The weather had gotten considerably warmer since his last stint in the Safari Zone. The sky was a cloudless blue, sharing space with a unwaveringly bright sun. Barnaby had dressed accordingly for the occasion; he sported clothes made of light, moisture-wicking material, modest sunglasses and an over-large brimmed hat.

He ventured forward with confidence and, soon enough, met his first Pokémon of the morning: a peach-colored CHERUBI shuffling along the trail. Barnaby didn't desire this particular Pokémon, so he released his CHANSEY and ordered her to Egg Bomb the little thing.

Not directly, of course. Just in it's proximity as a way to encourage it to move along and out of his way.

SKIPPING
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The CHERUBI scuttled off in a hurry, leaving the trail vacant for Barnaby and his CHANSEY to use. With the little one gone, they continued their stroll through the park, keeping their eyes on a swivel just in case a particularly good Pokémon was in the area.

Speaking of, it seemed that perhaps the Egg Bomb from earlier had drawn in a similar egg-adoring species. From the brush came a toasted-looking TOGEPI, it's usually pristinely white skin a tanned off-white. It was a cutie for sure, and seemed to intrigue CHANSEY, as she perked up at the sight of it.

Barnaby, however, wasn't super interested in owning a TOGEPI. He called his CHANSEY back and proceeded down the trail once more.

SKIPPING
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"Whitneeeeey! Whitney, wait up!" A high-pitched voice snapped Barnaby's attention forward. He saw two youths appear at the path intersection ahead, stumbling after one another in an uncoordinated, hurried fashion. "I want that weird looking Nidoran!"

NIDORAN? Scanning downwards, Barnaby saw that the pair of teenagers were actually chasing something. A violet blur sped down the trail in Barnaby's direction, squeaking frantically at the top of it's lungs. The journalist barely had time to react before the Pokemon - the aforementioned NIDORAN - made a beeline for his CHANSEY and not-so gracefully hopped into her egg pouch. It was a snug fit, but somehow it managed to wiggle around until it's head popped over the flap of skin.

Given her lenient personality, CHANSEY didn't seem to mind, and neither did Barnaby. The youths quickly caught up and were staring daggers, though; meanwhile, Barnaby simply smiled and made an apologetic gesture. "Looks like this little one wants to come with me. Sorry, but I think we'll be going now."

"HEY! Wait, we saw it first-" All pretense gone, one icy look from Barnaby shut the teenagers down and instilled in them enough fear to hurriedly jog down the trail in the opposite direction.

befriending NIDORAN ♀
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"Aren't you a lucky egg?" Barnaby cooed to the little NIDORAN, petting it's head as he continued his trek down the Safari Zone trail. She was timid at first - likely recovering from the breakneck sprint just moments before - but seemed to warm up quickly. With another adorable squeak (similar to a guinea pig), she pressed her muzzle into the palm of his hand. Aww.

Suddenly, a rustling in the canopy had Barnaby's gaze slip skyward; there, he saw two FLETCHLING in aerial combat. One was the usual darker coloration, the other a shining umber. Their shrieks of outrage filled the morning air, while feathers were sent fluttering to the ground. Barnaby had no idea what they were fighting over, but it was obvious this would turn bloody and deadly if he didn't intervene.

Plus, he wanted that shiny FLETCHLING.

"Chansey, Egg Bomb the darker one when you see an opening."

catching FLETCHLING
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With one loud burst, the offending FLETCHLING was scared away in a hurry, leaving Barnaby with an opening to snag the rarer of the two birds. A soft click of the Safari Ball announced his success. He happily retrieved his new Pokémon, thinking idly about how handy it's Flame Body ability would be once it had evolved into a beautiful TALONFLAME.

Once FLETCHLING's ball was safely secured in his pack, Barnaby continued down the trail, CHANSEY waddling by his side. After about ten minutes of this, the little NIDORAN could be seen curled up in CHANSEY's egg pouch, fast asleep. Quietly, Barnaby took a few pictures with his cell phone and, as he was doing so, he felt a light bump on his calf.

Looking down, it became obvious that a green blob of some sort was the cause. Wait, not a green blob. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a shiny AZURILL - score! The thing kept pulling at his pantleg for some unknown reason, though, gazing up with the saddest little beady eyes.

"Are you hungry, little one?" Barnaby asked, offering a treat from his pocket.

befriending AZURILL
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The AZURILL gladly took the treat and inevitably succumbed to the Safari Ball that Barnaby offered next. With it captured, he continued on his way.

Eventually, the wooded trail gave way to a small meadow, brimming with spring grasses billowing on a gentle morning breeze. Venturing further into the interior of the open area, a particularly familiar sight caught his attention: the flickering of flames and the stamping of horses' hooves. A few dozen feet away was a small herd of PONYTA; they were unaware of his presence at this point, which was good, because he'd just seen something else that caught his eye.

Ringed by others of it's herd was a distinctly different PONYTA: it's coat was a slightly creamier hue, while the flames making up it's mane and tail were a ghostly blue. It remind him of his two beloved RAPIDASH back at his boarding stable. He could always use a third, right? Especially one that was such a beauty.

From his pocket Barnaby withdrew the Poké Ball containing HAPPINY, softly lobbing it nearby so that it appeared next to his CHANSEY.

"Watch and learn, mon chou. Chansey will perform an Egg Bomb, something you'll need to be able to do someday." The HAPPINY nodded her head firmly, looking to her evolved brethen with determination in her eyes. In a much more easygoing fashion, the CHANSEY waddled a few steps in the herd's direction and then bombarded them with explosive eggs.

The shiny PONYTA bolted in Barnaby's direction, giving him the perfect opportunity to throw his Safari Ball. After a few shakes his capture was confirmed with a satisfying ding!

catching PONYTA
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