Noon.
Safari Zone.
This place was really close to Fuchsia City—basically, just step outside and you're already there. So Silas and the others wasted no time getting here at all.
"Safari Zone!" As they approached the entrance, Giselle—who'd been dragging her feet all morning—suddenly came alive with excitement. She turned to Lorelei and asked, "Big Sis Lorelei, is it true you can catch any Pokémon you want in here?"
"Mm-hmm." Lorelei confirmed, then looked at Giselle curiously. "You planning to catch some?"
"Of course!" Giselle nodded vigorously, her face glowing with anticipation. "No way I'm missing this! Back at school, everyone bragged about catching hundreds of Pokémon here. All the top students caught at least one or two hundred! I'm an honor student—I can't let them beat me!"
"Nonsense!" Silas couldn't help but butt in. "One or two hundred Pokémon? You should check how many they actually raised and how many just gather dust. That's totally irresponsible. If any of those guys challenged me with their dumped Pokémon, I could sweep the lot of them without breaking a sweat."
"Exactly." Lorelei nodded, her voice a little stern. "Have you ever seen any of us, the Elite Four, with more than a couple dozen Pokémon each? If you want to be a top-tier Trainer, focus on a few and really raise them right. If you can't even manage that, you're just being unfair to your Pokémon."
"For real," Suzie chimed in, smiling kindly at Giselle. "Us breeders hate that more than anything, you know? No matter what promises or fancy offers those guys make, no breeder will ever agree to help them. People like that never make it big, trust me."
All three of them were pretty harsh, and Giselle's lips started to quiver, tears welling up in her bright eyes.
But none of the three moved to comfort her, because they were being tough for her own good. If they didn't stomp out that idea now, Giselle might end up lost for good.
During the awkward silence, a deep, weathered voice spoke up—brimming with approval and pride. "Well said! Didn't expect to hear Trainers these days with such a good head on their shoulders!"
They turned to see a man in a Western cowboy outfit appear behind them—nobody knew when he'd arrived. What raised their guard was the pair of pistols slung at his waist!
Sensing their wariness, the old cowboy just laughed heartily. "No worries, folks! Name's Kaiser—head of the Safari Zone. The guns aren't for you; they're for scaring off poachers. I just came out to stretch my legs and overheard your conversation—couldn't help but cheer you on!"
"Nice to meet you." Silas stuck out his hand. "Silas—these three are my traveling companions. We're just here to have a good time."
"That's fine." Kaiser gave Silas's hand a solid shake and grinned. "I'll go get you folks some Safari Balls, then you can head in. Just remember—inside, you can only use Safari Balls. No regular Poké Balls, got it?"
"Got it."
Silas nodded. He remembered this guy from the show—Kaiser only appeared in one episode, but his strict, principled personality left a lasting impression on anyone who'd watched Pokémon. What really made Silas respect him was his willingness to protect a mother Dragonair and her child, even if it meant living out here in the middle of nowhere.
Seeing Silas nod so earnestly, Kaiser seemed even more pleased with this polite young Trainer. He turned to the sulking Giselle. "Hey, kid, don't be upset. Your friends are looking out for you. Sure, you can't go on a binge-catching spree, but I'll let you in on where some of the rare Pokémon like to hide. If you're lucky, you might snag a real catch."
"Really?!" Giselle's eyes instantly lit up.
"Sure!" Kaiser nodded, looking rather proud. "The Safari Zone is a paradise for wild Pokémon—every kind of Pokémon loves living here. That's why you'll find some rare ones just hanging around!"
"Awesome!" Giselle cheered.
"But on one condition." Kaiser turned serious, his tone sharp. "You can't force them. No battling in the Safari Zone—if you want their trust, you'll have to be genuine. If I catch anyone using underhanded tricks, trust me, my Thunder Brothers won't let it slide!"
"Thunder Brothers?" Giselle looked confused. "What's that?"
Kaiser didn't answer—he just patted the pistols at his waist and smiled knowingly. "You get it now?"
"Yes, sir!" Giselle nodded, standing at attention.
"Alright, follow me." Kaiser said with approval. "I'll get you set up with some Safari Balls."
"Coming!" chirped Giselle, following right after him.
Her mood had flipped so fast—from moping to elation in seconds—that Silas and the others just exchanged amused, helpless grins. But honestly, it was better this way; if Giselle had actually started crying, none of them would've known how to handle it.
Safari Zone.
Silas, Lorelei, and Suzie didn't bother grabbing Safari Balls—they simply walked right in.
It wasn't that they meant to break the rules, but none of them were after any Pokémon here. They just wanted to enjoy a leisurely stroll.
Giselle was the only one on a real quest, hunting for those rare Pokémon with tips from Kaiser.
As they watched Giselle skip ahead, Silas suddenly said to Suzie and Lorelei, "Why don't you two stick with her? Keep an eye on how many she catches—rare Pokémon are fine, but don't let her fill her pockets just for the hell of it."
"What about you?" Lorelei asked.
"Me?" Silas grinned, pointing in the other direction. "I want to wander for a bit. Get some fresh air."
"Alright." Lorelei nodded. Given how weird Silas had been acting since last night—like nothing in the world could shake him—she didn't dare push back, afraid of making him upset. As for Suzie—she never argued with Silas to begin with. Whatever he decided, she'd always back him up.
With their agreement, Silas headed off alone.
It wasn't as though he had some secret plan, or that he was tired of the girls. He just wanted a little time by himself.
As he walked, he marveled at the sheer number of Pokémon roaming the fields. Everywhere he looked, Pokémon of all shapes and sizes were wandering around. The one thing they had in common? They were all calm and gentle—not a single one showed any aggression. Some of the bolder Pokémon even followed curiously behind Silas as he walked.
Who knows how long he'd been strolling? Eventually, he found his way into a lush canyon, with a clear lake shimmering at its center. The grass and wildflowers along the lakeshore were radiant under the midday sun, and the whole valley looked like a scene from a painting. Silas couldn't help but stand still and soak it all in.
Grinning, he whipped out five Master Balls at once and tossed them skyward. "Alright, everyone out!"
"Tyranitar!"
"Dragonite~!"
"Gastly~!"
"Charizard~!"
"Pikachu~!"
Silas's five Pokémon burst onto the scene, and except for Dragonite and Tyranitar, Charizard, Gastly, and Pikachu all looked downright miserable. The sight made Silas chuckle. "Relax, you three. No training today. Just play and rest. No need to look so traumatized."
"Charizard"
"Pikachu!"
"Gastly!"
Just like that, their gloomy faces vanished, replaced by pure excitement.
Seeing them light up made Silas laugh again. Sure, he'd been hard on these three lately—but did they have to be so dramatic about it? Still grinning, Silas watched as his five Pokémon immediately started horsing around—Tyranitar, Gastly, and Pikachu playing referee while Charizard and Dragonite challenged each other to an arm-wrestling smackdown.
Midway through the match, referee Pikachu suddenly jumped onto Charizard's head, bouncing around until Charizard nearly lost to Dragonite. Just as Charizard was getting pissed off, Pikachu leapt over to Dragonite's head, doing the same and almost causing him to lose instead. As expected, the scene soon devolved into utter chaos.
But despite the ruckus, none of the five ever lost control. It was all just goofing around—no signature moves, not even the big three (Tyranitar, Dragonite, Charizard) so much as budged an inch from their play spots.
Watching them cut loose but never cross the line made Silas smile. This, he thought, was exactly what he'd been after all along.
He flopped down on the grass, closed his eyes, and just let himself bask in the sunlight—soaking up the rare tranquility.
Gradually… he drifted off, deep and peaceful, as if all his worries had simply faded away. His five Pokémon, seeing him out cold, quieted down in an instant.
"Shh!" Dragonite—almost human-like—raised a finger to its lips and whispered to Gastly, "Gastly, set up a barrier, okay? Don't let other Pokémon wander in and wake up our trainer."
"Got it!" Gastly nodded.
"Charizard, Tyranitar, Pikachu." Dragonite turned to the others and gave a final order. "Let's keep things quiet, alright? Don't wake Trainer up."
"Tyranitar."
"Charizard!"
"Pikachu!"
Tyranitar and Pikachu both answered quickly—though Pikachu's voice was so loud that all four others shot him an immediate glare, and he yelped, clamping both paws over his mouth.
With the reminders given, Dragonite gently glided over to curl up beside Silas. "You guys go on—play if you want. I'm taking a nap."
But the other four had lost all interest in playing. Watching Silas snooze so soundly, they got sleepy too. One by one they snuggled up around him, and, in no time, fell fast asleep.
...
Silas slept like a log.
When he finally woke up, he found all five Pokémon curled up around him, fast asleep as well.
Gastly and Pikachu had snuggled up together, while Tyranitar, Charizard, and Dragonite formed a protective circle around him, sheltering him from the Sun. Silas smiled at the sight and started to get up quietly—only to notice he felt a bit heavier than usual, as if something was pinning him down.
He glanced down—and was absolutely stunned.
Lying across his stomach was a sleek, blue little Pokémon, not even a meter long, looking for all the world like a tiny, sleeping serpent. And that Pokémon was none other than the legendary Dratini!
At Silas's movement, Dratini stirred awake, blinking those big, sleepy eyes…
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