Although Ash was feeling down, the journey still had to continue.
This time, Yozora and Ash's group shared the same destination: the Safari Zone!
And so, Yozora teamed up with Ash and the others, and together they arrived at the Safari Zone, where they met the warden, Kaiser.
"Brats, let me warn you first—inside the Safari Zone, you can only use the Safari Balls and fishing rods provided here. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rough!" Kaiser even pulled out a gun to intimidate them.
But Yozora knew such a threat only worked on timid children. After all, Kaiser was just one man, while the Safari Zone was vast, with no surveillance cameras.
Once trainers or adventurers went inside, they could basically do whatever they wanted.
That said—
There weren't many especially rare Pokémon in the Safari Zone. Even if there had been, they would've been long caught already. Usually, capturing thirty Pokémon was already considered good enough; there wasn't much reason to keep pushing for more.
Of course, Dragonair and Dratini were exceptions. Those two Pokémon hid themselves far too well. Yozora wasn't sure if he'd even encounter them. Besides, he had no plans to travel with Ash's group for long.
The truth was simple: trainers shouldn't team up. If they stumbled upon a Pokémon both parties wanted, the fight over who got to catch it would be messy.
"Yozora, are you really not coming with us?" Misty asked reluctantly when Yozora split off from the group upon entering the Safari Zone.
"Yeah. I prefer traveling alone. Let's part ways here. Ash, I hope you'll capture lots of rare Pokémon." Yozora encouraged him, though he knew well enough… Ash's fate here was nothing more than ending up with thirty Tauros.
The Safari Zone was enormous, with no maps available.
Yozora had read the original story, so he knew Dragonair and Dratini resided in Dragon Valley. But as for where Dragon Valley was located—nobody knew.
"I wonder if there are any wild Eevee here?" Yozora muttered as he watched a herd of Tauros stampede past. He had no desire to capture them.
Right now, there were only two Pokémon he truly wanted: Gengar and Eevee.
Gengar obviously wouldn't be here. But maybe Eevee would?
Even then, if the Eevee's potential wasn't high, Yozora wouldn't bother. In his eyes, the Tri-Color Evolution Stone was far too precious—it had to be matched with an Eevee of extraordinary potential.
"Oh? A Scyther?"
Half an hour later, Yozora spotted a wild Scyther in the grasslands.
He remembered that at the beginning, he had desperately wanted a Scyther.
But now, his team was filled with rare Pokémon… His standards had grown much higher.
A common Scyther no longer impressed him.
If it had Elite-tier potential or higher, with its Hidden Ability, then it would be worth raising. After all, a Hidden Ability Scyther that evolved into Scizor with Light Metal was exceptionally powerful.
Unfortunately, this Scyther had only average potential, and its Ability was nothing special.
Yozora lost all interest.
But just because he wasn't interested didn't mean others weren't.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"
Within seconds, a barrage of Safari Balls flew toward the Scyther. Nobody knew which ball actually hit it, but soon the Scyther was drawn inside.
The Poké Ball shook violently as the Scyther struggled, the red light flashing rapidly.
But after three seconds, the ball stilled. Capture successful.
"It's mine!"
"No, I caught it!"
"What are you talking about? That was my throw!"
"Ridiculous! I clearly threw first!"
A crowd of trainers swarmed in, shoving and yelling, each claiming the Scyther as their own.
Yozora's face went dark. He had no interest in such squabbles, so he quickly left.
The so-called Dragon Valley of the Safari Zone seemed to be a large lake. Yozora guessed the rivers that ran through the Zone were all branches flowing from it.
Following the riverbank, he walked on for who knew how long before spotting three suspicious figures. None other than Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"That's right… In the original story, those three threatened Kaiser into revealing Dragon Valley's location. If that's the case, I just need to follow them, and I'll find it too." Yozora smirked, quietly tailing them.
Before long, a vast lake came into view. Rising from the water were structures resembling giant dragon bones, giving the lake an air of mystery.
"I think this must be Dragon Valley. All right, you two—put on your diving suits and get down there!" Jessie barked like a bossy big sister, ordering James and Meowth into the water.
"Again? Why don't you go?" James and Meowth exchanged reluctant looks.
"Idiots! If I go too, then who's going to keep watch? Quit whining and get in already!" Jessie kicked both of them in the rear, her temper fiercer than even Ash's Charmeleon.
With no choice, James and Meowth donned diving suits and dove into the lake, while Jessie stood guard on the shore.
"Plop…"
Ripples spread across the water, and suddenly, a cute little Dratini poked its head above the surface.
"D… Dratini?!" Jessie gasped. The sight of the adorable Pokémon left her utterly enchanted, her heart stolen in an instant.
She grew so excited her face even flushed pink.
"Come here, Dratini… Don't be scared. Come closer…" Jessie softened her voice to the sweetest tone she could manage, coaxing Dratini toward her.
But in her excitement, she accidentally stepped on James and Meowth's air hose.
Cut off from oxygen, the two panicked underwater, thrashing desperately before swimming up to the surface.
Dratini, curious about everything around it, had indeed been lured closer by Jessie. But the sudden commotion made it bolt in fear, vanishing back into the depths.
Moments later, James and Meowth dragged themselves onto shore, gasping for air.
"Idiots! I almost had Dratini! You two always ruin everything!" Jessie exploded in fury, ranting at them both.
"Doesn't matter," Meowth grinned slyly, pulling out a round device. "As long as we know Dratini's in this lake, we've got it made. This here's an underwater Stun Bomb. Once it goes off, every Pokémon in the lake will be knocked out cold and float to the surface. Dratini, Dragonair, whatever—catching them will be a piece of cake!"
(End of Chapter)