The poll for the question whether I should add Pokémon movies in the "Ashley Ketchum's Journey" series is now closed! The result is;

Yes: 13

No: 2

The public has spoken. I will add Pokémon movies in the series, but maybe not every single one of them. The first movie "Mewtwo Strikes Back" will definitely be added to the Kanto Saga with a twist, so look forward to that, dear readers!

But wait! There will be another poll coming up! Read the details at the bottom of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 31: Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden

The mood in the group had heightened up a little bit since Togepi hatched from the Egg. We made sure to argue a lot less and be more positive so the Baby Pokémon wouldn't be sad and imagine we were bad people. After all, the environment could make a big impact on babies. At least, that's what Brock told me.

Right now, Ash was currently battling a hiker Trainer and his Rhyhorn with Bulbasaur while the rest of us were watching on the side.

"Rhyhorn, use Take Down!" the hiker yelled.

"Rhooo!" Rhyhorn roared before dashing towards Bulbasaur, making the ground shake like an earthquake.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted.

Bulbasaur was supposed to be faster, but Rhyhorn still managed to tackle him before he was able to unleash a cloud of razor-sharp leaves. Bulbasaur bounced on the ground twice before he crash-landed.

"That Rhyhorn's speed exceeds Bulbasaur's!" Misty exclaimed.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded frantically in my arms.

"That's one properly trained Rhyhorn!" Brock added.

Bulbasaur pushed himself up on all four limbs, revealing a bruise on his head. "B-Bulba…"

"Bulbasaur, are you okay?!" Ash asked worriedly.

"Bulbasaur!" his Pokémon nodded.

"So you can continue?" Ash said before getting determined. "Okay, buddy, let's go!"

"Your little Bulbasaur has no chance against my Rhyhorn!" the hiker scoffed. "Rhyhorn, use Horn Attack!"

Rhyhorn's horn glowed before it extended a little bit by the energy before it ran towards Ash's Starter Pokémon. "Rhooo!"

"Bulbasaur, dodge it with Vine Whip!" Ash shouted.

Bulbasaur used his vines to throw himself up to the sky, barely dodging the incoming Horn Attack. Rhyhorn had to force itself to stop running while Bulbasaur was still in the sky. His bulb was emitting some light, which meant one thing.

"Now, Bulbasaur! Use Solar Beam!" Ash yelled.

"Bulbasauuur!" Bulbasaur yelled before he aimed the bulb at Rhyhorn and released the energy he had absorbed for the Solar Beam.

Rhyhorn shrieked as it got engulfed by the light for a few seconds before an explosion erupted. Bulbasaur landed on all four and panted softly as we waited for the smoke to clear up. Rhyhorn was down on its stomach, signaling the battle was over.

"And done!" Brock called, acting like a referee. "Rhyhorn has fainted, which means Bulbasaur wins!"

"Alright, you did it, Bulbasaur!" Ash cheered before he ran to his Pokémon and got down on one knee to pat his head.

"Bulbasaur…", Bulbasaur smiled weakly.

"You both were great", I smiled as I walked over to my brother. "I got worried for a minute there."

The hiker picked up his Rhyhorn's Poké Ball. "Good job, Rhyhorn. Rest well." Once he returned his Pokémon, he walked over to us as well. "Your Bulbasaur packs quite a punch. I'm a little surprised it hasn't evolved yet."

"Well, I want my Pokémon to decide whether they want to evolve or not", Ash grinned while rubbing the back of his head. "Your Rhyhorn is powerful too. Do you have any advice how I can train my Rhyhorn to be as fast as yours?"

"Well, look at you, Ash! Asking Trainers for advice", Brock chuckled. "You've just achieved the next step into becoming a great Pokémon Trainer."

"I guess you're getting a little more mature than before", Misty giggled.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Ash growled softly.

We were all silent for a second before we started laughing, including the hiker. However, the moment broke when Bulbasaur suddenly collapsed on the ground.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash panicked. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"B-Bulba…", Bulbasaur responded weakly.

All of the sudden, his large bulb started blinking by energy. I have never seen it before, so I had no idea what was happening.

"What's happening?" Misty asked.

"Prii?" Togepi chirped confusedly.

"I don't know! Bulbasaur just collapsed and his bulb is glowing!" Ash replied.

"We should bring him to a Pokémon Center and ask for help from Nurse Joy!" Brock said.

"There is a Pokémon Center just five minutes away from here, kids", the hiker informed us as he pointed to the east. "Just follow the path over there. You won't miss it."

"Thank you, sir!" Ash bowed with Bulbasaur in his arms. "Let's go, guys!"

"Yes, Ash!" I nodded while Pikachu climbed onto my shoulder.

"Chu…", Pikachu whined worriedly.

XXXXXXXXXX

The hiker was true to his words. We quickly found the Pokémon Center in the middle of the forest and brought Bulbasaur to Nurse Joy. We waited outside of the emergency room for a while. Ash was very anxious and walked back and forth with a worried expression.

"I hope Bulbasaur is okay…", he mumbled. "He was my first Pokémon… My first partner… I don't want him to get sick!"

"Ash, calm down a little", Misty said. "I'm sure Nurse Joy will figure out what's happening to him."

"Togeprii!" Togepi chirped from her arms.

"Yeah, I hope so too…", Ash sighed before he sat down next to me on the couch.

Pikachu jumped out of my arms and sat down on my brother's lap. "Pika pikachu pi."

"Thanks for cheering me up, buddy", Ash chuckled softly and patted Pikachu's head.

"Chaa…"

I giggled softly at the interaction before trying to think what was wrong with Bulbasaur. The way his bulb glowed before… It couldn't have been his ability, Overgrow. His whole body would've glowed in green.

Soon, Nurse Joy walked out of the emergency room. Ash ran to her immediately with Pikachu on his shoulder. "Nurse Joy, is Bulbasaur going to be okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Chu…"

"Yes, Ash, Bulbasaur is going to be more than okay", Nurse Joy replied. "It's actually about to evolve."

"Bulbasaur is evolving?!" Ash exclaimed first in surprise before a big smile appeared on his face. "That's so awesome!"

"The hiker did point out Bulbasaur is a strong Pokémon, all thanks to you training him properly, Ash", Brock commented.

"But… If Bulbasaur is about to evolve… Wouldn't Pokémon evolve immediately?" Ash wondered.

"Yes, that is correct, and Bulbasaur is actually showing signs of resisting that", Nurse Joy explained.

"You mean Bulbasaur doesn't want to evolve?" Misty asked.

"Yes, but I believe there is a reason for that", Nurse Joy nodded.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Nurse Joy led us to a large window where we looked out to see the night had fallen and colorful flowers were suddenly blooming right in front of our eyes. Their pollen appeared to sparkle as they were carried away by the wind.

"Look at that!" Ash gaped in awe.

"Piika!"

"It's so pretty!" Misty smiled.

"Priii!"

"It really is…", I nodded with a soft smile.

"A certain time of the year, Bulbasaurs gather from all over the region for their own festival where they'll evolve together when the alignment of the planets and the phases of the moon are right", Nurse Joy explained. "They say they gather in an area nearby that's now called the Mysterious Garden."

"The Mysterious Garden… Sounds almost like that book I once read; the Secret Garden", Brock commented.

"It's called the Mysterious Garden because no human being has ever seen it", Nurse Joy continued. "And maybe it's for the best, so the Bulbasaurs won't get disturbed during the festival."

"I wonder if Bulbasaur decides to evolve into an Ivysaur, he'll go to the Mysterious Garden", Misty said.

"Maybe…", Ash nodded slowly.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

After hearing the tale about the Mysterious Garden, we ate dinner and went to bed to get some sleep. However, I first went to the emergency room where Bulbasaur was staying for the night to check on him.

Bulbasaur was already sleeping on the examination table, so I quietly walked to him and crouched down so I was on his eye level. Nurse Joy had placed a Band-Aid on his forehead where he had the bruise.

"Bulbasaur… Are you asleep…?" I whispered.

Bulbasaur snored softly, so he must be in a deep sleep.

"Bulbasaur… I know I've been a little bit neglectful because of Pikachu, but I want you to know that I truly and deeply care about you…", I spoke softly. "I don't mind if you want to remain as a Bulbasaur and not evolve into an Ivysaur… I want all my Pokémon to decide whether they want to evolve or not… And that includes you…"

I watched my first Pokémon a couple of minutes before I straightened up. "Good night, Bulbasaur…"

With that said, I walked back to the room my sister and our friends were sharing and climbed up one of the bunk beds and settled down to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX – Bulbasaur's POV

When my Trainer walked into the room where I was staying, I just acted like I was asleep, so I heard every word he said to me. It was true that I felt a little lonely because of Pikachu, but I couldn't blame them. Pikachu disliked being inside a Poké Ball, but it still hurt by the thoughts of Ash replacing me, his first Pokémon, with the first Pokémon he ever caught.

Would he pay more attention to me and appreciate it if I evolved into an Ivysaur to prove to him I was much stronger and worthy to be his first Pokémon?

But… What do I want? Do I want to evolve or not?

I snuck out of the room and out of the building to get some fresh air and watch the honey moon. The scent of the pollen in the air was relaxing, but it didn't really help me much with my decision.

Because once I evolve, there is no turning back.

"Hey…"

I looked over my shoulder and saw Pikachu walk up to me. "Pikachu…"

"What are you doing out here, Bulbasaur?" Pikachu asked.

"I just…needed some space to think", I replied.

"About you evolving?"

"Yeah… I was Ash's first Pokémon, so we share a special bond, but… I feel like you've taken that place from me because you hate being inside a Poké Ball and you are with him all the time."

"Oh… I'm sorry, Bulbasaur. It was never my intention to make you feel like that."

"I know, so don't beat yourself over that. But… I've been thinking lately… Everyone else is evolving, like Charizard and Wartortle, and we're part of the three Starter Pokémon. It almost feels like an obligation for me to copy them and evolve into an Ivysaur."

"Do you want to evolve?"

"I… I don't know. I… It's hard to explain my feelings, but… I don't feel like I'm ready yet to take the next step into becoming a stronger Pokémon."

"Did you hear about me refusing to evolve a long time ago?"

"Yes, I heard a little bit of that. It was around…the third Gym?"

"Yes. After losing to that Raichu, Ash got a Thunder Stone so he could evolve me, but I didn't want to evolve because I wanted to prove that I could defeat Raichu without being a Raichu myself."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Well… The truth is I'm still very young. Not long before Ash caught me, I was raised by a Kangaskhan when I was a baby Pichu. I want to remain as a Pikachu a little longer before I make a final decision."

"I see… Well, perhaps I should wait too before evolving into an Ivysaur…"

Before I knew it, several Vine Whips grabbed me by my limbs and pulled me away from Pikachu.

"Bulbasaur!" Pikachu shouted in shock.

"Hey, what's going on?!" I growled.

I looked over my shoulder and saw several Bulbasaurs had grabbed me with their vines and lifted me up in the air. "What are you doing?!" I yelled.

"You are our brother!" the Bulbasaurs spoke simultaneously. "We must head to the garden before the goddess goes to sleep!"

"Let me go!" I struggled against the vines, but it didn't work.

"To the garden! To the garden!" the Bulbasaurs chanted as they ran away with me.

"Bulbasaur!" Pikachu yelled as he ran after us.

"Pikachu!" I shouted back.

One of the Bulbasaurs tried to push my friend back with a Vine Whip, but Pikachu was faster and dodged the attack. I could see his cheeks were sparkling, ready to unleash a Thunderbolt.

"Don't!" I yelled.

"What?!" Pikachu exclaimed in surprise.

"Run back to Ash and stay with him! I'll be fine!" I shouted.

"B-But…!"

"Do it!"

Pikachu hesitated for a second before he gritted his teeth and turned around to run back to the Pokémon Center. It was for the best. I didn't want him or Ash or our friends to get hurt.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

"PIKA PIKACHU!"

I snapped out of my deep sleep by Pikachu's yelling. I sat straight up and got a small dizzy spell by the sudden movement, so I remained on the bed until the dizziness was gone.

"What's the noise…?" Misty mumbled as she woke up.

"We're trying to sleep here…", Brock yawned after he sat up.

I climbed down the bunk bed and hurried to Pikachu who stood by the open door. "What's the matter, Pikachu?"

"Pika pikapi pikachu pi!" Pikachu waved his arms before imitating Bulbasaur's face.

"Something happened to Bulbasaur?" I asked.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded.

I ran out of the room to the emergency room to see what was going on, but the room was empty! Bulbasaur was nowhere to be seen!

"Bulbasaur's gone!" I exclaimed in shock.

Ashley and our friends ran to me and saw the empty room as well. "Did Bulbasaur leave to join the other Bulbasaurs to evolve in the Mysterious Garden…?" Ashley asked while rubbing her sleepy eyelids.

"I would be calm about it, but the way Pikachu's acting tells me Bulbasaur might've ended up in trouble!" I responded. "We've gotta go and find him!"

"But we don't know where he could be", Misty pointed out with Togepi in her arms.

"Prii…", Togepi yawned.

"But maybe Pikachu can find Bulbasaur by his scent", Brock suggested.

I turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, can you find Bulbasaur?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu nodded.

"Let's grab our clothes and head out! We have to find Bulbasaur before something bad happens to him!" I called determinedly.

Oh, Bulbasaur…! Hang in there, buddy!

XXXXXXXXXX

Pikachu found Bulbasaur's scent and led us through the forest. The sparkling pollen was all around us and tickled our noses, but that didn't stop me from finding my first partner.

The forest got thicker the deeper we ran, but we soon found a large clearing with thousands of flowers and hundreds of Bulbasaurs. The clearing was maybe two soccer fields wide, so it was huge.

There was a big withered tree in the middle of the clearing and a large stump in front of it. Every Bulbasaur sat patiently and waited for whatever that was coming next.

"Is this…?" I began.

"Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden…", Ashley finished.

"Pika…"

We hid in the bushes and crept closer to the clearing, but we made sure not to make any loud noises. As we got closer, I heard the Bulbasaurs were…singing?

"I wonder why they are singing…?" Brock whispered.

"Look at the pollen…!" Misty called quietly.

"Togeprii…"

The sparkling pollen flew to the withered tree and did something magical with it. The dry branches grew bigger with fresh buds on them. The buds swiftly blossomed into pink flowers as a Venusaur walked out of the now rebirth tree and climbed onto the stump.

"SAAAUUUUUUR!" the Venusaur roared.

"Whoa…! A Venusaur…!" Ashley exclaimed softly.

"It's the final evolution for Bulbasaur…", Brock added.

I picked up my Pokédex to get some data.

Venusaur, the seed Pokémon. Grass and poison-type. The evolved form of Ivysaur. A bewitching aroma wafts from its flower. The fragrance becalms those engaged in a battle. Its plant blooms when it is absorbing solar energy. It stays on the move to seek sunlight.

"The last part of the Pokédex doesn't seem to apply this Venusaur…", Brock commented. "Maybe it's different because of this festival…"

"Yeah, maybe…", I nodded as I put away the Pokédex. "But where's my Bulbasaur…?"

"I think I found him…", Ashley whispered.

"Really? Where…?" I asked.

Ashley pointed at one Bulbasaur that kept looking around with a confused expression and it had a Band-Aid on its forehead.

"Yes, that's him…!" I sighed in relief. "I'm so glad to see he's okay… Let's go get him."

"We can't get out there and grab Bulbasaur…", Brock pointed out. "Humans aren't supposed to be here and interrupt the festival…"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot…", I mumbled softly.

"Pika pi…"

"Let's just watch silently and wait until the festival is over…", Misty suggested. "Then I'm sure we can get Bulbasaur and head back to the Pokémon Center…"

"SAAAUUUR!" the Venusaur roared.

"Saaauuur!" the horde of Bulbasaurs mimicked their temporary leader.

"SAAAUUUR!"

"Saaauuur!"

They kept repeating the cry over and over again it was getting a little annoying. Ashley had since a while ago covered her ears because she couldn't stand listening to it anymore. The ritual kept going as the pollen in the air traveled into the Bulbasaurs' bulb. Soon, one Bulbasaur began evolving and then the next one and the next one. The horde of Bulbasaurs was almost entirely replaced by Ivysaurs. I grabbed my Pokédex again to check its data.

Ivysaur, the seed Pokémon. Grass and poison-type. The evolved form of Bulbasaur. There is a plant bulb on its back. When it absorbs nutrients, the bulb is said to blossom into a large flower. When the bulb on its back grows large, it appears to lose the ability to stand on its hind legs.

"That's so cool…", I mumbled before I looked around. "Did my Bulbasaur evolve…?"

I soon found one Bulbasaur that hadn't evolved yet, but its body was glowing, which mean it was holding back. And it was my Bulbasaur!

"Bulbasaur is holding back…", Ashley mumbled as she removed her hands from her ears.

"Uh-oh… Guys, look…!" Misty called. "Venusaur and the Ivysaurs have noticed Bulbasaur…!"

"Venusaur saur saur!"

"Bulba bulbasaur saur!"

"Saur?! Venusaur saur!"

"Venusaur looks really mad…", I cold sweated. "Is it disappointed because Bulbasaur doesn't want to evolve…?"

"There can't be any other reason…", Brock said.

"Ivysaur ivysaur saur!" the Ivysaurs growled at my partner.

"Bulbasaur saur saur!" Bulbasaur shook his head.

"Venusaaaur!" Venusaur roared before releasing its two vines.

"No!" I yelled in fear as the adrenaline kicked in.

I ran out of the bushes and stood in front of Bulbasaur as Venusaur's Vine Whip came closer for each second. I held my arms out to protect my partner and braced myself. Venusaur's two vines hit both my shoulders so hard I cried out in pain. The force of the attack pushed me down to the ground while my shoulders burned by the pain inflicted.

"Bulbasaur?!" I heard my partner yell out in shock.

I grunted with gritted teeth as I fought against the burning pain and turned my head to the left. Bulbasaur was standing next to me with an extremely worried face.

"Bulba bulbasaur saur!"

"I-I'm sorry for getting in the middle of your festival… B-But I…wanted to protect you, my partner…", I mumbled weakly with a grin.

"B-Bulba…"

"Ash!" my sister and our friends yelled.

"Pika pika!"

I could barely move by the pain, but I turned my head to eye Venusaur that was surprised to see me and the others here. "I-I'm sorry we snuck into your garden, Venusaur… But this Bulbasaur here is my partner…and family", I began slowly.

Ashley and Brock helped me sit up on my knees so I wasn't lying on the dirt. Every Pokémon in the clearing was silent as they watched us with cautious eyes.

"I understand you're angry at Bulbasaur because he doesn't want to evolve, right?" I asked the seed Pokémon.

"Ivysaur!" the Ivysaurs nodded, answering my question.

"I apologize for ruining your festival, but you need to understand something", I spoke clearer as the pain in my shoulders slowly faded away. "I want my Pokémon to evolve when they want to. I don't want my Pokémon to be forced into evolving because it's a festival. You shouldn't force your own species to evolve when it doesn't want to."

Venusaur was quiet as the two of us never broke eye contact. It soon lowered its glance before sending a cloud of pollen from its flower up to the rebirth tree. New buds grew on the branches before they blossomed into new fresh flowers.

"I think this is Venusaur's way to apologize, Ash", Ashley told me.

"So… You're not angry anymore, Venusaur?" I asked.

"Venusaur!" Venusaur shook its head.

Brock helped me stand up so I could bow to it. "Thank you, Venusaur. And I'm sorry again for interrupting your festival."

"Saur…"

"But, Bulbasaur, if you evolve, you could use your power to manipulate nature and help it flourish like the others", Misty told my partner. "Don't you want that?"

"Saur…? Saur!" Bulbasaur was hesitant at first before he looked away.

I crouched down to Bulbasaur with a soft chuckle. "You can evolve whenever you want to, Bulbasaur. I want my Pokémon to make that decision for themselves, not for me."

"Bulba", Bulbasaur smiled softly.

"And if you decide to remain as a Bulbasaur, I'll train you to become the strongest Bulbasaur in the whole world!" I exclaimed determinedly.

"Bulbasaur saur!" Bulbasaur smiled even wider before he jumped onto my chest.

I laughed softly and moved my arms to hug him, but my shoulders were still throbbing after Venusaur's Vine Whip. "Ow…"

"Bulba?" Bulbasaur looked at me worriedly.

"I'm fine, Bulbasaur", I gave him a grin. "I'll always take a hit for my Pokémon. Just as you and everyone else protect me, I'll protect you too."

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur smiled widely before he nuzzled his head against my chest, which tickled me.

At this moment, I felt like I understood my first Pokémon's feelings better. I felt bad for neglecting him, but now that I knew he didn't want to evolve just yet, I was going to spend more time with him and my other Pokémon to learn more about them and their needs.

That was an important step to become the greatest Pokémon Trainer in the world.

XXXXXXXXXX

I know some of you are disappointed that I didn't make Bulbasaur evolve, but all hope is not lost yet. Maybe Bulbasaur will evolve later in the Kanto Saga or in the Johto Saga? We'll see about that.

Now, for the newest poll… It's about whether Ash and Ashley should catch the Legendary Bird Pokémon (Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres) or not. It is kinda crucial to get your opinion as soon as possible so I can plan out the course of chapters because I've decided to skip the Orange League Saga. In my original notes, I decided to let Ashley stay in Kanto while Ash, Misty, and Brock head to the Orange Islands and make her catch all three Legendary Birds, but that would make her too OP. That's why I'll write some made-up episodes to compromise for the Orange League Saga, like the group encountering two of the three Legendary Birds in the Kanto Saga and the third in a future saga.

The poll will be open until the twins get their Volcano Badges from the Cinnabar Gym.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charizard (male)

Volt the Jolteon (male)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

Kabo the Kabuto (male)

Hunter the Aerodactyl (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:

Rina the Nidorina (female)

Luna the Clefairy (female)

Oliver the Vileplume (male)

Chanchan the Hitmonchan (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Bulbasaur (male)

Charizard (male)

Wartortle (male)

Pikachu (male)

Poliwag (male)

Omanyte (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Squirtle x4 (males)

Krabby (male)

Muk (male)

Beedrill (male)

Tauros (male)

Rhyhorn (male)

Exeggcute (male)

Nidorino (male)

Dratini (female)

Gengar (male)

Pidgeotto (male)

Hitmonlee (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Starmie (genderless)

Horsea (female)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)

Rhyhorn (male)