Tracking Axew's Trail

With the presence of Tropius, Yuga and Shoryu's pace quickened significantly.

The Safari Zone was bustling with many tourists besides Yuga. When they spotted the Tropius by his side, they couldn't hide their envy. Most of them had yet to make any captures.

Before long, Yuga was fortunate enough to find a Wooper with green potential in a small stream.

This Wooper was very cunning. When it saw Yuga, it even tried to play a trick on him. It was extremely fast in the water. Without Tropius's help, Yuga would have had a hard time catching it.

The Wooper wasn't very strong and was clearly very young, no match for Tropius at all. It was quickly subdued by Tropius.

Just as Yuga stored the Wooper's Poké Ball, he suddenly heard a series of urgent shouts.

"Quick, stop it! Don't let it escape!"

"It's over there! Hurry up! Move faster!"

"Ah… no, it's too fast! I can't keep up! I'm running out of energy!"

…

Right after, Yuga saw a ripple in the water rapidly approaching his direction. When it got close, a figure suddenly burst out of the water.

Focusing his gaze, Yuga realized it was a Buizel.

This Buizel was exceptionally nimble. It landed directly on Yuga's head, using his head as a springboard to leap again, attempting to dive into another nearby stream.

By this time, Tropius finally reacted, shooting an Energy Ball. Before the Buizel could enter the water, the attack struck it, sending it crashing to the ground.

This lack of coordination between Tropius and Yuga was evident. If this had been one of Yuga's own Pokémon, there's no way the Buizel would have gotten a chance to step on Yuga's head.

Yuga's hair was left soaking wet by the Buizel. Fortunately, the water quality in the Great Marsh was excellent; otherwise, Yuga might have ended up smelling awful.

Pulling a towel from his spatial backpack, Yuga began drying his hair. Soon, the people chasing the Buizel caught up.

When Yuga looked up, he was surprised to see familiar faces.

The three people running toward him were none other than the ones Yuga had saved from the Toxicroak earlier in the Great Marsh: Fuyuki, Akiba, and their childhood friend Normani.

"Well, well, we meet again," Yuga said with a smile.

"Aoki, it's… it's… you!" Akiba exclaimed in surprise, though she was gasping for air after chasing the Buizel.

"Quite a coincidence, huh? I didn't… didn't… expect we'd meet again!" Fuyuki was also out of breath, though in better shape than his sister.

Hearing these strangers repeatedly call Yuga "Aoki," Shoryu, who was lying on Tropius's back, was full of confusion: Who is Aoki?

"Do you still want this Buizel?" Yuga pointed to the unconscious Buizel on the ground and asked.

The three of them exchanged glances. Feeling a bit awkward, Normani said, "Since you caught this Buizel, it's yours now. We wouldn't feel right taking it."

Yuga smiled at their words, his impression of the trio improving.

"No worries. I'm not particularly fond of this Buizel. If you want it, go ahead and take it."

This Buizel was only of orange potential, so Yuga had no interest in it.

"Really?" Akiba's face lit up with excitement but soon turned hesitant. "Are you sure you don't want it? Having a Buizel would make it much easier to catch other Pokémon around here."

Yuga pointed to the Tropius behind him and said, "I've got Tropius!"

"Tropius~"

Tropius greeted the trio warmly.

Seeing the Tropius, Fuyuki exclaimed enviously, "Aoki, you're amazing. You've already had some success. Unlike us…"

The three of them had been here since early morning but hadn't caught a single thing. If not for their unwillingness to give up, they would have left long ago.

Yuga replied, "It's just luck. I don't need Buizel, so you guys go ahead and take it."

Only after confirming that Yuga truly didn't want it did Normani take out a Safari Ball and capture the Buizel.

Since they were having an enjoyable conversation with Yuga, the three of them proposed to traveling together, and Yuga didn't object it.

Having reunited, the group became more familiar with one another, and their conversations deepened.

From their introductions, Yuga learned that they were all locals from Pastoria City. Their families were fairly well-off, and they were currently students at a Trainer school.

However, their grades weren't great, and their abilities were lacking. After a frustrating training experience in the Great Marsh, they decided to come to the Safari Zone to unwind.

Compared to the Great Marsh, the Safari Zone was completely devoid of danger.

Yuga thought their lack of skill might be because they'd been living too comfortably. From their stories, it seemed they hadn't traveled anywhere, nor had they undergone any serious training. Even their trip to the shallow area of the Great Marsh had been done in secret, sneaking away from their families.

Now that the trio had Buizel, their ability to capture Pokémon improved significantly. Along the way, any Pokémon they took a liking to was promptly captured.

Since most of the Pokémon in the Safari Zone were low-level, the trio quickly used up nearly half of their 30 Poké Balls each.

Yuga asked curiously, "You're catching so many Pokémon—are you sure you can afford to raise them all?"

Akiba replied nonchalantly, "Of course we can. We'll just release them into my family's Ecopark later."

They even have an ecological park at home? Yuga thought to himself. It seems their families are more than just "fairly well-off."

Since they could afford it, Yuga decided not to meddle.

Seeing that Yuga hadn't captured any Pokémon along the way, Akiba asked in confusion, "Aoki, aren't you going to catch anything?"

Yuga shook his head. "No, I haven't seen anything that caught my eye."

Hearing this, Akiba didn't press further. She knew there was a type of Trainer who placed great importance on a connection with the Pokémon they captured. If a Pokémon didn't feel right to them, no matter how rare or talented it was, they wouldn't make a move.

As they walked, they suddenly overheard people talking.

"Hey, did you hear? They say there's an Axew spotted near the eastern shallows."

"Really? An Axew? Could it just be a rumor?"

"It's true! My friend saw it with their own eyes. It was near the shallows and darted into the bushes."

"Axew is a rare Pokémon."

"Exactly! And more than one person has seen it. No one's been able to catch it, though."

"Why don't we go look for it too?"

…

After the group moved out of earshot, Akiba excitedly said, "Did you hear that? Did you hear? They said there's an Axew!"

Fuyuki replied, "So what if there is? There are probably tons of people looking for it. Even if it's real, it's not likely to be us who catches it."

"But what if we do…" Akiba protested, clearly unwilling to give up.

"Why don't we go and take a look?" Normani suggested, seeking everyone's opinion.

"Let's do it. After all, we're just wandering around aimlessly," Yuga agreed, as he was also somewhat interested in Axew. Whether they could find it or not, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

Seeing everyone in agreement, Fuyuki reluctantly nodded along.

Thus, the group of five headed toward the eastern shallows in search of Axew.

On the way, they encountered quite a few other people who were also looking for Axew. Seeing the crowd, Yuga suddenly felt that their chances of finding it were slim.

The eastern shallows covered a fairly large area and were surrounded by dense aquatic vegetation. Locating a single Pokémon in such a place was no easy task. Moreover, Axew, being a mobile Pokémon, might have already fled to an unknown location out of fear from all the commotion.

After searching for a long time, they unsurprisingly came up empty-handed.

"Why don't we try searching other nearby areas?" Yuga suggested. "It's possible Axew has already run off somewhere else."

Having found nothing after all this time, the others were feeling discouraged and readily agreed to Yuga's proposal.

"How about we split up? Sticking together might reduce our chances of finding it," Yuga proposed further.

The group agreed, and they split into four directions, with Yuga and Tropius heading north while the trio divided up the remaining areas.

Fuyuki headed south, Akiba went west, and Normani took the east.

The northern area Yuga explored was a place with very little water. There were no shallows, lakes, or rivers—only a few tiny streams—and the rest of the area was populated by some short trees.

As Yuga walked, he searched for any signs of Axew, but he ignored the other Pokémon he encountered since none of them had high potential.

After walking for a while, he suddenly heard a rhythmic "hey-hey-haha" sound. Curious, he followed the noise.

Passing through a small patch of short trees, Yuga saw a red-and-yellow-striped Pokémon practicing punches on a tree stump. The rhythmic sounds came from it.

...

[ Mienfoo ]

Type: Fighting

Ability: Inner Focus

Gender: Male

Potential: Green

Level: 35

Moves: Yoga Pose, Foresight, Fake Out, Double Slap, Swift, Vital Throw, Drain Punch, Power-Up Punch, Reversal.

...

Seeing this Pokémon, Yuga was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't found Axew, but unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon a Mienfoo. Axew was rare, but Mienfoo was also an excellent find.

Standing at less than a meter tall, Mienfoo was highly alert. The moment it noticed Yuga, it became wary and assumed a combat-ready stance.

Tropius descended from the sky and landed beside Yuga, immediately facing off against Mienfoo. Seeing this, Shoryu quickly climbed down from its back.

Mienfoo recognized Tropius—they both lived in the Safari Zone and had naturally encountered each other before.

Mienfoo also knew that Tropius was stronger than it was since it had once challenged Tropius and lost. Yet, despite this, Mienfoo stood its ground, embodying the fighting spirit and pride characteristic of Fighting-type Pokémon.

After a silent standoff, Mienfoo launched the first attack. It leaped high into the air and swung a punch toward Tropius's head.

Tropius, with its long and agile neck, easily dodged the attack and countered by whipping its head, knocking Mienfoo back.

Tropius had used minimal force in its counter, so Mienfoo wasn't hurt badly. However, just as Mienfoo landed, Tropius's Dragon Pulse came flying toward it.

This Tropius not only knew Dragon Pulse, but it had also inherited the powerful move Dragon Dance. Yuga suspected that its parents might be rare Pokémon such as Lapras or Haxorus.

After verifying, Tropius revealed that its father was actually a Feraligatr, though it had been captured by another Trainer a long time ago. Yuga was a bit disappointed upon hearing this.

The Dragon Pulse engulfed the Mienfoo, but somehow, the Mienfoo managed to grab a sturdy piece of wood, using it as a shield to block the attack.

Though the wood splintered into fragments, Mienfoo remained relatively unscathed.

As soon as the Dragon Pulse dissipated, Mienfoo closed in swiftly, grabbed Tropius's foreleg, and executed a Vital Throw.

What surprised Yuga was that, despite its small stature, Mienfoo possessed considerable strength, managing to throw the much larger Tropius to the ground with remarkable force.

Watching this, Yuga silently nodded in approval. The Mienfoo's talent was evident, and he liked it.

Mienfoo tried to press its advantage, but Tropius suddenly rose and countered with a Body Slam, crushing Mienfoo under its weight.

Mienfoo let out a sharp "Eek!" as it was pinned, clearly in significant distress.

When Tropius finally moved away, Mienfoo struggled to stand and couldn't manage to stay on its feet.

Seeing this, Yuga quickly instructed Tropius to deliver the final blow. With one Energy Ball, Mienfoo collapsed, unconscious.

Yuga took out a Safari Ball and threw it, successfully capturing the Mienfoo.

Initially, Yuga considered using his special ability to heal Tropius, but Tropius had already healed most of its wounds through its Synthesis move.

Seeing that Tropius wasn't seriously injured, Yuga released Mienfoo from its ball to tend to its injuries. After a round of treatment, Mienfoo soon regained consciousness.

Once Mienfoo woke up, it accepted being captured by Yuga. Although its personality was somewhat stoic and cold, it answered all of Yuga's questions truthfully.

According to Mienfoo, it had never seen an Axew in this area before. Tropius also confirmed that it had never encountered an Axew in the Safari Zone.

Since Tropius could fly, it had been to most parts of the Safari Zone, so Yuga trusted its observations.

"Could it have been a rumor?" Yuga muttered to himself. "Who would be so bored as to make up such a story just to mess with people?"

Despite searching the surrounding area again, Yuga couldn't find any trace of Axew and decided to regroup with Fuyuki and the others.

Even though they didn't find an Axew, capturing the rare Mienfoo was more than enough to satisfy Yuga.

As expected, when he returned, Fuyuki and the others hadn't found Axew either. However, seeing the Mienfoo that now accompanied Yuga filled them with envy.

Although they had caught more Pokémon than Yuga, all of theirs were common Pokémon from the Safari Zone, and none were as rare as Mienfoo.

Noting the time, the group decided to leave the Safari Zone together.

At the entrance, they handed over the Pokémon they had captured to the staff for registration and retrieved their own Poké Balls.

The staff member was surprised to see that Yuga had only caught three Pokémon. Typically, once visitors caught their first Pokémon, the rest were easier to capture, and most would try to use up all their Safari Balls, just like Fuyuki and the others had.

Yuga, however, still had 27 unused Safari Balls remaining.

The staff member didn't question it, as what visitors did with their Safari Balls was their own business. Any unused balls were non-refundable, so it wasn't their concern.

During the registration process, the staff chatted with the group.

Through the conversation, Yuga and the others learned the truth behind the Axew sightings.

It turned out that the Axew was smuggled into the Safari Zone by a tourist. The man had intended to use his Axew to help capture Pokémon in the area. However, while chasing after wild Pokémon, his Axew was spotted by other visitors.

The visitors, assuming Axew was a wild Pokémon native to the Safari Zone, spread the word. The Axew's owner, too scared to explain the truth, allowed the rumor to grow unchecked.

Eventually, Safari Zone staff caught the man. As punishment, they confiscated all the Pokémon he had captured in the Safari Zone and fined him heavily. The man had truly suffered a double loss.

After hearing the full story, Fuyuki and the others were almost ready to curse aloud. They couldn't believe someone could be so inconsiderate, causing them to waste so much time and effort for nothing—and exhausting them in the process.