Chapter 185: The Safari Zone's Dratini
"Professor Oak, I have six Badges now. I'm doing pretty well, right? Hehe."
Early one morning in the Fuchsia City Pokémon Center, Ash was having his regular video call with Professor Oak from his hometown, a wide grin on his face.
"Oh, that's quite impressive. At first, I thought you were just a small fry, but it seems I misjudged you. You're a big fish after all." Professor Oak was blunt, not shying away from the harshness of his words as he continued,
"Speaking of which, four Newbie Trainers set out from Pallet Town this time. You and Gary are doing the best so far. That girl, Blue, seems to be doing swimmingly with her stock trading, too. The worst off is Little Black. He hasn't contacted me in a month. I suspect he's already gone."
Little Black was the Newbie Trainer, besides Gary and Blue, who received that Charmander.
You have to understand, this world is full of crises. Not all Newbie Trainers survive their first year. You never know where they might meet their end and have a tombstone erected on the spot.
If Ash had only received an ordinary Pikachu back then, he probably would have been sent straight to the final map on his very first day.
The Underworld.
By now, the weeds on his grave would probably be tall enough to block a Mach Bike.
Professor Oak could only sigh about this; there was nothing he could do. Once you choose the path of a Trainer, you must bear the risks yourself.
After all, in this world, ten years old is considered an adult.
But Professor Oak quickly changed the subject, a hint of pride appearing on his face.
"So, Ash, how many Pokémon have you caught in total? My Gary has already caught 60."
Before they set out, he had thought that with his grandson's personality, he would suffer a major setback sooner or later. But now, it felt as if Gary had become a different person entirely, one he no longer needed to worry about.
"Sixty?! That guy!"
Hearing this, Ash's brows furrowed deeply. All told, he only had 10 Pokémon.
"Ash, you have to catch more Pokémon. That's how you'll learn about the different Abilities, habits, and Moves of various Pokémon. It's a huge boost to a Trainer's skill level, you know."
As a Pokémon Professor, he also wanted to see some rare Pokémon.
However, there was one thing he didn't mention. Most of the Pokémon Gary had sent him were actually just fodder, and there were even quite a few duplicates.
He caught six Rattata alone. It was absurd.
"By the way, you're in Fuchsia City now, right? There's a Safari Zone there. You could go and add a few more Pokémon to your collection."
Professor Oak suddenly remembered something and added,
"I think I heard a few years ago that Dratini have been spotted there. That's an ultra-rare Pokémon..." he said, raising his eyebrows in a blatant hint.
"Dratini? What kind of Pokémon is that?"
Ash curiously took out his Pokédex to search, and quickly found the data on this Pokémon.
From the image, it didn't look much like a dragon; it was more like a small snake with light blue skin, a white belly, and a pair of cute, swirling ears on its head. It was adorable.
It seemed like the kind of cute, stay-at-home mascot Pokémon, just like Pikachu.
Pikachu: ?
"Dratini? That's the most precious Pokémon in the Kanto Region, aside from Legendary Pokémon."
"Remember that technician who gave you a massage at that health spa we went to? That was Dratini's final Evolved Form."
Overhearing what sounded like something incredible, Brock and Misty, who had been dozing off and drinking tea nearby, came closer to offer their own understanding.
"'Health spa'?"
Now that they mentioned it, Ash remembered. That Dragonite technician with the big, brownish-yellow belly and small wings had frantically used the Move 'Stomp' on his back. Even now, half a month later, just thinking about it made the bones in his back feel weak.
But for this little blue snake to evolve into a chubby Dragonite... that transformation seemed a bit extreme.
"No, wait. If my Metapod can evolve into a Rayquaza, what's so strange about a little blue snake evolving into a Dragonite?" Ash affirmed to himself.
"I've decided! I'm going to that Safari Zone to capture a Dratini!"
He clenched his fist, making a silent vow.
Catch a Dratini, then evolve it into a Dragonite!
A private technician?
He licked his lips. Just the thought of it was a supreme experience, making his whole body feel weak with anticipation.
Without even hanging up, Ash packed his things, grabbed his companions, and started running toward a certain part of Fuchsia City.
"Hey, hey! Are you guys going to the health spa? Take me with you..."
A withered voice came intermittently from the microphone, tinged with a hint of urgency, but no one was paying attention anymore...
In the northwest area of Fuchsia City lay a vast wilderness stretching for several kilometers. The outer perimeter was enclosed by a fence, with only a small hut serving as the entrance and exit.
From a distance, one could see lush bushes and forests, rivers and swamps. It was as if the smallest possible area had been made to encompass the widest variety of ecosystems, and as a result, a great diversity of Pokémon species lived there.
However, the Safari Zone wasn't like this five or six years ago. Someone leaked a rumor that precious Dratini were appearing here, which instantly attracted a large number of Trainers to search for them.
500 bucks for an all-you-can-catch spree?
In less than three months, they had caught nearly all the Pokémon in the entire wilderness area—the kind of clean sweep where not even the turf was left.
However, not a single Dratini was ever seen. Eventually, people gradually forgot about the matter, and the ecosystem here slowly began to recover.
Only now has the Safari Zone returned to its former prosperity. To prevent such a tragedy from happening again, many new rules have been added.
Each Trainer can only use the special Safari Balls provided by the Safari Zone for capturing. You can throw rocks or Bait, but using your own Pokémon for Battle is prohibited. You get a total of 30 Safari Balls, and you must leave once they're used up.
You can only stay inside for five hours at a time. Even if you haven't used all your balls, you must leave.
Each Trainer is only allowed to enter once a year.
The rules were strict, and with no Dratini to be found, the number of people coming to capture Pokémon was now maintained at a perfect level, allowing the population ecology of the Safari Zone to be sustained at the optimal K/2.
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town. Three tickets, please."
Ash pushed the door open and got straight to the point.
The entrance hut wasn't very large, and its furnishings were quite old. A single middle-aged-to-elderly man was tending the gate. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with a sturdy build.
He wore a brown vest, jeans, and a hat, looking for all the world like an old cowboy from the Unova Region.
"Three tickets? That'll be 1500. Go over there and each of you grab a basket of gear. You all know the rules, right? Remember, you can't use your own Pokémon to Battle. Once you use up your 30 Safari Balls, you get out. Don't catch too many, greed is a sin, blah, blah, blah..."
Clearly, this was an old cowboy with a bit of a temper.
(end of chapter)