The Safari Zone was a chaotic map of predictable human behavior. While the sirens of Zone 4 blared, I watched from a distance as the majority of high-tier trainers—including a very loud and boisterous group of veterans—charged toward the Scyther thickets. Another group, heavy with Rock-type enthusiasts, sprinted toward the rocky ravines of the Rhyhorn Zone. A few cautious souls even detoured toward the Psychic Zone, whispering about the catastrophic damage a berserk Alakazam or Hypno could do to the local infrastructure.
I stood at the crossroads, my G-Pro terminal silently mapping the bio-signatures of the surrounding areas. I didn't move.
"Believing the anomaly is in the obvious spots is a rookie mistake, Teddy," I whispered, glancing at the bear beside me.
Teddy let out a sharp, skeptical grunt.
"Think about it," I continued, crossing my arms. "The Warden is a veteran. He has a staff of rangers who know every Scyther nest and Rhyhorn trail. If the 'aggressor' were one of them, Kaiser would have put it down with that six-shooter of his days ago. He wouldn't need a hundred trainers cluttering up his park. No... it has to be something else. Something he doesn't recognize."
I turned away from the crowded paths and headed toward a transitional zone—a place where the lush forest met a rocky, unmapped incline.
We walked for nearly an hour, the sounds of distant battles and trainer shouts fading into a dull hum. The deeper we went, the more the forest changed. It grew colder. The air felt thin, sharp. That was when I saw her.
Slumped against the gnarled roots of an ancient cedar tree was a lone **Sneasel**.
She looked pitiful. Her sleek, midnight-colored fur was matted with dried mud, and a visible gash ran along her right shoulder. She looked exhausted, like she had been in a war and lost.
"A Sneasel?" I muttered, pulling up the G-Pro scanner. "Wait... aren't they pack hunters? Why is a lone Johto specimen sitting in a Kanto Safari Zone?"
I pointed the terminal at her, the data stream scrolling across my vision in a blur of blue text.
**[Data Scan: Sneasel]**
**Rank:** PSEUDO-CHAMPION
**Level:** 43
**Ability:** Inner Focus
**Nature:** Jolly (Hidden under a mask of pain)
I sucked in a sharp breath. Level 43? With Pseudo-Champion potential? That was an astronomical ceiling for a wild specimen.
I observed her from behind a thicket, my "Researcher" brain clicking into high gear. In the Johto region, Sneasel are whispers of the night. They aren't just "beautiful" hidden mountain dwellers; they are considered one of the most vicious, cold-blooded predators in existence. Their intelligence is cruel; they don't just hunt for food; they hunt for the sake of the climb. They are notorious for raiding nests, targeting the eggs of Pidgeot and the young of weaker Pokémon. Breeders in Johto treat them like a plague.
But here? In Kanto? Sneasel were so rare they didn't even have a specialized sanctuary. Warden Kaiser probably saw a "dark-type weasel" and assumed it was just a lost scavenger. He didn't know he was hosting a natural-born assassin.
"Look, Teddy," I whispered.
An Oddish waddled across the nearby trail, completely oblivious to the danger. The Sneasel, who had looked half-dead a moment ago, suddenly vanished. She didn't just run; she moved like a shadow cast by a flickering flame.
*SHINK!*
The Sneasel reappeared behind the Oddish, her elongated claws glowing with an icy sheen. She struck with a calculated cruelty, not to eat, but to dominate. The Oddish was down before it could even let out a cry.
"Gotcha," I whispered. "That's our havoc-creator."
---
### The Brawl in the Shadows
I stepped out from the foliage, Teddy trotting beside me. The Sneasel spun around, her eyes—red and narrow—locking onto us. She hissed, her claws clicking together with a sound like sharpening knives.
"You've been busy, haven't you?" I asked. "But I need a Dark-type for the Kanto circuit, and a Pseudo-Champion with that kind of intelligence is too good to pass up."
Teddy stepped forward, his fur bristling. He was Level 35, a solid eight levels below this Sneasel. In any standard math book, he was the underdog. But Teddy wasn't a standard bear. He was an Adamant-natured tank built for close-quarters devastation.
"Teddy, no mercy! **Close Combat**!"
Teddy didn't hesitate. He lunged forward with a burst of speed that caught the Sneasel off guard. He became a blur of fur and fists, delivering a rhythmic series of strikes—shoulder checks, gut punches, and overhead slams.
The Sneasel was fast, though. She used the icy terrain she'd created to slide under Teddy's guard, retaliating with an **Ice Shard** that peppered Teddy's hide. She was using **Agility** to create afterimages, trying to confuse the bear.
"Don't look at her, Teddy! Feel the vibration! **Hammer Arm**!"
Teddy closed his eyes for a split second, trusting his instincts. As the Sneasel lunged for a **Feint Attack**, Teddy pivoted on his heel and brought his glowing white arm down like a falling guillotine.
*CRACK!*
The Sneasel hit the dirt, the force of the blow cratering the earth beneath her. She tried to stand, her breathing ragged, her Inner Focus ability keeping her from flinching, but the level of physical trauma was too much.
"Now!"
I threw a Safari Ball. The sphere hit the Sneasel's forehead and clicked shut.
*Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle. DING.*
Teddy let out a triumphant roar. He started jumping up and down, his paws in the air, acting like the literal cub he was. For a moment, the "Soldier" mask slipped, and he looked genuinely, childishly happy.
Then, he noticed I was watching him.
He froze mid-jump. His face immediately contorted back into a fierce scowl, and he let out a deep, defensive growl at me, as if to say, *'I wasn't having fun, I was just... checking the gravity.'*
I just chuckled and picked up the Safari Ball. "Sure you were, Teddy. Sure you were."
I checked the ball's data. "Inner Focus. Well, I would have preferred Keen Eye for the accuracy, but it doesn't matter. Once she evolves into Weavile, she'll have **Pressure** anyway. All is well."
---
### The Clash of the Alphas
When we walked back to the Warden's office, the scene was already a circus. A massive crowd of trainers had gathered around **Cross**, who was standing next to a massive, panting **Rhydon**.
"Champion potential!" one trainer whispered.
"Look at the size of that thing! It must be the one!" another shouted.
Cross was soaking in the adoration like it was sun. He looked at the other trainers—most of whom had only caught 'Gym' rank specimens at best—with a look of pure, unadulterated superiority.
I pushed through the crowd, Teddy trailing behind me. I didn't say a word; I just walked up to the Warden and set the Safari Ball containing the Sneasel on the table.
"I found the source of your disturbance, Warden," I said clearly.
The crowd went silent. Cross turned, his eyes narrowing. "A Sneasel? You're joking. That's just a mountain pest. My Rhydon is the true king of this jungle. I found him in the heart of Zone 4, surrounded by fallen Tauros. He's the alpha."
I didn't argue. I just turned to the Warden. "Warden Kaiser, can you describe the marks you found at the attack sites? The ones the rangers couldn't identify?"
Kaiser rubbed his chin. "In some places, the ground was flash-frozen, as if a blizzard had hit a single square foot of grass. In others... there were massive, heavy footprints that crushed the stones into dust. We couldn't find a Pokémon that did both."
Understanding dawned on Cross's face, though he fought to keep it hidden.
"They weren't working together," I explained, looking at the trainers. "They were competing. This Sneasel is a high-tier predator from Johto. She was trying to carve out a territory. The Rhydon, being a local powerhouse, was fighting her for it. They were terrorizing the Safari Zone because they were locked in a territorial war. Look at them."
I released the Sneasel. She immediately hissed, her eyes locking onto Cross's Rhydon. The Rhydon roared back, its massive horn glowing. The two Pokémon glared at each other with such intense, murderous hatred that every other trainer's Pokémon—the Nidorans, the Exeggcutes, the Venomats—immediately scurried away to hide behind their trainers' legs.
"They are the proof," I said. "They are the two 'Alphas' of the park."
Warden Kaiser looked between the two, then sighed. "Well... the reward was for 'the' aggressor. Since there's two... I suppose we split it. Two thousand five hundred each."
Cross stepped forward, his jaw tight. "I don't care about the money. I was here for the Alpha anyway. It's obvious my Rhydon would have eventually crushed that weasel."
I just rolled my eyes. "Sure, Cross. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
The Warden nodded. "The rules stand. Only the ones who caught the havoc-creators get their Pokémon for free. The rest of you... if you want to keep what you caught today, you pay the Safari premium."
A groan went through the crowd. The "premium" was a staggering amount of money—way more than most of these trainers made in a month. One by one, they began returning their balls to the rangers, leaving the zone empty-handed.
I recalled the Sneasel, who gave me one last, hateful glare before disappearing into the red light.
"Seriously," I muttered to Teddy. "Why does half my team hate me at first sight? Is it the hair? Do I just have 'punchable researcher face'? It is so beautiful though, isn't it Teddy."
Teddy just rolled his eyes at me. Talk about being rude.
The Challenge of the Egotist
I started walking toward the exit, Teddy trailing behind me with a triumphant puff to his chest. He felt like a winner, and for once, he wasn't trying to bite my ankles. But we didn't make it to the gate.
"Stop right there, Researcher."
Cross was standing in our path, his shadow long against the grass. The smug look was gone, replaced by a simmering, dark resentment.
"You think you're better than everyone else, don't you?" Cross spat. "Always acting superior because you read a few books. You think catching that 'assassin' makes you my equal?"
I stopped and turned, tilting my head. "Superior? No, Cross. That's your brand, isn't it? You were the one preening over your Rhydon like you'd just conquered a continent."
"You talk too much," Cross growled, reaching for two Pokéballs on his belt. "I want to see if your theories hold up when the blood starts hitting the dirt. Battle me. Two on two. Right here, right now."
I blinked, looking at the G-Pro. I had a newly caught Sneasel and a Teddy who was itching for a real fight.
"Fine," I said, a predatory smirk finally touching my lips. "If you're that eager for a reality check, Cross, I'm happy to provide the data. Let's go."