#069 Bellsprout

Bellsprout, the flower Pokémon. Its roots resemble feet, and it uses them as such. It will plant these feet in the ground to replenish water, but it is unable to flee while it is rooted. It has one green leaf on each side of its body. Its yellow head is bell-shaped and has what appear to be pink lips at the end. Bellsprout prefers hot and humid places, living in forests – Nurse Evergreen.

As Nurse Isabelle stored her phone away, she reflected on what a curious girl Wendy Foxglove was. She had called Izzy just now, proclaiming that she needed her help and that 'Isa' must come this instant. Luckily for her, or maybe she knew, Isabelle was close by; Wendy was just outside of town, near a berry farm.

Because it was such a pleasant day, Isabelle had all her Pokémon out. Ivysaur walked right next to her, Pidgeotto flew somewhere above them, and Wartortle walked a bit behind them. Isabelle reflected on how she'd like to add to the team, soon. There was more room for her 'family' to grow. She hadn't quite met the right Pokémon yet, however.

At the fields of the farm, Isabelle first saw Wigglytuff bouncing around. Despite their kind being known for arrogance and being difficult to handle, this one was exceptionally well-behaved. Isabelle wondered whether Wendy was a better trainer than she let on. Izzy knew her as this naïve girl that believed all Pokémon had good in them, which was a bit of an optimistic view but a very good one for a nurse to have.

"Hello Isa! Glad you could make it!" Standing in the middle of a field with wiggly things, Wendy waved at the approaching team. Her afro had been tamed into two thick braids. As Izzy came closer, she realised what was going on. The Bellsprout were rooted to feed themselves and would be unable to leave the earth until they were done. The waving sea of Bellsprout made her feel a bit nauseated.

"Let me guess. We're on guard duty?" When Wendy nodded excitedly, Isabelle groaned.

"What's wrong, Isa?"

Isabelle shook her head. "Nothing, really. There's just something about these Pokémon that annoys me. Must be their derpy face." Speaking of a derpy face reminded her of Psyduck and Dominic's distaste for them. When she thought of Dominic, she thought of the kiss, which coloured her freckled cheeks a rosy colour.

"A blush!" Wendy stepped out of the field, revealing she wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, spread out a blanket and sat down on it, in front of the field. She patted the cloth. "Sit and spill!"

While Ivysaur pranced and prowled through the field of wiggling Bellsprout, Isabelle filled her in on what had happened, especially with the Abra and the tournament with Machoke. Wendy was grinning and clapping excitedly, as if she were watching a romance film on television and her favourite couple was finally having a scene.

"I'm so happy for you, Isa. You deserve all the happiness. He sounds like a great man. I'd love to meet him. Is he handsome?" When Isabelle nodded, she squealed.

Pretending not to notice Wendy's shipping of her and Dom, Izzy watched Wartortle and Wigglytuff. Despite being so hard to handle, Wartortle seemed to make female friends easily. First Raichu, despite type differences, and now Wigglytuff.

"So, Wendy. Do you have anyone you're exceptionally fond of?"

"Nah."

"Nah?"

"Nah. Don't care much for romance for myself. I don't want to kiss no one." Wendy shrugged, taking a thermos of homemade iced tea from her pack and pouring three glasses.

"Fair enough. That's always an option. Your whole heart belongs to the Pokémon?" Izzy asked as Wigglytuff showed up to take a cup of iced tea.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine with it. I still enjoy hearing about your adventures though," Wendy added with a fond smile.

As expected, only a few Pidgey tried to bother the Bellsprout but were chased away by Pidgeotto swiftly, who still had dominance and authority over all of his kind. As the sun was setting and the Bellsprout left the earth, Isabelle hugged Wendy as they said goodbye. They'd had a picnic while talking about practically everything. Wendy had been shocked to hear about the drowned Growlithe, yet less furious about catching the killer than Izzy had been. She mostly was in tears for the poor puppies, which did not surprise Isabelle at all. Promising to call, Isabelle left her friend again, going their own ways.

A bit later that night, she received a text, saying "Little secret: the Bellsprout did not need guarding. I just needed an excuse to see you again!" with a little winking face. Izzy laughed and confirmed it had been great to catch up.