[attr="class","therivtop1"]

[attr="class","therivlyric2"]

If I can't evade my fate

[attr="class","therivmid1"]


As Jenna wandered through the Safari, she was unaware of the tiny shadow that followed her from afar.[break][break]

Prick twitched his ears, overhearing the beating of wings. The young Nidoran paid it no mind, knowing that birds would likely frolic through the Safari without care. It wasn't worth the effort to warn his trainer, even if one of the birds had been circled on the roster. He couldn't understand her fixation with catching more pokemon. Now was the time to slow down and start raising the ones she had acquired. Instead, she was back here again.[break][break]

She'd have to start working with them, eventually. Maybe she was just trying to build a team she would be satisfied with? For some reason, that thought made anxiety bubble in the pit of his stomach.[break][break]

“Something the matter, little guy?” She scratched Prick's ear, wondering why he seemed so melancholic. “Not feeling well?” There was no response. He just snuggled closer. It was strange, but Jenna didn't comment. If something was bothering him, she could swing by the Pokemon Center when this was over with.[break][break]

And as her eyes twisted to look ahead, something was waiting for her.[break][break]

A tiny Rufflet was perched on a nearby branch, twisting his head in a curious fashion as it watched her from afar. The Ranger hesitated, ending her brisk walking pace. That was one of the pokemon she had made a mental note of. Rufflets were... unusual. The attendant for the Safari had said that raising one was no easy commitment. They demanded time and effort, despite their cutesy appearance.[break][break]

“Hey, you feel up to this?” She nudged Prick. “Come on, you always want a good fight, don't you?” Another nudge finally roused the poison-type and he hopped down from her shoulder.[break][break]

The Rufflet, realizing that a battle had been initiated, flew down onto the middle of the road; residing a few feet ahead of them. It took advantage of the time it took for Nidoran to jump from Jenna's shoulders, using Hone Claw as it picked and preened at its own talons.[break][break]

Prick did the unexpected. Bowing himself low, he seemed to prostrate himself before the enemy; he used flatter. A move that Jenna never expected him to use. The Rufflet seemed equally confused, wondering why its opponent had seemed to surrender so easily–[break][break]

And then Prick lunged from his crouched position. The Rufflet, shocked by the sudden development, quickly flapped its wings to back up and retaliate against the charging Nidoran–but it had been too hasty. In its confusion, it flew backward and collided into a nearby tree with a loud thump. That interrupted its planned attack, allowing Prick to use his own move: Horn Attack.[break][break]

The attack was a success. He slammed himself against the Rufflet and had it pinned up against the tree. Jenna, in a hurry, quickly chucked one of her safari balls to try and seal the deal. If she had hesitated, there might have been a chance for it to escape...[break][break][break]

[attr="class","therivtop1"]

[attr="class","therivlyric2"]

If I can't evade my fate

[attr="class","therivmid1"]


One shake... two shakes... and then the wonderful click of success.[break][break]

The ranger gave a relieved sigh, walking over to scoop the pokeball off the ground. A Rufflet would be a good addition to any team. If she had the patience and the time, a Braviary would await her in the future. She had seen fellow Rangers utilize those birds in their missions; the birds were stronger than they seemed. The sight of those flying-types lifting boulders and other debris from the sight of natural disasters had left her awed.[break][break]

“Okay, just two to go. You want to stick around?” Prick gave a shake of the head. After the fight, he figured that she'd be gunning for more captures. He wasn't interested in those fights. He wanted to fight to the very end. “Alright, suit yourself.” Jenna retrieved his pokeball and brought the purple Nidoran back into the safety of the small capsule.[break][break]

Her belt was now completely filled. Each pokeball carried a pokemon. For some reason, Jenna felt proud to know that fact. It was an accomplishment, even if it was a small one. “Got a whole team, now.” A whole family. It felt... nice.[break][break]

Smiling to herself, the Ranger twisted and went on her way; oblivious to the shape that watched her from the tall grass.[break][break]

Or at least she would have been if the Togepi didn't rush out from the grass and attempt to tackle into her shin. “Woah! Careful, lil' guy!” She had moved her leg out of the way just in time, extending a hand to keep the small egg-pokemon from tripping. She didn't want the small thing to break its shell any more than he already had–[break][break]

“HEY!” Someone had shouted, bursting out from the tall grass; a fellow trainer who seemed very irate, shaking his bug net in Jenna's direction “That's my Togepi! I saw it first, you hear?! I'm gonna battle it! I won't let you take it from me! REEEEEEEEE--” The sound he unleashed was inhuman.[break][break]

“Woah, dude, I don't even want–“ But the irate trainer seemed intent on continuing his rant, saying how it was “finder's keepers” and refusing to listen. It was an irrational child, no older than ten. Jenna supposed it was some rich brat who's parents bought a safari ticket.[break][break]

“Fuck this, I'm out.” Jenna said with raised hands, shrugging to the Togepi. The fairy type carried a look of pure dread. “You gotta fight this battle, man. I ain't sticking around.” She couldn't waste any more time.[break][break][break]

[attr="class","therivtop1"]

[attr="class","therivlyric2"]

If I can't evade my fate

[attr="class","therivmid1"]


That had been unusual.[break][break]

Jenna walked as fast as she could, trying to erase the sound of that child screeching from her head. That poor Togepi. Her poor eardrums. Even now, she could hear that child yelling in the distance, preparing to battle it. Everyone in the Safari could probably hear it. The second-hand embarrassment was palpable. Who raised a kid to act like that? It was baffling. She hoped the poor Togepi could escape or out-battle the fool. If not, she doubt it would ever evolve; they needed happiness, didn't they?[break][break]

Nobody could be happy with a shithead like that.[break][break]

“Good thing I withdrew Prick.” If he had heard that kid screeching, he would have tried to kick his ass; her poor Nidoran had sensitive hearing.[break][break]

And all of the yelling seemed to have an effect on the pokemon as well. The Safari Zone was suddenly bustling with noise. She could hear rustling in the trees; the wild grass was trembling. All of the nearby pokemon were trying their best to get away from that screeching dipshit. “Me too, guys.” Jenna said aloud with a strained expression. “Me too.”[break][break]

It seemed like some pokemon were more affected than others; something was whimpering.[break][break]

The Ranger had to strain her hearing, trying to decipher the sound from the distant cacophony. It had been faint, but it was a noise that summoned her attention. Any trainer would have been hardwired to sense a sound like that–if they were a good trainer, it was because they would want to help.[break][break]

Jenna had the same intentions. She broke away from the main road, trying to hear that whimper once more. It had come from her left, deep in the brush and brambles. Thorns and stiff branches tried to interfere as she pushed her way through. Her skin was scraped and tried to protest her efforts, but she ignored the sting. A few scratches weren't anything to worry about. She'd gone through worse.[break][break]

The Ranger found the source of the whimpering. It was a Noibat, clutching both its head. What was this little guy doing outside? Weren't Noibats supposed to be cave-dwelling creatures? Maybe it was all the new noises that had it overwhelmed.[break][break]

“Hey, hey. It's okay.” She wanted to reach out a hand, but the small pokemon looked too frightened. “Are you lost?” There was a bump on its head. Jenna could only assume it had accidentally crashed into a tree while it was flying. The creature refused to respond. Instead, it looked too terrified to move. The sight brought back memories for the Ranger. This wasn't the first time she had coaxed a pokemon.[break][break]

And she knew just the trick.[break][break]

She rolled one of her shoulders, letting her backpack slump from her back and onto the ground. From the front pouch of the bag, she retrieved an pecha berry. It was ripe and ready to burst straight from its skin, so the girl carefully retrieved her swiss army knife and peeled it, watching as the juices immediately spilled out from the fruit and down her hand.[break][break]

The smell caught the Noibat's attention. “You guys like these, right?” She cut a small slice, holding it out. “I'm not gonna bite,” and it could not resist the temptation. It bit into the sweet slice of the fruit, drawing itself closer as she continued to feed it slice after slice; in no time, the fruit was gone.[break][break]

“Feel better?” It nodded. The curative properties of the fruit already seemed to be at work. The knot on its head was already starting to shrink.[break][break]

And the kid in the distance screamed; a sound of defeat. The Noibat visibly cringed.[break][break]

Jenna extended out her Safari Ball. “Save yourself.” It immediately smashed its hand against the button to the pokeball.[break][break][break]

[attr="class","therivtop1"]

[attr="class","therivlyric2"]

If I can't evade my fate

[attr="class","therivmid1"]


The capture was a success. [break][break]

The Noibat was safe from the distant screaming. Now, he could rest and get his bearings. The Ranger knew he would have plenty of time to calm down once he was put into storage–where he could be comforted and given all the enrichment that he would need. Noibats were part dragon, weren't they? That meant that this was her first dragon type. Weren't they best suited to the care of experienced trainers? Jenna sighed to herself, making a silent promise that she'd do her best for her newest companion.[break][break]

“Okay, just one ball left.” There was still enough time left. The girl didn't have to glance at the timer to know that she could slow down and take her time. During her previous visit, Jenna had blasted through the Safari Balls as fast as she could throw them, fearing that the time would run out; turns out, she still had plenty of time. The ranger was still slightly flustered at that memory, thinking that maybe she had been too hasty.[break][break]

The girl stood up from the ground, brushing dirt from her pant legs... when she felt something land on her shoulder. The weight was so light, she presumed it was a leaf and reached to brush it off–her fingers touched something soft. Jerking her hand back, Jenna glanced over to see something small and yellow latched to her hoodie.[break][break]

Four blue eyes stared up at her.[break][break]

The girl released a strangled noise–an attempt to keep herself from gushing at the small, soft, precious creature that was latched to her. “Hi, sweetie.” Oh, it was so small. How was it possible for something to be so small? “You having a snack?” It was bringing its little legs up to its mouth, munching on her static electricity; the attendants from earlier had warned trainers to be careful of their surroundings to avoid crushing one of these delicate bug-types.[break][break]

“You are so small. What the heck.” Gently, she coaxed the small spider to climb into the palm of her hand. With one finger, she gently brushed the top of its head, petting through the dense fuzz. The spider closed its eyes and hummed. It wasn't like a purr, but it was close to it.[break][break]

“....” Well. She wasn't going to set this one down and let it wander off. Glancing over both shoulders to make sure no loud-ass trainer would burst out from a nearby bush, the ranger fetched the last safari ball. “I'll let you eat all the static off my clothes. I promise,” and she tapped the ball down as gently as she could. [break][break][break]