On the peaceful riverbank of the Safari Zone.
The afternoon sun filtered through scattered clouds, casting warm pools of light across the water.
The river murmured and babbled, its surface alive with sparkling ripples.
Ash, Misty, and Brock had settled along a wide, open stretch of the bank, savoring this rare and unhurried stretch of leisure.
And so it had become quite lively.
Pikachu. Pidgeot. The Golden Gyarados. Misdreavus. Charizard. The Golden Fearow — Ho-Oh.
Steelix. Onix. Golem. Omanyte. Geodude. Vulpix.
Blue Gyarados. Starmie. Staryu. Goldeen. Psyduck. Horsea.
All of them, playing to their hearts' content.
Even Ho-Oh, who wasn't joining in, watched the scene with quiet joy. He'd always had a fondness for lively, beautiful moments just like this.
In the midst of that peaceful harmony, Misty's Horsea suddenly noticed something shifting furtively among the aquatic weeds.
Curious, it swayed its little body and swam carefully toward the movement. Parting the dense curtain of watergrass, a pair of large, bright eyes stared back at it — wide with shyness.
It was a small serpentine Pokémon, its body a pale lavender and its belly a clean white, with a tiny white protrusion growing from the top of its head.
Those big purple eyes were filled with nothing but pure innocence and curiosity.
A Dratini — and a rare one at that.
It was, honestly, a little embarrassing.
The only reason Dratini had dared to show itself to Horsea in the first place was because it had sensed that Horsea was remarkably weak — too weak to pose any kind of threat whatsoever.
If it had been the two magnificent Gyarados not far away, or the gleaming, blue-spinning Starmie, Dratini would have bolted long before now.
But faced with this small, gentle creature about its own size, radiating nothing but calm — Dratini lowered its guard.
Dratini: You're really weak.
Horsea: ...Same.
Looking at the completely unthreatening little thing before it, Horsea puffed a friendly stream of tiny bubbles.
Dratini hesitated for a moment — then gave a gentle wag of its tail.
The two little ones began their very first exchange right there among the waterweeds.
They quickly discovered that they both loved to play.
Horsea gently stirred the current with its dorsal fin, while Dratini wove nimbly through the aquatic plants — the two of them playing to absolute contentment.
With Horsea serving as a kind of unofficial "introducer," the other Pokémon didn't bat an eye at this sudden newcomer.
All the Pokémon: ...Way too weak.
Misty's Goldeen merely glanced at them with mild curiosity before going back to swimming on its own.
In the wild world where the strong preyed on the weak, a Dratini this feeble couldn't hope to draw the serious attention of powerful Pokémon.
As far as these Pokémon were concerned, even Ash could flatten this Dratini with his bare hands.
Especially Ash's own Pokémon — they all knew perfectly well that Ho-Oh was right there.
...Even if everyone else present was wiped out, Ash was going to be fine.
Led by Horsea, Dratini drifted closer without quite realizing it, gradually drawing near the stretch of bank where the three trainers had their fishing lines in.
This spot was positioned well away from where the Gyarados and Starmie were active — because if large Pokémon started moving through the fishing area, there would be no peaceful fishing to be had at all.
The two little ones quickly found new entertainment.
They had discovered that the fishing hooks dangling down from the water's surface were tremendously, irresistibly interesting.
Don't go asking who corrupted Horsea.
The one who corrupted Horsea was sitting right up there on the bank, holding a fishing rod.
Because Misty had been corrupted by Ash, Misty's Pokémon were beginning to develop the same tendencies.
Horsea gave Misty's float a gentle nudge with its snout.
Seeing this, Dratini mimicked the move and flicked Brock's fishing line with its tail.
Riding the wave of enthusiasm, they took turns dragging the hooks down into the depths, then suddenly letting go — watching with delighted fascination as the floats snapped back up to the surface.
Horsea, in particular, was actively instructing Dratini on the proper technique.
Horsea: I have a great idea.
Dratini: ???
It takes three years to learn to be good. It takes three days to learn to be bad.
Whether humans or Pokémon, everyone has a special talent for the latter.
Hilarious.
"Hey, hey — I think I've got something on my line!" Misty suddenly cried out with excitement, gripping the rod tightly with both hands. "This one's definitely a big one!"
She yanked up with all her strength.
What she reeled in was a sopping-wet belt, dripping steadily down onto the ground.
"Oh, come on..." Misty pouted, her face falling with unmistakable disappointment.
"Pfft — hahaha! Misty, this is your 'big one'?" Brock couldn't hold back his laughter. "Looks like your luck just isn't with you today!"
"Don't get smug! Could be your turn next!" Misty huffed, indignantly rebaiting her hook and casting the line back in.
Neither of them had even considered the possibility that a Pokémon might be playing tricks on them.
After all, everyone's Pokémon so rarely got a chance to roam free — of course they'd all be out doing their own thing.
In everyone's established mental model, the only Pokémon who would ever pull something like this was Misdreavus.
But what was Misdreavus doing right now?
Misdreavus was playing somewhere far away.
And then —
Brock's rod bent sharply downward.
"Oh? Looks like it's my turn!"
He confidently began reeling in, feeling a substantial weight pulling from below.
"With this kind of resistance, it might actually be a big catch!" he declared.
Not that Brock had any intention of catching Water-type Pokémon — but fishing was all about the joy of the act itself.
So what if he wasn't going to keep it?
He'd just reel it in and release it. Ash himself had done exactly that dozens of times when he'd first set out on his journey — and in the end, that was how the Golden Gyarados had come to him.
Well... Ash privately suspected that had more to do with his System's mechanics — something like chaining encounters until a Shiny surfaced.
He just hadn't gotten around to testing the theory, since there'd never been a need.
But when the hook finally broke the surface, what dangled from it was a thoroughly battered old boot, caked in mud and clumped with river weeds.
Brock: (*quietly picks nose)
"Pfft — HAHAHA!" Misty immediately returned fire with a burst of laughter. "And that's your 'big catch'?"
"Brock, you have truly exceptional taste!"
She'd just been mocked — so naturally, she had to mock right back.
Misty's revenge. Never delayed until tomorrow.
But what if you ran into someone too strong to get revenge on, and had to wait?
In that case — pretend she never said it.
Anyway, everyone was becoming a little bit corrupted.
Brock scratched his head awkwardly and tossed the old boot aside. "Th-this must have been a fluke..."
Nobody was particularly suspicious about reeling up a belt or a boot out in the wild.
In any area where humans had come through, various bits of discarded junk were perfectly normal.
And the Safari Zone was exactly the sort of place where many trainers passed through regularly.
Finding stray odds and ends left in various spots was entirely to be expected.
Just then —
Ash's float plunged beneath the surface.
He cautiously tightened his grip on the rod, feeling the force transmitting from underwater.
"This feeling... something seems a bit off."
In theory, if Ash activated his Aura senses, he would know exactly what was down there.
But for everyday moments like this, he had no intention of using Aura.
— Cheating in a casual game with your friends?
— Absolutely no class.
This kind of thing was about winning when you won, losing when you lost, and enjoying the ride either way.
When Ash pulled the hook out of the water, what he found hanging from it was a rust-covered, abandoned Poké Ball — its surface covered in scratches, clearly long past any usable condition.
Good news: he caught something.
Bad news: fishermen can reel in anything — except fish.
So: three completely useless fishermen.
Quite the truth.
"Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times..." Ash studied the three very different "catches" thoughtfully, a slight furrow forming between his brows. "This is way too convenient to be random."
One person getting a strange catch was nothing out of the ordinary.
But all three of them hitting snags?
That was very, very abnormal.
After all, this was the Safari Zone.
This wasn't the waterway near Gringey City — there simply shouldn't be much garbage here.
Even if there was some, it should be scattered far and wide. You shouldn't be able to hook it three catches in a row.
So...
The smiles faded from Brock's and Misty's faces.
The three of them exchanged a look — and all reached the same conclusion: something was off.
One time was an accident. Twice was coincidence. Three times in a row was absolutely not random.
And the prime suspects were Misty's Pokémon.
Was it Starmie causing mischief?
— Or Staryu?
— Or maybe Goldeen?
— Horsea was also a possibility.
Nobody suspected either Gyarados or Psyduck.
The Gyarados were far too large.
As for Psyduck?
That duck was undeniably sneaky.
But the useless duck was terrible at swimming — which honestly made it a joke all on its own.
Just as they were puzzling it out, ripples broke across the water's surface.
Then a small lavender head peeked out, hesitant and uncertain.
Those big purple eyes looked up at the trainers on the bank with open, guileless curiosity.
Right after, Horsea surfaced too — nuzzling Dratini with warm familiarity.
They hadn't spent much time together. But they were already good friends.
Pokémon friendships were just that simple and sincere.
"So it was you two little troublemakers!" Misty put her hands on her hips in mock indignation — though her eyes were full of laughter. "You're the ones who were messing with us, aren't you?"
Sensing an opportunity for entertainment, Misdreavus drifted over as well, circling above Dratini's head and laughing its signature "hee-hee-hee~" laugh.
Misdreavus: Oh-ho~ a tiny one!
Dratini seemed startled by Misdreavus, instinctively starting to retreat back into the water — but seeing that Horsea was still floating calmly on the surface, it summoned its nerve and stayed.
Ash ruffled Misdreavus's head affectionately, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéblock with an irresistibly sweet fragrance. He tossed it gently toward Dratini.
"Here, little one. Have something to eat."
Dratini hesitated — but the Pokéblock's scent was simply too tempting.
It eventually crept carefully forward, sniffed it over with its nose, and then began taking tiny, cautious little bites.
...This kid looks like it'd be incredibly easy to lure away.
Watching Dratini eat with such obvious relish, Ash slowly reached out and began softly stroking its smooth scales.
Dratini gave only the faintest shiver before going still — and in fact seemed to genuinely enjoy the gentle touch.
...Alright.
...This kid doesn't just look like it'd be easy to lure away.
...It actually is that easy to lure away.
"So Kaiser's Safari Zone really does have Dratini," Brock said quietly, watching the rare little creature with a touch of quiet wonder. "Looks like the rumors were true."
Dragon-type Pokémon were already on the rare side.
The Dratini line was rarer still.
This particular Dratini was clearly still young and unsocialized — it harbored almost no wariness toward humans.
It watched Horsea swim over to Misty and nuzzle against her hand, and drawing courage from that sight, it followed.
Misty, seeing this, gently extended her fingers and scratched softly beneath Dratini's chin.
Dratini's eyes slowly narrowed in contentment, a soft, pleased little sound escaping from its throat.
Seeing this, Ash carefully and gently lifted Dratini up out of the water.
It was lighter than he'd imagined. Its smooth scales shimmered with a faint pearlescent glow in the afternoon light.
Only after being lifted clear of the water did the little one belatedly realize that something about this situation might be wrong.
Dratini: ___
It seemed a bit tense, its body trembling slightly.
But the moment Ash gently stroked its back, it relaxed almost immediately.
Dratini: (O O O)
"It's so cute!" Misty exclaimed, eyes shining as she looked at the Dratini nestled in Ash's arms, reaching over to gently stroke the top of its head.
Brock, meanwhile, pulled an assortment of different Pokéblock flavors from his bag and arranged them in a neat little row in front of Dratini.
"Here — try these. See which one you like best."
Dratini's eyes lit up on the spot.
It leaned in close, sniffing this one, nosing at that one — and finally settled on a blue Water-type Pokéblock, munching away with obvious happiness.
Watching Dratini eat with such gusto, Misty impishly began tickling it.
Dratini's body immediately started writhing uncontrollably — but its mouth was still stuffed full of Pokéblock.
The sight of it desperately trying to laugh and eat at the same time was utterly absurd.
Its mouth kept dutifully chewing away at the Pokéblock while its body spasmed from the tickling — as if its head and the rest of it were being operated by two entirely separate departments.
"Pfft —" Ash burst out laughing. "It looks absolutely ridiculous!"
Pikachu trotted over with perked ears, chiming in with a cheerful "Pika-pi!"
Pikachu: *Are we getting a new friend...?
"Mwah~ Mwah~ mwah mwah~" Misdreavus floated nearby, gleefully mimicking Dratini's contorted thrashing.
The problem, of course, was that Misdreavus was nothing but a head with a tiny suggestion of a lower body.
There was simply no comparison to Dratini's long, serpentine form.
Mimic? Absolutely nothing to mimic!
Hahaha —
Even Ho-Oh was drawn in by the spectacle.
The usually dignified "Golden Fearow" tilted his head ever so slightly, a flicker of genuine amusement passing across his eyes.
The Gyarados out in the river were also pulled from their lazy drifting by the commotion on the bank, turning to watch from the distance with curious gazes.
Dratini finally managed to swallow the mouthful of Pokéblock, letting out a long string of aggrieved little "wurrr~" sounds — but its eyes were shining with pure, undisguised joy.
It seemed to love the feeling of being watched and fussed over. It pressed its head into Misty's hand on its own, silently requesting that she keep going.
It was exactly like a puppy in the wild that had stumbled into the greatest ear-scratch of its entire life.
"Looks like it really likes you, Misty," Brock said warmly — and slipped Dratini another Pokéblock.
The last light of the evening sun spilled across the bank, stretching the shadows of trainers and Pokémon long across the ground.
In that warm and tender atmosphere, the rare and precious Dratini was just like any ordinary little pet — basking in the closeness of its newfound human friends.
And in the sky above, a graceful blue serpentine form glided past without a sound.
How could a Dragonair not keep watch over its own child?
The Dragonair even had a small camera mounted on its body, quietly capturing every moment of the scene below.
In the cabin far off in the distance, Kaiser watched the footage on his monitor. The corner of his mouth curled upward — almost imperceptibly, but it was there.
Compared to the majority of trainers who entered the Safari Zone with nothing on their minds except capturing Pokémon...
Trainers like Ash — the kind who came simply to travel and experience life — were far, far more welcome here.
Just as Ash himself believed:
The encounters and bonds forged with Pokémon along the journey were infinitely more precious than simply catching them.
The Pokémon world was never lacking in battles.
But the Pokémon world was not only battles.
Joyful chance encounters. The quiet, gentle pleasures of daily life.
These, too, were an irreplaceable part of it — and one worth savoring.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan ;)🔥👻
🔥 New history: Reborn as Naoya I Really Am Here for Revenge!
Help smash these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter (for everyone)