By the time the smoke cleared, the four finally managed to catch their breath.
Fortunately, this was the Pokémon Center in Fuchsia City. Thanks to its ninja influences, the internal ventilation system was top-notch. Otherwise, the smoke bombs specifically crafted by the Fuchsia Gym wouldn't have dissipated so easily.
The group shook their heads helplessly and continued their conversation.
"Hey, by the way, have you guys heard of that legend about Kaiser?" Kagari suddenly brought up a rather special topic during their chat.
Silas's heart stirred. The legend about Kaiser… the one with Dratini?
"We all pretty much know it. It's one of those not-so-secret secrets," Muki said with a smile. "But Silas probably hasn't heard it yet."
"Yeah, I haven't. What kind of legend is it? Like an urban myth?" Silas asked, feigning curiosity.
"It's not exactly an urban legend," Iga explained. "You see, Kaiser the administrator of the Safari Zone has a photo of himself with a Dratini. So rumors started spreading that there might be Dragonite-line Pokémon living in the Safari Zone."
He shrugged, clearly not taking it seriously. "Come on, there's no way Dratini or Dragonair could be living there. That's just people daydreaming."
"If such rare Pokémon really lived in the Safari Zone," Muki added, "the League would've locked the place down a long time ago. There's no way regular Trainers would be allowed inside."
Kagari and Iga nodded in agreement.
"Even if it were true," Iga said, "Kaiser might be grumpy and always waving that gun of his around to scare people, but he's not stupid enough to let that secret slip. We're talking about Dratini here."
"I think he probably faked that photo just to feed his ego," Kagari speculated. "Or maybe it was all just a publicity stunt thought up by Baoba, the head of the Safari Zone. Thanks to that rumor, Fuchsia City's tourism definitely saw a bump."
"No one's actually seen a Dratini there to this day. Sounds like a made-up story to me."
From Iga's tone, it was clear he didn't think much of Kaiser and may even have had a personal grudge.
Silas simply smiled and nodded along, letting the topic pass quickly. But deep down, he was thinking.
If his memory was right, there really should be a Dragonair and Dratini living in the Safari Zone. So… the rumor was true. And Kaiser really was that careless.
Still, it wasn't entirely surprising. From the way the three in front of him talked about it, it seemed like a case of "the safest place is the most dangerous." By letting the rumor spread so openly, people just assumed it couldn't be real.
After all, the Dratini evolutionary line—Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite were pseudo-legendary Pokémon in the Kanto region. Wild sightings were extremely rare. Most known wild ones were closely monitored by the League. There's no way one would just randomly show up in a League-owned area like the Safari Zone.
"Oh yeah," Silas said suddenly, switching gears, "I heard that Baoba, the Safari Zone's director, looks just like a Slowpoke. Is that true?"
"Totally true!" Iga responded immediately, clearly delighted by the change in topic. "That's why he's nicknamed 'Slowpoke Director.' He really does look just like a Slowpoke."
Gossip was, after all, universal.
The group happily started swapping all kinds of little rumors and tidbits.
But halfway through the conversation, Silas excused himself under the pretense of being hungry. After all, they were mostly talking about local city gossip, and he didn't know any of it, nor could he join in.
The Next Morning
Silas was out for a morning run along the roads of Fuchsia City.
"Morning!" a familiar voice called out beside him.
He turned to see Janine suddenly appear.
"Morning," he replied coolly.
"you're not surprised I popped up?" said Janine, jogging alongside him in her full ninja attire, clearly disappointed.
"No. I noticed you," Silas replied with the same detached tone. Wow, you're really acting familiar all of a sudden. Didn't you leave early yesterday?
"That's impossible! I used the Iga Style Stealth Technique—how could you have noticed me?" Janine looked genuinely shocked. "Is my ninja training that bad?"
"Just average," he answered bluntly.
Janine came to a sudden stop.
The word "average" echoed in her mind like a taunt.
"Ugh! You're mocking me!" she shouted, stomping in place in frustration.
But Silas had already disappeared around a corner before she could do anything.
"You're losing your composure, Janine," came a voice from behind her. A masked man in purple clothing stepped forward.
"Also, stop slacking off!"
"Boo~ Brother!" Janine whined, recognizing the man immediately—it was Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City.
Koga looked at his sister helplessly.
"Brother, tell me! How did he notice me? I'm good, aren't I?" Janine asked indignantly.
"He noticed me too."
Koga recalled the glance Silas had given him just before leaving right toward his hiding spot.
A sharp one, he thought. No wonder Sabrina mentioned him to me.
"Huh?" Janine's eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Huh what?" Koga sighed. "I've told you already being a Gym Trainer isn't just about raw strength. You also need broad knowledge and connections."
"That boy Silas Alaric is a disciple of Bruno of the Indigo Elite Four, trained under Master Kiyo of the Blackbelt Dojo. Even Karate King Nobuhiko speaks highly of him."
"Not to mention, Professor Oak and Professor Rowan are both very optimistic about his future."
"You know Brock, don't you? Didn't he ever mention this to you?"
"I even told you to memorize the recent update with important Trainer intel."
Koga rubbed his forehead, clearly at a loss for what to do with his sister.
How did everyone in the family turn out fine except her? Why is she so slow?
"Bleh~ Brock's been disappearing a lot lately. No idea what he's up to. And that info update? I'm still working on it, okay?"
"They're updated every day! How am I supposed to remember everything!"
"Oh, and big brother you're thinking something mean about me, aren't you?"
Sticking out her tongue and pouting, Janine gave her brother a glare that could kill.
The two siblings bickered as they continued on with their daily training.
Meanwhile, Silas had already reached a wooded area and begun his morning practice.
Feet shoulder-width apart, body perfectly aligned, he moved through one odd-looking pose after another.
Silence blanketed the forest.
His focus was absolute.
BOOM-BOOM.
In the distance, a faint rumbling began.
He didn't pay attention at first, letting his mind sink deeper into concentration.
BOOM… BOOM…
"Tch!" Silas opened his eyes, clearly annoyed. Seriously? Who the hell is making noise this early in such a remote place?
Following the sound, he made his way through the trees.
Then a familiar voice rang out: "It's a bit much bear with it, alright?"
Silas pushed through a bush and saw someone he recognized.
"Muki? You're training this early too?"
It was indeed Muki, standing beside his Sandslash. He was holding a jagged rock spike that he had apparently just pulled from Sandslash's body.
The Sandslash behind him was baring its teeth in pain.
"Ah—Silas!" Muki turned around, looking a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, I was helping Sandslash train a Rock-type move, but it got a little hurt. Sorry if we disturbed you."
"No, it's fine. I was just curious," Silas replied with a wave of his hand. "Just be careful not to overdo it. Overtraining can really harm your Pokémon."
Muki nodded seriously. "I know. But better a few scrapes now than getting killed out in the wild."
Silas approved. Yeah… every drop of sweat counts.
After a bit more small talk, Silas left. The forest wasn't going to be quiet while Sandslash was practicing Rock-type moves, and it was disrupting his focus.
Clearly, my mental training still needs work, he thought. If a few loud noises shake me, how will I focus in a tournament with a cheering crowd?
He gave himself a pep talk as he jogged off to find a quieter place.
Surrounded by trees Fuchsia City was known as a "city of nature" for a reason he soon found an ideal location.
Letting out his Blaziken to keep watch and activating his Aura senses, Silas resumed his training.
Two Hours Later
After finishing his training and having breakfast, Silas arrived at the northern outskirts of Fuchsia City at the gates of the Safari Zone.
Standing before the massive green gates, he scanned his Pokédex to verify his identity. Only then did the gates swing open, allowing him inside.
That was just the first checkpoint. The gates were connected directly to the League's central database. Every Trainer who entered the Safari Zone had their entries recorded.
Outsiders could enter up to ten times, while local residents had a limit of fifteen.
There weren't many people around today, so it didn't take long for Silas's turn.
He walked up to the front desk.
A bald man looked up and barked, "I'm Kaiser, the administrator here. You want in? That's 50,000 Pokédollars."
The grumpy old man matched every description Silas had heard. Yep, just like they said yesterday.
Kaiser took the money and handed him a basket filled with thirty Safari Balls.
These were special Poké Balls developed specifically for use within the Safari Zone. They'd auto-lock once taken outside, and even inside, the catch rate was notoriously low.
"No battling allowed in the Safari Zone," Kaiser warned gruffly. "You want a Pokémon to come with you, it's up to them. We have surveillance everywhere."
"If we catch you harming any Pokémon in there... heh... my Thunder Brothers won't go easy on you!"
He waved a pair of electric-shock batons menacingly at Silas.
Ugh... those don't even have batteries anymore. Everyone knows it. Can you stop pretending?
"Yeah yeah, I get it," Silas replied lazily. He had no intention of breaking the rules he knew what would happen to anyone who did.
Every year, some cocky Trainer tried to catch a Pokémon with brute force.
The result? A visit from Officer Jenny, a permanent ban from all Safari Zones, release of the captured Pokémon, and a note in their Trainer record.
Absolutely not worth it.
Silas didn't bother replying further. He just pushed open the inner gate and entered the Safari Zone.
Being threatened by a toy weapon was annoying enough he didn't want to see that guy's face any longer.
As he left, he glanced at a photo displayed on the front counter.
In it, a slightly younger Kaiser his hairline better than now was smiling broadly beside a blue-and-white, serpent-like Pokémon: Dratini.
Technically a serpent, but… he always thought it looked more like a snake than a dragon.
Stepping into the Safari Zone, he was greeted by a vast expanse of green.
.....
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