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With Parasect captured, the surrounding Paras were momentarily stunned before chaos erupted. Within a few blinks, the previously encircling Paras had vanished, even those that had been knocked out by Scyther earlier.
In Liam's mind, he couldn't help but imagine a conversation between them.
Paras A: "Hey! Bro! You were just playing dead too?"
Paras B: "Yeah, yeah! Can't go against the boss's orders, so I had to do this!"
...
Seeing that the Paras had all scattered, Liam stepped out from behind the bushes, picked up the Safari Ball containing Parasect, and casually tossed it into his backpack. He then approached Scyther and pulled out an Antidote.
"Scy..."
Scyther was clearly at its limit, both physically and mentally. When it saw Liam approaching, it merely tilted its head slightly to glance at him before passing out.
Not long after, Scyther slowly regained consciousness. It immediately noticed that its body felt light—its poisoning and paralysis were completely gone. Its mind was clear, and its stamina had recovered to a decent level.
"Yo, you're awake! How do you feel? Any discomfort?"
"Scyther!!"
A sudden voice startled Scyther, making it jump in alarm. It immediately assumed a battle stance, its scythe-like claws raised and ready to attack.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Is this how you treat your savior? I used up a ton of medicine to treat you, and now you're gonna repay kindness with hostility? If I knew you'd act like this, I should've just caught you while you were asleep."
Liam greeted Scyther cheerfully, but to his annoyance, it responded with hostility.
"Scy?!"
Hearing Liam's words, Scyther was taken aback. It looked at him in disbelief, but the truth was right before its eyes—this human had indeed saved it. Otherwise, it would probably be covered in spores by now.
Realizing this, Scyther lowered its claws and gave Liam a small nod of gratitude.
"Heh, now that's more like it! That means we can have a proper conversation."
Seeing Scyther's change in attitude, Liam smiled. He then pulled out a Safari Ball and looked at Scyther seriously.
"Scyther, I want to capture you. I had the chance to do it earlier, but I knew you wouldn't accept it. You have great potential, and staying here would be a waste. I'm sure you want to see the outside world, to battle stronger opponents.
"So here's the deal—I'll catch you with this Safari Ball for now since battling with my own Pokémon isn't allowed here. But once we leave the Safari Zone, we'll have a proper battle. If you win, I'll release you and let you go wherever you want. But if I win, you'll be my partner, and we'll grow stronger together.
"What do you say?"
Liam truly admired this Scyther. It wasn't just about its potential—it was about its pride. Even when outnumbered, it showed no fear. That was the kind of spirit Liam appreciated.
Scyther stared intently into Liam's eyes, seeing the sincerity in them. After a moment of deep thought, it raised its head, eyes filled with determination, and nodded.
"Scy!!"
Liam was overjoyed at Scyther's response and quickly extended the Safari Ball.
"Scyther!"
Scyther took one last serious look at Liam before lifting its claw and gently tapping the ball's button.
With a flash of red light, Scyther was absorbed into the Safari Ball, which didn't even shake before clicking shut.
Liam could barely contain his excitement as he looked down at the Safari Ball.
"Scyther, just rest in there for now. Once we leave the Safari Zone, I'll let you out."
The ball shook slightly in response—Scyther had heard him.
"This is amazing!"
Having temporarily captured Scyther, Liam was thrilled. This trip had been more than worthwhile. He decided to head back early so he could properly battle and capture Scyther once they were out.
With a bright smile, Liam hummed a cheerful tune as he hopped his way back toward the ferry.
Soon, he arrived at the spot where his boat was moored. Just as he was about to untie the rope from the tree, a strange sound came from the nearby foliage.
"Drra... drra drra..."
"Hm?"
Liam raised an eyebrow, pausing his movements. Carefully, he tiptoed toward the large tree nearby.
Peeking around the trunk, he spotted a blue and white snake-like creature happily munching on the leftover half of a sandwich he had discarded earlier.
That familiar color. That familiar shape. That familiar cry.
Without changing expression, Liam pulled out his last Safari Ball and casually tossed it downward.
"Gotcha."
Click... wiggle... wiggle... click!
The Safari Ball settled almost instantly. Liam bent down, picked it up, and glanced at the remaining bit of sandwich on the ground.
At that moment, he sincerely felt that the heavens were truly looking out for him.
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After tossing another 500 PokéDollars into the ferry's payment box, Liam had no more regrets. He returned swiftly to the dock and, not even bothering to use up the remaining 20 minutes on his ferry pass, walked straight out of the Safari Zone.
As he handed back his pass at the entrance, he flashed a mischievous grin at the ticket lady, making her feel deeply uncomfortable.
Outside the Safari Zone, Liam hopped on his Bike and sped down the open road.
Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore—
"HAHAHAHAHA!! Cough cough... HAHAHA!!"
Upon returning to Fuchsia City, Liam first handed over all the extra Safari Balls he had collected to Nurse Joy, asking her to mail them to Professor Oak—of course, with cash on delivery as usual.
Then, holding onto the Safari Balls containing Scyther and Dratini, he made his way to the battle arena next to the Pokémon Center.
"Come on out, Scyther, Dratini!"
With a flick of his wrist, Liam released both Pokémon.
"Scyther!"
Scyther immediately scanned its surroundings, clearly intrigued by the outside world.
Dratini, however, was the complete opposite. It pouted, glaring at Liam with an indignant expression, as if it had suffered a grave injustice.
Seeing Dratini's face, Liam couldn't help but chuckle. He quickly used his Pokédex to scan it.
[Ding!]
Pokemon: Dratini
Type: Dragon
Species: Dragon Pokemon
Ability: Shed Skin
Nature: Naughty
Gender: Female
Moves: Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Twister, Dragon Rage
Egg Move: Extreme Speed
Base Stats:
HP: 4
Attack: 64
Defense: 45
Special Attack: 50
Special Defense: 50
Speed: 50
Evaluation: Excellent! Despite its small size, Dratini possesses immense power. Never underestimate it. Highly recommended for training.
Liam nodded in satisfaction. As a Dragon-type Pokémon, an "Excellent" rating was fairly standard. The fact that it had Extreme Speed as an Egg Move was a pleasant surprise.
But judging by Dratini's current attitude, getting it to listen to him might take some effort.
Now, the real challenge begins...
"Scy..!"