We Made It!

To say that the crowd was enjoying the performances would be an understatement. When Azshara and Sophie entered the stage, there was a sort of awe that swept over the crowd upon seeing the horse, blazing with blue flames. Little girls would jump up shouting out to there parents, "Look! It's a pony!"

The Ponyta's display of strength and agility was nothing less than impressive. The crowd would clap and cheer as Azshara skillfully worked her way through the course. When it was over, the audience was hollering as though they were at a rodeo, enjoying the highlight of the show.

The excitement continued to build when Foxi stepped onto the stage followed by Nova. Hearing the Trainer yip like a Vulpix to communicate with the Ninetales was surprising, but impressive nonetheless. Children couldn't help but laugh at the fox's playful nature, and when little Sparks entered the stage, it was like being at a circus. It was both adorable and fun, and the audience adored the performance. Some were a bit disappointed when it had ended.

When Sophie and Nova met back in the preparation room, they were congratulated by several of the other Trainers on a job well-done.

There weren't many performances after that, as it didn't take long for the announcer to return to the center of the stage. "Alright folks, you've witnessed a fantastic display of Pokemon talent! Now it's time to lock in your votes and determine a winner!" The audience was the instructed to begin their voting, some having a rather hard time coming to a decision.

Meanwhile, Sophie and Nova were both approached by an elderly man. He pushed his glasses up from the end of his nose and smiled warmly. "I beg your pardon, young ladies. I couldn't help but take notice of your Pokemon's interesting performances. I simply must ask... Where did you get them?" He certainly didn't mean to pry, but he knew well-bred Pokemon when he saw them.

Sophie grinned as the complements were issued to both her and Nova and the two pokemon. It was so nice to see the other trainer's performances as well for each had probably done their best. Sophie walked over to where Novali was standing with Foxi nearby and smiled. "That was great you two! Foxi's tricks were outstanding!" Lily had ran over and attempted to tackle Sparky in all the excitement as well for his part in the performance.

Azshara leaned in and nuzzled her trainer's face just as the elderly man approached them. Sophie was curious about the man, but answered his curious question with honesty. "Oh, well, I come from a long line of Ponyta and Rapidash breeders. Azshara here was a gift from my parents for my fifteenth birthday. It's been my job to train her and make sure she reaches her full potential, just as it has for everyone else in my family. She's getting to show everyone just how special she is." Sophie gently pet Azshara's neck as the ponyta neighed in approval of her trainer's kind words.

"Thanks! I kind of wonder what they two would be like performing together, you know? Fast paced acrobatics!" Nova giggled and rested her hand on Sophie's shoulder momentarily. Foxi chuckled at Lily's antics and snorted when Sparky met the tackle with his own which left them stumbling and rolling on the floor.

When the man came up to them, Foxi's and Nova's attention were locked on him. "My case is similar to Sophie's. My grandparents and parents own a Vulpix and Ninetales breeding center, and it will be mine once I decide to take over. This little one got a hold of a firestone really early," she said while patting her ninetales' head.

"What about you, sir? May I ask who you are?"

The man may have been smiling when he first approached the two girls, but as they both shared their stories, his smile grew to be genuine, and he seemed truly impressed by them both. He nodded and let out a light chuckle. "Well, it's obvious that you two know a lot about raising Pokemon. I'm sorry-- I'm Mr. Lambert. I used to run a Pokemon daycare center many years ago before deciding to become a breeder."

He let out a sigh, looking over Azshara and Foxi once again, admiring the sheen of their fur and the bright spark in their eyes. "My, my, I've seen plenty of well-bred Fire types in my day, but these two are exceptional." he said, then paused for a moment.

"You know... I've found that there are many wonderful Pokemon breeders working together as a family, but they simply don't have the resources they need to properly care for their Pokemon..." There was another pause as he chose his words carefully. "I was wondering if either of your families would accept donations from other breeding programs? I'm not going to be around much longer, but I want to be sure there are plenty of level-headed folk out there to take my place in the world of Pokemon breeding."

Lily rolled back after Sparky had countered her tackle, but got back up and ran in circles, yapping brightly. Her attention was then drawn by the man standing in front of the two girls and she tilted her head, listening.

Sophie smiled sadly at the man. "Thank you for the complements, Mr. Lambert, we do our best over at the Lockland ranch to ensure that the pokemon are happy. I'm sorry to hear that other breeders are having difficulties. While I think it is incredibly generous for donations to be given, I would much rather see the money going to families that struggle to keep their lifestyles alive. We may not be extremely rich over on our ranch, but we do fairly well and we normally have the resources we need to keep our pokemon healthy and happy. If you still wish to provide a donation after that has been said, I will accept it, and I promise you it will only go towards the benefit of the pokemon. It would be selfish to use it for anything else." Sophie honestly felt bad about hearing that other families like hers could not support their pokemon as properly as they would have liked. Azshara noticed the change in her trainer's happy exterior and nudged her arm affectionately. Sophie placed a hand on the ponyta's side in assurance that she was ok, but her mind was still heavy with thoughts.

Nova listened to the Mr. Lambert quietly and let Sophie speak before she did. "Well, it is quite the generous offer, however my family, like Sophie's, does fairly well with keeping our pokemon fed and happy. They might need some help now that I'm not around. I'm usually in charge of helping the vulpix get all of their tails. As much as I would like the help, I would much rather ask you to keep an eye out for my parents for me. They're Kat and Guy Ruso. I haven't seen them in a while and am starting to worry a bit."

Nova's hand kept stroking Foxi's soft golden fur and Sparky came up and climbed up to Nova's shoulder. He pulled her hair gently and jabbered for a bit. "You silly, plusle. Here, climb onto Foxi's back for a nap," she said and set the small mouse pokemon down next to Foxi.

Mr. Lambert listened carefully as Sophie explained her wishes for donations to go to less-fortunate breeders. He gave a firm nod in response. "I can certainly respect that. I'll do my best to support those who are in need of help. But if the Lockland ranch ever finds itself needing donations, and if I'm still around, look me up. I'd be happy to take care of your problems."

He then listened as Novali shared her request, then he smiled. "My dear girl, I would be happy to look after your family in any way that I can. I want to be sure we continue to see beautiful Pokemon like this coming from quality breeders such as yourselves." he said.

Suddenly, the voice of the announcer boomed over the loudspeakers once more, declaring that it was time to announce the winner of the competition. With that, Mr. Lambert dipped his head and turned to leave. "I wish you both good luck! Regardless of who wins, know that you both have some excellent Pokemon on your hands, and you should be proud." He then departed, taking once last look at the lovely Fire types that were so well-cared for.

"Competitors, if you would please step onto the stage with your Pokemon!" the announcer said, ushering all of the Trainers out onto the stage together.

"And now for the moment you've all been waiting for! The winner of our Pokemon Mascot contest is..."

All of the Trainers held their breath, some crossing their fingers, some simply hoping and wishing, but all wanted to hear their Pokemon's name called.

Sophie smiled at the elderly man. It was nice to see someone care so much for the benefit of pokemon. She was glad he was going to help others as well as Nova. Still, she would need to inform her parents about the struggles of other families in their profession, it would only be the right thing to do.

Sophie was brought out of her thoughts by the speaker's voice booming out. She had completely forgotten about the competition during all of that. Sophie smiled at the man one last time before he left. "Thank you, sir. That means a lot."

She picked up Lily as she and Azshara walked out onto the stage with the rest of the pokemon, hopefully Nova and Foxi were right behind them. Sophie turned and smiled to her friend as the announcer was about to speak again. "I hope you and Foxi win, Nova. You two did really great." Sophie knew Azshara did well today and to her that was all that mattered. She didn't need to win in order to know her pokemon was great, so while she would find it wonderful to win, it wouldn't be a make or break factor for her.

Nova hugged the man tightly and exclaimed, "Thank you! Thank you so much Mr. Lambert." She smiled brightly and let the man go as she walked onto the stage after Sophie and Azshara.

"You guys did great too, and no matter who wins, I had fun!" Nova smiled and patted Foxi on the head. Foxi yipped in happiness and Sparky cheered softly. With a giggle, Nova rubbed Sparky's head gently.

Silence swept over the crowd as the announcer opened an envelope and read the winner's name...

"The winner is... Sophie's Ponyta, Azshara!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. Some were a bit confused, others were overjoyed. Overall, it was an intense competition, not to mention a close one. The owner of the zoo then stepped forward and handed a round, colorful ribbon to Sophie. "Congratulations," he said as cameras began flashing. "Please, allow us to snap a few photos of the winning Pokemon. We would like to place them throughout the zoo." He smiled and nodded towards Azshara, keeping his distance but praising the magnificent Pokemon all the same.

The announcer then turned back to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for all of our wonderful competitors!" Before she even had a chance to finish, the crowd was rising to their feet, giving a standing ovation to the other Pokemon. "As a consolation prize, every competitor will get a free one-time pass to Fuchsia City's Safari Zone! Congratulations to all of you for having such talented Pokemon!" the announcer shouted, then began handing out Safari Zone passes to each Trainer, including Novali and Sophie.

There was one last round of applause, the audience snapping pictures of their favorite Pokemon on the stage while others approached the competitors to congratulate them. A few children even approached Nova and Sophie, asking if they might pet both Foxi and Azshara as they shouted their praise.

"I loved the funny fox!" said one child, while another giggled. "I really loved the pony, but my actual favorite was the Plusle!"

Sophie's expression was stunned to say the least. She really hadn't expected to win. It took a few seconds to register that someone had handed her a ribbon as well as the pass to the Safari Zone and asked her to bring Azshara over so that they could get some pictures of her. She finally came out of her stupor when the children came over and asked to pet the ponyta."Oh, of course, go ahead she's very friendly." Their excitement created her own happiness and pride she had in her pokemon. Sophie knew Azshara didn't really like crowds or cameras but so far she seemed ok. Sophie whispered to her softly."Almost done, just a little longer girl. Let them take their pictures and then we can go look around."

Sophie made her way over with Azshara after that, Lily still in her arms, and allowed them to snap the pictures for the posters. After a few clicks from the cameras Sophie and Azshara made their way back over to where Foxi and Novali were, if the crowd hadn't swept them away in all the excitemeny. "That was a tad overwhelming, but it was fun. I'm glad we did it. Now, how about we actually go see some of the zoo pokemon?" Sophie would say as soon as she had reached the other trainer.

Nova's heart fell, but no one but her two pokemon would be able to tell. She had really hoped that Foxi might win. It had seemed that the crowd had been begging for a longer act, and maybe they should have given them that. Oh well, no regrets now. She took the slip to the safari zone and smiled at Foxi.

"You did great girl," Nova yipped to Foxi. Sensing their trainer's disappointment, the ninetales and plusle started trying to cheer her up. She giggled when Foxi licked her face and Sparky pulled on her hair.

When the little kids came over to pet Foxi and Sparky she allowed them to pet and for some of them to hold her little plusle, though she was careful as he was still very young. Just hatched really. All the people around her was starting to overwhelm Nova, and she excused herself and her pokemon. She found herself in an empty area near an exhibit of unown. She amused herself by watching them fly around, just calming herself. Now was not the time for a panic attack.

When Sophie finally found her, she would be sitting on the ground, Foxi on her right, Sparky in her lap. "Yeah, overwhelming. Especially the crowd. Felt like I was suffocating. It's one thing to have a bunch of pokemon surrounding you, but that many humans all clamoring for your attention," Nova shuddered, still trying to avoid a panic attack.

Sophie could tell the instant distressin the girl the moment she had saw her own the ground. She knelt to be level with the older girl and went to place a hand on her shoulder."Hey, it's ok. Just take a few calming breaths. There's nobody here now except me and our pokemon. We can go to some of the less popular exhibits if you want. I'm sure their won't be too many people around. Or we can come back another time? If it helps any, you and Foxi made a lot of people happy." Sophie wasn't good at pep talks, but that still didn't mean she wouldn't be there for her friend. In fast, Lily and Azshara even showed their support for the other girl. Lily went to jump on Nova and lick her face while Azshara went to bump the girl's shoulder, a small whinny accompanying it. "See, even they don't like seeing you upset or overwhemled. So we can stay here for a bit or go somewhere else. I won't mind."

Sophie then allowed herself to stand back up and checked once more to assure that all the people had gone. It was true, none were around and it seemed they had all gone to check other exhibits, apparently unknown weren't considered 'all that interesting'. Then she brushed some of her hair aside and looked back at Nova. "You know, for years I was made fun of for being different. All the other kids would avoid me because of my hair or my eyes or because I was short. You know what got me through it and made me so outgoing? My family and close friends and especially my pokemon. I still sometimes think that every person that looks at me is judging me, thinking I'm weird, but I don't mind because I know if people care, they won't judge me. I know how bad crowds can make a person feel, I just hope you can find strength in your own friends, family, and pokemon some day where you don't have to feel like that." Sophie hoped she wasn't overstepping her boundries. She just didn't want Nova to have a panic attack, if that meant sharing some of her background, just to assure that Nova could focus on something other than the people here at the zoo, then she would do it.

Nova smiled softly up at the younger girl. The unknown had helped a bit it in calming her down, and now Sophie was just helping even more. Smile turned into laughter as Lily licked her face and Azshara nudged her shoulder. "Thank you," she sighed happily. "I think I'll be okay, it's just the rush of people that freaked me out. It'd probably be best if we stayed around the less popular exhibits for now though. Just to be safe."

Nova would gently nudge Lily's hindquarters to tell her to get up and off. She would wait until the young lillipup was off of her before standing and looking at the unknown. Their flight pattern was really soothing.

"I don't know why, but their flight pattern is really soothing," she said, leaning against the rail and looking intently at the pokemon.

Lily jumped off Novali just as Sophie picked her up and placed her on Azshara's back. A fall off Azshara would be bad, so Sophie made sure to stay near Azshara if by some chance, Lily fell off. The flames seemed to keep Lily entertained.

Sophie focused her attention on the unknown and watched them move. It gave her a sense of unease. "Maybe, I guess. Unknown are different than most other pokemon. I think they had a lapras exhibit here. Have you ever seen a Lapras? They're very pretty." Sophie looked a little distance away as some children ran by with their parents. One of them was shouting about a Kangaskhan and her baby they had just saw. The parents seemed to be smiling from the excitement their children were showing. Sophie couldn't help but giggle at that, remembering her own first experience with the ponyta.Then another thought crossed Sophie's mind. "So, we've got passes to the Safari Zone too, should we try to go there later? I heard you're not allowed to take in other pokemon though, it's just a chance that you can catch any pokemon by using the safari balls they give you. Interesting right?"

"Yeah, they're different, but it's so interesting that they're so many different shapes," Nova said and turned so she could look up at the sky, her back against the rail. "I'd like to see the lapras. I wonder if they have specific sections for the different pokemon. If so, this must be the rarer section. It's amazing that they have so many unknown in one place."

Nova heard the child's exclamation about the kangaskhan and she smiled softly. She really did feel better.

A few moments later, a child ran up to her and asked if he could pet Foxi. Nova just nodded and watched as the ninetales played with the kid. She'd make a good caretaker, of humans or pokemon. Foxi tickled the child until his parents came over and told him to be kind and not take too much of the trainer's time. Nova waved them off saying it wasn't a big deal. The kid thanked her and dashed off after his parents.

"The Safari Zone, eh? It would be interesting for sure. I wonder if they'd let me at least take Sparky in. He's so young, I'm nervous to leave him alone. I know Foxi could take care of him, but it still makes me nervous."

Sophie sighed as she skirted abit further away from the exhibit. She never saw any pokemon as bad, but unknown were called unknown for a reason and that unsettled her. Still she would not pressure Nova into leaving simply because she couldn't get over a silly feeling. She decided to stay on the point of the Lapras instead. "Um, yeah, it's a newly acquired exhibit. I saw some posters on the way in." Lapras were supposed to be stunning water types. Surely Sophie would like being around it more.

Sophie paid the child very little attention as it was curious about petting Foxi. She just pet Azshara and Lily equally, her pokemon making her feel better. After the child had left Sophie focused back on the conversation. "I think they might consider it. Baby pokemon can't really fight, but they may be stricter than I think they will be. I'm just interested in the fact that they have nearly every type of pokemon there." Sophie was happy with her own team she had now, but more wouldn't slow her down, only add to her happiness.

"Well, then. Which way?" Nova said with a smile waiting for the girl to lead.

As they walked, Nova would ask questions about the Safari Zone. "So, what if we run into a pokemon that we don't want? Just run from it? It's not like we could battle them."

It wouldn't take long for the two girls to reach the Safari Zone gate. They were quickly greeted by an employee behind one of the counters.

"Hello! Welcome to the Safari Zone!" he said. "Here you can roam the wide-open plains of the Safari Zone and catch as many Pokemon as you like for the low price of :PD: 500! The rules are simple: You are only allowed to use a special type of Pokeball, called a Safari Ball, and your own Pokemon are not allowed to interfere with any of the wild Pokemon here while you attempt to catch them. Would you like to give it a try?"

Apparently Sophie didn't realize that she had left the zoo and was a bit startled when she was suddeny addressed by someone that worked at the Safari Zone. She looked up at the man in confusion, then back her pokemon. "Oh, um, alright I'll make sure they don't harm any of the pokemon. Lily is still small so she won't hurt anything." Sophie called Azshara back into her pokeball and then withdrew her pass that she had gotten for the performance in the contest. "I also have this pass, so I can just go in can't I?" While Sophie waited for his response as well as to see if Novali was going to enter the Safari Zone also, she thought about what type of pokemon they would encounter.

Nova nearly tripped over Foxi when she stopped in front of the desk. Apparently they had somehow entered the safari zone. She listened to the man, and then to Sophie. "I have a slip too," she said showing him the slip. "Foxi and Sparky won't hurt anyone. I know Foxi's a higher level pokemon, but I'm still taking her with me. She won't go in a ball." Nova was quite sure of herself and made it clear how stubborn as a fox she really was.

((I apologize if I rushed you both. I thought you were waiting for me to post, so I did. I'll give you more time to post from now on, unless it's obvious that you're waiting for me.))

The man only needed a mere glimpse of the pass before he nodded. "Ah, free passes from our neighbors, the Pokemon zoo! Certainly. You don't need to pay this time."

He then turned to face Nova as she explained the situation with the stubborn Ninetales and the little Plusle. The employee nodded again. "It's perfectly fine for you to take your Pokemon with you. As I said, they are not allowed to interfere with the catching of wild Pokemon, but as long as they follow the rules, you're fine to have them accompany you." he said.

The man then dove under the counter and removed two bags of Safari Balls and bait. "You both get 30 Safari Balls and some Pokemon bait. You may throw bait at the wild Pokemon to keep them from running away, but the distraction may make them harder to catch..." The employee seemed to trail off for a moment before clearing his throat. "Now, we've heard reports of Trainers throwing rocks at the Pokemon to try and irritate them, making them easier to catch. I must ask you both to keep from throwing rocks at any of the wild Pokemon in the Safari Zone. If you simply must irritate them, throw something softer, like mud."

He went back under the counter and came back out with a couple of small round devices. "Each participant is only allowed in the Safari Zone for a set amount of time. These devices with track the number of steps you take as well as how long you spend in the Zone. When your time is up, an alarm will sound. You will then be asked to return here to the front gate and return any remaining Safari Balls you have. Any questions?" He finished with a smile.

Sophie listened carefully to each word that was said. It didn't seem too complicated and it wasn't like they HAD to catch the pokemon. She gasped when she heard the comment about rock throwing. That was so cruel! After finally getting everything straight in her mind and a slight yap from Lily she nodded. "Ok, that all sounds reasonable. I promise to follow the rules as directed. I'm ready!" Sophie would then take the small device that would count her steps,the 30 safari balls, and the bait. After which, she would then walk into the Safari Zone when allowed entrance.

"I don't think either of us would ever throw anything at a pokemon. That's just mean," Nova stated and handed the man her slip over and retrieving her items from the man. "I'm ready to go. I can't wait to see what pokemon are in there!"

Nova would walk and stand beside Sophie near the entrance. Foxi followed, and stayed one step behind her. A yip came forth as an offer to carry the baby pokemon, and Nova set Sparky back onto Foxi's back. "Foxi said you can put Lily on her back, Sophie. If you want to, that is," Nova offered.

The man at the desk nodded and gestured for the girls to go on in, wishing them good luck as they proceeded into the Safari Zone.

They would find it to be much bigger than it looked on the outside. A huge space, wide-open plains with grass all over and a few trees peppering the area. There were a few streams and ponds as well, so one could fish for Pokemon if they so wished.

The sounds of several wild Pokemon could be heard out in the distance, but a few were obviously very close by. Two in particular chose to approach the Trainers out of curiosity, both being Bug type.

A wild Scyther (female, level 9) and a wild Skorupi (male, level 11) appeared!