Bulbasaur

Grass/Poison

Complicated

Ivysaur

Grass/Poison

Complicated

Venusaur

Grass/Poison

Complicated

The Bulbasaur line is one of the most popular Starter lines in the world. Expect an egg from a licensed distributor to cost a large wad of cash.

Description

Bulbasaur is a small, quadruped reptilian Pokémon. It has a short, stocky body with a low center of gravity. Its whole body is a green/teal color, with patterns of darker green on its head and legs. The patterns are distinctive between different 'saurs. The patterns remain the same on the higher stages. They have small, triangular ears. Ivysaur and Venusaur retain similar bodies, but bigger, upon evolution.

An average Bulbasaur will be just a bit too large to make a good lap pet. Some larger examples can claim an entire couch cushion. Ivysaur is going to take up a couch cushion, if it is not too large for the couch. Venusaur is large enough for a child to ride on. Larger examples may be taller than humans at the top of the flower's stem. Venusaur will be heavier than a human.

The key feature of this line is the plant growth on its back. Bulbasaur has a bulb growing on its back. Ivysaur has the beginning of a flower, along with some fronds. Venusaur has a large flower and more leaves.

All three stages normally possess the Ability to tap into stored fats to trigger a period of Overgrowth when in danger. This ends up causing a period of increased hunger and lethargy afterwards as the Pokémon try to restore energy reserves. Some rare examples possess a stronger variety of Chlorophyll that reacts strongly with intense sunlight to make the Pokémon more energetic.

Mega Venusaur is even bigger than Venusaur, and has more plant life on its back, including a second flower on its head. Its fat reserves have become a rather dense layer of Thick Fat that resists hot and cold temperatures.

Battle Characteristics

The whole line, relative to their stage, is fairly well rounded. Constitution and Speed are both decent enough, Strength is good, and Toughness, Resistance, and Power are higher. No one stat stands out as exceptional, but none are poor.

Possessing a rather broad pool of Status Moves, including Poison and Sleep Moves, along with a few Moves to recover energy after getting hurt, it can easily serve as a wall, slowing, stalling, and otherwise taking down opponents through patient tactics. It can also hit hard with its Sunny Day/Solar Beam combo, especially if it has the energetic Chlorophyll. Do not neglect physical or special attacks, though, as this line has decent offensive stats.

Legends/Folklore

An annoyingly persistent myth is that the plant is a symbiont. It is not. It is actually the form the egg takes after it sprouts. This line could be said to never leave behind their egg.

Scientifically verified: when Ivysaur's flower bud starts smelling sweet, it is about to evolve.

The myth that Bulbasaur's bulb can be used to prolong life is entirely false. Rather, this line produces fragrant sap that calms and relaxes the body, reducing blood pressure and bolstering the immune system, giving a better chance of living longer with a member of this line at your side.

Life Cycle and Evolution

Bulbasaur starts as a seed-like egg that is planted in moist, slightly acidic soil. It sprouts, digs itself out, and is fully mobile from there. Evolution simply requires accumulated energy. A typical Bulbasaur will evolve in the wild within sixteen years of sprouting, faster, if prey is plentiful. Ivysaur will evolve into Venusaur by the time it is thirty-two. Given its relaxed, ambush predator lifestyle, it can live comfortably to 170 years old. Sufficient physical maturity to live alone is attained at ~14 months. Sexual maturity is reached at 3 years.

Diet

This Line is a whole family of ambush predators. Voracious carnivores, they will eat nearly any dead Pokémon except Fire, Steel, and Ghost Types. None of them will say no to fruit, but plant matter is lower on their interests than meat. They like to have extra body fat in reserve to fuel their emergency Overgrowth response, so do not be surprised if they still try to trap their own food despite being fed. Check regularly at the Pokémon Center to make sure they are not overfed.

As Grass Types, they can use sunlight to photosynthesize and extract even more nutrients out of any given food. A Bulbasaur in the intense sunlight of a desert may go days between meals.

Breeding

This line belongs to the Monster and Grass Egg Groups. The eggs are more similar to Grass Eggs. Breeding occurs in mid-to-late Spring.

The Monster and Grass parts actually have different genders. The Grass reproductive structures, like many plants, change gender over mating season. Many small seeds are produced, but few survive to sprout, let alone adulthood. Enough do survive to maintain replacement rates of reproduction.

On the Monster side of things, gender balances at around seven males per female. This actually provides insurance against all the seeds/sprouts being lost while preventing them from causing ecosystem collapse, which archeology indicates actually happened until they adapted to keep their own populations in check.

A healthy Venusaur could produce as many as twelve eggs every year on the Monster side. Be wary, as she will be extremely hungry. The jokes about how a pregnant human eats like a Snorlax are simply exaggeration, but a Venusaur will eat twenty kilograms of meat a day, along with constant sunbathing. They do not look after the seeds once planted, to avoid drawing attention to the location. Once sprouted, they guard the baby Bulbasaur for a year.

Given their popularity, Bulbasaur Eggs sell for 20,000P. Bulbasaur themselves vary, as some are born with better egg moves, and thus modify the price.

Wild Behavior/Threat Level

The whole line likes to live away from forested areas. If there are plenty of Ground, Water, or Bug Types in the area, they will enjoy the land more. Setting traps, they wait for prey to be caught in an array of Vine Whip vines, like a spider in a web. The big flower produces a sweet scent that attracts bugs, which they kill with poison attacks.

A wild Bulbasaur will not be much of a threat. They may be predators, but a human is far too large to eat. It might try to intimidate a human, but will not go for the kill.

Ivysaur will attack humans that bother it, but would be unlikely to try to kill one. The exception is during Spring. A pregnant Ivysaur will be hungry enough that she could polish off a human in a week. Stay clear.

Venusaur is laid back enough to let humans go if they leave it in peace. Bother it, and it will eat you. If it is Spring, run. While Venusaur is far from a slow Pokémon, it prefers not to have to run far.

Bonding and Care

The whole line is fairly even tempered. Some may be moody, but rarely violent without provocation.

Games of dexterity, such as catching a Frisbee with vines, are entertaining to them. Try getting some tennis balls and making a game of catch. There was a baseball team that kept an Ivysaur for batting and pitching practice.

Remember to check monthly for mold or fungal infections on the leaves. The Poison Typing mitigates the risk, but it is better safe than sorry. Make sure to provide a nice place to sunbathe and plenty of water. Even though they enjoy eating Bugs, bugs can eat or damage their leaves. Keep the leaves healthy.

Human/Pokémon Relations

A trained Bulbasaur/Ivysaur/Venusaur will be fairly docile. Some are more playful, while others are more sedentary. Properly trained, they can be wonderful companions for life.

With Family

This line, once raised, is extremely good with family. Many young trainers have begun their journey on the back of a Venusaur that used to travel with their father and mother. The sheer legacy these Pokémon provide for the next generation has made them popular the world over.

Team Compatibility

As long as they are kept fed, this line will not try to eat any other members of your team. At the Bulbasaur stage, keeping any Pokémon smaller than it away may be necessary until it accepts that the rest of the team is off limits during meals. Larger Pokémon will not have any issues. Predatory Fire Types might scare them, but can be tolerated.

Warning

The Sleep Powder can cause narcolepsy if overexposure occurs.

Summary

Generally, a laid back, gentle predator. Tamable with low effort. Affectionate once trained.