Request for Backup!
March 21st, Saturday, Cloudy Turning Clear.
The northern coast of the Hoenn mainland.
The Wild Safari Zone, also known as the "Hunting Grounds."
It was a League-sanctioned Pokémon capture area where trainers could legally hunt Pokémon after paying a fee. However, trainers were not allowed to engage in battles to weaken Pokémon before capturing them.
Of course, if a wild Pokémon attacked a trainer first, they were permitted to defend themselves in battle.
Additionally, trainers in the Safari Zone had to use special Poké Balls—Safari Balls.
These Safari Balls...
Had an abysmally low success rate, even lower than regular Poké Balls, since no battling was involved.
Each trainer received 30 Safari Balls per visit, regardless of the strength or rarity of the Pokémon they encountered. However, they could only take one Pokémon with them upon leaving, no matter how many they caught.
Most of the time, though, trainers burned through all 30 balls without catching a single Pokémon.
It felt like playing a rigged carnival game—throwing rings but never landing a single prize.
Yet, people loved it.
Especially when rumors spread that a Bagon population lived in the Hoenn Safari Zone.
"Hoenn's Safari Zone claims to have Bagon, while Kanto's Safari Zone claims to have Dratini... Same old marketing tricks."
Johan pedaled his Rotom Bike along the dirt paths of the Safari Zone.
In the basket sat Larvitar, snacking on a piece of ore. With Rotom switching the bike into off-road mode, the bumpy terrain felt as smooth as pavement.
"But considering Kanto's Safari Zone actually has Dratini, it's possible there really are Bagon here."
He recalled that the Kanto Safari Zone had a small lake where Dragon-type Pokémon like Dratini could be found.
Maybe the Hoenn Safari Zone wasn't lying either.
But with so many wild Pokémon, Johan glanced around at the vast expanse of grassland.
The plains stretched endlessly, teeming with Pokémon—herds of Tauros grazing by the lake, Butterfree and Beautifly fluttering through spring blossoms, Dodrio sprinting across the fields, and Lotad drifting on the water's surface.
Finding one Bagon in this massive landscape was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Let alone capturing it with 30 cheap, mass-produced Safari Balls.
Thirty?
Even three thousand wouldn't guarantee a successful capture.
In reality, the correct way to capture Pokémon in the Safari Zone wasn't brute force.
Unlike Ash, who somehow caught 30 Tauros with pure luck, most trainers were better off befriending Pokémon first before attempting capture.
But since the Safari Zone also had time limits, success depended on the trainer's patience and skill.
"Pseudolegendaries? Not interested." Johan leisurely pedaled his bike, with zero intention of searching for Bagon.
He already had two pseudo-legendaries.
One was his fully evolved Dragonite, and the other was the "Tyrant of the Desert"—his still-growing Larvitar.
And raising these two?
Ridiculously expensive.
Dragonite wasn't too bad—its Dratini and Dragonair stages had thrived in the Dragon's Sacred Domain, eating well and growing strong without much extra investment.
But once it evolved into Dragonite?
Its three-meter-tall body and larger-than-Gengar belly turned it into a food-devouring monster.
As for Larvitar?
From the moment it hatched, it was eating nonstop.
If it wasn't eating, it was on its way to eat.
If it was sleeping, it was probably dreaming about eating.
Johan seriously suspected that Giovanni had injected steroids into this egg—it ate way too much.
Feeding just one Larvitar was already a financial burden.
Getting another pseudo-legendary?
Johan couldn't afford it, even if he sold everything.
Right now, he had no interest in catching more Pokémon.
If he did?
It'd be Grass-types.
For two reasons:
1. He lacked a Grass-type, and his collector's instinct was itching.
2. Most Grass-types didn't need much food—some barely ate at all, surviving on sunlight alone.
How convenient was that?
At some point, Johan realized his priorities had changed.
Before, he thought Pokéblock expenses were bad enough.
Now? If a Pokémon could live on just Pokéblocks, it was a dream come true.
Of course, that was a problem for future Johan.
Right now, he needed to financially survive his current team.
Johan pedaled along, the endless blue sky stretching above him, a gentle breeze rustling the grasslands.
Pokémon lived freely in this serene landscape.
"Yoji."
Larvitar happily munched on its ore, casually waving at passing Pokémon.
The wild Pokémon stared at Larvitar, their eyes full of envy.
Such a relaxed lifestyle...
Rotom, despite being transformed into a bike, kept snapping photos.
The occasional flash of the camera irritated Gengar, but Rotom was already used to it—it simply ignored the photobombing ghost.
Eventually, a town appeared in the distance.
Hoenn wasn't just home to a dozen major cities—there were countless smaller towns, scattered across the region.
This particular one was called Ayasha Town.
Located on Hoenn's northern coastline, it lay east of Slateport City, west of Fortree City, and just south of the Safari Zone.
The town was bustling—festive decorations lined the streets, and crowds filled the markets.
Near the entrance, two blonde-haired figures stood waiting—one tall, dressed in black, her golden eyes curving into a warm smile.
The other was a petite girl in a pink dress, her long golden hair nearly reaching the ground.
Her lips were pouted in clear dissatisfaction.
Cynthia was smiling.
Caitlin was glaring—annoyed that Johan had interrupted her shopping trip with Cynthia.
Johan sighed.
Seeing Caitlin meant trouble.
This little girl despised him—more than Garchomp did.
He hadn't expected her to be with Cynthia.
"You're here." Cynthia's voice was as smooth as ever.
"Yeah."
Johan folded his bike, storing it away.
"Hmph!" Caitlin huffed, turning her head away.
Johan had learned his lesson—ignoring her was the best strategy.
Seeing this, Caitlin clenched her fists—furious.
"Yoji."
Larvitar, still holding a toothpick, tilted its head.
It recognized Cynthia, but Caitlin?
This was its first time seeing her.
Gengar floated out of Johan's shadow, instantly grinning at Cynthia.
"Ka-kaah~~"
Long time no see!
Cynthia chuckled, handing Gengar a pair of black-framed glasses.
Gengar's eyes lit up.
It snatched them greedily, sliding them onto its face.
Then, it turned to Johan—striking a pose.
"Well? Handsome, right?"
And honestly…?
Gengar looked surprisingly wise in them.
Like an ancient ghost scholar.
"Wise Glasses?" Johan raised an eyebrow.
[Wise Glasses: Increases the power of Special Attacks by 10%.]
This was a rare item—and perfect for Gengar.
The ghost was absolutely thrilled.
Cynthia then turned to Larvitar, smiling as she handed it a dark-colored stone.
Larvitar sniffed it, let out a happy cry, and immediately stuffed it into its mouth.
Johan sighed.
"You just ate!"
Larvitar ignored him, too busy chewing.
Cynthia laughed, watching the little dinosaur.
Beep beep—
Johan's phone suddenly buzzed.
An emergency distress signal from Interpol—issued across the region.
The sender?
Looker.
"REQUESTING BACKUP!"
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Powerstones?
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