( Author Note: Sorry for not uploading these past few days, I came down with severe flu and a fever of 103°C. )

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[ POV Change ]

Once Austin and the others were in the entrance building, they looked around at the large room before them. In corner of the room, a large picture of a young man holding a Dratini in his arms was shown.

"That must be the picture Nurse Joy was talking about."

Yellow exclaimed while Austin wondered if that crazy warden from the anime would greet them.

" Looks like the reputation of the Heralds of Gods still holds," Lucario said as he glanced at the portrait.

" Heralds of Gods? Are you talking about Dratini ?" Austin asked curiously with Yellow listening in.

" Yes, a group of Pokemon whose strength on the battlefield was legendary. People of my Era called them the Heralds of Gods." Lucario said as he remembered his days on the battlefield.

" Well, we call these pokemon pseudo legendaries in the Era, Old man," Austin answered with a smirk as his words irritated Lucario.

" Ash, what are Pseudo legendaries? " Yellow curiously asked.

Austin thought about it for a moment as he couldn't give the game definition.

" Well, a pseudo legendary Pokémon are a special group of pokemon that have to meet special criteria. Dratini is one of those pokemon."

" Oh," Yellow said before innocently asking," Do you know what that criterion is ?"

" I don't," Austin answered back.

Yellow puffed out and said," Come on, tell me. You always know everything."

" Haha, I don't always know everything, yellow," Austin said but he couldn't stop himself from smiling. To think he was perceived in such high regard.

Austin glanced at Lucario while he rubbed his nose.

"Lucario, I forgot to ask but where were you after the festival?"

" Well, this old man was thinking about what you said and I think I have found a way for you to start your aura training."

" Awesome."

( ~ Clang ~ )

The staff members of the Safari Zone walked into the room, their steps echoing off the walls. They were a diverse group, ranging from young pokemon breeders to experienced veterinarians. Each of them carried a clipboard, ready to discuss the day's tasks and assignments.

The staff members blinked a few times as they saw Austin and the others standing in the room.

" Excuse me, but are you perhaps lost ?" One of the staff members asked causing Austin and Yellow to be taken aback.

" Ahhh, no, we were escorted here" Austin answered as he showed the staff members his black ticket.

" Well, looks like you are one of the few lucky ones to get the chance to capture Pokemon from the Safari Zone. Did anyone explain the rules to you ?"

" No."

" Oh, then let's get started by taking your measurements."

" Pardon."

" Don't worry, it's just to get you guys into proper safari zone uniforms, as you know capture of any kind of pokemon in the Safari Zone is prohibited so you will need to wear the Safari Zone uniforms to not attract any attention towards you."

" Got it."

" Can I have that ticket please ?"

" Sure."

The staff director took Austin's ticket before examining it and then ripping the ticket into pieces.

" So, is the young lady your escort ?"

" Yeah," Austin answered as he straightened his shoulders to be measured.

" As you know the Safari Zone is an artificial home for pokemon natives and nonnative to the Kanto region. Things like the effect of introducing a new pokemon species to Kanto's habitants are observed here hence you'll find many non-native Kanto pokemon and even with the black ticket, you are not able to capture the non-native pokemon. Each pokemon of the Safari Zone have been tagged and we will be alerted if you capture a non-native Kanto pokemon and your license as a pokemon trainer will be suspended for 5 years. Is that clear ?"

" Yes, but what if the capture is accidental ?" Austin asked.

" Cameras are situated all around the Safari Zone so we will look into the matter if the capture is accidental or not."

" Got it, so are there any other rules."

" Sadly yes, the Safari Zone has a variety of different habitats here, from grassy fields to dense forests, and each one is home to a unique selection of Pokemon to catch Pokemon in the Safari Zone, you'll need to use Safari Balls instead of regular Poke Balls. These balls are designed to be gentle and not harm the Pokemon, so you can catch them without causing any harmOnce you enter the Safari Zone, you'll have a limited amount of time to explore and catch Pokemon approximately 3 hours with a catch limit of 6 pokemon. I hope you have a great time exploring the Safari Zone, trainer. Good luck !"

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"So where do you think we should start, guys?" Yellow asked Austin and Lucario looked around them, as far as the eye could see was a forest, a dense and lush expanse of towering trees, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze. The air was filled with the chirping of birds and the soft rustling of small animals moving through the underbrush.

Sunlight filtered down through the canopy, dappling the forest floor with patches of light and shadow. Wildflowers and ferns sprouted from the rich, dark soil, adding pops of color to the green landscape.

The forest was alive with the sounds of nature, from the gentle trickling of a nearby stream to the distant hoots of Hoothoot. It was a peaceful and serene place, a haven for wildlife and a place of great beauty

" How in Mew's green earth did humans create this ?" Lucario asked as Austin looked at his Pokedex while saying," Says here that the entire Safari Zone was built by Dr. Woodrow Wilson alongside multiple ace trainers from the pokemon league 20 years ago prior."

" Praise Mew, to think humans and pokemon cooperating could be built something so beautiful," Lucario stated as he shed a tear.

Yellow and Austin sweatdropped before Austin's backpack before to stir and Pikachu popped out with a yawn.

" So, that's where Pikachu was," Yellow said before looking back at Austin.

" What should we do?"

" Well, Lucario, remember the plan," Austin said as he threw a chocolate bar toward Lucario who happily caught it.

" You drive a hard bargain," Lucario said as he quickly ate the chocolate bar.

Placing his palm on the ground, Lucario asked," Which pokemon will it be ?"

" Let's start with Chansey."

Lucario nodded as he closed his eyes and began focusing, the appendages on his head beginning to rise slightly.

'Aura is with me,' he thought as his vision was replaced with a rather ghostly landscape, focusing his Aura throughout the Safari Zone, moving through artificial forest and plains, eventually coming to overlook a massive meadow filled with Pokémon of every shape.

Lucario opened his eyes as he looked towards Austin whose aura spiked.

Lucario could sense hope in Austin's aura.

Why?

Then it clicked in Lucario's head.

Austin's loss of his friend had made the human jaded and now with the chance, he had to capture a healer, of course, he would have hope. Hope that with the healer no one in his family would get hurt.

" There seems to be a problem."

" What is it ?"

" I have found the healer."

" So what's the problem ?"

" There seems to be only one in this entire area."

" No problem, let's go," Austin said

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As everyone followed Lucario, they spot a giant gray rhinoceros Pokemon with a stone body.

"Hey, guys. Look! It's a Rhyhorn!" Yellow said excitedly as she pointed to the rock rhinoceros Pokemon eating some grass nearby.

"I am going to capture it," Austin suddenly stated catching Yellow and the others off guard.

" Pika !"

" Ash, aren't we going after Chansey ?"

" We are going to do this but I also wanted to capture a Rhyhorn"

" We don't have that many safari balls, are you sure you can capture it on the first try."

" Don't worry yellow, I have a theory, you see. I bet if I can show this Rhyhorn how gentle and caring I am, I can coax it to come onto my team. I think it would be a lot more effective than throwing a Safari Ball at it."

"Sounds like a great way to die," Lucario asked with a raised eyebrow. " Rhyhorn can get pretty aggressive."

"Don't worry, Lucario, my plan is as solid as it could be," Austin replied.

"If you say so but if you die, can I get your secret stash of chocolates," Lucario muttered.

" What are you talking about ?"

" Don't play dumb, that ghost has already revealed your secret."

Lucario's words caused everyone to look at the shadow beneath Austin's feet that was giggling.

" Lucario, I think that was a joke."

Austin's words caused Lucario's eyes to widen in shock as he stared on with his mouth hung open in disbelief as he took in the shocking revelation.

Lucario felt a jolt of electricity run through his body as he struggled to process the information. His heart pounded in his chest, and his mind raced with a thousand different thoughts and emotions.

He stumbled backward, Lucario's legs feeling weak and unsteady. The aura pokemon clutched at his chest, trying to catch his breath and calm his racing heart.

Slowly, the shock began to fade, replaced by a sense of confusion and uncertainty. Lucario didn't know what to think or feel, and he felt lost and unsure of what to do next.

But one thing was clear - this was a moment that would change his life forever.

" Is he going to be alright ?" Yellow asked while poking the shocked Lucario.

" Don't worry, just feed him the chocolate bar from my backpack. Pikachu, you stay with Yellow."

" Pika, Pi."

" Don't worry, I am going to be fine."

Austin answered as walked over to the Rhyhorn who was still eating and stood behind it. Everyone else waited for a safe distance behind a bush to see how it would play out meanwhile Lucario was happily eating his chocolate.

"Hey, Rhyhorn. How are you today?" Austin asked it with a friendly smile.

The Rhyhorn looked up from the grass it was eating and gave Austin a blank expression.

Austin then sneakily diverted his attention to a scratch on the Rhyhorn's leg that he had noticed earlier.

He could use this as an opportunity to get some brownie points in and convince Rhyhorn to join his team. Currently, his team wasn't strong enough to battle the entirety of Team Rocket especially not Giovanni.

He had a few discussions with Professor Oak and Bill about Pokemon stats which were essentially a numeric analysis of a Pokemon's genetic potential.

IVs or individual values were also a term that he had recognized from the two scientists but unlike the real world where IVs were used t determine competitive play. In this world, IVs are a term used to describe the genetic potential a person had or as Bill puts it, IVs are like the Talents of pokemon due to the environment that lives in, it could also depend on a pokemon species, for example, many ace trainers use Nidoking because of its natural high occurring stats due to the tribal nature of the pokemon species to battle it out for territorial dominance.

Geater your pokemon stats or IVs, it has greater potential to get stronger in a shorter amount of time but for long terms, IVs or pokemon stats don't matter that much since a Pokemon can learn, grow and adapt to become much stronger over the years with dedicated training.

Now with his goal of destroying Team rocket, he needed pokemon who could grow stronger in a much shorter amount of time. He had bill send him a list of pokemon with high naturally occurring IVs or stats.

Austin gave Rhyhorn a sympathetic expression. "I see that you've hurt your leg before. I could patch that up in a jiffy for you if you want."

The Rhyhorn continued to stare at Austin, not saying anything.

Taking its silence as a sign to go on, Austin reached into his backpack and pulled out a few Pokemon medical supplies. They consisted of a Potion and some disinfectant. He then kneeled next to the Pokemon to get a better view of the scratch.

"Hold still," Austin ordered gently as he sprayed the disinfectant on the scratch. The Rhyhorn growled softly in pain but held fast.

Brock then sprayed the potion on the wound and gave a smile to the Rhyhorn. "There you go! You're all fixed up now!"

The Rhyhorn hadn't let its eyes off Austin the entire time. Is this kid crazy? It still watched as Austin went and put back the supplies in his backpack before pulling out a Safari Ball and holding it in front of him.

" You know, Rhyhorn? I bet we could make a great team together. What do you say? Will you come with me?" Austin asked while giving the Rock type a warm and inviting look. His methods and theories were flawless according to anime logic. This is how Ash always got his Pokemon. He formed a bond with them.

The Rhyhorn continued to stare at Austin curiously. The Pokemon and humans were eye-to-eye. Rhyhorn then began to move closer to Austin. It looked like it was going to accept the offer, and then…

" Woah!" Austin cried in alarm as the Rhyhorn tried to go up and thrust Austin upwards with its horn.

( ~ Boom ~ )

Rhyhorn was thrust face first into the ground as Haunter held the Rock type's horn with her claw.

" Kekeke."

" Guys, does anyone have any idea to convince Rhyhorn to join the team."

" Pika Pi."

" Why don't you ride it? " Yellow exclaimed.

" First of all don't listen to these two idiots and second of all why don't you have a competition of dominance over the rock type ?"

" Pray tell, how do I do that ?"

" Stare into its eyes and show it you will, your will to be as strong as an unbreakable rock."

Austin nodded and turned towards Rhyhorn that had been pinned to the ground by Haunter.

" Why don't you join my team ?" Austin said as he started at Rhyhorn dead in the eye.

The Rhyhorn stared back defiantly at him.

Austin and Rhyhorn stared at each other, their eyes locked in a fierce competition for dominance. Austin's eyes were cold and calculating, while the animals were wild and untamed.

The tension in the air was palpable, and both Austin and Rhyhorn were on edge. They were locked in a battle of wills, each trying to outstare the other.

Rhyhorn snarled and bared its teeth, trying to intimidate the human. But Austin remained unruffled, maintaining a steady gaze and refusing to back down.

The staring contest continued for what felt like an eternity, with both Austin and Rhyhorn unwilling to back down. But eventually, Rhyhorn blinked, breaking the stare and conceding defeat.

Austin let out a small smile of triumph, having won the staring competition and established their dominance over the animal.

Tapping the Safari Ball onto Rhyhorn before it landed on the ground and began to shake several times. After a while, the ball "dinged" to show Rhyhorn was captured.