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"What happened?!" A voice suddenly called out as Kaiser ran over anxiously.
Seeing the obvious signs of battle all around, his face darkened immediately.
"What are you doing? I told you that Pokémon battles aren't allowed here."
Kaiser surveyed the scene in front of him and assumed Ash had disobeyed his instructions about battling Pokémon in this area. He instinctively reached for his gun.
"Hey! Can you stop pulling out your gun at every little thing? That Scyther attacked first, and Ash didn't even fight back!" Misty snapped, her anger rising. She was surprised at her own boldness, considering how she had hidden behind Ash in fear when she first saw Kaiser's weapon. "You can't just do whatever you want just because you're stronger than us!"
"Uh..." Kaiser hadn't expected such a fiery reaction from Misty.
In truth, he only pulled out his gun to intimidate people who broke the rules. Even as someone with a tough exterior, he wouldn't actually shoot to kill. He had simply become concerned when he noticed the commotion.
"I... I understand, as long as no rules were broken," Kaiser replied after listening to their explanation, removing his hand from his waist.
Scyther was known for its aggressive temperament, and attempting to capture one could certainly provoke its anger.
BOOM!!!
As Kaiser relaxed his stance, Misty and Brock sighed with relief. Ash glanced over at the Scyther, but at that moment, a thunderous noise captured everyone's attention.
"Huh? What's going on?"
The sound startled the group, and they spotted smoke rising in the distance. The noise had clearly disturbed many wild Pokémon in the area.
"Over there... Could it be?! Oh no!" Kaiser's expression changed instantly as he looked toward the source of the commotion. Without another word to Ash and the others, he sprinted in that direction.
"What's happening? Kaiser seems really worried," Misty said in confusion as they watched him rush away.
"Something serious must have happened over there," Brock replied, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "He came running over here for our small disturbance, so whatever's happening there must be much bigger."
"What should we do?"
"Let's go check it out!"
Without hesitation, Ash grabbed Pikachu and the box of Park Balls from the Safari Zone area, then followed Kaiser's path. Seeing this, Brock and Misty quickly ran after him, forgetting their own belongings in their haste.
After pushing through a dense section of jungle, they emerged into a clearing. Before them stretched a massive lake that connected to the open sea. The water's surface churned violently, and many Water-type Pokémon floated on the surface, knocked unconscious.
"Those poor Pokémon! What could have happened?" Misty exclaimed, distressed at seeing so many Water-types in trouble.
"Look up there!" Brock raised his head and his expression suddenly changed. "There are ten TV helicopters hovering in the sky!"
Below the helicopters hung a giant net attached to ropes. Two Pokémon were currently trapped inside.
One was approximately four meters long with a dark blue body and white belly. Two sapphire-like orbs adorned the end of its tail, with another blue orb positioned at its neck. A white, cone-shaped horn crowned its head, which was framed by wing-like ears.
The other was smaller, about one meter in length, with a light blue body and white underbelly. It had large purple eyes, fin-like ears, and a prominent white nose. A small white bump protruded from its forehead, resembling an undeveloped horn.
"Those are Dragonair and Dratini!" Ash recognized the Pokémon immediately.
Dratini was the rare Pokémon that had driven countless Trainers to search this Safari Zone area, and Dragonair was its evolved form.
"Who are you? Release Dratini and Dragonair right now!"
Kaiser had already reached the lake. Shocked at the situation unfolding above, he quickly drew both his guns, aimed skyward, and shouted his demand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His machine gun fired repeatedly at the helicopters, but the bullets merely bounced off their armored exteriors.
"This can't be happening!" Kaiser looked stunned, realizing he had no way to rescue Dragonair and Dratini.
A figure appeared in the doorway of the lead helicopter, looking down with a sneer at the captured Dragon Pokémon.
"Hmph! So the rumors about Dratini in the Safari Zone were true. And we got an unexpected bonus! Hiding them here where no one could find them was clever, but not clever enough for Team Rocket."
The man wore all black, with a black hat covering his green hair. On the front of his uniform was a prominent red R-shaped emblem.
"That guy is from Team Rocket too!" The three friends immediately recognized his affiliation with the criminal organization.
At that moment, the captured Dragonair refused to accept its fate. Seeing Kaiser trying to help, its eyes flickered with determination. The gem beneath its neck began to glow with blue light, and dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky above.
The green-haired man smirked at this attempt.
"Trying to escape?" He snapped his fingers confidently.
ZAP!!!
A powerful electric current surged through the net, enveloping both Dragonair and Dratini. Dragonair winced but managed to lift its head toward the sneering man above.
Electric attacks weren't particularly effective against Dragonair. Though it lived in water, it wasn't a Water-type but a pure Dragon-type Pokémon.
Dragons were resistant to electricity and could even summon lightning themselves. The orb on Dragonair continued to glow as it gathered storm clouds for a counterattack, but the man's sneer only widened.
"You might be able to resist, but what about little Dratini?"
Dragonair's expression changed instantly at these words. It looked down at the smaller Dratini beside it, which was clearly in pain. Though Dratini was also a Dragon-type and theoretically resistant to Electric attacks, it was still young and underdeveloped. Even if it could withstand the shock, Dragonair couldn't bear to see its child suffer.
Slowly, the light from Dragonair's orb faded away.