#071 Victreebel
Victreebel, the flycatcher Pokémon. The evolved form of Weepinbell and the final evolution of Bellsprout. Covering Victreebel's mouth is a leaf with a long, brown, yellow-tipped vine growing out of it. The vine is flicked to mimic an animal in order to attract prey. Victreebel also produces a sweet scent to further aid in luring its victims. Acid that has dissolved numerous prey animals becomes sweeter and even more effective at attracting prey. It can be found in small groups and is territorial. Victreebel has been seen to hoard food, usually small birds and rodents, and collect leaf stones to perform evolution rituals at night to help Weepinbell become more Victreebel. Victreebel lives in forests – Nurse Evergreen.
Half-hidden underneath a mop of messy curls, Nurse Isabelle sleepily watched the sun rise as a chipper Erika was baking banana pancakes in the kitchen. Wearing a hoodie borrowed from Dominic, she curled her legs underneath her, struggling to stay awake. As Izzy took a sip of her herbal tea, she mentally cursed the fact that grass types woke up at dawn, so, naturally, trainers specialised in them did, as well. As Erika brought a huge stack of the pancakes to the breakfast nook, Isabelle suppressed a huge yawn.
"Oh, come on. It's not that early."
"Ye-e-e-es, it is," Isabelle said, yawning again.
As the girls ate their breakfast, Weepinbell came along, nibbled Izzy's toes for a moment, before hopping off again. Isabelle merely watched it with a raised eyebrow. Erika barely even looked. The sensation was oddly wet and not very comfortable.
"Something tells me you're rather used to the weird things Pokémon can do," her friend said.
Isabelle laughed. "Yep. You can't begin to imagine the trouble they can get into. Did I tell you about the Raticate who thought it was a good idea to chew on live cables in power plant?" They took their time at breakfast, telling stories of silly things Pokémon had gotten up to.
"How are you doing, Erika? It's been a while since … you know, your mum passed." Isabelle asked carefully.
"I've come to terms with it. It still sucks and I really wish she were here, but that's life, I suppose. Heard they're no closer to a cure yet."
Isabelle shook her head. "Don't think so, no. They're still working at it." Izzy reached over to squeeze Erika's hand, who gave her a small smile in return.
"Thanks, Izzy."
"Of course. You're my closest friend. We take care of each other."
When the two girls arrived at the gym, they were greeted by the gym's trainers with a respectful bow. Izzy felt a little uncomfortable, but Erika seemed used to it.
"Mireille, how's your Oddish? If it's still a little weak, plant her in the special soil today. Avabella, section three needs care today. Could you see to it? Uma, harvest the herbs. Joliet, you work in the perfume store today."
The girls took the commands obediently and took off to do their chores. Fascinatingly, there wasn't even any hesitance or reluctance. The ladies seemed to look up to Erika, despite her friend only having taken over this gym recently.
Because everyone was busy, Erika and Isabelle had the middle of the greenhouse to themselves. As Erika released Weepinbell, Isabelle let all of her Pokémon out. Pidgeotto to fight, Wartortle to swim around in the little irrigation canals through the greenhouse, and Ivysaur because grass types loved greenhouses the way flying types loved the open air and water types loved the sea.
As Ivysaur leapt in and out of the fragrant foliage, Isabelle and Erika readied themselves to battle. Pidgeotto seemed confident, having type advantage. Isabelle wasn't so sure. She wasn't an experienced battler at all, and Erika was. It was her job, after all. Surely, she had fought more battles against type disadvantage than Isabelle had fought in total.
Luckily for her, Pidgeotto knew his trainer and didn't rely on commands much. He flew when he needed to dodge, he knew when to attack, and he knew which attacks to use. Izzy merely needed to sit back and watch the show. It suited her well, actually; she didn't enjoy commanding harm on another Pokémon. She would wince whenever either Pokémon took a harsh hit, but the fight was amazing to see. After a while, they seemed to have reached an impasse. Both Pokémon were exhausted yet still standing, panting hard. If Isabelle wasn't so worried for her bird, she would have chuckled at the sight of a Weepinbell panting. He looked rather ridiculous, inflating and deflating. However, the desire to laugh disappeared when Weepinbell lit up, swiftly evolving into a Victreebel. With renewed energy, he wrapped his vines around Pidgeotto and slammed him into the ground. When her bird did not get up, Isabelle ran onto the field to gather her courageous flying type in her arms. She pressed her lips against the glorious comb on his head.
"You did splendidly. I'm proud of you, Pidgeotto," she whispered.
Meanwhile, Wartortle and Ivysaur were a bit deeper into the greenhouse. Ivysaur had discovered some sweet scent somewhere in the greenery, a delightful fragrance he longed to find the source of. However, whenever he got close, Wartortle would watergun his behind, forcing him to growl at her. By the time the turtle had gone away, Isabelle called out for him, claiming it's time to leave. With much reluctance, he left the sweet scent behind.
"That was so cool, Erika. I'm glad we managed to get Weepinbell the last push it needed to evolve. Hope he feels better in his new skin soon," Isabelle cheered.
"For sure. Thanks so much for the fight, Izzy and Pidgeotto. Please come back soon, and stay for a week or so. You could take that ranger of yours, as well!"
"He's not my ranger," Isabelle protested, flushing a light pink. It only made Erika laugh.
