The gates of the Fuchsia Safari Zone loomed like the entrance to a prehistoric kingdom. Usually, this place was a sanctuary for tourists to throw mud and bait at Rhyhorns, but today, the atmosphere was different. There was a tension in the air, a metallic tang that signaled trouble.
My G-Pro terminal pinged, displaying the emergency notification that had been broadcast to every high-tier trainer in the vicinity.
> **URGENT REQUEST: SAFARI ZONE DISTURBANCE**
> **Requirement:** Trainers with 4+ Gym Badges.
> **Reward:** 5,000 Poké Dollars + Special Capture Rights.
> **Objective:** Neutralize and capture the "Anomalous Aggressor."
"Five thousand Poké Dollars," I muttered, adjusted the strap of my bag. "The Warden must be desperate. That's a lot of scratch for a simple pest control job."
Beside me, a low, guttural growl vibrated through the air. I looked down at **Teddy**, my Teddiursa. He wasn't like the cute, cuddly mascots you saw on honey advertisements. He was a ball of compact muscle and scarred fur, his eyes perpetually narrowed in a look of "give me a reason."
He still didn't like me. Not really. He followed my orders in battle because he respected strength, and he stayed with me because the food in the Habitat was better than anything he could forage, but the bond was... cold. It reminded me of how Sparky (Pikachu) had been back in the beginning—prickly, arrogant, and prone to sparking me. Sparky had softened into a tsundere who would never admit he cared, but Teddy? Teddy was just a soldier who hadn't realized the war was over.
"It's a slow process, isn't it?" I whispered to him.
Teddy let out a huff, looking away from me and staring at the forest. He didn't bite my ankles today, though. Small victories.
---
### The Shadow at the Gate
As we approached the staging area near the Warden's office, the crowd of trainers was impressive. There were veterans in tactical vests, specialists with high-tech scanners, and then... there was *him*.
Standing near a stone pillar, leaning back with a look of insufferable arrogance, was **Cross**.
The air in my lungs felt like it turned to ice. Cross. The trainer who had left Goldie—then a tiny, injured Charmander—to die because she wasn't "strong enough." The man who viewed living beings as nothing more than disposable batteries for his own ego.
I saw his eyes rake over the crowd, landing on me. He didn't recognize me as the girl who took Goldie at first, but he recognized the G-Pro terminal on my wrist. And then, he saw Teddy.
I chose to ignore him. I had more important things to do than argue with a mid-curve trash-fire of a human being.
**Warden Kaiser** stepped out onto the porch of the office, his infamous six-shooter resting on his hip. He looked tired—older than I remembered from the anime. He coughed, the sound rattling in his chest, and gestured for silence.
"Listen up," Kaiser growled. "We got a problem. Deep in Zone 4, something moved in. We don't know what it is—it moves too fast for the cameras—but it's causing a disturbance. It's territorial, it's aggressive, and it's sending my wild Pokémon to the Center in droves. Kangaskhans are being found with concussion wounds; Tauros herds are being scattered. I want that Pokémon out of my park. Capture it, and the reward is yours."
The trainers started whispering. A Pokémon that could take down a Kangaskhan? That wasn't just a "disturbance." That was a powerhouse.
I bit my lip, calculating. I hadn't planned on adding to the roster. My plans were set for the Grand Canyon—Aerodactyl for the aerial dominance and Togepi for the long-term utility. But if this "aggressor" was above Level 40 and had the right potential... well, the Indigo League was coming up fast. If not, there was always the Orange League circuit later.
A murmur went through the crowd. I felt Teddy shift behind me. He wasn't growling at the Warden; he was staring at the other trainers. Or rather, they were staring at him.
The moment I'd released my peer-reviewed papers on the two different Ursaluna Evolutionary Line, the market for Teddiursa had exploded. Since I'd proven that the "Peat Block" and "Full Moon" triggers could turn a standard Ursaring into a Ground/Ghost-type juggernaut from the ancient Hisui era and the "Peat Block" and "red Moon" that is lunar eclips leads to evolution of bloodmoon variant ursuluna, every Ground-type specialist from Gym leaders to champions who specialize in ground or normal type had been scrambling to secure a specimen.
Teddy was no longer just a bear; he was a walking gold mine of data and power.
### The Envy of a Failure
"So, the little researcher thinks she can play with the big boys?"
The voice was like sandpaper. I turned to see Cross walking toward me, his hands in his pockets. He was staring at Teddy with an intensity that bordered on hunger.
"I see you've got yourself an Ursine specimen," Cross sneered. "A Teddiursa. Rare. Especially now that those papers about 'Ursaluna' have been leaked. Every ground-type specialist from here to Sinnoh is scrambling for one."
I felt a surge of pride for my work. Since I had published the papers on the Peat Block evolution and the bloodline triggers for Ursaluna, the market had exploded. Giovanni, being the efficient shadow-mogul he was, had clearly used his influence to capitalize on it, making the Teddiursa line the most sought-after Pokémon in the 2026 season.
"It's not just a 'specimen,' Cross," I said, my voice level. "It's a teammate."
Cross let out a mocking chuckle. "Teammate? Please. It's a tool. And it looks like a high-potential one. Did you scan it? Is it Champion rank?"
I looked at him dumbfounded. He was clearly envious. He was looking at Teddy the same way a thief looks at a diamond. He didn't even realize that the Charmeleon currently resting in my Habitat was the very same "trash" he had thrown away. To him, Pokémon were just stats on a screen.
"You clearly haven't learned anything since the last time you lost, have you?" I asked, a smirk playing on my lips. "Still chasing after the 'strongest' without knowing how to actually build strength."
Cross's expression hardened, his eyes flashing with a cold rage. "I didn't lose. I was just hindered by weak tools. But this... this Teddiursa... it belongs on a real winner's team. Not in the hands of a girl who writes essays."
He leaned in, his voice a low threat. "Let's see who catches the target first. And when I win, maybe I'll take that bear off your hands too. A little 'transfer' for the trouble."
I didn't even flinch. I just rolled my eyes, the sheer stupidity of his bravado almost making me laugh.
"May the best trainer win, Cross. But try not to abandon any more Pokémon on the way in. It's bad for the environment."
I turned my back on him and started walking toward the Zone 4 entrance.
---
### The Warrior's Path
Teddy was growling, a deep, rumbling sound that made his small frame vibrate. He looked up at me, his claws unsheathed, snapping at the air in Cross's direction as if asking why I hadn't let him tear the man's leg off right then and there.
"I know, Teddy," I chuckled, scratching the back of my head. "He's a piece of work. But fighting him now wouldn't be beneficial. It would just get us disqualified."
Teddy tilted his head, looking genuinely confused. To him, if someone insulted the pack, you bit them. Simple math.
"Think about it this way," I said, kneeling down as we entered the tall grass of the Safari Zone. "Imagine we go in there. Imagine we find this 'demon' Pokémon that's scaring everyone. And imagine we catch it right under his nose. He'll be standing there, staring at us with that stupid look on his face, while we walk away with the prize and the money. Wouldn't that be more fun than a brawl in the dirt?"
Teddy stared at me for a long beat. The "logic" of psychological warfare seemed to be fighting with his "logic" of physical violence. Eventually, his ears twitched, and he let out a short, sharp *bark* that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
"See?" I teased, poking his nose. "With all your aggressiveness, I sometimes forget that you're still a kid. You've got a lot to learn about the 'G-Pro' way of doing things."
Teddy huffed and turned his head, but his tail gave a single, microscopic wag.
"Nelly," I whispered, the G-Pro terminal glowing blue. "Activate the **Enhanced Sonar**. Link it to the Habitat's sub-spatial sensors. I want to find the ripple in the pond. What are we looking for?"
*"Scanning..."* Nelly's voice buzzed in my ear. *"Host, the displacement in Zone 4 is massive. Whatever is there isn't just a Pokémon. It's a biological anomaly with a power signature that is... erratic. It feels like a storm trapped in a bottle."*
I gripped the strap of my bag, my heart beginning to race. A storm in a bottle. This wasn't going to be a normal Safari capture.
"Let's go, Teddy," I said, my voice dropping into the "Silent Operator" tone. "Time to show the world that the 'Research Kid' has more bite than the 'Trash King' could ever handle."
We vanished into the thick foliage, the shadows of the Safari Zone closing in around us as the hunt began.
**[Chapter 56: END]**