
"Yo!" Takuma cheered, appearing last, "You...you guys don't look so hot."
"We only caught eleven Pokemon, counting duplicates," La informed.
"That bad?" he asked, dropping his gear down, "I just came back 'cause I ran out of balls." he sighed.
"Wait, what?" the others blinked as they looked at him.
"I told you I spend a lot of time in my home regions' Safari zone." he explained, "I also visited the one in Sinnoh. I may not be a pro...but I have a mighty good arm" he smiled, borrowing one of their Safari Balls before reeling his arm back and tossing it into the air, everyone blinked before hearing a squawk of shock before the ball bounced back with a Murkrow inside.
=Well, that's two Murkrow now= Alakai noted after a moment.
"I suppose it is." he mused, "I caught a few critters...I would have got that Nidoking if that cranky Bewear didn't spook him away."
"...Please tell me you caught it," Ken begged.
"Nope...it swatted my balls away...bright side, I caught an Electabuzz and a few Paras." Takuma explained, "It was like some kinda kung fu movie where it dodged every move."
"...Someone needs to catch that thing. Something that dangerous should not be here," Ken stated, "I mean it. One wrong move a-"
"SUP LOSERS?!" the group turned to see Billy and Kit approach, the latter holding a large bag filled with Safari Balls, "So...how many ya caught?"
"Clearly not as many…" Takuma bluntly admitted.
"Ash, I am blaming you," Misty whispered.
"Why me?!"
"You….you got us into this," Misty growled.
"Aw...giving up?" Billy mocked, "Heh...too bad. We...hmm...oh snap! I forgot about the Dratini/possible Dragonair!"
"...You buffoon!" Kit barked, smacking him upside the head.
"What?! Not like they can find it too!" Billy argued.
"Is that so?" Takuma asked, "You seem mighty confident."
"Uh hello? Ultimate Safari Zone Hunter?!" Billy reminded, "...Oh! Just gotta another sweet idea~ You two…" he pointed at Misty and Brock, "You guys are Gym Leaders, right?"
"Technically yes," Brock replied.
"Then how about we ante up? You find the Dratini, you get my collection of Gold Nuggets. Me and Kit find it...you give up the gyms."
"So...they are gamble addicts…" Takuma mused to himself, "I wager...La...I'm going to need you to play along for a moment." he quickly spoke up, "How about we make things just a little bit more interesting?!"
"Oh?" Billy raised a brow in interest.
"My friend here…" he put his arm on La's shoulder, "Her boyfriend has some super rare Pokemon you can't find anywhere else! How about this...we'll get him to toss in those rare Pokemon!"
"That true?" Billy asked.
"...well...yes," La replied, "And all of them with their Hidden Abilities."
"Hidden Abilities you say…?" Billy smirked.
"And Pokemon that rare...are worth a little more than what you've wagered so far…" Takuma went on.
"But in return for those, we'll need an equivalent. Shall we say...dropping the original bet should we find this rare Pokemon in the Safari Zone?" La offered.
"..."
"...Billy...don't you dare…" Kit began with a frown.
"His strongest Pokemon can one-shot Lance's Dragonite," La added.
"DEAL!" Billy declared, quickly shaking La's hand.
"Dang it, Billy!" Kit barked.
"What?! It's a good deal, Kit!" Billy argued.
"We already had their Pokemon! We could've just turned their deal down!"
"But we'll get even rarer Pokemon, and the Dragonair hiding here!"
"How?!"
"Uh hello?! Ultimate Safari Zone Hunter?!"
"...j...just knowing you is giving me a migraine…." Kit groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "...You know what? Fine...we'll go on this wild Farfetch'ed chase, but don't complain to me when we don't find it…"
"Oh we will find it," Billy smirked, grabbing her before rushing off, "Later, dimwits!"
"...what just happened?" Makoto blinked.
"We just bought some time and another chance to avoid losing our Pokemon," La replied.
"Oh...sweet."
"So...we're gonna go search for that Dratini/possible Dragonair?" Ken asked.
"Seems like it," Mai sighed.
"...a-another question,"Noel spoke up, gaining their attention, "Wh-where's Ash?"
"...that kid moves fast," Ken noted, seeing no sight of Ash or Pikachu anywhere.
"That kid's gonna be the death of us one day…" Takuma bluntly spoke up.
"Agreed," everyone but Kajun agreed with sighs.
"If our luck persists like the last time he ran off on his own, we'll be seeing a Legendary," Kajun noted before blinking, "Ah...La is gone now as well."
"Let's get going then." Takuma sighed as he began running off.
"Any sign of it, Pikachu?!" Ash excitedly...yet quietly asked, rapidly looking around the Safari Zone.
"Pika…" Pikachu replied in the negative as he looked around on top of Ash's shoulder.
"Well look harder! Dragonair has to be here!" Ash called as he rushed for the water, taking a deep breath as he put his head in...only to pull out when a Carvanha tried to bite him, "Gah! Not in there!"
"Pika…" Pikachu sighed before his ear twitched, "Pika?"
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Krow~!"
"Pika…" Pikachu let out an annoyed growl as a Murkrow landed before them...wearing a red bow.
"A red bow?"
"Oh! Good going, Nevermore!" Ash looked to see La running over.
"Is that the Murkrow you caught?" Ash asked.
"Yep. I asked Nevermore to find you," La explained.
"...the others aren't following you, are they?"
"...I'm...not sure. Kajun said that the last time you did this, you encountered a Legendary Pokemon. You know my field of study if them, so when I heard that I just thought 'find Ash,'" La replied sheepishly.
"...oh…I see... " Ash blinked.
"(Does thou need anything else?)" Nevermore asked.
"Yes, actually. Do you know anywhere Dragon-Type Pokemon like to stay here in the Safari Zone?" La asked.
"(Hmm...Thou art looking for Dragon Valley then. Tis but a simple flight, or walk for thou land walkers, that way)," Nevermore replied, motioning to go down the river to the east.
"Dragon Valley? Thank you, Nevermore," La thanked.
"(Tis no trouble. Now if thou will allow me, I must procure my loot from my former abode)," Nevermore informed before flying off.
"Okay. We have a lead," La noted with a smile before turning to Ash, "We go down the river and we'll find a place called Dragon Valley. It may be our best bet to find a Dratini or Dragonair. Maybe a Dragonite, even."
"Dragonite? Why would there...Oh yeah. Dragonite evolve from Dratini, right?"
=Exactly. Have you met one before?= Alakai asked.
"Yeah...a really big one near Bill's lighthouse," Ash answered, "It was thanks to him Pikachu learned Zap Cannon."
"Pika!" Pikachu beamed.
"Okay. So shall we get going then?" La asked.
"Yeah. I wanna find that…" Ash began before yelping when a gunshot filled the air.
"There's no Dragon Pokemon in Dragon Valley!"
=Ah! It's Mr. Kaiser!= Alakai yelped, flying behind La =Don't shoot! I am in an expensive piece of equipment!=
"Are you kids practically askin' to be shot?" Kaiser asked with a frown, walking over to the two as he aimed his gun at them.
"No, no, no!" Ash assured quickly, sweating heavily.
"I admit that I do find it suspicious that you call it Dragon Valley when there are no D-Ruby, Smokescreen!" La swiped a ball out, releasing a large dark-blue and cream-colored Pokemon with a mane of flames on the back of its shoulders.
"Typhlosion!" the Pokemon roared before releasing a blast of black smoke from its mouth, obscuring the two humans, one Pokedex, and one Pokemon from Kaiser.
=We will not be earning brownie points with him for this!= Alakai yelped as the Pokemon ran off on all fours, La and Ash on its back.
"...Those kids…" Kaiser frowned as he holstered his gun, 'Dratini..I swear I won't let anyone find you…'
"Anything, Luca?" Tsubaki asked, the Lucario sitting on a large rock with his eyes closed and the growths on the back of his head pointing outwards.
"I know Ash's aura well from how long we've been travelling with him," Luca replied, "It seems he's going down the river riding on...hmmm...I believe a Typhlosion?"
"Believe?"
"I am recently evolved. I am still getting used to seeing auras in long distances."
"Ahh..fair I suppose," Tsubaki nodded, "...Wait. Why is he riding on a Typhlosion?"
"Judging from the hints of fear emanating off of him and La...most likely it is due to encountering Kaiser and mentioning Dratini."
"...ooh…" Makoto cringed.
"Well...this is a fine mess we've gotten into," Takuma sighed, "And just after buying us a second chance."
"No kidding…" Mai sighed.
"Did we honestly do something to anger Arceus today?" Ken asked in a deadpanned tone.
"Could just be Ash Arceus is mad at," Misty replied, "We're just feeling the aftereffects of when things happen to him. Noel, can we please get a ride on Umi down the river?"
"That's a good idea," Takuma spoke, "You guys can catch up faster with the current; you guys can cut them off 'till we catch up."
"O-ok," Noel nodded as she let Umi out..who instantly began to snuggle against her.
"...That is one affectionate Milotic," Ken noted.
"I blame Noel and her methods of being affectionate to Umi as a Feebas," Mai noted.
"Umi, n-not now please. We need to get going down the river after Ash and La," Noel explained, giggling a little from a few nuzzles from the shiny Milotic.
"Milo?" Umi blinked, moving from her trainer before hopping into the river, "Tic!"
"She's quite happy to take a swim," Luca informed, "Remember; they're going down the river to the east."
"Got it," Misty replied as she and Noel got on Umi.
"Let's go, Umi," Noel spoke.
"Milo~!" Umi beamed before swimming down the river.
"And now we get going, too!" Makoto declared.
"Well, I'm starting to understand just why they call it Dragon Valley," La noted as she and Ash arrived at a large valley filled with water and stone spikes poking out in random areas, "It seems perfect for them to train in or live in."
"Yeah...but…" Ash paused as he looked around, "Where are the Dragon Types?"
=In hiding, most likely= Alakai guessed =Considering the Pokemon we're looking to meet, they will most likely be underwater=
"Oh…"
=Yeah...doesn't help the Dratini line are often hard to encounter, much like the Gible line….and the Bagon line...and the Axew line...and the...=
"(We get it…)" Pikachu deadpanned.
"So perhaps dive in then?" La pondered as she dug into her pocket and pulled out a rounded rectangular device that was black and pink with a crystal light-blue Pokeball on one end.
"What's that?" Ash pondered.
=This is a Pokemon Ride Pager= Alakai informed =If you register a Pokemon to this, then you can call them at anytime from anywhere to act as a ride. It also gives you a protective outfit to wear while riding on a Ride Pokemon. Several of La's Pokemon are registered as such, but that's because they prefer to not battle=
"Huh?" He blinked confused from that wordy explanation.
=A Ride Pokemon is prohibited from being registered as a battling Pokemon. This is meant to help protect them from being injured and unable to perform their job=
"Oh…" he nodded in understanding, at least for a second, "Huh?"
"(Yeah this is normal)," Pikachu chuckled, enjoying this back and forth.
"It lets someone call on Pokemon who don't like to fight, and thanks to this don't have to. You can call on Pokemon friends to help you in your journey," La explained for Alakai who was losing patience.
"Oh...that makes so much sense." Ash nodded now fully understanding.
La nodded before taking off the crystal Pokeball, "Okay. Come out, Tenny!"
The ball opened and let out a blue light that formed into a Tentacruel wearing a pair of oxygen tanks on the top of its head like a drinking hat with a cushioned seat in a dome on top. Another light came out of the ball and covered La. The light faded, revealing a form-fitting black wetsuit with pink detailing on her hips, a heart design on her bust, elbow and knee guards, and a pair of backless, fingerless gloves on her hands.
"There we go," La spoke with a small smile as the Tentacruel waved to her, "Good to see you, too, Tenny."
"A Tentacruel?" Ash gulped, a bit nervous.
"He's from Alola," La assured as Tenny tapped the side of the clear dome on his head to let a panel open on it to let them in.
"...He doesn't know the Tentacruel and Tentacool that attacked…" Ash began.
"No."
"Okay…" Ash spoke, still a bit uneasy, but followed her into the dome before the panel slid shut and sealed it up.
"Okay. Down we go," La spoke.
"(Ugh...one Tentacruel leads a tirade against the humans one time because of a greedy one, and we get blamed for that…)" Tenny grumbled as he sank down.
"(Considering it was as big as a Dragonite we met in Cerulean Cape that taught me Zap Cannon and flooded an entire portside city with one move? A bit hard to not feel uneasy around them. ...Unless you're Misty. She'd love meeting you)," Pikachu noted.
"(Oh really? People are often...uneasy around Tentacruel and Tentacool...especially after that one incident...and to assure you, not all Water Pokemon, especially Tentacool and Tentacruel are not crazy fanatics for Lord Kyogre,)" Tenny assured.
"Whoa~" Ash awed as he looked around, "Where did you get this?"
"They're given to all Trainers in Alola that partake in the Island Challenge," La explained.
"Island...challenge?"
"Think Gym Battles, only instead of Badges, you're given Z-Crystals," La compared.
"You must have been through a lot to get all those then," Ash noted.
"Oh I have," La nodded, "Normal, Water, Fire, Grass, Electric, Ghost, and Dragon were the normal Trials-that's what we call the challenges to get the Z-Crystals-while I had to get the Fighting, Rock, Dark, and Ground in Grand Trials. Grand Trials are sorta like fighting Gym Leaders, but you instead fight the strongest Trainer of the Island you're on-the Kahuna."
"Kahuna?"
"They're considered the leaders of each of the four islands that make up Alola," La explained, "You fight them when you finish all the Trials on each Island and when you beat them, you get a Z-Crystal from them."
"...huh...cool," Ash noted, 'Looks like I might have another place to travel to…'
"(And Ash has that look in his eye aga-)" Pikachu began with a sigh before he noticed something swim by, "Pi?"
"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika-pi!" he pointed to where he saw the moving figure with his tail.
"Tenny, can you go that way? Pikachu says he saw something," La spoke.
"(Of course)," Tenny replied, turning to the direction Pikachu had been pointing towards.
"What do you think it was?" Ash asked Pikachu.
"(Maybe a Dragonair….or...ulp, Gyarados…)" Pikachu answered.
=I'll get Wishy on standby if it is a Gyarados= Alakai noted.
"Please don't be a Gyarados…" Both humans pleaded.
"Ash?! Ash, where are you?!" Misty called out as she and Noel arrived in the area, the two hopping off Umi's back.
"Did we get here before them?" Noel pondered as Yuki and Nymph shook the water they got on them off.
"If we are, Ash is getting an earful," Misty grumbled.
"Though...come to think of it...Where is here?" Noel pondered, looking at the stone spikes emerging from the water, "It...It's kinda scary."
"...Please don't let there be a Gyarados here…" Misty whispered as she and Noel hid behind Umi.
"Vui~" Nymph mewled happily once her fur was water-free, not noticed by Misty and Noel.
"Vul-vul!" Yuki yipped in agreement before hearing something in the water, "Vul?"
The two tiny Pokemon looked at the water. Poking out of it was a snake-like Pokemon was that primarily blue with a white underbelly and muzzle. It had a pearl on its forehead with two wing-like fins growing out of the sides of its head. Its big ruby red eyes looked at them. It gave a curious trill while tilting its head at them.
"Vulpix!"
"Eevee!"
"Tini!" the snake-like Pokemon beamed as it swam over to them, the cry finally earning the attention of the two.
"It's a Dratini…" Misty spoke as the snake-like Pokemon began to play with Yuki and Nymph.
"Oh~C-Cute…" Noel awed, "I...it looks so young, too."
"Hmm…" Misty dug around in her bag and pulled out Dexter, "Glad that Ash forgot to grab this back from Mai."
=Dratini, the Dragon Pokemon. In ancient Kanto and Johto, Dratini was originally known as Miniryu. This Pokémon is full of life energy. It continually sheds its skin and grows steadily larger. Even the young are known to exceed two meters. It is rare and was long considered to exist only in myth= Dexter informed =This Dratini is six months old and has the Ability Marvel Scale=
"Oh...it's a baby," Noel spoke up, "I want to pet it…"
"It's as old as Yuki," Misty noted.
"We found the Dratini...but...where are Ash and La?" Noel asked as she inched closer to the dragon type, really wanting to touch it before a net grabbed the three, "Ah!"
"Yes! I caught it!" Billy laughed, a bazooka with a rope connected to the net coming out of the weapon settled on his shoulder.
"Only because Froslass managed to sneak that bug on the boy," Kit sighed.
"No. It was because of my..nevermind! We caught the Dratini!" Billy declared," And we caught some extr-"
*BANG!*
"Oh geez!" Billy yelped as he dropped the bazooka, "It's that old nut again!?"
"It wasn't the warden," Kit replied, her eyes wide in surprise.
"N-Noel…?" Misty whispered in shock.
"Hands off the cute Pokemon!" Noel ordered, the barrel of the Bolverk in her right hand smoking from the shot fired.
"Where did those come from?!" Billy gawked.
"I said let the cute Pokemon go!"
"Where did you get those?!" Misty exclaimed in shock, earning a raised brow from Umi, having seen her pull mallets out of nowhere.
"Long story," Noel answered, her eyes still trained on Billy and Kit.
"Who gives a little guy guns?!" Billy exclaimed.
"..."
"...what? ...WHAT?!"
"He's dead…" everyone collectively spoke, Umi slapping her tail fin to her face before shaking her head in pity.
"Umi, get him," Noel ordered, "Ice Dragon."
"Ice wh-" Billy began before Umi shot out...a dragon made of ice, "...Kit….!"
"Froslass, Ice Barrier!"
"Fros!" Froslass called as she swung her arms out, making a shield of ice that the ice dragon collided with, shattering both the shield and dragon after a moment post-impact.
"Now Shadow Ball."
"Fros…"
"Umi...Mirror Wall."
"LASS!" Froslass cried out as she threw a sphere of shadows at Umi.
"Milo~" Umi sang as her body glowed before making a partial dome appear before her, the surface showing a reflection of Froslass before the Shadow Ball hit the dome and shot back at Froslass twice as big as when it had been sent.
"Fros?!" Froslass tensed before the sphere slammed into her, said sphere exploding as she fell to the ground unconscious.
"?!" Kit tensed up at that, "Wh...what? She..combined Mirror Coat and Protect..."
"...And that's bad how?" Billy raised a brow.
"Normally Mirror Coat damages the Pokemon before reflecting the damage back at the opponent, but with Protect added on, it...it protects the Pokemon, and fires the attack back with double the power," Kit explained.
"Huh?!" he panicked at hearing that.
While they were focused on Noel and Umi, Mitsy ran over to the net and started to work on it, whispering, "Don't worry, you three. I'm getting you out of there as fast as I can."
"Tini…" Dratini shook a bit in fear.
"...oh I don't think so! Houndoom, get the net!" Billy ordered.
"Hound!" Houndoom howled as he pounced, only to yelp as he stopped midair when Noel fired a shot in the air and he bolted behind his owner, his tail between his legs.
"Wh-?! Don't...Aw come on, buddy! You've faced scarier Pokemon than that ironing b-" Billy began before tensing when he looked at Noel, "...th….that's a freakin' rocket launcher…"
"How is someone that stupid still alive?" Misty asked in a deadpan.
"I ask that to myself every time he opens his mouth," Kit sighed in admittance.
"I can hear you!" Billy shouted.
"You were meant to!" the girls all snapped at him.
"Ack! Why ya gotta team up on a guy like that?!"
"Cause you're kinda the bad guy!" Misty shouted.
"Because you're an idiot," Kit added.
"Aren't you on my side?!"
"It's still the truth."
"Oh yeah! Well...what are you two lame-o girls gonna do?!" Billy exclaimed, "It's two on two…"
"...Correction, it's two on eight," Noel corrected.
"Wait, what?" Billy blinked at that.
*BANG!*
"Ah! Would ya stop shootin' at me?!" Billy snapped.
"Oh, that wasn't me," Noel replied.
"That was me," Billy turned to see the others nearby with a scowling Kaiser, gun drawn and aimed at Billy.
"...Don't aim at the pomp…" Billy gulped, holding his arms over his hair, "Please spare the money maker!"
"These kids told me what was going on," Kaizo explained, "You won't get your hands on the Dratini that lives here."
"...You referring to that baby one there?"
"...Baby?" Kaizo raised a brow a bit as he looked over, seeing the small Dratini in the net, "?!"
"...You should not have done that…" Ken spoke up, noticing the net.
"...Why?"
"Because when a hatchling is in danger…" Ken began as the water began to bubble a bit, "One of the caretakers in a herd, the parent, or someone put to look after the hatchlings, will come to defend them…"
The water erupted into a waterspout. After several moments, the waterspout dispersed, revealing a far longer and much bigger Dratini with the blue much darker and the pearl now a horn with a tiny 'x' mark near the left side base of it and the wing-like fins on its head much more feathery. Near the end of its tail were two blue gems while one more rested below its head.
"Dragon...AIR!" the Pokemon roared as an aura erupted off it.
"...a...a Dragonair…" Kajun whispered.
"Not just any Dragonair either," Takuma noted, a hint of interest in his voice, "It's a Totem Pokemon."
"...Totem...Pokemon…" Kit whispered, worry actually evident in her voice as her glasses slipped off her face, "...Billy, I suggest a retreat...now."
"Um, Tsubaki? You asked me to keep an eye for Ash's aura."
"I did."
"Well, I found it," Luca replied.
"Where?"
"There," Luca replied as he pointed at Totem Dragonair...specifically at where a soaked Ash was holding onto it.
"WHAT?!" Tsubaki exclaimed.
"W...We just can't let him go off on his own for five minutes…" Kajun sighed, facepalming, before Tenny came out of the water before he was returned by La, back in her normal clothes.
"She was stuck under some broken spikes," La explained, "Ash got out of the dome to help her and wHO PUT THAT DRATINI HATCHLING IN A NET?!"
"...He did it," everyone, even Kit, replied while they pointed at Billy.
"Dragonair…" Totem Dragonair growled.
"S-So what?! I'm still gonna catch ya! I'm da master of da Safari Zo-why is its mouth glowing?"
"Oh sh…" Kit began before Totem Dragonair opened its mouth and roared, releasing a blue and white beam with the end of it shaping into a demonic dragon head that slammed into the ground between the two.
*KRA-KOOOOOOOOOM!-!-!-!*
"Wh-What is this?" Billy groaned as he, Kit, Houndoom, and Froslass flew through the air.
"That was Dragon Pulse mixed with Hyper Beam…" Kit groaned.
"Not dat! Dis!" Billy barked.
"I believe that Team Rocket Cell 1337 calls it…"
"BLASTING OFF~!" the two cried out as they became a twinkle in the sky.
"...And they're gone…" Noel sighed in relief, quickly dismissing Bolverk before rushing over to the Dratini in the net and pulled said net off, "There you go, little one…"
"Is it safe to come out from our cover?!" Takuma shouted from behind a rock.
"We're good!" Misty called.
"Oh thank Arceus," Brock sighed in relief as the others came out of hiding.
Totem Dragonair flew down to land on the ground. She lowered her upper body down and Ash slid off it. Dratini squeaked happily as it bounced over to the Totem Pokemon and nuzzled into her, receiving a nuzzle in return.
"That's a big Dragon-Type," Makoto awed, 'Not as big as Dragonite, but still…'
=That is because this Dragonair is a Totem Pokemon= Alakai informed, flying over and letting his screen display a cartoon of an Ultra Wormhole releasing light on a Caterpie that was eating a leaf by another Caterpie...before the one that soaked up the light suddenly grew to three times its normal size, startling the other Caterpie =They're Pokemon that have absorbed energy released from an Ultra Wormhole. From what I can examine, the Aura emanated from Totem Dragonair increased all its stats when it flared!=
"Simply amazing!" Kajun awed before Kaiser walked up to the Totem, "Hm? Mr. Kaiser?"
"It's you…" Kaiser gasped, earning a happy noise from Dragonair as she nuzzled him.
"What's she saying?" Makoto whispered to Luca.
"Dragonair says that she's happy to see him again," Luca explained.
"Soka...You were feeling guilty over what happened to the Safari Zone all because of becoming friends with Dragonair as a Dratini," Noel realized, "It's why you always reacted like you did when it came to people talking about Dragon-Types in the Safari Zone, right?"
"That's correct," Kaiser replied before hugging Dragonair, tears in their eyes, "You've grown so much since I last saw you!"
"And she says that the fuzzy stuff-her words, not mine-on his head turned grey," Luca 'whispered' to Tsubaki.
"Luca," Tsubaki tried to scold, but couldn't help the tiny smile of amusement show.
"Tini~!" Dratini squeaked.
"Ah! Did you have a child, too? Oh, that's simply wonderful!" Kaiser beamed.
"I really like these situations," Ash noted as the others watched the tearful reunion.
"Yeah…." Takuma spoke as he swung his arm around Ash, keeping him in place, "You're in SO much trouble after this…"
"Ulp…" Ash gulped, swearing a bit as he noticed Tsubaki and Kajun also looking at him with looks that said 'you're in so much trouble.'
"In the end, we're going to say that we never met a Dragonair or a Dratini here," Mai noted on the video call with Professor Oak, "Everyone's in agreement that we don't want the Safari Zone to be ruined again with this news."
"Though we did tell them about Bill and his 'big' friend at Cerulean Cape if they needed to go away for a bit on the off-chance someone finds where they are in the Safari Zone," Brock added.
=Oh? What a coincidence. I just got a call from Bill not too long ago= Oak stated.
"Eh?"
=He was on his way to Celadon City for an underwater show=
'Probably my sisters…' Misty thought.
=And he said that when he came back to the cape, there were some new residents in the form of a herd of Dratini and Dragonair! It seems that since Dragonite has found a place he feels like home, his body is giving off an aura that attracts them=
"...So he became a Totem Pokemon?" Ash pondered.
=No. Not a Totem. Remember that this Dragonite is an Alpha. While there could be influence from an Ultra Wormhole's energies, that size is all him= Oak informed =But that's beside the point. One of the Dragonair offered Bill an egg and he asked if it was fine to send to someone and she agreed= he held up an egg case, showing a cream and blue egg inside =As you can see, he delivered it to me, but I'm in a bit of a pickle. I can't raise an egg at the moment due to a coming conference so I was hoping if Tsubaki would be willing to keep it with her=
"M-Me?"
=Yes. You're a rather responsible young woman and who better to keep a rare Pokemon egg safe then someone with military training and a Lucario as a Starter?=
"...He does make a point," Luca spoke.
"From how long we've known you, you do seem like a responsible person," Ken added.
"It'd probably be safest with one of you, but you do seem the most responsible out of your group." Takuma added, "As the Professor said, Military training can be helpful in making that choice easier."
"Well of course! She was a member of the student body council," Makoto assured with a grin.
"...Oh. Very well," Tsubaki replied.
=Excellent! Kajun, may I borrow Hikari for the delivery?=
"Of course." Kajun nodded.
"Kirl…" Hikari spoke up before using Teleport to appear beside Oak =Kirl…=
=Oh, good speed still. Here you go. Be careful with it now, okay?=
=Kirl…= Hikari replied with a nod before Teleporting back to beside Tsubaki, offering the sealed Egg, "Lia."
"We have it," Tsubaki informed, showing the egg.
=Excellent! Now then, Ash, how did the Safari Zone go?= Oak asked.
"Kaiser is activating the return feature on the Safari Balls right now," Ash replied.
=Wonderful! Oh. That must be them now!= Oak noted before screaming as he was surrounded by six Tauros =How did you get so many Tauros?!=
"...Uh…."
"He caught the herd leader and ended up catching five more when he tried catching something else," La explained, "He tried to catch several other Pokemon, but a Murkrow kept stealing the balls."
"Krow!" Nevermore cawed as he flew in with a large sack on its back and another in a talon.
"This one to be precise," La added before Nevermore flew over to the other room where they heard a bag hit something.
"Gah!" Kaiser yelped in the other room before gunshots went off and a startled Nevermore with several holes in his large bag and the smaller one missing flew over to La and quickly returned to his Safari Ball on her belt, "Blasted Murkrow! At least setting up that timer for releasing a Murkrow repellent on unused Safari Balls still works..."
"Guess it's not the first time," Makoto noted, a drop of sweat going down the back of her head.
=Ah! Krabby, Eevee, don't you dare!= Oak barked before they looked at the screen just in time to see the six Tauros charging across it behind a fleeing Oak with Eevee and Krabby riding on the lead Tauros, cheering, before the connection was lost.
"...and those are your Krabby and Eevee?" Takuma asked, looking at Ash with a raised brow.
"Guess Professor Oak didn't send him to mom like he usually does," Ash sighed.
GammaTron: Apologies for how long it's taken. Real life is kinda mean.
SZ: Oh so very true...jobs, new games, new fics...plenty of things.
GT: Espeically the jobs thing. *sighs* I still have mixed feeling on my work schedule. I work for 12 hour shifts from 8AM to 8PM, but the days I work...they flip each week. One week's Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The other week it will be Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Z0: Work sucks thats the rules of life my brothers.
SZ: mm hmm..and I'm currently trying to get a job at Walmart or Target.
GT: So updates may be slower than you're used to. But that's life, I suppose. Still, hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!
SZ: mm hmm..and we hope you leave a review...and a good one, not a flame, troll, or 'you're not using game logic' kind of one.
GT: We use Anime Logic. Not Game Logic. So read and review, please!
Ash Ketchum: Pikachu [Starter], Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Krabby(At Prof. Oak's Ranch), Eevee(At Prof. Oak's ranch), Gengar, Primeape(At Prof. Oak's ranch), Muk(At Prof Oak's Ranch), TauruosX6(At Prof Oak's Ranch)
Misty: Goldeen, Staryu, Horsea,, Psyduck, Starmie [Starter]
Brock: Geodude, Onix [Starter], Zubat, Vulpix
Makoto Nanaya: Berry(Pachirisu) [Starter], Needles(Beedrill), Cherry(Emolga), Booster(Flareon), Honey(Buneary)
Noel Vermillion: Yuki(Alolan Vulpix) [Starter], Nymph(Eevee), Umi(Milotic), ?(Mareep)
Tsubaki Yayoi: Luka(Lucario) [Starter], Astrea(Eevee), Sorin(Rockruff), Izayoi(Honedge), Egg
Mai Natsume: Terra(Sandshrew) [Starter], Aqua(Buizel), Celsius(Eevee), Noble(Cubone), Ventus(Rufflet), ?(Shinx)
Kajun Faycott: Hikari(Kirlia) [Starter], Koko(Espeon), Houdini(Zorua), ?(Slowpoke)