Join my p@treon for more chapters
p@treon.com/Tempest_29
Bang!! Boom!!!
Ash stared at the deflected Poké Ball as it flew through the air. He initially assumed the capture attempt would fail, but suddenly the ground beneath them began to shake. His eyes tracked the Poké Ball's trajectory as it sailed away.
A large herd thundered past behind them, accompanied by the sound of pounding hooves. As the Poké Ball arced through the air, it struck one of the running figures. The creature instantly transformed into red light and was absorbed into the sphere.
Click!!!
After wobbling momentarily, the Poké Ball soon emitted the distinctive locking sound. By then, the rest of the herd had already galloped away, leaving only a trail of dust, hoofprints, and the sealed Poké Ball on the ground. Ash couldn't help but cover his head in disbelief.
"Great," he muttered to himself. "Despite all my calculations, I still couldn't avoid this!" He had carefully observed his surroundings before attempting to capture Scyther and had only thrown the Poké Ball when he was certain no other Pokémon were nearby. Who could have predicted that Scyther would inadvertently "assist" him?
The Pokémon that had just raced past were Tauros. Ash couldn't believe that he was still unable to escape the fate that had befallen him in the anime. In the Safari Zone, each capture cost 250 Pokédollars, which was outrageous for an accidental catch.
"Is this some inevitable law of nature?" Ash couldn't help but recall a story his father once told him...
"Dad, why is it always me?"
"It's simple. Whenever something bad happens, you'll naturally be drawn into its path according to the laws of physics. It's completely unavoidable—a fundamental law of nature!"
"Ash, be careful!!"
Misty's panicked voice snapped him back to reality. Startled by her warning, Ash instinctively looked up to see Scyther leaping through the air directly above him.
The Bug Pokémon's scythes glowed with an intense green light as it descended, slashing downward without hesitation. Brock and Misty watched in horror.
"Whoa!!" Ash reacted just in time, diving to the side.
CRASH!!!
Scyther's blades struck the ground with tremendous force, creating a booming impact. The earth cracked instantly, fissures spreading outward from the point of impact. Scyther swung its scythes to disperse the dust cloud surrounding its body.
"Pika-pi!!"
Seeing his trainer in danger, Pikachu rushed to Ash's side, glaring warily at Scyther.
"Pikachu, stay calm! We can't battle here—let me handle this!" Ash instructed his partner, gesturing for him to stand down.
This was one of the Safari Zone's strict rules: Trainers could not engage in battles with wild Pokémon. While Trainers couldn't attack, the wild Pokémon were certainly capable of attacking Trainers. Anyone thinking they could capture Pokémon without consequences was sorely mistaken. Attempting to catch Pokémon sometimes provoked particularly temperamental ones.
Hearing Ash's command, Pikachu reluctantly dropped his battle stance. Scyther, noticing this, narrowed its eyes thoughtfully. Then, pushing off with powerful legs, it charged forward—not toward Ash, but directly at Pikachu.
"Pika?!!"
Both Pikachu and Ash were shocked to see Scyther renew its attack. Pikachu immediately bounded backward to avoid the slash, but Scyther launched another swift assault.
Pikachu, remembering Ash's words about not fighting in the Safari Zone, could only continue dodging. Fortunately, the Electric-type's speed matched Scyther's, allowing him to narrowly evade each potentially devastating blow.
Ash's expression changed as he observed the interaction. Scyther were naturally aggressive with proud personalities, but they never targeted weaker Pokémon without reason. Though Ash had provoked it with the capture attempt, it seemed the Bug Pokémon didn't want to attack a human who couldn't properly defend himself.
That explained why it focused on Pikachu instead. Watching its movements, Ash noticed that despite the ferocity of its attacks, Scyther appeared to be holding back somewhat. It wasn't trying to seriously harm Pikachu but rather forcing him to retaliate.
"Ash, are you alright?" Misty and Brock quickly reached Ash's side, concern evident in their voices.
"I'm fine, don't worry!" Ash shook his head briefly before returning his attention to the ongoing confrontation. Pikachu was visibly tiring after continuous evasive maneuvers.
"What should we do? We can't battle Pokémon here!" Misty watched anxiously. Pikachu couldn't keep dodging forever—sooner or later, Scyther would land a hit.
Ash didn't want Pikachu to get hurt, but he also didn't want to break the Safari Zone's rules. With a determined frown, he sprinted forward.
After Pikachu dodged yet another attack and landed, Scyther seized what appeared to be an opening and lunged with its blade.
Pikachu attempted to retreat further but discovered he had been driven into a corner. A large tree blocked his escape route, leaving nowhere to dodge. Scyther's scythe slashed downward, its tip cutting into the tree trunk.
The sharp blade left a deep gash in the wood, demonstrating just how lethal Scyther's weapons truly were. Just as Pikachu was contemplating whether to finally fight back, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, startling the Electric-type.
Scyther's expression changed dramatically. Upon seeing the person standing protectively before Pikachu, the Bug Pokémon instinctively halted its attack.
"AAAH!!!"
Witnessing this, Misty covered her eyes and screamed in terror. Brock beside her felt his heart nearly stop.
Fortunately, Scyther's blade froze just a hair's breadth away from Ash's forehead. The razor-sharp edge still glowed with eerie green light. Any closer, and the scene would have turned bloody.
"B-Brock... Why is there no sound? Is... is Ash okay?" Misty asked in a trembling voice, her hands still covering her eyes.
"If something terrible happened, we would have heard something, right?" she reasoned to herself. Soon after, Brock's uncertain voice reached her ears.
"Y-yes... I think he's okay?" Brock exhaled with cautious relief as he observed the tense standoff.
Hearing Brock's tentative assessment, Misty slowly spread her fingers to peek at the scene. Scyther's scythe remained suspended above Ash's head—a terrifying sight.
Thankfully, her fear didn't last much longer. Scyther gradually withdrew its blade, staring at Ash with intense but newly respectful eyes.
After a moment of contemplation, it slowly lowered its weapons. Unlike ordinary wild Pokémon driven purely by anger, Scyther—despite being provoked by the capture attempt—still maintained the proud dignity of a powerful fighter.
Ash's selfless action to protect Pikachu prevented Scyther from continuing to attack an opponent who refused to fight back. The Bug Pokémon found itself moved by Ash's willingness to put himself in danger to shield his partner.