Music
Safari Zone: Legal Hunting Grounds
Tall grass, and trees, as well as ponds and water, make up this part of the Safari Zone, reserved for hunting and catching pokemon for the general public. Fishermen can sink their lures into the crystal waters of the deep lakes, which lead to under ground water reserves, to catch pokemon of the water types, while others can hunt through the tall grass and rocky ridges to find land pokemon. Sometimes, you can also find items people have dropped in their travels, out in the swaying blades of green and gold.
Contents:
Rhyhorn
Obvious exits:
South <S> leads to Safari Zone: Legal Hunting Grounds.
Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still.
The Safari Zone, a perfect location to hunt for rare pokemon... And it is shrouded by a pale grey mist, same as everywhere else. This isn't exactly making vision easy, and Rick is having a hard time finding his -own- pokemon, let alone wild ones. Of course, the game of hide and seek they are playing isn't helping either. The long grass rustles with movement, one patch moving slightly more and slightly faster than the others. The trainer keeps a sharp eye out for any of the three pokemon, but he can't see any of them. The causes of the rustling grass are three very different pokemon. One is a Charmander, careful to avoid setting the grass alight by accident, another is a Machop, keeping low so as to avoid being hidden, and the larger one is a Scyther, moving faster than either of the others. It appears as if the Scyther is doing the seeking, as the two smaller pokemon move in random directions through the grass, with the larger one sitting silent until he hears a noise, then darting towards it at high speed. Rick is sitting out of this game, as the presence of two scythe-like blades increase the danger factor tenfold.
The mists of the day seem to have the natural pokemon in the reserve feeling quite safe and sound, as the calls of numerous pokemon can be heard in all directions. Kangaskhans to one side, Rhyhorns to another, and even the odd Chansey or two can be heard... though none of these pokemon can be seen, and none of them are close enough to interfere with the game between the Scyther, the Machop, or the Charmander. None of the pokemon would appear to be getting any closer to the little group. Nearby, however, just out of sight in the mists, a gentle rustling can be heard... as if something is making its way through the trees... or perhaps as if something is watching the trainer and the pokemon for some reason.
The game continues for a few more moments, until the Charmander bursts free of the long grass and runs towards her trainer, looking over her shoulder. <Riiiick! Tell the bug to stop swiping at me! It's not fair!> Afterglow complains nervously. "Oh, alright... Blade, quit it! It's a game, not a battle!" Rick calls out in the general direction of the Scyther. <But it's perfect practice... Oh, alright...> comes the voice of Blade, sounding very reluctant to abandon his battle practice. After a few seconds the Charmander runs back into the grass, and the game begins again. After a while, a dull -whump- can be heard, accompanied by simultaneous <Ow!>'s from the Charmander and Machop. <Get off me!> <I would, except you're on top of -me-!>
The odd rustling sound continues for a few more moments, but it does eventually comes to a stop... and it's replaced by a shadow in the fog. And oddly human shaped shadow... which seems to be coming closer to the group at large. After a few moments pass, the being behind the shadow becomes quite clear... it's Ranger Jenny! "Hello there, young man," she greets the trainer, taking a moment to look over in the direction of the two chattering pokemon. "Could you and your pokemon come over here for a moment? I'd like to have a word with you," she requests, though she continues to close the distance for herself, perhaps expecting the trainer to meet her halfway.
Rick looks up at the shadow, looking surprised to see the Ranger. From what he has heard, she is usually very busy, of course looking after a park this size must be a mammoth task. "Oh, hi! Er... sure!" he gives a slightly puzzled smile, before calling out to his pokemon, not in a very loud voice, but loud enough to be heard by all of his pokemon. "You three, come here a sec!" Irritated grumbles come from the grass, mainly from the Scyther apparently. One by one, the three pokemon emerge and look up at the trainer expectantly. "Come with me..." he waves, walking over towards the Ranger, all three pokemon following out of curiosity more than anything. "What's up, Ranger?" the trainer asks.
As the trainer and his three pokemon come over, the Ranger nods her head and then begins to look over the pokemon in question. The Scyther and Charmander both get momentary glances, but the Machop gets a much longer look. Eventually, she returns her attention to Rick, though, and she doesn't seem overly pleased. "Are you familiar with the rules and activies of the Safari Zone?" she asks, though she doesn't actually give the trainer a chance to answer the question. "If you did, you would know that this is a pokemon reserve, and area where we keep some of the rarer pokemon species in a recreation of their natural habitats. As such, we do not allow pokemon that can't be found inside this area to be brought in, since it might cause problems with the natural pokemon," she explains, glancing down to the Machop once again, before pointing at it. "This Machop shouldn't be out here right now."
Saving the data is only the beginning... (Saving!)
"Ah. Rats... Er... Sorry si- er... ma'am. Zack, you forgot to remind me!" Rick stammers, ending with an accusing glare at the Machop. <Haha! Busted! You're goin' down!> the Machop laughs, pointing at the boy with a stubby finger. "Shush you! Return!" the boy chuckles, activating the Machop's golden pokeball, forcing the fighting pokemon to succumb to the force of the red beam and draw him into the ball. Afterglow snickers at the exchange, while the Scyther just looks forlorn. After all, he now only has one pokemon to find, an easy task in his eyes. Rick looks back to the professional-looking woman with a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry, you see he's my pal and loves to play games and... well, I forgot..." he apologizes yet again, putting on his well-rehearsed 'cheeky but loveable' face that has helped him so often in the past.
Ranger Jenny listens to Rick's explination quietly, nodding her head in an 'I've heard this one before' manner every now and then... though after he finishes, he seems to consider something for a few moments. "Well... since it could've just been an honest mistake..." she begins, taking a quick look around the area for a moment. "And it is rather foggy outside today... I think I'll let you off with a warning this time," she decides, grinning at the young trainer for a moment. The grin fades a few moments later, though. "Part of this warning, however, is that I'm going to have to ask you to leave for the day... just in case some of the pokemon did see you with that Machop. You know how pokemon can be... they'll want to see it again and then who knows what will happen?" she says, nodding her head once again. "Feel free to come back tomorrow, though. That should give them enough time to either forget or just not care about it anymore. Follow me." With her order and warning given, Ranger Jenny turns to walk off into the mist once again. If Rick and his pokemon should follow her as she requested, they'll find themselves back at the entrance to the reserve in near record time.
Rick does indeed follow Ranger Jenny. After all, what choice does he have? Run into the mist and hope the Ranger doesn't put out a search party? Not the wisest of plans, even if it -could- be fun. "Rats. This means I can't bring out my Machop, -either- of my Abra, my Magneton... Rats!" he exclaims again as he follows. The two remaining pokemon seem to be making use of the journey back however, darting to and fro, chasing each other as they travel. Of course, the Scyther has the advantage while the Charmander doesn't use her flame attacks, which she isn't risking at the moment. Blade is bigger and faster than the Charmander, -and- he can fly, but this doesn't stop Afterglow from playing around. As soon as the group reach the entrance, Rick glances back, almost despairingly, but there is nothing he can do now. He got into trouble yet again, and he has been punished appropriately. It could have been worse, Zack could have been confiscated...
As the Ranger eventually leads the boy back to the entrance, she points him in the direction of the nearest exit. "Once again, feel free to come back tomorrow or any other day, just remember to follow the rules of this area next time you visit us!" she instructs, grinning at the trainer once again. "Now then, I've got a lot of work to do in the reserve, so I'll trust that you can find your way out from here. If you'll excuse me..." With that say, the Ranger nods her head one last time, and then makes her way off and back into the park, eventually vanishing from view in the mists once again... though one can never be sure where she is in the park when they can't see her for themselves. She -does- know the fastest ways to any single point, after all.
A very short scene, but one I intended. I knew the rules and so did Rick, but he disobeyed them for the second time and payed the price. He won't try -that- again in a hurry...
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